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

[photographymom517]

I just got done catching up! I'm sorry you had such a bad time with the crowds, but just wait, September will be awesome!!! It looks like you had a good time though, and yay for going back to MK for Wishes!!!! It's funny, Jack LOVES the carousel. We have one at our mall, and we also have one at the zoo we have passes to.

I also love Reefs, I just bought 2 new pairs on Zappos for $35.20. I love Zappos! Free next business day shipping! AWESOME! Anyways, I bought thinner ones, but everyone has their own preference on sole thickness, lol.

I am heading over to check out your new PTR! I am so crossing my fingers that we can overlap, even if it's just a day!

I know! I can't wait until September!!! I know I've said this a million times already, but my parents show us their September pictures every year & my husband and I are super jealous!!! We cannot wait to experience low crowds!!!

Glad to hear that you love Reefs as well! They seem popular here on DIS so I will definitely check them out! I wanted to this weekend because I figured all stores were having President's Day sales, but I never got the chance. Glad you mentioned Zappos! I think someone else (or maybe it was you!) told me that before...gotta love free shipping!!!! I am like you & usually wear the lower soles, but I used to have this awesome pair of high sole flip flops from the VS catalog (can't remember the designers name at the moment...) plus I really love zebra print! So I might get 2 pair...one low & one high!

I can't remember if I ever replied to you when I asked you about your Vera set I meant to but I've been quite scatterbrained lately for some reason. I think I just have too many things going on at once! Anyway, last trip I got the Vera tote in the Pink Cupcake print. I actually checked their website after I asked you about your set & guess what? The pink cupcake stuff is all on sale! A bunch of the prints that I really like have all been retired & some pieces are on sale! Great timing!

Hopefully I'll have an update for my PTR soon! And yes, I'm hoping our dates will overlap even just one day!

 

[photographymom517]

ohh I like the Zebra reefs. I have to check that out. Dunno where I can get them here. Maybe online.

I LOVE the move it, shake it party. I hope it doesn't go away soon. I think it makes the atmosphere so much more fun!

I haven't been to Tom Sawyer's island in a while. Maybe I'll go back during this trip. Did you ever go through the cave? I never was able to. Too scared lol

I love the little green men. I kind of wanted a plush toy hehe

So glad you went back with Luke. Nothing feels better than soaking in the last few bits you can

IASW is so cheesy, but in the end, I like it hehe

Hey! I would definitely check online if I were you! I'm not sure what shipping would be for you, but Zappos has free shipping to the U.S. so maybe you could at least get cheap shipping if not free Check it out & see! I'm going to start looking into buying a few new pair of shoes for summer/our trip, so I will let you know if I find out anything else! I want to buy them before everyone in the world realizes the temperature are warming up & they all decide to buy new shoes! It happens to me every year...I wait too long & then the ones I want are gone! I can't let it happen with Reefs or Keens!

I love all the parades & street parties!!! They really do liven up the atmosphere & just put a smile on your face!

I did go through the cave at Tom Sawyer's Island. I am clostrophobic (sorry that isn't spelled correctly!) so its always interesting to be in small places like that! I used to go every year with my parents to this city about 4 hours away...they have these GIANT caves & you immediately start walking underground. I was scared the first few times & even after that, I was afraid the cave was going to cave in! Tom Sawyer's isn't that bad though...its very short so you aren't "underground" very long!

Keep an eye on DS.com...they had a plush sale not too long ago where they were buy one, get one 50% off! They had alot of Toy Story characters & if I remember correctly, they had a Little Green Man!

I really like IASW. I know alot of people don't or think its cheesy which is completely fine because everyone has their own opinion! I think I like it so much because it holds a special place in my heart! When I was 5, I went on a Disney trip with my parents & grandparents. A few weeks after we returned from our trip, my grandfather had surgery & was paralyzed due to a surgical mistake for the rest of his life (he passed away in 2007 ). I have few memories of our Disney trip, but I do remember riding IASW & the carousel with him so I think it will always be special for me. It was the last time I remember him walking.

I'm glad that I went back to MK with Luke as well. We ended up really enjoying our last night at Disney...wait til you read about ToonTown!

 

[photographymom517]

Before I finish up my Magic Kingdom update & write about our departure day, here are more pictures from It’s a Small World!

I was actually listening to my iPod last night & this song came on! I seriously started to cry because I am so depressed with winter…I really wish I was in Florida at Disney instead of here in PA with all the snow!!!

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Also, it seems like I’ve been leaving out my QSDP information. I know that half-way through my trip report, I wrote out exactly how much we spent on the dining plan & how much we would’ve spent if we would’ve paid OOP for everything. But I haven’t been putting the numbers in my report…I also haven’t been keeping track of what we ate unless I have pictures! So here’s a quick food update too! (I'll post pictures of the food again if I have them!)

Our Hollywood Studios day

Luke got the chocolate éclair and I got a chocolate croissant at Starring Rolls Café for our breakfast at 11:40am which cost $5.49 (we paid OOP here). We then went to ABC Commissary where my husband bought his lunch (and Luke and I ate our goodies!). He got a double cheeseburger with fries, an iced tea, and strawberry parfait using 1 meal credit (would’ve cost $15.49).

After we walked around & I mentioned that we stopped to get a drink, we went to Studio Catering Company and got 2 unsweet teas and 1 sweet tea. It was around $5 but I didn’t write down the total. We paid OOP for these as well.

Later for dinner (at 4:35pm) we ate at Fairfax Fare. We got 2 ribs/brisket combo. My husband got an iced tea & carrot cake. I split a sweet tea and chocolate cake with Luke. We used 2 meal credits (our total would’ve been $42.75). After eating, we went to the ToT giftshop where we bought Luke a set of 5 Mickey lollipops. They were the same ones that I purchased earlier that morning at the first giftshop (in the middle right after you enter the park). They cost $6.34 which if I remember correctly was more expensive than the ones I purchased earlier.

Epcot Day

We at breakfast at Sunshine Season right after visiting Epcot’s Character Spot! As I mentioned, they began serving lunch a little early due to high crowds. I paid at 10:57am which meant that I went to 3 different stations to get our food & checked out by 10:57…which was 3 minutes before they usually start serving breakfast! (Keep that in mind if you visit the parks during high crowds…sometimes they will serve early!)

As mentioned earlier, I got the Cashew Chicken with sweet & sour sauce, chocolate mousse cake, and a flavored water. My husband got a pork chop with potatoes & veggies, powerade, and strawberry shortcake. Luke got a ½ rotisserie chicken with 2 sides, a brownie, and a soda. We used 3 meal credits since it was almost our last day at Disney. We figured if we were going to pay OOP for a dinner/breakfast, we’d rather pay at our resort than at the parks. I think the prices are around the same, but we usually eat less at the resort than at the parks, so its worthwhile to use the meal credits there. My total would’ve been $51.75 and even though I used 3 meal credits, I had to sign the receipt. This was my first experience with this! The CM told me that you have to sign for anything over $50 even if you’re using the dining plan.

When we got ice cream at Fountainview, our bill was around $8.50 or so and I paid OOP for it. I remember earlier in my report I couldn’t remember what we got. I got a single scoop of chocolate in a cup and my husband & Luke both got a rootbeer float. If I remember correctly, I told them that next time I’m getting a rootbeer float too!

Later for dinner, we ate at the UK Fish & Chips Kiosk. We got 2 fish & chips meals, 2 shortbreads, and 1 iced tea/1 sweet tea. We used 2 meal credits but it would’ve cost $25.93. I was depressed after paying because my receipt said we only had 3 meal credits remaining…which meant we were getting close to the end of our trip!

A few hours later, we went to Norway Kringla Bakery where I got the pear almond tart, my husband got a cloudberry horn, and we bought Luke apple juice. We paid OOP here and our total was $9.56.

Magic Kingdom Day

Our lunch was at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café where we got a pork sandwich with fries, sweet tea, and chocolate cake for me. My husband got a cheesesteak sandwich with fries, sweet tea, and chocolate cake. We used 2 meal credits (it would’ve cost $29.34). Before we left Cosmic Ray’s, we bought Luke an iced tea which cost $2.66 and we paid OOP for it.

Back again…four hours later in the middle of the rain storm, it was so humid that we needed another drink. We stopped back at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café and bought another sweet tea to split between the 3 of us. It cost the same as last time $2.66.

We later stopped at Plaza Ice Cream Parlor where we got the following: chocolate (me), cookies & cream (my husband), and vanilla (Luke). We used 3 snack credits…and this is where it gets really depressing! My receipt said “0 snack credits remain”!!!

 

[photographymom517]

When we last left off, Luke and I were done riding Its a Small World. When the ride was over, we walked over towards ToonTown.

This was the AMAZING part!!!

We went to Minnie’s House and there was NO ONE in the house!!!

I knew this would be the last time I ever went through the houses. It was amazing. My son and I were in Minnie’s Living Room alone. Anytime I've been inside Minnie's before, we waited in a huge line!

I let him look at the fireplace, sit on the couch & chair, look through the glass at the different knick-knacks on Minnie’s shelves.

We just took our time walking through. It was so enjoyable and so amazing! It was like a once-in-a-lifetime experience for us. I know that there are some people who aren’t huge fans of ToonTown, but I LOVE it!!! It was also special to me because even though Luke won’t remember it, I will always remember him being so amazed by every little detail in the house!

Poor little guy’s feet wouldn’t reach & he was trying to make them…but its funny because in the picture, it actually looks like his foot is ON it!

 

[photographymom517]

When we got to the kitchen, another family was in there. They had watched me take pictures all through the house. The father asked if I wanted him to take a photograph of my son and I sitting at the table. This is the only picture I have of both of us inside Minnie’s House and it turned out very nice!

When we were done, I thought about going through Mickey’s House, but decided not to.

We were both tired & I had discovered that the last ToonTown train left the station at 9:10pm. Oops! I probably should’ve asked about that before walking all the way back to ToonTown from Main Street. It wasn't as bad on the way to Fantasyland & ToonTown because we kept stopping (I was carrying Luke who weighed around 35 pounds at the time & my Vera tote which contains way too much stuff! )

I’m glad we went though because we had the amazing time at Minnie’s House!

We started walking back towards Main Street. By this time, it was slightly after 11pm and the second Electric Parade was coming down Main Street. They had a lot of areas blocked off. Not sure how I managed, but I ended up in Tomorrowland and couldn’t get out!

I know that sounds crazy, but we didn’t spend anytime there this trip or last trip so the last time I was in Tomorrowland was in 1998! I was literally walking around in circles! I finally asked a CM and he told me how to get back to Main Street. Once back on Main Street, I walked down a path (they had the areas marked with arrows made of tape so people knew where to go...very nice!)

This is the MOST special moment of my entire trip. As we were walking down Main Street, I was carrying Luke. He had been pointing to different things & characters as we walked around Tomorrowland & Main Street. I tried explaining to him that we were leaving & in the morning we would be getting on another airplane to go back home. I told him that we wouldn’t be back to the castle for awhile. He asked me “Going home mommy?” and I said “Yes when we wake up in the morning we are going on the airplane home & will see your puppies & your house.”

He was facing the castle & kept waving at it. He really did understand that it was the end of our trip. He kept saying “bye bye ca-ale” which is his way of saying castle & waving at it. Then he’d say “bye bye mouse, bye bye Mickey.”

It was the sweetest thing I ever saw!!!

Next update -- Our Departure Day

 

[stephielela]

I'm glad you guys got to have some quality time in Toontown! That is so cute about Luke saying goodbye to everything! I always make Jack say goodbye to Disney stuff when we are leaving, it helps to keep me from tearing up, lol.

That's great that your pink cupcakes design is on sale!! As a matter of fact, I think I have a never before used pink cupcakes mini hipster you can have if you want. When I bought the hipsters for my mom and sister I ended up with one extra due to my competitiveness (this is why I never allow myself on ebay anymore) so I thought I'd save it and see if my BFF was going to go on our September trip last year, but she didn't so I didn't give it to her... So anyways, if I can find it I will let you know and you can PM me your address and I will send it to you! As I'm thinking about it I cannot remember where it is... so when I find it I will let you know

 

[brookelizabeth]

I am SO HAPPY that you had a wonderful time in Toon Town!!!!! Your pictures are amazing, I love that one of the EMPTY kitchen. The one of you and Luke at the table is adorable too. What a perfect way to end the trip!

As for the tape arrows - they do that at Christmas too! If you survivied those crowds, you could easily do Christmas, it sounds the same! LOL

That is sooooooo sweet about Luke waving and saying good-bye. So, so cute!

Don't worry about TSI and where the play area is, we will find it! I know there is a map toward the front of the island, so we'll figure it out - Joe is AWESOME with maps.

You made my stomach growl with all your repeats of your food pictures and information.

 

[SoonerGirl]

Michelle - how are your Keens without a back strap? Do you like them as much as the ones with? I am looking to get a new pair, but not sure what style.

Brook - I really like them! There is a small lip that comes up around your heel so your foot doesn't slip around or anything. Obviously they don't offer as much support as my other ones, but they keep my feet much cooler


I got a couple of updates behind Hope!

Oh, the dreaded last day

Just a side note…for anyone who owns a DSLR, I have found a solution for this!!! I was reading one of my photography magazines the other day. I’m pretty sure it was Outdoor Photographer. They sell these lens covers that connect to the end of your lens & it keeps it from steaming up in humidity!

I've never heard of this, I gotta check that out. It drives me nuts always having to wait until my lens de-fogs!

I've never noticed the little Mickey heads on the horse blinders, how cute!

I love this quote!!!

I'm actually reading his book, The Last Lecture, right now - very inspirational!

It looks like you had a great time on Tom Sawyer Island, that is still on my to do list, one day we'll get over there. Those rocking chairs look like a great place to relax for a bit!

I love this picture, Luke is so stinkin' cute with his ice cream running all down his arm and dripping on his shirt! I'm sure he was a sticky mess afterwards, but sometimes you just gotta get messy

That's alot of little green men! Do you find them scattered all over your house? I remember my brother had a big bucket of army men when he was a kid and they were EVERYWHERE!

I'm glad you and Luke went back to the MK that night to catch the fireworks. And how awesome that you were able to explore ToonTown minus all the crowds - a great way to end your trip!

 

[photographymom517]

I'm glad you guys got to have some quality time in Toontown! That is so cute about Luke saying goodbye to everything! I always make Jack say goodbye to Disney stuff when we are leaving, it helps to keep me from tearing up, lol.

That's great that your pink cupcakes design is on sale!! As a matter of fact, I think I have a never before used pink cupcakes mini hipster you can have if you want. When I bought the hipsters for my mom and sister I ended up with one extra due to my competitiveness (this is why I never allow myself on ebay anymore) so I thought I'd save it and see if my BFF was going to go on our September trip last year, but she didn't so I didn't give it to her... So anyways, if I can find it I will let you know and you can PM me your address and I will send it to you! As I'm thinking about it I cannot remember where it is... so when I find it I will let you know

Toontown was sooo much fun!!! I was so upset that I won't be able to walk through the houses again...so it was such a special experience inside Minnie's house with Luke! As I said, he might not remember it, but I always will!

I didn't order any of the pink cupcakes merchandise yet, but I am planning to! I'm not sure which pieces I want & only some of them are still available on the website. So I guess I better hurry up & make up my mind!

That is sooo incredibly sweet of you about the hipster!!! If you find it, let me know, but I insist on giving you something for it!

I am SO HAPPY that you had a wonderful time in Toon Town!!!!! Your pictures are amazing, I love that one of the EMPTY kitchen. The one of you and Luke at the table is adorable too. What a perfect way to end the trip!

As for the tape arrows - they do that at Christmas too! If you survivied those crowds, you could easily do Christmas, it sounds the same! LOL

That is sooooooo sweet about Luke waving and saying good-bye. So, so cute!

Don't worry about TSI and where the play area is, we will find it! I know there is a map toward the front of the island, so we'll figure it out - Joe is AWESOME with maps.

You made my stomach growl with all your repeats of your food pictures and information.

I know...I completely forgot about the empty kitchen picture at Minnie's house until I posted my update! We got alot of great pictures & it was so peaceful & relaxing to just take our time & walk around!

Glad to hear Christmas crowds are similar to mid-June...now I know for future reference that we can manage! I definitely want to experience it at least once in my life! Christmas at Disney looks amazing!

Funny story about TSI...I took a picture of the map, but we didn't really spend any time looking AT the map! Oops! It was fun just wondering around, but the map is very useful if you're looking for something specific. Henry will love the playarea!

I was planning to just repost all of the food totals...but I figured it would be a boring update, so I added in the pictures! It made me hungry while I was writing it!!!

Counting down the days to your trip....

I got a couple of updates behind Hope!

Oh, the dreaded last day

I've never heard of this, I gotta check that out. It drives me nuts always having to wait until my lens de-fogs!

I've never noticed the little Mickey heads on the horse blinders, how cute!

I'm actually reading his book, The Last Lecture, right now - very inspirational!

It looks like you had a great time on Tom Sawyer Island, that is still on my to do list, one day we'll get over there. Those rocking chairs look like a great place to relax for a bit!

I love this picture, Luke is so stinkin' cute with his ice cream running all down his arm and dripping on his shirt! I'm sure he was a sticky mess afterwards, but sometimes you just gotta get messy

That's alot of little green men! Do you find them scattered all over your house? I remember my brother had a big bucket of army men when he was a kid and they were EVERYWHERE!

I'm glad you and Luke went back to the MK that night to catch the fireworks. And how awesome that you were able to explore ToonTown minus all the crowds - a great way to end your trip!

I looked up the humidity control for the lens...for some reason, I had remembered it being a lens filter...sort of like a UV filter only for humidity. Well, apparently I was reading 2 different magazine at once & got confused or something

Here's the info for it:
Brno Dri+Cap System -- dehumidifying lens cap system -- its color-indicating silica packs attach directly to your camera body and lenses using special caps. Available for Canon and Nikon bodies -- cost $55 street
www.hpmarketingcorp.com

It was out of an article from Popular Photography (the March edition).

I'm also going to get a few of these:
Nikon fog eliminator cloths -- $4.50 for pack of 3 -- In humid and damp weather, your lenses and filters will probably gather condensation. To prevent it, wipe with Nikon's fog eliminator cloths. The individually wrapped, reusable cloths prevent moisture from gathering on glass and camera surfaces.
www.nikonusa.com

I found a bunch of neat camera accessories that I might buy. I'll probably eventually post about them on my PTR for September since I'll buy them before that trip.

I have lots of pictures of Luke with food all over him! They are all equally special to me!

I ordered 3 pairs of Reefs last night! I'm going to post pics of them on my PTR as well once I make a post of "things purchased for trip."

I saw a pair of Keens that I really, really want, so I'll probably save up & buy them closer to summer. The ones I want are a light seagreen & gray!

Hopefully I will wrap up this report today! I only have 1 update left about our departure

 

[stephielela]

I found the mini hipster!!!! I had stuck it in the basement with other stuff I needed to deal with (but when I put it in the basement I know I am never going to deal with, lol)! It's still perfect, and dust free even! I don't need anything in return, it seriously would have just sat there forever until it just disappeared (you know how stuff you put away does that and then you can never find it? It happens to me a lot...) If we get to meet up in September you can buy me a Mickey ice cream bar or soemthing! Anywho, PM me your address and I will send it out! I will be honest, I am horrible about going to the post office, so I will probably not send it till Tuesday since that's my errand day!

 

[photographymom517]

I found the mini hipster!!!! I had stuck it in the basement with other stuff I needed to deal with (but when I put it in the basement I know I am never going to deal with, lol)! It's still perfect, and dust free even! I don't need anything in return, it seriously would have just sat there forever until it just disappeared (you know how stuff you put away does that and then you can never find it? It happens to me a lot...) If we get to meet up in September you can buy me a Mickey ice cream bar or soemthing! Anywho, PM me your address and I will send it out! I will be honest, I am horrible about going to the post office, so I will probably not send it till Tuesday since that's my errand day!

That's great! Thank you so much!

I still think that it is soooo very sweet of you to do this! And yes, I will definitely buy you a little treat if we get to meet up at Disney! Actually I will buy you and Jack a treat

I completely know what you mean...its so funny that you mention storing stuff away in the basement & never looking at it again! Today Luke and I spent quite a few hours downstairs in our basement & ended up taking 5 bags to Goodwill! I'm also going to visit a friend tomorrow & taking her 2 boxes full of baby clothes & toys! The stuff is just sitting down there & it will never be used again...might as well give it away to someone who can use it!

Thanks again! I appreciate this so much! Sending a PM right now! And don't worry about getting to the Post Office right away, just go on your errand day!

 

[photographymom517]

I don’t think I slept much the last night. I was exhausted so I did sleep a little bit, but I kept waking up on & off throughout the night.

After we got up & packed the rest of our stuff, we walked down to OPR to eat breakfast. This was around 9am and we needed to be back for Bell Services to pick us up around 10:45. We used our final meal (we got 1 Isle Bounty breakfast platter with an orange juice & chocolate milk). I think we let Luke eat most of it because neither my husband nor I can eat much on the day we’re flying. I believe Luke drank the chocolate milk & we split the orange juice.

When we were done eating breakfast, we walked back to OPR. I thought I had more resort pictures, but now that I think about it, I didn't even take my camera to our last breakfast at CBR. I just wanted to walk back to our room & enjoy the beautiful landscaping of the resort one last time. We arrived back at our room around 10:15am.

Luke sitting at the table while we finished packing (I just noticed his tan lines on his little legs!)

I took a few “last photos” of our room as well

Hidden Mickey on the shelf/coat hanger

Now I know you’re supposed to wait until Bell Services comes to your room & they knock on your door & carry your luggage for you, but for some reason this makes us feel uncomfortable.

We’re just used to doing basically everything for ourselves & although I guess it would be nice to have help, we just carried our luggage down the stairs ourselves. I double checked the room to make sure we weren’t leaving anything behind. (This is especially important to do with toddlers, you never know where they have hidden things!) Bell services came at 10:25 to pick us up and take us to the Customs House.

Ha…wish I had that tan right now!

 

[photographymom517]

Our ME bus was scheduled to pick us up at 11am but we arrived at the Customs House before the 10:30am bus left for the airport. Bell services asked if we’d like to leave on the earlier bus. He told us to just show our paperwork to the bus driver (his name was Norman & he was super nice!) & he would load our stroller & luggage onto the bus. Even though it was soooo sad we were leaving Disney, I was happy to get on the earlier bus because I didn't want to rush around the airport.

We left on the ME bus at 10:35am (25 minutes ahead of schedule). My husband sat with Luke and I sat behind them with our carry-on bags.

Now, let me tell you…normally after a vacation, I am ready to go home.

Yes, I had fun…
yes I love my vacation…
but I am always ready to go back home

Well, something was different this time…I was NOT ready to go home. I was so upset this time! I took a few pictures of the ME video which distracted me slightly, but I cried on the ME bus! Luckily not that many people were around us because they might have thought I was a little crazy.

I was really upset to be going home!

Bell Services van

Customs House & ME bus stop

Not the greatest picture, but I was impressed with myself. I took this picture from my seat which was near the middle of the bus. I took the picture out the front window though so I had to zoom in the closest the camera would allow (using my Canon Powershot…remember I didn’t have my Xsi yet!) I thought it looked like I was sitting in the front seat taking pics out the window! LOL But I was actually in the middle of the bus! I guess the reason I was so impressed was because when you zoom in fully with the Powershot, you have to be completely still...and obviously on a bus, you are going over bumps & constantly moving!

Nickelodeon Resort – Luckily for me, Luke doesn’t even watch Nick so I don’t have to worry about him wanting to stay here instead of on Disney property! Lol I’ve looked into the resort though & it does look very interesting! (I hate Spongebob, just for future reference!)

I took a picture of this because before I knew about Disney property, we considered staying here. I had no idea where it was located but since we passed it on our way to MCO, I took a picture of it!

Picture of my absolutely favorite store on earth…Target!

 

[photographymom517]

Wanna see pictures of the ME video? The pictures aren’t great, but you can still make out the words & characters!

Luke kept turning around & looking through the seats at me

We arrived at MCO at 11:10am. When we got to check-in, there was a very long line and it was moving extremely slowly. They had at least 20 counters at the Southwest section but only 3 were open.

It ended up going much quicker than I thought. We then returned our luggage carrier into the machine (first time we ever used one, I think it cost $4 but it was definitely worth it! ) We went through security and then got onto the airport “monorail.”

We were way ahead of schedule & we felt more relaxed so we decided to get something to eat. My husband and I ate at Sbarro pizza, but Luke wanted a Happy Meal at McDonald’s. The Happy Meal cost $5.32 (way more than at home!) and our Sbarro meal cost $14.14. My husband got a pepperoni pizza and I got the spinach broccoli stromboli with garlic dip. I can’t remember if I liked it or not, but I’m pretty sure that I told my husband never to let me order it again. I’m not sure if it was just because the stromboli was too big or maybe it didn’t taste good ??

We were very, very early so we walked around a few times and then sat on a bench to wait. We also bought our son a cookie at one of the stands. We didn’t need to be at our gate until between 1:15-1:30pm. It was nice not to have to rush around at the airport. We ended up going to the gate around 1 and Luke & I watched them load our luggage onto the plane. My husband found a seat & sat with our carry-on bags and the stroller.

This isn’t our plane, it’s the one beside us

I’m not sure why but out of the blue, I realized that I hadn’t gotten a tag for the stroller! I needed that little tag that said “gate checked” but I had no idea where to go! At this point, it was 1:30pm and they had already started boarding A group. The family group was right after B group so I needed to hurry which made me mad because we had arrived soooo early that I should've had everything done by then! They had already said it was a packed flight & that’s why we were boarding a little early. I found the desk, it really wasn’t that far away & was simple to find. I have no idea why I forgot. I think I was just exhausted & was upset because we were leaving.

We ended up getting back to the gate at the exact moment they were boarding families. We got into the line & boarded the plane. I looked at my phone and it was 1:50pm. We had a full flight and it took a little while for them to get everyone situated so a lady was able to sit with her son. I thought it was very rude that no one would move for her. That would be horrible if I wasn’t able to sit with my son & we were flying alone. I honestly would've given up my seat if Luke were a little older. Finally someone moved & the stewardess told them they would get free alcohol throughout the flight because they were kind enough to move.

Before we left Orlando, we sat on the plane for 10 minutes. It seemed like we were never going to leave. They boarded us early because they said we had a full flight. Everything was either on time or early…I didn’t understand why we had to sit there. I kept looking out the windows looking for bad weather because last year, we had to take off in a hurry to try to beat the storm. This time, we were just sitting there…sitting there…sitting there…finally the pilot came on & said we were waiting to see what the weather was doing 10 minutes away from our location. He said there might be a storm coming and we were waiting to see if we should wait for it to pass or take-off before it gets to Orlando. (remember this story for later reference!)

It was so hot on the plane while we were waiting. It was sort of ironic to me that we were waiting because the night before, I was telling my husband how I read an article about a new law that was passed. The airlines are only allowed to keep passengers on the tarmac waiting for the plane to take-off for a certain period of time. Then, they have to allow them back into the airport & reboard once the pilot is ready for take-off. They also have to provide drinks & snacks once you are on the tarmac over 2 hours.

Well, obviously we didn’t have these problems because it was only about 10-20 minutes, but it really made me realize how those poor passengers must feel when they are stuck for hours! It was only a few minutes but it felt soooo much longer because it was hot in there! I can’t imagine what being stuck on a plane for hours would feel like! The anxiety is bad enough just waiting for take-off…when you have to wait longer, its so much worse!

Well, the flight was pretty much normal & we only had a little turbulence. I liked the flight home much better than the flight to Orlando. This time, the pilot told us when we were coming upon bad weather so we knew ahead of time the plane would shake a little bit. We did have to keep our seatbelts on the majority of the flight because of the patches of bad weather, but it was ok because our son slept the entire flight. I think we only had our seatbelts off for maybe a total of 20 minutes the entire 2 hour flight. I read a few magazines and just enjoyed the quiet. Its hard for me to relax because I’m always anxious on flights, but once we land, I want to get right back on & fly again!

Luke slept most of the time on the plane

We ended up landing at 4:25pm. Myself and a few other passengers had to wait for our strollers and/or car seats. It took awhile this time around. They hadn't even brought the strollers inside yet. There isn’t much room to wait, so I told my husband to take our son into the airport & I would wait for the stroller.

 

[photographymom517]

This is where the story gets interesting. Remember when it took us awhile to take off but I didn’t see any bad weather out the plane windows? Well, while waiting for the stroller, I was leaning against the wall & overheard the stewardess talking to the pilot. She said that someone at her main office called her while she was on the flight & basically said that she was in big trouble with them once her flight lands. I guess they were accusing her of calling the pilot because she was running late & almost didn’t make the flight. The main office said that waiting for her is what held up our flight! I heard the pilot tell her that he knows that isn’t what happened & he would call them & vouch for her. Then they noticed that myself & another guy were listening & they quit talking. They went into the plane & were talking with another stewardess about the whole situation.

I was actually pretty mad at this point. I mean, we waited a good 20 minutes on a stewardess that was running late??? Sure, I’ve been late to work before but only when it didn’t affect someone else. This lady was affecting all of the people on the plane, including parents sitting there waiting with young children. It got very, very warm on the plane just waiting for about 20 minutes…I can’t imagine waiting longer than that! After I got back into the airport, I told my husband what I had overheard. He just laughed at me for eavesdropping, but its not like I did it on purpose! I was just waiting for my stroller & they happened to be standing behind me talking.

Anyway, it took awhile to get the stroller, but luckily I was waiting with nice people so we chatted a bit. The one lady was traveling from overseas & the other guy who was waiting for his stroller was sitting in front of us on the plane. I had been watching his wife & daughters DVD player on & off throughout the flight because they were watching Disney movies & Luke was sleeping! After probably 15 minutes, we finally all got our strollers & were on our way!

My dad had called me while I was waiting for the stroller, so once we got into the airport & figured out which way to go, I called him back. He said that he was waiting beside the luggage claim & told us which letter or number to look for. He even knew that our plane had landed at 4:25pm! By the time we got to the baggage claim, it was close to 4:45pm. I recognized most of the people from being on our flight, but there were 2 other flights’ luggage coming down as well. We found our luggage fairly quickly…my husband made fun of me last trip for buying bright colored luggage! Well, you wouldn’t believe the amount of people who ask me where I bought it. They either say they are sick of having boring colored luggage or they say it would be so much easier to spot their luggage if it stood out instead of being tan or navy or black! So he can make fun of me all he wants, its simple to spot bright colored luggage!

After we got our luggage, we went to the car which wasn’t very far away & we were on our way back home! Another hour & we would be there. Now, why am I telling you about our drive home? Because our very last trace of pixie dust was on our way home…a lady paid our toll for us! Things like that normally do not happen to us & we were exhausted after a long day of traveling…so it was a great way to end our trip!!! We dropped my dad off at his house & then drove to ours (which is only a few miles away). We came home to an extremely clean house thanks to my mom! She takes care of our pets for us & even though I tell her she doesn’t need to do anything else, every year she cleans my entire house. Our puppies & kitty were glad to have us back!!! We carried all of our luggage into the house & I think I started unpacking them after Luke took a nap that evening. I didn’t take notes after we got home because I wanted to go back to Disney already!!!

So, that wraps up our trip…but not my report! I’m going to make a quick list of my favorite gift shops, restaurants, rides & shows. And then please follow me on my planning journey for our September trip for 2011!!!!!

 

[photographymom517]

I'm going to wrap-up my report this evening. Its a shorter update than I had originally planned. I wanted to write a list of all the restaurants we want to eat at next trip, the attractions we missed this trip, our favorite moments of our trip, things we would've done differently, etc. But since I've already started my PTR for next trip, I'll just discuss those things on it.

Here is a list of my favorite giftshops from the trip!

DownTown Disney
D-Street -- sell Vinylmations, tshirts, pins, magnets
Tren-D -- unique items, lots of clothing, accessories, Dooneys!
World of Disney -- pretty much everything! I like how its separated into different sections too!


Hollywood Studios
Indiana Jones Adventure Outpost
Mickey's of Hollywood
Keystone Clothiers


Magic Kingdom
Pirates Bazaar
Emporium
The Chapeau (hat store on Main St)


Animal Kingdom

Store across from the bakery
Mombasa Marketplace/Ziwani Traders
Chester & Hester's Dinosaur Treasures


Epcot

Club Cool
Mouse Gears -- my favorite gift shop!!!

Il Bel Cristallo, La Bottega Italiana (Italy)

Casablanca Carpets, Jewels of the Sahara, Marketplace in the Medina, Medina arts, Souk-al-Magreb, Tangier Traders, The Brass Bazaar (Morocco)

Mitsukoshi Department Store (Japan)

Plaza de Los Amigos, El Ranchito Del Norte, La Princesa de Cristal (Mexico)

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During our past two trips, the crowds at Disney have been very high (spring break & summer time). We had to skip a lot of things, not necessarily because we wanted to, but due to the long wait times. Sometimes we would skip something because Luke was either afraid of it or not tall enough to ride.

Things we want to try next trip

Magic Kingdom

Splash Mountain
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Aladdin’s Carpets
Enchanted Tiki Room
Carousel of Progress
TTA
Country Bear Jamboree
Dumbo
Haunted Mansion
Jungle Cruise
Monsters Inc Laugh Floor


Animal Kingdom

Nemo
Beauty & the Beast
The Boneyard playground area
Festival of the Lion King
Kali River Rapids
Primeval Whirl
TriceraTop Spin


Epcot
There isn't much that we didn’t do here because its our favorite park & spent the most time here. (Also not that many rides at Epcot.)

Soarin
Test Track


Hollywood Studios
We didn’t go here in 2009 so we spent a lot of time here in 2010 and we did mostly everything

Fantasmic!
Animation area
Muppet Vision (it was closed for rehab during our trip)
Toy Story Midway Mania

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I already started listing restaurants on my PTR, but some of the places we want to eat at are:

Magic Kingdom

Crystal Palace
Tony’s


Animal Kingdom

Tusker House


Epcot

Le Cellier
Chefs de France
La Hacienda
Garden Grill
Teppan Edo


Hollywood Studios

Sci-Fi Dine In
Mama Melrose’s
Hollywood & Vine (repeat from 2010 trip)

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This wraps up my entire report for June!!! I hope that you enjoyed reading it! I really hope that I learned alot from my mistakes for our next trip so we won't do those things...as well as learning what we really enjoyed so we can do those things again!

I have noticed alot of differences comparing my photos from our 2009 and 2010 trips on Shutterfly! There were alot of things we skipped in 2009 that we did in 2010...and some that we still haven't done. I also noticed in 2010 that I really took time to enjoy the little things & really experience the magic of the parks & resort! Hopefully our 2011 trip will be even better!

Thank you to everyone for all of your help & comments along the way!!! Thank you for being supportive, providing information to me, and making my experience at Disney even more enjoyable!

Please follow along with me (link is in my signature!) as I plan our 2011 September trip!!!

 

[stephielela]

Yay!!! Congrats on finishing your TR!

That's crazy about the stewardess holding up the flight!! I would be mad!

I HATE getting to the airport early because it is so hard to keep Jack happy, but with ME, there's not much choice!

I have pretty much finished my TR too!! Now onto the future! Fall trips here we come!

 

[SoonerGirl]

Thanks for sharing your trip Hope, I really enjoyed reading along! Luke is such a cutie

Heading off to check out your PTR!

 

[photographymom517]

Yay!!! Congrats on finishing your TR!

That's crazy about the stewardess holding up the flight!! I would be mad!

I HATE getting to the airport early because it is so hard to keep Jack happy, but with ME, there's not much choice!

I have pretty much finished my TR too!! Now onto the future! Fall trips here we come!

I'm so glad that I finally finished up my TR! For awhile there, I thought that I never would!

I have mixed feelings about the airport. We stress over it so much that I'd rather be there early than later, but at the same time, there's only so much you can do once you get to the terminal side. I've never actually shopped at the airport other than buying a few last minute souvenirs & I knew what I wanted so I was literally in & out of the store within minutes. And we don't like to eat too much because we'll get sick on the plane. We've been extremely lucky the past 2 trips with Luke's behavior & we've had no meltdowns!

Can't wait to plan our fall trip & read all about yours!!!

Thanks for sharing your trip Hope, I really enjoyed reading along! Luke is such a cutie

Heading off to check out your PTR!

Thanks Michelle!!! I'm really glad that you followed along with my report! Thanks for all the advice along the way & just for reading!

I'm hoping to post again on my PTR today!

 

[PopArtGal]

Awe, so cute that Luke waved goodbye! You should make it a tradition