Joy in the World10 Dec. days with pics!
- Thread starter wrldpossibility
- Start date
wrldpossibility
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2005
- Messages
- 646
Wed. Dec. 13th:
Dear Nate, Calvin, and Toby,
Did you have fun at Ohanas? That place is yummy!
Today Disney Studios is waiting for you!
Go in a haunted tower if you think itd be cool!
Have lunch in a car and sing with a bear,
Then watch things explode; you wont be scared!
Pluto
Unfortunately, Pluto didnt get the memo that we skipped Ohanas, but I explained that away pretty easily. Calvin and Toby truly believe Pluto is leaving the notes. Nate has a suspicion, and in his heart, Im sure he knows. He even asked if it was me, but I have learned my lesson about those things. You see, last year, right before Christmas, Nate began asking all sorts of tough Santa questions. Eventually, I sat him down and asked him what HE thought. He said he thought maybe Santa wasnt real. I didnt want to lie outright to my son, and I could tell he was anxious about it, so I confirmed that he was right. Well, I have never heard the end of it, from anyone in my family. Nate was devastated. He cried that all he wanted was for me to tell him Santa was real and that Christmas was forever ruined. Yes, he was dramatic. Charlie and my parents shook their heads at my insistence on spoiling his holiday. I felt TERRIBLE. He wanted to believe a little longer even though his head was telling him the truth. In hindsight, I should have given him that, but at the time, I truly thought he wanted the truth. It was a rough moment. Since, he has announced the he wants to believe in Santa, and will. Mommy was wrong. Good for him. Thats his official stance for this year, and Im not about to question it. So when he hinted around about Pluto, I kept my mouth shut.
Today we were headed for Disney Studios. First my mom had to go check out of our room-only room and check in for her package. It all went smoothly. My dad was arriving on a red-eye later that morning, so it was nice to have the room ready for him to take a quick nap.
We ate breakfast in Riverside Mill as a change from cereal, and were at the bus stop by 8:30. We were a little late for the opening ceremony, but it worked out fine. We were there just after 9. Now, when most people think of the headline attractions at DS, the ones you must get to first thing, they think of ToT or RnRC, right? Not us. Our children are bona-fide 100% Star Wars freaks. They have the figures, they have the books that describe every starship and character, they have the video games and the movies (but Mommy doesnt let them watch them all yet). They have every light saber you can imagine, and both were Star Wars characters for Halloween the last 2 years. So you guessed it we were making a bee-line to Star Tours.
The park was not crowded, and you could see streams of people that were there heading right toward ToT and RnRC. We went left, and the first thing we saw was Lightening McQueen and Mater pull up, with music blaring and horns honking. Now, my boys hearts belong to Star Wars, but Cars runs closely behind. They were thrilled. Since we were the only people crazy enough to go left, we were alone with the Cars guys. We took a bunch of pictures, then they could wait for ST no more. We went over, and they rode three times in a row. Toby stood outside and ran back and forth between the Cars and the giant AT-AT (one of his first words was AT-AT hes being raised to love the JedI forces). The older boys then spent a good deal of time in the gift shop. They knew all along they wanted to spend a good amount of their money there. They both picked out storm trooper guns then went in together for an 8x10 photo of the Return of the JedI cover with their faces in it. The only problem was that they also needed a Princess Leia. Guess who had to fill that role? The pic is hysterical and well worth it. We asked that the guns and pic be sent to POR for us, and that was a very nice service.
Our plan was to get to the first Playhouse Disney show at 10, but we got hung up too long at Star Tours. We just missed it. Instead we went on The Great Movie Ride. Oh boy, did that ride cause us problems. In all my research, I had no idea it had a scene from Aliens in it. So if you have sensitive kids, consider this a public service announcement: The Great Movie Ride has Aliens in it. Why would Disney do that to us? For all the Star Wars love in our house, my kids are otherwise very cautious about movies and frightened very easily (which is why they havent seen the majority of the Star Wars movies either). They are fans of Wizard of Oz (weve read all the books aloud), and I knew that one was in there, so I encouraged them to go. Long story short, the alien coming out of the ceiling scared them silly, and Nate had to have an adult fall asleep next to him in bed for the next three nights. Thank you Disney.
By this time we need to meet up with Grandpa, who had arrived without problems. We see him in front of Playhouse Disney, and head with him back to Star Tours because the boys want to go again with him. When they come out, low and behold, we see Darth Vader and a Storm Trooper outside. We are in line in a flash. Our lunch ADR for Sci Fi is fast approaching, but this takes precedence.
My dad ate breakfast late and isnt hungry, so he offers to take Toby back to Playhouse Disney while we eat (Toby can eat a little later). So they head off, and the rest of us go into Sci Fi.
I love this place! How fun. We get seated right away and get a good car in the middle. The kids are quiet and sitting still, watching the screen. (Remember, I just said how they get scared easily with movies that will come into play.) We order sandwiches and burgers, and we all like our food. The boys get their pizzas. I loved the onion rings. The kids had shakes instead of their dessert, and all was good. Toby and my dad show up, having seen Playhouse Disney. They sit down and share our meals. About ¾ through, Calvin suddenly stands up and says Get me out of this scary restaurant!. Nate quickly seconds it. I have to get them out so quickly I think our waiter thought we were dining and dashing. I gathered everyone up and threw my card to my mom to pay. Our waiter was so nice when he realized the kids were scared by the movies, and packed up our desserts to go (their cheesecake is awesome). Its funny in hindsight, but I just never thought theyd think those old trailers were scary. Movies then were so poorly made compared to today, I didnt think the realism (or lack thereof) would bother them. Oops. Bad mommy moment.
After lunch, my dad and Charlie went on ToT and RnRc (I had gathered FP during the last Star Tours visit). I have no desire to go on ToT, but I was curious what they thought of RnRC. They loved it, and I vowed to go on it later. Meanwhile, my mom and I took the kids to the ITTBAB playground. It was the best play area we found all trip. The kids loved it. We didnt try to shadow the older two, but chased Toby around. Without any other exits, we trusted the older ones to stick together (they always do) and we eyeballed them every few minutes, telling them to meet us at the giant ant if they couldnt find us. If anyone has a better idea of how to keep track of kids in that place, let me know!
Afterward, my mom volunteered to take Toby back to POR for his nap. It was about 1 pm. We decided to push the older ones a bit more today because they wanted to see the parade. Once Toby left, we had time to see the Lights, Motors, Action show before getting a spot for the parade. Charlie and my dad loved the show. The kids enjoyed the car scenes, but got a little bored when they were explaining things. To be honest, so did I. I would have liked it better if it were half as long. When we exited, my dad took the boys to you guessed it Star Tours AGAIN. There was still no wait. Charlie and I slipped off so I could ride RnRC. I should stop and say that the reason we were able to get FP for both RnRC AND ToT earlier was because we have 6 tickets, but only 3 people ever want to ride those types of rides. So we use the kids and my moms tickets for FP. Just to clarify. In this case, there was no wait for RnRC, so we just went right on. I loved it. Very similar in feel to California Screamin in CA, I think. I enjoyed the dark and the music, though.
We found a nice place for the parade across from the old aqua colored theater building on the main street. We grabbed popcorn and waited only a few minutes for it to start. It was fun to see, and the boys enjoyed taking pics. Calvins a regular paparazzi with his camera and those characters. Our only negative experience was the poor little boy (about 3) sitting right next to us. He was in his stroller, with his mom sitting away from him, behind, on a railing. He was SOBBING, and continued the entire parade. She completely ignored him. Im sure it was a time out sort of thing, but who gives a sobbing 3 yo a 20 minute time out? It was very obvious that this was a very tired and sad little guy. He should have been napping, and it broke my heart. Of course I dont know the whole story, but it appeared that she wanted to see the parade, and would not even comfort him. Very sad. I do have to say that we saw very little of those types of moments in the parks or resorts. I was worried Id see lots of parents yelling and punishing tired kiddos, but I didnt, thank goodness. Overwhelmingly, we saw polite, happy people. Just my experience. It probably helped that the weather was nice and the parks weren't crowded yet.
We left after the parade, so the kids could have some swim time. The temps were in the high 70s, and we enjoyed the pool so much. I was worried when picking a resort that we wouldn't get our "money's worth" out of a moderate or deluxe since we wouldn't be there much. But we actually used the resort a lot. I understand now why people can justify the expense of deluxes. If you are going to be there to enjoy it for at least a few hours a day, it's probably worth the money. We We left again at 5:30 to take the boat to DTD. The kids enjoyed the ride, and I loved how peaceful it was compared to the buses. We immediately ate at Earl of Sandwich, which was very yummy. The kids liked the pizza sandwich. Afterward, the kids went on the merry-go-round and watched a great street performer do magic with the Grandparents, and I snuck off to Once Upon A Toy. I had gotten each son a Star Wars potato head for Christmas, and I wanted to pick out a box of Disney parts for them to share (to put in their stockings). It was fun to pick them out, and the CM helped me get the max use out of my box.
The boys were excited to try trading pins at Pin Traders, but my mom was with them and didnt realize that the people trading outside the shop are serious collectors and not interested in trading with kids. She said they were less than kind telling them so. Thats too bad. The kids happily went inside and traded with the CM, but the point is that the adults outside could have at least said they had nice pins and invited them to trade inside with the CM instead of blowing them off completely.
Everyone wanted to check out World of Disney, but we first stopped at the little train ride that you pay $2 to go on for little kids. Toby loves choo choos and wanted to go on. This is a tiny little train ride that goes in a circle, like you'd see in a mall. What proceeded was one of the most bizarre things we witnessed in WDW. We waited in line and I got on with Toby (Id rather have not ridden, but I was afraid hed fall out). Behind us, a girl who looked about 7 got on with her dad. He was a big man, probably 250 lbs and over 6 ft. Next, a mom and her 1-yr-old got on. The CM running approached the man and explained that only 2 adults can ride at a time due to weight limits, so could he please step off and watch his daughter from the side. Technically, the other mom was the last on, but she clearly had to be on to help her baby. The man refused. He said to the CM, Youll work it out. He asked again, very politely, explaining more about the size of the train, etc. (To give you an idea, I am 54 and 130 lbs and could barely get myself in the seat.) The man then says, Just pretend Im a 5-year-old or Ill begin acting like one. It was the strangest threat Id ever heard. And so ridiculous. His daughter just sat there like shed seen this before. Im not sure what the story was or why he wanted to ride at all. The CM clearly didnt know what to do, and couldn't start the ride until it was resolved, so I offered to get off (with Toby) and wait for the next ride. The CM looked relieved and accepted, but before I could get off, the man got off in a huff. The girl rode alone with no problem. I dont know what that was all about, but it was strange.
We went into WofD and the boys played a game of rock, paper, scissors, CARS with the CM. They got certificates for participating. Things like that show that special extra Disney touch. After that, we quickly realized that WofD was too overwhelming for us right now. It was getting busy, and we were getting tired. We arent big shoppers, and I knew wed be back, so we headed home. We boarded the boat and I got out the glow sticks I had bought at the $ store before the trip (I try to have 3 necklaces, sticks, or wands every evening). It occupied them most the way. Toward the end of the boat ride, the captain noticed Calvin was wearing a hat with Dale on it (Grandmas hat purchase for him). He reached out and squeezed the nose, and at the same time, he honked his airhorn. I thought Calvin was going to faint! They thought it was very funny, and the captain did it again and again. telling Calvin he had bought the "magic" Dale hat. Im sorry if you were on that boat, because it was loud! When we reached the dock, Toby reached up to Cals hat and tentatively squeezed the nose. He was surprised when nothing happened. The captain noticed and did a big Honk Honk for Toby. It was great!
It was a great ending to a fun day. Up next, Animal Kingdom and our best meal of the trip can you guess what it was?
Dear Nate, Calvin, and Toby,
Did you have fun at Ohanas? That place is yummy!
Today Disney Studios is waiting for you!
Go in a haunted tower if you think itd be cool!
Have lunch in a car and sing with a bear,
Then watch things explode; you wont be scared!
Pluto
Unfortunately, Pluto didnt get the memo that we skipped Ohanas, but I explained that away pretty easily. Calvin and Toby truly believe Pluto is leaving the notes. Nate has a suspicion, and in his heart, Im sure he knows. He even asked if it was me, but I have learned my lesson about those things. You see, last year, right before Christmas, Nate began asking all sorts of tough Santa questions. Eventually, I sat him down and asked him what HE thought. He said he thought maybe Santa wasnt real. I didnt want to lie outright to my son, and I could tell he was anxious about it, so I confirmed that he was right. Well, I have never heard the end of it, from anyone in my family. Nate was devastated. He cried that all he wanted was for me to tell him Santa was real and that Christmas was forever ruined. Yes, he was dramatic. Charlie and my parents shook their heads at my insistence on spoiling his holiday. I felt TERRIBLE. He wanted to believe a little longer even though his head was telling him the truth. In hindsight, I should have given him that, but at the time, I truly thought he wanted the truth. It was a rough moment. Since, he has announced the he wants to believe in Santa, and will. Mommy was wrong. Good for him. Thats his official stance for this year, and Im not about to question it. So when he hinted around about Pluto, I kept my mouth shut.
Today we were headed for Disney Studios. First my mom had to go check out of our room-only room and check in for her package. It all went smoothly. My dad was arriving on a red-eye later that morning, so it was nice to have the room ready for him to take a quick nap.
We ate breakfast in Riverside Mill as a change from cereal, and were at the bus stop by 8:30. We were a little late for the opening ceremony, but it worked out fine. We were there just after 9. Now, when most people think of the headline attractions at DS, the ones you must get to first thing, they think of ToT or RnRC, right? Not us. Our children are bona-fide 100% Star Wars freaks. They have the figures, they have the books that describe every starship and character, they have the video games and the movies (but Mommy doesnt let them watch them all yet). They have every light saber you can imagine, and both were Star Wars characters for Halloween the last 2 years. So you guessed it we were making a bee-line to Star Tours.
The park was not crowded, and you could see streams of people that were there heading right toward ToT and RnRC. We went left, and the first thing we saw was Lightening McQueen and Mater pull up, with music blaring and horns honking. Now, my boys hearts belong to Star Wars, but Cars runs closely behind. They were thrilled. Since we were the only people crazy enough to go left, we were alone with the Cars guys. We took a bunch of pictures, then they could wait for ST no more. We went over, and they rode three times in a row. Toby stood outside and ran back and forth between the Cars and the giant AT-AT (one of his first words was AT-AT hes being raised to love the JedI forces). The older boys then spent a good deal of time in the gift shop. They knew all along they wanted to spend a good amount of their money there. They both picked out storm trooper guns then went in together for an 8x10 photo of the Return of the JedI cover with their faces in it. The only problem was that they also needed a Princess Leia. Guess who had to fill that role? The pic is hysterical and well worth it. We asked that the guns and pic be sent to POR for us, and that was a very nice service.
Our plan was to get to the first Playhouse Disney show at 10, but we got hung up too long at Star Tours. We just missed it. Instead we went on The Great Movie Ride. Oh boy, did that ride cause us problems. In all my research, I had no idea it had a scene from Aliens in it. So if you have sensitive kids, consider this a public service announcement: The Great Movie Ride has Aliens in it. Why would Disney do that to us? For all the Star Wars love in our house, my kids are otherwise very cautious about movies and frightened very easily (which is why they havent seen the majority of the Star Wars movies either). They are fans of Wizard of Oz (weve read all the books aloud), and I knew that one was in there, so I encouraged them to go. Long story short, the alien coming out of the ceiling scared them silly, and Nate had to have an adult fall asleep next to him in bed for the next three nights. Thank you Disney.
By this time we need to meet up with Grandpa, who had arrived without problems. We see him in front of Playhouse Disney, and head with him back to Star Tours because the boys want to go again with him. When they come out, low and behold, we see Darth Vader and a Storm Trooper outside. We are in line in a flash. Our lunch ADR for Sci Fi is fast approaching, but this takes precedence.
My dad ate breakfast late and isnt hungry, so he offers to take Toby back to Playhouse Disney while we eat (Toby can eat a little later). So they head off, and the rest of us go into Sci Fi.
I love this place! How fun. We get seated right away and get a good car in the middle. The kids are quiet and sitting still, watching the screen. (Remember, I just said how they get scared easily with movies that will come into play.) We order sandwiches and burgers, and we all like our food. The boys get their pizzas. I loved the onion rings. The kids had shakes instead of their dessert, and all was good. Toby and my dad show up, having seen Playhouse Disney. They sit down and share our meals. About ¾ through, Calvin suddenly stands up and says Get me out of this scary restaurant!. Nate quickly seconds it. I have to get them out so quickly I think our waiter thought we were dining and dashing. I gathered everyone up and threw my card to my mom to pay. Our waiter was so nice when he realized the kids were scared by the movies, and packed up our desserts to go (their cheesecake is awesome). Its funny in hindsight, but I just never thought theyd think those old trailers were scary. Movies then were so poorly made compared to today, I didnt think the realism (or lack thereof) would bother them. Oops. Bad mommy moment.
After lunch, my dad and Charlie went on ToT and RnRc (I had gathered FP during the last Star Tours visit). I have no desire to go on ToT, but I was curious what they thought of RnRC. They loved it, and I vowed to go on it later. Meanwhile, my mom and I took the kids to the ITTBAB playground. It was the best play area we found all trip. The kids loved it. We didnt try to shadow the older two, but chased Toby around. Without any other exits, we trusted the older ones to stick together (they always do) and we eyeballed them every few minutes, telling them to meet us at the giant ant if they couldnt find us. If anyone has a better idea of how to keep track of kids in that place, let me know!
Afterward, my mom volunteered to take Toby back to POR for his nap. It was about 1 pm. We decided to push the older ones a bit more today because they wanted to see the parade. Once Toby left, we had time to see the Lights, Motors, Action show before getting a spot for the parade. Charlie and my dad loved the show. The kids enjoyed the car scenes, but got a little bored when they were explaining things. To be honest, so did I. I would have liked it better if it were half as long. When we exited, my dad took the boys to you guessed it Star Tours AGAIN. There was still no wait. Charlie and I slipped off so I could ride RnRC. I should stop and say that the reason we were able to get FP for both RnRC AND ToT earlier was because we have 6 tickets, but only 3 people ever want to ride those types of rides. So we use the kids and my moms tickets for FP. Just to clarify. In this case, there was no wait for RnRC, so we just went right on. I loved it. Very similar in feel to California Screamin in CA, I think. I enjoyed the dark and the music, though.
We found a nice place for the parade across from the old aqua colored theater building on the main street. We grabbed popcorn and waited only a few minutes for it to start. It was fun to see, and the boys enjoyed taking pics. Calvins a regular paparazzi with his camera and those characters. Our only negative experience was the poor little boy (about 3) sitting right next to us. He was in his stroller, with his mom sitting away from him, behind, on a railing. He was SOBBING, and continued the entire parade. She completely ignored him. Im sure it was a time out sort of thing, but who gives a sobbing 3 yo a 20 minute time out? It was very obvious that this was a very tired and sad little guy. He should have been napping, and it broke my heart. Of course I dont know the whole story, but it appeared that she wanted to see the parade, and would not even comfort him. Very sad. I do have to say that we saw very little of those types of moments in the parks or resorts. I was worried Id see lots of parents yelling and punishing tired kiddos, but I didnt, thank goodness. Overwhelmingly, we saw polite, happy people. Just my experience. It probably helped that the weather was nice and the parks weren't crowded yet.
We left after the parade, so the kids could have some swim time. The temps were in the high 70s, and we enjoyed the pool so much. I was worried when picking a resort that we wouldn't get our "money's worth" out of a moderate or deluxe since we wouldn't be there much. But we actually used the resort a lot. I understand now why people can justify the expense of deluxes. If you are going to be there to enjoy it for at least a few hours a day, it's probably worth the money. We We left again at 5:30 to take the boat to DTD. The kids enjoyed the ride, and I loved how peaceful it was compared to the buses. We immediately ate at Earl of Sandwich, which was very yummy. The kids liked the pizza sandwich. Afterward, the kids went on the merry-go-round and watched a great street performer do magic with the Grandparents, and I snuck off to Once Upon A Toy. I had gotten each son a Star Wars potato head for Christmas, and I wanted to pick out a box of Disney parts for them to share (to put in their stockings). It was fun to pick them out, and the CM helped me get the max use out of my box.
The boys were excited to try trading pins at Pin Traders, but my mom was with them and didnt realize that the people trading outside the shop are serious collectors and not interested in trading with kids. She said they were less than kind telling them so. Thats too bad. The kids happily went inside and traded with the CM, but the point is that the adults outside could have at least said they had nice pins and invited them to trade inside with the CM instead of blowing them off completely.
Everyone wanted to check out World of Disney, but we first stopped at the little train ride that you pay $2 to go on for little kids. Toby loves choo choos and wanted to go on. This is a tiny little train ride that goes in a circle, like you'd see in a mall. What proceeded was one of the most bizarre things we witnessed in WDW. We waited in line and I got on with Toby (Id rather have not ridden, but I was afraid hed fall out). Behind us, a girl who looked about 7 got on with her dad. He was a big man, probably 250 lbs and over 6 ft. Next, a mom and her 1-yr-old got on. The CM running approached the man and explained that only 2 adults can ride at a time due to weight limits, so could he please step off and watch his daughter from the side. Technically, the other mom was the last on, but she clearly had to be on to help her baby. The man refused. He said to the CM, Youll work it out. He asked again, very politely, explaining more about the size of the train, etc. (To give you an idea, I am 54 and 130 lbs and could barely get myself in the seat.) The man then says, Just pretend Im a 5-year-old or Ill begin acting like one. It was the strangest threat Id ever heard. And so ridiculous. His daughter just sat there like shed seen this before. Im not sure what the story was or why he wanted to ride at all. The CM clearly didnt know what to do, and couldn't start the ride until it was resolved, so I offered to get off (with Toby) and wait for the next ride. The CM looked relieved and accepted, but before I could get off, the man got off in a huff. The girl rode alone with no problem. I dont know what that was all about, but it was strange.
We went into WofD and the boys played a game of rock, paper, scissors, CARS with the CM. They got certificates for participating. Things like that show that special extra Disney touch. After that, we quickly realized that WofD was too overwhelming for us right now. It was getting busy, and we were getting tired. We arent big shoppers, and I knew wed be back, so we headed home. We boarded the boat and I got out the glow sticks I had bought at the $ store before the trip (I try to have 3 necklaces, sticks, or wands every evening). It occupied them most the way. Toward the end of the boat ride, the captain noticed Calvin was wearing a hat with Dale on it (Grandmas hat purchase for him). He reached out and squeezed the nose, and at the same time, he honked his airhorn. I thought Calvin was going to faint! They thought it was very funny, and the captain did it again and again. telling Calvin he had bought the "magic" Dale hat. Im sorry if you were on that boat, because it was loud! When we reached the dock, Toby reached up to Cals hat and tentatively squeezed the nose. He was surprised when nothing happened. The captain noticed and did a big Honk Honk for Toby. It was great!
It was a great ending to a fun day. Up next, Animal Kingdom and our best meal of the trip can you guess what it was?
E
erikthewise
Guest
Enjoying your report!
Our boys are 13 and 10 now, and it's fun to read about boys that are about the same age they were their first time (8 and 5).
NEXT time you go to Epcot the first day, have your table service meal at Garden Grill. We've gone there every year, and have never been disappointed. And Pluto is there!
Our boys are 13 and 10 now, and it's fun to read about boys that are about the same age they were their first time (8 and 5).
NEXT time you go to Epcot the first day, have your table service meal at Garden Grill. We've gone there every year, and have never been disappointed. And Pluto is there!
wrldpossibility
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2005
- Messages
- 646
And to think I almost made a GG ADR!
I opted for Chef Mickey's instead, then decided I shouldn't do two character meals in one day. I wish we had done GG though...the kids couldn't get enough of the "main" characters.
dundeehunter
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2006
- Messages
- 169
"The boys were excited to try trading pins at Pin Traders, but my mom was with them and didnt realize that the people trading outside the shop are serious collectors and not interested in trading with kids. She said they were less than kind telling them so. Thats too bad. The kids happily went inside and traded with the CM, but the point is that the adults outside could have at least said they had nice pins and invited them to trade inside with the CM instead of blowing them off completely. "
I had the same exact feeling last year when we took our daughters there for our 1st pin trading experience. I wanted to go back and tell the short little guy off, but my DH held me back. Thanks for the report. We leave in 19 days with my 2 DD. Sorry that you had a bad experience with Coral Reef. I'm not going to make an ADR, we are going to try to wing it.
I had the same exact feeling last year when we took our daughters there for our 1st pin trading experience. I wanted to go back and tell the short little guy off, but my DH held me back. Thanks for the report. We leave in 19 days with my 2 DD. Sorry that you had a bad experience with Coral Reef. I'm not going to make an ADR, we are going to try to wing it.
OhMari
WDW PreTrip and Trip Moderator
- Joined
- Apr 23, 2000
- Messages
- 15,183
I don't want to hijack the thread, but I just saw "dundeehunter" you are my neighbor, I live over in Lomira. Make some ADR's, at least to your favorite resturant.
wrldpossibility
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2005
- Messages
- 646
Thurs. Dec. 14th--
Dear Nate, Calvin, and Toby,
Did you do any shopping last night? Did you play with legos?
Today youll have jungles and animals on the brain,
And go down a mountain on a runaway train!
Dinosaurs will chase you; make sure you duck and dodge!
Then eat dinner in an African lodge!
Pluto
This morning is our Animal Kingdom day. Since were Disneylanders, we have never seen anything like AK (we dont count the Animal Safari a few hours from our home). We are very excited for this park. We eat in our room and are there for rope drop. We keep getting to the North Depot bus stop right when the bus we want is arriving. The others call it amazing luck, and I keep trying to tell them their awesome HBIC does not need luck. In reality, yes, its luck. We get to the park and I have to get a picture of everyone by the AK tree. This is my favorite tree the whole trip. I have to admit that I made my family, or whoever I could grab at the moment, take a picture by every Christmas tree I saw. I was envisioning a breathtaking scrapbook layout of Disney Christmas trees and my beloved family--in reality, I cut the tops off most the trees and Toby is trying to run away out of every frame. I still plan to scrapbook it. Heres one of my winners:
We go through the turnstiles and go left. Our plan is to walk together through the Oasis area, veering left, and then head to Safari after the opening ceremony. While we did that, Charlie was running (I mean walking quickly) to EE to get FP. My original plan was to go to EE first with everyone, ride standby, then get FP, then go to Kali, but this was before I realized what wimps my boys would be with rides. So we want to start with something they will enjoy.
I love the opening ceremony with the characters on the bus in their safari gear. I have a sinking feeling Im the only one in our party who loves these little shows, but this will not stop me from dragging everyone out of bed to see them. When we arrived at Safari, there was a 10 minute line. We moved through very quickly, and enjoyed it. The kids worried about the poachers, but survived ok. Toby was squirmy, but we saw a lot of animals, and it kept his attention well.
We then met up with Charlie outside Safari and all walked over to EE, by going through Asia. We are loving this park! The theming, vegetation, architecture its all wonderful. My sister and her husband just honeymooned in Africa, so we take some pics of the African village near Safari to show what a cleaned up Disney version looks like. Secretly, Im just jealous, because Id love to go to Africa. As we pass Kali, Charlie wants to try it. Its still only about 9:30, and kind of cool, but theres no wait. In the surprise of the week, Calvin says he wants to go too. The kid who is afraid of falling out of rides wants to go on a water inner tube? Huh? We show him the people going by, and hes still game. I get out one of my $ store ponchos, and put it on him. I know he may get mad later if hes wet all day. Charlie, and my dad who decided to join the Kali team, are too manly for ponchos. Whatever.
We watch them go by (at the end of their ride), and Calvin is beaming. Go figure! We enjoyed watching the monkeys in their habitats while we waited for them.
We head on our way to EE (oh, and Charlie and my dad were both soaked from Kali serves them right), and take turns riding it with our FP. The standby line is 30 minutes, and while that doesnt sound terrible, it still makes us wonder why anyone would waste 30 minutes of their day when there is FP to be had. We wonder that a lot. We all ride EE (the adults anyway) and we all love it. Love it, love it! Here is one of our groups going down:
Im not a huge fan of intense steel frame roller coasters, but if you add a good theme and some creativity, I love it. So Im happy with EE. Its all of our favorite ride all trip (RnRC comes close, though). We head next to DinoLand. What a dump. Seriously, with all the rest of beautiful AK, this land stands out in a bad way. Maybe its because I hate carnivals and arcades, though. Unfortunately, my kids love carnival games, so while my dad and Nate go on Whirl, Calvin, Toby and I play a few games. I pay $6 to throw 3 balls in a b-ball hoop because Toby loves b-ball, and the guy wont even let him throw it (hes not tall enough to do it without standing on the counter, which is a no-no. So I kind of hold him up so he can throw. Big waste of $, of course. Meanwhile, Calvin wins at the horseracing game, and has a stuffed frog. We wander back over the Whirl to see if Nate and Dad are off yet. There was no line when they entered. We notice that the line is now backed up, and no ride vehicles are going. Great its broken, we think. But in a moment it starts going again, and Nate and my dad come off beaming. It turns out the line was stopped because when Nate got to the front, the Dream Team (or whatever its called) decided to give them Dream FastPasses! They are very excited (especially because I didnt tell my kids about the whole dream theme of the year I didnt want them to start expecting a prize).
The kids wanted to play in the Boneyard, so we did that for about 30 minutes. It was luckily not crowded. At 11:15, we decided to beat the lunch rush and head to Pizzasafari. I dont know if we were just very hungry, but this was one of the best CS meals we ate. We all loved the pizza. The only downside was that I used too many CS credits, because I didnt realize each meal was a whole mini pizza I thought it was just a slice. The kids could have shared.
At this point, Nate wants to go on Dinosaur. (We grabbed FP on the way to lunch, and used two of the Dream FP tickets.) Now, I know what youre all thinking that Im insane if I think this kid can handle Dinosaur. But you have to know two things: first, wed never been, remember, and second, my kids love dinosaurs almost as much as Star Wars. These kids who are afraid of parts of The Lion King will watch Discovery Channel documentaries on T-Rexes devouring Stegosauruses. I figured it couldnt get any more violent than that. Of course, I was wrong.
Calvin wisely opted out (this was apparently one of those rides he could fall out of) and Nate, Charlie, my dad, and I all went to Dinosaur. We enjoy the pre-show, and Nate figures out that well have to fight through the meteor (or whatever) to get back to present time. Everything is good. We get on the ride, and we love how it moves it reminds us of Indiana Jones from DL (WDW needs to get that ride!). But then the procession of super scary dinos start, and Nate literally hits the floor. He is in a fetal position the whole ride. I would have enjoyed it myself if I hadnt been so worried about him. In the ride pic at the end, you see my dad, Charlie, and me, but no Nate. He is completely out of view on the floor. Poor guy. His assessment: This wasnt like watching a dinosaur movie. It was like being IN one. Lesson learned.
We next met up with the others (they had returned to the Boneyard) and went to see the Nemo musical. We waited in line about 5 minutes before being led into the theater. I guess we timed that right. I was worried that it would be too long for Toby, but he loved it. We knew the rest of us would, because we had all gone to Portland (OR) to see The Lion King musical designed by the same composers, and it was breathtaking. This wasnt as big a production, obviously, but it was very good. Our only problem was that ¾ of the way through, an announcement was made that there was a technical problem and the show would have to end. So we never saw the end.
We exit the theater and its pouring rain. All of a sudden, everyone is completely worn out. My kids seem to combust quickly and with no warning. Its only 1:30, and I had planned to spend the whole day at AK without a break, since it closed at 5 and we had a dinner ADR at Boma. But out of nowhere, everyone was just DONE. I wanted to view the animal trails, go on EE again, and see the characters, but its clearly not going to happen. I have to let it go.
We head to the exit, and we find a deserving-looking family with older kids to give the Dream FP to we figured older kids would get more use out of the EE ones. After going through the turnstiles, we see Baloo and Turk, and the boys get a second wind. We get great pics with them, since were some of the only people there at 1:30 pm. We take the bus home and take a swim break. Toby naps. I had time to do two loads of laundry, which was necessary since wed brought equal amounts of shorts and pants, and were only wearing shorts.
We left for AKL at 4:45 for our 5:40 ADR. We got there in time to look at the animals from the lobby overlook. It was dusk, and we could see giraffes, zebras, birds, and those little deer (what are they called?). We walked over to Boma, and had the best meal of our trip. We all loved it. I especially loved the peanut rice and falafel balls. The waiter offered to let me talk to the chef about vegetarian options, but I am pretty familiar with ethnic foods and I could see there was plenty to choose from, so I declined. We brought little containers of playdoh for Toby to occupy himself with when he was done eating, and that worked great. We just put it on a plate, and there was no mess. I find the homemade stuff makes a sticky mess, but the store bought containers dont. The kids all loved the milk bars and zebra domes, and I loved the coconut trifle. We loved this meal!
Afterward, we wandered back into the beautiful lobby and there was a CM doing a Christmas ornament craft with the kids. For a donation to a wildlife fund, the boys could each pick out a paper animal, cut it out, decorate it with crushed, colored ostrich shells, and add an ornament hanger. They turned out very cute, and are hanging on our tree now. The lobby was peaceful with the big fire and the crafts, and we fell in love with AKL. This may be our next resort to stay in.
This isnt a good pic, but heres Calvins finished turtle ornament:
In hindsight, if we had stayed at AK all day, the kids would have been tired, and we may not have had such a nice evening in AKL. So I am slowly learning to listen to my familys needs and go with the flow. Im glad I did that today.
Up next, Crystal Palace breakfast, MK, and WL!
Dear Nate, Calvin, and Toby,
Did you do any shopping last night? Did you play with legos?
Today youll have jungles and animals on the brain,
And go down a mountain on a runaway train!
Dinosaurs will chase you; make sure you duck and dodge!
Then eat dinner in an African lodge!
Pluto
This morning is our Animal Kingdom day. Since were Disneylanders, we have never seen anything like AK (we dont count the Animal Safari a few hours from our home). We are very excited for this park. We eat in our room and are there for rope drop. We keep getting to the North Depot bus stop right when the bus we want is arriving. The others call it amazing luck, and I keep trying to tell them their awesome HBIC does not need luck. In reality, yes, its luck. We get to the park and I have to get a picture of everyone by the AK tree. This is my favorite tree the whole trip. I have to admit that I made my family, or whoever I could grab at the moment, take a picture by every Christmas tree I saw. I was envisioning a breathtaking scrapbook layout of Disney Christmas trees and my beloved family--in reality, I cut the tops off most the trees and Toby is trying to run away out of every frame. I still plan to scrapbook it. Heres one of my winners:
We go through the turnstiles and go left. Our plan is to walk together through the Oasis area, veering left, and then head to Safari after the opening ceremony. While we did that, Charlie was running (I mean walking quickly) to EE to get FP. My original plan was to go to EE first with everyone, ride standby, then get FP, then go to Kali, but this was before I realized what wimps my boys would be with rides. So we want to start with something they will enjoy.
I love the opening ceremony with the characters on the bus in their safari gear. I have a sinking feeling Im the only one in our party who loves these little shows, but this will not stop me from dragging everyone out of bed to see them. When we arrived at Safari, there was a 10 minute line. We moved through very quickly, and enjoyed it. The kids worried about the poachers, but survived ok. Toby was squirmy, but we saw a lot of animals, and it kept his attention well.
We then met up with Charlie outside Safari and all walked over to EE, by going through Asia. We are loving this park! The theming, vegetation, architecture its all wonderful. My sister and her husband just honeymooned in Africa, so we take some pics of the African village near Safari to show what a cleaned up Disney version looks like. Secretly, Im just jealous, because Id love to go to Africa. As we pass Kali, Charlie wants to try it. Its still only about 9:30, and kind of cool, but theres no wait. In the surprise of the week, Calvin says he wants to go too. The kid who is afraid of falling out of rides wants to go on a water inner tube? Huh? We show him the people going by, and hes still game. I get out one of my $ store ponchos, and put it on him. I know he may get mad later if hes wet all day. Charlie, and my dad who decided to join the Kali team, are too manly for ponchos. Whatever.
We watch them go by (at the end of their ride), and Calvin is beaming. Go figure! We enjoyed watching the monkeys in their habitats while we waited for them.
We head on our way to EE (oh, and Charlie and my dad were both soaked from Kali serves them right), and take turns riding it with our FP. The standby line is 30 minutes, and while that doesnt sound terrible, it still makes us wonder why anyone would waste 30 minutes of their day when there is FP to be had. We wonder that a lot. We all ride EE (the adults anyway) and we all love it. Love it, love it! Here is one of our groups going down:
Im not a huge fan of intense steel frame roller coasters, but if you add a good theme and some creativity, I love it. So Im happy with EE. Its all of our favorite ride all trip (RnRC comes close, though). We head next to DinoLand. What a dump. Seriously, with all the rest of beautiful AK, this land stands out in a bad way. Maybe its because I hate carnivals and arcades, though. Unfortunately, my kids love carnival games, so while my dad and Nate go on Whirl, Calvin, Toby and I play a few games. I pay $6 to throw 3 balls in a b-ball hoop because Toby loves b-ball, and the guy wont even let him throw it (hes not tall enough to do it without standing on the counter, which is a no-no. So I kind of hold him up so he can throw. Big waste of $, of course. Meanwhile, Calvin wins at the horseracing game, and has a stuffed frog. We wander back over the Whirl to see if Nate and Dad are off yet. There was no line when they entered. We notice that the line is now backed up, and no ride vehicles are going. Great its broken, we think. But in a moment it starts going again, and Nate and my dad come off beaming. It turns out the line was stopped because when Nate got to the front, the Dream Team (or whatever its called) decided to give them Dream FastPasses! They are very excited (especially because I didnt tell my kids about the whole dream theme of the year I didnt want them to start expecting a prize).
The kids wanted to play in the Boneyard, so we did that for about 30 minutes. It was luckily not crowded. At 11:15, we decided to beat the lunch rush and head to Pizzasafari. I dont know if we were just very hungry, but this was one of the best CS meals we ate. We all loved the pizza. The only downside was that I used too many CS credits, because I didnt realize each meal was a whole mini pizza I thought it was just a slice. The kids could have shared.
At this point, Nate wants to go on Dinosaur. (We grabbed FP on the way to lunch, and used two of the Dream FP tickets.) Now, I know what youre all thinking that Im insane if I think this kid can handle Dinosaur. But you have to know two things: first, wed never been, remember, and second, my kids love dinosaurs almost as much as Star Wars. These kids who are afraid of parts of The Lion King will watch Discovery Channel documentaries on T-Rexes devouring Stegosauruses. I figured it couldnt get any more violent than that. Of course, I was wrong.
Calvin wisely opted out (this was apparently one of those rides he could fall out of) and Nate, Charlie, my dad, and I all went to Dinosaur. We enjoy the pre-show, and Nate figures out that well have to fight through the meteor (or whatever) to get back to present time. Everything is good. We get on the ride, and we love how it moves it reminds us of Indiana Jones from DL (WDW needs to get that ride!). But then the procession of super scary dinos start, and Nate literally hits the floor. He is in a fetal position the whole ride. I would have enjoyed it myself if I hadnt been so worried about him. In the ride pic at the end, you see my dad, Charlie, and me, but no Nate. He is completely out of view on the floor. Poor guy. His assessment: This wasnt like watching a dinosaur movie. It was like being IN one. Lesson learned.
We next met up with the others (they had returned to the Boneyard) and went to see the Nemo musical. We waited in line about 5 minutes before being led into the theater. I guess we timed that right. I was worried that it would be too long for Toby, but he loved it. We knew the rest of us would, because we had all gone to Portland (OR) to see The Lion King musical designed by the same composers, and it was breathtaking. This wasnt as big a production, obviously, but it was very good. Our only problem was that ¾ of the way through, an announcement was made that there was a technical problem and the show would have to end. So we never saw the end.
We exit the theater and its pouring rain. All of a sudden, everyone is completely worn out. My kids seem to combust quickly and with no warning. Its only 1:30, and I had planned to spend the whole day at AK without a break, since it closed at 5 and we had a dinner ADR at Boma. But out of nowhere, everyone was just DONE. I wanted to view the animal trails, go on EE again, and see the characters, but its clearly not going to happen. I have to let it go.
We head to the exit, and we find a deserving-looking family with older kids to give the Dream FP to we figured older kids would get more use out of the EE ones. After going through the turnstiles, we see Baloo and Turk, and the boys get a second wind. We get great pics with them, since were some of the only people there at 1:30 pm. We take the bus home and take a swim break. Toby naps. I had time to do two loads of laundry, which was necessary since wed brought equal amounts of shorts and pants, and were only wearing shorts.
We left for AKL at 4:45 for our 5:40 ADR. We got there in time to look at the animals from the lobby overlook. It was dusk, and we could see giraffes, zebras, birds, and those little deer (what are they called?). We walked over to Boma, and had the best meal of our trip. We all loved it. I especially loved the peanut rice and falafel balls. The waiter offered to let me talk to the chef about vegetarian options, but I am pretty familiar with ethnic foods and I could see there was plenty to choose from, so I declined. We brought little containers of playdoh for Toby to occupy himself with when he was done eating, and that worked great. We just put it on a plate, and there was no mess. I find the homemade stuff makes a sticky mess, but the store bought containers dont. The kids all loved the milk bars and zebra domes, and I loved the coconut trifle. We loved this meal!
Afterward, we wandered back into the beautiful lobby and there was a CM doing a Christmas ornament craft with the kids. For a donation to a wildlife fund, the boys could each pick out a paper animal, cut it out, decorate it with crushed, colored ostrich shells, and add an ornament hanger. They turned out very cute, and are hanging on our tree now. The lobby was peaceful with the big fire and the crafts, and we fell in love with AKL. This may be our next resort to stay in.
This isnt a good pic, but heres Calvins finished turtle ornament:
In hindsight, if we had stayed at AK all day, the kids would have been tired, and we may not have had such a nice evening in AKL. So I am slowly learning to listen to my familys needs and go with the flow. Im glad I did that today.
Up next, Crystal Palace breakfast, MK, and WL!
peacelovemickey
<font color=deepink>I followed the directions step
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2006
- Messages
- 280
I just LOVE Pluto's notes to the boys! I am planning on stealing your idea next trip!
wrldpossibility
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2005
- Messages
- 646
Fri. Dec. 15:
Dear Nate, Calvin, and Toby,
Did you eat a Zebra Dome last night? See any animals?
Wake up early this morning; there’s lots to do!
Go straight to the Magic Kingdom and eat with Winnie-the-Pooh!
Ride rides, then the monorail; there are Christmas trees to see!
Have dinner in a wild place, and ask for ketchup please!
Pluto
This morning was our first justified opportunity to use the wake-up call feature. We needed to be up by 6:30 for our 8:05 ADR at Crystal Palace. The night before, I explained to the boys that it would be a character who was on the phone. When it rang at 6:30, they were actually still asleep, and Nate told me, “Can you get that, Mom?”. It figures that kids who get up before 6 am at home, when I want to sleep, will sleep-in at Disney. I hit the speaker-phone button and we all listen to the wake-up call. Stitch. Ugh. We are not Stitch fans.
I eventually get everyone out of bed at to the bus stop by 7:20. No other people, and no buses. I knew I had read that buses start coming by 6:30 for early character breakfasts, but as my mom pointed out, the sign hanging in the North Depot clearly stated that buses begin running 1 hour before park opening. I start to worry that I was wrong. We wait. It’s now 7:30...a long 10 minutes. No buses have come by. I start to devise a plan where I run to the main depot, see if there are any buses running there, then call the others to run over. Not the best laid plan, but it’s all I got. Just when I’m starting to really panic that the “lesser” depots do not do early service, low and behold, the MK bus comes. Whew.
We were at Mk at 8, which is cutting it a little close for our 8:05 ADR. However, I still made the family pose for a few pictures in the almost empty MK. Now, I don’t know why my family is phobic of Photopass people, but they all acted like they had the plague. Even though I explained the Photopass system, no one would ever stop to have our photo taken by them. My dad is a photographer, and insisted he could get better shots. Maybe, but the whole point is that everyone is IN them! This is a battle I lost, and which I still regret. I have exactly 3 photopass pics. Here is one of us in MK, minus me, of course:
I got a few other good pics of the kids by the castle, and we still made it to CP by 8:05 (we are a family of speed walkers). I gave our name, and we’re called right away. We are seated in the center of the left room, which is a great place to see all the characters walk around. The only bad part is that the characters circle the outside of the room first, and then come into the middle. Which meant that Toby had to see them pass right by us without stopping for us over and over until they finally made it to the center. It was hard to explain that to him! But we got our food right away, and yum! I loved that breakfast lasagna. I’m glad I had read about it here, or else I probably wouldn’t have tried it. (It’s custard with a muffin base, berries, bananas, a caramelized topping, and more that I can’t recall.) Yum, yum, and yum. The boys liked the fried “French toast”, which to me seemed just like a donut. This was a very good breakfast buffet. Piglet came right away, followed by Tigger. Then we waited for a long time for Pooh, while Toby watched him circle and called and waved pitifully. Luckily Eeyore came over and did the parade thing, which Toby loved. We marched around. Here’s a pic of Toby and me. (I know when I read trip reports I like to see a pic of the poster, but we moms are usually not in many photos. So I’ll be brave--here’s me.)
Finally we get Pooh, and Toby is in heaven (he still looks down at his feet, though). In the intersest of full disclosure, should stop and admit that during this breakfast, Calvin was being a pill. I don’t know if it’s a middle-child thing, or just his stubborn personality, but sometimes he simply decides he’s too old for something. He always wants to be big like Nate and separate himself from the “baby” things that Toby enjoys. Nate was happy to get the Hundred-Acre-Wood gang’s siggies and pose with Toby, but Calvin refused. Pooh bear was “Baby”…which is Calvin’s B word. He sat in stony silence and refused to be in a single pic or get a single siggie. Basically he acted like a mini-teenager. When he does this stuff, we completely ignore it, but I was annoyed none the less.
We are done at CP at about 5 til 9, and by the time we’ve walked over to the castle hub the park is opening. Since we’d already done FL, our plan was to go straight to Tomorrowland. Remember how badly Charlie’s been wanting to do Space Mountain? It’s because we both went on it as kids, but ever since, whenever one or both of us have been to DL, it’s been closed for repairs. He remembers it as his favorite ride. We get into Tomorrowland and Charlie gets FP for Space while the rest of us go to the Speedway. I have to say I hate the Speedway. It always has an ineffective loading system and breaks down. Today does not disappoint. The kids love riding in these cars, though, so I want to knock it off early before there’s a long line. We are second in line today. It still takes 10 minutes to get on. Enough said.
After breathing exhust for 20 minutes on the lovely Speedway, we meet up with Charlie and all go to Buzz. We have not been to DL since this opened there, and all the boys’ little friends who have gone rave about this ride. It has no line, and does not disappoint. Personally, I don’t see what the big deal is, but the kids all love it. We go again. We compare scores (Daddy: 250,000 or something, Mommy: 500). Mommy sucks at anything and everything video game or shooting related. I think Toby outscored me. It was fun though!
We know we don’t want to try Stitch (this one I’d actually been warned was scary), and the boys want to go back to the Pooh playground area (told you they love those things). My mom offers to take them there, and ride a few more FL rides with them while my dad, Charlie, and I go on Space. We’ll meet up on Tom Sawyer’s Island, a family favorite. We head to Space and there’s a 20 minute line. We use our FP of course. Did it live up to Charlie’s expectations? Let’s just say that we got off that ride feeling OLD. My hip hurt, Charlie’s knees hurt, my dad’s neck hurt. We never remembered that ride being so jerky and bumpy! I guess when you’re 8 you just don’t feel it. I still like the ride, but it was basically just painful. Poor Charlie; he was so looking forward to it!
I go to join my mom and the kids and my dad and Charlie go ride Thunder, since my dad wasn’t with us when we did it the other day. I’m lucky my dad and husband get along so well. They really are good friends. I have to explain that Charlie and I grew up together in a very small town. We’ve known each other since the 3rd grade, believe it or not. My dad was a teacher then at the local jr/sr high school (our town was so small there’s wasn’t a junior high). He was Charlie’s 7th grade history teacher. Let’s just say Charlie hadn’t quite matured back in the good ole 7th grade…he was an obnoxious class clown. He drove my dad crazy on a daily basis. If someone had told him then that this little punk would someday be his son-in-law, I don’t know what he would have done. Luckily for all of us, Charlie grew out of the punk phase, and all was well by the time we started dating. But he is very much like a son to my dad, since he saw him grow up.
Anyway, I find my mom and the kids by checking for our stroller at every ride (I put a lime green bandana on the handle, which really helped distinguish it from the other million navy and red Macs in the parks.) We all head to Tom Sawyer’s Island. It’s not crowded yet, and I tell the kids about the paintbrushes they hide. It’s only 10:30, so I think we may have a chance at finding one. We don’t, but we have fun looking. We all love the caves and fort, and Toby is in heaven to be able to run, run, run.
By the time we’re heading back, more people are pouring onto the island, so we wait a while for a raft. The older boys find checkers and play. This is one of my favorite pics because it shows them enjoying the moment and not running to the next thing:
When we arrive back on the “mainland”, the kids want to go back to Aladdin (remember Toby loved those circular rides). My dad and I want check out Haunted Mansion, and see how it differs from the DL version. I don’t know if it’s just been awhile since I’ve been on it, or if the WDW version is different, but I don’t like (or remember) it being so dark (physically). It’s a little scarier than I remember, and I’m glad the kids opted out. We meet up yet again, and see The Country Bears. The boys love the Country Bears movie, and they love this too. Except Toby: it’s only 11:30, but he falls asleep. So much for napping at POR. We get him into his stroller asleep, and decide to eat lunch in the park before heading back on the bus. We walk to Cosmic Rays. By this time, it’s almost noon, so we’ve broken our “eat before 11:30” rule that works so well for us. It’s crowded, and I’m surprised to see there are not veggie burgers. In fact, there’s nothing the kids want to eat. I order the veggie wrap for myself (it’s good) and run over to FL to find something from another CS for the boys. By this time, I’m hungry and tired, and don’t remember that Pinocchio place is over here. I grab the candied almonds and some smoothies from a snack cart and head back. The boys are more than happy with their lunch, so go figure.
We eat, and Toby is still asleep in the stroller. The others want to go back and swim, but I know the bus ride will wake Toby early. So they go back and I decide to push Toby around MK and take in the sights. I am happy to do this…I plan to look in a few stores on Main Street and maybe get a Dole Whip before he wakes. Um, no. No sooner have the others waved goodbye, and he’s up. And cranky. So instead of a leisurely walk through MK, I am hustling to the buses with a crying toddler. We get back to POR and he enjoys swimming. This refreshes him. He especially loves the toddler pool, because he can crawl through with his head up and call it “swimming”.
Our plan for the evening is to eat at Whispering Canyon Café, but to take the monorail loop around to see the decorations at the resorts beforehand. We leave POR at 4 (our ADR is at 6:40). It doesn’t take us long to get on the monorail. We skip the CR, since we’d seen it when we went to CM. We ride around to the Poly and get off. I don’t know if we missed something, but we didn’t see any impressive decorations here. It was kind of blah. We’ve been to the real Hawaii several times, and the Poly just didn’t do it for us. So at this point, everyone else is wondering why I got them out of the POR pool to do this. I promise them it will be better at the GF.
We get off there, and it is. We love it…very impressive. The kids enjoy seeing the gingerbread house, and we get some good pics by the tree. I love the GF right away. We see a bride and her bridesmaids, which is fun. We look around, but it doesn’t take us long. We’re back to the boat launch for WL by 5:15. I was hoping to time it around 6, so we could see Wishes (at 6) from the boat. Timing all this stuff is harder than it looks! I remember that I had read on the DIS that you could see Wishes from some 4th floor outlook at WL, so I decide we can see them there. We jump aboard (the captain has the transportation trading cards, score!) and we’re at WL by 5:45.
The kids play on the playground on the beach while I go ask about this mysterious overlook. I go past the pool and into the lobby. I am loving these grounds. The theming is very similar to the “real” lodges we have out West, and it reminds me that I want to take the kids to Crater Lake Lodge and Hood Mt. next summer. I go to the concierge desk, and ask if there is a location to see the MK fireworks here. She confirms that, yes, you can view them from the “4th Floor Overook”. Just take the elevator to level 4, and “you can’t miss it”. Ok! I gather my family and we head up. We get to the 4th floor, and see two decks, on opposite sides of the building. We proceed to have a family argument about which direction MK is from WL. Basically no one really knows. Now it’s 6. What proceeds is a comedy sketch of us running from side to side trying to see Wishes. The bottom line: we can’t see them from either side. We see there’s now a line at the concierge desk, and we’re too proud to go back and ask again anyway. Finally, Charlie thinks he figures out where MK is, and takes us on an unofficial tour of the corridors of WL, twisting and turning through the halls until we find a single window that looks out over MK. If we peel the blinds back, we can see Wishes. It’s all very pathetic. I should have remembered the room numbers nearby though, because those would be the views to have at WL. We quickly tire of holding the kids up to the window to peer through the slats, and go back down into the lobby. So now it’s time to ‘fess up: what DISer told me I could see Wishes from an overlook, and where the heck is it? We swear they were not visible from the two obvious decks. Or are you all (and the concierge) having a good time laughing at me right now?
At any rate, my family sure had fun laughing at me, and they got a lot of mileage out of that one. I told them it was my early Christmas gift to them. We had some time before our WCC ADR, so the kids watched some cartoons in the lobby, then played with the tinker toy table by WCC. I checked in early, but no luck getting seated early. We sat down at almost 7. We got out the playdoh for Toby again, which was a lifesaver since he was getting cranky. We had a great waiter—I wish I could remember his name. He took the kids under his wing and prompted them to ask for all kinds of things, from straws to ketchup. The boys loved it. Nate wanted to order a skillet because he loves mashed potatoes and corn. I figured he could just work around the meat. When we ordered, Charlie asked that the meat be left out so it wasn’t wasted. Our waiter said he was a vegetarian too, and brought Nate an awesome skillet with extra mashed potatoes, veggies, and corn. We all loved the cornbread and salad, and Charlie ordered the nachos, which he said were good. I got the veggie stew, and that was good too. Calvin and Toby shared their usual mac and cheese.
By the time we were ready for dessert, Toby was tired and squirmy, and Calvin and Nate were tired. I ordered our dessert to go and took the kids back to watch cartoons while the others finished. While we were watching, this little girl (18 months, it turned out) came over and began kissing Toby over and over. She was basically attacking him. It was really funny, but all I could think about was whether she was going to get him sick. By they time everyone else was done, it was 8:30, and we were all so beat we decided to call a taxi instead of taking the boat and bus back. We asked for one at bell services, and instead of calling us a cab, they had a WL van pull up outside and drive us back at no charge. Again, only in Disney would you get that kind of customer service. In the end, we got our wires crossed and my mom and I both tipped the driver generously, so we way overtipped, but we were glad to. It was so nice to get back to POR in 10 minutes! I don’t know if WL does this a lot, or if we just looked really tired, but it was so nice.
Up next, more AK and Spectro!
Dear Nate, Calvin, and Toby,
Did you eat a Zebra Dome last night? See any animals?
Wake up early this morning; there’s lots to do!
Go straight to the Magic Kingdom and eat with Winnie-the-Pooh!
Ride rides, then the monorail; there are Christmas trees to see!
Have dinner in a wild place, and ask for ketchup please!
Pluto
This morning was our first justified opportunity to use the wake-up call feature. We needed to be up by 6:30 for our 8:05 ADR at Crystal Palace. The night before, I explained to the boys that it would be a character who was on the phone. When it rang at 6:30, they were actually still asleep, and Nate told me, “Can you get that, Mom?”. It figures that kids who get up before 6 am at home, when I want to sleep, will sleep-in at Disney. I hit the speaker-phone button and we all listen to the wake-up call. Stitch. Ugh. We are not Stitch fans.
I eventually get everyone out of bed at to the bus stop by 7:20. No other people, and no buses. I knew I had read that buses start coming by 6:30 for early character breakfasts, but as my mom pointed out, the sign hanging in the North Depot clearly stated that buses begin running 1 hour before park opening. I start to worry that I was wrong. We wait. It’s now 7:30...a long 10 minutes. No buses have come by. I start to devise a plan where I run to the main depot, see if there are any buses running there, then call the others to run over. Not the best laid plan, but it’s all I got. Just when I’m starting to really panic that the “lesser” depots do not do early service, low and behold, the MK bus comes. Whew.
We were at Mk at 8, which is cutting it a little close for our 8:05 ADR. However, I still made the family pose for a few pictures in the almost empty MK. Now, I don’t know why my family is phobic of Photopass people, but they all acted like they had the plague. Even though I explained the Photopass system, no one would ever stop to have our photo taken by them. My dad is a photographer, and insisted he could get better shots. Maybe, but the whole point is that everyone is IN them! This is a battle I lost, and which I still regret. I have exactly 3 photopass pics. Here is one of us in MK, minus me, of course:
I got a few other good pics of the kids by the castle, and we still made it to CP by 8:05 (we are a family of speed walkers). I gave our name, and we’re called right away. We are seated in the center of the left room, which is a great place to see all the characters walk around. The only bad part is that the characters circle the outside of the room first, and then come into the middle. Which meant that Toby had to see them pass right by us without stopping for us over and over until they finally made it to the center. It was hard to explain that to him! But we got our food right away, and yum! I loved that breakfast lasagna. I’m glad I had read about it here, or else I probably wouldn’t have tried it. (It’s custard with a muffin base, berries, bananas, a caramelized topping, and more that I can’t recall.) Yum, yum, and yum. The boys liked the fried “French toast”, which to me seemed just like a donut. This was a very good breakfast buffet. Piglet came right away, followed by Tigger. Then we waited for a long time for Pooh, while Toby watched him circle and called and waved pitifully. Luckily Eeyore came over and did the parade thing, which Toby loved. We marched around. Here’s a pic of Toby and me. (I know when I read trip reports I like to see a pic of the poster, but we moms are usually not in many photos. So I’ll be brave--here’s me.)
Finally we get Pooh, and Toby is in heaven (he still looks down at his feet, though). In the intersest of full disclosure, should stop and admit that during this breakfast, Calvin was being a pill. I don’t know if it’s a middle-child thing, or just his stubborn personality, but sometimes he simply decides he’s too old for something. He always wants to be big like Nate and separate himself from the “baby” things that Toby enjoys. Nate was happy to get the Hundred-Acre-Wood gang’s siggies and pose with Toby, but Calvin refused. Pooh bear was “Baby”…which is Calvin’s B word. He sat in stony silence and refused to be in a single pic or get a single siggie. Basically he acted like a mini-teenager. When he does this stuff, we completely ignore it, but I was annoyed none the less.
We are done at CP at about 5 til 9, and by the time we’ve walked over to the castle hub the park is opening. Since we’d already done FL, our plan was to go straight to Tomorrowland. Remember how badly Charlie’s been wanting to do Space Mountain? It’s because we both went on it as kids, but ever since, whenever one or both of us have been to DL, it’s been closed for repairs. He remembers it as his favorite ride. We get into Tomorrowland and Charlie gets FP for Space while the rest of us go to the Speedway. I have to say I hate the Speedway. It always has an ineffective loading system and breaks down. Today does not disappoint. The kids love riding in these cars, though, so I want to knock it off early before there’s a long line. We are second in line today. It still takes 10 minutes to get on. Enough said.
After breathing exhust for 20 minutes on the lovely Speedway, we meet up with Charlie and all go to Buzz. We have not been to DL since this opened there, and all the boys’ little friends who have gone rave about this ride. It has no line, and does not disappoint. Personally, I don’t see what the big deal is, but the kids all love it. We go again. We compare scores (Daddy: 250,000 or something, Mommy: 500). Mommy sucks at anything and everything video game or shooting related. I think Toby outscored me. It was fun though!
We know we don’t want to try Stitch (this one I’d actually been warned was scary), and the boys want to go back to the Pooh playground area (told you they love those things). My mom offers to take them there, and ride a few more FL rides with them while my dad, Charlie, and I go on Space. We’ll meet up on Tom Sawyer’s Island, a family favorite. We head to Space and there’s a 20 minute line. We use our FP of course. Did it live up to Charlie’s expectations? Let’s just say that we got off that ride feeling OLD. My hip hurt, Charlie’s knees hurt, my dad’s neck hurt. We never remembered that ride being so jerky and bumpy! I guess when you’re 8 you just don’t feel it. I still like the ride, but it was basically just painful. Poor Charlie; he was so looking forward to it!
I go to join my mom and the kids and my dad and Charlie go ride Thunder, since my dad wasn’t with us when we did it the other day. I’m lucky my dad and husband get along so well. They really are good friends. I have to explain that Charlie and I grew up together in a very small town. We’ve known each other since the 3rd grade, believe it or not. My dad was a teacher then at the local jr/sr high school (our town was so small there’s wasn’t a junior high). He was Charlie’s 7th grade history teacher. Let’s just say Charlie hadn’t quite matured back in the good ole 7th grade…he was an obnoxious class clown. He drove my dad crazy on a daily basis. If someone had told him then that this little punk would someday be his son-in-law, I don’t know what he would have done. Luckily for all of us, Charlie grew out of the punk phase, and all was well by the time we started dating. But he is very much like a son to my dad, since he saw him grow up.
Anyway, I find my mom and the kids by checking for our stroller at every ride (I put a lime green bandana on the handle, which really helped distinguish it from the other million navy and red Macs in the parks.) We all head to Tom Sawyer’s Island. It’s not crowded yet, and I tell the kids about the paintbrushes they hide. It’s only 10:30, so I think we may have a chance at finding one. We don’t, but we have fun looking. We all love the caves and fort, and Toby is in heaven to be able to run, run, run.
By the time we’re heading back, more people are pouring onto the island, so we wait a while for a raft. The older boys find checkers and play. This is one of my favorite pics because it shows them enjoying the moment and not running to the next thing:
When we arrive back on the “mainland”, the kids want to go back to Aladdin (remember Toby loved those circular rides). My dad and I want check out Haunted Mansion, and see how it differs from the DL version. I don’t know if it’s just been awhile since I’ve been on it, or if the WDW version is different, but I don’t like (or remember) it being so dark (physically). It’s a little scarier than I remember, and I’m glad the kids opted out. We meet up yet again, and see The Country Bears. The boys love the Country Bears movie, and they love this too. Except Toby: it’s only 11:30, but he falls asleep. So much for napping at POR. We get him into his stroller asleep, and decide to eat lunch in the park before heading back on the bus. We walk to Cosmic Rays. By this time, it’s almost noon, so we’ve broken our “eat before 11:30” rule that works so well for us. It’s crowded, and I’m surprised to see there are not veggie burgers. In fact, there’s nothing the kids want to eat. I order the veggie wrap for myself (it’s good) and run over to FL to find something from another CS for the boys. By this time, I’m hungry and tired, and don’t remember that Pinocchio place is over here. I grab the candied almonds and some smoothies from a snack cart and head back. The boys are more than happy with their lunch, so go figure.
We eat, and Toby is still asleep in the stroller. The others want to go back and swim, but I know the bus ride will wake Toby early. So they go back and I decide to push Toby around MK and take in the sights. I am happy to do this…I plan to look in a few stores on Main Street and maybe get a Dole Whip before he wakes. Um, no. No sooner have the others waved goodbye, and he’s up. And cranky. So instead of a leisurely walk through MK, I am hustling to the buses with a crying toddler. We get back to POR and he enjoys swimming. This refreshes him. He especially loves the toddler pool, because he can crawl through with his head up and call it “swimming”.
Our plan for the evening is to eat at Whispering Canyon Café, but to take the monorail loop around to see the decorations at the resorts beforehand. We leave POR at 4 (our ADR is at 6:40). It doesn’t take us long to get on the monorail. We skip the CR, since we’d seen it when we went to CM. We ride around to the Poly and get off. I don’t know if we missed something, but we didn’t see any impressive decorations here. It was kind of blah. We’ve been to the real Hawaii several times, and the Poly just didn’t do it for us. So at this point, everyone else is wondering why I got them out of the POR pool to do this. I promise them it will be better at the GF.
We get off there, and it is. We love it…very impressive. The kids enjoy seeing the gingerbread house, and we get some good pics by the tree. I love the GF right away. We see a bride and her bridesmaids, which is fun. We look around, but it doesn’t take us long. We’re back to the boat launch for WL by 5:15. I was hoping to time it around 6, so we could see Wishes (at 6) from the boat. Timing all this stuff is harder than it looks! I remember that I had read on the DIS that you could see Wishes from some 4th floor outlook at WL, so I decide we can see them there. We jump aboard (the captain has the transportation trading cards, score!) and we’re at WL by 5:45.
The kids play on the playground on the beach while I go ask about this mysterious overlook. I go past the pool and into the lobby. I am loving these grounds. The theming is very similar to the “real” lodges we have out West, and it reminds me that I want to take the kids to Crater Lake Lodge and Hood Mt. next summer. I go to the concierge desk, and ask if there is a location to see the MK fireworks here. She confirms that, yes, you can view them from the “4th Floor Overook”. Just take the elevator to level 4, and “you can’t miss it”. Ok! I gather my family and we head up. We get to the 4th floor, and see two decks, on opposite sides of the building. We proceed to have a family argument about which direction MK is from WL. Basically no one really knows. Now it’s 6. What proceeds is a comedy sketch of us running from side to side trying to see Wishes. The bottom line: we can’t see them from either side. We see there’s now a line at the concierge desk, and we’re too proud to go back and ask again anyway. Finally, Charlie thinks he figures out where MK is, and takes us on an unofficial tour of the corridors of WL, twisting and turning through the halls until we find a single window that looks out over MK. If we peel the blinds back, we can see Wishes. It’s all very pathetic. I should have remembered the room numbers nearby though, because those would be the views to have at WL. We quickly tire of holding the kids up to the window to peer through the slats, and go back down into the lobby. So now it’s time to ‘fess up: what DISer told me I could see Wishes from an overlook, and where the heck is it? We swear they were not visible from the two obvious decks. Or are you all (and the concierge) having a good time laughing at me right now?
At any rate, my family sure had fun laughing at me, and they got a lot of mileage out of that one. I told them it was my early Christmas gift to them. We had some time before our WCC ADR, so the kids watched some cartoons in the lobby, then played with the tinker toy table by WCC. I checked in early, but no luck getting seated early. We sat down at almost 7. We got out the playdoh for Toby again, which was a lifesaver since he was getting cranky. We had a great waiter—I wish I could remember his name. He took the kids under his wing and prompted them to ask for all kinds of things, from straws to ketchup. The boys loved it. Nate wanted to order a skillet because he loves mashed potatoes and corn. I figured he could just work around the meat. When we ordered, Charlie asked that the meat be left out so it wasn’t wasted. Our waiter said he was a vegetarian too, and brought Nate an awesome skillet with extra mashed potatoes, veggies, and corn. We all loved the cornbread and salad, and Charlie ordered the nachos, which he said were good. I got the veggie stew, and that was good too. Calvin and Toby shared their usual mac and cheese.
By the time we were ready for dessert, Toby was tired and squirmy, and Calvin and Nate were tired. I ordered our dessert to go and took the kids back to watch cartoons while the others finished. While we were watching, this little girl (18 months, it turned out) came over and began kissing Toby over and over. She was basically attacking him. It was really funny, but all I could think about was whether she was going to get him sick. By they time everyone else was done, it was 8:30, and we were all so beat we decided to call a taxi instead of taking the boat and bus back. We asked for one at bell services, and instead of calling us a cab, they had a WL van pull up outside and drive us back at no charge. Again, only in Disney would you get that kind of customer service. In the end, we got our wires crossed and my mom and I both tipped the driver generously, so we way overtipped, but we were glad to. It was so nice to get back to POR in 10 minutes! I don’t know if WL does this a lot, or if we just looked really tired, but it was so nice.
Up next, more AK and Spectro!
Can't wait to read more.wrldpossibility
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2005
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Sat. Dec. 15th:
Dear Nate, Calvin, and Toby,
Now youve seen all the parks! Which park is your favorite?
Today ride in a race car and fly like a hang glider!
Learn about gravity and feel a little lighter!
Rest by the pool if the weather is nice,
Then head for the castle for a parade with bright lights!
Pluto
As you can probably deduce from Pluto's note, today we had planned to head back to Epcot. However, since we felt we did most of FW the first day (I dont know how I could have forgotten to mention that we also fit both Innovations in my kids cup of tea--they loved the fire safety house), we decided to head back to AK. After getting up early the morning before, we let the kids sleep in and walked to Riverside Mill for breakfast. We were at the depot at 9, and strolled into AK at 9:30. It was nice to have done most of it already; my blood pressure was normal, and I wasnt sweating to get to rope drop.
We went straight to Africa (with my dad getting FP for EE). The rest of us grabbed two FP for Nate and Charlie go on Safari later, and we hit the Africa animal trail (I know thats not the real name, is it?). At this point, I have to stop to give a bit of exposition. You see, while we all ate a nice breakfast at Riverside Mill, Toby refused to eat anything. Sometimes he does that. So he hasnt eaten all morning. I do have one pancake in my backpack I saved from breakfast. Trust me, this will come into play.
We start down the trail and everyone loves the monkeys (yes, we read the signs at the time and knew the correct names of the various species, but out of laziness, in my trippie, they will all be called monkeys). We get to the hippos, and Toby suddenly loses it. I mean LOSES it. At this point in my report, anyone who has not ever had a 2-year-old will shake their head and wonder what kind of animal Im raising. The rest of you will understand if I simply tell you this was a mother of a toddler tantrum. I dont remember what started it at the time (not getting to the underwater hippo viewing area quickly enough, perhaps?), but he started screaming in frustration and running away from us. I chase him. Its definitely embarrassing. I pick him up and hold him to calm him down, and he begins hitting me. Now Im embarrassed and in pain. By this time hes hysterical, and I just need to get him out of the area. I walk out the door from the hippos, which places me directly into the aviary. I dont know that though. All I know is that he is hungry, and if I feed him, hell stop behaving like a monster. I quickly reach into my backpack and get out the pancake. Just as Im tearing off a piece, a CM approaches me and tells me I cant have food in the bird sanctuary. Toby is still squirming hysterically in my arms. I can bearly hear her, but I do look around and notice for the first time that Im in a netted aviary. Opps. I tell her I didnt realize, and of course I shouldnt have food in there, and put it away. At this point, shes moved past the food violation and is sizing up Toby. I begin to wonder if theres a noise ordinance, too. But no, shes very kind, and proceeds to try to distract Toby. She gives him a bird guide, and tries to point out the birds. I kind of just wish shed leave us alone, since Toby is still sobbing, and I just want to take care of it, but amazingly, her distraction works. He calms down and begins pointing at the birds. She wanders away, but I wanted to run after her and explain that I usually dont have an out-of-control child whom Im trying to illegally feed in an animal habitat. I doubt shed believe me anyway!
I still decide that Toby is unstable at best, so when the others walk into the bird area, I tell them Im going to speed through with Toby so I can give him a snack, and would meet them at the end of the trail. We do that, and as soon as were sitting on a bench by the Planet Watch sign, Toby devours the whole pancake in about 30 seconds. I also had a juice box, and he downs that. The kiddo was just starving, but didnt realize it. I wish he wouldnt pull that fasting/tantrum stunt, but it still seems to be a favorite trick of his.
The others emerge, and my dad is back from getting EE FP. We notice that its decidedly more crowded in AK today. We figured the crowds would pick up today (Sat.) and so far it seems to be true. We decide to all go on Rafikis Planet Watch to the Conservation Station. (Nate and Charlie go on Safari with FP and meet us.) Now, I had heard this area was just a glorified petting zoo, and a waste of time, but I figured my kids would dig the educational stuff. Theyre goofy that way. I was right. They love the talking trash can (is that other places, or only at Planet Watch?) and Conservation Station. The vets there were doing a live surgery to remove a tumor from some animal, and it was cool to watch. We saw Rafiki (the kids are Lion King fans) and Toby loved the petting zoo. (The zoo was probably a waste of time you can do that anywhere, but he loved it, so we stayed none-the-less). We spent a good deal of time here, then decided to eat lunch early (11:15).
We took the train back from Planet Watch and decided to eat at Tusker House. We literally had to wade through crowds to get through Africa. I was worried TH would be crowded, but it was almost empty (eating before 11:45 is the best tip I can give!). We really loved the food here. My dad loved it so much it became a running joke on our trip. He just couldnt stop fawning over his salmon (best green beans hed EVER eaten, he claimed). I got the veggie sandwich, and it was yummy too. The boys probably had mac and cheese, so it was lost on them, but we all enjoyed it. It was a nice break from the usual unhealthy stuff. (Although I must say, I can count on one hand the number of times I ate the typical fast food type fare on this trip we were pretty healthy. Now dessert was another matter.)
After eating, we walked to EE and Charlie, my dad, and I went one more time on EE while my mom took the kids back to the Boneyard. At EE, the standby line was now 60 minutes. We had our usual insightful (not) conversation about why more people dont use FP. We met up with the others quickly and decided to go back to POR to swim and nap.
Going back to rest every day truly saved us this trip. I dont think we could have gone day after day without it. For that reason alone, staying onsite is worth it, I think. Toby napped, then we all swam. When we entered our room, mousekeeping had come and set up all the kids new stuffed animals to look like they were watching TV. It was very cute:
Charlie and my dad had a Gonzaga basketball game they were hoping to watch that night (big fans Charlie and I were both in college in Spokane WA when Gonzaga first broke through as a top basketball team, and Charlies followed the team ever since). I wanted to go see Spectro Magic that night, so my mom and I let the guys off the hook and take the kids ourselves. We decide to eat a quick dinner at Riverside Mill first, to avoid crowds at dinnertime in MK.
We get to MK around 6. Spectro is at 8 tonight. My mom secretly takes the kids to the little kiosk that makes silhouette portraits, and gets them done as the boys Christmas gift to us. They are very cute and hanging in our entryway now. That takes until about 6:30, and by then, I notice that people are already getting spots for the parade. We wanted to watch it on Main Street for the ambiance, and didnt plan to ride any rides, so I take out a couple ponchos and save some seats in front of the Emporium. For the next 1 ½, we take turns holding our spot while the other shops in the stores and walks around with the kids. I thought that would be a nightmare, but they surprise us by sitting on the curb in our spot for a good 45 minutes of that time, just waiting. Im shocked that Toby would sit there. I think the rice crispy mickey bars we picked up at Riverside Mill helped.
Spectro finally starts, and the kids love it. Its definitely worth waiting for, and were not big parade people. Heres my favorite float, and as close to a princess as Ill get the whole trip:
When it was over, Calvin, Toby, and my mom were tired, but Nate wanted to stay for the 9 pm Wishes. I was happy to stay with him, and sent the others home. We walked to the front railroad station, went up the stairs, and found a good spot with only a few other people. It was nice to have some one-on-one time with my eldest son. He truly appreciates music and performances, and we both loved seeing Wishes a second time. He fell asleep on the bus back (he denies it to this day), and for a minute, I thought I was going to have to carry him off the bus, he was so hard to wake. But we made it, and he crashed on his bed at 10 pm, a late night for one of my kids!
Up next, our rest day my mom and I want some adult-only shopping time at DTD will it happen?
Dear Nate, Calvin, and Toby,
Now youve seen all the parks! Which park is your favorite?
Today ride in a race car and fly like a hang glider!
Learn about gravity and feel a little lighter!
Rest by the pool if the weather is nice,
Then head for the castle for a parade with bright lights!
Pluto
As you can probably deduce from Pluto's note, today we had planned to head back to Epcot. However, since we felt we did most of FW the first day (I dont know how I could have forgotten to mention that we also fit both Innovations in my kids cup of tea--they loved the fire safety house), we decided to head back to AK. After getting up early the morning before, we let the kids sleep in and walked to Riverside Mill for breakfast. We were at the depot at 9, and strolled into AK at 9:30. It was nice to have done most of it already; my blood pressure was normal, and I wasnt sweating to get to rope drop.
We went straight to Africa (with my dad getting FP for EE). The rest of us grabbed two FP for Nate and Charlie go on Safari later, and we hit the Africa animal trail (I know thats not the real name, is it?). At this point, I have to stop to give a bit of exposition. You see, while we all ate a nice breakfast at Riverside Mill, Toby refused to eat anything. Sometimes he does that. So he hasnt eaten all morning. I do have one pancake in my backpack I saved from breakfast. Trust me, this will come into play.
We start down the trail and everyone loves the monkeys (yes, we read the signs at the time and knew the correct names of the various species, but out of laziness, in my trippie, they will all be called monkeys). We get to the hippos, and Toby suddenly loses it. I mean LOSES it. At this point in my report, anyone who has not ever had a 2-year-old will shake their head and wonder what kind of animal Im raising. The rest of you will understand if I simply tell you this was a mother of a toddler tantrum. I dont remember what started it at the time (not getting to the underwater hippo viewing area quickly enough, perhaps?), but he started screaming in frustration and running away from us. I chase him. Its definitely embarrassing. I pick him up and hold him to calm him down, and he begins hitting me. Now Im embarrassed and in pain. By this time hes hysterical, and I just need to get him out of the area. I walk out the door from the hippos, which places me directly into the aviary. I dont know that though. All I know is that he is hungry, and if I feed him, hell stop behaving like a monster. I quickly reach into my backpack and get out the pancake. Just as Im tearing off a piece, a CM approaches me and tells me I cant have food in the bird sanctuary. Toby is still squirming hysterically in my arms. I can bearly hear her, but I do look around and notice for the first time that Im in a netted aviary. Opps. I tell her I didnt realize, and of course I shouldnt have food in there, and put it away. At this point, shes moved past the food violation and is sizing up Toby. I begin to wonder if theres a noise ordinance, too. But no, shes very kind, and proceeds to try to distract Toby. She gives him a bird guide, and tries to point out the birds. I kind of just wish shed leave us alone, since Toby is still sobbing, and I just want to take care of it, but amazingly, her distraction works. He calms down and begins pointing at the birds. She wanders away, but I wanted to run after her and explain that I usually dont have an out-of-control child whom Im trying to illegally feed in an animal habitat. I doubt shed believe me anyway!
I still decide that Toby is unstable at best, so when the others walk into the bird area, I tell them Im going to speed through with Toby so I can give him a snack, and would meet them at the end of the trail. We do that, and as soon as were sitting on a bench by the Planet Watch sign, Toby devours the whole pancake in about 30 seconds. I also had a juice box, and he downs that. The kiddo was just starving, but didnt realize it. I wish he wouldnt pull that fasting/tantrum stunt, but it still seems to be a favorite trick of his.
The others emerge, and my dad is back from getting EE FP. We notice that its decidedly more crowded in AK today. We figured the crowds would pick up today (Sat.) and so far it seems to be true. We decide to all go on Rafikis Planet Watch to the Conservation Station. (Nate and Charlie go on Safari with FP and meet us.) Now, I had heard this area was just a glorified petting zoo, and a waste of time, but I figured my kids would dig the educational stuff. Theyre goofy that way. I was right. They love the talking trash can (is that other places, or only at Planet Watch?) and Conservation Station. The vets there were doing a live surgery to remove a tumor from some animal, and it was cool to watch. We saw Rafiki (the kids are Lion King fans) and Toby loved the petting zoo. (The zoo was probably a waste of time you can do that anywhere, but he loved it, so we stayed none-the-less). We spent a good deal of time here, then decided to eat lunch early (11:15).
We took the train back from Planet Watch and decided to eat at Tusker House. We literally had to wade through crowds to get through Africa. I was worried TH would be crowded, but it was almost empty (eating before 11:45 is the best tip I can give!). We really loved the food here. My dad loved it so much it became a running joke on our trip. He just couldnt stop fawning over his salmon (best green beans hed EVER eaten, he claimed). I got the veggie sandwich, and it was yummy too. The boys probably had mac and cheese, so it was lost on them, but we all enjoyed it. It was a nice break from the usual unhealthy stuff. (Although I must say, I can count on one hand the number of times I ate the typical fast food type fare on this trip we were pretty healthy. Now dessert was another matter.)
After eating, we walked to EE and Charlie, my dad, and I went one more time on EE while my mom took the kids back to the Boneyard. At EE, the standby line was now 60 minutes. We had our usual insightful (not) conversation about why more people dont use FP. We met up with the others quickly and decided to go back to POR to swim and nap.
Going back to rest every day truly saved us this trip. I dont think we could have gone day after day without it. For that reason alone, staying onsite is worth it, I think. Toby napped, then we all swam. When we entered our room, mousekeeping had come and set up all the kids new stuffed animals to look like they were watching TV. It was very cute:
Charlie and my dad had a Gonzaga basketball game they were hoping to watch that night (big fans Charlie and I were both in college in Spokane WA when Gonzaga first broke through as a top basketball team, and Charlies followed the team ever since). I wanted to go see Spectro Magic that night, so my mom and I let the guys off the hook and take the kids ourselves. We decide to eat a quick dinner at Riverside Mill first, to avoid crowds at dinnertime in MK.
We get to MK around 6. Spectro is at 8 tonight. My mom secretly takes the kids to the little kiosk that makes silhouette portraits, and gets them done as the boys Christmas gift to us. They are very cute and hanging in our entryway now. That takes until about 6:30, and by then, I notice that people are already getting spots for the parade. We wanted to watch it on Main Street for the ambiance, and didnt plan to ride any rides, so I take out a couple ponchos and save some seats in front of the Emporium. For the next 1 ½, we take turns holding our spot while the other shops in the stores and walks around with the kids. I thought that would be a nightmare, but they surprise us by sitting on the curb in our spot for a good 45 minutes of that time, just waiting. Im shocked that Toby would sit there. I think the rice crispy mickey bars we picked up at Riverside Mill helped.
Spectro finally starts, and the kids love it. Its definitely worth waiting for, and were not big parade people. Heres my favorite float, and as close to a princess as Ill get the whole trip:
When it was over, Calvin, Toby, and my mom were tired, but Nate wanted to stay for the 9 pm Wishes. I was happy to stay with him, and sent the others home. We walked to the front railroad station, went up the stairs, and found a good spot with only a few other people. It was nice to have some one-on-one time with my eldest son. He truly appreciates music and performances, and we both loved seeing Wishes a second time. He fell asleep on the bus back (he denies it to this day), and for a minute, I thought I was going to have to carry him off the bus, he was so hard to wake. But we made it, and he crashed on his bed at 10 pm, a late night for one of my kids!
Up next, our rest day my mom and I want some adult-only shopping time at DTD will it happen?
javamom
<font color=green>Rumored Avatar Fairy<br><font co
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Oh I am so sorry that you had to cancel Ohana's it was one of our favorites the whole trip, if not THE favorite. Good for you though, looking out for your family. We stayed at POR too!
Enjoying your report! I wonder if we ever crossed paths? I guess time will tell as I read your report and see where you were. I had to make some on the fly changes to the plan too. It is hard but when you realize that people need a break it is the best thing to do!
Allyson
Allyson
wrldpossibility
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2005
- Messages
- 646
Sun. Dec. 17th:
Dear Nate, Calvin, and Toby,
Did you like SpectroMagic? It’s one of my favorite parades!
Take a deep breath, relax, and rest.
These last few days have put you to the test!
In the evening go see a show called the Hoop-de-Doo,
It has singing, dancing, and jokes that are perfect for you!
Pluto
We made it to our rest day! We woke up, and had a peaceful breakfast at Riverside Mill. I should stop for a moment and comment on our sleeping arrangements and how much we loved the POR trundle beds. We had a routine every night of putting all the kids to bed in my parents’ room, and then moving one or two into our room when we were ready to sleep. (We traded off who we had in each room…my parents help even at night with our kids! Yes, we know we’re lucky.) That way all the adults could watch TV, etc in our room at night. We always fell asleep pretty early though! We put Toby in one trundle, and Calvin in the other. Nate shared a bed with an adult (usually Charlie…I cannot sleep with Nate; he loves to cuddle all night, which is cute and all, but I don’t get any sleep!). We had seriously debated getting a villa for this trip by renting DVC points, but since our dates spanned two weekends, and we didn’t want to move resorts, it was just too costly. This arrangement with two rooms worked well for us as a second choice. Even if my parents hadn’t been there, we were still planning to get two rooms or go with a FW cabin. The space is worth it, in our opinion!
Anyway, we ate breakfast and the older kids wanted to go fishing at the POR fishing hole. If you asked them, swimming and playing at POR was one of the best parts of the trip, so they were pumped for their rest day! Charlie took them fishing, and my dad offered to take Toby to the playground by the pool. The plan was for my mom and I to take the bus to DTD for some shopping sans kids. My dad was to come later with Toby. We gave him explicit instructions to not show up with him until 11 am.
We get to DTD right at 9:30 when the stores are opening. Now this is nice! No one around yet (it’s Sunday, remember), the stores just opening, and we have 1½ hours to ourselves. We split up and I begin some serious shopping. My mission is to get small souvenirs for the two little girls I babysit a few days a week, the two kids of my friend who is “babysitting” our dog while we’re gone, my 4-year-old niece, and four other little boys (family friends’ sons). Plus I want to see if I can find any other stocking stuffers for my kids.
The first store I enter is the scrapbooking place (World of Memories?). Hmm, you’re wondering: I wonder which little boy or girl wants scrapbooking supplies? That’s right: the big one. I love scrapbooking. Unfortunately, the reviews of this store I’d read are right--it’s a disappointment. I have better selection at my local store. I quickly move on to the Days of Christmas store. Yeah, yeah, this one is for me too. I want to find some family ornament souvenirs. There are just too many to pick from in this store! I should add that I’m not a die-hard shopper. I usually start out strong, and get blurry-eyed and dizzy within the hour. So the Christmas store is overwhelming to me. I finally settle on a set of ornaments with the main Disney icons: a castle, Spaceship Earth, Tree of Life, etc. You get the drill.
I head next for World of Disney. I know I’ll get almost all the rest done there. I find cool pirate flags for the boys, suckers and candy, a Star Wars Mickey (maybe I found that at Once Upon a Toy, come to think of it), and plastic mickey cups for the stockings. This is also where I find the Magic Kingdom ride music for Nate. Then I enter the princess room. Suddenly there is pink as far as the eye can see. You have to remember I’m a mom of boys. My retinas are only adjusted to all things primary-colored and camo, so the sparkles and glitter in this room are making my head spin. I think I go into pink shock. I see the line going into the Bippity Boppity Boutique, and I pause for a moment to reflect on all the cash I saved by not giving birth to girls. Maybe I should post that tip on the Budget Board. I then remember my mission, which is two-fold. I need a Cinderella tiara for the 3 year-old I babysit, and a Snow White playset for my niece. When I find the Cinderella stuff, I momentary contemplate whether I have room in our luggage to get the whole Cindy outfit…she’d go crazy for that! Then I see the price and about have a heart attack. Suddenly the dozens of light sabors and dinosaur costumes I’ve bought over the years seem downright cheap. Honestly, I think my high school prom dress cost less than that little light blue number. No joke.
I make one more stop at the kitchen store, find a few more stocking stuffers, and meet back up with my mom at 10:30. See, I told you I don’t shop for long. We have a whole half hour before Toby shows up with my dad, so we decide to check out Goofy’s Candy Kitchen. No sooner have we stood up, and the cell phone rings. My dad is here with Toby. Now, I know I should be glad to have one toddler-free hour to get my shopping done, but certainly some of you other moms of toddlers can understand why I was feeling stingy about my last half hour, right? I really wanted that time, darn it! But my dad’s done his duty, and so we take Toby to ride the carrousel . My dad heads off to do his own shopping. He’s going to meet us at POR later. By the time Toby’s ridden, it’s 11:15, and we want to be back at the resort for lunch, so we start heading to the boat dock. Of course, we pass Goofy’s. We can’t resist. You have to know this: my mom and I are both freaks for caramel apples. Somewhere in the recesses of my mind, I remembered Goofy’s would have them. We went in, pretending to see if they had cute wrapped cookies for the boys’ stockings, but of course, we’re really only there for apples. Lo and behold, they have them. But wait, there’s more! You can custom order them with any combination of toppings. All you wise Disney veterans knew that already, but it’s news to us. We’re sold. We fill out the little cards with our selections (I’m all about the dark chocolate, if you’re wondering). We then learn that these babies will take 10 minutes to prepare. By this time, Toby’s getting hungry and tired, but we push on. We’re so close, we can almost taste it (wow, bad pun…sorry). I find cute Cars cookies while we wait. See, not totally a selfish detour after all. We finally get our bad boys, and have them packed up to go. We hurry to the boat dock, and…the boat is just pulling away. I know, serves us right. At this point we make a rookie mistake. We decide that 20 minutes for the next boat (per the CM at the dock) is too long, and the bus will be faster. We walk to the bus stop, and wait. And wait. And wait. Do buses not begin to come on Sundays until noon? Are there fewer POR buses because anyone with any sense takes the boat? Enlighten me, wise readership, because we endured our longest wait for a bus at that moment. It was 45 minutes before one came (and we were the only ones waiting). Once it came, it stopped at West Side, then at many traffic lights, then at Typhoon Lagoon. It took us 1½ hours to get to POR. We were really regretting our decision to eat when we got back.
But of course we made it, and Toby immediately fell asleep back in our room. We bailed on lunch altogether and ate cereal. Then we sat outside by “our” pool while the kids swam and, you guessed it, ate our caramel apples. Were they worth the long agony of missing the boat and waiting for the bus, you ask? You better believe it.
My dad returned, and offered to stay with Toby (he was still napping) while the rest of us walked over to POFQ and tried out the dragon pool. On the way, I stopped at the concierge desk to pick up our Hoop de Doo tickets for that night. Now, maybe this doesn’t happen to everyone, but it turned out that the ADR had been charged to my CC, which I thought was just holding the ADR. I wanted to use the DDP instead. I’m glad the concierge pointed that out, because it really would have messed up our TS credits. This was toward the end of our trip, and I planned to use 12 credits in this one night. If we didn’t, there’s no way we would use 12 extra before the end of our trip. It would have been such a waste. (I didn't mind dropping that many credits at once, because we didn't want to eat TS every night.) Hoop is not cheap, and I was happy to use 2 credits each on it. It took awhile to get straightened out, and if I had waited to deal with it when checking in at Hoop that night, I would have been sunk. So just something to keep in mind.
We decided we preferred Ol Man Island to Dragoon Lagoon (was the hot tub added on later at FQ, because it’s in a very inconvenient location to the pool?). The kids enjoyed the dragon slide more than POR’s though. I’m not sure why, but they went on it over and over at FQ. It was nice to be able to try both. We got back to our room at 3, fed Toby a snack, and got cleaned up. We were at the bus stop for MK (to transfer to boat) at 3:30. You’re probably wondering about our fast turn-around times in our room (30 minutes is not much time to get 7 people ready for dinner), and yes, we do shower. We’re just not high maintenance people. Remember how much the princess room scared me? Yeah, I wouldn’t even know what to do with half the froo-froo hair clips and bands in there. It’s all lost on me.
We had a peaceful boat ride, and collected more boat cards. We were at FW dock by 4:30, and I checked us in. We let the kids play on their playground, then had our picture taken. Another winner (“winner” meaning it has all 7 of us in it), so we buy it later. We are seated at 5, and we have the first table for seven, one row back from the stage, in the center. A great spot. Yes, I called exactly 365 days before, and I spent the first five minutes beaming at all the other people at the tables around us who must have done the same. We smiled at each other and gave knowing looks. We were a very smug bunch.
I had spent a lot of time on the DIS asking whether this show would hold my kids’ attention. When we’re seated, we get out the playdoh, get the older boys cornbread, and hope for the best. I need not have worried. The show starts, and literally, Nate never stops laughing. He laughs so hard I’m afraid he’s going to get sick. It’s that deep, can’t-catch-your-breath, doubled-over laughter. Every joke in that show is perfect for a 7-yo boy. Calvin enjoys it too, but most the puns go over his head. He’s happy enough with the slapstick humor though, as long as the cornbread keeps coming. Toby is mesmerized. He loves the singing and dancing right in front of him. The rest of us are loving that the kids are entertained.
We all like the food fine. Nothing to write home about (or in our case, expand on much in a trip report), but it’s all good. The Hoop people had actually called me at POR earlier that day to ask what veggie meals the kids and I would like (I had said we were vegetarian when I made the ADR). The kids had pizza and I had roasted veggies and a baked potato. Calvin devoured the strawberry shortcake, so I’d say that was a thumbs-up for him. The highlight for our family was when my dad was picked out by the redheaded girl to sing with her. He had to do a bit with the phrase “Toot Toot”. That made the kids laugh even harder. I have a great pic of my dad turning a few shades of red:
That made getting up at 3 am (Pacific) on Dec. 17th, 2005 to call Disney Dining all worthwhile. After the show, we had a fairly long wait for a boat back to MK, but the kids were in good moods, and I broke out three new light toys to occupy them. We were “home” by 8 pm, and ready to crash.
Up next, the Pirate Cruise, Epcot WS, and Charlie and I watch IllumiNations alone…find out how we did it, and how you can too!
Dear Nate, Calvin, and Toby,
Did you like SpectroMagic? It’s one of my favorite parades!
Take a deep breath, relax, and rest.
These last few days have put you to the test!
In the evening go see a show called the Hoop-de-Doo,
It has singing, dancing, and jokes that are perfect for you!
Pluto
We made it to our rest day! We woke up, and had a peaceful breakfast at Riverside Mill. I should stop for a moment and comment on our sleeping arrangements and how much we loved the POR trundle beds. We had a routine every night of putting all the kids to bed in my parents’ room, and then moving one or two into our room when we were ready to sleep. (We traded off who we had in each room…my parents help even at night with our kids! Yes, we know we’re lucky.) That way all the adults could watch TV, etc in our room at night. We always fell asleep pretty early though! We put Toby in one trundle, and Calvin in the other. Nate shared a bed with an adult (usually Charlie…I cannot sleep with Nate; he loves to cuddle all night, which is cute and all, but I don’t get any sleep!). We had seriously debated getting a villa for this trip by renting DVC points, but since our dates spanned two weekends, and we didn’t want to move resorts, it was just too costly. This arrangement with two rooms worked well for us as a second choice. Even if my parents hadn’t been there, we were still planning to get two rooms or go with a FW cabin. The space is worth it, in our opinion!
Anyway, we ate breakfast and the older kids wanted to go fishing at the POR fishing hole. If you asked them, swimming and playing at POR was one of the best parts of the trip, so they were pumped for their rest day! Charlie took them fishing, and my dad offered to take Toby to the playground by the pool. The plan was for my mom and I to take the bus to DTD for some shopping sans kids. My dad was to come later with Toby. We gave him explicit instructions to not show up with him until 11 am.
We get to DTD right at 9:30 when the stores are opening. Now this is nice! No one around yet (it’s Sunday, remember), the stores just opening, and we have 1½ hours to ourselves. We split up and I begin some serious shopping. My mission is to get small souvenirs for the two little girls I babysit a few days a week, the two kids of my friend who is “babysitting” our dog while we’re gone, my 4-year-old niece, and four other little boys (family friends’ sons). Plus I want to see if I can find any other stocking stuffers for my kids.
The first store I enter is the scrapbooking place (World of Memories?). Hmm, you’re wondering: I wonder which little boy or girl wants scrapbooking supplies? That’s right: the big one. I love scrapbooking. Unfortunately, the reviews of this store I’d read are right--it’s a disappointment. I have better selection at my local store. I quickly move on to the Days of Christmas store. Yeah, yeah, this one is for me too. I want to find some family ornament souvenirs. There are just too many to pick from in this store! I should add that I’m not a die-hard shopper. I usually start out strong, and get blurry-eyed and dizzy within the hour. So the Christmas store is overwhelming to me. I finally settle on a set of ornaments with the main Disney icons: a castle, Spaceship Earth, Tree of Life, etc. You get the drill.
I head next for World of Disney. I know I’ll get almost all the rest done there. I find cool pirate flags for the boys, suckers and candy, a Star Wars Mickey (maybe I found that at Once Upon a Toy, come to think of it), and plastic mickey cups for the stockings. This is also where I find the Magic Kingdom ride music for Nate. Then I enter the princess room. Suddenly there is pink as far as the eye can see. You have to remember I’m a mom of boys. My retinas are only adjusted to all things primary-colored and camo, so the sparkles and glitter in this room are making my head spin. I think I go into pink shock. I see the line going into the Bippity Boppity Boutique, and I pause for a moment to reflect on all the cash I saved by not giving birth to girls. Maybe I should post that tip on the Budget Board. I then remember my mission, which is two-fold. I need a Cinderella tiara for the 3 year-old I babysit, and a Snow White playset for my niece. When I find the Cinderella stuff, I momentary contemplate whether I have room in our luggage to get the whole Cindy outfit…she’d go crazy for that! Then I see the price and about have a heart attack. Suddenly the dozens of light sabors and dinosaur costumes I’ve bought over the years seem downright cheap. Honestly, I think my high school prom dress cost less than that little light blue number. No joke.
I make one more stop at the kitchen store, find a few more stocking stuffers, and meet back up with my mom at 10:30. See, I told you I don’t shop for long. We have a whole half hour before Toby shows up with my dad, so we decide to check out Goofy’s Candy Kitchen. No sooner have we stood up, and the cell phone rings. My dad is here with Toby. Now, I know I should be glad to have one toddler-free hour to get my shopping done, but certainly some of you other moms of toddlers can understand why I was feeling stingy about my last half hour, right? I really wanted that time, darn it! But my dad’s done his duty, and so we take Toby to ride the carrousel . My dad heads off to do his own shopping. He’s going to meet us at POR later. By the time Toby’s ridden, it’s 11:15, and we want to be back at the resort for lunch, so we start heading to the boat dock. Of course, we pass Goofy’s. We can’t resist. You have to know this: my mom and I are both freaks for caramel apples. Somewhere in the recesses of my mind, I remembered Goofy’s would have them. We went in, pretending to see if they had cute wrapped cookies for the boys’ stockings, but of course, we’re really only there for apples. Lo and behold, they have them. But wait, there’s more! You can custom order them with any combination of toppings. All you wise Disney veterans knew that already, but it’s news to us. We’re sold. We fill out the little cards with our selections (I’m all about the dark chocolate, if you’re wondering). We then learn that these babies will take 10 minutes to prepare. By this time, Toby’s getting hungry and tired, but we push on. We’re so close, we can almost taste it (wow, bad pun…sorry). I find cute Cars cookies while we wait. See, not totally a selfish detour after all. We finally get our bad boys, and have them packed up to go. We hurry to the boat dock, and…the boat is just pulling away. I know, serves us right. At this point we make a rookie mistake. We decide that 20 minutes for the next boat (per the CM at the dock) is too long, and the bus will be faster. We walk to the bus stop, and wait. And wait. And wait. Do buses not begin to come on Sundays until noon? Are there fewer POR buses because anyone with any sense takes the boat? Enlighten me, wise readership, because we endured our longest wait for a bus at that moment. It was 45 minutes before one came (and we were the only ones waiting). Once it came, it stopped at West Side, then at many traffic lights, then at Typhoon Lagoon. It took us 1½ hours to get to POR. We were really regretting our decision to eat when we got back.
But of course we made it, and Toby immediately fell asleep back in our room. We bailed on lunch altogether and ate cereal. Then we sat outside by “our” pool while the kids swam and, you guessed it, ate our caramel apples. Were they worth the long agony of missing the boat and waiting for the bus, you ask? You better believe it.
My dad returned, and offered to stay with Toby (he was still napping) while the rest of us walked over to POFQ and tried out the dragon pool. On the way, I stopped at the concierge desk to pick up our Hoop de Doo tickets for that night. Now, maybe this doesn’t happen to everyone, but it turned out that the ADR had been charged to my CC, which I thought was just holding the ADR. I wanted to use the DDP instead. I’m glad the concierge pointed that out, because it really would have messed up our TS credits. This was toward the end of our trip, and I planned to use 12 credits in this one night. If we didn’t, there’s no way we would use 12 extra before the end of our trip. It would have been such a waste. (I didn't mind dropping that many credits at once, because we didn't want to eat TS every night.) Hoop is not cheap, and I was happy to use 2 credits each on it. It took awhile to get straightened out, and if I had waited to deal with it when checking in at Hoop that night, I would have been sunk. So just something to keep in mind.
We decided we preferred Ol Man Island to Dragoon Lagoon (was the hot tub added on later at FQ, because it’s in a very inconvenient location to the pool?). The kids enjoyed the dragon slide more than POR’s though. I’m not sure why, but they went on it over and over at FQ. It was nice to be able to try both. We got back to our room at 3, fed Toby a snack, and got cleaned up. We were at the bus stop for MK (to transfer to boat) at 3:30. You’re probably wondering about our fast turn-around times in our room (30 minutes is not much time to get 7 people ready for dinner), and yes, we do shower. We’re just not high maintenance people. Remember how much the princess room scared me? Yeah, I wouldn’t even know what to do with half the froo-froo hair clips and bands in there. It’s all lost on me.
We had a peaceful boat ride, and collected more boat cards. We were at FW dock by 4:30, and I checked us in. We let the kids play on their playground, then had our picture taken. Another winner (“winner” meaning it has all 7 of us in it), so we buy it later. We are seated at 5, and we have the first table for seven, one row back from the stage, in the center. A great spot. Yes, I called exactly 365 days before, and I spent the first five minutes beaming at all the other people at the tables around us who must have done the same. We smiled at each other and gave knowing looks. We were a very smug bunch.
I had spent a lot of time on the DIS asking whether this show would hold my kids’ attention. When we’re seated, we get out the playdoh, get the older boys cornbread, and hope for the best. I need not have worried. The show starts, and literally, Nate never stops laughing. He laughs so hard I’m afraid he’s going to get sick. It’s that deep, can’t-catch-your-breath, doubled-over laughter. Every joke in that show is perfect for a 7-yo boy. Calvin enjoys it too, but most the puns go over his head. He’s happy enough with the slapstick humor though, as long as the cornbread keeps coming. Toby is mesmerized. He loves the singing and dancing right in front of him. The rest of us are loving that the kids are entertained.
We all like the food fine. Nothing to write home about (or in our case, expand on much in a trip report), but it’s all good. The Hoop people had actually called me at POR earlier that day to ask what veggie meals the kids and I would like (I had said we were vegetarian when I made the ADR). The kids had pizza and I had roasted veggies and a baked potato. Calvin devoured the strawberry shortcake, so I’d say that was a thumbs-up for him. The highlight for our family was when my dad was picked out by the redheaded girl to sing with her. He had to do a bit with the phrase “Toot Toot”. That made the kids laugh even harder. I have a great pic of my dad turning a few shades of red:
That made getting up at 3 am (Pacific) on Dec. 17th, 2005 to call Disney Dining all worthwhile. After the show, we had a fairly long wait for a boat back to MK, but the kids were in good moods, and I broke out three new light toys to occupy them. We were “home” by 8 pm, and ready to crash.
Up next, the Pirate Cruise, Epcot WS, and Charlie and I watch IllumiNations alone…find out how we did it, and how you can too!
Great installment and what a nice day (except for the bus thing, man that is LONG time to wait for a bus!)! Hoop sounds really fun! I have never been and wondered too if my kids would like it. Sounds like something to put on the list for next time for sure!
Allyson
Allyson
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