First let me precursor this trip report by saying it was dubbed the 
Crazy Little Thing Called Life trip because for the last year Ive been the primary caregiver for my 73 year old father and my 45 year old disabled sister, neither of whom could drive until last month when Dad was released to do so by his doctor. Between the two of them Ive been to numerous doctor visits, hospital stays, rehab, assisted living and other issues related to their lives which have left little time for my family of 3 (DH, DS and myself.) 
I had to promise DH and DS that on this trip wed not have to awake before 9am and we wouldnt go commando in the parks since we were attempting to relax. Fair enough if they agreed to get up early on our trip planned for Christmas 2005.
This was our first trip as DVC members and annual passholders, so we are still learning about those and how to maximize our Disney fun using them. I can say for certain that the Disney Dining Experience card (DDE) is a great perk for AP holders. We saved almost $80 after the cost of the card during this June trip.
So having said that, here I go with my first ever trip report
June 1, 2005 (Wednesday)
We had a decent experience traveling. It was the first time we had bought airline tickets online and were a little uncertain. But now, I can say that E-tickets are great! Our check-in time was quicker than the last trip with paper tickets and pretty painless.
We did have an interesting flight on the second leg of our arrival, from Pittsburg to Orlando. Upon take-off, the overhead compartment directly behind DH began to leak some kind of clear liquid. The guy seated behind DH, unfastened his seatbelt, jumped up and started fussing about the drip. Well, given the plane was at a 45 degree angle, the flight attendants rushed over to investigate. It seems the Budweiser cooler, the guy brought onto the plane and placed in the overhead had started to leak
melted ice.
So, Jeff Foxworthy heres a new one for ya .
IF you bring a cooler of your favorite beverage onto the airplane you might be a redneck
We arrived about 10 minutes late into MCO, and headed to baggage claim where we were met by Marcus (sorry if I spelled his name wrong; hes from Brazil) of Tiffany Town Car. Marcus was the most polite individual as soon as he met us he took my carry on out of my hands and said, Let me take that for you. He walked us straight to the carousel where our luggage was, helped DH and DS grab our bags, of which Marcus wouldnt let us carry too many. He escorted us directly to the awaiting car, loaded the bags while we sat in the AC and off we went to the Publix on International Drive. That is a great store, BTW easy to find what we needed and just about anything you could think of is there. As soon as we came out of the store Marcus jumped up, had the trunk open and was loading up the groceries for us. Such service! He was very pleasant during the ride and had a nice conversation with us about Disney, cruises, and the recent weather.
When we arrived at the gate for Old Key West, Marcus showed his pass and told the CM we were checking in. Well, that CM got a gruff look on his face and asked if we had a reservation. I thought,
oh, no, what could be wrong. We told him we did and gave the last name. He checked his papers or whatever, asked, Laura? to which I replied yes. Then he kind of grinned and said, Welcome home! Our first of many welcome homes
At Hospitality House we were taken care of by CM Jimmy, who was quite friendly and helpful. When he checked our reservation, he noted we had requested NS, near the HH, and near the pool. I actually only requested the NS with Member Services since I have asthma, but had mentioned DS liked to swim, so I guess they added those requests onto the reservation. I told him the NS was the main concern and he told us we could choose between 2 buildings that met the requests. We chose bldg. #18 since it was a bit closer to the HH.
Thank goodness for the bell service! When we arrived at bldg. 18, we found that our room was on the 3rd floor without an elevator ah, good for us, right? That CM was tipped accordingly for lugging all of our stuff took him 3 trips. From our balcony #1831, we had a partially obstructed view (thanks to the palm trees being as tall as the bldg.) of a pond with ducks and the fairway of (I believe) the 6th hole on the golf course. We started putting our things in the fridge only to notice the carpet was soaked in front of it. Well, inside seemed cold enough and the ice was frozen so we didnt think the fridge was broken. We called the front desk, who said they would send housekeeping to clean up the carpet and engineering to check the fridge. First, the CM offered to switch our rooms, but after the trouble wed put one bell service CM through we didnt want to move if it wasnt absolutely needed. I left my cell phone number with Jimmy in case it was deemed necessary to relocate us he could contact us while we were at MK.
After resting a bit wed been awake since 6am CST and putting away a few more things we decided to walk over to HH and catch the bus there. While waiting, we saw Baby Thumper across the way so adorable! And its sibling bunny they played around the planter and the shrubs they were still quite small and the cutest things!!
Okay, Baby Thumper kind of blends in, but it was the sweetest thing!
Well, we arrived at MK after a nice bus ride, went straight to Guest Relations to activate our AP. It was not difficult at all and we only had to wait for one person in front of us it was about 7pm. After going through security Im the keeper of meds, first aid, and such so I always have a bag to be searched, but clear Ziploc bags make it go faster we headed to City Hall for a birthday button for DS. Even though his special day had passed two weeks prior we were celebrating the entire trip. Hes our only one and had just turned 13 and didnt want a party or anything, but said we could celebrate at WDW. His first trip in 1999 was his birthday gift from DH, before he became DSs stepfather.
On a side note, this is one of the reasons why WDW is special to us its really where we learned we were family. DH and I werent married yet and decided on the trip to WDW in 1999 for DSs birthday. As the trip approached I told my mom, What have I gotten myself into? What if something happens that makes us not want to get married? You know being together 24/7 is different from dating, and DH has no children so I wasnt sure if the trip was such a great idea. When we got back, my mom said, Well, youre still alive, had a great time youll make a great family. She was right well celebrate 4 years of marriage this year and each trip back to WDW is like an affirmation of us - the family.
So, back to MK .after getting the birthday button we meandered our way to Liberty Tree Tavern where we had a PS/ADR for 8pm. Upon arrival the CM at the hostess stand asked if we would like a cake or something small for DSs birthday chose the something small. We were seated to the right from the entrance, which must have been the birthday section for the evening since practically every table had streamers and Mickey dust on it. This was our first time dining at LTT for the character dinner and with DS 13, I didnt know how it would go. DS didnt do the autographs this trip, but he still enjoyed the characters as much as DH and I did. As for the meal, well, it was tasty enough, but nothing spectacular. We preferred the lunch there and probably wont do the character dinner again. Near the end of the meal, Goofy (DSs all time favorite) delivered a chocolate cupcake to DS for his birthday. Goofy and the servers sang Happy Birthday nothing mortifying for a 13 year old.
When we finished, we walked onto the porch of LTT to watch the last of Spectromagic, which is quite lovely. While watching the parade I struck up a conversation with a woman who happened to work as a DVC CM at OKW. When I mentioned the wet carpet, she explained that after each guest leaves OKW, the staff defrosts the fridges, so that explained the problem it had just been defrosted recently. After the parade we headed to the Riverboat Landing to acquire our EMH wristbands, which took about 5 minutes waiting in line. DH and DS wanted to head back to Main Street to check out the shops so we rounded the castle, past Caseys and had a look. In the meantime, I had a secret agenda to go to Fantasyland and ride!!! On previous trips to WDW, the people I was with didnt have any interest so I abided. Well, not this time buddy!
While we fought the crowds around the castle waiting for Wishes, I convinced DH and DS that it would be the perfect time to go to Fantasyland since everyone was doing Wishes logic works well on them! So we swung back past the Tomorrowland Terrace Noodle Station as Wishes started. Pixie Dust was with me, as the little girl in front of me shouted, Mom, theres Tinkerbelle so I looked up to see my favorite pixie flying from the castle straight for us wow!! It was the first time Id seen Tink fly so I thanked the little girl for sharing the magic with me and headed on toward Fantasyland.
Well, more Pixie Dust, or Id been reading my guide books and DIS board tips because when we hit Pooh, Snow White, Mickeys Philharmagic and Its A Small World we waited no more than 5 - 10 minutes for each. I loved Pooh and Snow White and now look forward to the day I can share it with grandkids or at least the younger great-nieces and nephews. My only complaint with both is that the ride vehicles mover too fast to really enjoy the scenes. It was hard enough for me to catch it all, I cant imagine the little ones. Perhaps thats the idea to keep you coming back. We loved Philharmagic as much as the first time we saw it!! And oh, boy! The refurbs of Small World love the clock addition and I think it is all much brighter and colorful! Gotta love that song; we ended up catching one of us singing it at least once everyday after riding it.
I guess DS didnt get enough at LTT because about 11:45pm, we went in search of his favorite snack at MK, one of those turkey legs. So, there we sat at midnight slurping frozen coke while he gnawed on a turkey leg at The Lunching Pad. Our last trip was November 2003, and Alien Encounter had just closed to make way for Stichs Great Escape, so we thought wed see if it was any good. We were very disappointed and wish WDW would reinstate AE much better in our book. Stich just isnt as exciting as AE was and all the crying toddlers really distracts from the attraction. I know most people think Stich is a cute adorable little creature, which he is. Its the absolute total darkness and being told IT has broken the detainment thing and is running amuck so be careful so IT doesnt get you that just down right spooks little ones. And OMGracious, Stich has the most repulsive breath ever it actually nauseated me!
So after that fiasco, which BTW we waited the longest for Stich that night with 20 minutes, we decided to head back toward Main Street, shop a little and go to OKW. Itd been a long day and we were getting tired.
The wait for the bus wasnt very long maybe 10 minutes and the ride to OKW wasnt bad not crowded. Once back, we noticed that housekeeping had been there and attempted to clean up the carpet they left a couple of towels to help soak up any remains. We unpacked the rest and headed to bed around 1:30am.
Crazy Little Thing Called Life trip because for the last year Ive been the primary caregiver for my 73 year old father and my 45 year old disabled sister, neither of whom could drive until last month when Dad was released to do so by his doctor. Between the two of them Ive been to numerous doctor visits, hospital stays, rehab, assisted living and other issues related to their lives which have left little time for my family of 3 (DH, DS and myself.) I had to promise DH and DS that on this trip wed not have to awake before 9am and we wouldnt go commando in the parks since we were attempting to relax. Fair enough if they agreed to get up early on our trip planned for Christmas 2005. This was our first trip as DVC members and annual passholders, so we are still learning about those and how to maximize our Disney fun using them. I can say for certain that the Disney Dining Experience card (DDE) is a great perk for AP holders. We saved almost $80 after the cost of the card during this June trip.
So having said that, here I go with my first ever trip report
June 1, 2005 (Wednesday)
We had a decent experience traveling. It was the first time we had bought airline tickets online and were a little uncertain. But now, I can say that E-tickets are great! Our check-in time was quicker than the last trip with paper tickets and pretty painless.
We did have an interesting flight on the second leg of our arrival, from Pittsburg to Orlando. Upon take-off, the overhead compartment directly behind DH began to leak some kind of clear liquid. The guy seated behind DH, unfastened his seatbelt, jumped up and started fussing about the drip. Well, given the plane was at a 45 degree angle, the flight attendants rushed over to investigate. It seems the Budweiser cooler, the guy brought onto the plane and placed in the overhead had started to leak
melted ice.So, Jeff Foxworthy heres a new one for ya .
IF you bring a cooler of your favorite beverage onto the airplane you might be a redneck
We arrived about 10 minutes late into MCO, and headed to baggage claim where we were met by Marcus (sorry if I spelled his name wrong; hes from Brazil) of Tiffany Town Car. Marcus was the most polite individual as soon as he met us he took my carry on out of my hands and said, Let me take that for you. He walked us straight to the carousel where our luggage was, helped DH and DS grab our bags, of which Marcus wouldnt let us carry too many. He escorted us directly to the awaiting car, loaded the bags while we sat in the AC and off we went to the Publix on International Drive. That is a great store, BTW easy to find what we needed and just about anything you could think of is there. As soon as we came out of the store Marcus jumped up, had the trunk open and was loading up the groceries for us. Such service! He was very pleasant during the ride and had a nice conversation with us about Disney, cruises, and the recent weather.
When we arrived at the gate for Old Key West, Marcus showed his pass and told the CM we were checking in. Well, that CM got a gruff look on his face and asked if we had a reservation. I thought,
oh, no, what could be wrong. We told him we did and gave the last name. He checked his papers or whatever, asked, Laura? to which I replied yes. Then he kind of grinned and said, Welcome home! Our first of many welcome homes
At Hospitality House we were taken care of by CM Jimmy, who was quite friendly and helpful. When he checked our reservation, he noted we had requested NS, near the HH, and near the pool. I actually only requested the NS with Member Services since I have asthma, but had mentioned DS liked to swim, so I guess they added those requests onto the reservation. I told him the NS was the main concern and he told us we could choose between 2 buildings that met the requests. We chose bldg. #18 since it was a bit closer to the HH.
Thank goodness for the bell service! When we arrived at bldg. 18, we found that our room was on the 3rd floor without an elevator ah, good for us, right? That CM was tipped accordingly for lugging all of our stuff took him 3 trips. From our balcony #1831, we had a partially obstructed view (thanks to the palm trees being as tall as the bldg.) of a pond with ducks and the fairway of (I believe) the 6th hole on the golf course. We started putting our things in the fridge only to notice the carpet was soaked in front of it. Well, inside seemed cold enough and the ice was frozen so we didnt think the fridge was broken. We called the front desk, who said they would send housekeeping to clean up the carpet and engineering to check the fridge. First, the CM offered to switch our rooms, but after the trouble wed put one bell service CM through we didnt want to move if it wasnt absolutely needed. I left my cell phone number with Jimmy in case it was deemed necessary to relocate us he could contact us while we were at MK.
After resting a bit wed been awake since 6am CST and putting away a few more things we decided to walk over to HH and catch the bus there. While waiting, we saw Baby Thumper across the way so adorable! And its sibling bunny they played around the planter and the shrubs they were still quite small and the cutest things!!
Okay, Baby Thumper kind of blends in, but it was the sweetest thing!
Well, we arrived at MK after a nice bus ride, went straight to Guest Relations to activate our AP. It was not difficult at all and we only had to wait for one person in front of us it was about 7pm. After going through security Im the keeper of meds, first aid, and such so I always have a bag to be searched, but clear Ziploc bags make it go faster we headed to City Hall for a birthday button for DS. Even though his special day had passed two weeks prior we were celebrating the entire trip. Hes our only one and had just turned 13 and didnt want a party or anything, but said we could celebrate at WDW. His first trip in 1999 was his birthday gift from DH, before he became DSs stepfather.
On a side note, this is one of the reasons why WDW is special to us its really where we learned we were family. DH and I werent married yet and decided on the trip to WDW in 1999 for DSs birthday. As the trip approached I told my mom, What have I gotten myself into? What if something happens that makes us not want to get married? You know being together 24/7 is different from dating, and DH has no children so I wasnt sure if the trip was such a great idea. When we got back, my mom said, Well, youre still alive, had a great time youll make a great family. She was right well celebrate 4 years of marriage this year and each trip back to WDW is like an affirmation of us - the family.
So, back to MK .after getting the birthday button we meandered our way to Liberty Tree Tavern where we had a PS/ADR for 8pm. Upon arrival the CM at the hostess stand asked if we would like a cake or something small for DSs birthday chose the something small. We were seated to the right from the entrance, which must have been the birthday section for the evening since practically every table had streamers and Mickey dust on it. This was our first time dining at LTT for the character dinner and with DS 13, I didnt know how it would go. DS didnt do the autographs this trip, but he still enjoyed the characters as much as DH and I did. As for the meal, well, it was tasty enough, but nothing spectacular. We preferred the lunch there and probably wont do the character dinner again. Near the end of the meal, Goofy (DSs all time favorite) delivered a chocolate cupcake to DS for his birthday. Goofy and the servers sang Happy Birthday nothing mortifying for a 13 year old.
When we finished, we walked onto the porch of LTT to watch the last of Spectromagic, which is quite lovely. While watching the parade I struck up a conversation with a woman who happened to work as a DVC CM at OKW. When I mentioned the wet carpet, she explained that after each guest leaves OKW, the staff defrosts the fridges, so that explained the problem it had just been defrosted recently. After the parade we headed to the Riverboat Landing to acquire our EMH wristbands, which took about 5 minutes waiting in line. DH and DS wanted to head back to Main Street to check out the shops so we rounded the castle, past Caseys and had a look. In the meantime, I had a secret agenda to go to Fantasyland and ride!!! On previous trips to WDW, the people I was with didnt have any interest so I abided. Well, not this time buddy!
While we fought the crowds around the castle waiting for Wishes, I convinced DH and DS that it would be the perfect time to go to Fantasyland since everyone was doing Wishes logic works well on them! So we swung back past the Tomorrowland Terrace Noodle Station as Wishes started. Pixie Dust was with me, as the little girl in front of me shouted, Mom, theres Tinkerbelle so I looked up to see my favorite pixie flying from the castle straight for us wow!! It was the first time Id seen Tink fly so I thanked the little girl for sharing the magic with me and headed on toward Fantasyland.
Well, more Pixie Dust, or Id been reading my guide books and DIS board tips because when we hit Pooh, Snow White, Mickeys Philharmagic and Its A Small World we waited no more than 5 - 10 minutes for each. I loved Pooh and Snow White and now look forward to the day I can share it with grandkids or at least the younger great-nieces and nephews. My only complaint with both is that the ride vehicles mover too fast to really enjoy the scenes. It was hard enough for me to catch it all, I cant imagine the little ones. Perhaps thats the idea to keep you coming back. We loved Philharmagic as much as the first time we saw it!! And oh, boy! The refurbs of Small World love the clock addition and I think it is all much brighter and colorful! Gotta love that song; we ended up catching one of us singing it at least once everyday after riding it.
I guess DS didnt get enough at LTT because about 11:45pm, we went in search of his favorite snack at MK, one of those turkey legs. So, there we sat at midnight slurping frozen coke while he gnawed on a turkey leg at The Lunching Pad. Our last trip was November 2003, and Alien Encounter had just closed to make way for Stichs Great Escape, so we thought wed see if it was any good. We were very disappointed and wish WDW would reinstate AE much better in our book. Stich just isnt as exciting as AE was and all the crying toddlers really distracts from the attraction. I know most people think Stich is a cute adorable little creature, which he is. Its the absolute total darkness and being told IT has broken the detainment thing and is running amuck so be careful so IT doesnt get you that just down right spooks little ones. And OMGracious, Stich has the most repulsive breath ever it actually nauseated me!
So after that fiasco, which BTW we waited the longest for Stich that night with 20 minutes, we decided to head back toward Main Street, shop a little and go to OKW. Itd been a long day and we were getting tired.
The wait for the bus wasnt very long maybe 10 minutes and the ride to OKW wasnt bad not crowded. Once back, we noticed that housekeeping had been there and attempted to clean up the carpet they left a couple of towels to help soak up any remains. We unpacked the rest and headed to bed around 1:30am.
You would have understood then. Great DIS tactics on Fantasyland. Right, off to part 2...
