mommie2angels
<font color=blue>Would you like to be in the pictu
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2003
- Messages
- 804
Once again we had a magical time at Disney World. So much to tell you so I will start at the beginning and hopefully not leave anything out. Friday morning we packed up and headed for the Mouse's House. We arrived at the Wilderness Lodge at 2:00 and parked our van (this is an important note for later). Immediately we fell in love. Our wish is to one day to call it home. WOW!!! So many people have told us some wonderful things about it but until you experience it for yourself you never know.
Once we got settled into our room and we all rested a little bit it was time for dinner at Whispering Canyon. It was great! We had the best time. After dinner we walked down to the dock to board the boat for Magic Kingdom. This was one of the most wonderful things for us about staying at the WL. We have always driven the van because the bus transportation is a little slow and aggravating with getting the two wheelchairs on and off. It was very easy for us to get on and off the boat with the wheelchairs and everyone was so very helpful, patient and nice.
Once we got to Magic Kingdom and got over all those feelings of WOW we are here again we headed over to Mary Elizabeth's favorite ride, Buzz Lightyear. You will see from the pictures we had a blast on there as always. The CMs are great to offer to let us ride twice in a row. Next we rode Pooh. The wheelchair car was down so Mike held Mary Elizabeth and I held Michala and Marlee Anne was strapped on. Then for the first time ever we all rode the carousel together. It was so magical!!! A very nice lady took a picture of us together on there. We headed down to Toon Town to see what was happening there. We took a leisurely walk through Minnie's house because there was no one in there. The characters were outside taking pictures and signing autographs. We took a quick picture with Eeyore before he left. We walked to the edge of Toon Town for a wonderful view of the fireworks. A nice walk back to the boat and then back to WL. This was a very relaxing ride and a wonderful way to wind down for the night. We made it back in plenty of time for nightly mug runs.
The next morning we took the boat back to Magic Kingdom. We were having breakfast in the castle for the very first time. Not long after walking into the castle The Fairy Godmother came up to Mary Elizabeth. Mary Elizabeth was so excited! The Fairy Godmother was so very sweet to the girls. Even after Michala tried to pull off her wig. LOL!!! Marlee Anne called her NA-NA which is what the girls call my mom. That was too funny! When I told my mom she said I wish. I said yeah we wish too! A very nice girl who was a guest asked if we would like a picture. She was so nice to do that. So we have a wonderful picture of all of us together with The FG. Our breakfast was wonderful! The food was so good and I am not a breakfast person. We got to see Cinderella, Prince Charming (the Prince we were hoping to see is from our hometown and had come home while we were there so we have to wait and see him in September), Snow White, Belle and we finally got to meet Mary Poppins! Another magical moment! Michala likes to show off her "shoe" so Mary Poppins decided she would show Michala hers. It was very cute! Marlee Anne wasn't to excited to see the characters. She cried when Cinderella held her. I made it all the way to the end of breakfast before crying! For those that don't know I always cry on our Disney trips. Good crys! It amazing me how it's like we step into another part of the world. The stares don't seem to bother us, the girls are treated like the human beings they are and should be treated like everyday. It is just so unreal. It was a very sweet and wonderful Cast Member that made me cry. She wasn't even our server.
After breakfast we went over to see how crowded the Barber Shop was. It was crowded so we road the train around to Splash Mountain. We went over to see the Goofy Dance Show. It was great! We all really enjoyed that. We also saw The Country Bear Jamboree. Marlee Anne was a little scared of the bears at first. Mary Elizabeth and Michala loved it! We decided to see if we could catch Peter Pan and Wendy over by Pirates of the Caribbean. For the first time ever we got a picture made with Peter Pan and Wendy. It was wonderful and they were very nice. We checked the Barber Shop and there were only a few people ahead of us. Mike sat in the chair and held Mary Elizabeth so she could get her first "real" haircut at the age of 10. Mary Elizabeth donated 14" of her hair to Locks of Love. http://www.locksoflove.org/ It was one of the most special moments of our trip. I was so very proud of her!!! Of course I cried.
After all that we needed to sit and take it all in. We went over to have lunch and cool off for a little while. We decided really quick that we would never go again in August. It's just way to hot. The heat caused Michala to have way to many seizures. After that we headed over to the boat and headed back to the lodge. Our plan was to rest which the girls did. Mike and I took turns exploring the lodge. It was just so beautiful! We were torn between having dinner at the lodge at Artist Point or going over to Epcot to one of the countries for a special anniversary dinner. We decided on Artist Point and we are so glad we did. The food was delicious! The service was the best. The girls were welcomed there and there was plenty of room for their wheelchairs. We were seated at a nice large table so we had lots of room. After dinner we went back to the room since everyone was so tired from the heat and all. Before the girls went to sleep we all got to see the MK fireworks from the room. They were blocked a good bit by the trees but it was still very neat to sit in the room and see them.
The next morning we didn't rush to get up and out. We didn't have anywhere to be until 2:00. It was a nice relaxing morning. Mike made his morning mug runs. We took the boat to MK and then got on the monorail to go to Epcot. I was really looking forward to riding the new Mission Space ride. The last time we were there it wasn't open and I got a picture of it. I wish I would have thought to have gotten a picture of it this time. WOW!!! There were tons of people. I don't think I have ever seen that many people at Epcot. It was exciting to see! Mike said how creative Disney was to place a new and exciting ride there to bring people over that typically wouldn't go to Epcot. I didn't think of that because I love Epcot so much. Well I got to ride it. I LOVED it!!! I can't wait for Mike to ride it when we go back. He wasn't sure about the motion sickness part but I really think he would be fine.
We decided to go ahead and walk over to the Boardwalk to catch the boat to MGM. We should have waited for the boat at Epcot but instead we walked. It was just so hot that we would have been better off waiting in the shade with the girls. Now we know. We had to wait about 20 minutes or so for the boat. We met a nice family that we got to talk to. The boat ride was very nice. We got to see the Swan & Dolphin up close. Very nice!
Once we got to MGM we went straight to 50's Primetime Cafe for our 2:00 ressies. It was great! For those that don't know it's decorated like an actual house from the 50's. I saw so many decorations that I remembered from our house and my grandmothers houses. It was so much fun! We waited in the living room until the Hopkins kids were called to eat. Our "cousin" waited on us. He immediately told us the rules. No elbows on the table, no whining, no throwing food or spit balls and some more I can't remember. I need to find them so I can put them in our scrapbook. The food was very good! Fried chicken, meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans. No sweet tea or bread though. LOL!!! For dessert we had the smores. OH MY WORD!!! They were wonderful!!! I was wiping marshmallow off my face for the rest of the day. There is a great picture of that dessert in with our pictures.
Mike wanted to do Drew Carrey's Sounds Dangerous. We had never done it before. One of our goals with us having annual passes this year was to see and do everything we could. So off we went. Marlee Anne didn't like it being dark so right before it was over she, Mary Elizabeth & I headed out. OK so next it was my turn to pick. Mary Elizabeth and I had always wanted to do Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. Mike has never been really excited about doing that. He loves the show but couldn't figure out how the audience could interact with it. It's Disney! He should have known it would be great. He didn't want to just sit there and not have a chance to answer questions. He was soon all into the game. Well guess what is Mike and Michala's favorite "ride" at Disney World now. You guessed it. Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. He wants to go back and do that every time now. LOL!!! It really was a lot of fun!
We decided we would go ahead and head back to the lodge after that because of the heat. We had a good little wait at the boat dock but it was covered so it wasn't to bad. We fed the ducks while we were waiting.
Once we got to Epcot we decided to let Marlee Anne walk around some more since she had been strapped on at MGM. She had a blast walking at Epcot. When you see the pictures remember this is her first time walking at Disney World. That's why there are so many pictures of her doing that. LOL!!! We stopped by and got some fish and chips. My favorite! We got one to share but didn't realize Michala was going to eat so much. We sat across the way in the garden. It was just beautiful and we met so many nice families there. We stopped by the baby changing station then headed out. We did peek in on our CM friend at the photo center before leaving.
The boat ride back from MK to the lodge was wonderful! It was a beautiful night. We thought we would walk down to the dock later and see the light parade but we were just to tired. It worked out perfect because we were able to see it while waiting on the boat at the MK.
The next morning Mike got the van loaded while I got the girls dressed and fed. We had already decided to spend this time walking around the lodge video taping and taking pictures. It was so hard to leave. Now for the very first time since we had arrived we were getting back in the van. What a true vacation! No lifting those wheelchairs in and out of the van. No getting the girls in and out of their wheelchairs. I know for some of ya'll that doesn't sound like a big deal but for us that was HUGE! It was such a blessing! The magic of Disney!
We had to make a stop by Downtown Disney. I just had to see the Mr. Potato Head place. WOW!!! It's awesome! I am so hooked. I thought I was doing so good packing. HA! The sweetest CM came over and re-did it for me. She did great! Every piece that we picked out she got in there. She asked when we would be back and told us they were getting some really neat new items in October. I can't wait. We did go by and check out the scrapbook store while we were there. I was not impressed because you can get all those things in the park. I guess for someone just wanting to pick up something without going to the park it was good. I would love to see individual paper and sticker modules sold there though. We had lunch at Rain Forest Cafe to end the trip. It was Marlee Anne's first time eating there. That was priceless!!! Mary Elizabeth and Michala always love it. Marlee Anne was a little skittish of the big elephant we were sitting beside. LOL!!!
The trip home was very good. Can't wait until we are back there again. Next time we will get to spend some time with a couple of Michala's Aicardi sisters.
Thanks for sharing our trip with us.
Once we got settled into our room and we all rested a little bit it was time for dinner at Whispering Canyon. It was great! We had the best time. After dinner we walked down to the dock to board the boat for Magic Kingdom. This was one of the most wonderful things for us about staying at the WL. We have always driven the van because the bus transportation is a little slow and aggravating with getting the two wheelchairs on and off. It was very easy for us to get on and off the boat with the wheelchairs and everyone was so very helpful, patient and nice.
Once we got to Magic Kingdom and got over all those feelings of WOW we are here again we headed over to Mary Elizabeth's favorite ride, Buzz Lightyear. You will see from the pictures we had a blast on there as always. The CMs are great to offer to let us ride twice in a row. Next we rode Pooh. The wheelchair car was down so Mike held Mary Elizabeth and I held Michala and Marlee Anne was strapped on. Then for the first time ever we all rode the carousel together. It was so magical!!! A very nice lady took a picture of us together on there. We headed down to Toon Town to see what was happening there. We took a leisurely walk through Minnie's house because there was no one in there. The characters were outside taking pictures and signing autographs. We took a quick picture with Eeyore before he left. We walked to the edge of Toon Town for a wonderful view of the fireworks. A nice walk back to the boat and then back to WL. This was a very relaxing ride and a wonderful way to wind down for the night. We made it back in plenty of time for nightly mug runs.
The next morning we took the boat back to Magic Kingdom. We were having breakfast in the castle for the very first time. Not long after walking into the castle The Fairy Godmother came up to Mary Elizabeth. Mary Elizabeth was so excited! The Fairy Godmother was so very sweet to the girls. Even after Michala tried to pull off her wig. LOL!!! Marlee Anne called her NA-NA which is what the girls call my mom. That was too funny! When I told my mom she said I wish. I said yeah we wish too! A very nice girl who was a guest asked if we would like a picture. She was so nice to do that. So we have a wonderful picture of all of us together with The FG. Our breakfast was wonderful! The food was so good and I am not a breakfast person. We got to see Cinderella, Prince Charming (the Prince we were hoping to see is from our hometown and had come home while we were there so we have to wait and see him in September), Snow White, Belle and we finally got to meet Mary Poppins! Another magical moment! Michala likes to show off her "shoe" so Mary Poppins decided she would show Michala hers. It was very cute! Marlee Anne wasn't to excited to see the characters. She cried when Cinderella held her. I made it all the way to the end of breakfast before crying! For those that don't know I always cry on our Disney trips. Good crys! It amazing me how it's like we step into another part of the world. The stares don't seem to bother us, the girls are treated like the human beings they are and should be treated like everyday. It is just so unreal. It was a very sweet and wonderful Cast Member that made me cry. She wasn't even our server.
After breakfast we went over to see how crowded the Barber Shop was. It was crowded so we road the train around to Splash Mountain. We went over to see the Goofy Dance Show. It was great! We all really enjoyed that. We also saw The Country Bear Jamboree. Marlee Anne was a little scared of the bears at first. Mary Elizabeth and Michala loved it! We decided to see if we could catch Peter Pan and Wendy over by Pirates of the Caribbean. For the first time ever we got a picture made with Peter Pan and Wendy. It was wonderful and they were very nice. We checked the Barber Shop and there were only a few people ahead of us. Mike sat in the chair and held Mary Elizabeth so she could get her first "real" haircut at the age of 10. Mary Elizabeth donated 14" of her hair to Locks of Love. http://www.locksoflove.org/ It was one of the most special moments of our trip. I was so very proud of her!!! Of course I cried.
After all that we needed to sit and take it all in. We went over to have lunch and cool off for a little while. We decided really quick that we would never go again in August. It's just way to hot. The heat caused Michala to have way to many seizures. After that we headed over to the boat and headed back to the lodge. Our plan was to rest which the girls did. Mike and I took turns exploring the lodge. It was just so beautiful! We were torn between having dinner at the lodge at Artist Point or going over to Epcot to one of the countries for a special anniversary dinner. We decided on Artist Point and we are so glad we did. The food was delicious! The service was the best. The girls were welcomed there and there was plenty of room for their wheelchairs. We were seated at a nice large table so we had lots of room. After dinner we went back to the room since everyone was so tired from the heat and all. Before the girls went to sleep we all got to see the MK fireworks from the room. They were blocked a good bit by the trees but it was still very neat to sit in the room and see them.
The next morning we didn't rush to get up and out. We didn't have anywhere to be until 2:00. It was a nice relaxing morning. Mike made his morning mug runs. We took the boat to MK and then got on the monorail to go to Epcot. I was really looking forward to riding the new Mission Space ride. The last time we were there it wasn't open and I got a picture of it. I wish I would have thought to have gotten a picture of it this time. WOW!!! There were tons of people. I don't think I have ever seen that many people at Epcot. It was exciting to see! Mike said how creative Disney was to place a new and exciting ride there to bring people over that typically wouldn't go to Epcot. I didn't think of that because I love Epcot so much. Well I got to ride it. I LOVED it!!! I can't wait for Mike to ride it when we go back. He wasn't sure about the motion sickness part but I really think he would be fine.
We decided to go ahead and walk over to the Boardwalk to catch the boat to MGM. We should have waited for the boat at Epcot but instead we walked. It was just so hot that we would have been better off waiting in the shade with the girls. Now we know. We had to wait about 20 minutes or so for the boat. We met a nice family that we got to talk to. The boat ride was very nice. We got to see the Swan & Dolphin up close. Very nice!
Once we got to MGM we went straight to 50's Primetime Cafe for our 2:00 ressies. It was great! For those that don't know it's decorated like an actual house from the 50's. I saw so many decorations that I remembered from our house and my grandmothers houses. It was so much fun! We waited in the living room until the Hopkins kids were called to eat. Our "cousin" waited on us. He immediately told us the rules. No elbows on the table, no whining, no throwing food or spit balls and some more I can't remember. I need to find them so I can put them in our scrapbook. The food was very good! Fried chicken, meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans. No sweet tea or bread though. LOL!!! For dessert we had the smores. OH MY WORD!!! They were wonderful!!! I was wiping marshmallow off my face for the rest of the day. There is a great picture of that dessert in with our pictures.
Mike wanted to do Drew Carrey's Sounds Dangerous. We had never done it before. One of our goals with us having annual passes this year was to see and do everything we could. So off we went. Marlee Anne didn't like it being dark so right before it was over she, Mary Elizabeth & I headed out. OK so next it was my turn to pick. Mary Elizabeth and I had always wanted to do Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. Mike has never been really excited about doing that. He loves the show but couldn't figure out how the audience could interact with it. It's Disney! He should have known it would be great. He didn't want to just sit there and not have a chance to answer questions. He was soon all into the game. Well guess what is Mike and Michala's favorite "ride" at Disney World now. You guessed it. Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. He wants to go back and do that every time now. LOL!!! It really was a lot of fun!
We decided we would go ahead and head back to the lodge after that because of the heat. We had a good little wait at the boat dock but it was covered so it wasn't to bad. We fed the ducks while we were waiting.
Once we got to Epcot we decided to let Marlee Anne walk around some more since she had been strapped on at MGM. She had a blast walking at Epcot. When you see the pictures remember this is her first time walking at Disney World. That's why there are so many pictures of her doing that. LOL!!! We stopped by and got some fish and chips. My favorite! We got one to share but didn't realize Michala was going to eat so much. We sat across the way in the garden. It was just beautiful and we met so many nice families there. We stopped by the baby changing station then headed out. We did peek in on our CM friend at the photo center before leaving.
The boat ride back from MK to the lodge was wonderful! It was a beautiful night. We thought we would walk down to the dock later and see the light parade but we were just to tired. It worked out perfect because we were able to see it while waiting on the boat at the MK.
The next morning Mike got the van loaded while I got the girls dressed and fed. We had already decided to spend this time walking around the lodge video taping and taking pictures. It was so hard to leave. Now for the very first time since we had arrived we were getting back in the van. What a true vacation! No lifting those wheelchairs in and out of the van. No getting the girls in and out of their wheelchairs. I know for some of ya'll that doesn't sound like a big deal but for us that was HUGE! It was such a blessing! The magic of Disney!
We had to make a stop by Downtown Disney. I just had to see the Mr. Potato Head place. WOW!!! It's awesome! I am so hooked. I thought I was doing so good packing. HA! The sweetest CM came over and re-did it for me. She did great! Every piece that we picked out she got in there. She asked when we would be back and told us they were getting some really neat new items in October. I can't wait. We did go by and check out the scrapbook store while we were there. I was not impressed because you can get all those things in the park. I guess for someone just wanting to pick up something without going to the park it was good. I would love to see individual paper and sticker modules sold there though. We had lunch at Rain Forest Cafe to end the trip. It was Marlee Anne's first time eating there. That was priceless!!! Mary Elizabeth and Michala always love it. Marlee Anne was a little skittish of the big elephant we were sitting beside. LOL!!!
The trip home was very good. Can't wait until we are back there again. Next time we will get to spend some time with a couple of Michala's Aicardi sisters.
Thanks for sharing our trip with us.
