Kidani, HRH & BLT in 6 nights- Yes! We are THAT crazy!Nov 04-10,2009 OBX 4/16/10

[jessrose18]

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[BigEeyore]

Ok, I am all caught up after discovering your TR yesterday! You really do put together such wonderful TR's with your pictures and narratives. Thanks for sharing it all with the Dis!

 

[dallastxcpa]

We headed down to the pool for lunch. Timmy was being....a bit of a challenge since getting off that Mummy ride. See, I think he really did NOT want to ride, and once he did ride, he was scared....and extremely cranky. Which is what Timmy does when he is scared...and very hungry. He is a kid who is the very best day you've ever had, and the very worst day you've ever had! Fortunately we knew that his WORST day personna is usually due to a lack of food, so we had high hopes he would be back to his old self soon....


And Timmy continues to do his thing....

I am miserable, and I will not quit until you are all miserable with me!

I kid you not- literally 2 french fries later-

Oh my gosh! Timmy could be my Jacob's twin. That expression is so familiar I had to look twice.

 

[KirstenB]

That picture of Timmy is hilarious!!! I can see one of his friends, "dude, you look so bummed in that photo, were you in the principal's office?" "Nahhh...I was in stupid Florida on stupid vacation!!"

I love the way he bounced back so quick. Our 11 yr old gets the same look on her face, ironically usually after a day of clothes shopping (and she loves to shop). They crash so fast, don't they?

 

[momof2disprincesses]

I just wanted to chime in and say I too am LOVIN' your trip report. We own at Kidani Village also and have had 3 stays there so far and love it!

I also wanted to say THANKS for volunteering yesterday! I work for a different non-profit (Habitat for Humanity) and we're also involved in the Disney promotion. I can understand the comment you got from the coordinator. At first it was a huge headache to coordinate this program, but like most things in life, once you figure it out and get the hang of it, it's not so difficult.

I also wanted to add that it is up to the volunteer organization what a "day" of volunteering consists of. Here at Habitat in WI anyway, we are not building in winter, so I've offered families a chance to make snacks or a meal for our core group of volunteers who are currently remodeling our offices. I've been so overwhelmed with responses. So many people are interested in this program and it really is a win-win for all involved.

So thanks for sharing about your volunteering as well as your trip! You have an awesome family!!

 

[podsnel]

Just caught up with your report - our PC was infected with some dreadful virus - no disboards for over a week

I'm toying with venturing over to the dark side on our next trip with the whole family. My boys would love it!

Looking forward to the rest of your report.

Oh nooo!!!! Sorry about the virus- and glad you got it cleaned up!! A whole week with DIS?? The only time I can handle that is if I'm on vacation!!

And I can't imagine why any boys would not love Universal- it's a BLAST!

Glad to hear that Sean got some sleep & woke up refreshed And please, you and your DH go easy on yourselves you are wonderful parents !


WOW!! your meals at The Kitchen look amazing ! We may have to pay a visit to the dark side during our trip in August and give it a try. Martinis and dessert shots sounds like my kinda place !!

btw Ellen, we decided to do split stay between 2 resorts. I drew the line at 2, I don't have the courage to split between 3 like eldest DD & her 2 BFFs aka the "keep it fresh girls" were proposing. This morning I got our last 2 nights at BLT at 7mos window (got 2br Lakeview ); we're actually booking in reverse order here (don't ask) so I need to book our resort for the beginning days of trip after a FINAL CONSULTATION with team keep it fresh & DS & youngest DD Fortunately for DH & I we will get to spend last 2 nights of this trip relaxing at Top of The World Lounge because I think we're sure going to need that

laura

I laugh SO HARD at the "Keep it fresh girls" everytime I think about it- So it's BLT and where else??? I have to say, 2 hotels instead of 3 will be MUCH better! And relaxing in TOWL at the end of the night is EXCELLENT- I did it both nights we were there. It's absolutely gorgeous! Plus, I LOVED the bartender. She was .

Well, well, I also have one of those children who is the easiest child in the world - unless she needs to eat. She would become so cranky in pre-school/elementary school when she needed to eat that in her early years at school her teachers decided to have "snack" time for the class mid-morning and MID-afternoon. The same as with Timmy, it only would take two French fries (or two bites of whatever) and she would be back to her sweet self. Crazy thing is, hubby is exactly the same and our family was created through adoption, not genetics. We have been with our daughter since she was 4 months gestation and I swear she could be a clone of our genes.

That is too funny that your daughter is the same as Timmy- AND your DH!! What an excellent match your adoption was!! As far as the food thing goes, though, we really try to stay on top of it, because Mr. Cranky Pants is NOT a good time AT ALL!! But sometimes...it just happens. We should probably carry crackers in our pockets at all times to keep our kids from turning on us!

subscribing

Hi! Thanks for reading along!!

Ok, I am all caught up after discovering your TR yesterday! You really do put together such wonderful TR's with your pictures and narratives. Thanks for sharing it all with the Dis!

Thank-you! I LOVE sharing my trip with everyone- I get to relive it, I may actually help someone with their trip, and I can print it out to save for my kids. Well, print out most of it! Truly, I really appreciate people reading and talking to me-it's so much FUN!!

 

[manntra]

Holy guacamole! Those nachos look divine! Yum! Between those and your invited guest Rita that is one yummy meal!
Well...I didn't realize the Give a day/get a day was also good for the AP renewal. Hmmmm I looked and I could be a firefighter or EMS However I think I will try for one in April that is clearing nature paths about a half hour from me....hopefully I can do it before May 1...obviously that would be ideal and then I can apply it to my renewal.
That squirrel needs to come to my back yard! Mine are all well fed and not so scrawny!

Tracy

 

[podsnel]

Oh my gosh! Timmy could be my Jacob's twin. That expression is so familiar I had to look twice.

Really!! Have any pics to share of Timmy's twin?

That picture of Timmy is hilarious!!! I can see one of his friends, "dude, you look so bummed in that photo, were you in the principal's office?" "Nahhh...I was in stupid Florida on stupid vacation!!"

I love the way he bounced back so quick. Our 11 yr old gets the same look on her face, ironically usually after a day of clothes shopping (and she loves to shop). They crash so fast, don't they?

Yes, if he would have been asked right then, that is exactly what he would have said!!

And they DO crash fast- I hope your's bounces back as fast as mine!!

I just wanted to chime in and say I too am LOVIN' your trip report. We own at Kidani Village also and have had 3 stays there so far and love it!

I also wanted to say THANKS for volunteering yesterday! I work for a different non-profit (Habitat for Humanity) and we're also involved in the Disney promotion. I can understand the comment you got from the coordinator. At first it was a huge headache to coordinate this program, but like most things in life, once you figure it out and get the hang of it, it's not so difficult.

I also wanted to add that it is up to the volunteer organization what a "day" of volunteering consists of. Here at Habitat in WI anyway, we are not building in winter, so I've offered families a chance to make snacks or a meal for our core group of volunteers who are currently remodeling our offices. I've been so overwhelmed with responses. So many people are interested in this program and it really is a win-win for all involved.

So thanks for sharing about your volunteering as well as your trip! You have an awesome family!!

Hi! Well, what a wonderful organization YOU work for!! That is pretty much what the rep who set it up with Disney said- that it was a total headache. Very interesting that it is up to the organization to decide what a "day" consists of. I would have thought there was some kind of hourly requirement. So fabulous that so many are calling to volunteer- I think I read on another board that Disney may lift the cap off of 1 million days given out. It would be wonderful if they did! Especially for you- you'll have people lining up to build all summer!!

And...you're welcome. Thank-you for such an informative,heartfelt response!

Holy guacamole! Those nachos look divine! Yum! Between those and your invited guest Rita that is one yummy meal!
Well...I didn't realize the Give a day/get a day was also good for the AP renewal. Hmmmm I looked and I could be a firefighter or EMS However I think I will try for one in April that is clearing nature paths about a half hour from me....hopefully I can do it before May 1...obviously that would be ideal and then I can apply it to my renewal.
That squirrel needs to come to my back yard! Mine are all well fed and not so scrawny!

Tracy

I soooooo wish I would have met those Nachos when i was 18 and could still eat as much as I wanted to and not gain weight!! I would have Powered those suckers DOWN!! It was a VERY yummy lunch. If we had just been hangin' there all day (and not leaving at 3:30 for Aunt Irma's) I would have ordered another Rita, too- it was perfect. YUMMMMMMMMMMMMM!

I read about the renewal thing on these boards somewhere- I think it is also posted on the A/P site. I just know that between renewing being less expensive, the DVC membership takes $100 off, and now $79 MORE off- wow!! It's excellent!!

The squirrel just goes to show...once again... a diet of french fries makes you skinny, skinny, skinny!! Just look at Sean! WHO, by the way, is actually enjoying humus now. I still haven't offered it to him, so there will be a dip there while he gets used to eating it with me, but he actually says he likes it!

 

[podsnel]

The boys were very anxious to check everything out at the pool. If you have never been to HRH before, you will be interested to know that there is music EVERYWHERE- even in the pool itself! How cool is that? All the music is classic rock- which actually surprised me, I thought they would mix it up a little, but oh well. Anyway, while T&T& Pods went for a swim, I went exploring with Sean. He was VERY busy checking the place out, it felt like we were running a marathon!!

Sean decided to look around over at the volleyball court-

The paths that go up to the slide kind of zig zag and criss cross- making it LOADS of fun trying to keep an eye on Sean.

Every once in a while I'd lose track of him....fortunately I kept bumping into him. But he was very happy roaming around, so all was good!

He went down to the pool-

The DJ had kids doing all kinds of things at the pool- even hula hoop contests-

My favorite part of the afternoon, when Sean SAT DOWN!

HRH is a very nice resort- both Pods & I agreed it would be an excellent place to come with a group for an adult getaway. Not that it was bad for kids- it was GREAT for kids- just....not very magical. I guess that's the difference between them. A lack of pixie dust. Anyway, we decided it was time to go- we had to hit the road and go visit Aunt Irma!

 

[podsnel]

Pods' Aunt, Irma, lives about 2 hours west of Orlando in a town called Spring Hill. Aunt Irma is a sweetheart, and will be turning 94 this February! So, whenever all of us go down to Orlando, we try to pay her a visit, and it is so nice to see her. Sean, however, is not a fan of this trip. But he goes. And on this visit, at least we remembered to bring both Blue AND Thumper (a few trips back we brought Blue and left Thumper behind- Oh, what a disaster that was!!) But we got there, and Sean didn't want to get out of the car. So I waited with him for a while, so the rest could go in and visit, and read my book. Eventually he was ready to go in...and we had a lovely dinner that Aunt Irma had arranged for us in the private dining room at her Assisted Living home. See? What a sweetheart!

After dinner, we went back up to her apartment to visit for a while.

Sean started acting up, so I went back out to the car with him. It always makes me so sad that Aunt Irma lives so far away from everyone- and she is all alone. She and her husband had moved down here when they were in their 50s...and her husband passed away not long after. They had no kids, so her brother's families (Pods and his 4 brothers) are really important to her. We always leave happy we saw her, and sad it couldn't be more often.

Back at the HRH, it was bedtime, and Sean had once again commandeered his bed-

That picture cracks me up!! Doesn't he look so comfy?? Well, at least Pods was getting a bed this night, since Tyler was on the cot. Soon it was lights out- because in the morning, Tyler & Pods were getting to the park early to ride RRR!! And- oh joy- I would get to pack up the room!!

See you for more Universal fun soon-

 

[dvc4life]

HRH looks awesome. And those nachos looked so good, along with Rita. No better accompaniment to nachos than that!

 

[manntra]

How sweet of Aunt Irma She's a doll!
HRH looks like a really fun hotel....very nice surroundings
yes...Sean's bed does look super comfy! Are you off to BLT next? I am thinking that might be my next DVC stay....didn't really like the decor/layout at first but the more I am seeing in TR's the more it is growing on me.

Tracy

 

[podsnel]

We woke up to another beautiful day in Florida-

Pods & Tyler were out fairly quickly after their showers, because we thought their BEST chance to ride Rip Ride Rockit would be as soon as the park opened. I stayed to...pack up the room. You know- again. We ate a quick in-room breakfast- and I just realized I forgot to mention my FAVORITE thing in the HRH room- every room has a little baby Kuerig. It was AWESOME!!! I LOVED that thing!! Anyway, while I sipped my last delicious cup of coffee in Orlando (mayyyyy-be) the bell man came and took our luggage, and we were off!

Today we were walking over, and I called Pods to see how the ride was- and they STILL were not on!! WHAT?? Yep! The park opened, but the ride had not- I guess they were having some problems with it. And they also had no estimate when it would actually be opening...turns out, this happens a LOT with this ride. Well, fortunately, by the time we got in the park, the ride was running and Pods called to say there were just a few people ahead of them. So we sat on the lawn and waited and watched.

Is that them????

They came out...we thought they were going to be like, "It was AWESOME!! Tim, ya gotta try it!!" Instead, they were like...meh. It was not so great. I guess their opinion was that after that really cool 1st drop, which was over like THAT, it was nothing much. They are MUCH more impressed by the Hulk and Dueling Dragons. Something to keep in mind in case your kids ever are trying to convince you it will be worth the 2 hour wait! (Or you're trying to convinve yourself).

I had a request- I wanted to ride Jaws, because we had never done that before, and half the time we have been here in November, it's been closed for refurb (so have alot of things usually. I think because we were here on a Sunday, rather tha a weekday- that may have made a difference). For some reason, Timmy was really afraid to go on this- but we encouraged him, and explained people usually think Jaws is a funny ride, so he came on while Pods & S waited outside.

I do remember when this was first here people said it was psychologically terrifying, but now it's like a hokey, big joke. We headed for the Simpsons and MIB, which were both a lot of fun. Afterwards, it was time to get wet-

Athough the wettest was yet to come later that day! It was getting close to midday, and so we headed over to IOA-

The parks are right next to each other, very easy to get from one to another. Both parks were soooo empty, there were just no waits- we rarely even needed the FOL pass. Pods & Ty rode the Hulk- which they LOVE!

Sean was getting a little fussy, so as soon as they came off we walked in the opposite direction towards Suess Landing.

Next up- the rest of our IOA day, lunch at Mythos, the NBA Cafe...and checking into BLT!!

 

[podsnel]

HRH looks awesome. And those nachos looked so good, along with Rita. No better accompaniment to nachos than that!

I agree 1000%!

How sweet of Aunt Irma She's a doll!
HRH looks like a really fun hotel....very nice surroundings
yes...Sean's bed does look super comfy! Are you off to BLT next? I am thinking that might be my next DVC stay....didn't really like the decor/layout at first but the more I am seeing in TR's the more it is growing on me.

Tracy

It was very sweet of her- we were expecting to take her out to dinner which is what we usually do- although she always insists on paying, of course. But the last time we saw her she mentioned doing this and we were very surprised!!

And yes- we are checking into BLT next. And it is GORGEOUS and very, very swanky! I think I might try to book it for our next family trip. Sean seemed very happy there, and it was nice to be so close to MK for him. But, who knows? I've got a while before i have to decide...

 

[renchick]

Hello!

I discovered your TR yesterday, and am now all caught up. As mom to a 7 year old DS with autism, I am enjoying it all the more (knowing that there are others who do what we must do, without even thinking about it, is comforting).

social stories for months in advance - check!
obsessive planning, as it can prevent meltdowns - check!
sudden pit-of-the-stomach fear when you realize that a favorite object was left behind - check!
weeping pathetically because your child came out of his shell to interact with a character - CHECK!

I'm interested in hearing about your experience at BLT. I love it, but those windows, combined with, shall we say, the “impulsiveness” of the autistic child, give me pause.

 

[podsnel]

Good morning! I wanted to post some pics from our visit to IOA in 2005. The ages were Sean, 11, Tyler, 8, Timmy, 6. Sean was having the BEST time-

This is the only Blue they have- I always wonder why this character isn't in the park-

On the Caroseussel-

I have NEVER seen this open. Do you see the book in Sean's hand? It is Green Eggs & Ham. He is reading it even while I am taking the picture-

The BEST thing of all was that Sam-I-Am was in the park- and Sean fed him Green Eggs and ham- it was one of my favorite moments EVER with him!! Sean has been reading that book since he was 2- he would sit in his crib and read it to himself (although I think it was memorized) and would say, "Would-ya, would-ya, could-ya, could-ya" when he got to the "would you, could you in a boat? would you, could you, in a boat?" parts- so with his HUGE love of Green Eggs and Ham, you can imagine how touching this was for all of us- including his brothers, who were soooo excited- for him.

Fun, fun, fun! I wanted to include these, well, because I love the story with Sean and Sam, for one thing, but also because....I have so few from this recent trip like this. The past two years, Sean has REFUSED to slow down and go on ANYTHING in this part of the park- as a matter of fact, i am sure he would prefer to avoid it altogether, he pushes us through to the next "island", and I just can't figure it out! I guess you might think, well, maybe he thinks he's too old for it- but I don't know about that one, because he STILL reads Green Eggs & Ham incessantly, as well as many other Dr Seuss books and watches the videos (and just 2 days ago went on the computer for the first time in about 3 years to play with the cd-roms). So I am BAFFLED!!

Anyway- I will update more in a minute, and then answer the replies after (some of them are so nice I don't know what to say!)

Ellen

 

[dallastxcpa]

Oh my, your boys were so cute. The old pictures sure do bring back the memories. Skylar was only 7 when Dave and I got married at WDW. I love looking back at those pictures because at 13 years old she is taller than me and although she is still my baby it's nice to recall when I could easily carry her around.

 

[podsnel]

As Sean charged us through Suess town, alllowing us to only ride the Cat in the Hat (T&T& me)-

which, by the way, is yet ANOTHER amazing ride- very, very similar to Winnie the Pooh, but more spinny/twisty, so more giggles on this one. And no wait whatsoever. But Sean would NOT get on! I can't figure this out!! Anyway, I had read on the U Boards that Mythos has been voted the #1 theme park restaurant IN THE WORLD many, many times, so I really needed to pay a little visit, of course!!

Sean was pretty hungry at this point, and thankfully they, once again, brough fries out quickly.

Tyler got a strawberry smoothie-

And I ordered some sort of rum concoction that came in a fishbowl-

B&B-

Once again ordering based on all the people drooling over certain menu items on that "darkside board", we started by sharing the Chef's Signature Pizza-

OMG, that was incredible- but it all was very, very good. Following the "darkside" suggestions, I ordered for everyone- the risotto of the day, which that day was with seafood. Lots of seafood-

Pastabilities-

And their signature dish, Blueberry & Pistachio crusted pork, with blue cheese and port wine sauce. served with smokey mac & cheese-

Was it all delish? Abso-tively! Was it better than ALL other theme park restaurants (including Bistro de Paris)???? Not so sure about that one....but I would go again, without a doubt!

After lunch, stuffed to the gills, it was time to ride a roller coaster!! So the usual suspects rode Dueling Dragons- both sides- because the park was DEAD EMPTY- even this had very little wait! I actually have trouble remembering if Timmy went on or not- I think not, because I think he was in chicken dance mode- but I'll ask him when he gets home later. DD is a ride that will be a part of Harry Potter- it is supposed to be excellent, the cars nearly collide from the two different coasters (fire & ice) going at once- I think within inches of each other. Here is what Harry Potter looked like the first week of November-

Ok- I am off to upload some pics, and to do a little packing- I AM going away in 2 days, after all- but packing JUST FOR ME?? Piece of cake!

 

[podsnel]

Hello!

I discovered your TR yesterday, and am now all caught up. As mom to a 7 year old DS with autism, I am enjoying it all the more (knowing that there are others who do what we must do, without even thinking about it, is comforting).

social stories for months in advance - check!
obsessive planning, as it can prevent meltdowns - check!
sudden pit-of-the-stomach fear when you realize that a favorite object was left behind - check!
weeping pathetically because your child came out of his shell to interact with a character - CHECK!

I'm interested in hearing about your experience at BLT. I love it, but those windows, combined with, shall we say, the “impulsiveness” of the autistic child, give me pause.

Hi! Welcome! I agree, it is always so helpful to know you are not alone in this! It sounds like you are having a similar life experience to ours.

BLT was wonderful- but I'm not sure what you might mean about the windows, they were not a concern for us. The height of the balconies was, as well as the long curtains (worried that Sean might try to balance or climb on a balcony , which he never did, and worried that he might try to tear those long curtains down (also, which he never did). The windows are sealed closed, they do not open, they are made of VERY thick glass that would be impossible to break (I think). Does that help?

Oh my, your boys were so cute. The old pictures sure do bring back the memories. Skylar was only 7 when Dave and I got married at WDW. I love looking back at those pictures because at 13 years old she is taller than me and although she is still my baby it's nice to recall when I could easily carry her around.

Thanks- I think they were cute too. I saw that Sklar was so tall in your HHI tr (I really, really hope you continue with it someday!), my neice is like her- 6 feet tall and she just turned 13. Hard to remember back to when they were little while you look at them, and yet it doesn't seem that long ago at all....it's in the blink of an eye, how they grow- isn't it?

 

[manntra]

Your boys look so little in those pictures! How cute!!
Again, thanks for all of your "darkside" pictures! I used to love Dr. Seuss....especially the Sneetches! They are the ones that had stars on their belly's
As always your food pictures do not disappoint! Mythos looks like a really fun restaurant and the food....YUM!
Have a wonderful time on your trip! What a great time of year to get away to some blue skies and sunshine!

Tracy