Memories of Little Green Men and Sardines (6/8-17, 2010) **FINAL UPDATE 2-25-2011**

[photographymom517]

Yay! Welcome back! I'm a little behind on my DIS subscriptions, but I am now caught up on your TR! I didn't realize CBR was so pretty. Maybe we will stay there some trip.

Don't worry about it, I completely understand! I am waaay behind on my subs. I was behind before I left because of getting ready for the trip...then we were gone 10 days! Plus I've been cleaning, doing laundry, helping a friend move, etc. since we got back from vacation. Things here have been crazy, but somehow I managed to write about Day 1. I'm hoping to add more pictures of Day 1 & start Day 2 by mid-week.

CBR was very pretty!!! I want to someday try BC and POFQ. I might be adding more resorts to my list as well after reading other trip reports. Where do you usually stay? Whats your favorite resort on property? I would definitely suggest staying at CBR or even just visiting for an evening. There's plenty of areas to explore at the resort & the pool is great!

 

[DevonsDisneyMom]

Hope, your response to me has be very intrigued about day two!!! Can't wait to hear all about it!!!

 

[PopArtGal]

Hi!! I just found your TR. I'm going to read now

 

[photographymom517]

Hope, your response to me has be very intrigued about day two!!! Can't wait to hear all about it!!!

Yes, Reese, Day 2 was definitely interesting! lol I'm really hoping to update tomorrow or Wednesday. I was considering painting the living room tomorrow, but updating my trip report sounds like a better idea!

Hi!! I just found your TR. I'm going to read now

Glad you found my report! Good luck reading all of that...lol. It was a crazy beginning! Our original dates were for December, but we changed to June because of my husband's job. Hopefully by the time you get caught up, I'll have another day posted!

 

[PopArtGal]

I will have a lot of time to catch up. I finish work on the 30th and only leave for WDW in July 18 hehe I'll need things to tie my over.

 

[stephielela]

I know how you feel abotu the binky, I see all these 3 year olds running around with theirs and it freaks me out! I was really lucky though because my DS was never very attached to his, and I got rid of it before he turned 1. I think he might have been about 9 months old, he was sick and coughing a lot and I didn't liek the idea of leaving it in his bed for him to have, all covered in germs, so I took it out, threw it away, and it hasn't been back since! Of course he puts everything else in his mouth, and he does have his "lovey" but I doubt that's going anywhere for another few years.

 

[Charlefours]

I'm glad the plane ride was uneventful--a good thing! I agree about Pop, I really would not mind trying it out someday.

I am working on redoing our plans. I decided to not to focus too much time on the evenings, leaving them open to do as we please. I think it will help balance out our trip to be more relaxing.

Looking forward to reading more

 

[Megablocks]

Yay! Awesome update!

I would have felt the same way if I saw a CM with my name, especially if it was spelled the way I spell it -- it's pretty rare that I see someone spell it the same as I do so I also get excited over things like that!

A Florida black bear. That's crazy! I also would have LOVED the chance to say "I told you so"

 

[eeyoreland]

Very much enjoying your report and pictures. Can't wait to hear more about your son's reactions. We took DD for the first time when she was 2 1/2. She didn't like Disney. I think it was too much stimulation for her. And she didn't like the "dark" rides - even It's a Small World. Of course now at 16 she absolutely loves Disney and can't believe she didn't like it the first time.

 

[photographymom517]

I will have a lot of time to catch up. I finish work on the 30th and only leave for WDW in July 18 hehe I'll need things to tie my over.

Yes, reading my report will definitely keep you busy for those couple of weeks!

Hopefully I will get a few more updates posted before you leave on July 18th! Where are you staying on your trip? Do you have any ADR's planned?

I know how you feel abotu the binky, I see all these 3 year olds running around with theirs and it freaks me out! I was really lucky though because my DS was never very attached to his, and I got rid of it before he turned 1. I think he might have been about 9 months old, he was sick and coughing a lot and I didn't liek the idea of leaving it in his bed for him to have, all covered in germs, so I took it out, threw it away, and it hasn't been back since! Of course he puts everything else in his mouth, and he does have his "lovey" but I doubt that's going anywhere for another few years.

You are sooo lucky! I wish my son wouldn't have gotten attached to his. He really never was until a few months ago. He used to take it out of his own mouth & give it to me. He'd just say "here mama" and forget all about it for the rest of the day! Unfortunately for me, my nephew is VERY attached to his & it causes some problems whenever he's around my son. Its very frustrating for me, especially whenever I look back through our trip pictures...so many would have been perfect if not for binky being in them!

I wish my son would sleep/nap with a "lovey" or have something to take in the car & to grandma's with him! He has sooo many stuffed animals, blankets, toys, etc. You know what he sleeps with at night? A football (regular adult size football), a small sand shovel (its plastic), or the Lightning McQueen car. He even has the stuffed Lightning McQueen & its a smaller one so it would be perfect to nap with...but he prefers to nap with the little metal car instead. lol Of course, since he sleeps with things that aren't soft & cuddly like a stuffed animal or blanket, I have to take them as soon as he falls asleep! lol

I'm glad the plane ride was uneventful--a good thing! I agree about Pop, I really would not mind trying it out someday.

I am working on redoing our plans. I decided to not to focus too much time on the evenings, leaving them open to do as we please. I think it will help balance out our trip to be more relaxing.

Looking forward to reading more

I think you made a WONDERFUL decision regarding your evenings! Guess I'm giving away part of my trip report but we went back to the resort early almost every single evening. Its nice to leave the evenings free...you can relax in your room or on the balcony, go swimming at your resort, go shopping, visit another resort for dinner, etc. There are so many things to do.

Little Miss OCD (me!) has been transformed into "little miss relaxation" on vacations from now on!

At least until our son gets older! Then he'll be the one rushing from ride to ride trying to get onto BTMR or TSM or ToT five times before lunch!

Yay! Awesome update!

I would have felt the same way if I saw a CM with my name, especially if it was spelled the way I spell it -- it's pretty rare that I see someone spell it the same as I do so I also get excited over things like that!

A Florida black bear. That's crazy! I also would have LOVED the chance to say "I told you so"

I know, I get sooo excited whenever I see people with my name! Its definitely rare for me! Oh, and I totally forgot to mention...the flight attendant on the plane ride to MCO was named Hope as well!!!

I definitely loved having the chance to say "I told you so" and since we were on vacation, he couldn't be mad at me!

Very much enjoying your report and pictures. Can't wait to hear more about your son's reactions. We took DD for the first time when she was 2 1/2. She didn't like Disney. I think it was too much stimulation for her. And she didn't like the "dark" rides - even It's a Small World. Of course now at 16 she absolutely loves Disney and can't believe she didn't like it the first time.

I'm so happy that you like the report & pictures!!! I'm going to try to find time tomorrow to do an update just with pictures. I have so many & it was hard to pick out just a few to post!

I watching my son's reactions to everything! Some of my best memories & pictures are of him getting so excited over something small! I swear his favorite part of our trip was the bunnies at the resort! He looked for that bunny everytime we walked down the path!

Its understandable that your daughter wouldn't like Disney at 2 1/2. All kids have different reactions & it can definitely be overwhelming! Its alot to take in...seeing giant characters instead of the small ones on their tv screen back home, being in dark places on rides/in shows, traveling to somewhere far away from home, etc. I think at first, my son was just overwhelming by being in a resort so far away from home without his pets! He was much more aware of everything this trip than from last year's trip (when he was 10 months old). I'm so glad that your daughter loves Disney now!!!

 

[Tink9721]

Sorry I'm a couple weeks late, but welcome back!

I also took notes in my "notepad" on my cell phone.

I did the same thing

Great start to your TR!

 

[photographymom517]

Sorry I'm a couple weeks late, but welcome back!

I did the same thing

Great start to your TR!

It was so convenient to take notes in my cell, especially to keep track of the times! Hopefully I'll get another update posted soon. I had hoped to write one this evening, but its just been crazy here...hopefully sometime over the weekend, I'll at least get some pictures posted!

 

[Tink9721]

It was so convenient to take notes in my cell, especially to keep track of the times! Hopefully I'll get another update posted soon. I had hoped to write one this evening, but its just been crazy here...hopefully sometime over the weekend, I'll at least get some pictures posted!

It's hard to find time to update sometimes. I'm a perfect example. My trip was in Feb and I haven't even gotten through my second day in my report yet

 

[PopArtGal]

We are staying at the CR. We'll be going to Tony's, Chefs de France, Chef Mickey's, Kona Cafe, Donald's breakfast, and Le Cellier. Plus lotsa quick service hehe

 

[2kids2luv]

Great TR so far! I was lurking on your PTR and am subbin in now. Sounds like everything worked out for a magical trip for your family. Looking forward to reading more about it. CBR looks beautiful, especially the beach area.

 

[photographymom517]

It's hard to find time to update sometimes. I'm a perfect example. My trip was in Feb and I haven't even gotten through my second day in my report yet

Thanks for understanding!!!

I keep saying I will update & other things just come up. I wasn't even online for a few days & when I was (this past week) I was trying to finish my PhotoPass pictures...that still hasn't happened yet either. lol

We are staying at the CR. We'll be going to Tony's, Chefs de France, Chef Mickey's, Kona Cafe, Donald's breakfast, and Le Cellier. Plus lotsa quick service hehe

My husband hates having a schedule on vacation, so it was hard to schedule too many ADR's. We also planned our vacation only 2 weeks in advance so the choices were very limited...I was actually surprised I got what I wanted on the days I wanted! I was very lucky!

I have heard good things about all the restaurants you mentioned. I have family going in September & they are doing the Tusker House breakfast at Animal Kingdom as well! We ate breakfast right beside TH and boy did it smell good!!! I really, really want to do Chefs next trip as well as Chef Mickey's! I'd also love to stop by Kona!

We did mostly quick service this trip, but next trip we're thinking about the regular dining plan. This is near impossible for us because my husband's job makes it impossible to plan a vacation more than a few weeks in advance. I have no idea how we'll get the ressies unless we go during a very, very slow period. We're thinking about September for next year because the crowds are very, very low & you can walk on the popular rides.

Great TR so far! I was lurking on your PTR and am subbin in now. Sounds like everything worked out for a magical trip for your family. Looking forward to reading more about it. CBR looks beautiful, especially the beach area.

Glad you joined!!!

Yes, CBR is very beautiful. I was looking through my pictures last night & was so sad! I miss sitting out by the pool, relaxing on the beach, walking down the path to OPR, and mostly the parks!!! My dream is to someday work as a CM there...even if its after I retire & I'm 65 years old!

 

[photographymom517]

Great TR so far! I was lurking on your PTR and am subbin in now. Sounds like everything worked out for a magical trip for your family. Looking forward to reading more about it. CBR looks beautiful, especially the beach area.

I just noticed your siggie & saw you are staying at AKL. You will love it there, its gorgeous!!!

I have some pictures from our trip last year. I noticed quite a few people following my report are staying there, so I will post them on my report so you can all see them!

 

[photographymom517]

I woke up at 7:50am & knew that we needed to hurry to get ready. We needed to leave our room between 8:30-8:45am to catch the bus for Epcot. We were going to the Beach Club Resort this morning for our Private Photo Session!!!



My husband walked to Old Port Royale to fill up our mugs while I showered, got dressed, and got our son dressed.

My son woke up around 8:30am and watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Where is Warehouse Mouse while I finished putting on my make-up. I quickly got him dressed & we were out the door by 8:50am. I still thought this time was acceptable because we didn’t need to be at BC until 10am. The bus stop wasn’t busy at all…most people were already at the parks for opening time or rope drop. The first bus to arrive was a Hollywood Studios bus. We could’ve taken it & then got on the boat to BC but I figured Epcot was closer to CBR so we would wait for an Epcot bus.


Bus Stop at Jamaica

2 Hollywood Studios buses, 1 Animal Kingdom bus, 1 Internal Resort bus…no Epcot bus

We finally got on an Epcot bus. I don‘t know how long we waited because I was so nervous about making it there on time. I think we waited about 15 minutes but I’m not sure.


Bus Arriving at Jamaica bus stop

This is the part where I realize I made a HUGE mistake not taking the Hollywood Studios bus…While we were driving, the bus driver explains that you CANNOT get to the Epcot resorts (BC, YC, Swan, Dolphin, CS) by BUS FROM EPCOT!!! The only way is to enter the park, go to the International Gateway & get on the boat.

WHAT????

I had spoken to a lady from the PhotoPass area at BC the night before. She said, get on any park bus & then take the Beach Club bus from the park. I said, “Ok, we’ll probably just take the Epcot bus since it’s the closest to CBR.” And she said, “Yes, that or HS would probably be about the same distance to BC from CBR.”

So, whenever I found out from the bus driver that this was impossible, I kept telling myself over & over again that I wasn’t going to get upset.

I let everyone pick out 1 thing that was most important to them to do on the trip. We would make sure to do those 3 things, no matter what. My “special thing” for the trip was the Private Photo Session. We don’t have family photos & our son turned 2 years old in May. Photography is a huge part of my life & its horrible to me that we don’t yet have family photos. I wish we would have done them when he was an infant & then again when he was a toddler, but as we all know, we can’t go back in time!

Anyway, back to the Photo Session…I had convinced my husband (who hates being in photos) that we should have our first family photos taken in Florida. It wasn’t hard to convince him because he loves Florida!!! He still wasn’t thrilled about having to be in a million pictures, but oh well. I figured he would get used to it once the photographer started taking pictures. Haha! I don’t usually ask for anything, so I figured he could do this one little thing for me without complaining! I could tell whenever we left that morning, he wasn’t thrilled about it. He’s also a “jeans/tshirt guy” so he was mad that I made him wear a polo shirt & khaki shorts! (I know, it’s the end of the world, really?)

After knowing he was mad about all of those things, I wasn’t about to tell him that I messed up & went to the wrong park. I wasn’t going to tell him we couldn’t get to Beach Club from Epcot because we weren’t going to a park that day. I calmly said, I don’t understand why that lady on the phone told me it was ok to go to Epcot. To save time, we’ll just hop on the monorail & head to MK. Its not that far away from Epcot. Then, we can get on the BC bus from MK. Well, we had to go through bag security at the Epcot gate because I had my Vera tote. Luckily the lines moved quickly & we walked up the ramp to get on the monorail.

There was one leaving the station right when we got to the top ramp. You have got to be kidding me!!!

So, we had to wait on another one to come back to the station. We waited & waited & waited…it seemed like forever, but it was actually around 12 minutes. Yes, I counted. I was nervous about making it to BC but I figured I’d rather be there 2 minutes late than to get all worked up, cry, mess up my make-up, get everyone all worked up, & ruin our photo session! We boarded the monorail at 9:36am…barely time to get to MK, get on a bus, and travel to the Beach Club Resort…but I thought it was do-able. Right?

One good thing happened...we were able to get on this super-neat monorail! I know, little things amuse me, but I really liked that it was different from the regular monorails. My son really liked it too!

Well, guess what happens now? There isn’t a person to ask questions to when you’re on the monorail…not like whenever you’re on a bus. You can’t just ask the driver if you’re getting off at the right place. It moves so quickly, you just get off & go. I haven’t used the monorail since 1987...yes, 1987. Do you think I remember how it works or where it stops?

So, we get off the monorail & I’m searching for signs to show me where the buses are. I don’t see any buses. I don’t see any bus stops. I actually don’t see very many people at all.

I look around…

…wait, I don’t see the MK gates
…I don’t see the GF or the Contemp. Resorts
…I don’t see the big lake
…I don’t see the boat picking up/dropping off people
...where is the ticket booth? where are the people? where are the buses?

WHERE AM I????

(I have no pictures of this because I was just in sheer PANIC mode!!! lol)

Well, I stopped by a little ticket booth & said “Could you please tell me where the buses are that go to the Disney resorts?” The lady said “You are at the Transportation & Ticket Center.” You should have seen the look on my face!!! I almost cried right then & there!

I just put my head down in my hands on the counter & said as calmly as I could…“I’m supposed to be at the Beach Club resort for a Private Photo Session at 10am. Could you tell me what time it is now?” She said, its 9:41am. I asked (already knowing the answer), “There’s no way I’ll make it, is there?”

She was so nice, she said “No, I’m very very sorry but there is no way you’d make it by 10am. You have to get back on the monorail or catch a bus to HS & get the boat from there to BC. I’m very sorry you’re having a bad day. Here’s some Disney magic for you, and for your son, and for your husband. I hope your day turns magical again.” And she handed me three Mickey Mouse stickers (my pixie dust for the day!)

If it weren’t for that lady, I would have been crying in tears, laying on the pavement hysterical right smack in the middle of TT&C. I don’t know her name, but I wish I did because she changed my entire day just by being nice & giving me stickers! So simple, but if someone wouldn’t have explained to me where to go & what to do…especially while being so kind, I think I would have lost it!

My husband and son sat on a bench while I called the Beach Club. I explained what happened & how there was no way we’d make it there. I told them the lady that called the night before said I could go to Epcot. I said that I was so upset, I had been looking forward to the photo session. The guy on the phone asked if I wanted to reschedule. I said, because of our trip plans, there was no way we could unless he had something available for 10:30 or 11:00am......

So, what happens now??? Do we get there? Where do we end up today?

 

[stephielela]

Noooooo! Don't leave us in suspense like that! I can't believe that CM gave you the wrong info! I also can't believe you managed to keep your cool throughout! I bet I wouldn't have. Due to your story, I am 100% sure we will be taking a cab the day we do our photo shoot! Can't wait to hear more!

 

[ChildAtHeart82]

I'm so sorry that your day had such a rough start. I'm hoping things turned around and you were able to reschedule for later that day! I know how stressful and overwhelming it can be as a really good plan starts to unravel piece by piece.