Let's see what this family does flying solo - the POST trip report!

[nilla]

First off, let me apologize to anyone who read my ill-fated pre-trip report, not because I quit halfway through due to my ineptitude at posting pictures, but because I will be repeating my introductions in this report. If you read it, feel free to skip it, though no one said you can't enjoy it a second time!

So here goes.

April 21st marked our family's 5th consecutive yearly Disney trip, but this one will be different from the others in that it will just be us. No siblings, no grandparents...just us. Before we get started, let me introduce you to our protagonists.

 

[nilla]

Me

aka Jon, nilla, JT

Age: 36
Favorite Attractions: Splash, Everest, Haunted Mansion, Dinosaur, Small World
Favorite Restaurants: Biergarten, Le Cellier, Kona
General Likes: Theming, little details, dark and scary stuff, exoctic beers. Likes the thrill rides; not so much the spinning
General Dislikes: People who are "too old for Disney" (including kids). Country Bears Jamboree. HS layout.

 

[nilla]

Wifey

aka Kristin

Age: 35
Favorite Attractions: Splash, Tower of Terror, Everest, Pirates, Carousel of Progress
Favorite Restaurants: Le Cellier, Kona, Biergarten
General Likes: Trip planning (and execution), Epcot girly drinks, DISboards, Gran Mariner Slushies. Surprisingly DID like that I referred to her as "Wifey" in the Pre-Trip report.
General Dislikes: Rides that "beat her up" (RnR, BTMRR), Country Bears Jamboree.

 

[nilla]

Ok, as you can probably tell from the first two pics, we love beer, wine, booze, drinks mixed with booze, frozen drinks mixed with booze, and desserts made with booze. Can you guess what our favorite Disney park is?

Now on to the kids, who thankfully do NOT like any of those things.

 

[nilla]

The Boy

aka Dylan, Dyl, and occasionally "Pickles"

Age: 8
Favorite Attractions: Splash, Everest, RnR, TOT, BTMRR
Favorite Restaurants: None. Hates to eat. We call him a "vegetarian who doesn't like vegetables"
General Likes: Thrill rides, characters, video game type stuff
General Dislikes: Eating. He will also claim to not like Princesses prior to the trip, but changes his tune when he sees them for real.

 

[nilla]

The Girl

aka Emily, Em

Emily is a wonder of science - twins, two distinct people living inside one body. First, there is Super Sweet Thoughful Cuddly Emily:

Then, there's Demanding Backtalking Whining Miserable Emily:

Both have similar statistics:

Age: 4
Favorite Attractions: Small World, Splash, BTMRR, Test Track, Soarin'
Favorite Restaurants: Askersus (sp?) Princess Dinner, Chef Mickey's
General Likes: Princesses, base characters, snacking, pretending to be things she's not
General Dislikes: Being told "no"

Both Emilys were able to accompany us on our trip. Woo hoo!

Back for some more back story later!

 

[nilla]

Ok, so "later" means "ten minutes later". Now for a brief recap of our Disney History.

Kristin had been to DW probably close to 20 times in her life prior to marrying me. I had been there 3 times. However, it was not until almost 8 years after our wedding that we went there together. Since then, we've returned every late April/early May. Here are the details:

2006 - Our first trip together

Emily was 0, Dylan was 4, and we were in love. Kristin's Mom came along. She's pretty easy going, though can require a kick in the backside at times, especially when rollin' with Disney warriors like us. Dylan rode everything he could get on, including EE and Space Mountain, and LOVED them. We knew he was our son. Only thing he was too small for was Primeval Whirl - we skipped HS that year because we were conned into thinking there was nothing there for kids. Silly us.

Great trip in all. Stayed at POR and loved it. Kristin and I wondered why we didn't honeymoon at Disney. She was still a rookie at trip planning but was remarkebly adept at it for what little experience she had. Trip was in April/May, which became the standard for years to come.

 

[nilla]

2007 - Plus one

Stayed at POFQ this time. Liked the smaller layout as compared to POR. The big difference in this year was the addition of Kristin's Dad, who is a great, funny guy, but can also be a major pain when he gets going. His favorite hobby is telling us how much we could save by staying at a Howard Johnson's. Basically, he doesn't "get it". However, we once again get rider swap opportunities and can get out for a drink at night if we really want to, so it's generally positive. I mistakenly start disliking Le Cellier because the wait is long and the kids are just awful. We make an unscheduled stop at HS the day we leave to come home. Dylan hits TOT and loves it.

Edit: Just noticed that Kristin and I are wearing the exact same shirts as in the picture from the year before. Oh no! Fortunately, neither shirt made the trip this year, though mine did have a good, four year run.

 

[nilla]

2008 - 2007, part two

Again at POFQ, again with both of Kristin's parents in the mix. Dylan ALMOST gets himself onto RnR, but backs out at the last minute. He also backs out of Space Mountain, which was surprising. He was braver at age 4. It was this year we discovered the Biergarten, and fell in love instantly. We got our first time in the park without extended family on the last MK day, when the in laws slept in. We were amazed to see that it was actually easier without the extra "help" they provided.

 

[nilla]

2009 - An all new cast of characters

This trip started out with us on our own at WL. My parents, Brother, SIL, and 1 year old nephew joined us later in the week, but stayed at POFQ. As usual, the extras cannot keep up with our frenetic pace. Our kids, however, are just as hardcore as we are and have no problem. The week ended with just us.

 

[kristin t]

I thought you were going to be referring to me as 'wifey'!! . The pics and description of Emily are funny - and extremely accurate!

 

[nilla]

2010, our fifth trip. No parents. No in laws. Just the four of us. Kristin is a trip planning all star and had everything locked down, for the most part. There is always the opportunity for adjustments.

The details:

Lodging: CS (first time). Not scared of the conventioners; rather, I was intrigued. Our kids have seen their share of bad adult behavior, so that was no worry. I was interested to see what types we'll see, and how it affects the overall dynamic of the stay.

The parks: 4 days Epcot, 3 days MK, 2 days HS, 1 day AK

The full service restaurants: Le Cellier, Biergarten, Askersus, Coral Reef, Chef Mickey's, Kona, Grand Flo Cafe, Mama Melrose, Sci-Fi (lunch), Maya Grille. Latest adjustment has Maya Grille getting pushed aside by Jiko, which is very exciting.

The counter service restaurants: Sunshine Seasons, Tangier House, Columbia Harbor House, Pizza Planet, Pepper Market, Flame Tree, Cosmic Ray's. Others would be game-time decisions.

What's new for this year:

Year 5, and we're FINALLY seeing Fantasmic.

Emily is finally (legitimately) tall enough to ride most rides, and swore she was going on TOT and Dinosaur. She also wanted to go on Everest, but is a few inches shy of the height requirement. I think her sense of adventure comes from being breastfed on dark rides as a baby.

Before you yell about that last comment, please note that we were planning on buying NEW refillable mugs.

Jiko, Grand Flo Cafe, Maya Grille/Jiko, and Pizza Planet will all be first visits for us.

Kristin had her color-coded daily plans laminated and ready to go.

We had been counting down officially since 100 days out, so needless to say, we were excited.

Two weeks before we left, I finally hit critical mass and needed to distract my mind from it for a while. I had a beer right when I got home from work the day we left because I was going nuts.

Up next (i.e., probably tomorrow): And we're off!

 

[nilla]

So it's April 21st. The goal. The day we return "home" to WDW. We arrive at the behemoth that is Lehigh Valley International Airport and walk the hundred or so yards to the very last terminal. Now we wait. I listen to a very large man tell an 85 year old woman all about how her liberal beliefs are all wrong, and that the end result of all socialist systems is the systematic killing of their senior citizens. I guess I should believe him - after all, he did write a letter to Sarah Palin at her home address and got a letter in reply. He also, by his own proclamation, can "fix this country in 30 days".

Resisting the urge to ask him why the *%^$ he doesn't run for president if it's that easy, I instead take up the task of looking for a wireless hotspot where Kristin's iPod can pick up the latest flight info, since the rumor is our flight may be delayed.

I walk around for a few minutes with no luck, then BLAAAAM!!! - connected! I take a few more steps and the connection is gone. I finally relocate the hotspot, then notice a large, yellow sign right next to me, reading "Wireless Internet Access". D'oh!

All is well, though, since the plane is in fact NOT delayed. The kids wait patiently, 50 lb backpacks on their tiny frames...

 

[nilla]

...and we're off. Next stop, Orlando! We have a direct flight from LVI (which is about a mile from our house) to MCO for the first time this year, which, as D.J. Lance Rock would say, is....AWWWWWESOOOOOMMMMMMMEEEEE!!!!!

To my dismay, the SkyMall catalog has grown less and less ridiculous over the years. Remote controlled sharks and go-karts have been replaced with foot massagers and scary-looking lawn gnomes. The 85 year old woman mentioned earlier tells me that she is meeting her daughter's family in Orlando to basically be a "free nanny" for the week. She asks why we go to WDW every year, and is sort of taken aback by my response: "because we love it!" Some people just don't get it, but that's ok. More Fast Passes for me!

Emily makes friends with a little girl sitting behind her, who coincidentally is also staying at CSR. I wish I could remember her name, because our paths will pass again, in a post to come...

 

[nilla]

...and we're here! The best thing about our flight time is that there is hardly anyone in the airport, and we're able to quickly get to MME.

See how happy we look? You'll see similar, but much less cheerful, pics later in this trip report. See how I hook ya? My trip report is the stuff!

Anyway, in front of Em and I are two of about 20 Mexican cheerleaders who are on the bus and headed for the All Stars resort, since it is that time of year and all. One thing I learned from this experience is that a large group of teenagers is significantly less annoying if you don't understand what they're saying. I'm sure it's all Silly Bandz and Justin Bieber and Glee! and all of that other nonsense I either don't get or don't subscribe to, but right now, being an ignorant, arrogant, unilingual nationalist has its benefits!

 

[nilla]

CSR, we're here! Unfortunately, Kristin in the present wants to watch some of the many hours of TV we're backed up on, so TTFN until tomorrow night!

 

[MousekaMaddi]

see ya real soon

 

[Melknor]

Great start! I laughed at the poutty picture of your daughter. My DS4 will do the same look. I call him Mr Poutty Pants when he does that.

 

[nilla]

We walked into El Centro and were immediately impressed. Took some photos in the lobby, then got in line to check in.

In spite of Kristin's advanced check in call a few days before, we still need to get our Keys, map, and miscellaneous propaganda. The sole family in front of us is taking forever, and we soon find out why when a manager approaches us and asks us if we would like to upgrade to a suite at Saratoga Springs. "Man, hell no!" would be Kristin's response if she were Jamie Maddrox from Twiztid, but she's not, so she politely declines. Looks like they overbooked. How does this happen?

Anyway, we get our keys and find out we're in Cabanas 9B, which is still a water view but NOT the 8A Kristin had her heart set on. Not much we can do about it, though, so we're off to our room.

 

[nilla]

Turns out 9B is really just a short bridge crossing away, and not far at all from Bus Stop 1. It was proximity to a Bus Stop that was the main appeal for 8A, so it's not a big deal. First floor, which is quite convenient with a big stroller, and a corner room, which is bigger than the non-corner rooms. In all honesty, the room is no worse than our room last year at Wilderness Lodge. We have a nice view of the small pond behind the building.

Went back to El Centro and grabbed some milk, OJ, beer, and a raspberry gelato (for Emily) at the little counter service there. Kristin got a Heineken, which is very notably NOT Mexican and goes completely against the theming of the resort. Honestly, I was APPALLED. I, with my Dos Equis, was embarrassed to be seen with her.

We returned to the room, and saw a surprise on the neighbor's door:

Maintenance showed up at the same time to that room, and I warned them about the frog so it wouldn't jump into the room when he opened the door. He brushed it off onto the ground, and it immediately jumped right onto Emily's foot. She shrieked, it jumped away, and we laughed like hell. She made it a point to remind us that is was not funny at all, in spite of being completely hilarious to us!

We unpack everything, and Kristin sets up our home away from Pennsylvania. Then it's off to bed, so we can make 9:00 rope drop at Epcot tomorrow. Let the Disney fun begin!