Jazzerlycious, Baby! The new adventures of JAZZERLY at WDW! New 11/14 #29!

[SoNotAPrincess]

This trip report was in dire need of a fresh start,so Ta Dah...here it is! If you are interested in humble beginnings, click this link for back story on the hooligans formerly known as the Grand Gatherers.

You may be asking yourself who or what Jazzerlycious is. It is, in fact, both a who and a what.

The who is the fantastic four that makes up JAZZERLY: Jackson, Izzi, Erica and Lily.

The what is a state of mind...the art of being Jazzerlycious, baby!

We are 13 days away from our Jazzerlycious birthday extravaganza at Disney World. This is fantabulously superiffic on two counts:

1) Its DISNEY WORLD!!

and more importantly

2) I get to see Erica and Jackson!!!!

Erica and Jackson are my niece and nephew, aged almost 13 and 11 respectively. We are celebrating Erica's 13th at WDW. They are a magical and mishcievious, rambunctious and rascally, sassy and smart dynamic duo; and if you ask Aunt Lauri (me) practically perfect!

I live in Florida. They live in Virginia. I miss them every day, and I can't wait to hug 'em and squeeze 'em and spoil 'em rotten for a whole week. At Disney World!! Their mother (my little sister) has threatened to kick my butt if I go overboard, but I'm not scared. I'm the big sister, and I can take her.

Izzi and Lily are my cousin's daughters. They live in Florida, and I get to see them almost every day. Lucky me! Izzi is 13, and Lily is 9 going on 22. The bond shared by the fantastic four is way cool, especially when you consider how far apart they live from each other and that they only get together three or four times a year.

Also along for this joyride is a gaggle of goofy grownups:

Me (Aunt Lauri, Laura, etc.)
My mom (Mom, Nanny, etc.)
Lisa (my sis)
Troy (my BIL)
Dani (my cousin, Izzi and Lily's mom)

There may also be a special surprise guest appearance along the way...but don't tell my mom!

I've been planning this trip for seven months. POR, ADRs, MNSSHP, CRT, MK, DS, AK, RnR, ToT, BTMRR. It's like swimming in alphabet soup! I ordered pins for trading from Ebay and found Erica a Jack Skellington lanyard medal, too. We made JAZZERLY Magical Cast Member Award stickers to give to CMs who are especially profient at spreading pixie dust. Oh yeah, Aunt Lauri ROCKS!

I hope.

The thing about being the All Powerful Planning Diva (APPD) is that if everything goes great, I get all the glory.

The downside, of course, is that if it all goes south, I get all the blame.

Doncha just love a cliffhanger?

 

[pumba]

nothing will go south except the people going to Disney........Now have a good time and report back to us immediately after your return.......well close to it if you can......remember to take notes of everything........have a great time

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

Wow...one day away from doing the single-digit dance! OH YEAH!

I was thinking today that I can't wait to share WDW with my two favorite kidlets. Of course, I'm pretty sure that Erica would be HIGHLY offended at being called a kidlet...so let's not tell her, 'k?

I've been fortunate enough to go to WDW lotsnlots of times. I grew up about 50 miles from the House of Mouse. I remember WDW when Magic Kingdom was IT, in the days of ticket books and E-rides.

I've even been told a time or two that riding in a car while I'm driving is like being on an E-ride. I have NO idea what that means!

But I digress.

I digress a lot.

It's a sickness.

I'm so happy that Erica is excited about this birthday celebration extravaganza. You see, it wasn't exactly her choice. It was more like, "Hey...how 'bout going to Disney for your 13th? My treat?" I don't know if it was the Disney part or the my treat part that lured her in, but once I got her on the line, I reeled her in with tales of a resort on the river, a pool called Ol' Man Island, dinner in the Castle....and a week with her buddy, Iz.

What's she looking forward to the most? Animal Kingdom and dinner at Wolfgang Puck Cafe. She has a new dress...one befitting a sassy, smart, oh so special 13-year old. Oh yeah...she's jazzed to ride Rockin' Rollercoaster, too! She says she will NOT, under ANY circumstance be riding Tower of Terror.

I say we'll see about that.

And Jackson? Mr. I wanna be a daredevil when I grow up wants to ride Dinosaur, Everest, Mission Space and anything else that might make it possible for him to review his lunch. This is the same boy that when he cut his head open falling from a tree and was being taken to the emergency room in an ambulance shouted out, "Don't clean up the blood...I wanna show David!!"

Our very own Indiana Jones!

I hope we see lots of magic on this trip...both giving and receiving. Magical cast members deserve to be acknowledged with a little pixie dust, too!

My first sprinkling of Disney pixie dust was in 1973 on my four year old little sister's first visit to MK. We were doing things on the cheap, which included sharing lunches at Pinochios and no souvenirs. Our treat for the day was a soft serve ice cream cone for each of us, and as luck would have it, Lisa dropped hers and SPLAT ice cream all over the hot cement. There is no five second rule for soft serve ice cream!

Well, her litttle face crumpled up, her bottom lip started to tremble, and she looked at me, the Big Sister, like I was supposed to fix it. I offered her my cone...Mom offered hers...my brother even somewhat grudgingly offered to SHARE his. But she wanted her very own...of course she did! And who do you suppose came by to save the day?

Peter Pan, who went down on one knee and gave her a brand new ice cream cone...and a wondrous dusting of pixie dust!

I can't wait to see all four of the kids together at MNSSHP. I can't wait to ride IASW and HM with my mom...they're her favorites. I can't wait to hear my BIL whoop like a 10 year old on RnR and watch my sister's face during the Beauty and the Beast show. I can't wait to see Captain Jack in the new and improved POTC.

I can't wait to be at WDW with my whole family for a whole week.

Now THAT's magic!!

 

[NAB]

Snap what a great start, can't wait to here more. I took my Mom to Disney in August and got her to ride on things she never did before. I let my kids choose what they wanted to do. We saw a lot of Princesses and Pirates. It is fun just to watch the magic and we had magic. Hope you do too.

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

Thanks, Nab...what a sweetie you are to post a response!

Have you read Mel's installment for today? It made me remember the first time my sis rode 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. She FREAKED out and started yelling that we were all gonna die! My mom was very sweetly trying to calm her down when my brother decided he'd had enough and said, "It's a RIDE...now just SHUT UP!"

I can't wait to see him...he's my mom's surprise on this trip. It'll be the first time all of her kids will be together in one place in five years! She's gonna FLIP!

NINE days...single digit dancin' nanaman time!

 

[NAB]

Wow how cool to have a family reunion at WDW. You are going to have a special trip. Hope you take lots of pics your last ones were beautiful. I am so excited for you.



-

 

[Grammyof2]

I am in, and you moved. Thanks for the notification. Cause I no longer have time to look at the TR's until we get back.

See ya in a few

 

[tammyandtommy]

Woo Hoo another TR welcome back I cant wait to hear more

 

[GADISNEYGIRL]

SNAP!! Love it, baby!!

See you in a few, right? Do I get to see the girls again, too??

Rhonda

PS~I am pretty sure that a very special Princess Aurora will be in France on Sat the 30th!!

 

[Grammyof2]

I am lame and marking my spot on all the trippies so when I get back I know where I am

 

[tammyandtommy]

Yoo Hooo arent you back yet?

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

OK…a bit about the week before JAZZERLY hit WDW. My plan was to do a little packing/last minute shopping each evening after work. Considering that with my second job, I don’t get off from work ‘til 9 p.m., it was a challenge, but I was up for it.

Enter monkey wrench number one.

I got sent out of state for work from Tuesday, 9/26 to Friday, 9/29. It was gonna be hard to pack, shop, etc. from Pennsylvania! At least I’d have Friday though. I’d be home by 2:30 p.m., which was plenty of time to hit Wal-Mart.

Enter monkey wrench number two.

Two delayed flights later and an urgent call for me to stop by the office, and it was 8 p.m. before I got home and 2 a.m. before I went to bed. But all is well because it’s officially DISNEY DAY!

Five a.m. Saturday morning found me stowing my makeup bag and zipping up the suitcase. Two trips up and down the steps and the suitcase, Pixie Dust bag and laptop computer case are waiting to be loaded in Dani’s van. Once more up the steps to double-check that I have everything, and we’ll be OFF!

Enter monkey wrench number three.

On the way down the dark staircase, on my way to the van, I missed a step and fell. Hard. On my wrist.

Big owie.

MASSIVE owie.

I knew it was broken, but I wanted it to be sprained. I briefly considered not going to the ER, but no way was that going to happen. So instead of heading off to the Happiest Place on Earth, we (Dani, Izzi, Lily and I) set off for the emergency room.

Guess we’re not gonna make rope drop, y’all.

Two and a half hours later, with my wrist in a plaster stabilizer and strict instructions to stay out of crowds and off of rides, we were finally headed for the House of Mouse!

No crowds?

No rides?

I can tell already that I’m going to have a BLAST!!!

UP NEXT: Waiting for the other half of JAZZERLY

PS – I’m typing one-handed and on pain meds, so I’m making this a blanket apology for any and all typos!

 

[tammyandtommy]

rut roh....

 

[Grammyof2]

Snap - I was getting ready to send out the chopper for ya. Good thing you showed up. Hope you are feeling better. Take your time. You should've called me from PA. I could have shopped for you and dropped it off

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

As we pulled out of the hospital parking lot, I decided that my pain pills would only work if they were washed down with a frozen latte and a hot now glazed donut from Krispy Kreme. So we made a pit stop, and I took the first two of many Lortabs. I’m absolutely certain that the hot, sweet, sticky yummilicious donut made them work faster!

It takes roughly 90 minutes to drive to WDW, so on the drive over we played games. We played the sign ABC game, where you go through the alphabet and have to find a sign with your letter in it. To jazz it up a little, we played a round where you had to find a sign with a word starting with your letter. Lily kicks butt at this game...she has eagle eyes! We also sang Disney songs and told jokes. My head was a li’l sipinny, and I may have napped a little.

The plan was for my family to call when they hit Disney property, which they anticipated would be aroundabout 9 a.m. But since my sister, the White Rabbit, is genetically incapable of being on time, I knew they’d never make it at 9. Which leads me to my favorite game: What time will they get there??

Lily is young and has faith…she said 9:30.

Izzi has a bit more experience…she said 11 a.m.

Dani and Lisa are “twin cousins”…their birthdays are only 9 days apart. She said 12:30 p.m.

I’ve been dealing with my sister’s tardiness for a very long time. I said 2 p.m.

Lily, Izzi and Dani thought it was the drugs talking.

We’ll just see about that!

At 9:30, we were stopping at the Port Orleans Riverside guardhouse, saying the magic words, “We’re checking in!”

We parked and made our way through the labyrinth of folks waiting for the ME bus and stepped into the lobby…which was crowded and bustling with people checking out. Thanks to the kindness of a stranger, I was directed to a shorter line for checking in. Dani graciously offered to stand in line and let me wait on one of the sofas like a doped-up, broken wristed, splinted southern lady. Lily and I admired the décor, including the huge paddle fans on the ceiling. Lily contemplated what would happen if one of them fell on us and decided it would result in more than just a broken wrist. Smart girl.

When it was our turn to check in, we got exactly what we wanted…three adjoining rooms in Acadian House, on the ground floor to accommodate my mom’s scooter. I mentioned that we were celebrating Erica’s birthday, and the CM winked and said, “Let’s see what we can do for her.” Izzi spoke up and told her we were celebrating my birthday, too, which I thought was very sweet. We got our Keys to the Kingdom, a brief description of how the dining plan works, and set off in search of Acadian House.

In two shakes of Pluto’s tail, we were in the room, oohing and ahhing over the décor. Izzi spotted a hidden Mickey in the bedspread and the picture on the wall. Show-off!

We also noted that Lily was out of the running for what time everyone else would arrive.

Dani bustled around, unloading the van and putting things away, while I watched. I must’ve said I’m sorry a hundred times…until she told me in no uncertain terms to CUT IT OUT !

Yes’m.

Instead of going to MK as originally planned, we decided to hang out at the resort while waiting for the Virginia contingency to arrive. I took a nap while the girls played in the grassy area outside our room and Dani put away the pop-tarts, chips, treats, etc. and unpacked. By the time I woke up, Izzi was out of the running in the time challenge, and Lily had eaten a whole can of Pringles by herself, which is no mean feat considering she’s a tiny little thing who usually eats like a bird.

The question of the day…Where ARE they? was still unanswered. We agreed that calling them would be cheating…and anticipation is FUN!

Isn’t it?

UP NEXT: Who wins the challenge and dinner with the Charmings...and photos!

 

[tammyandtommy]

so far 2pm is looking good! LOL

 

[Avivasmom]

I am waiting to hear so what time did the family get there? Come on can not keep us waiting much longer? PLEASE!!!

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

After my nap, we decided a little exploration around the resort would be a good thing. I wish I had pictures, but unfortunately, one-handed photography with a digital camera was too much of a challenge for my medicated self. All photos in this trip report are by Erica, who has a true photographer’s eye, and Dani, who knows how much I was looking forward to taking pictures and graciously shared her snaps with me…and now y’all, too!

Thanks, Dani!

Riverside is truly beautiful. I expect excellent theming from Disney, and they don’t disappoint at POR. From the gently rolling lawns to the lazy Sassagoula River, it’s like walking back into a gentler time, when ice cold lemonade was the preferred front porch beverage and the sound of crickets and frogs lulled you to sleep at night. We took a slow stroll down the cobblestone walkways, and I want to say how much it meant to me that Dani and the girls slowed down to my speed. I took advantage of a couple of benches by the river and enjoyed the afternoon breeze. A couple of buildings past ours, we found a quiet pool, and the girls decided they wanted to swim. We went back to the room, and while they suited up I practiced the Statue of Liberty as instructed by ER doc, which is stretching my arm straight up to keep the blood flowing and my fingers from going numb. All I needed was a torch and a green dress.

By this time, it was after 1 p.m., which meant I WON the time game! Oh yeah…uh huh…I’m the best…victory is mine!

But where the heck are they?

Shortly after 2, we were junk fooded out and decided to walk up to the food court and dine free for the first time. We were so over waiting for the latecomers! Well, no sooner had we stepped out of our room than my cell phone jingled, and the magic number was displayed. They’re on property!

I answered, “Where are you???”

“At the guardshack!!”

“Yes! We’ll meet you in front of the hotel!”

A’hoopin’ and a’hollerin’, the girls ran off in the direction of the lobby, with directions NOT to tell them about my wrist. I was going as fast as I could with a somewhat foggy head, feeling a little left out, when Izzi turned around to walk with me. Knowing how excited she was to see Erica, I urged her to go on ahead, but she didn’t. She did the turtle walk with me instead. Yup…she’s a good’un.

Izzi and I walked past bell services just in time to see Jackson and Erica getting out of the van. There was much squealing and hugging and jumping up and down among the reunited JAZZERLY. Dani, Lisa and Troy were smiling and talking, and my mom was getting slowly out of the van. She has arthritis, or as Erica said when she was a wee tot, “Nanny has slow knees.” And me? I was grinning like a fool at the sight of my family all together, relishing the secret surprise that was yet to come. My mom spotted me first and greeted me with, “Laura Lee, what have you done to yourself?” There were one-armed hugs all around, some sympathy, and a little teasing while we got them checked in.

Once everyone had their Keys to the Kingdom, we headed for the food court, where it was mugs for everyone! I don’t know what everyone else had to eat, but my fettuccini Alfredo was yummy…and plentiful! I got a Mickey rice krispy treat, but I didn’t eat it then. I know it made it back to the room, but I lost track of it after that. I’m sure whoever ate it enjoyed it! My mom got a Portobello mushroom veggie sandwich, which got a thumb’s up. In fact, everyone enjoyed the food court. Erica and Izzi especially loved being able to “pay” with their room keys. Thirteen going on 25, both of ‘em!

After lunch, while Troy drove the van over to our building and everyone else walked over, Mom and I went back out to bell services to get her scooter, which had been delivered to the resort by a local Orlando company. During the planning phase of our trip, she had insisted that she didn’t need a scooter, but I knew differently. It’s been a long time since she visited WDW, and she’d obviously forgotten just how much walking is involved. At first, I considered renting an ECV at each park, but I really wanted her to be able to fully enjoy the resort, too, so renting a scooter for a week was the way to go.

We got mom into her room, moved things around a bit so the scooter could come inside, and she got to settlin’ in. She loved the room, everything from the comfy beds to the fridge cabinet to the privacy curtain was deemed beautiful, wonderful, clever, etc. I decided that rather than risk sleeping with tumblebug Lily as originally planned, I’d sleep in the, temporarily, vacant bed in Mom’s room. After reminding everyone that we had 6 p.m. dinner reservations with the Charmings at 1900 Park Fare, I popped a couple of pain pills, propped my arm up hiiiiigh on some pillows and took yet another nap.

Naps were already getting a little old…a necessary evil.

Because of my injury, there are some holes in this trip report. I’m pretty sure that all the holes can be filled up to the top with mayhem, mischief and foolishness!

Everyone except Lisa and Troy boarded the 5:15 bus to the MK, where we transferred to the monorail to the Grand Floridian. Because Lisa is almost always late, and I am almost never late, we had made a deal that I would not be a vacation commando, and she wouldn’t expect us to wait for her. A good plan is a bee-yoo-ti-ful thing!

As always, we were impressed with the beauty and elegance of the GF and did a little daydreaming about what it would be like to stay there “someday.” (When the hooligans are less hooliganish!)

We were early…just the way I like it…and Lisa and Troy were right on time. Way to go, White Rabbit! We chit chatted with the Fairy Godmother a bit and then were seated at a large round table. OK, I’ll say it. I was a little disappointed in 1900 Park Fare. It wasn’t quite as chi-chi-poo-poo as I’d expected. But the food was excellent! Loved the strawberry soup! Cinderella’s prince stopped by and was, well, charming. Cinderella herself was quite sweet. We insisted Lisa pose with her because she loved the movie when she was a little girl.

The kids were all hopped up on goofers from being together, and silliness was out in full force. Before I start posting pictures of the Fantabulous Four, let me warn you that Erica and Izzi are Goth wannabes. Giggly, singing, sunshine Goth girls. The contradiction never fails to make me smile.

Anyhoo, back to dinner….Lily smiled with FG:

Izzi (left) and Erica (right) basked in Goth togetherness:

Jackson threatened to take unflattering pictures of the girls and post them online.

Erica, in turn, threatened to tie him up and dress him like a girl. Ahhh, sibling love!

When Suzy and Perla came around, for some reason, all four of the kids collapsed into fits of giggles. Kudos to the mice for their good grace in the presence of adolescence!

Proof that you’re never too old to have your picture taken with a mouse in a lavender dress!

Dinner was a lot of fun, and we lingered long enough to get a few questioning glances from the wait staff. Was it Zzub who wrote about laughing every time he saw the check during free dining? I can so relate! We practically high-fived each other as we left the restaurant.

We moseyed around the GF for a few minutes, and Erica and Izzi agreed that a double wedding on the grand staircase would be just the thing. Start saving your money now, girls! After a bit of window shopping, we boarded the monorail for MK, where we’d part ways. Mom and I were heading back to the room, while everyone else hit the park for rides and Wishes, which is exactly what I had planned for the evening. Did I wish I could go, too? Of course! Did I want them to miss out? Not a bit!

I don’t know everything they did, but I heard tales of HM, Splash, Space and kickin’ fireworks. And when I was looking through the pictures, I found this one:

What better way to end the day than with love on a runaway train?

NEXT: A Divalicious Birthday Celebration – Take 1!

 

[NAB]

Snap I didn't know you broke your wrist before you went. I thought you did it there.

I am glad you still went, the kids look pretty happy.

I love POR we were there in Aug. We stayed in AB though a few years before that we were in the manisons.

Can't wait to hear more about your surprise.....I know what it is I just don't know how it played out.

Hope your wrist is healing well. Don't over do it typing this report we will still be here when you get it done.

--

 

[Grammyof2]

Gald you are back. The start looks wonderful and of course I loved the pictures