"It was the time of our lives!" WL Jan 10-15 2010 NEW: 5/17 PTR LINK UP!! PG 44

[FoundNemoLostDori]

I'm joining in. How much fun this TR will be!! My hubby and I are talking about going in early Dec. and staying at the WL, so I am SO happy to read your trip report. Ah, if only we all had your organizational skills. I will too, one of these days............

 

[kaysmommie]

Hi Katie,
Your WL pictures are amazing! We have always loved that resort! Kaylee wants to stay there more than Beach Club I guess because it was our first resort. That is great that Abby received a magical moment so early in the trip. Looking forward to more

Nichole

 

[BippityBoo]

joining in

Thanks for joining in!!

I"m in. Love how your DD got a magical moment right away. That was great. Love WL, trying to talk DH into there insted of Polly.

The WL was amazing!! It was sooo warm and cozy. The boat ride to Magic Kingdom was nothing. The monorail may only beat it by a couple of minutes I would say. I dont think we will stay anywhere else for a long time

Coming on board to read more about the cold and MAGICAL MOMENTS.

Thanks for reading More magical moments to come!

Hi, Katie! I'm just joining in and have caught myself up! I LOVE the WL and would absolutely love to stay there. So beautiful-- your pictures truly capture its magic.
That is so sweet of the CM to give your daughter a pin. And good for her to be so outgoing-- I'm sure plenty of kids would have shy'd up and not been able to answer the questions!

Thank you so much!!! The WL did not dissapoint! We fell in love! Posting about our room tonight--stay tuned!

Subbing in!! I am new to your TR!! The WL is my dream resort. We were thinking of staying there in September but with everyone who is coming with us, the Mods were the best bet for everyone's pocketbook. It looks so utterly beautiful!! Something to look forward to for another trip.

We are driving too!! I think my DD will do well in the car--we have driven a few long trips with her and she normally does really well too.

I hope you get a GREAT pin code We got a 40% off It was very helpful! Driving was so easy..we were shocked! Beats flying...I do not like to fly at all

You can add me to the list of people jumping over from Becky's report! I'm enjoying your TR and I can't wait to hear more!

Welcome! Thank you so much, hope to update tonight!

Your pics of WL are beautiful! I stayed there when I was younger, so I hardly remember much about it but it seems like a wonderful resort. I'd love to go back sometime.

And don't you just love having those special cm encounters? We too came across some great ones this trip - definitely makes things that much more magical. I bet your DD felt so special!

She DID feel special! Glad I could bring back some memories for you

WOW!! I'm gone all day and now I'm 2 pages behind!! Your TR is hopping, Katie!! And I'm glad I could help bring over some readers!!


WL is beautiful!! And I'm impressed that Abby already received a magical moment!! How cute that Aiden got all excited about the Mickey bus!! I'm interested to hear more about the stroller issues. I was just talking to Brent today about if we should take ours or rent one. He cannot STAND having to fold it down to take it on the buses. But I was thinking about the sleeping issue on the way back to our resort. Decisions, decisions!! Can't wait to hear about your room and MK!! (I thought about the COLD weather the entire time you were gone hoping you weren't miserable!)

Becky---WL is AMAZING! I so want you and the girls to check it out on your trip for dinner. They would LOVE the lobby and outside. I am going to post about the strollers tonight. I have LOTS to say about them The cold did not get us for too long...only a day or two!!

I'm joining in and can't wait to hear the rest of the story! We leave for WL in 5 days! I so want a magical experience

WOW! I am sooo jealous!!! The WL was amazing. Posting more tonight!!

I'm here, I'm here! Late but better than never.

What a fun time you guys had getting to the WL! And the hotel DOES look gorgeous!! I would love to stay there sometime - it looks just magical!

Can't wait to read more!

KATIE!!! It was sooo great. I am so glad you are here!

Hi Katie! Just found your TR! Your children are so adorable and I LOVE the caricature of the two of them! The Wilderness Lodge looks absolutely breathtaking! We went to WDW in January of 2007 and we had a few cold days, I don't think it got as cold as it did when you were there though! Looking forward to reading more of your report!!

~Beth

Thank you so much!! The WL was everything we thought it would be. The cold did not bother us for too long...but it was COOOLLLDD!

Joining in your trip report (came over from Becky's!) and love it so far! Can't believe how cold it was for you guys! Love your organizational skills (with the boxes!) and pictures! We drive to WDW every August from NY! We love driving (DH hates to fly, but doesn't mind the drive and by this point my kids are used to it!) so I might think about using your box idea this August!

Can't wait to hear more!

Thank you so much!! Driving from NY! Phew!! I hate to fly as well. I really prefered the driving, you see so much along the way. I will post more about the boxes tonight! Thanks for reading!

Sounds like the journey was fantastic and how sweet was your DS when he spotted his first Disney bus

That CM sounds fantastic how wonderful Abby had a magical moment so soon

Thanks JO!! It was so cute! Stay tuned and my DS gets a little Disney bus momento!

We were on a college road trip through the south, and our last stop was Gainesville - UF before heading to the WL cap off the family vacation in WDW, our favorite place!
We finished our tour at UF by 2pm, and I had booked us a night in Gainesville. We got to the hotel, and it was gross. I immediately called WDW to see what was available, nothing at any hotel except suites for $1000's. We had no idea it was such a short ride to Orlando from Gainesville. We were resigned on staying in the gross hotel, but decided to throw all caution to the wind, and blasted out at 3pm! We got to the WL by 5pm, and lo and behold, a room was available. When we arrived at the WL, we were blown away by the beauty of the resort, and we had many magical experiences on that trip. Thanks for jogging my memory, and I am looking forward to reading the rest of your TR!

WOW! What a trip you had!!! I would have totally done the same thing. I can not STAND gross (or even semi gross) hotel rooms. I obsessively research on hotels.com and priceline.com to see what others have said about it. There is nothing like going "home" to the WL tough, right?

Just subbing. Saw you over on Beckys PTR so thought I would come along and have a read- I have a little catching up to do!!

GREAT! Thanks for reading--happy you came over!

I'm from Becky's PTR, too! Maybe she should start charging referral fees. I'm sure she accepts Disney dollars!

I love, love, love your Rubbermaid boxes! I packed a bunch of our stuff in those boxes for our annual beach vacation, and I LOVED it! I got a lot of "I wish I had thought of that!" from my other family members.

I think between the two of us, I think we can make Rubbermaid recession-proof!

Your kids sound adorable. I love that Aidan got so excited when he saw the Mickey bus. My oldest DD, Caroline, is 2 now, but will be 3 at our travel time. I'm going to try to find pics of things like that to show her what to expect. She has been to WDW before, but she was 15 months old at the time, and doesn't seem to remember it. Whenever we look at pics from the trip, she thinks it's her baby sister in there with Snow White!

I'm subbing, and I can't wait to hear more. That "will our room be upgraded?" teaser has me intrigued!

I will be posting more about the room tonight! My DS was 10 months on our last trip so...it was quite different. He did SO well and it just tuggs at your heartstrings to see them interact with the characters. Really wonderful age to go to WDW!!!

I will also post more about the boxes tonight! They ended up coming in handy! Great minds think alike!

Great updates!

Sounds like a great trip so far! And the drive definitely didn't sound that bad! I wish we lived that close!

Can't wait for more!

The drive was a really easy one! I am lucky to live close. Thanks soooo much for reading!

I'm joining in. How much fun this TR will be!! My hubby and I are talking about going in early Dec. and staying at the WL, so I am SO happy to read your trip report. Ah, if only we all had your organizational skills. I will too, one of these days............

Thank you so much!!! A lot of OCD-ness helps. hehe.

The WL will be AMAZING in Dec!! We are going the second or third week in Dec. and staying at the WL! It is perfectly cozy inside and the tree is amazing!

Hi Katie,
Your WL pictures are amazing! We have always loved that resort! Kaylee wants to stay there more than Beach Club I guess because it was our first resort. That is great that Abby received a magical moment so early in the trip. Looking forward to more

Nichole

Ohh really want to try the Beach Club one day when the kids get older and we are not in MK so much!! The WL was sooo amazing!! I could totally live there. When we do DVC, I hope we can still pick WL as our home resort...LOVE it! Thanks for reading!!

 

[disneybarbie]

Hi Katie!
I noticed you wrote you're going to WDW for 3rd week of December? DF & I just booked Dec 11th-17th at Boardwalk Villas!

Emma

 

[onelilspark]

I've been so wrapped up in last minute planning for our cruise (9 days away!) that I totally missed the start of your TR!!

Can't wait to hear more!

 

[*dreamit*doit*]

Hi! The title of your TR caught my attention - Wilderness Lodge!!!! my favorite! We stayed there last February and went for dinner on our December trip. Well, I'm in!

 

[BippityBoo]

Hi Katie!
I noticed you wrote you're going to WDW for 3rd week of December? DF & I just booked Dec 11th-17th at Boardwalk Villas!

Emma

That would be awesome!! Maybe we can have a Dis Meet! I am not sure of the dates yet...I am in school getting my Certification in Teaching. I am waiting for the calendar to come out....should be in March. I will let you know

I've been so wrapped up in last minute planning for our cruise (9 days away!) that I totally missed the start of your TR!!

Can't wait to hear more!

What!? How did I miss that you were going on a cruise?! Please tell me it is a Disney cruise. Disney Cruises are my next obsession...well, besides researching WDW Christmas time Let me know! Cant wait to read about it!!

Hi! The title of your TR caught my attention - Wilderness Lodge!!!! my favorite! We stayed there last February and went for dinner on our December trip. Well, I'm in!

Thanks for reading The WL is AMAZING!! I keep raving over and over about it to my friends. It will be VERY hard to stay anywhere else! I loved that you went to WDW in Feb. and December. We are going again in December as well. How did you like it? I am curious what week you went. We will either be there the day before Thanksgiving for 5 days, or the third week in December. Glad to have you on board

 

[mom2mek]

Hoping you're working on another update....

Sara

 

[BippityBoo]

**Let me begin this post with a little back story. Most of you know about this, but for you newbies I had decided a while back not to post pictures of my family on forums. Simply because of privacy. I promise that my TR will still be great!!! I took TONS of pictures of the scenery. I placed stars on our faces in a couple of pictures that I would like to show you . I hope you guys understand Ok…on to the TR!!!**

Well, now we are on the boat to the MK!!! Only problem was that it was the open boat and the winds were SUPER cold! I had the kids bundled up sooo well. They had fleeces with hoods and hats with ear flaps, so they were great. My DH and I were pretty cold though!

We took off and my DS (2) was SUPER excited about the boat. He would do anything to ride the boat (and the bus for that matter). I love little boys!

We turned the corner passing the Contemporary. I saw the new Bay Lake Towers and it looked really nice!! We could begin to see the MK in our view and….wait, could it be….A VERY LARGE CHRISTMAS TREE!!!! I looked at my DH and screamed! I was told on the phone by a CM before we left that the Christmas Decorations came down on January 4th. Actually, he literally laughed and me and said “Sorry, maybe next time.” So, I wanted to call up and let him know We are planning a trip back to WDW in December 2010 to experience the Christmas decorations and shows. While the shows were not offered on this trip, we loved the “sneak preview” of the decorations!!! Ok…I will let you in on the fun too

I love entering the MK. I know it is kind of time consuming to go through the ticket pass and show them the inside of your bags. But…seeing this in the distance made it all worth it!

We entered the MK and I truly felt like my vacation had begun. My DS and DD were SO excited. We headed towards the stroller rental…..

I will now interrupt this Trip Report to fill you in on how I liked the strollers. It is such a frustrating part of vacation planning for me because I never know if I should rent or bring my own. Last year, I was SO confused. I had a 11 month old at the time, so I ended up bringing my own stroller. We also rented a double stroller for he and my DD to ride in together. So, we were pushing around 2 strollers. It worked out pretty well because he could sleep in his own stroller that reclined. Also, my daughter got some time off of her feet, which helped her parents too

However, for obvious reasons, 2 strollers at WDW can be a headache. Now that my DS is older, we decided to rent a double stroller for a week. The kids excitedly ran to the stroller and hopped in. Lets just say, my very tall 6 year old DD did NOT fit very well

See how her head hits the top of the stroller and her legs are too long? This was so annoying to me because I kept having to re-brush her hair every time she got out of the stroller because her hair got messed up from her head bumping the top of it! I did not expect her to fit comfortably. We simply wanted to use it every now and then (especially in Epcot) to help save her little feet. Yes…she is a spoiled princess!

Also, as most of you know, they switched ALL of the WDW strollers?! I simply can not stand the new design. It was sooo much smaller. I understand that the Disney people may want smaller strollers so that they will not get in the way while walking or navigating the stores. But...it was so tiny.

Cont on next post...

 

[BippityBoo]

One positive was that they were still easy to push! That is one of the most important things for me! They also still had a flap canopy to keep out the sun and adequate cup holders (2 I think) and pockets on the back to help hold food or gifts while you were in the park. I really liked that.

We end up having another stroller issue later on this day…stay tuned! After I complete our MK day, I will give a wrap up of how I ended up feeling about the strollers.

We caught the very end of the afternoon parade.

My DS was really excited and was dancing in the stroller. He got his first glimpse of a couple of characters and he was pointing and waving at them. My DH and I just smiled at each other. We knew that it would be a GREAT trip.

We began the walk down Main Street towards the castle. I was soaking up all of the amazing decorations. They were still playing the Christmas music on the speakers. It was not loud and did not have any singing. It was just subtle instrument Christmas music, playing softly in the background. It was PERFECT.

Here are some sites from Main Street

We took our first Photopass Picture in front of the castle!! I was so excited to get my little Photopass Card. I just love how easy it is! We ended up taking about 275 pictures! I wanted to get maximum value from my Photopass CD

We finally made it to the castle.

We were in awe…again. We had a days of Disney fun ahead of us and we could not be more anxious to get the fun started!!!

UP NEXT: Where do we decide to go first? Fantasyland to ride our favorites? Toontown to finally meet the fairies? Or Frontierland to let our DD ride her first roller coaster? More soon!!!

 

[BippityBoo]

Hoping you're working on another update....

Sara

HAHAH You must be reading my mind. Just updated

 

[mom2mek]

Great update Katie! What a gorgeous day it was! The sky is so blue and I can sense all the excitement in your writing!!

I can relate to the whole stroller dilemma - it's so hard to decide what to do, but we will be renting a double stroller from orlandostrollerrentals.com like we did last October when we go back in 2 weeks. Yes, my girls are 5 and 6 but really...Disney is HUGE and they will be tired, so we will still be using one this trip - the weight limit is 100 pounds so we are getting in just under the wire with one being 39 and one being 44...a total of 83 pounds! It is such a nice stroller and we loved having one that we could take out of the parks. I hope your stroller wasn't too much of an issue - I agree, they have made them a lot smaller than they used to be! On our big Thanksgiving trip in 2007, we piled a whole bunch of kids in a double stroller (not for too long)....it looked like a clown car!!

Looking forward to hearing more....

Sara

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

Love the update!

It sounds like we had similar reactions seeing the Christmas decorations! I totally wasn't expecting them either...what a great way to start out, right?!

And wow...that stroller looks so small!

Can't wait to read more!!!

 

[ladybugmom]

YAY for the Christmas decorations still being up!!! Oh my! Those strollers do look TINY!! Ally is super-tall--I'm not sure she and Claire would be comfortable in a stroller like that! I envison them elbowing each other and getting in each other's space! YIKES! Hmmm. . . Were there straps to buckle in Aiden? I would be afraid that Claire would just climb out whenever she felt the need--you know?! Can't wait to read more!!

 

[onelilspark]

I remember staying at the WL when we were younger...my brother was 8 or 9 and I was 11 or 12. The best part was that boat ride!

Also, have you looked into Orlando Stroller Rental? Not having kids I don't know much about it except that they'll drop the stroller off at your resort and pick it up at the end of your stay...might be something worthwhile?

And on the cruise...it's not a Disney Cruise My boyfriend loves cruising, and since he humors me on all my Disney trips, I caved and agreed to a cruise. I looked into a Disney cruise, but it's twice the price of a Carnival cruise...I just couldn't justify it. We'll see how I like it We are going to Disneyland in March though. I'm super excited!

 

[DWGal210]

I am so glad the decorations were still up for you to see - aren't they just incredible?!

I don't envy people with the stroller dilemna; it seems like a tough one. Justin is 3 1/2 and so he is still in a stroller but my aunt was wondering if this trip would be he last one, just because of hauling it around, etc.

Have a great weekend!

 

[SoonerGirl]

That's so awesome that the Christmas decorations were still up - aren't they gorgeous?!

That stroller does look really small. I thankfully never had to deal with a stroller at WDW. My youngest was 4 during our first trip with the kids and he hated being in a stroller, so I lucked out! He was a trooper that whole week and the only time that he complained of tired legs was when we were walking around World Showcase - more than likely he was just bored

 

[BippityBoo]

After taking in the beauty of the castle, we took a right and walked the bridge to…

FANTASYLAND!!

We just simply could not pass up our favorite rides!! Since it was already about 1:00, most of the bigger rides had moderate waits (about 15-20 minutes). We fastpassed Peter Pan and headed to Small World!! I knew my DS and DD loved it last time we went to WDW. We walked right on and it did not disappoint!! There is something so authentic and relaxing about Small World! I love starting our vacation on it!! Here are some pics for those of you who can not get enough

My DD loves this---she has a pink poodle named “Eclair” at home that she sleeps with. It looks JUST like this one.

After getting off of SW, my DH needed to take a call for work. He is a Real Estate Broker and runs a family owned and operated business. So, unfortunately, that means that he can never truly escape. I am so thankful that his schedule is so flexible to allow us to travel on slow times, so I guess there are positives and negatives

While we were waiting for my DH, my son really got into the polka music playing outside of Pinocchio’s!!! It was totally hilarious! He was bouncing and throwing his arms around!!

There were two women that walked by who knew how to Polka. They stopped and joined in with him. Everyone was clapping and laughing. It was SO funny! Another magical moment!

We were getting a little hungry at this point. Unfortunately, we ended up at Pinocchio’s out of convenience. I really like the atmosphere and the food is not bad…it is just always PACKED and the CMs seem so aggravated. I sent my DH off with the kids to find a table upstairs. I am so glad we sat there, because it was much quieter and low-key. We all had cheese pizzas, which were pretty average. The kids also had grapes and apple juice. Here is our view from our table.

Next, my DH took the kids to Cinderella’s Carousel while I got in line for the 10 minute wait at Winnie the Pooh!!!! The wait was a little more like 15 minutes, but the kids and my DH joined me just in time to ride. We LOVE this ride. My DS enjoyed it as well, especially the Tigger bouncing part. So adorable!!

At this point, it was time to ride Peter Pan with our fastpass!! We waited about 3 minutes, then we were off to Neverland!!! This ride never gets old. I just LOVE it!! And my family did too.

Cont on next post...

 

[BippityBoo]

Last, we rode Dumbo!! I just love the shots you get from so high! My DD fell in love with this ride all over. I think she loves the fact that she can drive/control the Dumbo!

My DD was looking forward to seeing Ariel in her Grotto. BUT...the wait was 55 minutes long!!! I am happy she spends so much time with each child, but the wait is always SO long. It was early afternoon, so I guess the key is get there right when she opens. We decided to try again on our next MK day.

We loaded the kids into the stroller and excitedly walked towards Adventureland!! Along the way, we enjoyed the view in Liberty Square.

We also saw this CM dancing on the bridge to Adventureland!!

They were renovating the bathrooms by the Magic Carpets and this sign was on the building. I just thought it was adorable.

We missed out on Pirates last time, so we were happy to see there was a 5 minute wait.

When we entered the ride, I immediately loved the setting. It was so neat how everything felt old and the music added to the fun. They made an announcement that the ride was down temporarily, but to hold tight and then we could board. We decided to wait it out…WE WERE RIDING THIS RIDE!!!! While we were waiting, my DD found a little window with bars to look through. “There is something spooky in there!” she said…so my DH checked it out as well.

Ended up being these poor guys.

Soon, we were getting on the boat to ride. The whole family enjoyed it so much! My DH and I especially liked the Jack Sparrow additions…just amazing!!! Looks so much like Johnny Depp that it is scary. Here are some pics…

My DS ended up falling asleep on the ride. We passed through the amazing gift shop briefly because my DH had to carry him to the stroller, so he was getting heavy. We made a promise to come back and shop later in the trip.

While my DH got the stroller, my DD and I watched this show!!

It was a cute show!

At this point, the sun was going down and it was getting COLD! We decided that a hot chocolate, tea and coffee was in order. We headed towards Frontierland and found a bench outside of Pecos Bill’s. My DH was still holding my sleeping DS, so my daughter and I made our way to the snack kiosk. We got the drinks and a warm box of freshly popped popcorn. YUM!

The temperature was drastically dropping and I was beginning to worry about the kids. I went into the General Store and purchased a beautiful red and black plaid flannel blanket for them to use. It had a picture of Mickey/Minnie and a snowman appliqued in the corner. This turned out to be one of my favorite purchases! You will see it in many of our photos during the trip.

Ok---here comes our next stroller complaint. My DH tried to lay my DS down in the stroller so that he could continue to nap. He will pretty much sleep anywhere, so we were not expecting it to be a problem. Well, the seat was SO small and it has no recline at all!! We tried to get him comfy with the new blanket, but he just slid down onto the bottom of the stroller each time. He woke up and stayed awake. He was in good spirits, but I knew he needed more sleep than that. I wished at that point that we brought our own stroller that would recline for a nice nap.

We loaded the kids into the stroller again and placed our blanket over their laps. Here is a pic of us!

I knew they were nice and warm, but my DH and I decided to head back to WL. They had sent me a text with our room number, so we knew it was ready and were anxious to unpack and unwind. We were going to try to ride Big Thunder, but were concerned that it was too cold and that the wind on the ride would be frigid. So…we headed to the WDW train stop! We left the stroller and took out our nameplate to board the train. My DS started to shake…he was so cold poor thing! Keep in mind he has on thermal underwear, long sleeved shirt, fleece pants, fleece jacket and a fleece hat with ear flaps. It was THAT cold. I know we made the right decision to go back to the Resort.

We all enjoyed the train ride and huddled together under our new blanket (again, best purchase ever!) We made the stop at Toontown and my DS and DD got SO excited to see Mickey and Minnie’s house all decorated for Christmas. I felt bad that we could not get off at the stop, but I knew we would have plenty of time on our next MK day.

We had no stroller to drop off, so we exited the train station and went right to the boat stop. I got a little concerned that the boat would be even colder. To my surprise, the boat pulled up and it was an inside boat!! It was nice and warm inside…we were thrilled. We had a great time at MK. Despite the cold, there was not a cloud in the sky. The sunset was BEAUTIFUL!! Great ending to a first day at the park!

UP NEXT: What was our room like? Do we second guess using Counter Service dining after trying dinner? Stay tuned!!

 

[mom2mek]

Yay! Great updates! Great idea using the blanket - it looks adorable and very warm! Beautiful sunset pictures - I just love Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake - so beautiful! Sorry about the aggravation with the stroller but glad he was in good spirits when he woke up! Oooo....Johnny Depp look-a-likes.....almost as good as the original!

Sara