May 2008--Everything's Coming Up Roses -- COMPLETE

[Trentmom]

Looks like HE is giong to be complete opposite of him, a little wild man

 

[cherbear]

1) Toy Story Mania soft-opening for DVC members allows us to ride it before its grand opening -- are there any problems?

2) Which female character at DHS loves the ABC book? HINT/EXTRA CREDIT -- DD has been waiting to see her for a special reason, what is it?

3) I have my new favorite restaurant dessert at Epcot (TS)...it's in one of the countries ... "Can-a-yah" take a guess?

4) DD makes a proclamation about where she wants to be...any guesses? (She cannot be my daughter!)

I'm going to make my guesses WITHOUT looking ahead. I promise I didn't look.

1) Yes, you get stopped in the middle at least once, and they let you ride again later
2) JoJo, so she can rub her nose!
3) The Chocolate “Moose” at Le Cellier
4) Mexico?

 

[cherbear]

QUIZ TIME

1) We meet Ashley, a dream team member and we get multiple dreams!!! Any guesses?? HINT: it's none of the super big (hats, castle stay) or "normal ones" like Fastpasses and free food. We're in Magic Kingdom, Tomorrowland, near the Carousel of Progress and it's three different dreams relating to the characters.

EXTRA CREDIT: Does she approach us or do I approach her?

2) What is our #1 ride to do today?

3) We need to leave the park by 1pm in order to not get charged an extra day for the rental car. Do we make it? (Do I care?)

And to see if you are really paying attention...

4) I get 2 snacks to take home with me to enjoy. What is it?

I'll take a stab at this quiz but I don't feel confident AT ALL

1) You get to have a personal meet and greet with Mickey and Minnie, You get to ride Goofy's Barnstormer WITH Goofy, and.... You get to have your portrait drawn with a character of your choice?

2) Peter Pan's Flight

3) yes, you make it just in time. But you wouldn't care either way b/c you're at WDW!

4) a caramel apple, and a rice krispy treat

 

[cherbear]

I'm going to make my guesses WITHOUT looking ahead. I promise I didn't look.

1) Yes, you get stopped in the middle at least once, and they let you ride again later
2) JoJo, so she can rub her nose!
3) The Chocolate “Moose” at Le Cellier
4) Mexico?

well, at least I got ONE right.

And I agree, that Moose is divine! (and cute, too! )

 

[kaoden39]

Here is baby Marshay at 9 weeks, 4 days old!!

Head is face down and you can make out the arms/legs..they're called armbuds and legbuds right now.

Baby was moving his arms and legs around. I swear she was saying "hi mom!". This baby is quite a character already!

My DD's ultrasounds were always blurry with her back turned to us, like she was hiding. And DD is a really mellow child.

Hmmm, what does this say about baby #2??

Oh the baby is so cute. I love seeing the pictures and I really enjoy your ticker.

 

[Marshay]

well, at least I got ONE right.

And I agree, that Moose is divine! (and cute, too! )

Actually you got 2 right -- getting stuck on TSM and the Moose.

Oh the baby is so cute. I love seeing the pictures and I really enjoy your ticker.

Thanks! I'm glad you all are enjoying. I have all 3 sets of photos on my refrig and it's neat to see how he's growing. She gets more clear each time.

Looks like HE is giong to be complete opposite of him, a little wild man

Responding to your edit: I actually used "his" and then "she". I figure I'm just going to mix it up. So much better than saying "it".

So I go on Sept 9th for my next test -- a different ultrasound and bloodwork to see if baby might be down syndrome. This is also the first day of Pre-School for DD3. She'll be going 2x a week. I wasn't sure if I wanted to do p/s but we the wait list just opened up so I thought I'd give it a try. If nothing else, it helps me out in making my doctor appts.

 

[Trentmom]

Actually you got 2 right -- getting stuck on TSM and the Moose.



Thanks! I'm glad you all are enjoying. I have all 3 sets of photos on my refrig and it's neat to see how he's growing. She gets more clear each time.



Responding to your edit: I actually used "his" and then "she". I figure I'm just going to mix it up. So much better than saying "it".

So I go on Sept 9th for my next test -- a different ultrasound and bloodwork to see if baby might be down syndrome. This is also the first day of Pre-School for DD3. She'll be going 2x a week. I wasn't sure if I wanted to do p/s but we the wait list just opened up so I thought I'd give it a try. If nothing else, it helps me out in making my doctor appts.

You're a tricky one


But I agree, that is much better than using it



That is so nice she is going twice a week.

DS starts Pre-K on sept 4th, he goes 5 days a week for 2 and half hrs

 

[Marshay]

You're a tricky one


But I agree, that is much better than using it



That is so nice she is going twice a week.

DS starts Pre-K on sept 4th, he goes 5 days a week for 2 and half hrs

wow -- 5 days??? I'm sooo not ready for that! Already freaking a bit about 2 days a week. Currently we've been doing 1 day for 3 hours. This will now be 2 days for 3.5 hours each, plus a pack lunch!

 

[Trentmom]

wow -- 5 days??? I'm sooo not ready for that! Already freaking a bit about 2 days a week. Currently we've been doing 1 day for 3 hours. This will now be 2 days for 3.5 hours each, plus a pack lunch!

He has never gone anywhere, so this is totally new for us

Oh cool. No lunch here, just snack and milk

 

[Marshay]

Today is Monday, May 12th and it's our last day in WDW. Doncha just hate this day???

We woke up at 8:30am, did our final pack and went to the Magic Kingdom since DD said she wanted to ride Goofy's Barnstormer again. This was the only ride we were planning to do. The line was about 20-30 minutes which is the longest we waited for any ride but since we had time, we got to ride it one more time.

Then we went to Tomorrowland to see if we could either ride Buzz or meet some characters. I saw a member of the Dream Team walking around and blowing bubbles. I immediately walk up to her with DD and start talking to her (Ashley) about the characters.

I told her that we didn't get a few characters for my autograph book -- one of which was Lilo. She told me that Lilo is only at Animal Kingdom, and of course since it was our last day, we missed her. Then Ashley took my book and went backstage. When she came back, she said that she was "just able to catch Lilo before she headed over to Animal Kingdom" Yeah!! I got my Lilo autograph.

I'm curious whether they have someone backstage who can do lots of character siggies or if she just looked it up in a book herself and did it...

Then our 2nd dream was that Ashley made DD "honorary Princess for the day" with a sticker and a Magic Memories Certificate that all the Princesses had signed!!! Woo Hoo!! Do you know how long it would take to get all the princesses signatures???

At that point Ashley must have realized that I wasn't going to walk away anytime soon, so she asked to look through the book and then gave us our 3rd dream -- another certificate with Snow White's and the 7 Dwarves signatures!! This is extra special b/c you don't get to see the dwarves at all in the parks during normal hours.

Then we went to get Buzz Lightyear autograph

and back to the Expo Hall to wait for Snow White. DD was just snuggling into Snow White

A pic with Pinocchio

And then lunch at the Columbia Harbor House

On the way out the park, I bought 2 caramel apples -- one to eat on the plane and one for the next day at home.

We needed to be back at the airport by 2pm in order to not be charged an additional day. We made it by 2:05pm but either they gave us a break or I had my times messed up b/c we didn't get charged extra!! I had already told DH that I wasn't going to cut our last day in MK short just to get the car back on time. But of course, I was super-glad to save the extra $35+!

OK, so I guess I can't delay the end of this May trip any longer. Sorry for taking so long to finish this report and thanks to all of you for sticking in there.

I'll have one more report -- Lessons Learned...and there were plenty!

 

[swwake]

I can't believe you're at the end of your report! It makes me sad.

I love all the pics and it's great that you got 3 magical moments!!

Awesome that you didn't get charged for the extra day on the car rental!

What a fun last day!!

 

[Trentmom]

What a great last Day!!!

Yay for 3 Magical Moments


I love the picture of DD kissing Snow White....How precious



Glad you did not get charged for that last day

Can't wait for your final thoughts

 

[Circusgirl]

Is it time for your next pre-trip report yet?

 

[Marshay]

I can't believe you're at the end of your report! It makes me sad.

I love all the pics and it's great that you got 3 magical moments!!

Awesome that you didn't get charged for the extra day on the car rental!

What a fun last day!!

Yeah, we had a good last day but it definitely was getting more crowded and hotter. Glad we went most of our trip in earlier May.

I still can't believe in two trips, we didn't really get any 'dreams' -- fastpasses, hats, CASTLE STAY!! OK, who am I kidding, I really didn't expect a castle stay but I sure was hoping for something...esp when my parents got the Dream Fastpasses in Sept and the Illuminations Cruise in May.

Oh, well, we had a blast either way!

What a great last Day!!!

Yay for 3 Magical Moments

I love the picture of DD kissing Snow White....How precious

Glad you did not get charged for that last day

Can't wait for your final thoughts

yeah, she was really happy to see Snow White. Now if you ask her who her favorite princess is, it's Snow White.

Is it time for your next pre-trip report yet?

Oh, I wish!! Actually, I'm thinking/hoping that we can go to WDW October 2009. Baby will be 7 months old or so and this would be the last year before DD starts Kindergarten

 

[swwake]

Seems like we saw families with dream fastpasses every time we turned around. But I have a theory on that. Families that get those fastpasses are more likely to remain in the park for a longer period of time, to ensure that they use them all. (Disney magic makes this mean they will spend more money in the park on refreshments, etc.) As for us, we only spent an average of 4 hours or less any any park on any day.

I have some inside info on the YOAMD awards that I will share when I get to the KTTK tour section of my trip report. You will want to be watching for that!

 

[Marshay]

No matter how much I plan and think I know about Disney, I always come away learning new things to help us out for our next trip. Here are my many new lessons learned (no particular order):

1) Dinners after 6pm allow for better/longer naps, esp when it seems we don't leave the park until 2pm or 3pm. However, then you'll miss out on most of the night-time activities. Need to plan out which parades/shows we want to see in the evening and work those on days we do a Table-Service Lunch.

2) I need to always have my camera quickly available. My DH has the "good" camera but tucks it away in his backpack where it's a snug fit. So getting it out and setting it up takes a while. He judges all the pictures between the hassle of getting it out and getting the shot.

I on the other hand, look to preserve memories of the trip, add to my scrapbook or trip report and just plain impromptu photos. These can happen anytime and not just during the "day" you plan to take photos.

3) Best lesson from my Sept trip, re-emphasized again:

If you see something you really like or a picture you really want or something to do/see, you must do it then and there. Don't assume you will have time or the opportunity to do it later.

4) DDP C/S. If you are on the DDP plan and eat a Counter Service meal, ask for the large drink. It is included in the plan. If you do not, then you'll get the regular size drink (no refills).

5) Several times we ordered apples for our CS meal instead of french fries and ended up getting both. So many times the CM are too busy and just load up fries. I admit I want both!

6) For any hard-ticket events like Pirate and Princess party, do the characters first. The lines only get longer as the night goes on. You can ride the rides anytime.

7) Schedule a breakfast buffet to break up all the table-service meals if dining on the DDP.

8) Go to DTD in the afternoon (or morning)...it's definitely more crowded in the evening.

9) In Sept, DD slept in the larger jogging stroller. In May, we took our smaller McClaren, but she kept saying she couldn't get comfortable and go to sleep. It was too small for sleeping but just right for riding around.

10) Before making your ADRs, think a little more about where you are going to be. We love the restaurants in Epcot, but then it seems like we spend all our time in Epcot.

11) Try to remember not to get riled up by others. So many people at WDW are basically dumb (Ok, I'll be nicer and say "ill-informed"), confused, not paying attention and in a hurry. They will stop in the middle of the path; they will bump you with their stroller; they will stand in your way, etc. Instead of getting mad, take a breath, look out and work your way around.
{Sorry if I offended anyone with this lesson...it just gets more frustrating and I need to learn to not let it get to me ... I enjoy my vacation more that way}

12) Take a hand-held shower head (and wrench) to replace the one in your shower. This helped us tremendously washing DD's hair and body. She doesn't like just stepping into the spray so with our own shower head, we can bring the water down to her.

13) Don't forget the shower head when you leave.

14) Take a nightlight for DD's room.

15) Don't forget to re-pack the nightlight (like we did!)

16) Take an over the door hanger/organizer that fits on a fire door (since all the doors at least at BCV were the thicker doors). This allows you to keep the sink cleaner by hanging up your toiletries, etc.

17) Don't forget to repack the door organizer!

18) Save some fun, new things to do at the end of the trip so it doesn't feel so bad at the end of your trip.

19) Use more snack credits (DDP) for breakfast. You don't need ice cream and caramel apples every day!!

More to come later...

 

[cherbear]

Great final update and final thoughts! I'm SO sad it's over!!

DD is too cute with Snow White! I'm happy she got the 3 little "dreams" from that nice CM!

Can we get a final quiz? I will really miss them!

 

[Marshay]

More lessons...

20) Print out post card addresses ahead of time and bring stamps. Then when you purchase WDW postcards, it's so much easier to address and you won't forget someone.

21) The Villas provide a roll of paper towels...no need to purchase extra.

22) Plan on doing laundry every 2 days -- cuts down on the amount of clothes to bring and/or allows for frequent changing due to sweat, spilled drinks, etc. Of course this is soooo much easier at the Villas 1BR...

23) Several months/weeks prior to your trip, start saving toiletries that are nearly empty. Then just throw them away at the end of your trip. (Leaves room for more souvenirs, too!)

24) Bring cheap metal hangers in your suitcase and leave them behind for other guests to use. There never seem to be enough hangers in the closet.

25) Pack an empty bag for the stroller. When you have to fold the stroller for bus/boat/train, this makes it easy to store all the stuff that got loaded into the stroller.

26) Make a list of the things you didn't do on this vacation so you can review it for your next vacation.

27) No need to make an accordian album. We didn't use it at all on this trip. I just used my main, detailed schedule.

 

[Marshay]

Great final update and final thoughts! I'm SO sad it's over!!

DD is too cute with Snow White! I'm happy she got the 3 little "dreams" from that nice CM!

Can we get a final quiz? I will really miss them!

Sure I can do one last quiz -- in fact, even I won't know the answers to these questions!! Hmmm, got your attention???

 

[Marshay]

1) What was DH's favorite thing about the trip? (OK this is the one I'll have to ask him about)

2) What was DD's favorite restaurant?

3) Which DVC will we try next?
a) Animal Kingdom
b) Wilderness Lodge
c) Boardwalk
d) Old Key West
e) Saratoga Springs

4) DD still talks about the ride vehicle of one of the rides she went on. Which one is it?

HINT: It's in Epcot.

5) Of all the things we didn't get to do below, which one did I miss the most? and the least?
a) Parades
b) Voices of Liberty
c) Japan Candy Lady
d) Shopping at World Showcase