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

[praisehisname]

Jumping onboard; loving the report so far!

Denise

 

[kcandbella]

WL sounds so incredible...hoping I get to stay there someday! It just seems so beautiful and peaceful. Thanks for sharing your pics!

 

[klacey1]

Katie, how magical that you had a view of Wishes! Even without the music, sitting in your cozy room must have beat standing on a freezing Main Street!

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

I LOVE how prepared you are - extra lights, white noise machine, you think of everything Katie!

The WL looks so cozy - which I'm sure was very welcoming after being out in that cold all day. And that's amazing that you could see Wishes from your room!!! How positively magical Sounds like you had a wonderful ending to a wonderful day!

 

[BippityBoo]

Love this cartoon.

Thanks for reading!

YAY!! Great update, Katie!! (BTW--Ally is loving all of your WL pics--she's super excited that we'll be staying there in Dec!!) So sorry to hear that you had so much noise in your room--I really need to research all of this more so I know what to request!! Did Aiden sleep with Abby or in a pack-n-play? I'm thinking by Dec. that Claire SHOULD be able to share a bed with Ally. I noticed you had TWO sinks!! That's great!! We only had one in the room we had at the Poly last May. YAY for the bag from Angela--how nice!! She is the greatest, isn't she?! That is awesome that you were able to watch Wishes from your room!! How magical!!! Praying we get to stay at the WL TOGETHER!!

Thanks Becky!!! The noise was really bad, but thank goodness I brought Aiden's sound machine. It is a strong/loud machine that he sleeps with at home. It did the trick!! You could not hear the trucks at all. But, when I turned it off, all you heard was "beep beep beep BANG!" and it started at
9PM till morning I dont think that you were going to book a Standard Room, were you? If so, try to get one that overlooks the lobby. I dont think you can see Wishes, but NO trucks. The other standard rooms I saw made me so happy to have the one I got. They were on the first floor by the restaurant/laundry. No view, dark halls, did not like it AT ALL. If you were going to book Standard, ask for upper level floors, facing the lobby-- NO first floor!!

I ended up sleeping with Aiden and my DH with Abby. Abby is an active sleeper!!! She tosses and turns, kicks, etc. I did not want Aiden to get hit But they could totally sleep together in the bed if they can pull it off. It would be fine. And you are RIGHT next to them.

awesome trip report!
also i loooooove the pirates of the carribean ride
its awesome!!

Pirates is one of my favorites now!!!! SO glad we got to do it. Thanks for reading!!!

Jumping onboard; loving the report so far!

Denise

Thank you SO much for reading!!! I hope to update about Epcot soon!

WL sounds so incredible...hoping I get to stay there someday! It just seems so beautiful and peaceful. Thanks for sharing your pics!

It is so perfect for relaxing. It is a little gem. Thanks for reading!!

Katie, how magical that you had a view of Wishes! Even without the music, sitting in your cozy room must have beat standing on a freezing Main Street!

That is right!!! We had a much better experience in the warmth of our room!!

I LOVE how prepared you are - extra lights, white noise machine, you think of everything Katie!

The WL looks so cozy - which I'm sure was very welcoming after being out in that cold all day. And that's amazing that you could see Wishes from your room!!! How positively magical Sounds like you had a wonderful ending to a wonderful day!

You are so sweet! I have to say that I was always organized, but became extremely OCD when I had kids. You almost have to in order to keep your sanity!!

It is SO cozy. It had such a warm and homey feel to it. I hope to update about Epcot soon!! Thanks for reading!!

 

[Charlefours]

How amazing to see Wishes from your hotel room!! I sure hope it warmed up for you while you were down there!! Cute bag A sent you!!

 

[beyondblessed]

Hi Katie - I got a chance to get all caught up tonight and I'm sooo glad! You are doing such a great job - you are making me and my TR look really bad!!!

 

[mom2mek]

Hey girl!!! UGH totally forgot to post about that!! So sorry...I know people had asked me about it. OK, here is the deal. We decided to wait and keep the things in the car. This was because we got there at 10 am and I knew the room would most likely not be ready. We just checked in (had already pre-registered online), went to the bathroom and headed right to the MK! So, all I brought was our park bag with me at first.

When we got back from MK, my DH drove the car around and the CM unloaded it all and brought it up to the room. He left to go get the bags, and he was back 10 minutes later...bags came 5 minutes after him.

SO---it was not a pain. In December, we are planning on hanging out at the Resort on check in day. We will probably have them hold our bags and bring them in during check in. We will go eat at a restaurant and hang out and then, when our room is ready, we will just get the CM to bring it up to the room while we still relax.

Does that all make sense?

Now---onto the boxes. They were SO helpful in the room. I loved having all of the items seperated by "theme" so it was really easy to find the stuff I needed. Saved me lots of time and headaches. It was, however, a pain to travel with. They would fall off of the vallet cart and they kind of slid around in the trunk. I decided that in December, I will use my larger box and seperate all of my items in big ziplocks. I will put all of the ziplocks into the large box for traveling. I will still bring my smaller boxes, but will not pack anything in them. I will just stack them on top of eachother and put them in a bag. When I get to the resort, I will take out the ziplocks with the items and THEN put them in the smaller boxes. Again, are you following this info HTH!

Thanks Katie! I did follow it,and it IS helpful! LOL!

Sara

 

[ladybugmom]

Thanks Becky!!! The noise was really bad, but thank goodness I brought Aiden's sound machine. It is a strong/loud machine that he sleeps with at home. It did the trick!! You could not hear the trucks at all. But, when I turned it off, all you heard was "beep beep beep BANG!" and it started at
9PM till morning I dont think that you were going to book a Standard Room, were you? If so, try to get one that overlooks the lobby. I dont think you can see Wishes, but NO trucks. The other standard rooms I saw made me so happy to have the one I got. They were on the first floor by the restaurant/laundry. No view, dark halls, did not like it AT ALL. If you were going to book Standard, ask for upper level floors, facing the lobby-- NO first floor!!

I ended up sleeping with Aiden and my DH with Abby. Abby is an active sleeper!!! She tosses and turns, kicks, etc. I did not want Aiden to get hit But they could totally sleep together in the bed if they can pull it off. It would be fine. And you are RIGHT next to them.

You're welcome, Katie! I was thinking about booking a standard room but now I'm not so sure! YIKES! What do you suggest?! We're trying to save some money since this will be trip #2 in 2010!!

 

[cdotla]

Great update Katie!

So glad you were able to see Wishes from the room. That would definitely be a nice touch, especially when you weren't necessarily counting on it!

What an amazing idea you had to bring that noise machine. Can you imagine how that would have affected your trip otherwise??? I would not have had the foresight to bring a noise machine and would have been down to the front desk begging to be transferred to a Pool View or Lobby View so fast, and willing to pay whatever they charged me to do it!

Can't wait to hear about your next day!

 

[MickeyisBeast]

Joining in! Can't wait for another update

 

[r4blessings]

Hi Katie! If you don't mind my asking....what white noise machine do you have? I have been thinking about getting one for the boys room, but wasn't sure which one to get. And it would definitly help when we go to disney and our time share in Florida where early morning noises wake my kids. My kids are normally early to bed and early risers, but on vacation the late nights certainly take their toll when they don't catch up on their sleep in the am!

Katie, my daughter has always fallen asleep to the music from Cinderella on her cd player in her room, so when we travel she uses my ipod to help her to sleep. But I'd like something to run the whole night and block out the outside noises. Good idea Katie!

And I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your rubbermaid boxes! I might have to steal that idea for our trip!

 

[gellybean]

All caught up! Great TR! We were there Jan 12-19th so we overlapped a few days!
I love that y'all rode IASW first!! I've been riding it first since I was 6! Great choice. It always puts me in the Disney mood.

Love the room pics and how awesome is it that you can see Wishes from your room!!

We always sleep with a white noise machine. I can't sleep without one. Boy do they come in handy for hotels!

at how organized you were! I thought I was doing good. Rubbermaid boxes rock!

Can't wait for the next update!

 

[DWGal210]

Another great update - your room looks nice! I've often thought WL looked so cozy and welcoming - I'm glad to hear you felt the same!

And missy, you are prepared, with that noise machine and everything - way to go! That is such a great idea!

 

[lthiesfeld07]

I LOVE your pictures of Wishes from your room!

 

[aharbin88]

I love your room! I wish VWL had Grand Villas, because that would be the first place I would want to stay during our Christmas trip this year. I think WL is on top of everyone's Christmas trip wish list!

How great is it that you knew to bring a sound machine! Thank goodness for the DIS!

 

[BippityBoo]

You're welcome, Katie! I was thinking about booking a standard room but now I'm not so sure! YIKES! What do you suggest?! We're trying to save some money since this will be trip #2 in 2010!!

Well, if we dont book the concierge with my in-laws, we will most likely get a woods view. Run the prices and it really is not that much more in relation to the Standard. I am hoping for another pin code or Free Dining to make the extra pricing worth it. However, I would LOVE to stay in a Standard Room that overlooked the lobby (I think one of your DIS friends wrote about it). That would be the only way that I would do Standard again. The whole lobby area is the central/buzzing area of the Resort and when you look down from your floor, it is amazing. The reason that most of the Standards are not in the best place is that there simply are not that many Standard rooms!! So, the ones that look over the lobby are most wanted. I will send the WL thread your way that I read. I am sure you already saw it, though HTH

Great update Katie!

So glad you were able to see Wishes from the room. That would definitely be a nice touch, especially when you weren't necessarily counting on it!

What an amazing idea you had to bring that noise machine. Can you imagine how that would have affected your trip otherwise??? I would not have had the foresight to bring a noise machine and would have been down to the front desk begging to be transferred to a Pool View or Lobby View so fast, and willing to pay whatever they charged me to do it!

Can't wait to hear about your next day!

You know, I did not even think about complaining!! When I saw your post, I almost got mad at myself b/c I am sure we would have been upgraded in a heartbeat since not many people were there!! I will need to remind myself to do that if I am unhappy in the future. The sound machine is the ONLY way we survived!!! I had read on a thread that the noise was an issue in some Standard rooms, but we like to sleep/travel with a noise machine anyway! Thanks for reading!

Joining in! Can't wait for another update

Welcome!!! Thank you so much for reading! I hope to have another update soon!

Hi Katie! If you don't mind my asking....what white noise machine do you have? I have been thinking about getting one for the boys room, but wasn't sure which one to get. And it would definitly help when we go to disney and our time share in Florida where early morning noises wake my kids. My kids are normally early to bed and early risers, but on vacation the late nights certainly take their toll when they don't catch up on their sleep in the am!

Katie, my daughter has always fallen asleep to the music from Cinderella on her cd player in her room, so when we travel she uses my ipod to help her to sleep. But I'd like something to run the whole night and block out the outside noises. Good idea Katie!

And I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your rubbermaid boxes! I might have to steal that idea for our trip!

Thank you so much!!! I loved the boxes too. I hope to do an update on how they worked for me!

Our sound machine is called "Sleep Mate". My Dad bought it for me because it is very small and easy to travel with, but also really powerful and loud. You can adjust the sound higher or lower. We LOVE it! My kids are the same way (especially my DD). She has trouble sleeping at Resorts b/c she hears people talking, or trucks beeping in this case, and gets excited. IT was a life saver!! Great idea about the cindy music, too. They had an ipod dock next to the bed at the WL! Also, I have a DIS friend (staci) that programs an alarm clock to wake them to different Disney songs each morning while they are at WDW. Great idea!!

All caught up! Great TR! We were there Jan 12-19th so we overlapped a few days!
I love that y'all rode IASW first!! I've been riding it first since I was 6! Great choice. It always puts me in the Disney mood.

Love the room pics and how awesome is it that you can see Wishes from your room!!

We always sleep with a white noise machine. I can't sleep without one. Boy do they come in handy for hotels!

at how organized you were! I thought I was doing good. Rubbermaid boxes rock!

Can't wait for the next update!

Dont you just love sound machines? We travel EVERYWHERE with them and sleep at home with them too. Lifesavers!

Thank you so much for the compliment! I hope to do an update on the boxes/packing ideas that worked and did not work for me.

We got so lucky with the Wishes!!! It made up for being over the trucks for sure! Thanks so much for reading!

Another great update - your room looks nice! I've often thought WL looked so cozy and welcoming - I'm glad to hear you felt the same!

And missy, you are prepared, with that noise machine and everything - way to go! That is such a great idea!

HAHA thanks Katie!! I have to thank DIS for the info on the noise before we got there!

The WL was AMAZING during the Winter. It is our families favorite place in the world now!! Cant wait to go back in Dec!!

I LOVE your pictures of Wishes from your room!

THANK YOU! It was a great surprise!

I love your room! I wish VWL had Grand Villas, because that would be the first place I would want to stay during our Christmas trip this year. I think WL is on top of everyone's Christmas trip wish list!

How great is it that you knew to bring a sound machine! Thank goodness for the DIS!

We are thinking of staying in the WL Villas on our December trip with our family. Have you ever stayed there? Either that or the concierge Junior Suites.

When are you going to WDW in December?? We will most likely be there Dec 12-16, but are keeping Thanksgiving and we week after open as well.

 

[stacikristine]

Hi Katie!! Wow--what amazing updates!! I missed so much, but I'm finally all caught up! Let's see if I remember everything I want to comment on...

First of all OH MY. The Wilderness Lodge is gorgeous!!! It really reminds me a lot of AKL (with the railings showing in the lobby and the sink in your room and things like that). I can't wait to visit it next time.

That's so sweet that the CM let your daughter have a pin right after you got there! What a great start.

YAYAYAYAY!! I'm so excited that the Christmas decorations were still up for you! They are just gorgeous. I am determined to see them someday. And it probably helped the fact that it was so cold because you could look around and still feel like it was Christmas.

AW--I bet your son and those ladies Polka dancing was just adorable! I love how everyone is just so friendly at WDW. And Polka Dancing makes me think of Steve Urkle

I can't believe it was so cold in Florida! I mean, I expect it here (we've had snow/ice twice this winter already and temps below freezing) but not in Florida! It's supposed to be sunny! I hope it warms up for your family. But your blanket is super cute--I'm glad you thought to buy it!

Sorry about the loading docks. That really stinks. It's a good thing you were prepared with the sound maker! And Woo-Hoo for being able to see Wishes from your room! That's so great.

WONDERFUL start to your report!! I can't wait to read about the rest of the days! It looks like your family is going to have the greatest time ever.

 

[BellaSoleil]

Great start! I'm so glad that you guys loved WL. Isn't the boatride to MK a nice treat? Can't wait to read more.

 

[BippityBoo]

We got up bright and early the following morning, excited to head out to Epcot!! This park is one of our favorites!!

The kids were in good moods and we enjoyed a quick breakfast of pop tarts and bagels in the room. However, despite waking up early, we still left the room at 9:00! I guess we were still pretty tired from the ride up.

On the way to the bus stop, we took a picture on the kid’s favorite bridge in the lobby. Of course, we could not resist throwing MORE coins in the water!! If you stay at the WL with kids, bring a large ziplock full of pennies

I was hoping that the weather would be a little bit warmer than the day before. When we got outside, it was still FREEZING! I watched the news the night before, and it was anticipating the afternoon to be warmer, so I was praying it would be.

**I wanted to post a picture of my DD wearing a Minnie Mouse clip that my friend Becky (ladybugmom) made for me. I loved that the clip helped make her fleece hat a little more girly while we still had to bundle up!**

After a 5 minute wait, we were off to Epcot! Well, not before making a stop at Fort Wilderness to pick up other guests, but it was only about a 5 minute detour.

Before I left for the trip, I downloaded a few Disney World apps on my iPhone. One of my absolute favorite ones that saved us SOOO much time was the Ride Wait Time app. Since it was close to 9:30 at this point, I was a little concerned that we would not make it to Soarin in time. Imagine my surprise when I saw this!

Awesome!!!

We arrived at Epcot, took a photopass pic in front of “the ball”, and rented the stroller.

Now…off to ride Soarin! A family first

On the way to Soarin, my DH was pushing the kids in the stroller that we just rented. All of a sudden, the stroller came to a hault and my DH looked confused, like he did not stop it himself. Then, we heard my son, Aiden, crying

I ran to the front of the stroller and noticed that he had slid down the seat and tried to get out of the stroller (which is not like him AT ALL) and his leg was stuck under the stroller, between the wheel!!! My DH and I were SO nervous. After checking him out very well, we determined that he was ok. He did not cry for long at all and could walk on it. We decided that we would watch him closely to make sure nothing was wrong. He ended up being just fine, but it was a horrible experience for us!!! I guess in the hurry of trying to make it to Soarin, neither one of us buckled him in. He normally does FINE with no buckle (he is 2), but we buckled him the rest of the time FOR SURE after this.

When we arrived, there was about a 5 minute wait. My DH decided to take my son to Sunshine Seasons for a snack while my DD and I rode. We fastpassed so that he could ride with her later in the day. Soon, I was walking hand and hand with my DD into the blue hallways of Soarin!

***Sorry---NO pics of Soarin!!! I had my hubby hold the camera and my purse while we rode ***

While waiting to ride, we struck up a conversation with a nice lady and her daughter. She kept telling me how she was afraid of heights and to fly, but that she forces herself to get on the ride each visit. I am NOT a good flier myself, so I was SO nervous at this point. We got put in our lines (we were on the 1st row!!), watched the movie and listened to the CM’s speech. At this point, my hands were sweating and my heart was pounding, but I was really excited at the same time. We got allowed to go find our seats and I checked my DD’s buckle…about 10 times I warned her that it was going to lift us up and she was totally fine with that. The lights went down and off we went!!!! The ride was everything I thought it was going to be. Just amazing. I have to admit that there were some scenes that I could just simply NOT look. I decided to just watch my DD react instead. I looked down at the other riders and literally laughed out loud. Many of the adults had their heads to the side, looking away while the kids were kicking their legs and putting their arms up

My DD absolutely LOVED the ride. It is now her favorite. I especially loved the orange tree part where you could smell the oranges. Abby’s favorite part was the ending fireworks scene with tinkerbell.

We met up with my DH and DS and headed off to our next destination…Nemo!!

UP NEXT: Our first character experience. Who will we see? Our first souvenir purchase. What will it be? Stay tuned!