Mom and Dad's Dream Trip-34 Yrs in Making-Jun08 SOUVIE PICS PG 51 NEXT TRIP!!???!!!!?

[heatherlizz602]

GREAT UPDATE once again!!!! I also love the way you write. I am soooooo into it. It makes me feel like I am right there with you. Love the picture of Megan eating her mickey Ice cream. So cute.

 

[Luckymommyx2]

OMG what a great update!! The pics are priceless, especially the ones of Megan and her Mickey bar. I'm glad to hear everyone made it through the storm okay--must have been pretty scarey for awhile!

BTW, we just changed our OKW reservations from Jan to Sept. Again, our first stay. Any tips or must-do's that you'd like to share. We're going to be in HH area in a 2 bedroom. We requested the 3 floor with water and golf course views but we'll see what we get. We normally don't care where we are but we're doing this trip without the parks--another first--and wanted to be close to the main pool and activities for the kids.

Can't wait for the next installment! Thanks for taking the time to share with us!!

 

[Sarilas]

Man that icecream looks good right now!

 

[lmillercrew]

Crazy rain! We were in Disney when tropical storm Armando? hit back in 2006.
I can't remember what the name of it was, but I know there was a lot of rain and it was pretty ridiculous. Glad you made it safely to your room.

 

[Charleston Princess]

An update that was definitely well worth the wait!!!

Too bad about Chef Mickey's, but just remember, there is always next time!!! That's one of the reasons that there always has to be a next time -- so we can do the things we missed before.

Nice, fun, productive Future World morning and afternoon! Love all the pics from that!

Wow! Megan really enjoyed her Mickey ice cream, didn't she? Can you believe that I have never had one! See, that's one of my next times along with eating at Sunshine Seasons -- I hear such wonderful things about it -- I so want to try it soon!

Reading about your experiences during the storm definitely reminded me of ours! Wasn't that just the craziest weather that you ever encountered at WDW??? I know it was for us!

I had such a good time reading this update -- I hope you make it to your Norway dinner!

 

[IluvXU]

I hope you get to go to Norway... I would hate to miss to character meals in one day... and since Norway you would have to pay for yikes!

That storm stunk... I guess we were the lucky ones to be in our room when it hit!

After your long day I am sure Megan needed a rest...two long park days in a row are something I know my kids could not handle this year or last August. I think during shorter park hour days and during the cooler months it can happen, but not in June.

I too love the ice cream bar pic!

 

[snowbell]

Oh My Gosh -- So glad you made it out of there safely.. I hope you guys made it to the princess dinner...

 

[MegansMom]

Great Update!

I really enjoy the way you write, it makes me feel like I am right there with you. I was worried Megs was going to get really scared by the storm but it doesn't seem like she was.

Can't wait for more!

I am so glad you are enjoying the TR and thank you for your compliment on my writing style. You don't know how much that really means to me!! I have been yearning to allow myself the time and effort it would take to selfishly pursue writing as a career--and not just a hobby. This coming school year, Megan will have preschool 3 days a week, and I will no longer be watching my friend's daughter, so I am actually thinking about devoting this year to myself, and actually be okay with not working or doing anything else except trying to get published someway, somehow, in some genre. I have a million ideas that I have sketched out in journals that I would love to actually flesh out into whole, finished pieces. Wish me luck--your comments along with others on here and from friends are really helping me build up the confidence to do this!! There will be more soon!

GREAT UPDATE once again!!!! I also love the way you write. I am soooooo into it. It makes me feel like I am right there with you. Love the picture of Megan eating her mickey Ice cream. So cute.

Thanks so much--as you read right above, it means so much to me! Your words of compliment are great encouragement for me! Writing as a career is a hard thing to pursue because you never know what will work or be successful until you finally make it--I am sure I need to prepare myself for a world of rejection, but hopefully it will ultimately pay off for me!! I would LOVE to have a children's book published someday!! Wish me luck! I love the pictures of her eating that ice cream--it was so fun to watch!

OMG what a great update!! The pics are priceless, especially the ones of Megan and her Mickey bar. I'm glad to hear everyone made it through the storm okay--must have been pretty scarey for awhile!

BTW, we just changed our OKW reservations from Jan to Sept. Again, our first stay. Any tips or must-do's that you'd like to share. We're going to be in HH area in a 2 bedroom. We requested the 3 floor with water and golf course views but we'll see what we get. We normally don't care where we are but we're doing this trip without the parks--another first--and wanted to be close to the main pool and activities for the kids.

Can't wait for the next installment! Thanks for taking the time to share with us!!

I love those pics too!! Look forward to a return of the great Mickey Bar in future updates with more pics and videos---PRICELESS!!! We all did make it soundly through the storm, but it was VERY scary for a long period of time! We were even more worried not knowing whether or not the rest of the gang was okay! Mom said they looked like a bunch of brightly colored gum drops walking through the rain in their multi-colored ponchos!!! I wish I could have seen that!

By requesting the HH section, you should be VERY close to the main pool, restaurants, and activities!!! We were in building 14, and it was GREAT! We loved the pool and everything around it--we also loved the ferry boats to SSR and DTD that leave right from the main hub too! They have a great restaurant over at SSR too that is easy to access via the boats called Turf Club Bar and Grill--the boat will let you out right by it. There is PLENTY to do at OKW even without going to the parks--a LOT of watercraft vehicles you can rent right at the main hub, or you can even rent bikes, and they have a great path to ride around on there as well!! You will enjoy your trip I am sure!

Thank you for taking the time to read along!!!

Man that icecream looks good right now!

I was thinking the same thing!!! That chocolate is SOOOOOO good!

Crazy rain! We were in Disney when tropical storm Armando? hit back in 2006.
I can't remember what the name of it was, but I know there was a lot of rain and it was pretty ridiculous. Glad you made it safely to your room.

We were so happy to be back in our room!!! Megs was a little scared by all the craziness, but just snuggled up to get warm and dry!

An update that was definitely well worth the wait!!!

Too bad about Chef Mickey's, but just remember, there is always next time!!! That's one of the reasons that there always has to be a next time -- so we can do the things we missed before.

Nice, fun, productive Future World morning and afternoon! Love all the pics from that!

Wow! Megan really enjoyed her Mickey ice cream, didn't she? Can you believe that I have never had one! See, that's one of my next times along with eating at Sunshine Seasons -- I hear such wonderful things about it -- I so want to try it soon!

Reading about your experiences during the storm definitely reminded me of ours! Wasn't that just the craziest weather that you ever encountered at WDW??? I know it was for us!

I had such a good time reading this update -- I hope you make it to your Norway dinner!

I am so glad you enjoyed the update and felt it worth the wait! I was so bummed about CM, but thought exactly the same thought--must do for next time! We have decided that our FAVORITE way to see the characters is through meals, so we are going to concentrate on including a couple more next time we go--may even encourage us to do the deluxe plan next time!

We did have a great time at FW that morning--bummed we didn't catch TT, but then Tom reminded me that I didn't need to ride that ride to experience the same things--I just needed to hop in the car with him!! After seeing how fast he made it down to WDW this year, I think he is right!!!

Okay Jackie--YOU HAVE TO HAVE A MICKEY BAR NEXT TIME!!!! How have you missed that?!!?!?!??! SOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD!!! Sunshine is a favorite of ours--we have eaten there for lunch the past three years on our EP day--I know BORING, but there is always so much to choose from, and we always seem to hit the Land at lunch time! Your choices for your dessert are never-ending!!!! YOU SHOULD SEE THE STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE!!! MMMMMMMM GOOD!!!!!

I knew that you, Annette, Laura, Lesley and everyone else that was there for that GLORIOUS event would appreciate it!! SUCH a crazy storm!! I was thinking, OMG Jackie is probably freaking out--I remembered how intensely you dislike storms, and was hoping you would be okay! Stay tuned to more soon!

I hope you get to go to Norway... I would hate to miss to character meals in one day... and since Norway you would have to pay for yikes!

That storm stunk... I guess we were the lucky ones to be in our room when it hit!

After your long day I am sure Megan needed a rest...two long park days in a row are something I know my kids could not handle this year or last August. I think during shorter park hour days and during the cooler months it can happen, but not in June.

I too love the ice cream bar pic!

HMMMMMMMM??? Do we make it to Norway? I'll tell you if you tell me where YOU went to eat that night on your TR!!!

I was glad to see that you all made it safely back to your room too!

Megan was so pooped--we felt so bad that she kept getting jolted awake by the thunder! The next time we go, I want to do a park day, do a rest day, do a park day, do a rest day, etc. I love it when we stay 10+ days, so that is what I am going to save up and plan for!

There is a comeback for the Mickey Bar on another day--so stay tuned!

BTW--hope you and Luke are able to stay cool with all this UNGODLY heat! Hoping for a pleasant end of this pregnancy for you!

 

[MegansMom]

Oh My Gosh -- So glad you made it out of there safely.. I hope you guys made it to the princess dinner...

The conclusion of that day will be coming soon--I promise!!! Stay tuned!

 

[cjhinch]

Great update! I can't believe you gave up your CM ressie, but I can totally understand why! I know my family would have a heck of a time making it to something at 7:10 in the morning. We are barely even up by then on school days!

I am so glad you made it onto a bus before that horrible storm hit! I would have been freaking out!

I cant' wait to hear about the rest of your day!

 

[ampc3]

Good Lord a 7 am Ressie, there is NO WAY we could have ever made something like that... Good call.

Soo funny about your folks being on the same ride and not having a clue! what are the chances.

Oh yes that wonderful Tuesday afternoon... We had absolutly no idea there was a tornado watch going on. Thank goodness noone any where was hurt.

looking forward to more, and hope you all made it to Norway...

 

[nessz79]

Great update! Those Florida storms can be crazy!!

 

[MegansMom]

Great update! I can't believe you gave up your CM ressie, but I can totally understand why! I know my family would have a heck of a time making it to something at 7:10 in the morning. We are barely even up by then on school days!

I am so glad you made it onto a bus before that horrible storm hit! I would have been freaking out!

I cant' wait to hear about the rest of your day!

Thanks for the update kudos! I couldn't believe we gave it up either, but I think we made the best call for that day!! Trust me, we were SO glad we made it onto the bus before the storm!! Like I said, the BEST DECISION WE HAVE EVER MADE IN OUR LIVES--to go back when we did! More will be here soon!!

BTW, is there anyway I can crawl into a suitcase and go with you in a month?????

Good Lord a 7 am Ressie, there is NO WAY we could have ever made something like that... Good call.

Soo funny about your folks being on the same ride and not having a clue! what are the chances.

Oh yes that wonderful Tuesday afternoon... We had absolutly no idea there was a tornado watch going on. Thank goodness noone any where was hurt.

looking forward to more, and hope you all made it to Norway...

We thought what are the odds being on the same ride together, and since they were more towards the front, they must have gotten out of the ride after us--thus putting them behind us at MS. SUCH a small world! When I found out that you guys were at DHS, I was worried about you--they said that the hat got hit by lightning that day!!! And to think you were running around in it!

We will just have to wait and see about Norway!!!

 

[MegansMom]

Great update! Those Florida storms can be crazy!!

Very VERY SCARY!!!

 

[MegansMom]

When I last left you all hanging, we were "hunkered down" in our hotel room sitting through the storm of our lives!!! Megan and I were snuggled deep down under the covers trying to warm ourselves from getting obliterated by the wall of rain we had to run through. Poor Megs tried to sleep, but the overwhelming claps of thunder rang out all around us jolting and jarring her from her precious nap. Nevertheless, after a good hour of lounging through all that, she seemed to be perking up to her infamous sweet self again. A little while later, the rain actually began to taper off--THANK GOD--and by all accounts from the local weather guys, it would be dry the rest of the night. SO, we chatted, and decided that we DEFINITELY would be heading back to EP for Megs' Princess Dinner, hopefully find the gang to make sure they were okay, and stay out as long as Megan would allow since it had become an EMH night there somehow. Tom hopped in the shower, and since Megan and I had already done so, we got all dressed and ready to go for her big night!!

And now presenting Princess Snow White:

Isn't she HAPPY!!! The dress was a little big on her, but thankfully she INSISTED on wearing an undershirt due to sensory reasons, so I had something I could bobby pin it to--that was all I had!!!

So once Tom was dressed, we headed down to the bus stop to wait for an Epcot bus. We weren't there long before the EP bus came, but Megan LOVED all the compliments she received on her dress, etc. On a sidenote, you should have seen all the trees broken and debris that was all around the hotel from the storm--unreal!

We quickly arrived to EP, and once there, headed straight back to WS. It was a little after 7pm, and since our ressie wasn't until 7:55, we decided to park and cover the stroller near the restaurant and head in to the Maelstrom--one of Megan's favorites. We waited for probably at least 20-25 minutes, but Megan kept everyone in line entertained as she continually pretended to be Snow White. Rode the ride again---Megan loves it for all the dips and riding backwards and such--not so much for the actual theming or storyline. We skipped the film, and headed back to the restaurant to check in for ADR. We were given our pager and escorted into the lobby to wait.

It wasn't too long until we were being introduced to this lovely lady:

The restaurant took a great picture of the two of them too, and we received that in a picture package at the end of the dinner---for free!! That was nice!

We were then showed to our seat, and we all got started on the salad/appetizer buffet. Megan ordered pizza, Tom ordered that traditional meat dish, and I ordered the salmon dish. Everything was good, but not our ABSOLUTE favorites or anything. On a sidenote, Tom and I could not get over how naturally beautiful all the people were at the restaurant. Knowing that they all were from Norway, Tom said at one point, "If this is what all the people in Norway look like, why would you ever leave that place to come here!" VERY beautiful people--both men and women. Here's Megan ANXIOUSLY awaiting for more princesses to arrive!!! She was so excited, she could barely eat that night!!

Here's a plate with the different salads and whatnot from the buffet. Nothing too spectacular except the rolls--they were good.

And then Belle showed up, and Megan was too excited for words!! Can you tell????

And then Princess Ariel "WITH LEGS MOMMY!!!" Yes, Megan is looking at Ariel's legs in the first picture! She made her show them to her because she couldn't believe she didn't have her "flippers" on!! (Mind you this is the first time Megan has seen Ariel outside the Grotto.)

We were just chatting it up with Ariel--she was really sweet!

After Ariel left, we were just sitting there enjoying our salads, and were looking out the window when Tom and I saw the same thing at the same time and said, "Look, there's Mom, Dad, and Kristi!" As soon as it came out of our mouths, we both looked at each other and realized that we should have probably kept them shut!!! Megan began knocking and waving out the window when she saw her beloved family members and began telling them (even though they obviously couldn't hear) to come in and see the princesses with her. Well they did see us and began waving back towards us, but did not come in. They were heading into Maelstrom apparently. Luckily, the joy of seeing the princesses must have drowned out any apparent disappointment that her family members didn't come in, because she only asked where they were going, and was okay with the answer that they weren't going to be joining us. PHEW!!! Crisis averted!!! Trust me, that could have gone down MUCH worse!!!

Then Princess Jasmine came along--this was Megan's first time meeting her! She was GORGEOUS and so great with Megan!!

Jasmine was complementing Megan on her dress!!

Here Jasmine was teaching Megan how her friend Snow White always poses for pictures:

Then Jasmine wanted a picture with Princess Snow White:

Then the two new friends had to say good bye to one another:

Posting more below...........

 

[MegansMom]

Well, at this point we were down to our last princess. SURELY it would be Snow White--the one that Megan was so LONGING to see!!!! And as the "Princess Door" (as Megan called it) opened, the crowd in the restaurant gasped and squealed to see this lovely lady:

(Insert sound of record scratching to a halt!!) WHAT!?!?!?!?! We make all these special arrangements to come and see Snow White here at this restaurant and we end up with CINDERELLA!!!! Let me just say, I know we were probably the only ones in the restaurant disappointed. It's not that we don't love Cinderella---we do---but we have seen her at her dinner at Park Fare the past two years, and Megan SO wanted to see Snow White---hello, the dress she so desperately wanted to wear to show SW so they could match?!?!?!?! You can tell in that picture above that Megan was happy, but a little disappointed nonetheless. But we recuperated quickly---Tom and I both jumped into action so that we would not have to leave with a hysterical ball of mush instead of the happy little princess we brought in with us. So I quickly asked Cinderella if Snow White was too busy tonight to come to supper, and the wonderful Cinderella quickly picked up on my intentions and played along beautifully. She said, "Yes, poor Sneezy got so sick and sneezy from that awful rain we had, so Snow had to stay home with the dwarfs to make him feel all better." That was all our pretty princess needed. Her spirits lifted, and she quickly told us all, "AWWWW, isn't she nice to take care of Sneezy!" Double PHEW!!!! TWO crises averted!!! Then Megan began showing Cinderella her dress and telling her how it matched Snow White's!

Oops!! Try again Cindy! (Which we did, and she shut her eyes again!)

Okay, third time is a charm!

So we finished our meal, and since Sleeping Beauty was no longer out posing, Megan decided that she would be the Princess in waiting:

She said that she would pose with people just like Snow White since she wasn't there that night. So I pretended to be coming to see Snow White, and she pretended to be Snow White. Here is our picture:

I was so hoping someone else would come over, because I know Megan would have followed right along with her Snow White routine.

We quickly realized that Illuminations was going on outside, so we loaded up and left. Since it was an EMH night, we decided that instead of watching the show since we have seen it before, we would go ahead and head back to FW to try to beat the crowds swarming back after the show. So Tom said--let's blister. So I took the stroller and took off!! I was flying!!! It wasn't for another country or two, that I realized that Tom was running to catch up to me. So I stopped, he caught up, and said that he ran into my parents and Kristi, but couldn't get my attentiont to stop, so he ran after me. OOPS!! So we continued to head on over to FW. Since we thought Megs LOVED Spaceship Earth we decided to head there first. Once she heard that, she began crying because she didn't want to go back into that "stinky place!" WHAT???? We were almost there, so we kept walking. Once we got there we sat down and talked to her about it, because we couldn't understand why she was having an aversion to it. We thought she was thinking of the skunk smell in the Figment ride. Then she informed us through her tears that she didn't like that stinky smell in the big ball with the old men and the fire. We then realized, she must have had an aversion to that one scene--I guess it does have a strong odor now that I think about it. We had no clue!!! Since she is SO oversensitive to smells, if she thinks something stinks, it really upsets her. Realizing that the fact she had no nap was also contributing to the tears, we decided that maybe we should just head in for the night. As we were getting ready to leave SE, Mike and the kids came running up--they were about to go on it. I told them that we needed to take our princess home, but we were all so glad to see each other---glad everyone survived the storm safely!!!

So we headed back to the buses--and our OKW bus was sitting there waiting for us---YEAH!!! We climbed aboard and headed home. Of course, Snow White won't remember that ride at all:

Tom had that funny face because the flash was so bright in our dark bus---oops!! SORRY HONEY!!!

I snapped this pic of OKW's main building as we passed:

Here's Snow White after a long day:

Night-night sweetheart!!!!

Don't worry--we did put her in PJs!!!

Tom and I followed suit soon afterwards--dreaming of another day at MK tomorrow, but also revelling in the sweet memories from the Princess Meal of today!

So, in our next update........

Who out of the ten of us makes it to MK on Wed???? What kind of day lies ahead for us???? Does Tom become a FP Master??? How HOT can it possibly get???? Who is that on that train???? Will we like Stitch??? What new surprise is in store for Megan????? AND SO MUCH MORE!!!! STAY TUNED!!!!

 

[lmillercrew]

I loved that update! I love the look on Megan's face when she saw the princesses. My little one had that look on her face when we took her to the princess breakfast. I'm so glad that they interacted with Megan. And her Snow White pose is perfect! Waiting anxiously for you next MK update.

 

[ampc3]

love your update Jen!

That picture of Megs crashed on the bed is priceless
The ariel you all had is the same one we had at the grotto I think.
Glad she enjoyed her meal and bummer about Snow White..

We had a beautiful waitress too, but that was our worst service by far..

 

[cjhinch]

Aww, great update! I love how happy she looks in all of her pictures! You can really tell that she is having the time of her life!

Those princesses are sharp aren't they? How wonderful of Cinderella to pick up on the fact that your DD really wanted to see Snow White, and to think of such a great story to tell her!

I cant' wait to read more!

 

[Luckymommyx2]

Another great update! I really want to try Norway but I'm not sure how well it would go with my picky eaters, plus I'm a vegetarian. The pictures with the princesses are priceless! Glad to hear you were able to avoid both potential crisis.
I cannot tell you how much I look forward to your installments and how terribly disappointed I'll be when the trip is over. Thanks again for sharing!