I Want to Quit This Whole Disney World! -- (Update 2/20)

[trickiwoo]

So I finally have some time to catch up on TRs! Woo!

This is a picture of me at 4:00 in the morning! I can’t believe that I actually got up to do my makeup.

Ugh! I don't think I've ever looked that good at 4 in the morning ever!!! So jealous!

For the Feb/March trip I am thinking of flying Southwest because they have nonstop flights and you can check two bags without additional fees.

That is exactly why we fly Southwest to Disney! Plus not having assigned seats is pretty cool!

We had to go up the counter and talk to them because we had a connecting flight we were going to miss. This was so stressful! I was so worried and DH couldn’t really calm me down. After waiting for 20 minutes (20 minutes that felt like 8 decades) we were at the front counter!

Oh no!!! That would stress me out to! I'd be on the verge of tears!

They offered us a flight that would get into MCO at 11:30p.m. – leaving from Phoenix in the early afternoon. I wanted to cry right then and there—that was 8 hours from now! I would go insane waiting in the airport that long. Additionally, we had ADR for Cinderella’s Royal Table for 6:45 p.m. and we couldn’t cancel this soon—we would be charged.

And at that point I'd be throwing up...

The only issue was our plane change in Memphis. We only had 20 minutes to get to our new gate, and I didn’t know how big that airport was. Additionally, we left Phoenix 15 minutes late. AHHH!

Geeze! This is like the worst airport experience ever!!! I feel so bad for you!!!

The flight was good. We had a smooth takeoff and the pilot made up the time in the air. We actually arrived 30 minutes early…plenty of time to use the restroom before boarding our next flight.

I am relieved to hear it got better!!!

I remember that Hayden was a bit disappointed because he wanted a Disney Cruise Line bus

Okay, Hayden needs to go to WDW with me some time! I have never ever EVER gotten the ME bus! I've ALWAYS gotten the Cruise Line bus!! Always! All I want is to ride the ME bus just once! Is that too much to ask?


Yay! I'm glad you finally made it to CRT!!! And the CRT pictures are too adorable!!!

 

[oboedm]

[FONT=&quot]Day 2: Part One—Hiding Under the Table
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[FONT=&quot]I think DH and I finally fell asleep around 11:30. I woke up around 6:00 a.m. to begin the day! We planned on leaving the hotel at 7:00 a.m. for our 8:00 a.m. ADR at Ohana.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]DH, Hayden and I were all ready to go! Hayden and I decided to play a bit on the “balcony” (walkway). He loved his sword and brought it with us to the park that day. I updated my Facebook page with this picture. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Everyone was ready to go a little after 7. I think this was the earliest we left any day that week! [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]We checked into Ohana right at 8:00 a.m. and got our buzzer. BIL lived in Samoa for a couple of years, so he was excited to see that the gift shop was called “Samoa Snacks”. Naturally we got a picture. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]A picture of the Ohana sign:[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]We were called around 8:10 a.m. and were seated at a corner table. The tables at Ohana are HUGE! SIL sat across the table from me and it felt like she was 8 miles away.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Ohana gave us an anniversary card, but they had the wrong names! It showed me as being married to BIL and not DH! Of course we had to take a picture! [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]We had our juice cups filled and our sweet breads delivered. BIL, living in Samoa, and SIL (being his wife) asked for some sort of Samoan hot chocolate. I believe it is hot chocolate and coconut milk—or something like that. They obviously didn’t have it—it’s a Disney resort for crying out loud! They were a bit upset because they able to get it living in Utah, but they couldn’t get it at the Polynesian resort.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Hayden was a bit out of it this morning, but he seemed to be in a good mood. Here he is, staring into space. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]And now, pictures of the food! Here is a picture of the breads, fruits and juice. I thought the sweet breads were really good! I don’t remember the fruit, so it must have been “standard”. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]The skillet! I remember the sausage being pretty good and I also liked the potatoes. I didn’t care for the eggs—they were a bit too runny for me.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Once we got our food, the characters started coming around. Lilo was first! Ginny, as usual, loved her![/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]We asked Lilo to sign out book. Hayden was sitting in the corner and couldn’t be coerced into a high five, much less a picture. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]At that point, they started the parade around the restaurant. I tried to get Hayden to participate, but he wouldn’t. We just watched from afar. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]After the parade, Stitch came by the table. Hayden was sitting on DH’s lap, and leaned as far away from Stitch signing the book as possible. Too funny![/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]And then Ginny made it all worth it by going right up to him and touching his face. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]I love this picture of Stitch! SIL did a great job with this one! [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Despite the fact that they didn’t have the special hot chocolate, BIL was impressed that they had authentic weapons on the wall. I’m not quite sure what kind of face he is making here, but I do like the fact that he fit right in with his shirt! [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]As we were taking that picture, Pluto came! I know you are probably sick of Ginny interacting with the characters in the same way, but she just loved their costumes so much! Pluto was wonderful and played peek-a-boo with her. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Hayden was, well… hiding![/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]He had gotten a bit unruly at this point (he had eaten, he wasn’t interested in the characters), so we didn’t stick around. On the way out of the restaurant, we had to get a picture with the surfboard! [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]I think I would go back to Ohana again. The food was “standard” breakfast food, but I didn’t feel like the characters were rushed (which was the case at many other character meals). Additionally, it is just so convenient, as it’s at a monorail resort. You can just take the bus to MK and hop on the monorail, which we liked! [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]We walked through the Poly, following the signs to the TTC. It was a short 10 minute walk and we were able to admire the grounds. I wish we had gotten some pictures, because it was beautiful! I will have to stay here someday! [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]We walked up the ramp to the monorail, (is it just me, or is it really steep?), and waited 10-15 minutes. We got to Epcot around 9:15 and admired Spaceship Earth![/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]What will be our first ride? What will everyone think of it? And how would Ginny ever take a stroller nap in the heat/humidity of Florida? [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Food Round Up: [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I want to see how much we would have spent on all this food and see if it saves as much as Disney claims it would save. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]4 Adults, Ohana:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] $99.96[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1 Child, Ohana:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] $13.99[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Total Food Costs, Day 2 Breakfast:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] $113.95[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Total Food Costs, Trip:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] $366.59[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Cost of upgrade to DxDP:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] $1161.00 [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Cost of DxDP w/o Free Dining:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] $3671.00 ($3304.41 until break even)[/FONT]
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[oboedm]

I'm in!!! Nice TR and great pictures!! Can't wait to read more!!!

I appreciate you subbing to the TR!

So I finally have some time to catch up on TRs! Woo!

Glad to have you here! I am enjoying reading your TR as well!

 

[onescgirl]

Hi Paula,
I'm here & caught up with your TR! We followed each other along on our PTR, & I had to see how your trip went!!!!!

I can't imagine how stressed you were on that 1st day trying to make it to your ADR!!!!!
That Hayden & Ginny are the most adorable kids. I love seeing their interaction pictures.
I think that is the GREATEST idea you did by contacting your church & paying someone in need to drive you to the airport! I hope people reading will follow your lead.
I'm glad you're writing down your meal prices & showing all the calculations. I always say that I'm going to do that. I do on the 1st day, then I forget about it the rest of the trip!

I'm enjoying reading your TR!

 

[klacey1]

Didn't realize you had an update up! Aww, that's so sad that Hayden didn't want to interact with the characters! The picture of him leaning away from Stitch is too funny! I love that Ginny loved to touch reach out to them-- they must have looked like giant stuffed animals to her!

 

[annmarieda]

I have been working a bunch over the last two weeks. I am so glad that I was able to get caught up on your TR pretty easily.

I think eating at the Polynesian is great because of how easy it was to get to and from. We ate at both Ohana and Kona. Both are do-agains for me. Course since we didn't have breakfast there...I think we might have to do that instead of dinner.

 

[oboedm]

Day 2: Part Two—Tears, Fears and Fish

The holidays and work have been crazy lately. I haven’t even been on the DIS for two months! The holidays came and then I was sick for three weeks straight.

However, I am determined to finish this trip report, so here is the rest of day 2. The good thing is that almost four months removed from the trip, I remember less and less—which means I have less to write!

In my last update we went to Ohana for Breakfast. After that, we walked over to the TTC and caught a monorail to Epcot. I estimate that we arrived around 9:30 a.m.

At that point, we headed over to Soarin’. I decided to wait with Ginny outside since she was asleep at that point and needed to remain in the stroller. Here is the contraption that SIL rigged for Ginny. She attached Velcro to the stroller and the blanket so that Ginny could have full shade. On each side of the seat, in the cup holders, she had battery powered fans. It was a pretty sweet set up.

Evan said that Hayden started to get a little worried about the ride when they waited in the hallway. He didn’t want to go into “dark places”. They watched the video, and he seemed to like that, but after that was over he started clutching his parents. He knew something was about to happen.

They loaded the “gliders” and DH was excited that they got front row, as there wouldn’t be any feet dangling in front of them. They sat down, buckled up, and Hayden was okay until the gliders lifted into the air.

Hayden began to cry. BIL started to laugh, which caused DH to start laughing. They tried to calm him down and get him interested in the movie, but it wasn’t working. Eventually, they just gave up.

Meanwhile, I took a few pictures. I didn’t want to wheel Ginny around so I just turned around and got a picture of SSE.

SIL comes out holding Hayden’s hand. He looks like he was just been violated in the worst way. The original plan was to ride these types of rides twice—with one person (me or DH) sitting out with the kids, but that plan was abandoned. We knew we were going to DLR in October, and Soarin’ is the same there. As such, we headed over to the Seas.

The queue for the Nemo ride was quite dark, so Hayden was immediately scared. We boarded out clam-mobile and set off in search of Nemo. I had never been on this ride, and thought it was just okay. I liked the EAC part and the end (where the animated fishes swim with the real ones). I guess I just thought the entire ride was like the ending, and it wasn’t. I will ride it again, though, it was cute.

Hayden and Ginny were both crying as we left the ride. Sigh. This is going to be a long week!

We excited the ride and looked at the sea life in the tank. Finally! Something Hayden enjoyed!

After looking at several of the tanks, we headed into Turtle Talk with Crush. Hayden refused to sit in the front with the kids and sat with us in the back. However, he didn’t freak out during the show—which was a definite plus! I had to leave with Ginny, as she was getting fussy, but from what I saw, it was a great show.

I have only seen Turtle Talk at DLR, not WDW, and I liked it more at WDW. Crush seemed to go “off script” a bit more and there were a lot more jokes that only the adults would understand. It was great! BIL especially liked the show and was laughing a lot!

We then went to the upper level of the aquarium as we wanted to see the dolphins. There was a demonstration happening at that point, so we couldn’t really see them and didn’t want to stand in the back. We ended up going over the right and found the Mickey head made out of rocks. It was fun, but I am not a huge fan of sea life. I would much rather be sitting on my couch watching a documentary like Planet Earth than go to an aquarium.

Anyway, at this point we were done with the Seas and went into the giftshop. We still had some time to kill before lunch, so I suggested Living with the Land. From what I could tell, there was nothing scary about it (although I didn’t know as I hadn’t ridden in since 1996).

Hayden ended up buying a stuffed Squirt as one of his rewards for going #2 on the potty. We suggested that before we went to lunch, we should find some food for Squirt. We “sold” Living with the Land to him by telling him that we would go on a boat adventure and find “green food” for Squirt.

He didn’t seem to freak out too much on this ride, although I do remember that there were some dark parts (transitions between scenes). He seemed to like it once he was on the boat, but cried a bit when we started to board. After Living with the Land, it was time for lunch.

I think we headed over the Coral Reef a bit early, but they were able to seat us within 5 minutes or so.

When we checked in, they asked us if we had been there before. We said no, so they gave us a booth on the first “tier” that faced the tank. Hayden loved being so close to the fish! Here is the view from our table!

After we ordered our drinks, the waiter brought out a fish checklist for Hayden. He loved keeping track of the fishes he saw on the sheet of paper. The adults were just happy that a) he wasn’t crying and b) we were sitting in an air conditioned building!

They brought out the drinks and the bread pretty quickly. Hayden got a cool dolphin decoration on his. I really like all the little touches that Disney does, especially for the little ones!

http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv312/oboedm/Sep 4 Part II/9417a.jpg

Here is a picture of the bread. I believe it was ciabatta? I remember it being pretty good. Nothing that I remember loving or hating, so it was probably a step above edible.

For our appetizers, SIL and I both ordered the Sea and Land (Grilled Shrimp with Cucumber Salad and Barbecued Beef Tenderloin with Creamy Polenta).

This is something that I would never order had I not been on the dining plan, as it was $11.99. I liked the appetizer, and even ate the meat and accompaniments at the same time. I never really do that, so I suppose you could call that my “new thing” for the meal.

I thought the shrimp with the cucumber “salad” was pretty good. I liked both of them together. As far as the beef was concerned, I really liked the meat, but wasn’t a fan of the polenta. I couldn’t get past the texture and it really didn’t add to the beef at all. I would get this again, as I thought it was pretty good overall.

SIL gave the Sea and Land a 4. She thought the shrimp was perfect and the beef was tender and juicy. She also didn’t care for the polenta. “It wasn’t so fabulous”, she said

DH had the Clam Chowder (6.99) as nothing else really appealed to him. He said it was basic, nothing special. I don’t think he would order this again. He may just get the regular salad next time or get the “Sea and Land”, asking if he could just have “Land and Land”.

BIL ordered the Salad of Golden and Red Beets with fresh goat cheese, garden greens, toasted walnuts and herb vinaigrette ($6.99). The dressing was so bitter he maybe ate two bites. He gave it a 1 out of 5. SIL tried it and gave it a .5—just because it came to the table on time.

Hayden ordered the carrots and celery with Ranch dressing. I don’t remember how/if he ate these, but they were normal looking. He may have been too distracted by the fish to care about eating.

For my meal, I ordered the Rainbow Seared Trout - with warm salad of white beans, arugula, tomatoes, crispy bacon, aged balsamic vinegar and brown butter ($19.99).

I thought this was okay. I haven’t ever had a warm bean salad or trout, so it was odd to me. I didn’t like seeing the skin on the fish. That freaked me out a bit. I couldn’t really get over the fact that it tasted like I was eating something just caught from a dirty, gross lake. I am sure it was good trout, just not my type of fish, I guess. I wouldn’t order this again.

SIL ordered the Grilled Mahi Mahi - with laughing bird shrimp, hearts of palm, Jasmine rice and a coconut-lime sauce ($24.99).

This is what I should have ordered. It was more my style! She said that she isn’t a fish eater but she was shoveling it in. No disgusting fish taste.

BIL ordered the Mushroom Phyllo Crisp - roasted mushrooms, wiltered arugula, aged cheeses, rustic tomato ragout ($18.99).

BIL loved the mushroom dish and gave it a 5. His exact words were “a melody of flavors”.

DH ordered the Seared Chicken Breast - served over spaetzle finished with Applewood smoked bacon - chicken broth ($20.99).

These are the words he used to describe his meal. “Oh look, chicken”. By this, he means that it was just chicken, nothing special. He wouldn’t order this again, but there are plenty of things he would order if we go back.

Hayden ordered the cheese pizza. Based on the picture, it looks like he ate few bites, so he was able to order his dessert—the make your own Sundae.

He thought this was so much fun! I love the concentration on his face as he adds the toppings. Too cute!

He was proud of his creation!

SIL and I ordered the Almond Gelato - with granola-marshmallow cookie, peaches, and passion fruit sauce ($7.99). I loved this dessert! It was nice and light and I especially loved the gelato. So refreshing!

SIL enjoyed it as well and especially liked the crispy thing on the bottom.

BIL and DH ordered the Butterscotch Cremé Brulée - with seasonal berries ($7.99). DH thought his dessert was okay—he wanted more Butterscotch flavor.

BIL liked it for the most part. He said that he liked the “crème” but not the brulee. His top was a bit to caramelized and tasted burnt at parts.

Overall we enjoyed our meal, especially the atmosphere. We would recommend this restaurant, even though some of us would order differently. Below you will find the food round up for the second meal of the day.

Coming up, our afternoon and evening at Epcot!

Food Round Up:
I want to see how much we would have spent on all this food and see if it saves as much as Disney claims it would save.

4 Adults, Coral Reef: $152.89
1 Child, Coral Reef: $8.99
Total Food Costs, Day 2: $380.79
Total Food Costs, Trip: $528.47

Cost of upgrade to DxDP: $1161.00
Cost of DxDP w/o Free Dining: $2780

 

[oboedm]

Hi Paula,
I'm here & caught up with your TR! We followed each other along on our PTR, & I had to see how your trip went!!!!!

I can't imagine how stressed you were on that 1st day trying to make it to your ADR!!!!!
That Hayden & Ginny are the most adorable kids. I love seeing their interaction pictures.
I think that is the GREATEST idea you did by contacting your church & paying someone in need to drive you to the airport! I hope people reading will follow your lead.
I'm glad you're writing down your meal prices & showing all the calculations. I always say that I'm going to do that. I do on the 1st day, then I forget about it the rest of the trip!

I'm enjoying reading your TR!

Thanks a lot! Hopefully I don't lose all 8 of my readers! I am enjoying your TR as well! I am catching up on the last of it today! =)

Didn't realize you had an update up! Aww, that's so sad that Hayden didn't want to interact with the characters! The picture of him leaning away from Stitch is too funny! I love that Ginny loved to touch reach out to them-- they must have looked like giant stuffed animals to her!

Yes, he was so scared! He was trying to get as far away as possible. Too funny. The thing is, by the end of the trip, Hayden was okay and Ginny was crying, LOL!

I have been working a bunch over the last two weeks. I am so glad that I was able to get caught up on your TR pretty easily.

I think eating at the Polynesian is great because of how easy it was to get to and from. We ate at both Ohana and Kona. Both are do-agains for me. Course since we didn't have breakfast there...I think we might have to do that instead of dinner.

Yes, we love the Poly for that reason too! We are actually staying at WL next month, so it is just a short bus and monorail ride away. We are really excited!

 

[Famvaca]

 

[annmarieda]

It can be so hard to travel with young ones. You just never know how they are gonna react. I guess that is true for all ages..but at least when you travel with a 20 or 70 year old you don't get the crying spells...or..at least you shouldn't. somehow on my september trip both the 20 and 70 year old had a time..where as my 5 year old...not a single tear. Go figure...

We have typically loved our experience with Coral Reef..if for no other reason than the atmosphere. The specialty drinks that are included on the dp are awesome and some of the food is amazing. (some..not so much. )

So you are going to WL next month?! How exciting!! We have a trip planned for December. I am pretty excited for that as it will be our first stay at WL. Do you plan to do a TR for your trip? I would love to read it...

 

[goofy2008]

Wow!! You folks put a lot of work in to your TR...

 

[klacey1]

Great update!! I'm sorry Hayden wasn't so crazy about the rides, but it looks like lunch perked him up! We love the Coral Reef-- like you said, the atmosphere is just great.

 

[onescgirl]

I thought you had quit your TR, I'm glad you're still here!!!
So sorry that you've been sick. I hope you are all better now.

I'm hoping that Hayden will get used to the rides eventually before your trip is over? That must be tough trying to find rides that do not have dark parts to it. I think the 1st time you ever ride Soaring, it can be intimidating when you 1st lift off because you don't know what to expect.

I've never been to Coral Reef, but all of your food looks good to me. It's lunch time right now & I'm starving, so it REALLY looks good to me!

The pic of Hayden & his sundae is really cute!

 

[oboedm]

:Welcome:

It can be so hard to travel with young ones. You just never know how they are gonna react. I guess that is true for all ages..but at least when you travel with a 20 or 70 year old you don't get the crying spells...or..at least you shouldn't. somehow on my september trip both the 20 and 70 year old had a time..where as my 5 year old...not a single tear. Go figure...

We have typically loved our experience with Coral Reef..if for no other reason than the atmosphere. The specialty drinks that are included on the dp are awesome and some of the food is amazing. (some..not so much. )

So you are going to WL next month?! How exciting!! We have a trip planned for December. I am pretty excited for that as it will be our first stay at WL. Do you plan to do a TR for your trip? I would love to read it...

Yes, I vividly remember your TR! The 4 year old was actually really good-- compared to the parents at times, LOL! I am definitely going to order something different this time around. =)

Yes, we are going to WL next month. I plan to do a TR, providing that I get this one done before we leave! I won't have a PTR because I want to focus on this one.

Wow!! You folks put a lot of work in to your TR...

Ha ha! Yes... and it make the process overwhelming! These next few updates are substantial, but they get shorter as we go... I have forgotten a lot!

Great update!! I'm sorry Hayden wasn't so crazy about the rides, but it looks like lunch perked him up! We love the Coral Reef-- like you said, the atmosphere is just great.

Yes, they day did get better! Thanks for coming back! =)

I thought you had quit your TR, I'm glad you're still here!!!
So sorry that you've been sick. I hope you are all better now.

I'm hoping that Hayden will get used to the rides eventually before your trip is over? That must be tough trying to find rides that do not have dark parts to it. I think the 1st time you ever ride Soaring, it can be intimidating when you 1st lift off because you don't know what to expect.

I've never been to Coral Reef, but all of your food looks good to me. It's lunch time right now & I'm starving, so it REALLY looks good to me!

The pic of Hayden & his sundae is really cute!

Ha ha! I shouldn't do TR reports or look at the food porn thread at lunch, either! My lean cuisine pales in comparison. He definitely did get better with the rides, but we still have a few issues later in the trip.

 

[oboedm]

Day 2: Part Three—Does Disney Make Rides for Kids?

We got a second wind after we finished eating. It was about 1:00 at this point, but we decided to go back to POFQ because it was our first day and we needed a break from the parks.

On the way out, we saw Daisy Duck. As usual, Hayden didn’t really want anything to do with her, but Ginny was game!

Side note: I really liked the large scrapbook type album I made for Hayden, and I think the characters did too. I made smaller ones for our trip to Disneyland in October, and the characters seemed to have more trouble holding them and signing them. I made the same size of books 8x8) for our trip coming up in February.

After our Daisy encounter, we headed towards the busses. It took forever for a bus to come, so I assume that we just missed one. We saw two buses for CSR while we waited. It was a bit frustrating as it was SO HOT. I was melting.

Hayden and Ginny didn’t seem to mind waiting one bit! Hayden used the line dividers as a makeshift jungle gym while Ginny swung upside down in BIL’s arms.

A bus finally came and we made it back to POFQ. Upon our arrival, we met the mayor of New Orleans who greeted us with doubloons! These were the first of many. Hayden was very excited, although he was a bit apprehensive about throwing it into the fountain.

Hayden wanted a Mickey ear hat, SIL wanted to get a new bag to hang on her stroller, BIL wanted a lanyard for the KTTW cards, DH wanted a new book (the one he brought turned out to be a dud), and I wanted a nap. We proceeded to the gift shop.

It was difficult to find a bag there because the only one that would work for her was a cheaply made bag. The others were too expensive. I happened upon the sign advertising the luggage set for 19.95 with a $50 purchase, and the duffel was exactly what SIL was looking for. They just needed to find $50 worth of merchandise. They ended up getting a toy monorail to put them over the threshold.

Here is Hayden modeling the purchases.

He wore the ear hat back to the room. He was so excited! We finally got back to our room around 2:45-3:00. Two hours after we left Coral Reef.

I ended up getting my nap, and when I woke up, I took Ginny and rocked her to sleep. She was sick and teething at the time, so she was really cranky. I finally got her to sleep in the baby sling I brought with me, which was great! Because she was sleeping in the swing, we could easily head back to the park.

We ended up leaving for Epcot around 5ish, if I remember it correctly. Ginny didn’t sleep long. She was awake as soon as the bus started to roll.

We told Hayden about the Imagination with Figment ride—we even showed him a clip of the ride on YouTube. He seemed okay with it, so we headed over to the Imagination Pavilion first.

For some reason I remember DH and SIL stopping at the restroom while BIL and I went to the pavilion to park the stroller. I don’t know why I remember that after four months, but there you go.

The ride was a walk on. Hayden freaked out a bit as we got into the vehicles, but seemed okay for the first half of the ride. Ginny wasn’t doing too bad either (she was riding with me and DH)—we thought that this would be a successful ride experience…. Until….

The part came where your enter a dark room, an explosion happens and 85 Figments appear around you. Ginny and Hayden both freaked out. I had completely forgotten that this part of the ride existed, so I didn’t warn BIL and SIL about it.

SIL was upset when she got off the ride. She said, “Does Disney make any rides for kids? This is ridiculous!” I didn’t reply to her comment. Figment is a ride for kids! I can’t help it if your kid is freaked by everything and has been sheltered by you! BIL tries to expose him to things, but he runs to mom and knows he will be consoled by her. Sigh.

… I am not saying that I will do a better job as a parent or anything, but I hope that I would be better about holding my tongue if I received a free trip to WDW. That is probably awful of me to say, because they don't owe me anything, really.

After we did this ride, we decided to walk over to Germany for our ADR at Biergarten. We walked around the East side of World Showcase. Here are a few pictures from our journey.

We finally arrived in Germany! We were about 20 minutes early for our meal.

We were seated about 15 minutes after we got there, pretty close to our reservation time. SIL was complaining a bit about having to sit with another family (it ended up being another couple). We didn’t really interact with them during the meal, so I don’t really see what the issue was. She also voiced her opinion about how load it was. We were sitting in the front row, so we were really close to the band, but still. What do you expect when the entire restaurant is sitting in a cavernous room? It really wasn’t that bad.

I am unsure what Hayden is doing in this picture, but he is so cute so I had to post it.

Last year, DH and I ate here for lunch. We were pleasantly surprised by the food, so we decided to eat here for dinner. Unfortunately, we found that the food wasn’t as good as last year. It’s not that it was bad, but nothing spectacular. Hayden seemed to eat well, though, so that was a definite plus.

The service was horrible! This is the second time we experienced poor service at Biergarten, which is why we won’t go back for a while. It took forever to get our drinks, even though the couple next to us had their drinks 15 minutes before us. I wonder if it is because we didn’t order alcohol and they knew we had to tip 18% because we were a party of six.

During the meal the band came out and Hayden and I decided to dance! He loved it!

Coming up, our after dinner adventures!

Food Round Up:
I want to see how much we would have spent on all this food and see if it saves as much as Disney claims it would save.

4 Adults,Biergarten: $139.96
1 Child,Biergarten: 16.99
Total Food Costs, Day 2: $536.95
Total Food Costs, Trip: $685.42

Cost of upgrade to DxDP: $1161.00
Cost of DxDP w/o Free Dining: $2780




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[klacey1]

Ginny's outfit this day was so cute-- I love the headband!
Traveling with others can be tough-- we went to US with some younger cousins when I was a teen and it was pretty annoying at points because of how sheltered they had been. They were afraid of 3D! Give me a break!
I LOVE the shots of you and Hayden dancing-- precious!

 

[annmarieda]

Ack...I can imagine you were frustrated with your sil. I know what you mean...they don't "owe you", but there is just a bit of tact (or lack there of) when complaining about a gift if front of the gift giver. Not every kid likes the same things, but... Disney does make rides for kids....soooooo....

I love that you got up and danced with Hayden. What a good aunt you are!!!

I love the picture of Hayden eating...the perfectly banded apple. I love how kids eat.

 

[oboedm]

Ginny's outfit this day was so cute-- I love the headband!
Traveling with others can be tough-- we went to US with some younger cousins when I was a teen and it was pretty annoying at points because of how sheltered they had been. They were afraid of 3D! Give me a break!
I LOVE the shots of you and Hayden dancing-- precious!

Ha ha! Yes, I don't understand how some kids can be so sheltered and scared of everything. I have a 10 year old niece who is scared easily. How old were the cousins at the time?

Ack...I can imagine you were frustrated with your sil. I know what you mean...they don't "owe you", but there is just a bit of tact (or lack there of) when complaining about a gift if front of the gift giver. Not every kid likes the same things, but... Disney does make rides for kids....soooooo....

I love that you got up and danced with Hayden. What a good aunt you are!!!

I love the picture of Hayden eating...the perfectly banded apple. I love how kids eat.

Yes, kids eating is funny-- especially their weird quirks that seem to shift daily. I just don't get it!

And you described my feelings perfectly-- I think it is an issue with tact. I wouldn't tell a person that I didn't like the gift or something about the gift right after I open it, you know?

 

[oboedm]

[FONT=&quot]Day 2: Part Four—IllumiNations [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]We were all feeling good after our dinner, so we made the decision to stick around for IllumiNations. We had originally planned to see it on our second Epcot day, but changed out plans. We had an hour and a half to kill before it started, so we went to some of the shops in Germany. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Epcot looks so great at night! We couldn’t help taking some pictures. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Hayden went into the shop and started making his KidCot mask while SIL checked out with some Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs toy. She forgot something while we were there, but we didn’t find that out until we got back to the room. =)[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]After they finished, we decided to check out China. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]We had few minutes before the show started, so we were able to look at the terracotta soldiers and other artifacts in the “museum” area. Although I have never seen the third Mummy movie, I always think of it when I see pictures of the soldiers. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]I think that by this time, Ginny was asleep in my sling. She slept during the entire movie and during our venture to the KidCot station and gift shop. We all left the gift shop a few minutes before IllumiNations started. We were only a couple of people back from the railing, which was great! We were able to get good video and pictures. [/FONT]
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http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv312/oboedm/Sep 4 Part II/9417a.jpg

http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv312/oboedm/Sep 4 Part II/9417a.jpg


[FONT=&quot]Ginny woke up during the fireworks and was not happy. I think she was a little hot because we were so close together. I tried to comfort her, but as we were walking out of the park, SIL snapped at me and told me that babies are 10 degrees hotter than adults. I don’t know if that is true, but she said it to me as if I don’t have experience with kids, which is completely untrue. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Truthfully, she had the same tone with BIL at times, so I wasn’t worried about it once I realized that it was just part of her personality. I was just trying to help, so I feel as if she could have approached the situation differently. She could have just said that she would take Ginny as we walked out of the park. It wouldn’t have been a big deal. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]She ended up grabbing the baby from me (which is fine, I just don’t like being feeling like an idiot when I was the one who got her to sleep twice that afternoon) and darting towards the exit. She was a few paces ahead of us at all times, and we tried to keep up as best we could. We made it to the bus stop all in one piece and while we had to wait for the second bus, it didn’t take long. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Once we were all back in our hotel rooms, BIL texted and said that SIL had lost her KTTW card. This concerned me greatly, as our credit card was linked to their room key (we were paying for tips, so I figured this would be easier). We told SIL that she had to go down to the lobby and correct the issue right away, as we didn’t want an active KTTW/credit card floating around until morning. It didn’t take her long for the CMs to reissue the card, but it was frustrating to me, especially after the issue with Ginny. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Summary of the Day:[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Best Part of Day 1:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] The day was pretty stressful, and we hadn’t quite gotten into a groove yet. I think my favorite part of the day were the rides I hadn’t done before—Living With the Land and the Seas with Nemo and Friends. It was nice to see some new things, even if the kids freaked out at times. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]At the end of the day, Evan decided that we should be done worrying about Hayden and that we should just start forcing him to go on rides as much as possible. This realization really helped. We needed to worry about having a good time, not catering to a four year old the entire time. He wasn’t our kid, his parents can handle him the majority of the time. =) [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Worst Part of Day 1:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Hayden’s and SIL’s freak outs. There were more to come, but this day was stressful because we weren’t comfortable as we were still trying to find a “groove” with each other. We really didn’t find it until the beginning of day 3, our second day at Epcot. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Fixing it for Next Time:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] This will be our third time at WDW (we are leaving in a month), so we should be more comfortable there. We are going with older kids (8 and 7), so we won’t have to worry about the same type of issues. Sure, they will have moments full of “drama”, but they understand that rides are safe, characters are actually people in costumes, etc. Additionally, their parents are more willing to “go with the flow” and follow us around. It’s not that I wouldn’t go with BIL and SIL’s family again, I would do so in a heartbeat, but I would know what to expect. I think that is half the battle, really. =) [/FONT]




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[klacey1]

I think you're right-- knowing what to expect when traveling with others is half the battle.
IllumiNations is wonderful! Your pictures are great-- especially of the Mickey head!