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

[nilla]

Rumor has it there will be at least one legit post tomorrow. Hey, I can't work every night...

 

[MEK]

Wow - what a way to end your last night. Dinner in LeCellier is the best and the filet with creamcheese mashed potatoes is my absolute favorite. I love that cheddar cheese soup.

I agree with you that Epcot has tons of things to do for every age group and I love how it absorbs the crowds and never feels crowded. It is one of my favorite parks.

I am sad that your trip is coming to an end. It was a great adventure.

 

[saraheeyore]

I don't know what the disboutique is, but it seems like it could be something I would like.
The cherry dress is Simplicity pattern #2688. I got both the material and the pattern at Joann Fabrics. I've made 4-5 dresses with that pattern - it's super fun!!

hi go on the families board on here and then on disboutique thread it says something like disboutique-we sew there's loads od disney dresses and stuff on there that people have made and it gives you a lot of ideas. you can get sewing for next year. they use an online site for sewing patterns which i often use as its pretty difficult to get any disney sewing stuff in england

 

[Zarabear]

All caught up! Tuning in to catch the end of your report. 'live'.

Somewhere near the beginning you posted:

I should point out now that Dylan has a way of making walking a game, so if there's any pattern or crack on the floor or carpet, he'll navigate it or hurdle it like he's doing parkour. It becomes VERY annoying when he almost leaps into or in front of other people, which happens much too often for our liking. If I could make a pull-string doll of myself, the phrase immediately after "Dylan, just eat" would be "Dylan, walk regular!" It's insane.

That, right up there? Describes my son to a T. Totally had to keep reading after that post. My son is convinced he's going to be a Ninja Warrior someday, and hopes to be a free-runner and loves to pretend to be an Assassin named Ezio... His name is Wil and he will be turning 8 in September on our very FIRST trip to DW.

Thanks for a great read!

~Rachal

 

[MinnieTexan]

Stumbled upon your trip report a few days ago, and have been super-glued to my computer every evening. Love your writing style and have felt that I have been right there with your family.
We're going back in October for the Food & Wine Fest, and the MNSSHP. I'm surely going to try some of Kristin's favorite "girly drinks", and my DH loves a good dark beer. We'll be spending lots of time in Epcot for certain! Oh, one of my favorite Biergarten drinks is Liebraumilch (I probably really messed up the spelling). My DH gave up trying to pronounce it, and refers to it as "leap frog milk".
Do we really have to wait until tomorrow to read your next post? I'll have withdrawal!

 

[KatMark]

Wow - what a way to end your last night. Dinner in LeCellier is the best and the filet with creamcheese mashed potatoes is my absolute favorite. I love that cheddar cheese soup.

Agree with you , Mary Ellen. The food you just posted above is my favorite meal at Disney (with the sourdough bread dipped in the soup and chocolate on chocolate whiskey cake for dessert).

 

[KatMark]

Happy Father's Day, Jon.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Can't believe we're almost at the end. Can you go back soon so we can have another TR?

Ahh Le Cellier. I've heard the rumors on 2 credits but don't know if it's true. I just can't believe how small it is inside!

I'm super happy to hear you are an Epcot convert. It's my favorite (not JUST b/c of the alcohol ) and it pains me to hear people say there is nothing to do there.

Happy Father's Day!

 

[MEK]

Agree with you , Mary Ellen. The food you just posted above is my favorite meal at Disney (with the sourdough bread dipped in the soup and chocolate on chocolate whiskey cake for dessert).

Drat! Too bad we can meet up there in September and feast in all the yummy goodness! OK - NEXT year! I have a lunch ADR on Sept 14th!

 

[YukiPhnx]

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY Jon!! I hope grumpy Emily doesn't make an appearance!

 

[nilla]

Thanks for all the F-Day wishes! To repay the kindness, there WILL be an update tonight, no matter how much caffeine it takes!

 

[MinnieTexan]

Thanks for all the F-Day wishes! To repay the kindness, there WILL be an update tonight, no matter how much caffeine it takes!

Yaayyyyyyyy!! Hope you had a very happy Dad's Day!!

 

[nilla]

Understanding the predictability of the cosmos, Jon presumed the sun rose as usual on the morning of Saturday, May 1st. This faith in science was all he had to rely on, though, since on that morning, in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, the sun's usual radience was all but suppressed by thick, black rainclouds. A dreary fog hung thick over the central lake at the usually beautiful Coronado Springs Resort. An unseasonal chill bit at the his family's exposed skin, a sort of damp chill that seemed to weigh down their every step.

Or so it felt. In reality, a small scattering of cottony white coulds dotted an otherwise light blue sky, the unobscured sun warming the ground and air as the birds chirped and the insects went about their morning business. There wasn't much more one could ask for from Mother Nature that day, and in fact, no physical force contributed to the melancholy mood that encased the family that morning . No, there was a greater force involved today, the unstoppable juggernaut of time. It was this merciless fiend that mandated Jon be back to work and Dylan return to school on Monday, and that this sunny Saturday would be the very last day this family could spend in a Disney Park for another long year.

Refusing to let this put a damper on their final day, Jon pushed away the clouds with words of reassurance to his sorrowful family. In a speech worth of Lincoln, Marc Antony, and Winston Churchill, Jon asked them were it not better to cast from their minds the awareness that this was the end, enjoying this day to the fullest without concern about what was to come next? Would dwelling on the fact that there would be no Disney Parks for over 50 more weeks make the longing any less painful? Should they not just treat this like their first day, seizing the day with a combination of trusted touring plans and park savvy accumulated over the past 4 years?

With spirits lifted, Jon led his family to their destiny onboard a bus to the one place that held any hope to keep the wonder alive...




...the Magic Kingdom.

 

[nilla]

Ok, enough of the high school creative writing assigment - let's crack a PBR Light and get back to the silliness! It's our last day in a park (we fly home tomorrow afternoon), and it's going to be cut short by the current bane of my existence: grads. I scowl whenver I say, type, or even think that word now. Why not have Disboards night? Show appreciation for those who are dumping cash into your revenue accounts like an army of enchanted brooms filling up a tub. Give US a night where we rule the park. Why not?

I know why, and it does make some business sense - they already have us hooked. I don't have to like it, though.

Oh well, one more thing to try to not think about as we strive to make this a great last day. This was our third day at the Magic Kingdom, but only our first to make rope drop. This park's opening absolutely kills me. If you recall from my earlier posts in this Trip Report, I get overly emotional at the beginning of things I love. Vikings games. Wiggles concerts. Iron Maiden concerts. Toy Story 3. Now consider that this is the opening of the iconic park of my favorite place in the entire world, the place Kristin and I refer to as "home", and you can imagine how bad I'm going to get.

We still have some time until Casey Jr. comes down the track, so let's grab a picture before we go in:

And why not squeeze some more water out of the Photo Pass cheese, while we're at it?

Hold on, it's just about time - positions, everyone! We don't stand in the middle of the area, but also don't join the sardine squash over by the entrances. We DO want to see the opening, afterall, and what difference does it make if we're the 1st or 200th person in the park? Those 199 in before us will probably walk slow, rush back to the Crystal Palace, or stop for photos anyway, so we can hang out here and enjoy ourselves.

The Mayor of Main Street comes out and the singing and dancing starts, and I'm tearing up already. Sunglasses are on, however, so I can preserve my tough-as-nails image while losing myself inside. Oh no - here comes the train, so start the real waterworks. In the midst of my emotional breakdown, I manage to take a couple of pictures:

Ooh, White Rabbit! A character we've never met before! I've got a goal for today now

We're on the "run back to Dumbo before the masses realize what him 'em" plan today, and the line is relatively short when we get back there. Kristin split off on the way to get FPs for Peter Pan, then met us over at the line. We ride, and I get the picture that is the sole reason anyone rides this ride:

I guess it is sort of a landmark, though, and Emily loves it. I got an artiste shot before heading over to Winnie the Pooh.

Kristin is really hating the amount of refurbs being done in this park. I see it as a necessary evil, thinking more about how monumenal and Earth-shattering the end result will be, but do agree that this park is not it's usual magical self this year. Don't get me wrong, it's still wonderful, but it's like removing the bonus game from a Disney DVD. It's still great, but it's better with the extras. We rode Pooh twice due to the lack of a line (gotta love Fantasyland in the morning!), then Kristin hit the Mad Tea Party with the kids. I recorded them with the camcorder (which got a workout this vacation - almost 8 hours of video!), but managed a still in the process:

Short side story: we have a friend who came here once on a day trip with relatives with the sole objective of riding the tea cups. Yes, the tea cups. It was during peak season, too. I told Kristin to refuse to help her with any trip plans because it just felt dirty. "Don't get involved in this," I warned. Turns out, they waited two hours to ride and left with a very negative view of the Magic Kingdom and WDW as a whole. My response to Kristin was, "so the Teacup vacation wasn't that great? Really??" I guess they'll just have to settle for riding the teacups at every carnival on Earth from now on.

MTP down, we walked over to the gates of Toontown, where we would wait for our second rope drop of the day. There are Fairies and Princess on the other side, after all, and this may be our last chance to see this place before the heavy machinery rolls in.

 

[SoonerGirl]

Why not have Disboards night? Show appreciation for those who are dumping cash into your revenue accounts like an army of enchanted brooms filling up a tub. Give US a night where we rule the park. Why not?

Totally agree with this - lets start a petition!

 

[KatMark]

Totally agree with this - lets start a petition!

I'll third the vote on this!!! Wouldn't that be awesome to meet all the DIS people we talk to on a daily basis (some more than members of our own family).

Don't worry, Jon, I get teary-eyed as well during the opening show at the MK (and my DH gets teary eyed when he sees Dumbo; Dumbo has been a love of his since he was a little boy and he RIDES it every year--if you get to my PTR, you'll see a picture of him on Dumbo).

 

[YukiPhnx]

i LOOOVE Dylan's shirt. That's a great choice. I know they have a Stitch shirt that's just like that. I wonder if they sell in ladies sizes.....I would buy it in a heartbeat

Just for the teacups???? WTH? What a waste of $80 a ticket. Or is it more or less? I dunno, with the exchange rate, it's about $90 something for me.

That's a great shot of Kristin with Emily riding Dumbo. I just don't get why children LOVE that ride so much. Atro Orbiter is cooler, and has shorter lines (I think?). I can't wait to go on Aladdin's magic carpets though, cause you get to control it! Now that's worth riding.

Wow, twice on Pooh, that's really great. I don't think I've ever been on Pooh...

 

[manntra]

Ohhhh the start of your last day.... I always make MK my last stop of the night on the eve of my dreaded departure.....keep walking forward and taking those last looks down Main Street....so, so sad
I arrived on the 1st and MEK on the 2nd

Tracy

 

[GoofyWife]

loved the intro into your last day report - very dramatic, made me laugh at work again - I agree with you about Epcot vs MK - As much as I like Epcot, MK is the embodiment of Disney magic. Also, to waste a day to ride the spinning teacups - huh? I also am sentimental and tear up over things, but we bleed NY Giants blue in our family so being former New Yorkers we don't cry about our football, of course, our quarterbacks know when to retire!

 

[KatMark]

Oh well, one more thing to try to not think about as we strive to make this a great last day. This was our third day at the Magic Kingdom, but only our first to make rope drop. This park's opening absolutely kills me. If you recall from my earlier posts in this Trip Report, I get overly emotional at the beginning of things I love. Vikings games. Wiggles concerts. Iron Maiden concerts. Toy Story 3. Now consider that this is the opening of the iconic park of my favorite place in the entire world, the place Kristin and I refer to as "home", and you can imagine how bad I'm going to get.

I keep meaning to tell you. Although we are from Chicago and MOST of our family is die hard Chicago Bears fans, our youngest son, is a diehard Brett Favre fan and hence went from being a Green Bay Packers fan to a Minnesota Vikings fan (we threatened him if he rooted for the New York Jets). It is obvious he was dropped on his head at some point, but thought you'd appreciate that you have a Chicagoan who will continue to cheer for your Vikings.