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

[jwwi]

I love the towel animal pictures, your kids must have been so excited. Tiana's dress is so pretty,and you are so lucky to get such great character interactions. Love all the pictures of the resort too.

 

[Queila]

Great update!

The pictures are great. How wonderful you got to see all the characters you wanted. Alladin is my favorite and I think I was overly excited when I saw him at Epcot during our last trip! Just could not help it...

I never saw the Jamboree show but I will definetly catch it this time around. I think my daughter is in the perfect age to appreciate it.

And I will add CHH on our list of places to eat. The shrimp basket sounds yummy!

Can't wait to read about the rest of your trip.

Q

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

Boy you hit the character jackpot again! I am so sad that we missed Tiana. You're right, her dress is gorgeous!

I am in total agreement about CHH!!!!!! We love it! It is hands down the best CS place in MK in our opinion. I always get the shrimp too. They are SOOOOO good! Their food is very fresh, isn't it? DH and I made that same comment. For it to be fried, it was not greasy at all and everything was very crispy. YUM!

The pcitures from WL are really making me want to stay there. If nothing else, I want to visit over there next time.

I don't blame you for wearing the same outfits several times. I did the same thing. I spent a lot of time making our t-shirts for our trip and I wanted to get plenty of use out of them. I also washed ours and we wore them more than once. They just aren't as cute wearing them back at home, you know? I wanted to wear them as much as possible while we were there.

Looking forward to more!

 

[kaysmommie]

Katie,
I loved the first half of your last day in MK. Sometimes it's more fun to be spontaneous instead of having a day of jam packed plans. Yay on meeting Tiana and Daisy too. We loved meeting Tiana and Naveen in February. Her dress really is gorgeous! Glad you liked CHH. We always eat there and Cosmic rays on our trips. I love the display the maid did with the kids toys, too cute. Well I'm sad your trip is ending soon but looking forward to the rest of your night in MK.

Nichole

 

[kcandbella]

Just seeing your pics of the Country Bear Jamboree brings back memories. It doesn't look like it has changed since I was a kid, which I think is awesome. We may just have to go see it this time around. I can't believe your TR is almost over already but I am looking forward to your PTR!!!

 

[babytrees]

love reading your report My girls loved riding Star Tours their one time they've been to DW. Out of the reports I've been reading it seems that Disney has done the best job finding Tiana and Naveen Such a beautful dress on Tiana.


I have an Abi also....but obviously we spell it a bit differently.

 

[BippityBoo]

Terrific update!! So glad you guys got to meet Tiana and Naveen! That dress was GORGEOUS! Awesome that they were so much character with your kids, too!

She was so beautiful in person!! I was shocked at how wonderful they all were with us. We got sooo lucky!

Great updates, Katie! I bet having that New Orleans connection made the meet with Tiana and Naveen even more special. I'm hearing their voices in my head right now and I bet it was just fabulous! Her dress is gorgeous!

Yay on the character lines! I'm so glad she was able to see Daisy! We have yet to meet her - her line is always crazy!

Great towel display!!

Love all the Wilderness Lodge pics - the resort is so beautiful! I hope to get to stay there one of these days!

Sara

The New Orleans thing made it soo special! We just loved meeting them---I almost wanted to tip them secretly! ha! They were so great.

Daisy's line is crazy, crazy! I don't know why they do not offer her during any character dinners?

Your kids would go crazy for the WL (and you and your DH too!) We are absolutely in love with it, but we want to stay in your Poly when we go next May!

The last full day in Disney is so sad, isn't it? I like the idea of not really having a plan and just going with the flow. I'm glad you liked the bear jamboree. I am such a sucker for that show. And of course all of the Magic Kingdom classics. I would cry if they ever closed Peter Pan or It's a Small World. Yay for beating the lunch rush!! I just love HM!! I won't flame you this time for breaking Disney rules, but next time I won't be as generous though. Wow! You guys really hit the character jack-pot. Tiana, Naveen, Aladin, Jasmine, and Daisy!?! The kids look so happy with the characters. I love how Abby's face is all lit up when she meets her Disney friends. That truly is the magic of Disney and it makes the money spent totally worth it. I just love the shot of Daisy with the castle and tree back round. The towel display is just too cute. Sounds like a fun job; making people's room magical with towel animals. Someone else can do the actual cleaning though.

UGH don't you think there would be a riot if they closed down those rides?! haha

The characters were awesome! I agree wtih you--it is worth all the money and time when you see how much fun they are having!

Our mousekeepers were amazing! I have heard of bad service at the WL, but ours were so good!

I just love Tiana's dress!!!

I know, don't you wish they had our sizes?!

Oh, I'm so sad that your trip is almost over! I do want to ask you though....Did you try looking upstairs for a table at Columbia Harbour House? Most people don't think to go upstairs, and we have been on the busiest days, and there are hardly any people up there. We always like to sit by a window and people watch at them below. It is a wonderful view! Also, I have to agree that Tiana's dress is gorgeous!

WOW! What a great tip, thank you!! We def. plan on eating there again, so we will head right upstairs! Kind of reminds me of Pinnochio's. I posted about how we ate upstairs with no problem during lunch and everyone commented that they did not know there was an upstairs! ha!

What great luck with the characters! Tiana is gorgeous, and it sounds like it was such a fun interaction

I agree with a PP - upstairs is the best place to eat at CHH, even during Christmas week when it was wall to wall people in there, we were able to find a table upstairs.

Love all your stuffed animals swimming in the water hole! How very cute and creative!

She was soo beautiful in person! And kind.

We are totally going to eat upstairs, I am so glad you guys mentioned it! I just love CHH!

Our Mousekeepers went above and beyond this trip!

I'm so sad this is your last full day! I am so happy Abby got to meet Princess Tiana and Daisy finally! Daisy has always been my favorite too and I feel like you don't see her often. I wish they had more character meals that included her. I am glad you loved CHH, my DH and I tried it on our last trip and loved it! I love your pictures from Haunted Mansion, even if you pulled a Disney no-no. The bride scene is my favorite. Can't wait to read about your last night.

I totally agree with you! Wouldn't it be great to have a character breakfast with all the ladies like Minnie, Daisy, Marie, etc. We would LOVE that! Daisy is a hard one to get to, though.

The bride scene was pretty freaky! We loved HM so much I am so happy that we could ride it. CHH is one of my favorite CS! Can't wait to go back!

I love the towel animal pictures, your kids must have been so excited. Tiana's dress is so pretty,and you are so lucky to get such great character interactions. Love all the pictures of the resort too.

Thank you so much!! The characters were so wonderful. They were really what I expected from Disney--very impressive!

The WL and our Mousekeepers were sooo special! The kids just loved them!

Great update!

The pictures are great. How wonderful you got to see all the characters you wanted. Alladin is my favorite and I think I was overly excited when I saw him at Epcot during our last trip! Just could not help it...

I never saw the Jamboree show but I will definetly catch it this time around. I think my daughter is in the perfect age to appreciate it.

And I will add CHH on our list of places to eat. The shrimp basket sounds yummy!

Can't wait to read about the rest of your trip.

Q

Thank you!!! Aladdin and Jasmine hold a special place in my heart, too. I guess it is because I grew up on the movie. Aladdin was SO believable! It was really exciting for me, too!

I think your little one would like the Country Bear show! It is not too long and the kids seemed to respond to it. I liked the atmosphere!

CHH is a must do! The shrimp is SO fresh!

Thanks for reading!!

Boy you hit the character jackpot again! I am so sad that we missed Tiana. You're right, her dress is gorgeous!

I am in total agreement about CHH!!!!!! We love it! It is hands down the best CS place in MK in our opinion. I always get the shrimp too. They are SOOOOO good! Their food is very fresh, isn't it? DH and I made that same comment. For it to be fried, it was not greasy at all and everything was very crispy. YUM!

The pcitures from WL are really making me want to stay there. If nothing else, I want to visit over there next time.

I don't blame you for wearing the same outfits several times. I did the same thing. I spent a lot of time making our t-shirts for our trip and I wanted to get plenty of use out of them. I also washed ours and we wore them more than once. They just aren't as cute wearing them back at home, you know? I wanted to wear them as much as possible while we were there.

Looking forward to more!

The character interaction was so special this year! They really took their time with us!

CHH shrimp rivals some of our local fried Louisiana shrimp (that is saying A LOT!) I agree with you, it was not greesy at all (I was expecting it to be). So crispy and good! I also hear good things about the tuna sandwitch. Have you tried it before?

WL is a wonderful place to stay, but a must do to visit! It is so much fun to walk around and explore. You should make a ressie at Whispering Canyon on your next trip!

I know what you mean, I like to get lots of wear out of their outfits. My hubby told me not to go too crazy for this trip with customs because we will be back in December. So, it was nice to get two days out of their shirts. They are all packed away now, I would like to use them for Christmas in WDW

Katie,
I loved the first half of your last day in MK. Sometimes it's more fun to be spontaneous instead of having a day of jam packed plans. Yay on meeting Tiana and Daisy too. We loved meeting Tiana and Naveen in February. Her dress really is gorgeous! Glad you liked CHH. We always eat there and Cosmic rays on our trips. I love the display the maid did with the kids toys, too cute. Well I'm sad your trip is ending soon but looking forward to the rest of your night in MK.

Nichole

I agree! We had a blast just walking around, relaxing.

CHH is AWESOME!

I am sad it is coming to an end as well! But, I still have my AK day to report about!

Just seeing your pics of the Country Bear Jamboree brings back memories. It doesn't look like it has changed since I was a kid, which I think is awesome. We may just have to go see it this time around. I can't believe your TR is almost over already but I am looking forward to your PTR!!!

I don't think it has changed! We liked the atmosphere and music. It was pretty relaxing!

I am excited to start my PTR! I have a few more posts on my TR, but hope to start it around May 17th before I make ADRs!

love reading your report My girls loved riding Star Tours their one time they've been to DW. Out of the reports I've been reading it seems that Disney has done the best job finding Tiana and Naveen Such a beautful dress on Tiana.


I have an Abi also....but obviously we spell it a bit differently.

Thanks for the Star Tours tip! I think my DD is really going to like it as well!

Disney did a GREAT job with Tiana and Naveen. They were so full of personality!

How old is your Abi? Mine is 6, soon to be 7!

Thanks for reading and commenting!!

 

[LilAnn]

Looks like you had great luck with the characters! We had a hard time finding Daisy when we went last year too. It looks like you had some great interactions too! Sounds like a fun MK morning!

 

[SoonerGirl]

Daisy's line is crazy, crazy! I don't know why they do not offer her during any character dinners?

Oh, but they do! She is at Tusker House in AK. We had our best character interaction of the trip with her at our breakfast on Christmas morning

 

[Believeinfairytales]

We did get really lucky with the lines!! I guess that is the great thing about going in January!!

I have really enjoyed having you read! I still have one more MK post, 2 Animal Kingdom posts (the day we check out) and then some of our "favorites". I hope to start my PTR on May 17th...hope you join in

Of course I'll be there! Have really enjoyed all of your updates.

 

[amandaluvsgoofy]

Great update! You guys sure did luck out with the character meets! And you're officially making me want to stay at WL on our next trip (which hopefully will be soon!)! That place is gorgeous!
And on a side note, I forgot to mention last time how much I LOVED American Girl dolls when I was growing up! I only had Samantha and Felicity, but so wish I could have collected all of them along with all their junk! I do hope Emma loves them as much as I did! Can't wait to start buying them for her!!

 

[BippityBoo]

Links to my previous updates are on page 1


Ok, at the end of my last update, we were back in our room for a quick rest and to start packing. I found it amazingly easy to pack up this trip! I was pretty much done packing a majority of our stuff in about 30 minutes. I brought the reusable shopping bags from the Disney Store to transport all of our new goodies. It took about 4 large bags, but we were eventually packed up! I kept out our outfits for the following day and our toiletries.

I decided to take some pictures of our balcony and our view to show you guys. Here is our balcony.

View to the right:

View from the front:

View to the left:

The balcony was a big enough size for us, but we rarely used it. Of course, it was not quite as large as our amazing Grand Floridian/MK view the previous year, but it was sufficient.

Now…for the telling pictures

I know many of you are just joining in on the TR. I booked a Standard View and got an amazing view of Wishes, Space Mountain and a peek at Cinderella’s Castle!

However, we also got this view right below us

They would come to get the trash and unload food for the Resort right under our room…all night long! Luckily, we had a sound machine, but it was still bothersome. For our upcoming trip, I am going to specifically ask for the Standard Rooms that overlook the lobby. It seems to be the best bet as far as view and noise (even though it can be noisy during the day---at least it is not at 3am!!)

Here was our view to the left:

And to the right (if you look over the loading zone):

So, while we had a great “view”, the sites and sounds from the loading zone were not worth the trouble. If money permits, you would be better off getting a Woods View.

Ok, so after our brief rest, we were excited and sad to head back to MK! I just could not believe that the trip had flown by so fast.

On our way out to the dock, I took pictures of the Counter Service Roaring Forks entrance and menu. We really enjoyed our meals there!

The sun was setting and we made our way down the beautiful dock

We absolutely loved taking the boat over. We never ran into any long wait periods and enjoyed the relaxing ride---it really added to our experience!

Magic Kingdom was pretty low key when we got back. Everyone was strolling around and enjoying the decorations while the soft music played.

We made our way to the castle so that we could walk “through” it. We did not have a chance to do that yet this trip, so we enjoyed the colorful tile and looking into the Bippity Boppity Boutique. Because we were cramming so much in this trip, we did not do BBB (much to my DD’s dismay). We are definitely going to do it again in December when we have more leisure time!

Of course, the infamous crane was in full force. I know it is necessary to keep the castle looking beautiful, so I will be the one to sacrifice

After our walk through the castle, we headed over to ride Pirates again! I stopped at the Christmas Shop in Liberty Square to get an ornament to remember our trip by. I ended up picking out a beautiful cream ornament with a castle on top. It was truly my favorite, I just love it! Sorry, no pic of it! I already packed it away in my Christmas boxes

I had to wait in line for a while before I could check out (that place is ALWAYS packed!) I saw my DH and my kids sitting on a bench outside through the store window. It was such a special moment because I realized how lucky we were to be there having the time of our lives. I just had to snap a picture

After purchasing my ornament, we were off to Pirates!

When we got there, the ride was broken and not running at the moment. So, we decided to do some shopping in the awesome gift shop! The kids had so much fun exploring all of the pirate items!

First the Pirate’s Treasure!

(Took this one without my flash so you could see how it lit up)

(And this one with my flash)

It was really neat, there were many jewels in a large treasure chest. They gave you a small black bag and you could stuff the bag full of “treasure”. Both of the kids got a bag.

Then, we found Aiden a Captain Hook hat and hook! He was in heaven pretending he was a real pirate!

My husband also picked him out a cool Jack Sparrow sword, but we are saving it for him when he gets a little older. We don’t want an eye poked out!

Cont on next post...

 

[BippityBoo]

Our little pirate was getting hungry and our little princess was needing to go to the bathroom, so we walked to Pecos Bill’s to go to the restroom and to get a snack. It was about 40 minutes before Spectromagic was to start, and people were already lining up. I sent my DH and DD inside and took Aiden to stake out our spot. We chose the roped off section directly across from Pecos. We had to sit on the ground, but the kid’s had the stroller. There are planters right in front of the restaurant that you can sit on, but those were already taken.

Pretty soon, my DH was back with french fries and drinks. We enjoyed eating our snack while the Western music played and we watched people come to and from Pecos Bill’s.

I checked my iPhone for the wait time on Big Thunder. It was only 5 minutes! I encouraged my DH to take Abby for one last ride. They ran to the ride and were one of the last people to be let on! He said riding BTM at night was really cool---hope I can try it one day! They were both beaming when they came back.

I kept my son entertained before the parade came by playing Handy Many episodes from my phone for him.

We heard the music start for Spectro and eventually saw it coming down the road!

Pluto came right up to my camera and poked his nose on it

The rest of the parade:

We absolutely love Spectro!! The kids were just amazed and I love the music!

As far as our spot…I have to say that I really do not like watching it from Frontierland! I felt that it did not have the special “magic” that Main Street or the castle will give you. Now, don’t get me wrong. If I were in WDW during peak touring times when the crowds are crazy, I think it is a GREAT tip because no one really thinks of it. However, if I had the choice, I would not chose to sit there again. Maybe we will try Liberty Square on our next trip?

We were making our way to watch Wishes and stopped to take a picture of the kids in the Christmas Sleigh by the Christmas Shop.

Eventually, we were on the bridge to Liberty Square, closer to the castle and ready to watch Wishes!

SIDE NOTE: Dumbo had been closing an hour before Wishes because of “winds” that may push the fireworks into the ride. I thought this was odd, but I did not think that it would affect the viewing of Wishes. Well, I was wrong

Wishes started and we had a great view of Tinkerbell! I just love the part when she flies down.

When the major fireworks started, we noticed that they were shooting them all the way to the left! Everyone ran left and started complaining all at once. I heard someone say that they had to move them because of the wind. Would have been nice to get an announcement before the show

Well, we were all crammed on the bridge and now trees were blocking our view! My DH and I ditched our stroller in Liberty Square and ran to the sitting area by the Adventureland bridge. We put the kids on our shoulders and they had a get view. We were able to watch the rest of the show from there, but I only got this one pic in all of the madness!!

I still managed to tear up during the show and my kids were yelling and cheering, so they loved it. Overall, no matter where you watch it from, it is still so wonderful

We decided to wait for the crowds to clear and walk up to the castle for a little photo shoot. I got some really cute shots and it was so nice to just hang and relax in front of the beautiful castle!

Then, the strangest thing happened. Two children approached me looking very sad and asked me to use my cell phone. They were acting quite strange and said that their mother was going to meet them at the castle, and they could not find her. There were about 5 CMs all around the castle, so I told them that I would take them to tell the CMs and that they could help them reach their mother. I would normally just give them my cell phone, but they were acting SO strange. You can see them looking around in my picture above, right behind my kids in front of the castle. I could not help but think of some stories I have heard where they call a number from your phone that charges you $200!! I thought it was nice enough to offer to help them find a CM. I knew that they would keep them safe and make sure they got to their mother. They kind of looked nervous and then just walked away! They did not want to deal with the CMs I guess. I felt so bad, but it was all that I could do

We eventually made our way down Main Street and to the boat docks. I was SO sad to leave MK!! We just looked around and just soaked it all in. We would really miss this place!

UP NEXT: Awww now we have to leave?! How does check out go? Also, I take the ride of my life---and keep my eyes closed the ENTIRE time! Get ready for one of the funniest ride pics EVER! Stay tuned!

 

[BippityBoo]

Looks like you had great luck with the characters! We had a hard time finding Daisy when we went last year too. It looks like you had some great interactions too! Sounds like a fun MK morning!

It was a GREAT morning with wonderful characters! Daisy and Tiana are SO hard to find! It took us many tries. Ha!

Oh, but they do! She is at Tusker House in AK. We had our best character interaction of the trip with her at our breakfast on Christmas morning

WOW! I forgot about seeing that! Thanks SO much for the tip! I am beginning to think we should try out TH. It looks like a lot of fun!

Of course I'll be there! Have really enjoyed all of your updates.

WOOHOO! Thank you! Just updated again

Great update! You guys sure did luck out with the character meets! And you're officially making me want to stay at WL on our next trip (which hopefully will be soon!)! That place is gorgeous!
And on a side note, I forgot to mention last time how much I LOVED American Girl dolls when I was growing up! I only had Samantha and Felicity, but so wish I could have collected all of them along with all their junk! I do hope Emma loves them as much as I did! Can't wait to start buying them for her!!

You and your DH would LOVE the Wilderness Lodge! We are so in love with it and will have a hard time staying anywhere else!!

I had Samantha and Molly growing up! They have SO many neat things now. I get just as excited as Abby when she gets new items. I don't know if you know about them, but they do have "Bitty Baby" dolls through American Girl. They are perfect for 2-5 year olds and getting them use to having a baby doll. They are wonderful quality! Check out www.americangirl.com!

 

[babytrees]

Thanks for the Star Tours tip! I think my DD is really going to like it as well!

Disney did a GREAT job with Tiana and Naveen. They were so full of personality!

How old is your Abi? Mine is 6, soon to be 7!

Thanks for reading and commenting!!

My Abi is almost double your Abby's age....she will be 14 on May 14

Wilderness Lodge is one of my favorite Disney properties but that view is kind of icky if you look down.

 

[Believeinfairytales]

I love WL - but I have to agree you didn't have the best of views. I always hate knowing that my trip to the dock is the last one. Glad you had a fun last night at MK! It is such sweet sorrow, huh?

I totally don't blame you for not giving those kids your cell phone. I can't help but wonder if they wanted to steal it? I can't imagine why they would, but just walking away when you offered to help them doesn't exactly sound like they were in need of help and obviously they had ulterior motives.

 

[BippityBoo]

My Abi is almost double your Abby's age....she will be 14 on May 14

Wilderness Lodge is one of my favorite Disney properties but that view is kind of icky if you look down.

Oh wow! Her golden birthday!

Yes, the only way we will do Standard again is if it overlooks the lobby. We wont be able to see much of the MK, but that is totally fine as long as we can SLEEP and not be woken by trash trucks. Yuck!

I love WL - but I have to agree you didn't have the best of views. I always hate knowing that my trip to the dock is the last one. Glad you had a fun last night at MK! It is such sweet sorrow, huh?

I totally don't blame you for not giving those kids your cell phone. I can't help but wonder if they wanted to steal it? I can't imagine why they would, but just walking away when you offered to help them doesn't exactly sound like they were in need of help and obviously they had ulterior motives.

Ewww I know. I will not stay Standard View again unless it is overlooking the lobby.

That last walk to the dock was like the walk of death

It is strange, isn't it? Even as I was typing about it, I thought it may have been rude not to help, but they were not even responding to what I was saying? I guess you can't help everyone!

 

[pinkpixie0920]

Loved the update! I don't blame you at all for not giving your phone, you do feel bad but you just really can't trust anyone anymore and from the picture they didn't look like little kids but I could be wrong. I think you did the right thing by offering take them to the CM's. It is even weirder they just walked away from you after that.

When we stayed at WL on our honeymoon we booked a Woods view room and were upgraded to a view of the main pool and lake. It was wonderful because we could watch the electical water parade from our balcony. Now this trip we rented DVC points so we will be in the villas and am very nervous about what our view is. We were very spoiled before. Did you book Woods view for your December trip?

 

[mickeysgirl17]

Great updates. I usually spend my last day at MK too. It's so sad...I hate leaving. Just the thought of going from WDW with no cleaning, cooking, or work to back home is just soooo depressing. lol.

Glad you got to meet princess Tiana.

 

[Charlefours]

WCC is definitely going to have to go on our to try another time. More people seem to rave about it than not. The matching Belle dresses are adorable. We hope to pick up a couple of the dresses while we are there. for Jasmine, Aladdin, Princess Tiana, Prince Naveen and Daisy!! You hit the character jackpot your last day in MK! :

So sad your time is up at least you know you will be going back soon!!