Last minute unplanned WDW trip makes for lots of unplanned magic! May 7-10 w/Pics

[TheTXTaylors5]

This was the most unplanned-last minute trip to WDW we have ever taken. DH and I started chatting on Monday (May 4th) about a quick trip to WDW. On Tuesday (May 5th), DH made our hotel reservation (POR), I called the dog boarder and got my car serviced (Yes, we were driving all the way from Texas on a whim), on Wednesday (May 6th) afternoon off we were to WDW.

(picture taken on this trip)

Cast of Travelers
Me (Jennifer) - SAHM and self-proclaimed Disney nut.
Favorite WDW ride/attraction: Rock 'n' Rollercoaster (DHS) (In the name of all that rocks. Hit it dude! - Stacy)
Favorite Disney Character: Snow White (Brunettes need to stick together!)

DH (Bill) - Hard working IT Manager. Our WDW trips are his "escape" from the fast-paced high stress environment of work.
Favorite WDW ride/attraction: Soarin' (Epcot) (EE close second.)
Favorite Disney Character: Mickey Mouse (The big cheese himself has always had a special place in DH's heart.)

DS9 - As he gets older, he gets more adventurous. Which makes our WDW trips more and more fun and a different experience for him each new trip. DH and I no longer have to ride RNR and EE alone.
Favorite WDW ride/attraction: Haunted Mansion (MK)
Favorite Disney Character: Pluto (Boy's best friend. Who doesn't love Pluto?)

DD6 - She is our girly girl. But, still a wild child at heart and up for some of the more adventurous rides at WDW now.
Favorite WDW ride/attraction: Test Track (Epcot) (Space Mountain close second. "That was awesome!" - DD6 after her very first ride on SM.)
Favorite Disney Character: Ariel

DS3 - He is like most boys his age, he loves anything related to Cars or Toy Story. With each new WDW trip, he is "willing" to ride more rides. A lot of people ask us why we visit WDW so much (usually three times a year). For us, each trip is a different experience and the children can atest to that.
Favorite WDW ride/attraction: Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin (MK)
Favorite Disney/Pixar Character: Buzz Lightyear (Little Green Aliens from Toy Story close second. He calls them Ewwwwww!)

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

Dallas, TX to Orlando, FL (1,121 mi - 17.5 hrs)

DH had to finish up some work on Wednesday. So, we departed home around 2:30 PM (CST). He planned to drive through the night (He has done this on a few occasions. With lots of Java Monster and 5-hour Energy he was fine). Not only was this trip last minute, it was also our "Disney on a Dime" trip. We will be back in June (our big "expensive" lots of ADRs trip for DH's birthday). This trip needed to be on the cheap lmao: Insert BIG laughter here. Nothing at Disney is cheap. I know. But, we tried! ) DH got a really great AP rate for the room ($90). We couldn't pass it up. DS3 was the only one with a current AP (We let ours expire this past December.) We planned to get the rest of the family an AP during this trip. We will get three WDW trips out of them. Not too bad.

We pulled into Port Orleans - Riverside around 9:00 am (EST) with our fingers crossed that they would have a room ready. They did. Yea!!!!! We stayed at POR last year and really liked the resort. It is also one of the few resorts that has rooms to hold a family of five. When we pulled up to our building in the Alligator Bayou area, we noticed we were in the same building as last year. Just three doors away from our old room. It was nice to be "home".

Always when we enter our WDW room, the first order of business is to turn the tv to Top 7 and start our week long love/hate relationship with Stacy. Much to our dismay, this is what was on our tv ...

A show called Must Do Disney. I had seen a thread where DISers saw Stacy in the parks taping some new footage. Never did I think they would "completely" re-do the show. No more "Summit Plummit" (with the hand gesture), no more "Yummy! Yummy! Yummy! Yummy!" I have to admit, we were not too impressed with the new show and miss the old annoying Stacyisms. If you have never been to WDW, you probably are wondering what I am talking about?????? Those that are WDW vets know exactly what I am talking about. We miss "our Stacy". After a few rounds, we ended up putting the tv on the DVC channel instead. Casey is just as peppy and kooky as the old Stacy.

As expected, DH was tired upon arrival. So after changing and freshening up, I took the kids to Epcot while he got some sleep ...

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

THURSDAY (May 7, 2009)

There is nothing like Epcot during the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival (we attended last year too). All the Disney-themed topiaries are amazing.

When we entered the park (around 11 am), our first order of business was to get FPs for Soarin' and Test Track. Soarin' is one of DH's favorite rides. So, I wanted to make sure after his long drive, he at least got to ride it. He planned to meet up with us in Epcot later. They really need to put the Soarin' FP machines OUTSIDE The Land. I had to get DS3 out of his stroller and walk the three of them downstairs. This was a BIG pain. With FPs in hand (2 Soarin'/2 Test Track), we headed over to World Showcase.

DS9 had seen on the Disney Channel about Disney's Kim Impossible World Showcase Adventure. So, off we went to find a kiosk ...

 

[shellym]

Hi, I will be reading this with interest, as we were in POR when you were there! we stayed from april 29 til may 13 also in aligator bayou section. Can't wait to see your pics!

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

Disney's Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure was created by some genius Imagineers.

(located in Innoventions)

Entering World Showcase from Canada, we ran into the kiosk in the UK. The CM there gave us a FP type ticket to show in Norway in about an hour. So, we slowly made our way around WS with some stops for drinks and breaks on benches. By now, the sun was in full force and drained most of the energy out of me and the kids. We went through a case of water in three days at WDW. We plan to bring two cases for our June trip.

(Hanging out in WS)

When our FP time arrived, we walked up to the CM at the Norway kiosk. They gave us a device that looked like a phone (okay, it was a "modified" mobile phone ). DS9 and DD6 were so excited to start their adventure. DD3 acted all excited. But, I am quite sure he didn't know what he was excited for. It was cute.

The phone tells you which country to visit and then your adventure begins. Once there, it gives you clues to find within the country. Once you find your clue, you press the phone and "something" is revealed. Only those with the phones can uncover the special effects. It was pretty cool and must be seen in person to totally understand what happens. I don't want to go too much into details, in case you want to try it for yourself. We completed adventures in Mexico, Germany and China. The kids definitely want to try it again during our June trip. Hopefully, we will get some new countries to explore. Does anyone know if you use the same park ticket (AP) to activate the phone, will it keep a memory of what you have already done? Just curious.

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

Hi, I will be reading this with interest, as we were in POR when you were there! we stayed from april 29 til may 13 also in aligator bayou section. Can't wait to see your pics!

Welcome! Glad to have you along! How did you like POR?

About my pictures ... I was instructed by my family prior to departing for WDW that I was NOT allowed to take any pictures. My family was going on "Picture Strike" and refused in advance to pose for any pictures. I snuck my camera into my bag anyway and managed to get some great photographic memories. WDW is one big photo op IMO.

More photos to come ...

Jennifer

 

[shellym]

Welcome! Glad to have you along! How did you like POR?

WDW is one big photo op IMO.

We love POR. stayed there last year too. Saving up for Beach or Yacht club next year though!

I'm always so surprised when we manage to take over 1500 pics per year and they are not all the same!!!

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

We love POR. stayed there last year too. Saving up for Beach or Yacht club next year though!

I'm always so surprised when we manage to take over 1500 pics per year and they are not all the same!!!

So true! I've never counted how many pictures taken at WDW. But, it must be over 2,000. I've filled two memory cards before. But, that was in conjunction with some Disney cruises.

We love the Beach Club. That is our favorite WDW resort. Stormalong Bay is amazing. We've just hung around the resort and the boardwalk area before without stepping foot in a park. We are DVC Members. But, all our points are taken this year (June, November and December WDW trip). That is why we stayed at POR this year and last year. Also, we couldn't beat the price. My goal is to eventually stay at every WDW resort. Not a bad goal to have.

What did you think of the weather and crowds? We were melting from the heat/humidity. But, the small crowds made it worthwhile to me. How was it before we got there? We will be back the week of June 21st. I can't wait! I know it will be super hot. But, any day at Disney is better than a day at home.

Jennifer

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

Epcot was so empty this day IMO ...

We came across a few characters with no line. We saw Mulan while in China doing the Kim Possible Advenure. I felt so bad for her, I kind of "forced" DD6 to go see her and get a picture taken. Same with DS9 and Donald in Mexico.

Snow White had a small line. But, the kids didn't want to see her. They wanted to play more on the play area near her instead. Poor Snow White.

By this time (4:30 pm), I called DH to see if he wanted to get something to eat with us. I felt bad calling and waking him up. But, the kids were begging to eat at Nine Dragons and I didn't want to eat there without DH. This is one of our favorite WS restaurants. DH was on his way ...

I sure hope they don't close Nine Dragons. We have never seen more than a handful of people in there at a time. On this day, the park was great crowd-wise. So, I really didn't need an ADR.

(I asked DS9 what he was doing. "I'm making Mickey ears". )

We ordered our "family favorites":
Appetizer - potstickers
Main Course - honey sesame chicken

Yum! Yum! The chicken was crispy with a light coating of the honey sauce. We haven't had it this good anywhere else. There was only one other couple in the restaurant near us. So, it was VERY quiet. Our waiter was very attentive and didn't rush us at all. It was so nice to be in the A/C, we didn't want to leave.

After our late-lunch/early dinner, we ventured over to FW to use the earlier obtained FPs.

Rider Swap is a great Disney perk. DH and DD6 went to to ride TT, while I went into the A/C with DS9 and DS3 to check out the new cars. I couldn't believe how many people were just sitting outside in the heat waiting for the rest of their party. Did they not know they could enter the building? I saw this at Mission:Space too. DD6 could ride TT over and over again if you let her. She breaks out in uncontrollable laughter when it does the outside loop. Pure Disney magic at it's best! I rode TT with DD6 when they got back. Then, we headed over to Mission:Space which had a five minute wait for the Green side. By this time, DS3 fell asleep in the stroller. So, I stayed with him while DH, DS9 and DD6 went on their mission to Mars. I was glad DS3 fell asleep at this point. I didn't need to coax him out of the play area at the exit of M:S as usual. DS9 loves Spaceship Earth and it had no line. DD6 wasn't too keen on riding it. So, DD6 and I waved good bye while DH and DS9 headed off to ride.

DD6, DS3 and I popped into Innoventions East and West. That is where we saw the Kim Possible display. It was getting close to Innoventions closing time (7 pm). So, we rushed through (mainly we wanted to stay in the A/C as long as possible ). DD6 and I had fun in there on our last trip doing the Where's the Fire interactive game. She wants to bring the rest of the family to do it in June. DH called and we met back up by the fountain. We headed over to The Land. So, DH could ride Soarin'. DS3 was still asleep and I didn't want to wake him up to go down and get a Rider Swap. So, DH rode with DS9 while DD6 and I sat at a bench right inside the entrance. They DO allow you to bring strollers into the entrance area. Sitting in the A/C almost made me fall asleep. DH did offer more than once to sit with DS3 while I rode with the other children. But, I said no. I honestly just like "being" at WDW and soaking in the atmosphere. I was happy just being there.

 

[bhwhiz]

Enjoying your TR!

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

Enjoying your TR!

Welcome! The more, the merrier. Glad I'm not typing to myself.

More to come ...

Jennifer

 

[Myhappythought5]

I am in. What a fun time!!
I really want to go durring this time to see all the flowers. That is one thing we have never done. It looks so beautiful!

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

I am in. What a fun time!!
I really want to go durring this time to see all the flowers. That is one thing we have never done. It looks so beautiful!

Welcome aboard! Forgive me if my posts get too wordy. I have so much to say and love talking about Disney.

We've gone the past two years during the International Flower and Garden Festival. I was surprised how much the children got into it. It was like a Look and Find of Disney characters with the topiaries. They had a blast!

Jennifer

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

After Soarin', we were all a little tired and decided to skip IllumiNations and head back for a good nights sleep. Not before we went on a hunt for one of these ...

Isn't he the cutest? This was my Mother's Day present. I heard about the Mickey gnomes. But, had the hardest time finding one. Most shops were out of them. As we were exiting WS at the International Gateway, DH popped into the store there and they had only two (2) left. The last two in the park that day. I assume they have more now, but it was a hunt to find them last week. Now, I need to find a safe place in the backyard to place him. For now, he sits on the hutch in my entryway. DS3 was the cutest yesterday. He looked up and said "Mommy, a hidden Mickey!" Yes, we've taught him well. He knows what hidden Mickeys are and FASTPASSes (I'll get to that one later in my Trip Report. )

Back to POR ...

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

We arrived back at POR around 8:40 PM. DS9 and DD6 were still rowdy. So, I took them to the pool near our room while DH and DS3 relaxed in the room. The children had fun making some new friends, while I dangled my sore feet into the water. We did a lot of walking at Epcot. Around 9 PM, we could here the Epcot fireworks (IllumiNations). But, all the trees blocked any sort of view.

We went to bed failry early (10:30 pm) for our Disney trips. We planned to wake up and be at MK for EMH (AM) at 8 am. Good luck with that!

Coming up ... DHS and DAK (2 parks one day and the hot Florida sun )

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

FRIDAY (May 8, 2009)

I prepared a "tentative" itinerary before stepping foot on Disney property. This morning, the plans went out the window and we flew by the seat of our pants. No one would budge when the alarm clock went off at 6:30 am, then reset for 7:00 am and then I finally gave up on any hopes of MK for EMH (AM). So, I checked the channel with all the park hours and decided on DHS in the morning and DAK in the late afternoon. We have been to both these parks and we didn't have to do the rides with expected long lines (ie: Toy Story Mania and Kilimanjaro Safaris).

After a quick in-room breakfast of muffins (another money-saver), we were off for DHS around 10:30 am. We drove our own car to save travel time. Both DHS and DAK are pretty easy to get in and out with your own car.

Our main goal @ DHS: To ride RNR w/DD6. She was finally tall enough for RNR (or at least we thought!).

We made our way towards the RNR and ToT area. The crowds weren't too bad. DH went ahead a little to grab RNR and ToT FPs for later and we were going to ride RNR stand-by immediately. We met DH at the entrance of RNR. That is where we re-measured DD6 (We measured her at home WITH shoes on and she WAS tall enough.) to make sure she didn't wait all the way in the line to get turned away at the platform (I had seen that numerous times on rides at WDW. I always feel so bad for the child.) Wouldn't you know, she was about a quarter of an inch too short. I had read about the height measuring chart at WDW to be off at times on "real" measurements. But, the CM at the entrance assured me they are checked every day. Needless to say, DD6 DIDN'T get to ride RNR this trip. I told her she needs to eat more vegetables and may she'll be tall enough next time.

After DH and DS9 went to ride stand-by (20 minutes). I rode by myself with the Rider Swap. DS9 didn't feel like going again at that time. Then, we decided to ride GMR. This was a nice escape from the heat. We walked all the way through the queue and into a waiting car. What timing! Our family really likes this ride. It is neat with all the different movie scenes. After our last DHS visit, DS9 wanted to see the movie Aliens. I can't believe he sat through it. Now, he knows what that scene is from.

After GMR, DH wanted to run down to TSM just for giggles to see how long the wait was or get FP for later. He said the line was around 70 minutes and the FP was for around 5:30 PM. We planned to be at DAK at that time. So, we will do TSM in June. We were all fine with that. That is one thing I like about visiting WDW so often. If we don't get to do something on this trip, we can always do it on another trip. We don't tour the parks commando anymore. We take the time to soak in the atmosphere of the parks and relax when needed. It makes for happy kids and happy DH.

By this time, the children were getting hungry. Personally, I don't like the food offerings at DHS. So, I promised them after one last ride on RNR and ToT, we'd head out and pick-up McDonald's on our way to DAK. They were obviously fine with that.

We left DHS around 1:00 PM. I figure we weren't in the park for more than two hours because when we arrived the HSM float/stage was coming out and when we left it was coming out. To the casual observer, it may not sound like we accomplished much at DHS. But, we accomplished what we set out to do ... ride RNR. Anything after that was gravy.

Next stop ... What are they doing to the McDonald's near the Animal Kingdom resorts???????? I love my GPS!!!!!!

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

We typed DAK into our GPS and off we went. We knew there was a McDonald's on the way. However, when we got to the McDonald's it was under refurbishment. That was a bummer. I knew there was another drive-thru McDonald's near DTD in the Crossroads. So, we ended up going to that one (just a little detour ). We ate in the car on the way to DAK.

I don't care what some people say (write), we love DAK and truly appreciate it's beauty. We get swept up in the culture every trip. I don't see a trip in our near future to Nepal or Tanzania. So, this is the next best thing to us.

Our main goal @ DAK: Expedition Everest

We casually walked into the park around 3 PM. The park closed at 5 PM. So, we headed first to EE to see how long the stand-by line was or to ride single-rider line. The stand-by line wasn't too bad. So, DH and DS9 rode first and I got a Rider Swap. Then, we made our way over to The Boneyard. Our children could play in there all day if we let them. So we hung out in there for about 30/40 minutes (cooling off a bit). That is when I happened to look at the park schedule and noticed there was one last showing of Finding Nemo - The Musical. We had never seen this show. So, off we went with only ten minutes to spare. We found great seats in the upper level near the middle. This show exceeded all my expectations. It was mesmerizing and even kept our normally antsy DS3 in his seat with his eyes glued to the stage. I highly recommend this show! The park closed while we were in the show. So, we slowly made our way out of the park.

(Hanging out at DAK)

We are DVC Members and our "home" resort is the newly opened Animal Kingdom Villas - Kidani Village. Being so close, we decided to check out our new home. We will be staying there in December.

Coming up ... making a splash at Kidani Village

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

As soon as we entered the Kidani Village area, we knew we made the right decision to make AKV our home resort. This "resort" is like no other DVC property IMO. The outside entrance area is really unique with built-in lamps on different shelves. I can't wait to go back at night and see it really illuminated.

We have visited AKL (Jambo House) and thought the main building lobby was VERY dark. They fixed that "problem" with the lobby of Kidani Village. The HUGE windows in the back overlook a savannah with grazing animals. On this day, we saw a few zebras, giraffes and deer-looking animals. While the kids and I were checking out the animals, DH went to see if we could get a quick look at a room. We have seen the models over at SSR. However, we wanted to see a "real" room. A nice CM took us to see a two-bedroom villa with savannah view (That is what we are staying in December.) It was very well laid out and spacious. Staying in a "regular" WDW room makes me appreciate our DVC villas even more. Also having three children, the in-room washer and dryer was a big selling point to me. It also helps cut back on packing too much.

We heard about the new on-property restaurant called Sanaa. It opened the week before our arrival. So, we went downstairs to check it out. It kept with the African theme and to my surprise was very busy. We plan to eat there in December.

Another BIG selling point of this property to us was the planned pool and water play area. It looked great in the artist rendering. However, you can never tell how things will look in person. So our next stop was the pool area. Wow! It looked amazing. Our favorite on-property pool area is Stormalong Bay (Beach Club). After seeing the pool area at AKV, we now have a new favorite!!!!! Mind you, we were only there to "look". However, it was a hot day and our children somehow made their way to the water play area and before I knew it ... everyone was soaked. After a big bucket of water dumped on DD6, I gave up on telling them to get out and let them have some fun. We were only heading back to POR after this.

We sadly waved good bye to AKV. It was really a tease until our own stay.

(One thing I noticed while at AKV, all the signs and even the door mat at the entrance read "Animal Kingdom Lodge". I am curious if this was an oversight or intentional.)

 

[mickeystoontown]

Signing on for more! Sometimes the last minute trips are the best kind. Last year, I had just less than a month to plan our WDW trip. (That's last minute for us since I book as soon as the rates come out for the following year.)

Looking forward to reading more.

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

Signing on for more! Sometimes the last minute trips are the best kind. Last year, I had just less than a month to plan our WDW trip. (That's last minute for us since I book as soon as the rates come out for the following year.)

Looking forward to reading more.

Welcome! I don't know if it is coming across in the TR. But, we had so much fun during this trip. It was surreal to be at home on Monday going along my normal day to day life and being at WDW on Thursday. The whole time we were there, I kept looking at DH mouthing "Thank you!"

Jennifer