January 2009. . . Calling all Snowbirds ~ Part V

[pamouselover]

 

[Lil'Mermaid75]

Good afternoon Snowbirds! We just got back this morning, so I'm still sorting through things but thought I'd check in. We came back to 12+ inches of snow on the ground, and more coming this week. DS is disapointed to learn he'll have 2 snow days to make up! Go figure!

We had a WONDERFUL time. The weather was perfect (except for the rain on Thursday). Crowds were low - we walked on everything. Crowds starting picking up Saturday afternoon (the 31st) at the MK, but we had planning on only a half day there anyway. On Saturday morning, rode Big Thunder twice in a row without having to get off!!! WHOOHOO.

I didn't see one LGMH - sorry I missed the Snowbird CBR meet - we got stuck at DTD! And, sorry I missed you Meghan at the parade / fireworks on Monday - we ended up sitting in another part of the park (we've NEVER done that before! )

We liked CBR. We were in Trinadad South - so we didn't make it to Port Royal very often. I was disappointed in that we had a non-refurbed room, so it was kind of run down, but the grounds and staff were wonderful. We'd stay there again. Ran into some of the cheer groups Thursday - Saturday. They weren't too much of a problem, other than too many teenage girls withe cell phones trying to text and walk and not pay attention. No loud cheering or any disruptive behavior, so I can't complain.

I'll post more later...need to check that .

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Good afternoon Snowbirds! We just got back this morning, so I'm still sorting through things but thought I'd check in. We came back to 12+ inches of snow on the ground, and more coming this week. DS is disapointed to learn he'll have 2 snow days to make up! Go figure!

We had a WONDERFUL time. The weather was perfect (except for the rain on Thursday). Crowds were low - we walked on everything. Crowds starting picking up Saturday afternoon (the 31st) at the MK, but we had planning on only a half day there anyway. On Saturday morning, rode Big Thunder twice in a row without having to get off!!! WHOOHOO.

I didn't see one LGMH - sorry I missed the Snowbird CBR meet - we got stuck at DTD! And, sorry I missed you Meghan at the parade / fireworks on Monday - we ended up sitting in another part of the park (we've NEVER done that before! )

We liked CBR. We were in Trinadad South - so we didn't make it to Port Royal very often. I was disappointed in that we had a non-refurbed room, so it was kind of run down, but the grounds and staff were wonderful. We'd stay there again. Ran into some of the cheer groups Thursday - Saturday. They weren't too much of a problem, other than too many teenage girls withe cell phones trying to text and walk and not pay attention. No loud cheering or any disruptive behavior, so I can't complain.

I'll post more later...need to check that .

Welcome back! Glad you enjoyed CBR, other than not getting a new room. That's a bummer! We had a Nemo room in Aruba. No one else made it to the CBR Meet either. We were there for nearly an hour. The kids played on the playground and fed the ducks and DH and I relaxed in a hammock and watched Illuminations!

My CBR report is about finished up. It is here ~ http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2074555

 

[Monny2AE]

Just wanted to jump on and say hello to all my "Sad To Be Home" Snowbird friends. I haven't had a chance to go back and catch up yet- I left off on page 88!

I can't believe I'm home Being back to reality stinks. A week in Disney goes by much too quickly. I hated to leave. DS wants to know when we are driving to see Mickey again! They were wonderful in the car. We drove straight through yesterday for 15 hours and made it home by 11:15 last night. We'll definitely be going back but it may be a few years. The whole week was jam packed and there were still some things I didn't get to.

Sorry I missed the CBR meet It was our first night and bedtime was a bit trickier than I expected. The kids didn't crash until after 9 and I wasn't too far behind them! I didn't see one LGMH the whole week! Guess that means I don't get the prize for meeting the most Snowbirds huh?
Have a good night everyone! I'll catchup tomorrow- perhaps reading everyone's Trip Reports will help me out of my "I miss Disney Blues."

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Just wanted to jump on and say hello to all my "Sad To Be Home" Snowbird friends. I haven't had a chance to go back and catch up yet- I left off on page 88!

I can't believe I'm home Being back to reality stinks. A week in Disney goes by much too quickly. I hated to leave. DS wants to know when we are driving to see Mickey again! They were wonderful in the car. We drove straight through yesterday for 15 hours and made it home by 11:15 last night. We'll definitely be going back but it may be a few years. The whole week was jam packed and there were still some things I didn't get to.

Sorry I missed the CBR meet It was our first night and bedtime was a bit trickier than I expected. The kids didn't crash until after 9 and I wasn't too far behind them! I didn't see one LGMH the whole week! Guess that means I don't get the prize for meeting the most Snowbirds huh?
Have a good night everyone! I'll catchup tomorrow- perhaps reading everyone's Trip Reports will help me out of my "I miss Disney Blues."

Welcome back! What village were you in at CBR? We were in Aruba.

I met 3 Snowbirds and one other DISer!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Love those pics shelly!

Thank you!

 

[Dancegrl624]

Good morning all. I'm about to head out to the bus stop and I don't want to. A week ago, we were on our way to the MK. Getting back to real life really stinks. Anyways....I didn't see any other LGMH's, but people did see mine! I was waiting for Toontown to open up and a women behind me spotted mine. So, we chatted for a bit and then the man next to us was like, "Oh, you're DISsers too?" So, I guess I encountered 2 other DISers and met 3 Snowbirds. Yea! Well, time to bundle up I guess. I'm happy that my DH will be home today or else I'd be a crying mess.

 

[drakes]

Photos
I took about 3000 on my SLR
maybe 150 on my point n shoot
we had 281 on our Photopass.

DH is donwloading them all today!

Then I need to figure out photobucket or something to share!


Welcome home everyone...I let DH know I need to tentatively plan our next trip. I'd liek to try a trip non commando style ! LOL

 

[Dancegrl624]

I totally forgot to share something with all of you. At AK on Tuesday, our family received a small magic moment. We were at an ice cream cart by EE and the CM said we would get free ice cream if our DD could identify the animal in the picture he had. Well, she didn't know it, but he had her repeat after him (it was an impala). So, we all got free ice cream! We thanked him a million times and he told us he had been waiting all day to give a family a magic moment! I know it was nothing big, but it totally made our day. Who knew that a Mickey bar, Mickey ice cream sandwich and frozen banana could have such an impact on our day? It was so great!!!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Hello Snowbirds!

That was a nice little treat Meghan!

 

[Dancegrl624]

Hello Snowbirds!

That was a nice little treat Meghan!

It definately was. So unexpected! We must have timed it just right. We were the only ones at that cart and once we moved aside to eat our ice cream, a HUGE line formed! If we would have gotten there a few minutes later, we wouldn't have had that special moment.

 

[PrincessDez]

I thought I posted this last night (Sunday) but my computer died as it was sending it so it must not have posted. Sorry for the confusion...........
Hello all!
We returned home last night/morning at 1am. So, it was 4am in my head. The airlines lost one of my bags (and still has not delivered it to us).
Other than that we had a great time. Can you believe I did not see one single LGMH the whole week? There were quite a few of us there and I didn't see one.
Anyhow, it sounds like many of us had very similar schedules. The weather was perfect (other than the one day of rain). The hotel was beautiful. LOVED the concierge lounge. Now I want to stay Concierge every time. A girl can dream............
Here is an a short overview of our stay:
Saturday (24th)~~ Arrived in the afternoon. Room was ready early so we freshened up a bit after a red-eye flight, then hit Epcot! Exhausted by 5pm so canceled dinner plans, snacked in the concierge lounge and went to bed early.
Sunday (25th)~~ Animal Kingdom. Expedition Everest 2 times, Dinosaur, Bugs Life, Safari, had lunch and were done by 2 so we headed to Epcot. Dinner tonight was at Kona Cafe! I love this place! It is sooooo yummy!
Monday (26th)~~Headed to DHS, there were quite a few tour groups there so we headed to Magic Kingdom. We rode all the 'E' ticket rides (some more than once) and had a blast. Dinner tonight was at Teppan Edo! Yummy, yummy, yummy. We had the most awesome chef. The show was fabulous!
Tuesday (27th)~~Today we did DHS. We rode everything at least once!!! TSM (2 x's), HTT (2 x's), RNRC (2 x's). Tonight we had dinner at 50's Primetime. This is always one of my favorites. Our waiter was terrific.
Wednesday (28th)~~ Had breakfast at Cape May and then DH and my DS's went to Kennedy Space Center. I shopped at DTD and did a few loads of laundry. When they got back we headed to MK for dinner at Crystal Palace, but decided it was just a little too 'young' for the boys. They wanted to go elsewhere. So we just grabbed a quick hamburger, rode a few rides and called it a night.
Thursday (29th)~~Did the DVC tour, then headed back to Epcot. Had lunch at Le Cellier. Rode Mission and TT and then the big rain started. We waited for it to slow down, but never did so we made a break for our hotel. If any of you saw an insane family with no poncho, no jackets, no umbrella running through Epcot and back to the Yacht Club soaking wet in the rain, then that was us. Sorry if we got in your way. It was wet out there! Oh and did I mention my oldest was in a wheelchair? Oh my........
So, we went to the room to warm up. DH and DS (12) went to the gym and then swimming in the rain. When they got back we got some snacks from the lounge and rented 2 movies. It was a nice cozy night watching movies in our room.
Friday (30th)~~ This is the 4 park day!!!!! Went to AK and rode EE, headed to the Cont. Hotel to check out the construction on Bay Lake Towers, then over to MK. Ate lunch and rode a few rides (Small World, Peter Pan, BTR, Stitch). Caught the boat to the monorail and ended up at Epcot. Walked through the 'world' and headed to our room to freshen up for dinner. Dinner at Sci-Fi in DHS, then headed to DTD for some shopping. It was a fun and exhausting day! Whew
Saturday (31st) Drumroll please.........................signed our paperwork for our new DVC Bay Lake Tower Timeshare. We must be insane!!!! Hopefully we won't regret this purchase. So, we finished that, I packed while DH and both DS's went to the arcade, then headed to Epcot World Showcase for lunch! Went to the concierge lounge one last time for a soda and snack then off to Magical Express. It just isn't very Magical when you are headed home.
Well, we got home at 11pm (PT) and realized one of our bags was not there. By the time we filed the claim it was well after midnight and we still had an hour drive home. So now it is 6pm (pacific time) and no word about my missing bag. They said it would be delivered this evening, but still isn't here.
Other than that, we had a terrific trip with great weather and low crowds.
I am glad so many of you had good trips as well. Too bad none of us ran into one another.
I now have 20+ pages to catch up on...........

 

[Pluto_fan]

Hello Snowbirds!

I'll probably never get around to writing a trip report so I'll just tell you all some bits and pieces as I get around to it. Meghan's ice cream story reminded me of this one...

Sunday, Jan 25, was my birthday , and the day we were heading home. We went to Blizzard Beach mid-afternoon, and stayed until it closed at 5:00. DD and I had already changed and were ready to go, while the guys did one (or three) last slides. DD and I went to the ice cream place to get a "garbage pail" to go--that's a kid's beach bucket filled with ice cream and sundae toppings, and served with a little sand shovel. Definitely something for the whole family to share! Anyway, I had my birthday button on, and when I walked up to the window, the CMs there all sang "Happy Birthday" to me. I thought that was so nice! (I wore the button most of the week and LOTS of CMs said, "Happy Birthday, Kathy!", but this was the only time anyone sang. Maybe because there was no one else around?) Then, when I went to pay, the CM wouldn't take my money! She insisted it was my birthday present.

 

[Pluto_fan]

PrincessDez, congratulations on the DVC purchase! How exciting!!

I didn't see a single LGMH all week either! DS10 and I were keeping an eye out, but there were none to be found.

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Hello Snowbirds!

I'll probably never get around to writing a trip report so I'll just tell you all some bits and pieces as I get around to it. Meghan's ice cream story reminded me of this one...

Sunday, Jan 25, was my birthday , and the day we were heading home. We went to Blizzard Beach mid-afternoon, and stayed until it closed at 5:00. DD and I had already changed and were ready to go, while the guys did one (or three) last slides. DD and I went to the ice cream place to get a "garbage pail" to go--that's a kid's beach bucket filled with ice cream and sundae toppings, and served with a little sand shovel. Definitely something for the whole family to share! Anyway, I had my birthday button on, and when I walked up to the window, the CMs there all sang "Happy Birthday" to me. I thought that was so nice! (I wore the button most of the week and LOTS of CMs said, "Happy Birthday, Kathy!", but this was the only time anyone sang. Maybe because there was no one else around?) Then, when I went to pay, the CM wouldn't take my money! She insisted it was my birthday present.

Wow that's really cool! And happy belated birthday!

I saw some of your photopass pics when I was uploading/editing mine. They look great! I can't believe they uploaded like they did, by date/time rather than by card like they have in the past. What a mess!

 

[trixiequilts]

Wow that's really cool! And happy belated birthday!

I saw some of your photopass pics when I was uploading/editing mine. They look great! I can't believe they uploaded like they did, by date/time rather than by card like they have in the past. What a mess!

That's what ours did too. I wasn't expecting that!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

That's what ours did too. I wasn't expecting that!

Yes it is quite a pain. I had to go through 7 family's pictures to find ours at each park. And then some of ours were missing. I sure am glad I only paid around $20 for it and not $100!

 

[sharadoc]

We must have just been at the right parks each day. Even Toy Story MM was only about 5 minutes with Fast Pass (all three times we got on). Walked on Star Tours, Splash Mountain, Tower of Terror, Expedition Everest (1/21), Big Thunder Mountain, Kali River Rapids, and a whole bunch more.

Did your boys get picked for the Jedi Training? Our Daughter did get picked and my Husband was as proud as a peacock!

HI Everyone,

We got back on Saturday night (late) and I haven't been online until now. I'll give a rundown later in the week, but I have a few observation based on what I've read up to this point:

Crowds were worst the week of the 20th thru the 25th. It got MUCh better by Monday the 26th, usual January levels in my opinion.

The Brazilians really showed up by Thursday the 23rd. The yellow suit was a HUGE group, followed by the Green Tours (lime green - how dare they!?!). I agree that more of us need to complain about their behavior. I paid attention to the tour guides - they were the worst and most arrogant of them all. They should be held accountable for their group behavior. We assumed they would be at the EMH parks every day, so avoided every single one every single day.

We changed around a lot of plans based on our experience on the 23rd. Spectro was only Thurs/Sat/Mon. We watched it on Thurs, but avoided MK like the plague after that on Spectro nights. Had a great spot at Sleepy Hollow to watch it all come over the bridge. Got a little crowded there but not crazy until right when the parade started.

Ditto on Fantasmic nights - avoided DHS on any Fantasmic day.

I think there were a lot of Florida residents there, too. No offense Jenjolt, but I think they were almost as bad as the Brazilians. We identified the Floridians by their lack of character clothing or backpacks, and (usually) their tattoos. Florida residents don't get "dressed up" to go to Disney World

DD got picked for Jedi Training on Wednesday the 28th and she's still "over the moon" about it.

All in all, we had a wonderful trip - can't wait to hear about everyone else's. I don't think I'll do a TR, but I'll do a rundown post.

Have a great day all.

 

[jenjolt]

No Offense taken...I live in the Panhandle and there is definitely a difference between the way of life in Southern Florida vs the way of life in Northern Florida. I was definitely one of the tourists who did dress up in Disney clothing, I did have a backpack...but no tatoos!! LOL!!!

 

[BrerRabbit_fan]

Back to the grind today. I stil have the Disney glow. I'm jealous of everyone who has their next trip planned.