Magical Grand Gathering Trip with Pics. Completed

[hlrababy]

Bless his heart!!! That is terrible he was running a fever!!!! Poor little thing!!!!!

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

Try not to worry everything turned out okay. I would never ride AO even for a DVC membership . I screamed at Kaylee for for flying us up so high, the spining was out of her hands. But I felt bad later. That was my only bad mommy moment of the trip. I bought her a small surprise later though to make up for it.

As far as DVC, you can take the books and paperwork home. It is no pressure at all. I think if you set up a time you can drive yourslef over to the tour. I had no idea we would have the issues we did or else I would have drove our minivan over there. I wish we joined in 2002, it was alot cheaper back then and would have paid for itself in 4 trips to Disney.

The Tink pins aren't a dream but definately a magical moment. We only the won ears this day. But we did win something else and the kids were given a really nice magical moment as well. We loved wining the ears. My DF never won a dream in any of her trips. She has been 4 times this past year and stayed for 10-11 nights each time. She seemed kind of annoyed about it too. I'm surprised she didn't make a phone call about it. I was happy to see the good looking Jack again. The others are just not the same .

I'll be driving then. As soon as I told Sidney BDS could go with us he said "we're doing it". Kicking myself in the booty here for not going in way back when...I can still see the man sitting there talking to us about it. As much as we go??? Man. Of course we do Disney way differently now.

Dreams...let's see. I was there on the first night of the castle giveaway. I watched the family win it over and over on TV. I was so excited for them. Finally, I'll get to stay in the castle this time. I'm excited. Ashley is going and she wins EVERYTHING! I'm so not kidding. My sister wins it all. She even won this thing that paid off all of her college and gave her extra money! Surely she'll get something good. I'm going to stick to her like glue.

Anyway, so far we've won family of the day on Dinosaur. We got our own time machine and the kids got toys. On Safari that same day they were asked to be spotters. They were given binoculars and had to spot certain animals. They thought that was so cool. Another time they were asked to be in a Pirate parade. They got to dress up and at the end they were given silver Mickey coins and a certificate. last time though...I never even saw the dream peeps! Nowhere! I saw maybe one fam a day with Dream FP's. Before I would see a ton of fams walking around with those things on??? I want to won some ears in December! Wish me luck!

Yep. That fella plays a fine Jack. He could have doubled for JD in the movie. Just now close up. He's way younger than JD.

 

[kaysmommie]

Poor Thomas

What a shame. Poor Thomas! It is so unfortunate when things like that happen. A similar thing happened on one of our trips too.

However, fortunately for most of us, it is a very rare thing when our child gets sick. I can't even imagine what some families go through!

Exactly right . It could always be much worse. A fever is just a fever.

I am sorry to hear that Thomas got sick. It's never fun getting sick on vacation. Hope he was better the next day.

Thanks . The fever was Tuesday night and he was a bit better by Thursday night but not fully recovered.

Bless his heart!!! That is terrible he was running a fever!!!! Poor little thing!!!!!

Thanks

I'll be driving then. As soon as I told Sidney BDS could go with us he said "we're doing it". Kicking myself in the booty here for not going in way back when...I can still see the man sitting there talking to us about it. As much as we go??? Man. Of course we do Disney way differently now.

Dreams...let's see. I was there on the first night of the castle giveaway. I watched the family win it over and over on TV. I was so excited for them. Finally, I'll get to stay in the castle this time. I'm excited. Ashley is going and she wins EVERYTHING! I'm so not kidding. My sister wins it all. She even won this thing that paid off all of her college and gave her extra money! Surely she'll get something good. I'm going to stick to her like glue.

Anyway, so far we've won family of the day on Dinosaur. We got our own time machine and the kids got toys. On Safari that same day they were asked to be spotters. They were given binoculars and had to spot certain animals. They thought that was so cool. Another time they were asked to be in a Pirate parade. They got to dress up and at the end they were given silver Mickey coins and a certificate. last time though...I never even saw the dream peeps! Nowhere! I saw maybe one fam a day with Dream FP's. Before I would see a ton of fams walking around with those things on??? I want to won some ears in December! Wish me luck!

Yep. That fella plays a fine Jack. He could have doubled for JD in the movie. Just now close up. He's way younger than JD.

So you have won some cool things. Not Dream ears but fun stuff. that you will all win them in December or maybe something better even.
Definately do the DVC tour, it would probably be worth it for you since your a family of 5. You do DVC memebers can do the DDP and Deluxe DDP now? A while back you had to book a regular room but they changed that now. That Jack Sparrow is the best, yes much younger then JD. He must laugh later when he sees all us moms drooling over him .

 

[mom2mek]

Awww poor Thomas! And he looks so happy at dinner doing his mouse ears!!

I hate for any kid (and any mom) to be sick at Disney! It should just not be allowed!!!

The Italian restaurant looks good - I might have to put that on the list for next time too!

Sara

 

[29apr00]

Aw poor tomas and how scary for you!! Note to self : remember to pack thermometer for next trip!

I'm sure staying in the room for 2 1/2 days wasn't any fun at all, but glad he was able to enjoy the last day before leaving!

 

[kaysmommie]

Awww poor Thomas! And he looks so happy at dinner doing his mouse ears!!

I hate for any kid (and any mom) to be sick at Disney! It should just not be allowed!!!

The Italian restaurant looks good - I might have to put that on the list for next time too!

Sara

Thanks Sara,
I felt terrible for him. Tuttio Italia was good, but not a must do every trip for us. Definately worth trying. It was much better than Mama Melrose though .

 

[kaysmommie]

Aw poor tomas and how scary for you!! Note to self : remember to pack thermometer for next trip!

I'm sure staying in the room for 2 1/2 days wasn't any fun at all, but glad he was able to enjoy the last day before leaving!

Did you ever notice how we always post at the same time and then I miss your posts until later. Thomas felt better in 2 days but only spent a day and a half resting. We did take him to dinner though, just not much park time.

 

[puggymom]

OMG, I have been off the Dis so much lately I just saw this, I am marking my spot and will come back to read later.

 

[mkluvsmickey]

All caught up here Nichole - great two updates!

Your MK day sounds great - so many fun rides with minimal waits. And congrats on the dream ears! You guys always seem to get lucky! I love Kaylee's face paint too - very cute! Great pictures of the hot Jack Sparrow too - funn that Kaylee knew you thought he was hot!

I'm glad you got to do the DVC tour - one of these days I'd like to do that. I hope you guys are able to buy sometime in the future.

Tuttio Italia looks and sounds great - that is a place we have wanted to try for a while.

Love the pics of the sleeping kids!

So sorry Thomas got so sick - just awful when on vacation. Sam was only sick once at WDW - ironically it was when we stayed at CBR. I'd love to try the resort again when we can actually enjoy it!

 

[kaysmommie]

OMG, I have been off the Dis so much lately I just saw this, I am marking my spot and will come back to read later.

Hi there ,
I noticed you haven't been on alot lately. I enjoyed your update the other day though. Glad to see you over on my trippie.

All caught up here Nichole - great two updates!

Your MK day sounds great - so many fun rides with minimal waits. And congrats on the dream ears! You guys always seem to get lucky! I love Kaylee's face paint too - very cute! Great pictures of the hot Jack Sparrow too - funn that Kaylee knew you thought he was hot!

I'm glad you got to do the DVC tour - one of these days I'd like to do that. I hope you guys are able to buy sometime in the future.

Tuttio Italia looks and sounds great - that is a place we have wanted to try for a while.

Love the pics of the sleeping kids!

So sorry Thomas got so sick - just awful when on vacation. Sam was only sick once at WDW - ironically it was when we stayed at CBR. I'd love to try the resort again when we can actually enjoy it!

Hi Michelle,
Thanks . Kaylee must have heard me say I was hoping it was the Hot Jack I have to watch what i saw around her now. We always have good luck at Disney winning stuff. I took the sleeping picture because it was so funny how fast they fell asleep. Then I realized Thomas was burning up. I always bring the thermoscan and the meds with me. Always hoping not to use them though.

Tuttio was pretty good. We would eat there again but since I have only 7-8 TS meals for next time and as of now it's not on the list. Neither are 2 other of past favorites. We want to go to Hoop Dee Doo and California grill next time.

You should try CBR sometime again. It is huge but I thought it was so pretty. Other than that one day housekeeping tried to skip us, they did a good job. Thomas wants to go back there next time. Kaylee wants to stay at Poly or WL. She likes being near MK. My first choice would be to try BC, go back to WL or stay again at CBR if deluxe is not in the budget. Tom likes Poly better than BC, He thinks Poly is more laid back and BC is more even though it cost less . But he would also go back to CBR. He has pretty much agreed to go back next year. So it will be one of those 3 resorts. We would love to join DVC but is not possible right now.

 

[cdotla]

Nichole - I know you know this, but just want to confirm that I never meant to diminish how awful it was that Thomas was sick! Just so you know! I have definitely been there, and leaving aside the fact that it takes away precious vacation time, the added stress and worry of being away from home when one of your kids is not well is just awful.

On another note, so glad to hear that you already have your next trip in the works! As for BC, Poly and CBR - wow! You can't go wrong. I have stayed at all 3 (well, actually YC, not BC, but IMO there is less of a difference btwn them than Martinique vs. Jamaica in CBR - LOL!). All 3 are awesome IMO! (Of course, like you, the Poly is my fav! But my wallet still holds great affection for CBR )

 

[kaysmommie]

Nichole - I know you know this, but just want to confirm that I never meant to diminish how awful it was that Thomas was sick! Just so you know! I have definitely been there, and leaving aside the fact that it takes away precious vacation time, the added stress and worry of being away from home when one of your kids is not well is just awful.

On another note, so glad to hear that you already have your next trip in the works! As for BC, Poly and CBR - wow! You can't go wrong. I have stayed at all 3 (well, actually YC, not BC, but IMO there is less of a difference btwn them than Martinique vs. Jamaica in CBR - LOL!). All 3 are awesome IMO! (Of course, like you, the Poly is my fav! But my wallet still holds great affection for CBR )

Oh I know what you meant . It could certainly be worse though, like if he needed IV fluid and had the stomach virus or something more serious. We just didn't want to waste precious vacation time so we opted to take him to the ER and try to get him better faster. Kaylee and I both were sick on the way home not fun. But at least the vacation was over at that point.

As far as next year. Right now I have a bounceback booked for October at WL. Nothing is 100 % yet though as far as dates and resorts. I just booked it in case since it was a free dining deal. I really want to go in November or December if a good deal come out. We have never been to Disney during the Christmas Holidays and are ready to try something new. WL would be a good choice for that too. But as far as resorts in October we might try BC if our checkbook agrees, if not then we will stay at CBR again. Not sure if I would book a Pirate room or not since they are in Trinidad south. Tom wants me to book preferred again. I have even looked into a Disney cruise. The dates don't work out with the kids fall break though since the ship will be in Drydock then. I would definately want to go when it's warmer and not as expensive so we can get a nicer room.

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

So you have won some cool things. Not Dream ears but fun stuff. that you will all win them in December or maybe something better even.
Definately do the DVC tour, it would probably be worth it for you since your a family of 5. You do DVC memebers can do the DDP and Deluxe DDP now? A while back you had to book a regular room but they changed that now. That Jack Sparrow is the best, yes much younger then JD. He must laugh later when he sees all us moms drooling over him .

A couple of things... If I see that Jack I'll have to tell him to check out Dis. He would get a kick out the stuff we say.

 

[kaysmommie]

A couple of things... If I see that Jack I'll have to tell him to check out Dis. He would get a kick out the stuff we say.

Before the show was completely over Tom tells the kids it's time to go before mommy leaves us for a Pirate.

 

[mansionterror]

Hi Nichole!

Sorry to hear that Thomas got sick, hopefully he was feeling better the next day. Colby was fighting off some resp. stuff right at the beginning of our vacation, luckily it never developed further.

Did Kaylee enjoy the passport? I think this might be something to get Colby for our Summer 09 trip. Looking forward to the next installment.

 

[kaysmommie]

Hi Nichole!

Sorry to hear that Thomas got sick, hopefully he was feeling better the next day. Colby was fighting off some resp. stuff right at the beginning of our vacation, luckily it never developed further.

Did Kaylee enjoy the passport? I think this might be something to get Colby for our Summer 09 trip. Looking forward to the next installment.

By the next day he had a low grade without tylenol, but was still rather grouchy. I think Colby will like the Passport. After Thomas saw Kaylee's back in the room, he wanted one too. I was going to buy him one the next in Epcot but he never made it to World Showcase because of his fever.

 

[kaysmommie]

Epcot


It was around 8 am when I woke up Kaylee and we went to the food court to get Hot Chocolate for her and tea for me. Tommy had called and said they were just driving to Walgreens and then would be back at the resort. They both wanted to come back and rest and have lunch at the resort today. He said I should just take Kaylee to Epcot like we planned to do.

Kaylee and I had breakfast in the room and finished getting ready. I figured at least we would hit a few rides and get FP's for the boys in case Thomas felt better later. Mostly we planned to go to World Showcase and get all her stamps done on her Passport. We decided to wear something nice today since we knew we would be taking pictures in WS. After we were both dressed we headed to the bus stop. Just as we getting close we saw and Epcot bus pull up. I decided we should take a short cut across the grass. Well we were both running in the grass and I heard a sloshing sound . We ran through very swampy muddy grass but we did make the bus. When we were on the bus I looked at our shoes and clothes we were pretty much covered in mud splats. My white top was splattered as well . So we got off at the next stop at OPR and walked back to the room. There goes rope drop at Epcot as it was almost 9 AM. We cleaned our crocs and legs in the tub. Then we found clean outfits to wear. Of course yesterday afternoon Tom did the laundry already. Figures, now I knew I had to do laundry again later since we had muddy clothes.

After getting cleaned up we walked to the bus stop again. No more running for buses though . This time we waited almost 30 minutes for a bus. Then finally a bus came and we were on our way. By time we got to Epcot it was 9:40. I decided to let go of my commando ways totally the rest of the trip because it just wasn't working and there was no way I was going to be able to see and do everything we planned with a sick kid this trip.

First thing we did was get FP'S for Test Track since I hate waiting in the Queue for that ride. Then Kaylee wanted to wait to see what the wait was for Soarin. We decided to save Nemo and SE for later when we came back for dinner. Just as we were getting to The Land Pavillion Tom called to let me know they were back and Thomas was sleeping. Don't feel bad Tom likes having time to just relax a bit on vacation and usually is happy to take Thomas to the room for afternoon naps. I'm thankful for this of course. I told him our plans and to please call me if him or Thomas need me or anything. Also filled him on the muddy clothes story.

Kaylee and I got in the Stand by line for Soarin which posted 20 minutes. It was more like 30 minutes before we were Soarin over California though. Most of the pics for today are of Kaylee since it's just the two of us. Usually I'm happy to have a little bit of girl time with her but not as much today since I was worried about my little boy. Here is a picture of her on the line. And another of the cool interactive art display they have in the queue.

Then we went over to ride TT. This is one of my kids favorites rides. We waited about 10 minutes with FP's. It was fun as usual. We are sitting the back in the photo. On the way out I grabbed another set of FP's for later.

It was after 11 AM and geting very hot out. So we skipped the rest of FW for now and walked over to World Showcase. We planned on doing a quick visit to each country. Our first country was Mexico. The CM working in the kidcot was very nice and friendly and wrote alot in Kaylee's Passport. Some of the others barely filled it out at all and just pretty much stamped it . She knows Spanish pretty well since she has taken it in school since she was 5. After kidcot we looked in the gift shop but skipped the ride. Kaylee was happy to pose wearing the huge Sombrero

I was really wanting to have lunch here but Kaylee didn't like it last time we ate here in March. I love CS in mexico.

Also I should have stopped for one of these after the night we had but it was a bit too early yet .

Norway was next and they were also nice in the kidcot. I also stopped in Kringla to get a schoolbread for Tom since he loves coconut. I made sure to ask the girls in there if it would be okay in the heat for a couple hours. They said it would and packed it in a plastic container for me. I would have been happy to try CS here too but the kid choices were not appealing to Kay.

So on to China we went. Kaylee did want to eat Chinese food for lunch. The kids meal was a drumstick or something grose though. Also it was not air conditioned since the CS place is open on the sides. We love the China pavillion it's so pretty and the CM are always so sweet too.

Every kids favorite toy in China...

Next we decided to go into the temple building in China. Who do you think we saw on the way in???....

Next Update : Did we win something?? The rest of World Showcase. Dinner at Coral Reef.

 

[cdotla]

Apart from the muddy shoes and clothes, sounds like a good morning for you and Kaylee. Hopefully Thomas was feeling better by lunchtime. (I am sure your mind would have been with him the whole time you were at Epcot, but obviously it would have been much better for you and Kaylee to be out of the room so the boys could get some sleep and Thomas could hopefully get over his fever).

For entirely different reasons than you, I have also not be able to engage in my usual commando-touring style my last few trips. The last time I toured commando was back in Sept 2007. On my last 3 trips I have been forced to tour a completely different way to accomodate other non-commando touring companions and other non-Disney events on our trip. While still enjoyable, I am well overdue for commando-touring again!

Hope that everyone gets better by the afternoon and everyone (including Thomas) has a great meal at Coral Reef!

 

[dddisrunner]

Just catching up.....I am glad you and Tom enjoyed Tutto! We didn't like it at all, the food was lukewarm and our server was HORRIBLE! Maybe we will give it another chance So sorry to hear about Thomas! I can't believe Tom had to take him to the ER! It must have been hard leaving Tom and Thomas behind on your Epcot morning! Glad Kaylee got to get some stamps in her passport I hope things get better soon and you are able to all go to dinner!

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

Oh no...mud is so icky, but I feel something good coming up here and had things not happened the way they did you wouldn't have been there in the right spot at the right time! Can't wait to hear what it is. I think I might know. More...more...more!