"Mom, this is like a whole new Disney!" New 7/30 - pg 43 - Final Thoughts & PTR Link

[Meteora]

Just found this--I hope you liked Vistana! We own there and love it--it's our home away from home. And Lakes is a gorgeous section, though we got completely lost the first time we tried to find the Pizza Hut from there. (We own in Cascades.) My family is me (25), my sister (22), and our parents, so to us the space at Vistana is what makes family vacations doable!

 

[Glite]

I always wanted to stay at Vistana. It looks like a good amount of space for a family.

 

[DisMomAmy]

Alex makes a very fearsome Stormtrooper!

Hurray for finally having lunch! That is so late for us to eat, we would have been losing our minds!

Looks like you had a lot of fun! I have never seen that sign with the Dread Family on it! That must be new or I am not as observant as I thought.

Alex has really gotten into Star Wars since our trip!

Not only do we have to eat early on vacation, but when the boys get off schedule all heck breaks loose!

I didn't remember the Dread Family sign either... I thought it was pretty cool.

I love that Alex wanted to wear his costume! Isaiah went through a costume stage too.....those were the days!

The seating at Cosmic Rays can be a pain...especially with a big family.

Sounds like you are having a great day so far!

Alex isn't usually a big costume guy, but he just had to have that one! He kept trying to scare people. The funny part was that he is normally quite chatty but when he put the mask on, he would be silent.

I'm glad you got lunch without too much more delay. Cosmic Rays is always a good choice for a bigger group.

I'm with Jackie- I've never seen that Dread Family sign either. Do you remember where it was at HM?

Lunch worked out well... once we got there.

The Dread Family sign was outside in the queue.

Not to butt in...
It was there for just a day or two? It was a test for interactive queue game

http://www.**************.net/2010/04/the-haunted-mansion-testing-interactive-queue-game-with-new-ghostly-characters/

Thanks for sharing... it's never butting in! I didn't realize it was temporary, I just assumed I hadn't seen it before.

Love the shirt! Haven't seen one like it before.

Not sure if he got it in Florida, if it was a gift, or if he got it when they were up here last summer.

 

[DisMomAmy]

Great update(s). cosmic rays is always good because of the variety. it can get REALLY crowded though.

It seems like you got a lot done. Was it that crowded?

Whenever I see a stormtrooper, I hear the Darth Vadar music in my head.

The crowds really weren't bad, just busy at Cosmic Rays!

We hear that music too! And Tim always walks around saying, "I am your father."

Thanks! Very cool.

Great pics at MK so far Amy! LOVE the full costume look!! It's awesome!! Alex is just too cute! Great Splash Mountain pic too! Gabe wasn't looking forward to getting wet either, luckily we only got a few "splashes"! I LOVE seeing Cowboy Goofy too!!

I love the picture of Tim walking with Alex in his costume! The Splash Mountain picture makes me laugh. Zach was so funny about it.

Hi Amy! So cute that Alex still wanted to wear his costume at MK! YAY for Zach riding Splash Mountain! Good idea on the sunglasses!! Glad you enjoyed SM! It was our first time riding so we weren't aware of all the changes! It sounds like they were for the better though!!

I was a bit disappointed with the changes to SM... the changes themselves were good, I just wish there had been more. With the ride being down for a year, you would think they would have updated it to be like the one at DL.

Splash is a favorite for all of us!

great update!.

I don't like Cosmic Rays for that very reason, seating is impossible!

What a fun day, you guys did a ton!

We can always find something to eat at Cosmic Rays, but it's not my favorite.

We definitly got a lot done that day.

 

[mousescrapper]

are you back

 

[DisMomAmy]

love your trip report

Thanks for reading!

We went in late may/ Early june and went from mk to DTD by bus, We didnt go to TNTC or anything.

Interesting... Maybe you can go from park to DTD but not DTD to park???

another great update w/ lots of pictures....

I would have been like K on Splash...completely covered in a poncho

That could have been me if K didn't want the extra poncho!

Just found this--I hope you liked Vistana! We own there and love it--it's our home away from home. And Lakes is a gorgeous section, though we got completely lost the first time we tried to find the Pizza Hut from there. (We own in Cascades.) My family is me (25), my sister (22), and our parents, so to us the space at Vistana is what makes family vacations doable!

We loved Vistana & it's on the top of my list for our next family vacation in February!! The resort is definitely huge, but we had everything we needed right in our area. I don't think I ever saw the Cascades section.

I always wanted to stay at Vistana. It looks like a good amount of space for a family.

Vistana had tons of space! And it was so close to WDW. If you don't mind renting a car, the commute is just as fast as the buses.

 

[DisMomAmy]

are you back

Yup - working on an update.

 

[DisMomAmy]

Not that I was gone long... but we had our annual family camping trip up in the White Mountains of NH this past weekend. And I forgot...





















My Camera!

I do have a bunch of pictures in my phone and I'll post some once I get them out of there...

We had a great weekend, but I think the kids have either outgrown Story Land or are just too spoiled my Disney. You never run out of stuff to do at Disney and the boys, especially Alex, got bored. He wanted a rollercoaster that went upside down. They were funny though... they both referred to the staff at Story Land as "Cast Members".

We had a great time camping & we visited the Lost River on Sunday. Here's the description from the website:

It's an adventure that combines the beauty and mysteries of nature with the excitement of exploring! Lost River Gorge is a journey through time. As you travel this timeline, you’ll explore steep walled gorges and rugged boulder caves still lit by lanterns and guided by boardwalks. You’ll marvel at the colors and delicate beauty of over one hundred species of native flowers, ferns, and shrubs in our nature garden. Along your ¾ mile journey, the river will keep you company along the way, playing hide and seek among the huge boulders and deep crevasses. Even when it’s not visible, the river is never far away—you’ll hear it babbling over the rocks, just out of sight, and you’ll understand why they call it “Lost River.”

Alex complained the whole way from when we left the campground until we hit the first cave along the walk. Then he loved it!! We'll definitely be going back there again. There was one cave, called the Lemon Squeezer, that was really small! You had to be able to squeeze between these pieces of wood to enter the cave to make sure nobody went in who was too big to get out! Tim couldn't fit, so I had to go in with the boys. I had to slide across the wet ground on my stomach to fit through this cave! Not good! But other than that, it was a lot of fun.

Yesterday was the first day of camp!! I was so relieved, when I picked them up, that they (especially Zach) had a good time. This was Zach's first year at camp and I was worried how he'd like it. He didn't know anybody there, except for one boy he was friends with in preschool. This was Alex's fourth year at camp, but his first year without an aide. Lucily his day went well too. Today they are both on field trips. Alex was a bit nervous because he's never been on the field trips... they are on Tuesdays & Thursdays and he's usually at summer school on those days. Since he doesn't have an aide this year, he started camp a week earlier than normal (summer school starts next week) so he was able to go. I hope it goes well.

Sorry I didn't get an update done yesterday, but I had to work and then last night I had a meeting. I was voted onto the Board of Directors for the agency in our area that provides early intervention services (Speech Therapy, OT, PT & more) for kids with developmental delays. Alex went through their program and I love them to death... I'm really excited to add the perspective of an autism mom to the board.

Fall trip update... It looks like Laura & I will be cancelling our BWI reservation... Orbitz can't get a confirmation from Disney that we'll get a room with two beds. I suspect we would get two beds, and our requests have been noted, but we know for sure we will have two at POR... I think I'd rather stick with POR than stress about the unknown of BWI. Does that make sense? Am I crazy?

I also tried to get an AP rate at POR (they were released the end of last week) but they don't have any available at POR or POFQ... so I guess we won't be getting a dining plan. Oh well... I still have my TIW card. The only issue with that is that when Laura & I go out to eat, we usually give them our two credit cards/debit cards and have them split the bill on the two cards. With the TIW card, I read that it has to be paid on one card... not sure if they'll enforce that or not... I'm sure we'll figure it out.

Uploading pictures to photobucket for my next update now...

 

[MRYPPNS]

Reply in RED

We had a great weekend, but I think the kids have either outgrown Story Land or are just too spoiled my Disney. You never run out of stuff to do at Disney and the boys, especially Alex, got bored. He wanted a rollercoaster that went upside down.

Hard to compare the Polar Coaster to RNRC!!!

They were funny though... they both referred to the staff at Story Land as "Cast Members".

The boys were correct....their name tags now say "Cast Member" on them.


Yesterday was the first day of camp!! I was so relieved, when I picked them up, that they (especially Zach) had a good time.

Liam goes back to school on Tuesday...I can't wait But seriously he so needs the structure and time out of the house

I was voted onto the Board of Directors for the agency in our area that provides early intervention services

Congrats! Why can't you live in my district!!!


Fall trip update... It looks like Laura & I will be cancelling our BWI reservation... Orbitz can't get a confirmation from Disney that we'll get a room with two beds. I suspect we would get two beds, and our requests have been noted, but we know for sure we will have two at POR... I think I'd rather stick with POR than stress about the unknown of BWI. Does that make sense? Am I crazy?

You're crazy. There I said it. You will get 2 beds.

so I guess we won't be getting a dining plan. Oh well... I still have my TIW card. The only issue with that is that when Laura & I go out to eat, we usually give them our two credit cards/debit cards and have them split the bill on the two cards. With the TIW card, I read that it has to be paid on one card... not sure if they'll enforce that or not... I'm sure we'll figure it out.

I think you would do better $$ wise with the TIW card. Just go back and forth with Laura on who pays the tab, keep your reciepts and even it up at home.

Uploading pictures to photobucket for my next update now...

 

[mousescrapper]

I ditto everything Heidi says...except my kids are not in school...

I can't believe you would not be able to get 2 beds...what is the ratio of 2 beds to 1 King You know how to work those CM's...come on it will be an adventure...roll the quilt between ya JK...

do what you feel comfortable w/...but I'd try and stick w/ BWI

can't wait to see more pictures and kuddos on the board position

J~

 

[mommytothreeboys]

I think I'd say the same as the others....stick with BWI. You'll get 2 beds and if not, you can always ask for a different room. If I had the opportunity to stay Deluxe, I would.

The weekend sounds great! We head out on our annual camping extravaganza on Saturday....so excited!

Yay for the boys having fun at camp! That always does a mom's heart good.

 

[Charleston Princess]

Sounds like you had a great weekend, and I am glad the boys are enjoying camp!

 

[DisMomAmy]

Reply in RED

I did notice that the staff at Story Land were referred to as Cast Members, but that was after the kids had said it.

We went to a FisherCats baseball game in Manchester tonight & there's a building nearby that looks like a castle... Zach noticed it right away & said, "mom - look - it's the Disney castle"!

Glad to hear Liam gets back to school soon... Alex starts Tuesday too. He has five weeks of Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, 8:30 - 2:30 (plus camp Mondays & Fridays that school pays for). Then he has a two week camp through the mentoring program he is part of. He'll only have one week off at the end of the summer.

I know, I'm crazy... maybe we'll keep BWI...

I ditto everything Heidi says...except my kids are not in school...

I can't believe you would not be able to get 2 beds...what is the ratio of 2 beds to 1 King You know how to work those CM's...come on it will be an adventure...roll the quilt between ya JK...

do what you feel comfortable w/...but I'd try and stick w/ BWI

can't wait to see more pictures and kuddos on the board position

J~

You're right... even if we do end up in a king bed together I don't think it's a big deal... king beds are huge! I've shared hotel beds with friends before.

And we'd probably end up with two beds anyways... kings cost more & they have fewer.

I think I'd say the same as the others....stick with BWI. You'll get 2 beds and if not, you can always ask for a different room. If I had the opportunity to stay Deluxe, I would.

The weekend sounds great! We head out on our annual camping extravaganza on Saturday....so excited!

Yay for the boys having fun at camp! That always does a mom's heart good.

OK, OK... I get it! Stick with BWI!

Have fun on your camping trip!! Two nights is about all we can handle... but I can't wait to take longer trips.

Sounds like you had a great weekend, and I am glad the boys are enjoying camp!

Another good day today!

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

I noticed that you just said that you made your annual trip to New Hampshire, and was wondering if you have ever checked out the Conway Scenic Railroad well you were there. http://www.conwayscenic.com/

 

[DisMomAmy]

I noticed that you just said that you made your annual trip to New Hampshire, and was wondering if you have ever checked out the Conway Scenic Railroad well you were there. http://www.conwayscenic.com/

Yes - we go all the way to NH! (We live in southern NH ) But yes, we head up north every year around this time. We've never ridden the Conway Scenic Railroad, but we watched it go by several times & the kids seem like they might interested in giving it a try sometime. I worry about being in an enclosed area that we can't quickly exit. But I think they might be ready.

 

[DisMomAmy]

When I left off Jeff, K, Tim, the boys & I had ridden Space Mountain & were heading back to Fantasyland to catch up with Karen & Nancy. They had just visited the Hall of Presidents. I had also been texting with Christine (mom of Isabelle from Zach's class) trying to connect and they were finally in the Magic Kingdom!!

Christine & Isabelle were arriving at the park and heading toward Fantasyland. Perfect… that’s where we were headed next! Nancy & Karen were waiting for us near the Carousel.

We met up with Nancy & Karen and headed toward IASW. Everyone waited there for us while Zach & I walked toward Liberty Square to meet up with Christine & Isabelle. Once we found them they joined us for IASW. They were with Christine’s sister, brother-in-law & little baby. They sat out the ride. Zach & Isabelle were very, very cute during the ride. Holding hands, throwing pennies in the water.

After the ride we said our good-byes. They only had time for a couple rides before they had to go to the airport! Isabelle had promised her uncle a ride on BTMRR so they headed off to Frontierland. We had a 5:15 ADR at Chef Mickey’s for dinner and we weren’t sure how many of us they would be able to seat. Fortunately it never became an issue because Jeff, Karen, K & Nancy decided they wanted to go to DTD for dinner. They left & Tim & I took the boys on Peter Pan before walking over to the Contemporary. Tim’s feet were KILLING him at this point! I was a little annoyed with him for not telling me he had blisters forming. I had brought every kind of blister prevention/repair on earth & I could have prevented his pain!

Here are some photos from our walk... I took a some pictures of BLT for mousescrapper!

Up next: Dinner with Mickey

 

[Charleston Princess]

Those pictures of Zach and Isabelle holding hands in line are sooo cute!!!

 

[jordanyosh]

Those pictures of Zach and Isabelle holding hands in line are sooo cute!!!

Ditto...

.....don't ask for help when they're lost...don't ask for a band aid when they get a blister........it's definitely a guy thing.....

 

[MRYPPNS]

I just love the idea of walking to Chef Mickeys! Calm before the storm sort of thing I guess.

 

[DisMomAmy]

Those pictures of Zach and Isabelle holding hands in line are sooo cute!!!

Ditto...

.....don't ask for help when they're lost...don't ask for a band aid when they get a blister........it's definitely a guy thing.....

I just love the idea of walking to Chef Mickeys! Calm before the storm sort of thing I guess.

I highly recommend it!! We have walked to Chef Mickey's (2010) & from (2009)... if it weren't for Tim's blisters, it would have been perfect! It's a really nice walk.