Live TR: Spring Vacation 2012

[KristinU]

Great morning at the Magic Kingdom! It was EMH starting at 7am, so not for the night owls...but we had the park almost to ourselves for a couple of hours! I'm also a Ridemax convert after the great success this morning. Cool walking around the Fort while many were still asleep!

We hit Buzz, the Speedway, the Teacups, Pooh, Small World (and they didn't come to life! We are reading Kingdom Keepers as a family), Splash Mountain twice in a row without getting out of the log, Pirates, Space Mountain, then poked around Tom Sawyer Island...a dreamland for an 8 year old boy. DH and I commented that if his best bud from home was here they would never leave the island!

Here are pics from the morning:

Note that we each got or own cup! Worth getting up early!

Then around 10:30 after DS got his Mickey ears ice cream and DH and I got our Dole Whip floats we headed against the masses and back to the Fort. It was like swimming upstream, an amazing amount of people flowing into the gates! We have never been so happy to have obeyed our alarm.

After lunch back at the camper, we took DK9 over to Best Friends for daycare/eveningcareeveningcare since we have a late evening planned...the dessert party at the MK! I have to admit, after those homemade desserts that you all have commented on, i'm thinking that the Disney desserts will not taste as good...but I'm willing to try!
We also got over to Typhoon Lagoon after dropping off DK9, always a winner for us...especially my little fish boy!

 

[bigblock396]

Wow, those are some neat photos of the early shots especially walking to the boat. Don't think I have ever gotten over there that early. But we don't usually go during Easter.

We are planning a weekend trip later in the month and I'm hoping the crowds will be mostly gone by then.

We are really enjoying your live trip report. My kids thought it was neat that your son got Mickey Ears ice cream for breakfast. Bet they remember that when we are there!!

Thanks for posting!!

 

[Christymarie222]

Loving your trip report! We will be heading down in August...so excited Your son is adorable by the way Do you like Kingdom Keepers? I am wondering if I should have DD11 try it out?

 

[bama_ed]

Kristin,

I'm with bigblock. Those pictures in the dark going to the MK are almost unreal. I mean, you asked about the EMH in an earlier thread, and it's dark still. OMG.

So you got bumped up to first class (so to speak)? You booked a Full and Got a Premium? Happened to us last year to on our way to Key West. I didn't know what to do with all that concrete.

Lovin' your live TR girl! Have a great trip.

Bama ED

 

[gillenkl]

Great report and great pics. I'm in!

 

[mauicat]

cool report!! can't wait to be there in 18 days!!

 

[KristinU]

So yesterday after dinner at the camper we headed back over to the Magic Kingdom. Our dessert party reservations had us checking in at Tomorrowland Terrace at 9:00 pm, so we had a couple of hours before that to catch a few attractions. We hit Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, Carousel of Progress, Swiss Family Treehouse and Pirates again. Lines and crowds were crazy and we would have bagged it if we didn't have expensive pre-paid reservations.
Here's a shot of the crowd getting ready to watch the Electrical Parade:

Even with the crowds, it is so cool to be in the MK after dark! I love the feel and the lighting.

And we had never been in the Treehouse at night. Cool views!

So we got settled at the dessert party, here is a pic of me and DS at our table:

And here is our view from the table...great view for the MSEP. Not super close, but fine by us!

And here is one of the dessert buffets:

Very delicious and fancy, but I have to admit that I was comparing it to that place in NC, where you could taste the real ingredients and love
DS was thrilled that her got to make his own sundae (twice! Bigblock: don't let your kids see that he had ice cream 3 times on one day! And for the record, he did have real breakfast before we left for the boat at around 6:15 )

Then all three of us started fading fast. We still needed to pick up DK9 from Best Friends, so we decided to beat the crowds and call it a night before the fireworks began. I can hear you all gasping! But having such good luck with being there for rope drop and having the Studios on the agenda for the next morning, we decided that was the best choice. Even DS was in agreement!

 

[KristinU]

Another bright and early start today, although an hour later since the Studios were on tap and rope drop was at 8:00.
I took DK9 for a little walk, tucked him in, and the three of us left...only to hear him barking as soon as we hit the end of our site. I guess he was feeling clingy and needy after the stay at Best Friends with such little family time afterward before bed. So DH stayed behind and DS and I made it a mom and me morning. I don't think DH was heartbroken since it gave him a chance to chill out, take DK9 for a short run and then go for the rest of his run himself once DK9 was settled...he also putsed around the camper and cleaned the floors!
So, back at DHS with me and DS...we had another great morning being there at park opening! IMHO, these early mornings are the only way to go during the busy seasons.
He chickened out on ToT and RnR, so we modified our Ridemax plan on the bus on the way over. We hit TSM first and because we were a party of two they led us to a different loading area where they load an accessible ride vehicle. One of the two sides is open and I would guesses it can accommodate guests in wheelchairs without transferring out. The other side was where we were seated and was pretty standard with the exception of the lap bars being a 60/40 split...plus there is a during button on the tops of the blasters in addition to the regular pull knob string things. So that was cool to see, and it is always a fun ride!

Then we went off to the Great Movie Ride, where we sat in the second row just behind the guide, which was fun!

Then the new Star Tours! This is what DS had been waiting for. He gave it a thumbs-up, but his first response was how short it was..and I agree that it seemed shorter than the old one, but still way cooler. And just generally refreshed, which it really needed. Of course the merchandising got to DS and he had to builds a light sabre. The 5 at home aren't enough...apparently he didn't have Mace Windu's yet...

Then off to the Muppets, which is always better than I remember!

Then we walked on the streets of New York, on our way over to walk through One Man's Dream...again because of Kingdom Keepers. Oh, and Christymarie: yes, I recommend the book! All three of us are really enjoying it. I picked up all 4 at BJ's a few weeks ago...we are still on the first since we read it aloud at bedtime, so lots of little chunks. The reading is a little advanced for DS8, which is why we are reading it aloud (though when he can see the pages he corrects me when I make a mistake!) So I would guess your DD would have no problem at all, and the content its very adventuresome and a little suspenseful, but fun!
Anyway, then it was off to the 10:15 Indiana Jones show before heading out.

So we have been chilling at the Fort this afternoon. DK9 is happy to have us around and is enjoying the lizards running around.
We also took a little bike ride around the Fort and stopped in at the Meadows Trading Post where DH and DS played checkers while I did some shopping.

And right now DH and DS are off at Disney Quest for a dad and me afternoon while DK9 and I are kicking back watching the world go by, while we have a load of laundry going at the comfort station Life is good!

 

[Christymarie222]

Great! I am going to see if Barnes and Noble has Kingdom Keepers on the Nook
Really enjoying your trip report!

 

[bigredbill]

Really enjoying the trip report. Nice looking rig, btw! Is the new Fantasyland now open in the Magic Kingdom? I thought the first phase of it opened last month.

Love the lanyard and pins. My kids collect them too. They make for great reminders of our trips.

Looks like fun - enjoy your trip!

 

[MommaluvsDis]

Very nice trip report! Keep it coming, please!

 

[KristinU]

Last night we went over to the campfire and sing along...didn't stay for the movie, though, since it started at 8:40 and for this family, that's awfully close to bedtime especially after the late (for us) night the night before
We had a great time roasting marshmallows:

Notice that some smart families brought weiners for roasting..and we even saw one family with a couple of pizzas (not over the campfire, of course )
Time for the sing along:

And meeting Chip and Dale:

That feisty grin on DS is because he was giving Dale bunny ears...LOL!

 

[KristinU]

Bigredbill, the Fantasyland expansion isn't complete yet, lots of construction walls still, but I could see a new castle back there that looked complete. I haven't really stayed too versed on it since we are more into swords and space than princesses in our house And DS has never been too interested in meeting characters.
So DK9 must have had a good time at Best Friends, since he was happy to be returning for another visit! We dropped him off then headed for Legoland.

The google map estimate was an hour, but it was more like 45 minutes for us. We had a great day! I have to admit, when we first started walking in, I got worried that it was going to be too young for DS since you walk through some attractions for the younger set first. But once we got back to the driving school area, DS was thrilled. I was really impressed with this one...they take the kids through a mini drivers ed then have them go out in Lego cars and obey the rules of the road...there is even a rotary/roundabout to navigate!

In the Imagination area there is a place where the kids can build cars and then send then down a ramp.

There is a Lego Mindstorms class in that same area, but they were all waitlisted when we got there around 10:30:

And oh look, a video game place...of choose we had to go in:

We caught the pirate waterski show:

And walked around the Cypress Gardens section, whichwhich was gorgeous:

They have several play areas there, which DS loved...this one was his favorite since there are balls you collect and shoot with air blasters:

They also have areas in a lot of the line queues that have bricks for the kids to play with while the parents wait in line:

I felt like there weren't enough restrooms and drinking fountains in the busy areas and that the restaurants are concentrated at the front of the park and should be more dispersed throughout the park...but otherwise a great park and a great day!
We returned to WDW and picked up DK9, then met up with my parents who had arrived at the Fort while we were at Legoland (they live in Fort Myers so they usually come up and meet up with us for a few days.) Yay for Grandma having dinner ready for us...and authentic key lime pie for dessert! They are on site 1818.

 

[KristinU]

DS slept over with Grandma and Grandpa and we all slept in. DH and DK9 and I set out for a nice run.

But shortly after passing the dog park DK9 put on the puppy brakes and insisted on going over to play. So we let DH finish his run while I took him to play with new friends.
After DH was back, I took my run and hoped to catch a glimpse of what is going on between the Fort and Wilderness Lodge...on the nature trail I saw trucks and thought "aha!"

Until I got closer and saw mulch bags and hay:

Garden variety maintenance if you ask me.
Just a few shots from my run (well, stops during my run):

Oh, and for the record, I checked the mileage when I got to Wilderness Lodge from the 500 loop: a little over a mile. a nice bike ride distance for breakfast if you ask me.
After my shower my mom texted that DS was gobbling up my dad's waffles with strawberries, so wet dashed over to get in on the action.
After that we rode bikes, did some fishing, and DS and I took a swim in the pool.

Oh yeah, DS got Grandpa to take him to the arcade, too:

Great day for chilling at the Fort!

 

[KristinU]

So after a late lunch, DS and DH and I headed off to Disney Quest then Epcot while DK9 spent the afternoon/evening with Grandma and Grandpa (their resident passes have blackout dates, so it wasn't worth it for them to buy day passes when we really aren't spending much time in the parks.)

This timeline was coolcool to look at, clearly not new since it goes through 2007, but we had never seen it before and DS thought it was cool to see the history of Epcot.

Some other pics from our evening:

This was set up for the flower and garden festival:

And how its it that I have been here so many times and had never had one of these delicious grand marnier drinks before???

 

[bama_ed]

That's the second report on Legoland this week. It looks like fun for kids your DS' age.

I think it's great that you have three generations of family on this trip. I'm a big fan of the multigenerational trips. Make sure you take pictures, make videos, and capture the moments of DS with his extended family.

Thanks for the Live TR.

Going home over the weekend? Have a safe trip.

Bama ED

 

[KristinU]

Our last day at WDW...
DK9 and I started the day at the dog park again, and once again he had a blast! I really enjoyed chatting it up with all of the other dog parents that were there throughout the week.

We all decided to go to Downtown Disney to do some merchandising. My mom was after a little gift for a friend's dog, but we learned that they discontinued the pet merchandise and we were told it is for 2 years...which seemed odd that it is a specific length of time. The only thing I can think if is some sort of non-compete clause with a business partner or something like that.
Anyway, we had a good time poking around and Grandma and Grandpa bought my spoiled child a cool RC car that you choose and "help" build. (screw on the bottom plate and put on the tires, but he thought it was awesome and took it very seriously.)

We also did some build your own minifigures at the Lego store, which seemed like a better selection than at Legoland. And we got some cool engraved bricks, one for DS and one for his best bud:

You can choose just about anything and they are $3, which I thought was a great deal.
After that we headed back to the Fort for some lunch and some more play time for DK9. We had planned to do a similar evening park visit like the night before, but DS decided he wanted to hang our with my parents...so then we thought that DH and I could just go and have a date night...but then we were all having too much fun just hanging out at the Fort so we bagged it. More fishing, another go at the pool, some play at the playground for DS and another romp at the dog park!

Oh, and this guy was stealing DK9's Kong!

One thing I keep forgetting to mention is that there was a tomato plant at our site. No tomatoes right now, though:

My mom and I rode bikes around and rode by Trails End...and decided that should be a great idea door a last hurrah dinner, so that's what we did!

And of course horse shoes and hula hooping afterwards!

We had planned to go to the beach to watch the EWP, but we were stuffed and the evening was chilly, so we just listened a we walked back to our site
And as I write this, we are on the road...sad to leave...next time, two weeks - that would be sweet!

 

[bama_ed]

KU,

Have a safe trip home.

That picture of DS with the worms is a CLASSIC.

Bama Ed

 

[jonimce]

Thank you so much for taking the time for such a wonderful trip report. Loved it. We are meeting our kids and grand kids in August at the fort and 5 of them will be seeing DW & FW for the first time. Can't wait.

 

[articfox676]

Your photos were great you have a good eye. This really makes us want a trip to FW real soon.
Thanks for taking the time.