Is LATE Really Better Than NEVER? A Late-breaking TR

[Jake & Crew]

Wow! You are amazing, like that horse that came form no where ( Street Sense) and won the Kentucky Derby last week!

When I first started reading I was excited someone was more behind than I (my trip was 2006 not 2005). Now I am scared you will be done before I am on Day 2, so I invite you to slow down just a tad and smell the roses......DebIreland and I have alot of writing to do before you finish first! I know this is not a race, but it is

I must admit though I have enjoyed your TR as I am zipping through so when you feel well rested be sure to tell more!

 

[aspcamhreditor2]

Welcome Jake & Crew!

I'm enjoying your TR. It's one of the few I'm caught up on.

Wow! You are amazing, like that horse that came form no where ( Street Sense) and won the Kentucky Derby last week!

That's the thing about racehorses .... most of them at Churchill downs are either qualified to be there despite what the oddsmakers say, OR, they have someone who really believes in them. Sometimes the winner is just lucky.

Me, I fall into that last category ... lucky. I have a bit of down week so my work is only sort of busy and not killer busy. PLUS, I had some of my TR already written in a word doc from when I thought I wanted to post but didn't have the nerve. So, it's been a good time for me to proof, edit, add & post. I'm about to the end of my pre-writing, so soon it will be a little slower.

Believe me ... life will get crazy and I'll get behind. Then, you all will be confused about who is who and where we even are!

Amy

 

[aspcamhreditor2]

At Last … the actual WDW part Begins


Cast Review …
Me (PrincessMom)
DH (Grumpy/Goofy)
DD#1 (Doodle) 6 & 1/2 yrs old
DD#2 (Moo Moo) 3 & 1/2 yrs. old


Real Trip Writing … finally …. well, almost...
(At least you find out about our resort & reaction to it!)

Despite the late night from our travel day and in spite of the fact PrincessMom had gotten only about 4 minutes of sleep in the last week, PrincessMom and Doodle were awake pretty early on this, the day we finally get to WDW. We had shared a bed and once we were awake, there was no returning to the land of slumber. DH and Moo were still snoring in the next bed. What to do? What to do?

Doodle & I get up as quietly as we can and throw on some clothes. We thought we’d actually go out to check the weather and maybe grab some breakfast. Quick check outside … BEEE-YOOOO-TEE-FUL! Next, we hit the very sorry hotel buffet, scarf some food and pick up some to take up to the sleepers. We only waited as long as our excitement would allow and then decided DH and MooMoo must be roused. Luckily for us, they were up and in the process of getting ready when we returned. They wondered where WE had gone and were worried that Doodle & I might impede THEIR anticipated arrival at WDW. As if!

After a quick shower for PrincessMom and getting our stuff together … which was NOT quick (how does neatly packed stuff manage to expand that quickly and that far???) … we were ready to check out. It’s at check-out that we learn that the tower where hotel staff put us was actually CLOSED. You’d think that might earn us a little break, right? No such luck. Frankly, I’m sure Tink was waaaayyyyy too scared of this place to scatter any pixie dust! However, it was a cheap place and my motto has always been “you get what you pay for.” And, what did it matter in the grand scheme of things? Soon we would be checked in to Port Orleans French Quarter. And, now, courtesy of our first-night–in-Florida experience, POFQ would now seem like a DEEE-LUX resort, not a Moderate one! Guess Tink knew what she was doing in terms of spreading that pixie dust after all.

We decide to hit the local Wal-Mart to pick up a few things since we actually got around earlier than we had planned. (Believe ... that's rare ... you won't see it again!).

Our purchases? Mostly snacks plus a few Disney-themed souvenirs for those who rated a Disney-themed lil’ sumpin’ sumpin’ but who didn’t qualify for Walt Disney World prices. There was a decent selection of merchandise that fit the bill for pre-school & 1st grade classmates, least favored family members, etc.

Then we’re ON OUR WAY!!!!

We arrived before mid-day at POFQ. Check-in went smoothly, and we were able to get our room. It was not in the building we requested …

I digress here … why do I write “we requested”. There was no WE in the planning & arranging. So, I guess I mean **I** requested.

Despite minor disapointment not to get the “requested” building, we soon learned that POFQ was compact enough that it didn’t matter. While I, PrincessMom, got us checked in, the rest of the crew went exploring. The girls were taken with the holiday decorations and REALLY liked the look of that pool. Although it was early December, we knew we’d be in that pool at some point. After all, we’re from northern Illinois … it sure seemed warm enough to us for swimming. King Triton serpeant slide, HERE WE COME … pasty-white winter skin or not!

We were in Building 5 and on the ground-floor room on the northwest corner facing the river. Sorry, I don’t remember the room number and I don’t have my file readily accessible. There was a nice open grassy area immediately outside, and we were about 6 steps off of the back walkway that led to the backside of the pool and to PO Riverside the otherway. Darned near perfect, even if it wasn’t our requested building.

The girls loved this resort. Upon entering the room, MooMoo declared it must be a princess room. They loved the art/decorations and got a kick out of the sink area having the curtain to give it some privacy.

Overall, I’d give POFQ extremely high marks. We loved the compactness. Regardless of the building, the main building, food court, parking lot and pool were all minimal walks. We loved being able to head over to Riverside if our hearts desired. The theming was nice. The pool & slide ROCKED. The Christmas decorations were jazz themed and lovely. We are booked there again for our Oct. '07 trip. Like I hinted at before, some of us in the Grumpy/Goofy Princess family like what we we like and aren't big fans of trying new things. POFQ REALLY worked for us and we're glad to be going back. Well, I'm glad to be headed back. This fall's trip is a secret and I hope to surprise the girls just before we go.

And Now … On To the Parks

(Wow … did I just hear a collective sigh of relief? Were you wondering if we’d ever actually set foot in a park?)

 

[DebIreland]

Still loving this.

We stayed in POFQ in '05 too and also loved it - but then you knew that. I hope we get to stay there again some day. We were in Building 4 and were really spoiled as it was our first Disney resort and being that close to the food court and buses was just amazing.

I loved reading about Moo Moo's excitement in the plane.

Oh 'Alice' adores Snow White too and my eldest son loved that movie when he was a toddler. Although with both kids, I have/had to fast forward (yes, we have it on video, not DVD ) over the huntsman/axe part! lol!!

Yikes, the "non-Disney version of TOT" sounds dreadful. I'm glad it was just for one night....

DebIreland and I have alot of writing to do before you finish first! I know this is not a race, but it is

It's no contest really where I'm concerned. Ye'll be writing compilations of your "first 10 years of Trip Reports" before I'm onto Day 10.

.... looking forward to more!

 

[AGPrincess]

I'm lovin your TR so far!! Late is always better than never...my scrapbook from 2002 still isn't complete...

We had a similar experience to yours in an off-site hotel. When we visited it first on one trip, it was brand-spankin' new and really nice. When we went back the next year, they had really failed to keep it up. The elevators were really dirty and the air conditioning didn't work right...

Can't wait for more!!

 

[aspcamhreditor2]

I'm lovin your TR so far!! Late is always better than never...my scrapbook from 2002 still isn't complete...

AGPrincess ... thanks for reading.

Aren't those "scary" hotels the pits?

 

[aspcamhreditor2]

Installment 11-

Is ToT a Good First Choice for Little Girls?

At last, we are at WDW, checked in and headed to our first park. First, however, I want to give you a little cast reminder. If you are like me, you read a TR, get engrossed, go away for awhile, come back looking forward to more story only to realize you’ve forgotten who is who!


Cast:
Me (PrincessMom) I was the planner, organizer, arranger. As I noted in my initial casting, I vacillated between obsessively planning & letting us fly by the seat of our pants. I planned the trip for the girls, but I REALLY needed this trip … as you well know if you’ve read this far. I’m a bit of a perfectionist, not a fan of change, hate it when things don’t go my way and get irritated easily by what DH and I call “the stupid people”. I LOVE WDW!

DH (JC, the Big Guy or Grumpy/Goofy -- patiently indulges lunatic wife’s (that’s me) Disney obsession although he secretly likes WDW more than he lets on. He’s more of a laid-back, go-with-the-flow kind of guy. Just about the BEST father two little girls could EVER ask for. Honestly, he’s the better parent of the two of us.

DD#1 (Doodle) She was 6 & 1/2 yrs old in Dec. ’05 & on her 3rd trip to WDW. Bright, cute, sensitive. Was princess obsessed for many of her formative years. Loves rides. We learn on this trip that she’s a major roller-coaster freak.

DD#2 (Moo Moo) She was 3 & 1/2 yrs. old & on her 2nd trip, but this was the first one she can remember. Adorable but with a temper that could make a Disney Villain blush. Also a princess fan. Also loves rides. About to become coaster obsessed.



As noted before, we were faced with a dilemma….

WHICH park first?

Like many of you, I scoured The DIS, read the guides, checked the 1-10 ratings for the day, you name it. But, I confess … to me, a WDW vacation starts at the MK. However, on this trip, a couple of other things figured in. First, our DDs were both old enough to express an opinion. Second, we were going to be doing a lot more at more parks than on our previous trips and would even visit Epcot for the first time as a family. (Finally, I won that argument w/ my DH. Basically, I just planned dinner there, so … really … what choice did he have?)

Although I love MK above all others, I wondered … were those posts on other threads accurate? Would our girls be ruined … so to speak … for the other parks if we went to MK first? So, with that in mind AND in scheduling our ADRs before the tragic plane ticket incident at T-minus 3 weeks, I decided we could get to Epcot for dinner on that first night. It would be the only park open. So, we booked an ADR at the San Angel Inn in Mexico. Then … the near-ticket-fiasco turned into an early arrival in Orlando … and waa laa, more time on our first day than anticipated. Glad we went with those park hoppers!

So … what to do? What to do?

ANSWER: Let the 6 & 1/2 and 3 & 1/2 year olds pick, of course. And their choice? If you were paying attention several posts back, you know which way the Doodle & Moo were leaning. So, what did they settle on?

Stay tuned to find out …

 

[aspcamhreditor2]

Installment 12 – The One Where We Find Out if ToT is A Good Choice!

As I said, we let the girls pick where to spend the afternoon knowing two things: 1) We’d be heading to Epcot in the evening and 2) We were headed to MK bright & early the next day for breakfast at CRT.

So, MGM (sorry, for me this park will ALWAYS be MGM) was our first order of business. Doodle became obsessed with someday being big enough to go on Tower of Terror after seeing the moving promotional billboard along the road in WDW on our last trip. Added to that, Doodle is obsessed with the Disney channel and had watched at least parts of the Disney Channel movie “Tower of Terror” multiple times.

Additionally, when we go to local carnivals, both girls like to ride the “Frog Hopper” and somewhere in the discussion, one parent mentioned that ToT dropped SORT OF LIKE the Frog Hopper. Of course, both girls HEARD “ToT is EXACTLY like the Frog Hopper.” Isn’t it amazing how selective the hearing of children is?

So, here we are with an extra afternoon at WDW we didn’t originally expect, wonderful park hopper passes that we had to use later in the evening at EPCOT anyway and beautiful weather. Naturally, we headed to MGM first for the specific purpose of riding ToT.

What? You mean that is NOT what most reasonable parents of a 3 & 1/2 and 6 & 1/2 year old would do?

Then, again, who said we were reasonable?

After some brief time checking out the beautiful holiday decorations at this park and meandering toward the ride, we were in the queuing area for ToT. Of course, we’ve spent some time talking about “Mickey Magic” and that nothing in the parks is truly real when it comes to the scary stuff. Nevertheless, this was the first moment of truth. Both girls held up fairly well despite their tender ages. Being a DIS mom, I tried to get over to look at the fallen letters on the lobby marquee. Soon, we were in the queuing area heading down to the actual ride doors. It was then that the first wave of panic set in when one of the girls sees the first young rider chicken out and leave.

Dang … that parent that caved! Oh, I mean … what great, responsible parenting. You did the right thing … no matter how it affected us. Afterall, the Grumpy/Goofy Princess family isn’t the center of the WDW universe anywhere but our OWN minds!

Being less than responsible ourselves in the parenting department, we convinced the girls that we were too far along the line and that now they had to stay since we were passed the door for leaving. Not really true, but they soooo bought into it. I know, many of you are cringing at what HORRIBLE parents we were for forcing our kids on this ride. But, our children are usually fairly fearless and we were pretty sure this jittery-ness was just a “me-too” type of thing. Besides, we knew there was still a possibility for an out … We weren’t sure they would let Moo on the ride since she was RIGHT at the cut-off height, and I do mean barely at it. (Wow … I didn’t know that 40” in line at ToT measures differently from 40” at home!)

When we got to the dividing lines immediately outside the elevator/ride doors, we began to interact with another set of parents who had boys nearly identical to the ages or our girls. It was their last day at WDW and they were trying ToT for the first time. Like us, they weren’t sure how well it would go over, but each of us took some comfort that perhaps we weren’t absolutely horrible parents since we were pretty much in identical situations.

On we go …

Grumpy/Goofy takes off his precious “Grumpy” hat purchased on our last WDW trip and stuffs it under his leg so as not to lose it. We buckle in & prepare. The girls are between DH and me. The parents w/ the boys are immediately in front of us. Some other riders sharing our car are visibly nervous. Our girls, not knowing what to expect, were holding up pretty well. When the CM asked who was ready, dear MooMoo held up both her hands … giving the appearance of riding “hands-free” like many do on rollercoasters. The CM got a HUGE kick out of that and promptly used our tiny daughter’s appearance of bravery to needle some of the other nervous adults & teens.

Soon, we were off. Wow! What a cool ride! But, holy cow, we were NOT prepared. It never really occurred to me that TOT drops mostly in the DARK. Yeah, I know it makes sense: a break-away elevator in a creepy old building wouldn’t have perfect lighting. However, despite my repeated pourings over the DIS and all my beloved WDW guidebooks, this little fact never managed to slap me into rationality or… heck … even general awareness. DH and I also both freaked and tried to keep hold of both girls. Yes, I realize now it must have been safe enough with the restraints, or they wouldn’t have let the girls on ToT. Rationality was not foremost in my mind at the time, however. What was foremost in my mind … how HIGH my big ol’ butt was coming off the seat on those drops. If I was getting so much… uh … air, what was happening w/ our slight and dainty little girls?

Soon, this wonderfully terrifying or terrifyingly wonderful ride was over. Our girls seemed a bit shocked to say the least. However, they were troopers while their matching boy counterparts in the row in front of us were both sobbing. Both girls trooped off, grim but determined. They said they liked it but most certainly did NOT want to ride again! One of them drolly commented on the teenage boy behind us who screamed “like a little girl” (to paraphrase a more recent Disney movie.) One of them observed that this ride was NOTHING like the Frog Hopper after all. We were disappointed that the photo wasn’t better and didn’t order it. Sadly, despite his efforts to protect --- or actually BECAUSE of said efforts --- DH’s beloved Grumpy hat became a casualty of the ride. In the rush to make sure the girls were okay and get them off the ToT, DH never thought to look down & grab the hat once he stood up.

We talk about ToT still. In hindsight, this ride would have probably been more manageable if it were NOT dark. It was the thrill, the drops and the darkness that conspired together to be too much.

Now, you experienced DIS-ers are probably either wondering how much of a drastic impact the sheer terror of this first-ride-of-the-trip experience would leave on the girls or you are flat out smirking that we’ve cooked our own goose in terms of rides for the rest of the week. Guess you’ll just have to tune back in to find out if our riding days the rest of the trip were as doomed as those elevator riders in the Hollywood Hotel.

Up next… I’ll get on w/ the rest of our MGM experience next time.

 

[AGPrincess]

Added to that, Doodle is obsessed with the Disney channel and had watched at least parts of the Disney Channel movie “Tower of Terror” multiple times.

Your daughter is more brave than I. That movie terrified me...The ride did too..

Dang … that parent that caved! Oh, I mean … what great, responsible parenting.

It never really occurred to me that TOT drops mostly in the DARK. Yeah, I know it makes sense: a break-away elevator in a creepy old building wouldn’t have perfect lighting. However, despite my repeated pourings over the DIS and all my beloved WDW guidebooks, this little fact never managed to slap me into rationality or… heck … even general awareness.

I'm sorry...this is too funny...

Great installment!

 

[Jake & Crew]

Wonderful.......you are even better in "real" time writing.....and maybe now I can relax a little as I round the track!

Ready for the rest of MGM ( we don't even think of calling it anything else either

 

[mjkaferle5]

I took my 8, 5, and 5 year old sons on ToT for their first ride of our vacation.

The twins (5 year olds) came off ok, said they liked it, but said they will never ride on it again!!

When we came out to do the parent swap (since my wife was watching the baby), only she and the 8 year old went back on.

Hopefully next summer the twins will be over their fear of ToT.

 

[aspcamhreditor2]

mjkaferle5 .... THANKS for posting. It's nice to know we aren't the only parents who take their kids on ToT.

only she and the 8 year old went back on.

Hopefully next summer the twins will be over their fear of ToT.

This fall, our older DD will be 8 so I'm hoping that 8 is "magic" # for her. She SAYS she is looking forward to ToT. NO prompting on my part ... she brings up that she wants to give it another try!

Younger DD will be 5. Not sure if she'll chance it again. However, she's been on it once & lived to tell, so maybe.... she'll be 2 years older. Wonder if she'll be 2 years braver?

Amy

 

[aspcamhreditor2]

Okey Dokey ... I actually have my next installment ready to go and most of the following installment as well. The kicker ... I've got some pics I'd REALLY like to post with the next installment, but I'm photo/board challenged. We don't actually use a "photo service" of any kind so I don't have a way of just posting a link.

So .. I don't know what my options are.

If any of you have advice, I'd love to hear it!

Also, I don't know how to put a link to my TR in my signature. Again, I'm pretty "board" challenged. So, I'd take advice here, too.

THANKS!

Amy

 

[aspcamhreditor2]

Installment 13 — How to Recover When ToT Leaves You Shell-Shocked?


Cast Review …
Me (PrincessMom)
DH (Grumpy/Goofy)
DD#1 (Doodle) 6 & 1/2 yrs old
DD#2 (Moo Moo) 3 & 1/2 yrs. old

So, we departed ToT with no tears but grim determination to avoid it like the plague for the rest of this trip. (Well, on the girls’ parts any way. DH and I rate ToT highly. Riding it again is one of the things I look most forward to on our Oct. trip.)

As terrible parents, Grumpy/Goofy and PrincessMom had to find a way to add a little levity back into the day. So, we headed to the Beauty & the Beast Show. Given our girls’ love of the movie and Doodle’s love of both books and musicals/stage shows, this option was sure to gladden terrified hearts!

When we arrived, an AMAZING quartet was singing. I don’t remember their names, but WOW!

B&B is cute show and was just the right length to tell the BASIC story, do a little singing & dancing and NOT loose the attention of small children. This is theme-park entertainment at its best. MooMoo LOVED it!

Next, the parents opt for RnR. Unfamiliar w/ EXACTLY how the whole “bubba chuck” thing works and given my intense dislike of asking about new things for fear of looking stupid, we take another approach: one parent sits outside with the girls to people watch while the other makes the trip. Honestly, I don’t remember doing so, but we must have gotten Fast Passes between ToT and the B&B show as we basically walked on. I rode first. Then DH rode while the girls and I headed out for a little park sight-seeing.

DH says the first 60-seconds of RnR is WORTH the cost of the TRIP! (And, he likes to pretend he’s not a WDW fan nut!)

Unfortunately, we learn a lesson about splitting up if we have not either made a definite plan to meet or if we are not both in possession of our cell phones. The girls and I wait near the entrance for some time. I am starting to sweat making our evening ADR at San Angelo Inn in the WS at Epcot. Little did we know, DH was also waiting near the entrance, but on the OUTSIDE. After both DH and built up more than a little irritation at the other, Doodle spots her Dad. It was a little frosty in the car on the way to Epcot. Would a thaw come before Epcot? Would an otherwise WONDERFUL first day be ruined?

 

[aspcamhreditor2]

Yay me ...

Sorry for the celebration. This whole photo process was a challenge for me as I don't usually upload pics to on-line storage. And... I'm MAC based so the whole "right click" and "click on properties" directions were useless to me. However, I pretty much figured it out on my own.

So cool.... I have lots of pics to share!

Amy

 

[DebIreland]

Hey Amy!! You did great with the pics! I'm mac-based too (which you've probably already guessed!). BEAUTIFUL B&TB photos!!!

I'm all caught up - great stuff! I admire your girls' courage so much going on TOT. I was a wreck on it to be honest but the boys adore it too. What amazed me was when we came off it, DS10 was talking about all the things he could see from the top when you get to view the whole of MGM. I couldn't believe he was relaxed enough to be able to take in the sights!! I was just screaming my head off.

Unfortunately, we learn a lesson about splitting up if we have not either made a definite plan to meet or if we are not both in possession of our cell phones.

It was a little frosty in the car on the way to Epcot.

Oh but how I can relate to both the above statements.

 

[aspcamhreditor2]

Installment 13 B … A Digression. Does the Author Need Medication?


Oops… I FORGOT! I knew we had done more in MGM during the afternoon and that the progression of events didn't really seem to playout when I wrote the last installment. I forgot to include the following:

We got the FP for RnR and THEN, we wandered over to the “Honey I Shrunk The Kids” playground. The girls remembered this area from the last trip and wanted to do it again. A little stress-relieving play time was sure to move us beyond the ToT malaise. Actually, I find this playground a little stressful … sooooo many places the girls can go and then come out differently. But, the girls LOVE it and fortunately, they were bigger (ie- more mature) this trip. Plus, they’ve become veterans of play places like this and know to find a parent to check in. We actually had no worries about lost kids this time. This playground, overall, is a nice place to take a little break from the rigors of “doing a park”.

Sadly, at 8 years old for our upcoming trip, DD#1 will soon outgrow places like Honey I Shrunk the Kids.

Next up … we’ll get back to moving on to Epcot. Does a "freeze warning" need to be made?

 

[aspcamhreditor2]

Installment 14 ….

When we left off, there was a cold war developing over who was to blame for the meeting mix-up. Luckily, when we arrived at Epcot, it was one of the single most beautiful evenings on record --- ever … anywhere --- so a thaw was soon on its way.

We weren’t pressed for time, so we could stroll leisurely to San Angelo Inn once we reached EPCOT. The girls got a kick out of those fiber-optic lights in the sidewalk near what my girls ONLY refer to as “the giant golf ball.” All that high-tech stuff and decorations and rides, and the girls get side-tracked by some pin-point lights at their feet! Fortunately, the plan for this evening was only painted with broad strokes … we had time to enjoy the little things.

We ambled on back toward the WS and got a first look at the AMAZING holiday decorations at EPCOT. I am a Christmas decoration nut … I love to drive around during the holidays to see the lights. I was moved by the lights & decoration displays in the parks, especially at EPCOT. (I was so enthralled by the EPCOT decorations that I never even considered there might be something bigger and better somewhere else … but more on that later!)

We had dinner at San Angelo Inn. I LOVE the atmosphere in the Mexico pavilion and at the restaurant. We weren’t on the dining plan, so we only had a limited number of TS ADRs on this trip. We knew that we’d be able to find something that pleased everyone by going Mexican. Honestly, a year & a half later, I have no recollection of what we had! I can tell you this, it was decent. Nothing spectacular but nothing we’d rate poorly. I’d go back here again.

We rode the River of Time in the Mexico Pavilion. Sorry … I KNOW it has a “real” name in Spanish but I don’t know exactly what that is or how to spell it so my rough translation to English will have to do. You all know what the ride is anyway. I mean … you all are hanging out on the DIS. I know there are many complaints about how dated that ride has become, but it was cool (as in a nice temperature, not hip, with it, etc.). And, it was walk-on so we got to float by the pyramid. The girls were only a little timid about this ride after their ToT experience. No great meltdowns or fears. And, the girls still talk about THIS ride and being in the Mexico pavilion to this day.

While in Mexico, the girls started their masks at the KidCot station. One of my husband’s biggest complaints about EPCOT … based on a trip in 1984!!! … was that the girls wouldn’t like it … it would be boring. Actually the girls like EPCOT just fine. They got a huge kick out of making the mask and stopping at the KidCot stations.

After a good dinner and enjoyable ride, we had just enough time to wander a bit.

Next up was Norway and another stop at the KidCot station. Got some pics of the girls w/ holiday decorations here. Unfortunately, Maelstrom in the Norway pavilion was NOT as well received as River of Time by our girls. Doodle didn’t mind, but Moo did NOT like meeting up w/ that troll. My peeve, I hate that queing area after the ride. I don’t like being “forced” to watch the movie. So, given our limited time, we opted to move right on out when we finally were “released” into the theater.

It was such a beautiful evening that we headed contentedly toward China. The girls did another stop for their masks, and we encountered one of our most remembered C Ms. The young lady working the KidCot station in China was wonderful. Not many kids were working on their masks that evening, so she took some time with our girls. She wrote their names in Chinese on the mask handles and told them each about their “year”. (Well, she SAID she wrote their names. When it comes to Chinese, we know bupkus. She could have written her laundry list. But, the presentation was spot on!)

By this time, it’s growing late and we don’t want to fight the crowds after Illumunations. We need to make it a fairly early night because tomorrow we have a breakfast date at the castle! So, we make our way back toward the front like we are on a relaxing vacation. The girls stop to play a few more minutes with the lights in the sidewalk while my DH, the camera buff, experiments at taking night shots of the fountain.

Thus ends our first day at WDW. We head back to POFQ more relaxed than the same time just 24 hours before. We’ve seen a show, ridden some thrill rides, had a lovely dinner, done some crafts and just enjoyed some spectacularly beautiful weather.

Life is wonderful!

 

[aspcamhreditor2]

Sorry ... not sure why the two pics from inside the Mexico pavilion are not working. But, I have to get on the road for a trip to my dad's, so I'll have to figure this out when I get back on Tuesday.

Amy

 

[Jake & Crew]

Installment 14 ….

When we left off, there was a cold war developing over who was to blame for the meeting mix-up. Luckily, when we arrived at Epcot, it was one of the single most beautiful evenings on record --- ever … anywhere --- so a thaw was soon on its way.

We weren’t pressed for time, so we could stroll leisurely to San Angelo Inn once we reached EPCOT. The girls got a kick out of those fiber-optic lights in the sidewalk near what my girls ONLY refer to as “the giant golf ball.” All that high-tech stuff and decorations and rides, and the girls get side-tracked by some pin-point lights at their feet! Fortunately, the plan for this evening was only painted with broad strokes … we had time to enjoy the little things.

By this time, it’s growing late and we don’t want to fight the crowds after Illumunations. We need to make it a fairly early night because tomorrow we have a breakfast date at the castle! So, we make our way back toward the front like we are on a relaxing vacation. The girls stop to play a few more minutes with the lights in the sidewalk while my DH, the camera buff, experiments at taking night shots of the fountain.

Thus ends our first day at WDW. We head back to POFQ more relaxed than the same time just 24 hours before. We’ve seen a show, ridden some thrill rides, had a lovely dinner, done some crafts and just enjoyed some spectacularly beautiful weather.

Life is wonderful!

This is the magic to me.....in the real world the cold war goes on, in Disney it melts....mostly because in the real world we don't keep moving together and start to again see the beauty that life is.