Lessons Learned on a Fantastic Vacation! UPDATED DAY 3-Minnie, Swimming, & Boma

[acellison]

DAY 3 UPDATE - Post #18



We are back from our wonderful trip to the World. This is my first TR and I promise to try and keep it up and complete it in a timely manner

So I will begin with introductions:

DD Ashley is on the left. She is 4 years old here but turned 5 on our trip.
DD Natalie is on the right and is 6 years old. We have discovered she loves fast rides!

Here they are on the road to Disney.

DH driving

Me ready to get there!

So our 1st day began on Sunday. I wanted to leave early so we could get to the pool and swim. We were staying at AKL and the pool looked wonderful from the pictures I had seen. Early for me was 5:00am so I was up at 3:45 and in the shower. DH woke up around 4:00 without any complaining Next was DD Natalie. I sweetly woke her up and she said, "I am so excited to go to Disney World" Finally, I had to wake up DD, Ashley. Now I knew that she was not a morning person so I was prepared for a little resistance, but I had no idea what was waiting for me in that bed As I spoke to her softly and told her it was time to leave for Disney she replied, "I do not want to go to Disney! I want to stay in my bed!"
I told her she could stay in her PJs and I would put her in the car with her blanket. This child literally squirmed out of my arms and ran away from me for about 10 minutes before I could get her in the car. On a side note, Ashley got car sick last year on the way home from Disney and I think she was associating that experience with what was to come. Anyway, she was so upset and anxious that she did get sick in the car. We had to make about 4 stops in the first hour of the trip for her. I gave her medicine before we left but it did not help.

LESSON LEARNED-Let DD2 sleep late and give her another form of medicine for motion sickness (which we obtained later in the trip)

Once we were in Florida DD2 seemed to be over her motion sickness and we were all ready to get there. We saw this around 3:00pm:

Notice the dark clouds.
After that we saw this:

And soon we saw this:

Animal Kingdom Lodge was just beautiful. I had looked at many, many pictures of this place, but the pictures cannot capture the serene quality of this resort. As we entered we noticed a smell. No, not an animal smell but a wonderful woody, sweet aroma. I miss that smell
I booked a standard view room knowing that we could see the animals from different viewing spots in the resort. However, as we checked in I noticed we were put in a room overlooking the Savannah And our room was ready

Here are some pictures of our room and the resort:

The girls loved the bunk beds

Our View

Up next: Our 1st night in Disney! Where will we go??

 

[Shannon12]

I was there the same week at Wilderness Lodge...looking forward to seeing what your experiences were the same week!

 

[acellison]

I was there the same week at Wilderness Lodge...looking forward to seeing what your experiences were the same week!

Glad to have you along
Wasn't the weather beautiful this week. I hope you had a wonderful vacation too

 

[acellison]

So after our swim we got dressed and headed to Downtown Disney. We did not take the bus because I had read so many nightmare stories about the long bus ride to DTD, so we drove our car. I was a little worried about the crowds since this was a weekend night, but I didn't think it was that bad. Lot 1 was full when we arrived at 6:00pm. We still pulled in and found a spot

We had dinner at Earl of Sandwich and it did not disappoint. Yummy! We were doing Free Dining and I was always impressed with how much food we were able to get on the Dining Plan.

A pretty light fixture in TrenD.

This is what my parents had given the girls before we left for our trip.

This $ was burning a hole in their little pockets so off we went to World of Disney. I could have spent many hours in this store. So much to see. In fact, I wish I had a whole day to shop at the Marketplace. (Next time)

This is where the girls decided to spend there $20. They stuffed these boxes of My Little Pony costumes full!!

It was getting late and I wanted to make rope drop at MK the next morning. We went to Goofy's to make a dessert but the line was a little long so the girls just picked out something from the store.

Ashley on a sugar high with her lollipop

Natalie with her Minnie cookie

We got back to the room and discovered that the Fairy Godmother had left the girls "Welcome to Disney Bags" She also left a Minnie for each of them. So nice of her to do.

Actually, I kept these Minnies hidden from the girls for three weeks before we left. However, Ashley (my little curious one) opened the cabinet and looked in the bag right before we left for DTD that night Oh well, it was still fun pretending.

Lesson Learned: Keep surprises hidden well until you are ready to unveil them

 

[MeMom]

This $ was burning a hole in their little pockets so off we went to World of Disney. I could have spent many hours in this store. So much to see. In fact, I wish I had a whole day to shop at the Marketplace. (Next time)

This is where the girls decided to spend there $20. They stuffed these boxes of My Little Pony costumes full!!

A whole day to shop would be nice!

Your girls are precious. So nice of the grandparents to give them some spending money. The Pony picture is very familiar. My grandaughter loves playing with the Ponies when she goes, so this summer we ended up coming home with three horses and assorted outfits. She loves playing with them, but now that little sister is starting to scoot around, she can only play with them at certain times and places so that the little one doesn't end up swallowing a Pony shoe or something!

I look forward to reading along with you on this trip.

 

[ProudMommyof2]

Great first day! Your daughters are beautiful! I can not wait to hear more.

 

[JamieH]

We were there the same time and also did DTD on Sunday and MK on Monday, the weather was gorgeous, wasn't it?? Can't wait to read along!

 

[acellison]

Oops, still learning

 

[acellison]

A whole day to shop would be nice!

Your girls are precious. So nice of the grandparents to give them some spending money. The Pony picture is very familiar. My grandaughter loves playing with the Ponies when she goes, so this summer we ended up coming home with three horses and assorted outfits. She loves playing with them, but now that little sister is starting to scoot around, she can only play with them at certain times and places so that the little one doesn't end up swallowing a Pony shoe or something!

I look forward to reading along with you on this trip.

Thank you for the compliment about my girls I think they are precious too! I have seen pictures of your granddaughters on your TRs and I must say they are pretty darn precious themselves Yes, I could see how a little pony piece would be tempting for the younger one to put in her mouth.

Thanks for posting and following along

 

[acellison]

Great first day! Your daughters are beautiful! I can not wait to hear more.

Yes, other than the first hour, it was a great first day

We were there the same time and also did DTD on Sunday and MK on Monday, the weather was gorgeous, wasn't it?? Can't wait to read along!

The weather was so wonderful!! I felt lucky after hearing about all the rain some people had during May. Thanks for posting

 

[acellison]

We all had a restful sleep Sunday night and everyone was up and ready to go on Monday morning to MK. However, Ashley's tummy started bothering her again this morning. I had planned on Poptarts for breakfast on our rope drop mornings, but I went down and got her a blueberry muffin instead. Also picked up a cheese danish for me while I was there She ate a little of the muffin and said it was still hurting. At this point, we were not sure if she was really sick or just having a nervous stomach. But, what can ya do? I threw out my commando plans for the day and decided we would just take it slow and see how she would do. We drove our car to the park becuase we were afraid of her throwing up on the bus Natalie was excited and ready to hit the rides.

Here we are in the parking lot walking towards the Monorail.

We made it just in time to see the opening ceremony.

We had not seen this before and I was so glad we were still able to get there in time to see it. It was a great way to start the day and enter the park First thing we did was grab a time schedule and rent a double stroller. I rented it for three days which was $81.00. Then we headed out to Main Street. I loved all the Fall decorations.

This is where things started to go downhill with my little one. She said she was going to be sick so we headed off Main St. to some bushes over by Tony's. She never really had got sick but would just gag. (I know, too much info). Anyway, after about 5 min. we went inside the corner shop, the candy store I think, and bought her a water bottle (she refuses to drink carbonated drinks). The lady at the register saw her Birthday Button and let her call Goofy on the phone behind the counter. He sang Happy Birthday to Ashley. She tried to be happy and enjoy it, but she was just not into it. So after a little water we proceed slowly down Main St. I decide we are not going to try and ride Dumbo with Ashley and her stomach, so we decide to ride Peter Pan. We waited about 5 min. and then we were off to Neverland. After this, Ashley asked to ride IASW so that is what we did.

Once we were off this ride, we went to check out the line for Ariel. It was only 9:45 but the wait was already 45min. Not going to happen. Ashley again said she felt sick and wanted to go back to the resort. At this point my DH and I decided to split up. He offered to take Ashley to a quick clinic and have her checked out, while Natalie and I stayed at MK through lunch. We would meet up again at AKL after lunch. Ashley was good with that plan too

So, I ask Natalie what she wants to ride next and she says, "Thunder Mountain!" Okay! We actually went on Splash Mt. first in hopes of cooling down a bit. It was rather hot this day.

Natalie on Splash Mt.

We walked on SM and Thunder Mt. had about a 10 min. wait. After this we went to Pecos Bill's Cafe. This was very good! We ordered with the computer and then picked up our food.

With our bellies full we headed to the Haunted Mansion This was a first for DD so I talked her through it. I showed her the funny man's underwear in the Stretch Room and warned her about the lights going off. She had a great time on the ride


By the way, I had been keeping up w/DH on the cell phone while DD and I were playing at MK. The quick clinic could find nothing really wrong with DD2 but gave us a prescription for motion sickness suppositories. (These were effective in taking care of all stomach issues on the rest of the trip) He said DD2 was sleeping soundly in the resort room with him and that DD1 and I should take our time

So, next up was Toon Town where we rode Goofy's Barnstormer.
Natalie noticed Donald's Boat and asked to play in the fountains. Commando mom would have said "no, let's get to the next ride", but Go-with-the-Flow mom was here now so I said, "Sure, take off your shoes and I'll hold them while you play!"

We then rode the train around to Main St. and I asked Natalie if she wanted to make her own set of Mickey Ears. Of course she did! She picked out a pink beanie with pink and silver rhinestone ears and a High School Musical patch on the front. We had her name put on the back in Hot Pink We then rode the bus back to AKL to join the nap fest and get ready for the 2nd half of the day.

Lesson Learned: Going with the flow can present opportunities to create unique memories that might be missed otherwise

 

[acellison]

So we all rested in our comfy beds at AKL. Natalie was up after about an hour and wanted to swim. DH was also awake and ready to play since he had sick duty this morning. Both of them headed to the pool and enjoyed their swim. Then my game loving DH took Natalie to the resort arcade. Here are a few pics of her having a blast.

DH bought a card at the arcade to play the games. He forgot that we received 30 min. free play time with the package we booked. Oh Well

At about 4:00pm I woke Ashley and asked her if she wanted to go back to MK to eat and ride. She said yes, so I gave her the new medicine and began to get dressed. DH and Natalie made it back to the room and also got ready to go We went to wait for the bus this time and one showed up in 10 minutes.
Picture of us waiting:

Once we got to MK we headed straight to the hat shop because Ashley wanted to make her set of ears now. She picked out a blue beanie with silver rhinestone ears and a "It's My Birthday" patch. We also had her name put on the back in, of course, hot pink
Here are the final products although DD2's hat is backward:

Ashley also liked this hat

Next we headed to Tomorrowland and had dinner at Starlight Cafe. I was also impressed with this quick service meal. (All our table service meals were later in the week) After eating we went to ride Buzz DH has always beaten me at this but I'm proud to say that this year I was the winner Everyone seemed to be feeling good and having a great time.

Next up was TTA. Did they change this? I did not notice any changes. I did notice the nasty looking ceiling in Space Mountain. The lights were on and although they have the windows blocked, you can see parts here and there.

After riding on TTA we went across the park to POC. We all had a great time on this ride. All of us walked out saying "Arrrgh" to each other We tried to ride Splash Mt next but it was shut down So we headed to Toon Town because Ashley really wanted to ride Goofy's Barnstormer.

After we exited the ride Ashley and Natalie both begged to ride it again. There was no line so we did! After this the girls wanted to ride TTA again. Now I like TTA, but not twice in 2 hours. However, DH and I didn't really mind and we wanted to keep them happy through Wishes.

We then left Tomorrowland and found a place to stand for Wishes. It was behind the area where they have the Dessert Party. It was a pretty good spot and had a bathroom very close. It was also right under Tink's path and Ashley loves Tink We had a great view of her and the fireworks. This day started rough but ended great!

Lesson Learned: Things can change quickly with a little Pixie Dust

 

[JamieH]

Glad to hear the day ended well after starting off rocky! My DS4 was sick on Monday, too, but we didn't realize it until we got back to the room that night and realized he was running a fever. It was so hot throughout the day, we just thought he was warm from the weather!

Your girls are beautiful, can't wait to read about the rest of your week!

 

[Just Granny]

We were down the previous week and left on Sunday 27th. Celebrated our granddaughter's 1st birthday on the 23rd. We had gorgeous weather all week -- only rained Saturday evening and a little Sunday as we were leaving AK. Your daughters are so precious!

To all parents of young children: ENJOY them at Disney and everyday! They grow up fast -- DH and I are proof now with our little granddaughter, DD & SIL. We're all Disney fanatics and sweet little Lucy will be a Disney kid too!!

 

[celeste.]

Great TR!
your girls are very cute! :]

 

[ProudMommyof2]

The fall decorations at MK are awesome! Can't wait for the next installment!

 

[acellison]

Glad to hear the day ended well after starting off rocky! My DS4 was sick on Monday, too, but we didn't realize it until we got back to the room that night and realized he was running a fever. It was so hot throughout the day, we just thought he was warm from the weather!

Your girls are beautiful, can't wait to read about the rest of your week!

I'm so sorry you had a little one sick on vacation too Did he start to feel better through the week? It was very hot Monday. I'm pretty sure that was the hottest day of our trip.

We were down the previous week and left on Sunday 27th. Celebrated our granddaughter's 1st birthday on the 23rd. We had gorgeous weather all week -- only rained Saturday evening and a little Sunday as we were leaving AK. Your daughters are so precious!

To all parents of young children: ENJOY them at Disney and everyday! They grow up fast -- DH and I are proof now with our little granddaughter, DD & SIL. We're all Disney fanatics and sweet little Lucy will be a Disney kid too!!

I am so glad you were able to celebrate with your granddaughter. I want my parents with us on our next trip

Great TR!
your girls are very cute! :]

Thanks!!

The fall decorations at MK are awesome! Can't wait for the next installment!

I love the decorations too This was the first time I had seen them in person. Thanks for reading.

 

[acellison]

So when I left you we had just finished up our night at MK. The bus was packed on the way back to the resort, which I expected, but the girls and I were lucky enough to get a seat. By the way, the bus driver on this particular ride was so fantastic! He was very funny on the intercom and gave us great trivia facts about Disney. For example, did you know they have to change the elevator cables on the TOT every 1000 drops, which is about every week

Also, did you know that only 1/3 of Disney property is used for Disney parks. And did you also know that the Disney buses are registered as attractions and not modes of transportation. I'm not sure if he was just pulling our tired legs to be entertaining, but it worked for me

We all slept soundly in the resort room and for some reason I awoke very early. I quietly changed clothes, grabbed the camera, and left everyone sleeping soundly. I wanted to walk around the resort and just take in the atmosphere. I was out and about before the front savanna area was open, so I went around to the the pool area where the pink flamingos hang out. It was still dark out and I saw two women with flashlights come from a vehicle in the savanna to check on the flamingos. It was interesting to see the flamingos "wake-up" reaction to these workers. They all started "talking" to each other and gathering in a tight circle. Ah, nature, sorta. Here are a few pictures of my morning adventure.

Looking down towards the restaurants from the lobby.

The fire pit in the lobby.

I never knew how big this piece was until I saw it in person. Very pretty.

Looking out the back windows of the lobby. The lobby is on the 3rd floor.

This is looking up to the spot where I took the last picture.

Bananas growing in the tree.

Random:

I sat here for a while and watched the pelicans.

By now I figured my crew would be stirring and we had a date to eat breakfast with Minnie. It was very important for my girls to meet Minnie this year because last year it was my fault they did not see here!

(Explanation: Last year on the last night of our trip we had dinner at Chef Mickey's and also tickets to the P&P party. Minnie would have been the last one to get to our table because we just missed her in the first go-around. I rushed us to the party and we missed her coming to our table During the planning of this trip the girls kept asking, "Are we going to get to see Minnie this year?" So this breakfast was very important.)

We arrived at our breakfast in plenty of time to take a few pictures.

DD6 is pouting because I was trying to make her hold her sister's hand. Oh, the drama!

We waited patiently as 20 minutes went by our ADR time, then 30 minutes.
DH started teaching DD6 how to play slaps,

Continued in next post...

 

[acellison]

After 40 minutes, I went to check on our ADR and make sure we had not been skipped. Turns out that the computer shut down and they could not see any ADRs or something like that. There were many hungry looking families standing around. I was soooo glad we had not planned on going to a park this day. I would have been going nuts watching the time go by. Instead, I knew we were just going back to the resort to swim, but I was still really hungry. Finally, after 45 minutes past our ADR time, we were called back to our table. The waitress apologized for our wait and told us which character would be coming by first. We had a little while before they hit our table so we were free to hit the buffet My favorite dish on the buffet was the bread pudding. Delish!! Everything tasted so good! At first I didn't see any grits and I was so disappointed. However, I found them in one corner of the buffet. I am a southerner and need my grits
Soon Donald made his way to our table.

Then Goofy came by. He was so cute with the girls. He accidentally knocked DD6's head with his front tooth. We all started laughing and he kept rubbing her head.

Finally the woman of the hour made it to meet my girls, Minnie

With very full bellies, we left the BC and headed back to AKL. We were soon in our bathing suits with our full bellies poking out The girls had a blast on the slide. We all played in the pool together as a family and had a really good time. Then, DH and I took turns playing with the girls while the other grabbed a drink from the bar and laid in the sun. This would have been a little more relaxing if the love bugs were not in season. It seemed like they were everywhere this day down by the pool. We just kept swatting them away and drinking our drinks

At 3:00 I took the girls to do a craft that the resort was doing for kids by the arcade. It was coloring flip-flop cut-outs. The had fun with this. It was a nice free thing to do when we needed a break from the sun.

We all went to the arcade for a while since DD4 had missed it yesterday. After that we got dressed for our ADR at Boma. This meal was a mix of bad and good. The food was great and I even liked the atmosphere. However, this was the time in the family vacation where everyone had a little breakdown. Long story, but it ended up that one child was in tears at the end of the meal and DH and I were irritated with each other. Anyway, we went to the room and got ready for bed. Watched a little TV and hoped for a new start in the morning.

Lesson Learned: Have ground rules set with DH about children eating dessert if they do not finish their meal while on vacation! I say "let them eat cake!" It's vacation Oh well. Lesson learned.