Marriage: The Trip Report - Update 2/28 - Final Thoughts & Link to Disneyland TR!

[brookelizabeth]

Happy Birthday!!! Hope you have a great day!

Happy Birthday Brook!
I hope we get to meet up in August.

Happy Birthday!

Thank you!!!

Jen-I hope we do too!!! I'll send you my schedule when I have one. I marked it down in my notes that you will be there!

Hey Brook!! Happy Birthday!!

Sorry we did not get to meet on our last night (and your first night). As it was I got to meet Anita at about 11:30 that night.

Great news about another trip in August.

I am so far behind & trying to catch up since coming back. Still have not downloaded my pics.

So glad to hear you had a great trip.

I was bummed about not getting to meet up! It just wasn't working with our timing - and my friend Sarah didn't have a ticket for that night....I would have felt bad leaving her along in the hotel room so quickly. Glad it worked out with Anita though, I saw a pic of you two on her Facebook!

I understand about being behind! I still haven't caught up from February! I'm about a month behind on a lot of threads.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BROOK!!!!!!​

I said Happy Birthday on Facebook this morning, so I'll end the day by saying it on here.

Hope it was a good one!

Congrats on the Yacht Club!!!!

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

Thank you!!!!

Thanks to the chapter links I am all caught up and ready for more!

Congrats on another trip! Yacht Club is where we are dying to stay next but I think it will be awhile.

Skipping back a little on your TR, the Barber Shop taking appointments now is awesome. We made one for DD in January to get a fancy do with gel and confetti (best deal in the parks at $7.50 and so cute!) and those without an appointment waited an hour. I totally would have skipped the haircut too but if you get a chance next time it is worth the time!

I'm really looking forward to the Yacht Club. I haven't done much research about it all yet, but I will! I just looked at pictures of the rooms tonight - they look beautiful and comfortable. Plus, that location.

Yes! The Barber Shop does now take appointments! YAY! We waited about 1.5 hours one time for Henry too. It was worth it, but that's not a fun line to wait in! I might have to do the gel in a future trip, I think he'd love that-even though it would probably end up a total mess! LOL

Happy Birthday Brooke!

Thank you!!!

 

[brookelizabeth]

Yea, Brook! Getting to plan yet another WDW trip this year is an awfully nice birthday present. Yacht Club, amazing training, and spectacular bargain. Wow. Plus, to top it off, you're taking Joe & Henry? Incredible. You must be on

I cannot believe I get to go AGAIN this year. Next year will likely be one trip in Feb and the cruise in June...unless something crazy happens again.

Your trip sounds brilliant - busy but very exciting!

But... we don't fly in until the 23rd - any chance you could make even better use of those APs and stay a little longer...?

It will be very busy - but a ton of fun! I would LOVE to stay until the 23rd and meet up!!! We still haven't bought our airfare...so while the chances of an extension are slim, I guess ya never know!

Hi there Brook!

I had to skip the chatter to get caught up, which stinks, because I love the chatter, but I'm sooooo far behind on everyone's reports I knew I wouldn't be able to read every post.

Congratulations on your August trip!!!

Oh and Happy Belated Birthday!!!!! Sorry I missed it

No worries on missing the birthday! I wasn't on here anyway! LOL I practically forgot about it myself...they are all just running together now! I am also having a hard time remembering how old I am!

I cannot wait to read about your trip!!!!

I'll have to catch it on Monday!! Have fun writing it though

Thanks Liesa! Have a blessed Sunday!

I just saw about your trip in Aug! Congrats that is amazing! You will learn so much at the conference and get to spend some time with the family...that is perfect.

How old was Henry again when you went for his first trip? I am going through some major Disney withdrawal and am trying to plan when I will go for the first time with Maliah. Of course she does need to be born first. Ha ha ha.

Thank you!!! I am really looking forward to the family time and the conference - both the fun parts of the conference, and the seminars.

Henry was 14 months old. It was a GREAT age. But, Henry's first trip was to NYC at 8 months old and that was fantastic. I think it's much easier to travel with a baby versus a toddler. You have a bit more gear to carry, and have to plan for a few things extra, but if they are a stroller sleeper-no problem! What age are you thinking about? Jill (BrooklynsMommy) did WDW when Bella was just around 3 months old - she just wore her the entire time, it seemed to work well for her! I love that you are thinking about her first WDW trip!

 

[jenseib]

I've been looking at Yacht Club pictures too, and it makes me so excited! I can't wait to check it out.

 

[brookelizabeth]

Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes! It was a very nice day! I woke up to Henry's hands on my cheeks and him singing Happy Birthday to me. It was very sweet. My sister-in-law made me breakfast, then since Joe was working from home, he ran out and picked me up sushi for lunch! YUM! For dinner we all grabbed slices of pizza from a nearby place and we walked to the movie theater to see Kung Fu Panda 2 - it was cute. All in all, a simple, but great day spent with those I love!

Now...where did we leave off? I had grabbed FastPasses for Test Track (including Henry-he said he wanted to ride today, despite him saying he didn't like it on our first night), and we had made a purchase of two Disney Racer cars.

We headed to the other side of Future World

The F&GF still wasn't open yet - but this was outside the butterfly tent

See the Hidden Mickey?

Pit stop-let's go in!

Perhaps I can trick Henry with the Beverly....

I wasn't the only mean one - that is JOE'S arm in the pic!!

"It's yucky!!!!"

After the Beverly incident Henry refused to try anymore of them! Gee, I wonder why?!?!

Back outside,

we eventually made it to our destination

Nemo!

An attempt at a family picture...you may recall the World's Worst Family Picture was taken right in these very clam shells back in September

Blurry, yet a BAZILLION times better than the last one!

After we found Nemo we had to pay Bruce a visit

Turtle Talk was in the middle of a show, so we spent some time exploring the area

Henry always enjoys a touch screen! Such a little geek!

And of course, we scoped out the fish and stingrays

There are a few fish in the stingray tank, one of which "befriended" Henry back in September and would not leave the corner of the tank where Henry was standing. This time, as soon as Henry spotted that little fish, he remembered him! I was surprised!

"Hi friend!"

And this is where Momma made a mistake.

Henry kept saying "Hi!" to the fish as it swam near him, and would ask him various questions, so in return, I pretended I was the fish and spoke back to Henry.

"Hi Henry! I remember you! How are you? Are you having fun? Are you going to see Crush?"

And so on.

Cute, right?

Well....for the rest of the trip Henry expected EVERY animal to speak back to him. "Make him talk Mommy!" I cannot count how many times I (or Joe) was a duck, or a bunny, or a fish, or an animatronic animal! LOL! While it's fine the first few times, it does get old! Thankfully, he has passed this stage!!!!

Eventually the doors opened and we went in. For the past couple trips Joe has tried to encourage Henry to sit down front with the other kids, and Henry has always refused. But, this time Joe and I got front row seats, so Henry happily sat on the floor-directly in front of us.

He didn't last too long sitting there, he would scoot up front - then stand up and come back around to us. Then go sit back down. Lather, rinse, repeat!

We really enjoy this show. Sure, it's pretty similar every time you see it, but the questions kids ask are so stinkin' cute! It has never failed to make us laugh. The best part of the show this time was when one of the kids asked Crush how fast he swam. I cannot remember the answer, but then Crush asked the child if she could swim really fast - except he repeated "really" about 200 times! The whole place was roaring with laughter!

Out into the dump shop

If Disney t-shirts were closer to $15 instead of $30, I bet I'd have a closet full of 'em.

I didn't buy anything, but Henry...

selected his stuffed animal of the trip!

Last trip he selected Nemo, this time Squirt (or is that supposed to be Crush?). If they have a Dory, I can see him getting her next time!

Up Next: Duffy on a stick.

 

[tinacaplan]

Yay Nemo! We rode Nemo more times than I care to count in February. Max loved it and it hardly ever had a line. What's better?

 

[Poolrat]

Crush always makes me smile.

It's good to see Henry starting to get brave at Crush. That whole area is so great to spend some time in.



Getting Henry with the Beverly... priceless.

 

[brookelizabeth]

After our adventures in the Seas were over, our stomachs were starting to rumble a bit. It was nearing lunch time. But first, we must stop at the Land to grab Soarin' FastPasses!

I cannot help myself but to take pictures like this every trip. I seriously have an obsession with palm trees! (among other things found at Disney World...)

Squirt was guiding the way over to the Land

I believe I hung out with Henry outside while Joe went to obtain the goods

Glennbo123®

Where to eat?

Let's go this way:

The other side of the butterfly tent

The World Showcase sure looks inviting...through Canada, the UK and onto

France. Your bakery is my husband's siren call.

Cynthia (among others) had described the ham sandwich found here - and I had been longing to try it after their descriptions. Joe had absolutely ZERO problem with eating lunch at a bakery - especially this one!

Ham and cheese sandwiches for all of us.

Chocolate Mousse - Henry's pick.

Eclair - Joe's pick.

Apple Tart - mine.

I was a bit nervous about this meal. I am not a huge fan of cheese (I know, I know, but just wait until you read the NEXT paragraph), so I wasn't sure I'd like the cheese on the sandwich - but I did! The entire sandwich was delicious and not a crumb was left behind!

As you can see in the pictures above, I chose the apple tart as my dessert, but I will admit, I steered Henry in the direction of the Chocolate Mousse so I could try it! I've heard so many good things about it, I just wanted a taste. I am not a huge fan of chocolate either (see! worse than cheese, right?), I have to be in the mood for it, and it can't be too rich - but with all the rave reviews, I had to try that mousse! Sadly, I was correct with this one - it was too chocolatey for me. Henry, on the other hand, ate that cup CLEAN!

Despite our simple meal of a sandwich and desserts, the bill was almost $30--without drinks! This is not a great deal out of pocket, but could be pretty decent on the dining plan.

After we were done eating I took Henry over to the KidCot stop so he could color a Duffy on a stick. I figured we'd be here for just a couple minutes while Joe threw away the garbage and we each took a turn browsing the shop/coloring with Henry.

Serious artist at work.

It was about 3 minutes into it, I decided to make a run to the bathroom. I consulted my iPhone map and saw there was one just over the bridge, near the International Gateway.

Easy.

Well, turns out this bathroom is OUTSIDE the gates. It wasn't close at all! Morocco is much closer! All well, lesson learned. I hurried back knowing Joe and Henry would be more than ready and waiting for me...

but...I found Henry was still hard at work on his Duffy! Joe said he had not come up from coloring since he had started!

So, I took pictures and waited.

And eventually, the masterpiece was complete!

I was a very proud Mommy. I'm certain that Duffy would go for millions!

We finally emerged from France

We started to wander just a bit, completely without an agenda

In seconds we were in Morocco - near the bathroom.

It was getting late in the day - and Joe was itchin' for some Stormalong Bay. A decision was made, we turned around and headed back out toward the Boardwalk - first a nap, then SAB!

 

[brookelizabeth]

I've been looking at Yacht Club pictures too, and it makes me so excited! I can't wait to check it out.

The lobby is beautiful! I think I took a couple pics when we walked through later in this trip. Both Joe and I were impressed!! I'm sure we are all going to LOVE it!

Yay Nemo! We rode Nemo more times than I care to count in February. Max loved it and it hardly ever had a line. What's better?

Thankfully the most we've ever done that ride in one trip is about 5. And I think 3 of those were just Joe and Henry while I was in a very slow moving Soarin' line on a Baby Swap ticket. Thankfully it seldom has a line...though, we can't use that as an excuse to skip it when they ask for it a hundred times, can we???

Crush always makes me smile.

It's good to see Henry starting to get brave at Crush. That whole area is so great to spend some time in.

Getting Henry with the Beverly... priceless.

We were very proud of Henry to sit up front! He raised his hand when Crush asked if anyone had a question, but we knew he didn't have one.

We are mean with the Beverly on the unsuspecting, aren't we?!?!

 

[mermaid764]

I laughed at the story about Henry and the talking animals, too funny! And his beverly face is sooo cute

Lunch at the bakery looks really good, and I have to say i agree with you one hundred percent on chocolate, I'm not really that big of a fan of it either.

Can't wait for more

 

[AprilRenee]

My brother and I ate lunch at the bakery on our last trip as well. Loved it! I had the napoleon for desert and I have been craving one ever since then.

Don't feel too bad about the chocolate thing...I don't like it either. I occasionally will eat a brownie or a handful of m&ms but I have to be in the right mood. A few years ago I wouldn't even eat that.

 

[MeMom]

For me????
Awww...thanks, Brook, I love it!

And eventually, the masterpiece was complete!

We have a couple of Duffys that look like this. So sweet.
Good job, Henry!

I have yet to get to one of those ham sandwiches. Maybe in July? Is the bread what makes it so good? Like at Earl's, I don't think there could be a bad sandwich because of that good bread! I'm with you on the straight chocolate. I'm more of the chocolate chip type or chocolate accent in something than a straight out chocoholic.

Beautiful pictures, as always. No matter how much time I spend in World Showcase, it's really never enough.

 

[Charleston Princess]

Hurray for Brook updates!!!

Welcome to the World of Talking Animals! Chelsea and Connor used to love when we would do that! But you're right -- after awhile, it is hard to come up with things for them to say.

Love Squirt -- good choice on Henry's part, and he looks very pleased with his purchase.

Lunch looks good -- I can see why the bakery is a siren call for Joe! Yummy, yummy, yummy!

 

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

Great updates Brook! You know Epcot is my fav! Your day sounded absolutely fantastic! A little Future World, a little World Showcase....sometimes when I'm sitting in my apartment in NJ, I dream of days like that! Henry is so cute, as always.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Great updates!. That Duffy is truly a masterpiece.

I was close to trying the bakery on my last trip but the line was out the door and it always seems to move slowly. I believe they have announced intentions to refurb but am not sure when.

I don't have much of a sweet tooth either. But cheese??? You are missing out!

 

[jenseib]

What a wonderful leisurely day. I always feel so rushed...like I have so little time to get it all in, especially this past trip. We only had 2 park days and I was exhausted in the end. But we had fun.
I've done the mommy makes animals talk too. Claire thinks it's hilarious.

 

[jenb1023]

No cheese or chocolate? Those are two of the best foods on earth!

Love turtle talk! The kid questions are so cute! Very brave of Henry to sit on the carpet and raise his hand!

We rarely eat cs in ws because there are so many good ts restaurants there but I think we need to explore those options. The sandwich and desserts look great! Great job on Duffy Henry! My dd still loves the kidcot stops and passport even after so many trips. She would sit there forever!

 

[DisMomAmy]

I hope my kids don't outgrow Nemo any time soon... We love to visit him once during each trip. However, we've never seen Crush!!

I love the bakery in France!! I'm a big chocolate fan but had a hard time finishing the mousse... it is very rich!

 

[CreightonsMomma]

I love the Nemo ride, even when the ride stops at the end and the song just replays over and over until it starts moving again.

Great job, Henry! Your artwork is spectacular.

No chocolate or cheese? You really are missing out! I'll give you credit for trying it.

 

[Queila]

If Disney t-shirts were closer to $15 instead of $30, I bet I'd have a closet full of 'em.

Amen sister!

 

[KatMark]

Great updates, Brook. Lunch in France looks truly yummy (I love ham and cheese sandwiches). Henry did a great job on Duffy

And, yes, there is a Dory stuffed toy (Mark bought two last years for girls at work).