I Want A Pretty Girl to Kiss Me

[lakohls]

I have read so many trip reports over the last year while I was planning this trip & basically feeding my Disney addiction that I am going to attempt to repay the favor to the Disboard community this week. Please bear with me as this is a 1st attempt and I will try to be entertaining. But, in any event, I figure this will be a good diary to print off & put in our album for us to all read & remember in the future.

I started out live, but the trip has become way too much fun so I'll be finishing from home. Also, the title has changed for 2 reasons - first not current by day anymore, and secondly because DS3 had given us the new running theme of the trip. I'm sure you can guess what has happened with the princesses!

And, as we are now wrapping up the trip I can start downloading some photos to add as well - especially those related to our theme!

Travellers: myself, DH, DS13, DD10, DD8, DS3 and joining us on Day 2 are Jonana (my mother) and Danny (my stepfather).

 

[lakohls]

Let’s just say I knew that today was going be crazy. Explanation – when I planned the trip 11 months ago it all seemed so well prepared. Of course, that’s when last minute unforeseen changes make you realize you can’t plan everything! So in our case, it was that DH job had a schedule change that prevented him from flying down with us on Friday.

So when I got up at 6:30am, I already knew it was going to be a long day, but at least I was mentally prepared for it. And my kids were GREAT – they really all stepped up and worked together to make it such a smooth day.

Everyone got up, got dressed, ate breakfast & we were in the car by 7:30am!

So we did have a pit stop on the way – at Shriner’s Hospital outpatient clinic in Albany. 9:00 am appointment that I found out about maybe 6 weeks ago – DS13 has CP and every 6 months or so he has an automatic follow-up. So that was actually the 1st additional wrinkle in the plan, but I figured we had time in the schedule when I found out 6 weeks ago that this was clinic day & DH could help with other kids. Well we pulled it off, even without DH, – mostly because I called Shriner’s ahead of time & stressed how important it would be that this visit not run late as we had a 2:30 flight to catch. So we got to the appointment, and the Shriners really are just great people. They had donuts & juice out for everyone (which the younger 3 kids really liked) and they made a big fuss out of DS13 and how he was going to see Mickey later today, etc. And – they stayed on schedule. We walked out exactly on time at 10:30am and DS will have his new AFOs in about 2 weeks.

Drive from Albany to Hartford uneventful. Have to mention how much tree damage there was as we got closer from the snowstorm last week – so many trees just snapped right off partway up. And I know many areas are still without power in that area too…

Hartford Airport on time right around 12:25. JetBlue has the curbside baggage check – well worth the $2/bag. Then we drove down to Lot B (which did take 2 trips around to locate the correct entrance). Parking there is $6/day or $48/week, and their handicapped spots for wheelchair access are really good. I was quite happy with the whole access, distance to terminal, etc.

Flight, again very smooth. Gate agent assured me that DH return ticket will not be affected by him not appearing for today’s flight. And she advised that since we had paid for that 6th seat today she would leave it open so there would be a little more room for the kids to move around. Unfortunately that did not happen – last person on the plane took the seat. And even though there were other empty seats & I explained that DS3 may be “joining” me she just stayed & slept for the next 3 hours. Again though, my kids were great. DDs did a great job helping entertain DS3 & I entertained DS13. Thank goodness for in flight TVs though too

Magical Express was perfect. Only 10 minute wait for the lift bus. I was a little surprised at how quiet it was for 6:00 on a Friday evening, but only 2 other families joined us. Each family got off at a different resort, we were last at All Star Movies arriving just after 7:00.

This is our 1st stay at All Stars, and it is only for 1 night as we check in for a week at DVC AK Kidani tomorrow in a 2 BR unit. But, it was a wash in plane tickets/hotels for us to come down a day early and besides, now we get another whole day at Disney instead of spending Saturday travelling. Very nice Cast Member – gave us girls each a pink carnation at check-in.

We are in connecting standard rooms in the Mighty Ducks section. Rooms are fine & plenty of space for a couple of days. However I guess we are spoiled, and I would not stay here for the full week. Even now I am typing this up in the dark while all the kids are asleep. We have gotten used to the extra space & amenities over at DVC.

After checking in and dropping some items off in the room we went over to the Food Court area. Now that was busy. Lines at each station– and it was almost 8pm by now. And for only having about 6 choices at each station I was amazed at how many questions people were asking the servers & how long it was taking for them to place the orders – come on folks! Kids wanted – what else – chicken nuggets. So we got chicken nuggets – 3 youngest split 2 adult portions of the chicken & fries and each got a large chocolate milk. $24.98 total. (DS13 is G-tube fed & does not eat except a few bites a day to wash down meds) I then went back after getting them seated & started and ordered the pasta & chicken with marinara sauce plus a drink. $14.43 Between us we ate all but about 3 pieces if the chicken. Stopped on way out to get 3 cookies & a yogurt - $9.16. So basically $50 later I am really glad for my decision to go with Dining Plan for the rest of the trip which starts up as soon as we check-in tomorrow.

Also, I did like the little coloring table in the dining room – DS3 & DD8 both sat down after they finished eating and made a couple of friends while they created their masterpieces. And the crayon basket is really cute – a mickey of course.

We took our cookies out to the pool area & watched about 30 minutes of Toy Story 3. Kids would have watched the whole thing, but it’s been a long day and is now 9:00 and Everest is calling for the morning.

And here is the real magic for the day: DH texts me – work changed again & he is on a flight arriving later tonight! So I am typing this up, awaiting his arrival. And here he is – so Good Night!

ps - I figured out how to copy/paste from word

 

[lakohls]

This day started WAY TOO EARLY with DS3 awaking at 5:00am. After about 30 minutes I got him back to sleep, but then at 6 everyone else started stirring anyway. We convinced the kids to watch Disney channel for about an hour, but then we all got up & ready to go.

Bell Serives picked up all our items & they were all waiting for us when we arrived at Kidani.

Food court at AS Movies was breakfast – the pancakes, bacon, sausage, French toast & eggs were all well received. About $33.30 for all of us.

We took a few minutes before leaving to check out all the Toy Story displays – a favorite of any 3 yr old!

Bus service to Animal Kingdom was prompt. Now from recent reading, I’ve seen debate on how the whole handicapped access is supposed to work vs. does work vs. possibly some new procedures being implemented. All I can share is our experience.

This morning there were about 20 people total in line when we arrived, so DH placed DS in the specially marked wheelchair box at the end of the front row. The other 4 of us proceeded into the queue, which happened to place us in the front row of guests waiting for the bus. When it arrived they loaded DS 1st, then everyone loaded on through the queue. Now, it was obvious that everyone was going to get on and we are ok with going through the line & then taking whatever seats the rest of us can get. Later in the day, when leaving Animal Kingdom park, the exact same thing happened. Although that time another guest told me & kids to go get on with DS - as we were the immediate family & that was the policy. I just explained that recent research I had been seeing made me suspect that changes may be in place, it was obvious we would board either way, & I did not want to cause waves for no reason. I’ll see how it goes rest of the week.

We actually walked through the gates of AK about 10:30am. Decided to go to Safari 1st with a 20 minute wait. The regular queue was under 15 minutes. We made the mistake of going to the HC line. After 30 minutes in that line we finally just picked DS up & transferred him. (DH can still lift him, but this is probably the last year we will have that option).

Ride was great – lots of animals. The baby elephant is really really cute. I had forgotten that it really is a significant tour. We took lots of photos & I had brought a long range lense for the camera that made a big difference. Next we walked through the Exploration trail – it is right there after all, and then took the train over to the Conservation Station.

DS3 got to meet Jiminy Cricket & everyone played with the sheep, llama, etc out there. Cute hidden mickey: shaved into the back of one of the black sheep – everything but the mickey head is shaved off!

Lunchtime was from the Yak & Yeti Café – more for DH & myself to have something different than burgers/chix all the time. Adults both had the honey chicken, kids split chicken tenders and cheeseburger meal. Also ordered an extra chicken fried rice and extra fries. So 2 adult meals, 2 kids meals & 2 extra sides & 2 drinks, 49.55 for everyone.

Kali River Rapids was next. And DS3 just made the height requirements by a hair! So all 6 of us could go on a “big kid” ride together ! So away we went – less than 10 minute wait. Not too much water, but it was fairly overcast all day & probably only 70-75 degrees. Got to the end of the ride & fun was had by all. So much so that the cast member noticed all the happy laughing faces, there was basically no line, so he offered to just have us all go again! 2nd time through: SOAKED. I have never been clothed & so wet in my life. So I was ready to pack it in.

Just after 3:00 JoNana & Danny call to let us they have arrived & are all checked in. I had their flight info in my head off by an hour – hadn’t been expecting to hear from them until at least 4:00. They say no problem they’ll just relax at the bar & watch the zebras until we get back.

So now I’m soaked & my Mom & step-father who I feel responsible for on this trip as I invited them & set-up their studio for are here waiting for us. But MOM, we haven’t been to Everest yet and we have FP! So we go to Everest. The 2 girls took the 6 FP I had picked up earlier in the day – and just went 3x in a row and loved it every time. DS3 fell asleep in the stroller during this time & I am so glad I brought it along. Can’t believe I actually considered leaving it home.

On our way out we stopped at Wac-A-Mole. Personal vendetta between DH & I. He just edged me out today. Kids think it is hysterical that we are so competitive over this one game.

Oh and although still quite wet (well the girls & DH had mostly dried off by now, DS3 although still soaked is sleeping through it, so it is really just me feeling the wet) we must stop at Dinosaur on the way out. Took DH and the girls about 25 minutes total. Posted wait-time was 10 minutes.

5:05 and the phone rings again “where are the kids?” – we are finally walking out of the park. Not to mention that we have not checked in & have 6:00 reservations for Boma.

Back at Kidani by 5:15pm & they meet us in the lobby while I check-in. Almost all of our requests were granted: main floor & near each other (directly across the hall). Would have preferred near Rafiki elevator so as to be closer to pool & have a better view from our Std View room, by we are by Timon elevator & Jonana has Safari View so the kids can cross the hall & use her balcony. BTW, there was no line and we did not use on-line check-in.

Desk Agent was very efficient and helpful. She was able to add our park hoppers (purchased back in June from UnderCover Tourist the day before price increases – thanks again to Disboards!) to our KTTW right away – even though the mag stripes on 3 of the had demagnetized (maybe too much water?). Also confirmed our meal plan was all set & coded. Note here: DS13 is 100% g-tube fed and if you reach out to Disney they will make an exception to allow you to NOT have to purchase the meal plan for a member of your party, so we have 3 adults & 2 kids on our plan. She also called Boma to let them know we would be a few minutes late.

Bell Services delivered luggage & our Garden Grocer Order (who BTW had texted us in the park when the order had been delivered along with locator info). We all got dry clothes on and actually made it to Boma at 6:15 and were seated within 5 minutes.

For reference, the walk between Kidani bust stop & Jambo is not long. To prove the point a bus pulled up as we were walking by so 4 of hopped on but DH decided to hoof it over with DS13, DD10 & DD8 to see if they could beat us – and they did!

Dinner at Boma: none of had been there before but it has quite a few fans and was close by thus the reservation. Lots of choices: 5 entrees including salmon and a carving station of some type of beef. Also, 5 soups, few salads, lots of sides and plenty of kid friendly choices. And, the desert station with Zebra Domes.

Our group sampled Salmon, Beef, Ribs, Chicken, Pasta, Salads, Soup, and deserts. Items worth mentioning: Ginger Carrot soup was excellent. Cinnamon Chocolate Mouse was better than the Zebra Domes IMHO, and DS3 loved the peanut butter rice - glad the server suggested it because who would have thought? Otherwise, meal was good. If I was not on DP though I would not pay $33 plus tax & tip for this buffet.

Another memory from dinner – DH commented on the décor of the restaurant! Actually noticed the ceiling hangings and that they resemble the hammocks in which the Navi sleep (Avatar reference). So appropriate since Avatar is coming to Disney in 2013 I believe.

So we all walked back to Kidani after dinner. Since we are on the Jambo half of the building it was really quick & we remembered to cut through the parking garage using Zazu elevator.


Kids all passed out in minutes. I finished unpacking everything & started typing this up.

There is wireless in the building, and we attempted to log in to post. However after about 30 minutes of fighting with the system and being on hold with the service department finally gave up . It appears that the computers can see the signal, but there may be a problem with the network. None of our devices could actually use the network even though the tech could see that we accepted the terms & condition and did make some corrections – we were able to briefly get to abc.com & weather.com to test that there was a connection for the tech, but as soon as we stared to click links etc it crashed again. Fyi, I have a Mac & DH a PC. Will try again tomorrow.

Fortunately for us this is Daylight Savings Time – so we get an extra hour of sleep. Really good news since we have 8:30 am reservations at Hollywood & Vine to meet Little Einsteins!

 

[lakohls]

7:45 am departure for the parks comes early even on a Daylight Savings Day! But we made it out, bus was right on time for ourselves and 1 other family heading to Hollywood Studios. There were folks lining up for rope drop, but we headed right over to our reservation at Hollywood & Vine and were seated within 5 minutes. There is a large entry banner that shows Jake & Neverland Pirates & hostess said they are coming soon. Today breakfast guests included June, Leo, Oso & Handy Manny. Obviously this breakfast was selected with DS3 in mind and he was not disappointed!

We had a large table to left of entry right at the windows so we could both watch people in the restaurant & people in the park as well. The first 2 characters made it over even before the server could take our drink orders! Then drink orders taken we started heading to fill the plates. Typical Disney breakfast buffet - plenty of everything & I love the mickey waffles. We wrapped up breakfast in about 45 minutes.

So Toy Story is still a mania unto itself with a line for FP stretching quite a way down the street, but moving, and giving out FP times of 2:00 pm at 9:30 am. Standby line was 60 minutes by then as well.

So big kids headed to ToT and RnRC, Jonana & I with boys to Little Mermaid & Playhouse Disney. DS3 was thrilled with both. Especially the “rain” in Little Nermaid. He was just totally mesmerized. I’ll miss that reaction as all my kids are growing up and those first reactions at Disney make it worth all the $ we throw/invest in these trips. We joined back up with the others to hear that ToT was “ok” but RnRC was awesome.

Star Tours was next on the list and here is where our day got a little off track. Jedi training session was going on so we watched a little of that – very cute & I can absolutely see DS3 joining in at about age 5. But alas he is too short for it now. Wheelchair line was backed up, so they gave us a return pass for 30 min later – same as the standby time that we were trying to queue with my chairs will not fit through & the wheelchair area was quite full at that point. So again DH & Danny stayed to accomplish the ride with girls and we went hunting up a snack for DS3.

Searching for a snack led us past the Lightening & Mater meet & greet, into Toy Story Pizza Planet and finally to Honey I Shrunk the Kids. Big kids had finished by now, but couldn’t locate us & I think that was mostly a matter of lack of carbs in their system so I went to guide them back to us. At the same time I understand as I find that area of HS to be very confusing as well. But I did get a good preview of the unlit Osborne lights – scheduled to turn on this Thursday. Can’t wait to see them for the 1st time.

The rest of the park is decorated for the holidays, including the tree out front, as well and the Christmas music is playing. Did seem a little odd for there to be Christmas music in the air already. And honestly, IMHO, the decorations at Hollywood Studios are just ok. However I’m sure the Osborne lights will bring it up to standard.

For those that were hungry (DH, DD10 & DD8) Studio Catering company hit the spot. I took DS3 into the playground with DS13 thinking he would enjoy watching his little brother run around – mistake. DS3 almost immediately disappeared and it was a madhouse in there. Couldn’t leave DS13 unattended, but also couldn’t see DS3 anywhere. Started texting DH to send help and stationed myself at the exit to ensure no loss that way. Eventually, probably a solid 5 minutes, DS3 reappeared and was of course thrilled with himself. Not I, & we headed out. Next time I’ll make sure I have enough supervision with me so I feel safe that they are safe

Our family has never experienced Backlot Tour and line was only 5 minutes. That was a lot of fun. Pearl Harbor is one of my favorite movies so it was really neat to see some of the special effects etc. Had some issue with the tram – it wasn’t lined up properly for wheelchair access so we waited for the next to come along. In the meanwhile that same one had some kind of a maintenance issue & sat there fully loaded for quite some time before declared all clear. Next tram came and we loaded right up. DS13 really enjoyed the special demo in that show – especially where the canyon floods. He just laughed so hard!

By the time we got out it was raining pretty hard, but lucky for us the 2:00 Toy Story FP time had arrived! We got there at 2:01 and walked right up to the gate where HC splits off to no stair area. Lots if folks in that line though so I sent rest of group to regular line and they did beat DS13 & I by 13 minutes. So worth the wait. Not sure how all the scores fared, mine was better than last year!

The other big characters we had wanted to meet are Woody & Buzz, but the line had just been cut off in anticipation of the 3:00 parade. But there will be time later in the week. So we headed off to try to find a spot for the parade. This is one area that I do not have much info: where to stand and/or how early to get to that spot. So we did not fare well in either area. DS3, DD8 & DD10 managed to get up close enough to see and DS13 & I waited in the back with the other adults. Pretty short parade and one of the vehicles broke down so we had one of the floats in front of for quite some time – sad but IO can’t remember who was on it! It was the float between Mike & Sully and then Buzz & Woody….


Most of the group had had enough by then & needed to get back to the hotel for naps and general relaxation. DD10 & I opted to stay to see the American Idol experience at 4:30. In the intervening hour we had our first Mickey Bars of the trip, rode Great Movie Ride and Star Tours.

DD10 had ridden Star Tours once earlier in the day as well. I really enjoyed the revamped version and how it includes scenes that are familiar from the movies so it feels like you are actually immersed in A Galaxy Far Far Away and I can tell I must be getting older as my stomach could feel some of the movement more than in past years as well – but not so much that I won’t do it again. And DD10 confirmed some of it was different than her experience earlier in the day which she had not realized would happen – just thought she was doing something over again for my sake.

American Idol Experience was really cute and the cast members did a good job ad libbing to the individual contestants. In our opinion though it was the contestant we liked the least that got through to the evening round. He was just so off key so many times, but did take most of the ribbing from the judges.

We arrived back at Kidani around 5:00 and relaxed there the rest of the evening. Animal watching, Sunday football (hurray Bengals pulled it off again to now be 6-2!) load of laundry, still no wifi which I went to the desk to report and am just using the ethernet instead. Kids had had enough of eating out so they opted for spagettios & fruit in the room. Adults decided on take out pizza. Based on Disboards we ordered from Giordano’s and have plenty of leftovers.

One helpful hint: DH put DS3 down for a nap when they arrived back earlier in the studio side of the unit & left the intermediate door ajar slightly. Due to the air pressure difference it blew closed! And we had deadbolted & security clasped the main entrance door to the unit in order to ensure no one left the unit without us knowing. DH called front desk & they sent maintenance down who was able to override the deadbolt, but not the clasp. By now DS3 had woken up and was able to follow directions to “open the green door” and all was resolved. So tomorrow we’ll be putting a washcloth or something up in the door frame so it can’t blow closed.

Monday’s agenda: Epcot with dinner at Teppan Edo.