Is it May yet???

[Al and Kate's Mom]

Well, our next trip is almost 8 months away, and of course I'm already in full-fledged planning mode! We've changed our minds about 15 times in the last few weeks about when to go/how long to stay/where to stay...you know how it goes! SO, as of today anyway, we are booked May 22-June 2, 2010 in a Contemporary Garden Wing, Standard View room with 10-day park hoppers and the QSDP. Fingers are crossed for a great offer to come out so we can upgrade to the Tower, but even if it doesn't come, I am PSYCHED to finally be staying at CR!!!

This trip will be me, DH-Henry, DD8-Ally, DD5-Katy and my sister and BEST Friend-Allison. This will be the 2nd time the 5 of us have traveled to Disney together, and we're all very excited! Our first trip together was December of 2006 - the week after Christmas...I'll write more about that as we go along, since we've got almost 8 months to get through everything

For now, in case anyone is interested, there's a link in my signature to what was supposed to be a PTR for that December 2006 trip, but just ended up being a retrospective of my trips up to that point - never got around to actually writing the TR So I guess THIS PTR will serve as both a planning place for me (and anyone who wants to come along with me ) AND a TR for everything from 2005 to now.

Okay...enough for tonight...

Post List:
Pictures from Mom/Pally Trip 9/05
More Pictures from the Mom/Pally Trip
How Disney World became our go-to destination for Anniversary Celebrations
Ummm...where the heck have I been?
The Trip that Almost Wasn't, part 1
The Trip that Almost Wasn't, part 2
The Trip that Almost Wasn't, part 3
The Trip that Almost Wasn't, part 4
The Trip that Almost Wasn't, part 5
The Trip that Almost Wasn't, part 6, final chapter
My and Kate's Trip to the World 2008
Celebrating Our 10th Anniversary at Disney
What's the plan, man?

 

[Al and Kate's Mom]

For those who didn't wade through my pretend PTR, Making of a Disney Addict - my first trip to Disney as an adult was a Mom/Daughter trip in September of 2005 with my then-4 year old daughter, Ally. I call her Pally because she's my Pal, and it's just easier to say Pally than Pal Ally

I had never traveled solo with Pally before, and this trip was scary as all get out until we actually got to Disney, then all was well. It was HOT, but we had so much fun, it was okay for the most part.

We stayed at All-Star Movies and loved it - the theming was fantastic for a 4-year old, and since we had a preferred location, the walk to the food court and busses was not a problem.

We liked our room - perfect size for a mom & daughter!

Waiting at the bus stop for our first ride into Magic Kingdom!!!

Pal's first character encounter - we had not yet learned the value of an autograph book cool2 but we would soon.

Anything to cool off in the September heat - BUT please note that we did NOT remove shoes and wash our feet off

Waiting in line for Dumbo

And getting to drive!!!!

 

[Al and Kate's Mom]

Lovin' on Pluto at our first character dinner - Liberty Tree Tavern - LOVE FREE DINING!!!

In line for Peter Pan - to be known as "that Pirate ride" - if you read my PTR, you know how this plays out at the end of the trip

I think this fan mister was the best purchase I made all week

The treehouse - because what better way to spend 30 minutes than climbing a bunch of stairs in the heat with a bunch of people you don't know

Ah - Aladdin! This guy was AWESOME with Pal!!! Oh yeah - Jasmine's there, too...

Thanks to the DIS, I had bubbles in my bag, which really helped as we waited about 45 minutes to meet Ariel - thanks to whoever posted that tip!

Meeting Snow White at CRT - again LOVE FREE DINING!!!

At the old Playhouse Disney - I don't think Pal knew who most of the characters were, as PHD had changed on TV by this point already, but she seemed to enjoy it - and it was air conditioned!!!

Pally enjoyed the petting zoo at Rafiki's

If you look closely, you can see Pal's hands holding onto the sides of the car - she was so little, when she sat down, she disappeared!

 

[Al and Kate's Mom]

I think it was maybe 2 days after Pally and I returned from the World that I began scheming ways to return as soon as possible Keep in mind, at this point in our lives, we were surviving finacially on my full-time income and Henry's part-time income as he was completing school - he would be graduating in December, so full-time employment was coming soon

Wait...he's GRADUATING in December...from COLLEGE...that's a pretty big deal...hmmm...

Wait...we'll also be celebrating our 7th anniversary in December...hmmm...



Two things to celebrate + my new-found belief that WDW IS the happiest place on earth = "Oh, honey, I have a GREAT idea of how we can celebrate the beginning of the next phase of our life..."

Well, for any of you married/partnered to people who are not Disney fanatics, you can imagine how this conversation went

But, since I am somewhat skilled in the arts of persuasion and negotiation, at least when it comes to DH ....

We went to Disney!!! Probably not the smartest financial decision at that particular point in time - but I NEEDED to go back. I know I'm not the only person in the world who's gone through a dark period in life like the previous several months were, but it was an actual NEED at this point...anyone ever feel the same?

So off we went - I don't have any pictures, because we just didn't take any - not one

We arrived in Orlando on New Year's Eve and stayed in one of the airport-area hotels - this was back when Disney still did one rate for the entire length of stay, and there was no way I was checking in on one of the most expensive nights of the year. We had a nice night and got up fairly early the next morning to check into Carribbean Beach.

I just loved CBR! It was a little spread out, but we were right across the island from the main hub, and there was a bus stop not far from our room, so all was well. The only major downer was we didn't get a King room, but we made it work.

For the first couple of days, I could tell Henry was okay with everything, but not enthralled like I was. The crowds were pretty heavy, but nothing like most years this week. I don't really remember a lot of what we did, but I did act as a low-IQ version of Tour Guide Mike-ette, pretending I knew everything

THEN IT CHANGED

We went to Extra Magic Hours at the Magic Kingdom, and walked on every single ride we wanted to do...multiple times. I could see Henry's enthusiasm growing with every non-line we encountered...and at the end of the night, I HAD HIM!!! Well, I guess technically WDW had him, but it was one in the same to me

We enjoyed the rest of our week there - the crowds were REALLY low for the rest of the week - it was a little cold, but not unmanageable - we had some good meals and some great experiences, and my family now had 3 addicts

On our way home, we were already plotting our next trip...

 

[OhMari]

Hi,
Welcome back.
I am going to move you to our Pre-trip board.
Next May, give me a PM, and I'll move this thread back to our regular board.
Thanks,
OhMari

 

[Al and Kate's Mom]

Well, as so often happens, real life intruded on my best-laid plans to write a really good PTR, so here we are, 28 days until Disney-day and not only have I not written anything in 6 months, the plans have completely changed since last fall.

As of now (notice I don't say anything definite, because that would just be stupid at this point ) our trip will be May 22-29, staying at the French Quarter. We're planning on leaving the afternoon of the 21st to drive halfway, then arrive at the World mid-day on the 22nd. When we leave on the 29th...not going home...going to the beach for a week

When we originally booked the Contemporary, we were planning to stay 10 days, and my DS was going with us. Now, due to her work schedule (boo to the necessity of having a job), it's just going to be me, DH, DD9 (Pally) and DD6 (Kate). And with the money we're saving by downgrading resorts, we're picking up a week at the beach at pretty much a wash financially.

I tried to convince everyone that a week at Beach Club was just as good as the real beach, but alas, even my Disney powers of persausion were no match on this argument...thus we'll be hanging at the beach in AL for the week following Disney. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Orange Beach, so although it's not Disney, it's still pretty darn cool!

 

[Al and Kate's Mom]

When Henry and I left Disney in January of 2006, we now had 3 confirmed Disney addicts in the family. We also had a baby in the family that would turn 2 in February – my darling Kate, who at the time, was affectionately nicknamed The Devil.

Actually, it wasn’t so affectionate – I was convinced that she was in fact The Devil. Kate was my payback of the “Mother’s Curse” that my Mom took absolute glee in proclaiming at all opportunities. Yes, I was getting exactly what I deserved, and would continue to get it for many years. Right now, as a 6 year old, Kate is awesome – she’s smart, unbelievably funny for one so little, and a true joy to be around. But as a toddler – holy cow – she tested every rule she could, break-danced on every button I have, and in general ensured that she would be the youngest child in our family. I know the teenage years with Kate will be God’s way of teaching me that I’m not as smart as I think I am, and His way of helping me to develop patience and true dependence on Him for all that I need.

As Henry and I contemplated our next trip to the World, we decided that there was just no way we were taking The Devil with us. I know there’s a lot of discussion about the “right age” to take a kid to Disney for the first time, and I respect each families’ decision on their own, but we just KNEW it would be a disaster if we tried to take Kate with us. We weren’t sure at this point of when our next trip would be, but we went ahead and conned, I mean begged my Mom to keep Kate while Henry, Pal and I went to Disney. She agreed, and I started my “dream-trip-planning”. You know that type – when you don’t have dates set, but you already know what you want to do…start an ADR list, etc…

Henry got a new job, and it just so happened that his entire company went on “shut-down” for the week between Christmas and New Years’ every year. Pal would also be out of school that week…Mom was cool with keeping Kate, so off I went to plan!!!

After about, oh, maybe 10 minutes on the DIS, I realized that this particular week of the year would be insanely crowded. But, it’s the only week we could all go, so I went ahead and booked us for Pop, 7 day PH and the dining plan. WOO HOO – we were going back!!!

 

[Al and Kate's Mom]

Time goes on, I work, I plan, I play with the kids and go about life. Kate starts to become somewhat less devilish, but I still don’t think it would be a good idea to take her with us.

Then, as so often happens, we were thrown for a loop…my Mom got very sick, and ended up in the hospital. There were no thoughts of Disney at all at that point – my only focus was on my Mom, period. I wanted her to get well, period. This was the first time I had faced a health scare with either of my parents, and those of you who have been through this already know how I was feeling…scared, sad, panicked…this is my Mom, my rock…

She did get somewhat better, and was released from the hospital, but her doctor let us know that major surgery was coming, and it was coming soon. She was extremely weak, and for the first time in my life, I had to become the strong one. That job was usually my Dad’s, but this time, he was facing the possibility of losing his partner for life, and was purely focused on her health and well-being, as it should be. I, along with my sister, picked up the other pieces, and we moved forward as the single, strong unit that my parents had built us to be. My brother was still too young, a college kid, to grasp the full effect of what was going on, but he was right there with us as well.

Needless to say, although I hadn’t even really thought about it at this point, Disney 2006 wasn’t going to happen. I didn’t even think to cancel the trip at this point…just focused on Mom. She was scheduled for surgery in late Fall, and as we approached, she actually kept apologizing to me that she wouldn’t be able to keep Kate so we could go on the trip. SERIOUSLY WOMAN??? Yet another reason I have the best Mom in the world…

Her surgery didn’t go as well as hoped, but she did come through it, and although weak and in a lot of pain, I did start glimpsing the “old” Mom – the one who joked around and just enjoyed life…and I could breathe again.

Now that I could somewhat see beyond the 5’2” treasure that I call Mom, it occurred to me that I was approaching Deposit Day, and had to face the sad phone call to cancel our trip.

I don’t recall the specific chain of events, but at some point my Dad made it clear that it would really upset my Mom if we didn’t go on the trip, and he gently (or not so much) suggested that we may just want to suck it up and take the Devil with us.

Henry and I tossed the idea around, and then I had THE IDEA. DSis Allison hadn’t been back to Disney since our teenage years…she would be able to get the time off work…why don’t we take her with us and let her “babysit” Kate at the World? Kate will be still be under 3, so she’ll be free, it’ll cost some to add Allison, but if it makes us able to go…LET’S DO IT!

I called my TA, asked her to make the changes, and VIOLA…we are GOING TO DISNEY!!!

 

[Al and Kate's Mom]

The actual trip!!! Because of the uncertainty around the trip up to this point, we held off telling the girls we were going until Christmas morning. We sprung the surprise on them, and the response was less than expected, to say the least. Kate just looked at us like we were stupid ( in keeping with her devil personality ) and Ally was along the lines of “eh”. Ooookaaaayyyy…um, guys.. WE’RE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!!! “Great, Mom, can we play with our toys now?” Ugh! We didn’t tell them about Allison going with us so that would be a surprise as well…

We flew Allison down, and Henry, Ally, Kate and I hit the road for the 2-day, 11-hour trip to Orlando. Can I just say that whoever invented the Car DVD player is pure genius??? This was truly the only thing that kept sanity in that car…and I didn’t even have to break out the Benadryl! We left out on our Anniversary, so although we weren’t actually at Disney yet, we spent our 8th Anniversary Disney-bound…more tradition being set!

We arrived in Orlando mid-day, and headed toward MCO to pick Allison up. We parked in the garage, and told the girls we had another surprise for them, and it was going to be walking up to the care in just a second…No, it’s not Mickey Mouse. No, it’s not Tinker Bell. NO IT’S NOT A DISNEY CHARACTER, PERIOD – it’s your Aunt, and here she comes…

“Nuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!!!!!” – now THERE’S some excitement! The girls call my sister Nu – and why is that, you most justifiably may ask? Growing up, we nicknamed Allison “Nutsy” for one of the vultures from Robin Hood – she was mighty scrawny back then, and it fit. As she got older, we amended her nickname to “Nut” because she was just nutty – still one of the funniest people I know. Hand that nickname over to rugrats, and we have her new name, “Nu”. Just go with it.

So we wedge Allison and her luggage into our already-overpacked car, and head to the World.

There really is nothing like passing that first arch letting you know that you are now in the Happiest Place on Earth. I don’t know about you, but I actually feel a true physical reaction to passing that point – I can breathe easier, I smile bigger – I just totally feel infused with magic. I believe there is a pill for that, but I don’t want it.

We made our way over to POP, and everyone started to get REALLY excited. Except Kate, who was passed out in her carseat now. We parked and started to get out of the car to go check-in. We woke Kate up first, and put her in her stroller, where she promptly passed right back out. Then Ally fell out of the car. Literally. Fell out of the car. Onto the pavement. And I laughed. Yes – I am one of those bad parents who just can’t keep it in when something like that happens. I could tell she wasn’t hurt, and it was just too funny – she fell out of the car. Okay – maybe you had to be there, but I was, and it was funny.

We got her up, dusted off, and headed in. Of course there was check-in drama over preferred room paid for, standard room available, but we eventually worked it out and went back to the car to drive around to our room. The location actually worked out – if you went back toward the parking lot instead of through the resort, the bus stop, dining and shop wasn’t that far away. We unloaded the car, threw everything in the room, and set off for Magic Kingdom and Extra Magic Hours!

 

[Al and Kate's Mom]

Next to the Car-DVD player, the next best inventions are the stroller and the kid-harness/leash. Especially when you have a “darter”. If you don’t have a “darter”, you probably can’t appreciate how crucial these two inventions are, and you probably think I’m a horrible parent for subjecting my almost-3-year-old to the indignity of a leash, although the stroller seems to be a bit more socially acceptable. If you do have a “darter”, you understand how actually knowing where your child is in a place as big as Disney allows for a more enjoyable time. Either way, we used them, and were glad for it.

The plan was to head over in the car, and if Allison needed to take Kate back to the resort, she could drive and the rest of us would bus it back. Not necessary. Our little devil actually did VERY well! All of my fears about how stressful it would be to have such a young one at Disney were unnecessary, and we had a GREAT time all week. She slept in her stroller when she was tired, ate when she was hungry, only tried to take the harness off 52 times, and threw fits at appropriate intervals for a youngun being dragged through a crowded, over-stimulating environment. The most drama we had all week was when she told the CMs at the turnstiles that she was 3, and we had to answer questions about our “free” ticket. It was okay, though!

I don’t remember step-by-step what we did this long after the trip, but I’ll do my best to hit the highlights…

We had dinner at LTT – Pal LOVED the characters here again, but Kate was not a happy camper – anytime one approached her, she threw a fit. Especially when dear old Pluto decided to pretend he was eating Ally’s head…I’m sure we’ll be paying therapy bills over that one someday.

Even though it was crowded, we actually got to hit pretty much every major attraction. Kate lasted until about midnight, then passed out for the night in her stroller. Pal hung with us until about 2, then she was out. The adults took turns that last hour riding the bigger rides, then we headed back “home” or to the “Blue Cell-o-phone” as our building would be named by Kate, and still referred to as such for the next 2 years.

The next day was New Years’ Eve, and we were well aware of what the crowd levels would be like. We decided to use that day to tour Animal Kingdom, as it’s always the least crowded on this particular day. We ate at Pizzafari, which the kids loved, and the adults thought was pretty good. Pal got to be the guest conductor on the train to Rafiki’s, and got a cute little certificate to commemorate the deal. Both girls loved the train ride, but once we got to Rafiki’s, neither one had any desire to hike down to the exhibits, so we hung out around the platform until the train returned, and headed back into the masses. Pal did her first CM pin trade and LOVED it. She was so cute wanting to make sure she wasn’t taking the CMs favorite, and I just loved it! We got Pal a Minnie Mouse tattoo at one of the little carts, and then we decided we’d had enough, and headed over to Boma. Didn’t get much of anything done at the park this day, but that’s okay – it was more important to go with the flow.

Boma – what can I say? I enjoyed it, but nobody else in our group did. Guess I’ll have to save a return trip here for a solo-trip some day. We explored AKL for a while, and I can’t wait to stay here one day – this resort is AWESOME!!! We decided to head back to the Blue Cell-o-phone, and got the girls into their swimsuits and let them go to it. It was a little chilly, but I’m convinced that kids have some sort of latent super-power that makes them impervious to things like temperature when fun is to be had.

The next day was MGM (I know, but it still was then)…and Pal took on the Tower of Terror. Or, as we now affectionately call it due to her renaming of the ride – Tower of Stress. She loved it, and begged to go back again, which really surprised me as Pal is not generally a dare-devil, and she was only 5…but we let her go again while Allison and Kate engaged in Ice Cream sampling.

One of my favorite memories from this trip was with Pal and her pin trading. We were walking past one of the pin kiosks, and there was a man with his little boy checking out the pins. They apparently didn’t understand that you had to purchase a pin to be able to trade with a CM – they just wanted the CM to give them one. The poor CM was trying to explain it, when Pal marched up to the group, held out her lanyard, and told the little boy to choose one of hers to trade. I don’t know if the dad thought we were just weird, but he grabbed the kid and took off…which DEVASTATED Ally. She didn’t understand what she did wrong. It broke my heart. And apparently the CMs too, because he called her into the kiosk area, pulled out a huge board of pins and told her to pick one that she wanted…no trade needed. How awesome!!!

 

[Al and Kate's Mom]

We headed to EPCOT, did more pin trading, and got “skunked” by Figment. We had dinner at Le Cellier, and Ally ate an entire steak. By herself. And licked the plate. I have no idea where she put it, but she loved it, and we all rated it one of our favorites.

The next day started with a Devil-meltdown, so Henry decided to hang in the room with Kate, and Allison, Al and I headed to Magic Kingdom. We did more pin trading, met Jasmine and Aladdin again, and caught up with some Tiki Birds. Then the sky opened up. And I only had 2 ponchos. So, being the giving person that I am, I offered them up to Pal and Allison, and we took off across the park. We did TTA and tried to find Mr. Tom Morrow, then back over to Haunted Mansion, Pal’s favorite. Crowds were still nasty, so we just kind of wandered in and out of stores until Henry and Kate arrived, and we did TTA again.

Dinner that night was at Chef Mickey’s – and we LOVED it!!! The napkin-twirling was pure joy for both girls. And then Goofy ate Kate’s head. If you’ll remember, she freaked when Pluto did the same to Ally, so we were expecting a full-on freak out, but I guess Kate decided that since her head did not actually get eaten, these character things might no be so bad after all. Goofy was saved from the Mom-Monster and Kate was, not quite comfortable, at least not terrified of characters anymore.

Bibbidi-Bobbidy-Boutique day was so fun – Ally was transformed into a princess right before our eyes, and Katy adopted a Dalmatian as her consolation prize. On to CRT for lunch which both girls loved, although Kate used her magic wand as a sword and tried to attack anyone who came with two feet of the table. She thoroughly ignored the princesses, which I think offended them, but Kate didn’t care. Pal ate it all up and did her best princess impressions throughout the meal.

We visited the Toontown playground, which was a big hit, and discovered that Goofy’s Barnstormer is a much different ride to a 4-year-old than it is to an almost-6-year old. Pal was absolutely convinced that they had changed the ride to tame it since her Mom-Daughter trip a little over a year previous. We did the TTA again, and headed to Crystal Palace for dinner. Where Kate slept in her stroller and missed all the characters, and Ally went on sugar overload and made every character dance with her. It was fantastic!

Kate woke up later, and we hit the Adventureland rides, with Pirates and Aladdin being judged the most fun. Then over to Fantasyland where Kate became addicted to the Carousel. Which we would ride about 26 times over the next few days.

Speeding up the narrative even more, with just highlights…

Dinner at Garden Grill…loved it! Chip and Dale were awesome and hilarious, and Pluto almost was exposed as Kate discovered the zipper on the back of his suit.

We traveled around the World (Showcase) to locate some chocolate cake.

Rode the Carousel. Again.

Rode Pirates. Again. But this is one of my favorites, so it was okay.

And then it happened. Allison took Pal to the bathroom, and Kate insisted on going along. Where she proceeded to do a spread-eagle on the bathroom floor. And lick it.

Yes – she licked the bathroom floor. At Disney World. During the rotovirus outbreak of 2006. Does anyone else see where this is going???

Our last full day dawned…we played on the resort playground, visited MK, and headed to Park Fare for dinner. We enjoyed dinner, participated in some Stroller Derby practice outside the restaurant, and went back to MK for a few more rides. Headed back to the Blue Cell-o-phone and crashed around Midnight.

I awoke at 1 AM through the latent Mom-sense, jumped out of the bed, headed to the playpen just as the baby “glup-glup-glup sounded” and…

 

[Al and Kate's Mom]

We made it to the bathroom just in time for the start of what I not-so-affectionately refer to as THE 4 DAYS OF MY LIFE I CAN NEVER GET BACK.

Yes – dear Devil-child who licked the bathroom floor had the logical outcome of that encounter, the NASTYs. We got through the night, although with no one getting much sleep. We called the front desk to explain the situation and see if we could delay our check-out to give the poor kid time to get better. No dice, at least not unless we were willing to pony up another night’s room rate. At this point, we figured we had to be nearing the end of the NASTYs though, as everyone we talked to said it was a 12-hour thing. So we declined.

Pal really didn’t want to miss our ‘Ohana breakfast, so we left Henry and Kate in the room and the rest of us headed over. It was okay – nothing special – but then again, we were exhausted, and for some strange reason, not very hungry.

We went back to the room after talking Pal off the ledge when we explained that even through we had planned to, we just couldn’t go back to MK that day. We got packed up, put Allison on the ME, and headed out of Orlando. We got maybe an hour down the road, when, you guessed it – Pal was struck by the NASTYs. My poor kids – we had no choice but to keep going – we were supposed to drive it back all in one day so we could get back to work and school, but it was apparent we weren’t going to make it; we still pressed on, with my little troopers hanging in there for quite a while. We finally gave it up and stopped at a motel for the night.

The next day, both kiddos were feeling much better, although both Henry and I were looking a little green. We HAD to press on. We made it back home just in time for both adults to feel the joy of our devil’s present to us all. Two days later, all 4 of us were completely recovered. Allison never did get sick. PUNK.

Looking back, I can’t say it was the best Disney trip ever, but I think that’s because the whole thing was completely clouded by sickness on the front end (MOM) and the back end (you know that story). We do have a lot of great memories from the trip, but it wasn’t perfect. Which means…WE NEED TO GO BACK!

 

[Al and Kate's Mom]

My next trip to the World was in September 2008. As I had taken Pal on a Mom/Daughter Trip when she was 4, it was only fair that I do the same for Kate, right? By this point, although she still had a devilish streak, Kate had matured into a right neat 4 year old. She has a wicked sense of humor, so I had a pretty good idea that this trip was going to be fun - we just GET each other. Which is cool in a way, but a little sad too as I'm a 34 year old married mom of two and I relate to a 4 year old that way...still...

We went in September for Free Dining again...and it was HOT! Thankfully, due to Kate's lack of filter, she was quite vocal every time she got tired and cranky, so we had early nights most days, which was actually very relaxing. We stayed a ASMusic - they have movies at the pool every night, so most times we headed back to the resort, got us some food, and hung out by the pool until we were ready to crash.

I won't do a play-by-play of this trip, but it was awesome! A few highlights and some pics:

ASMusic - great resort for 2 people - Kate loved the themeing; she also made a great little friend from England who she had a lot of fun with just running around

Kid Harness - not needed this trip, surprisingly, but we still used the stroller. I also had a Shanrene bracelet on her at all times with my cell number engraved, but she never really wandered away

Carousel is still the top pick, although she loved Splash Mountain also

MNSSHP - great time - her favorite part was the Dance Party

Didn't care too much about CRT, again - although she begged to book it for next month's trip

The new PHD is pretty cool - she's a MMCH addict, so she particularly enjoyed that part

All in all, a GREAT trip!

 

[Al and Kate's Mom]

Our most recent trip to the World was December 2008 - Henry and I went to celebrate our 10th Anniversary - our 3rd time to go for this reason, but the first time we were actually AT WDW on our Anniversary.

We stayed for a week at POFQ. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this resort!!! It is quite small, quiet, and absolutely beautiful. The only thing I would change would be to put Queen beds in the rooms, but we can deal.

We drove down, because we love road tripping together, and the drive was really nice. The weather was pretty good all week, and we just had a great time. Lines weren't HORRIBLE, but it was pretty crowded. It's a different take on WDW when it's just adults than when you take kids - for some reason, it's just much easier to go with the flow. Maybe it's because you're not doing battle so much with juggling bags, trying to keep up with everyone, avoiding meltdowns when plans get changed...it's just easier to adjust to on the spot conditions, I think.

Anyway - for highlights - EMH again - fabulous! I know a lot of people say the crowds are bad for EMH, but we've never had problems in all the trips we've taken. Le Cellier - ate here on our actual anniversary, and still rate it as our favorite dinner spot. Had dinner at CRT the next night - it was just "eh" - food was okay, but not spectacular, although it was pretty cool to eat in a castle to celebrate. We had a window seat looking out at Fantasyland, and it was just wonderful setting-wise. Decided we're too old for Space Mountain ; loved Philharmagic again; Space Mountain is our all-around favorite ride; Henry DID NOT love RNR - didn't dig the upside down part.

All in all, another fabulous vacation. We only took 3 pics the whole trip, which was a vast improvement over our last couples-only trip, where we took 0...but I don't have them uploaded to share

SO...that actually gets us all caught up on my life in the World to this point. No one is posting, so not sure if anyone is reading, but I've enjoyed getting it all down to help me remember!

Next time...the actual planning for our trip in 26 days!!!

 

[Al and Kate's Mom]

We'll leave the afternoon of May 21st and drive down to Macon for an eat & sleep, then up early the next morning to finish the drive to Disney.

The plan is to check into POFQ by 2-3 PM, then, depending on if the room is ready or not, either unpack or head to Publix and Target to pick up a few things to keep in the room.

After that, it's pretty much up in the air...either hang at the resort, head to DTD or over to MK. This is very hard for me, as my natural instinct is to have THE PLAN for the whole trip, but as a concession to the concept of vacation, I figured one day not planned was okay

Sunday - DHS in the morning for Star Wars Weekend and lunch at Sci-Fi, then over to MK for Crystal Palace and Extra Magic Hours. We'll probably use one of our GAD Fastpasses at DHS this day.

Monday - Breakfast at Park Fare, over to EPCOT, apps and desserts in the afternoon at Coral Reef, late dinner at Le Cellier. Another GAD Fastpass day.

Tuesday - Breakfast at Tusker House, hang out at Animal Kingdom for most of the day, then over to DHS to hit the highlights and possibly catch the second show of Fantasmic! Will probably use the GAD Fastpass at AK.

Wednesday - Magic Kingdom, lunch at CRT, then EMH at Animal Kingdom.

Thursday - DTD in the morning, Dinner at Garden Grill then catch a few things at EPCOT.

Friday - Breakfast at 'Ohana, over to Magic Kingdom - GAD Fastpass, take a break in the afternoon for lunch at Whispering Canyon Cafe' then back to Magic Kingdom.

Saturday - Breakfast at Chef Mickey's, then over to Magic Kingdom for a few hours to close out the Disney portion of our vacation.