Multi-Part: Disbug Family of Five at RPR (Mem.Day Wkend): With Pics, Reviews, Tips!

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Hello, everyone! We are just back from a WONDERFUL long weekend at the Royal Pacific Resort! Let me introduce you to my family of 5:

CAST OF CHARACTERS:

DH, Tom-Dad, (just turned 53): Generally does not like theme parks, would rather be in the mountains... but is going along for the 'rides' (This is his attitude BEFORE we got there! It changes drastically by the time we have to leave! LOL!)

Next we have DD16, who is cautiously optimistic. She cannot face the day without her Walkman MP3 player attached to her ears. Has now reached the age all teens go temporarily...where vacationing with family is not particularly 'COOL'... (her attitude is also adjusted by the last day!)

Following her we have DD10, our little turbo-charged busy person. She may be found at the pool during all waking hours that we are not somewhere in the theme parks. She IS decidely excited to be going and cannot WAIT until we get there! (Therefore, NO attitude adjustment is needed!)

Then we have our little darling DD4, who has CP (cerebral palsy). She poses a few challenges since she is in a wheelchair and has a feeding tube. But other than that, she has the BEST attitude of everyone in the group! Always pleasant, always smiling! She is a joy to be around and we are so glad we could make this trip WITH HER!

Finally, the author and planner of this long weekend adventure... me, Disbug (forty.... something!).... I am usually the instigator of trips to WDW, but we now have Universal AP's and with the age of the kids... I'm thinking we need a change! Boy was that good thinking on my part.... WE HAD A BLAST! Is everyone up on the cast of characters? Then, please join me as I share our trip report replete with photos!

DAY 1 (Thursday) Early AM ~ The Drive and Checking IN!

I am dreaming of Palm Trees, blue skies, a green glowing lagoon, dark tanned muscular men in skimpy.... CLANG, JANGLE, JANGLE doink, doink dork ARRRHHHH thump! (These are the sounds I make as I fall out of bed trying to shut off the alarm clock which has interrupted my 3 hours of sleep...) Oh, yeah.. I REALLY did try to get to bed by 8:30 PM the night before we were to drive down to Orlando, but somehow that never works out for us.. Does it work for anyone else? There is always ONE more thing to pack, mop the floors, double check the checklist, WHATEVER! I think I am more excited than the kids, I cannot sleep the night before we leave for vacation. Well, it is now 3:30 AM and time to get dressed, pack the cooler, check the bunnies and kitties, turn off the lights, lock up the house, wait... back up... first get the KIDS out of bed and into the car THEN, lock up the house and head for UNIVERSAL!

We actually packed the van the night before. This is important since we were unsure if any people would fit after all the STUFF was tucked in. We usually take two vans since we have to fit suitcases, cooler, snacks, wheelchair, 3 kids and 2 adults... but with creative packing and a luggage rack we were able to make it all into our Chrysler mini-van and still see out the rearview mirror. We pull out of our drive by 5 AM and I am pleased.. I am only 1/2 hr. behind schedule! WOO HOO!

Driving to Orlando was fairly smooth until we hit the morning rush hour in Orlando. We had a lot of stop and start driving, but thankfully, there were no accidents and we made good time. (We might have missed most of the rush hour traffic if I hadn't stopped in Daytona at the Super Walmart.... I got lost inside the store looking for the McDonald's. Then I was lost again when I returned to the parking lot to find the car.. my DH had moved it thinking it would be closer... unfortunately, I did not come out the same door, I went in! As I scan the parking lot, I see them and start laughing and waving. Boy, that is sure a BIG parking lot! To make matters worse, the McDonald's was NOT open! For shame! We ended up doing a drive-through McDonald's. That will teach me!)

When we pull up under the Port Cochere of the Royal Pacific Resort, I am awed by how truly beautiful this resort is. I am SO excited and as the Bellman is unloading the car with the assitance of my DH, I trot (literally!) inside to check in. I use the Loew's First Member check in line, with no waiting! YAY! Michael is the staff member who assisted me and check-in was a breeze. We are staying in the SINGAPORE SUITE which is in Tower 3. Our room was ready, so we were able to bring all our luggage in and get unpacked before heading to the parks. This turned out to be a blessing at the end of an exhausting first day!

 

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After unpacking most of our things, we are ready to head for Universal Studios! We are starting the day full of energy, so we decide to walk instead of wait for the boat. It is a LOVELY walk and you will miss something if you don't do it at least once... The landscaping is breathtaking. The opportunities for some beautiful pictures also lie along these paths. Don't worry! You won't get lost... your path takes you right up to Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville. Turn left for IOA, right for US. We take the path to the right!

Here we are as we go into Universal Studios... the one bad thing about letting them take your picture at the Studios? They are all GOOD photographs! You are going to want at least one! TIP: They have a good deal if you purchase 3 different poses. It is $29.95. That is just $10 for each 8X10. If you just pick one though, it is $16.95... not as good a deal. So, I would wait until you have a least 3 pictures you wish to purchase. They keep your pics on file for 4 days after they are taken. So, wait and purchase them then if you only have one that you like.

I am SOOO glad I got this picture and the other 2 I bought. It turns out when I went to use my digital camera, I had forgotten to put the Compact Flash card in and so.... no pictures from Day 1 before dinner! I mean I had a checklist...(several, actually) but WHO THINKS to put "CHECK INSIDE CAMERA FOR FLASH MEDIA CARD"? I now have a new item to put on my list... ACCKK! Luckily, I had purchased a disposable SpongeBob camera (for DD10, of course... stop, laughing ma'am!) and had my video camera with me, so it wasn't a total loss. But, I have come to rely on my digital Nikon for keeping me in order as to what happened when and to whom! LOL!

On with the show! We were ready to HAVE SOME FUN! But first, we had to go to Guest Services to obtain a Guest Assistance card for DD4. Sometimes it can be impossible to get into some rides without it as people don't always recognize that our child is disabled. Her Tiger 2000 wheelchair looks very much like a stroller. DH volunteered to stand in line for this. The line was unusually long, so I decided to SAVE some time by taking the older girls in to see SHREK 4D since it is too loud for DD4. (Last year I waited outside with DD4 while he took the older girls, so it was my turn to see it!) At the entrance turnstiles, we whipped out our AP's and my two daughters went right in... but my pass, would not scan correctly! Why? I don't know, but whatever it was saying made the Universal employee very concerned and so I was asked to stand to one side. I was even more concerned as I continued to wait with no apparent effort being made to allow me to enter. After about 10 mins of being stared at by everyone going through the turnstiles who I'm SURE were whispering "I wonder what she did?" ... I asked the entrance employee what EXACTLY were we waiting for? (Keep in mind she still was holding my AP...) Finally since she was so distracted by every other person trying to get through that particular turnstile, I went looking for someone wearing an " in charge" uniform. I found a group of 3 nearby and they instructed the woman to give me back my pass (whew!) and to let me in. Wow! After that, the fanny pack check was a breeze! lol! I was getting ready to remove my shoes if that was the next check point! JK, of course!

I only mention this as to make you aware that they have a new computerized ticket system. It looks like people who have the paper passes must do a thumb-print scan. The AP holders just have to hold their plastic pass' barcode underneath the scanner. This is the first time I have seen this used. As for my family, we gave it a success rating of only 80%. (One in 5 people can expect to NOT get in, based on our informal study!) TIP: Get to the gate a little early if you have AP's or existing tickets. Apparently their new system is causing a lot of people to be rerouted to Guest Services to exchange their tickets. This can cost you about 30 mins of time!

Well, we now race over to view SHREK 4-D. since we figure we had just enough time to view it before DH and DD4 would be waiting for us in the Gift Shop at the exit. We used our room key in the Express Line thinking this will greatly reduce our wait! LOL! Unfortunately, we go all the way to the front and wait for about 20 minutes. Just like at the entrance turnstiles, this is not turning out to be our day! We assume the attraction is broken and go back to where we got in line and inquire... the attendant replied that they were probably "stacking the line". Which meant that they were waiting for 300 guests to line up in order to fill the auditorium. What? Why not just let the people who are IN line enjoy a half-filled auditorium, it's only a movie after all? Needless to say, we did not see SHREK 4-D that morning and when we walked over to the Gift Shop, DH and DD4 were there waiting! LOL! Oh, well.. so much for trying to minimize our wait time. We had been in the park for half an hour and still hadn't seen anything!

So, now it's off to the MUMMY! This is definitely DD10 and my favorite ride. We get in line to do the child swap. This works really well. We must have picked up a curse upon entering the MUMMY, as our luck is NOT holding and the casualty this time turns out to be DD10's brand new sunglasses! I was the one left behind to hold everything and stay with DD4 for the first ride. So, everyone was handing me stuff left and right. I do not remember if DD10 gave me her sunglasses (as she says) or not. But, we did not have them when we exited... I felt really bad for her, since they were brand new and she really loved those sunglasses. (At least we got a picture of her in them in the picture up above!) I have left our inquiry at the Lost and Found hoping they will turn up, but if not, someone got a nice pair of sunglasses! So far, I am starting to feel like a JINX! (Bah-hoo rambay, bah hoo rambay... anyone know a CURSE REVERSE chant??) I think I got that chant from Finding NEMO which we watched over and over and over on the trip down!

We wandered back to TWISTER where in the past I remembered this attraction as being borderline "lame" (not sure if that is the right word, or not). This time it was really GREAT! Maybe we just noticed more things than before, but it seemed so much more realistic this time around. I can only imagine the terror that people who have experienced a real tornado must feel! TIP: This ride is really NOT for young children. It can be LOUD and FRIGHTENING... Only you know your child and what they would enjoy, but proceed with caution. Note: If you want to be in the front row you should queue up to the right. Those who line up to the left will be on the upper row. DH went with us up to the queing area, but did not enter the pre-show or main attraction area. Instead he kept DD4 strolling around outside as he himself did not care to enjoy this attraction. (For those of you who have noticed DH is usually the non-rider in our group! He does enjoy strolling DD4 around and enjoying our day together!)

JAWS was the next ride we were thinking of going on. This is one which DD4 can ride. I had hoped to avoid her riding in her wheelchair by sitting her between myself and DH, but DH said something to the ride attendant as we were getting on the boat. I got off the boat to find out what the problem was, and the next thing I knew... the boat took off with the older girls still on it! Good Grief! Now what? We had to wait for a special boat to tie down DD4's wheelchair which was only a couple of boats away, so we didn't wait too long. I wasn't worried since the older girls were together.... Soooo, we just sat back and enjoyed the ride! After the wheelchair was tied down we were off! (Universal sends a chaperone along to ensure complete safety during the ride.) Once we got going, DD4 seemed to enjoy herself. The funny thing is, at the end when the shark gets electrocuted? (Hope that doesn't spoil it for anyone? Good! I think everyone has seen JAWS, the movie!)That is when she started to giggle! "Now THAT is funny"! she seemed to say. The rest of our girls were waiting when we got off the boat, but trying to look like they didn't know us!

We are ALL ready for LUNCH! The hard part is deciding WHERE DO WE EAT? I usually like to know this kind of information beforehand, but today we are winging it! The problem with this segment of the park is that most of the good places to eat, we have already passed. There are stands where we can buy turkey legs and pretzels, hot dogs... In Amityville there is fish and chips, chicken strips... just ho hum fare. La Bamba wasn't able to tickle our fancy either with it's BBQ ribs and chicken.

After several more stops looking at the offerings, we remembered there was a Cheesecake Factory sign near the front entrance, so we headed back toward Hollywood Blvd. (Actually it is the Hollywood Boulangerie, which features Cheesecake Factory desserts...) We had the Roast Beef subs, Ham and Cheese sub, and the smoked turkey croissant all of which came with potato salad and pickle. It was all delicious! I should have passed on the Key Lime pie, but didn't and THEN I felt really FULL! DD10 had a gigantic chocolate chip cookie which she pronounced Great! I can really recommend this for lunch as a good value and we found the quality to be very good as well!

After lunch, we doubled back to MIB to test our mettle against those pesky aliens. Our side won, but our average score was less than 200,000 so we were only moderately successful and of course, not good enough to be MIB agents! LOL! Maybe next time! I did remember to print out the instructions on how to improve our score, but neglected to read them! LOL! Well, at least now I have them...next time we will be a force to be reckoned with!

Passing through the KIDZONE on our tour of US, we saw several rides and attractions that were possibilities for us. We walked up to the ANIMAL PLANET LIVE show but it had just started so we were asked to come back 30 mins early for the next show. That worked out just fine, since we were just in time for the next show of BARNEY! This turned out to be a jewel in disguise. I mistakenly thought the pre-show was THE show. While cute, it was one of those... seen it once, seen it a thousand times kind of experiences! lol! An actress played the part of Ms. Patricia A. Peekaboo and did a little song and dance accompanied by her pet parrot, Bartholomew! TIP: Don't stand too close to the waterfall at the far right as you face the stage. The chlorine was so strong it burned our eyes, so we moved back towards the middle. Just as I was thinking the show was "OVER", the waterfall stopped and doors magically opened behind where the waterfall was! We stepped inside and were greeted ever so kindly by the attendants working there. Ms. Peekaboo was also there to greet and learn each of the kids first names that were in a wheelchair. This was a surprising and charming moment for our family! We were escorted to the front row of the theatre, which was staged like a theatre in the round, so there really were NO bad seats. I am SOO glad we stayed for this show. IT WAS A WOW! moment for us all!

After a very good show featuring Barney, Baby Bop, and B.J., we were invited to stay after the show and meet Barney personally! YAY! For those of you whose children were raised on Barney, you will understand. I now have a picture of all 3 of my children with Barney! Although, they have long ceased to admit it.. they DID LOVE BARNEY growing up... and I suspect~ they still do!

We made it in time for the next show of Animal Planet Live and while it was cute, it was just ok for us... Maybe it will be better next time? It consists of different birds and animals doing simple tricks, some of which were cute. I enjoyed the Wonders of Flight attraction at Disney's Animal Kingdom more than this show. Can't explain why.. just my impression. TIP: Just a little word of warning. Anyone who volunteers during this show will be embarrassed. At least everyone was at our show. While I am the 1st to want to jump up and down and say "PICK ME" when a show is looking for audience participation... I would PASS on this one! LOL!

Before leaving we DID get to see SHREK 4-D after all with little or no wait, which was good since we felt we had already waited too much that morning! When we got out, DH was trying out souvenirs for DD4 and really liked the pink Shrek baseball cap. I encouraged him to buy it for her, but he didn't do it! It was just a tish too big for her, but very cute, nonetheless! (If it is still there next trip, it will be a must buy!)

On the way out, I had to look at the photos they took this morning and YES! I had to buy the 3 picture package for $29.95! LOL! They were really very good and now I have them as MY souvenir!

 

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Thursday evening, May 26, 2005: Dinner at Disney's Beaches 'N Cream

You may be wondering why we would go all the way over to the Beach Club Resort at Disney for dinner... well, I still had 8 of those Quick & Casual vouchers to use, and they expire in 5 days! It was really only about 10-15 minutes away and the food is great there! Especially the ice cream! After about a 10 minute wait we we ushered in and given two tables near the juke box. We ordered the chicken club sandwich with onion rings, the chicken caesar salad for DD10, some homemade chicken soup with more onion rings and sodas. We were only going to use 2 vouchers for the 4 of us since you get more food than you can finish if eveyone used one.

While we were waiting, my DH gets the bright idea of showing our girls how to balance a salt shaker on its edge. WELL, OF COURSE they ALL had to try it. ("THANK YOU, HONEY! This will be something I'm sure will impress their future dining companions!") This turned out to be hilarious, both for our table, our server (Darlene) and the surrounding tables. It became a championship challenge of sorts, first to see who could do it FIRST. Then to see how many could be balanced simultaneously.... I think you get the picture. (Disclaimer: No salt shakers were damaged or contaminated during these stunts!)

Sierra did it first (DD10)!

Not to be outdone... Savannah (DD16) was right behind her!

Savannah, with a double balancing act!

After dinner we ordered a NO WAY JOSE (chocolate ice cream with fudge sauce and peanut butter) and a FUDGE MUDSLIDE (chocolate brownie covered with vanilla ice cream and hot fudge sauce)! For 2 vouchers @ $11.25 each, plus an extra tip, I figure we ate dinner at WDW for less than $7/person. AND we were FULL! That beats a turkey leg and a soda for dinner any day! LOL!

Despite DD10's pleas to ride the Surrey Bikes around the Boardwalk (I know..."WHAT is she thinking?" ... us with our full tummies, and all! Ah....YOUTH!) So back we go to the Royal Pacific Resort for showers, R&R, and BED...(oops, forgot about the pool, ok. That, too! LOL!)

 

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Day 2, Friday Morning: Islands of Adventure!

Well, Universal Studios was yesterday~ so today we opt for IOA! We get to the turnstiles as a group and GUESS WHAT?? (Yes, ma'am.. you down front... My Annual Pass wouldn't scan? How did you guess? You must have read yesterday's report!) Well, to make matters even better when they scanned my AP it said my name was now "William". I mean no offense to the Bills out there, but it just is NOT my name! LOL! So, this particular group of IOA employees being more creative than the ones from yesterday decide to scan my AP through every turnstile until it works... 4th turnstile down, said "WELCOME, Denise!" and that's the one we went with! This really was funny and I can truly say that I only had ONE instance the entire trip where I didn't need to do a multiple scan... I hope they straighten this computer system up before next time!

We were never quite ready to do the HULK! But it looked like "Fun"... maybe. If you like being GREEN!

Our first ride was SPIDERMAN by unanimous vote! We rode twice since the line was pretty short. This hilarious adventure comes complete with a moving ride, 3D videography, special effects, and a storyline where we as cub reporters have to get a scoop on a really BIG crime wave story. Of course, SPIDERMAN saves the day and we HELPED! LOL!

Anyone else always have to do SPIDERMAN, first? It is our family favorite.

Tom-Dad and SweetPea in front of "TUMBLEWEEDS" at IOA

I remembered to put my Compact Flash card in my digital camera so today we have PHOTOS! YAY! On the way to the COMIC STRIP section of the park, we happened upon this little store and HAD to get a picture. (The name of our band is "TUMBLEWEED". (*Derrived from Elton John's Tumbleweed Connection album...) I thought the guys would get a kick out of seeing Tom in front of our "own store"! LOL! Make sure you look around and you will find all kinds of cute "props" to include in your own photographs!

As we round the bend, DD10 spies POPEYE's & BLUTO's BILGE-RAT BARGES which is a "NO ONES GETTING OFF THIS RIDE UNLESS THEY'RE SOAKED" kind of ride, so of course it's a MUST DO for her! I agree that getting soaked early is a good thing (more time to dry out!) I was preparing to ride with her, but by the time I took off my fanny pack and divested myself of all the cameras she was GONE! So I contented myself with setting up the video camera to get a shot of her as she came by..

TIP #1: When packing for a kid who MUST get wet in the theme parks, try to find clothes that dry fast (COOLMAX and microfiber work great!) That way they don't spend all day with soggy britches, IYKWIM?

TIP #2: You can take your shoes and socks off on this ride to keep them dry. There is a center section on the raft that has a cover and seems to work well. BUT... you must wear your shoes onto the ride, and get your seatbelt buckled BEFORE taking off your shoes!

TIP #3: If you decide to stay ashore while the rest of your party rides, there is a path that winds around and you can see your kids on the ride if your timing is right. I was able to get a little video of DD10 having a blast on this ride... Ask a Universal employee where is the best place to do this and be ready with your camera!

Do I look SCARY or what??

After the BILGE BARGES, we head into JURASSIC PARK. We enjoy walking through this area because it is very well done. (You really feel like those giant fences have 20,000 Kilovolts on them!) Unfortunately, no one except me wants to ride since there is a HUGE drop at the end ala SPLASH MOUNTAIN at WDW's Magic Kingdom. So, I decide not to make everyone wait on me... and ON we go towards~ the Dueling Dragons!

Before jumping on "Fire and Ice" at the Dueling Dragons (two of the BEST ROLLERCOASTERS in Orlando!) ~ Sierra MUST ride the FLYING UNICORNS. This is a moderate coaster for those not quite ready to do the BIG ONES! It is a lot of fun for both adults and children, but I opted to stay below to capture some video of her on the ride.

Dueling Dragons is actually two roller-coasters which are entertwined. They start out together, side-by-side, and then twist and turn and come back together again! Sometimes it seems as if you are going to run right into the other coaster! FIRE is my favorite (don't know why... just is!) But ICE is also a must do when we've riden the first one!. So, all the girls jumped in the EXPRESS line to ride FIRE first, and then ICE. My DH, Tom-Dad, did not want to do the child swap, and so went inside the restaurant to enjoy a cool drink and wait for our return. To me, this ride IS IOA and is not to be missed if you like rollercoasters at all. IT IS WILD!

TIP#1: If you have FOTL privledges or an EXPRESS pass, you enter the ride through the EXIT which is on the FAR LEFT as you face the ride's entrance. You absolutely MUST put your stuff in a locker first. I have seen the Ride Attendants send people back who had forgotten to do this. You are okay if you have a small fanny pack, but they won't let you hold ANYTHING. If you are wearing flipflops, you can still ride, they make you SIT on your sandals, though. This ride is intense, so hold on to your hats, glasses, etc.. You can even lose things out of your pockets, so secure everything if you still want to own it after the ride!

TIP#2: Both rollercoaster start out as one line. Towards the end, FIRE will split off to the left and ICE will split to the right. Don't worry there is a sign to direct you!

TIP#3: At the very end the line will again split into two separate lines. One is for riding in the FRONT ROW. Keep in mind that all the people in that line will go before you. The other line is for EVERY OTHER row. There are at least 12 rows if memory serves.... and each row only has 4 seats. So do what works for your family!

It is now time for lunch and everyone votes for MYTHOS! We usually have good meals here at lunch time... however, we have yet to get good SERVICE here. I know it sounds strange since Mythos is usually voted the "WORLD's #1 THEME PARK RESTAURANT" (according to the signs posted outside...) But, we still enjoy dining here. The food and the atmosphere make it a pleasant overall experience.
TIP: If you can, request a booth. The chairs are very HEAVY and "hard as a rock" to sit on. Also, some of the tables tend to "rock".
We are seated very quickly as there is no one else in the waiting area. They put us with another family in a special little alcove near the kitchen. We are up where we have a view of the outside, can see into the restaurant, and can also see into the kitchen. It is very nice. But... alas our table rocks... as does the one next to it. Also the table was very sticky. We ask our server for help and someone comes immediately to remedy the situation. However, the table is still sticky. I'm talking about if you put your hand or any object down it sticks! We finally decide that it must be the urethane finish on the table is breaking down, because it is definitely clean. We solve it by putting down paper placemats wherever it is sticky.

DH chose the cedar-planked salmon, I chose the Chinese Chicken Salad, DD10 opted for the Chicken Caesar Salad (are you seeing a pattern to what she eats every day?), and DD16 decided on the Chicken Club Sandwich with a virgin Strawberry Daquiri. We received our drinks and one serving of bread (an herb foccacia with butter triangle) and that was the last we saw of our server for quite some time... sigh! Of course, we could see into the kitchen and our server seemed to be socializing, but then again he might have been waiting on an order. I refrained from asking someone to send him over and patiently waited until he came over to our empty glasses and empty bread basket. These were refilled once and never again without being requested. I truly wish we could get better service at this restaurant. Since the service was slow and everything we had ordered was off the "EXPRESS MENU" which is guaranteed to be served in 30 mins or less... (NOT!) we declined dessert in order to continue touring.

So we are now ready for SEUSS LANDING!

The Caro-Seuss-el is a wonderful ride that has a special place for those in wheelchairs! DD4 just LOVED this ride as it allows her wheelchair to go UP AND DOWN just like the other riders. We were asked if we would like to stay on for another turn and we enthusiastically replied "YES"! This is a really cute carousel and I think children of all ages would enjoy it.

Another NOT to be MISSED ride for children is The Cat in the Hat! The EXPRESS line is to the left of the attraction. However, we went inside the ride's gift shop and walked up the exit, as this is the wheelchair line. There is a place to leave your wheelchair in the child swap area. There is not enough room however, for strollers, so I believe those must be left outside. We enjoyed this sooo much and had to ride it again, so we went back around and waited to ride twice. Phoebe LOVES the spinning part of this ride. We were able to hold her on the seat in between DH and I and she was very secure. I would imagine this is like SPIDERMAN for her... a favorite for us all!

After Cat in the Hat, we wrapped up our day at IOA, with a dance through the mini waterpark inside SEUSS LANDING called If I Ran the Zoo. You can take off your shoes and run around and get splashed by all sorts of wonderful water canons etc...

We all took off our shoes including DD4 and enjoyed cooling our tootsies after such a long day walking!

We even got a full splash ("accidentally") from DD10 who was operating one of the water cannons! We'll have to find a way to "accidentally" pay her back!

As we strolled towards the exit, a stiff breeze came up and OMG! we started getting pelted with giant raindrops. No warning or anything... well, if I had looked up I might have seen the sky getting a little dark! LOL! We were right near the stone overpass that says "THE ADVENTURE LIVES ON!" and were one of the first to dive underneath. I MEAN! IT CAME DOWN IN BUCKETS! LOL! My two older children not having the sense God gave them at birth, were out in the rain doing a dosey do, alamander left... and laughing hysterically. We could not move once we were under there as more and more people had the SAME idea! So, we waited it out... about 15 minutes tops before heading back to the resort. It left incredibly deep puddles, so we must have had a huge amount of rain in that short period of time. (2" maybe?) It was great walking back... the rain cleaned everything off, and cooled the afternoon temps down. We did have our ponchos with us, but we figured even with them ON we WEREN'T GONNA STAY DRY! THAT is how hard it rained.

As the rain eased up, we headed back to the Royal Pacific for a little swim time and nap time; before dinner time!

 

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Day 2 (cont.) Friday Night, May 27, 2005

Well, as you remember if you've been reading along, I still have 6 of those Q&C vouchers to use... so we decide to go over to the PEPPER MARKET at WDW's Coronado Springs resort. It is usually a great value especially for the variety of food offered. In the parking lot, we were approached by a man who had a STACK one-inch thick that he was trying to sell before they expired on May 31st. I smiled sympathetically at him as I replied that we had some, too. (I'm glad I didn't have as many as he did! WOW!)

We were seated quickly after finding a parking place. There must be a convention going on, since the lot was packed... (Or could it be a holiday weekend??) For those not familiar with the PEPPER MARKET, it is pretty cool. You get a ticket for each person dining and it has places to get a stamp for each individual entree or side item you get. A server takes your drink order and refills them for you. They also set your table with silverware wrapped in a real cloth napkin. After we were seated, everyone got the gist of what to do and headed off to explore their options...

DD10 headed over to the Salad/Deli Market where she had them make a....??? Any guesses out there? YES, SIR... in the back... you are correct! A CHICKEN CAESAR SALAD! She ended up taking it back and made over since they had dumped about an inch of powdered parmesan cheese on the top! DD16 went over to the PASTA market where she ordered PENNE PASTA ALFREDO. Unfortunately, she did not finish it... pronouncing it TERRIBLE! Very watery and bland. (Too bad... and she wouldn't take it back. She is shy, that way. ) DH and I both opted for the Ribeye Steak. His was better than mine... I would say half of it was fat. The mashed potatoes were not good either. His fries though, were very tasty! We rounded out the meal with a side order of fresh strawberries, an egg roll; and for dessert: a churro, chocolate cake, and a cheese danish.Sad to say, overall it was NOT a good meal. To make matters worse, halfway through dinner we realized DD4's tube had a clamp we forgot to open and a big puddle of her formula was on the floor under our table! We helped to clean it up before making a beeline for the checkout register!

Outside everyone was getting very excited over by the edge of the lake and Sierra urged me to "come quick"! Apparently there was an alligator near the edge!

Sure enough! There WAS an alligator! I'm glad he was pretty bored by all of us! He eventually swam to the other side of the lake. I was glad to see this! Hopefully, he will be moved to another habitat where he can live before getting much bigger.

On the way out the door we passed by this carving of a rearing stallion. Sierra is nuts for horses and wanted her picture taken.

Oh, did I mention she is also a nut herself?

As always, when we get back, Sierra wants to go to the pool. She is already a prune from being there so much, so I say "OK". Last night, DD16 went down with her, tonight I decide to join them. That way DH can get DD4 to sleep and grab a shower. With 5 people we had to get creative on who could bathe when! Mostly we tried to get everyone to shower at night so we could grab a quick breakfast in our suite and be ready to go at park opening time.

 

[Sherrilatte]

It was very entertaining! It seems like your family had a great time. I really liked your tips, I will be trying them next month..

 

[Snoopymom]

Oh Please tell me the report is not over yet?

We leave next week and it's really helping me get excited. You guys are such a beautiful family. Thanks so much for sharing!

 

[Disbug]

Thanks everyone for your kind remarks about my trip report! They can be fun to do... I like to add pictures unless I'm just doing a real quick info only report! I think it adds more to the adventure we had. I'm not done yet... still have two more days to go! I'm typing as fast as I can! LOL!

 

[Disbug]

For those who have never stayed at the RPR, here are some pictures of the Singapore Suite which is located on the 3rd floor of Tower 3. This was very convenient for us and provided the space we needed for DD4 and all of her gear.

The secondary entrance (single door) hallway was where we placed the crib for DD4 to sleep and receive her overnight feedings. She was very comfortable there and didn't seem to mind the hallway traffic that we could hear from the living room as well.

Here is the dining room. The table was great for breakfast. Of course, being on vacation, dinner and lunch were eaten out!

A desk with blotter, phone, fast internet connection was very convenient for placing a laptop. We used the desk for charging our cell phones, cameras, etc...Keeping important items.

The kitchen was a nice compact size. It included a refrigerator, freezer with icemaker, microwave, coffeemaker, stemware, glasses, flatware, dishes, a phone but no oven (Thank Goodness!) For some reason, we never made coffee... but went over to the Orchid Cafe on our way out in the mornings. You can even get free refills until about 11 AM. Not to mention the StarBucks in City Walk!

The closet held an iron and board, plus a wall safe. There were also two complimentary robes for our use and extra pillows/blankets.

The sitting area was very comfortable with a queen pull-out sofa/bed, two club chairs, two ottomans, and a glass-topped rattan coffee table. The TV was large, at least 32" and there was also a DVD player and stereo in the entertainment armoire. The view out of our windows was obscured by palm trees, but it faced the pool complex.

For some reason I neglected to take pictures of the main double door entrance and the bathroom, I think I took video of these areas... OOPS! The bathroom was a nice size. There was a glassed-in shower enclosure... no tub. There was a pull-out wet clothing line you could use to hang your wet bathing suits on. This was handy! The sink had great lighting, a built in make-up mirror on an extension arm, and a wall-mounted blow drier (1600 watts, it was fast~ but LOUD!) The toiletry assortment included, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, two types of soap, body wash, cotton balls, cotton swabs, shoe shine kit, and a shower cap. They were all kept nicely on a wicker tray which helped organize things a bit.

The shower water temp was great and plentiful. NEVER ran out of hot water. The pressure was OK, not bad, but not great..
For organizing our dirty laundry, we were able to fit one of those collapsible mesh laundry bags with 3 different sorting compartments under the sink area.

Well, that's about all I can think of for now about our room. It was beautiful and special! We loved it!

 

[Disbug]

Day 3, Saturday morning, May 28, 2005

Well, it's Saturday morning and we had mutiny on our hands! We finally had to allow the exhausted marathon swimmer, DD10 to stay abed this morning. She was not going to make it to Universal Studios on her own two feet. (The pool closed at 11 PM last night, but by the time SHE got out of the shower and I got in, it was close to 1 AM!) So, we left GRUMPY (that BTW was the sleepshirt she was wearing! LOL!) with instructions to NOT LEAVE THE ROOM or open the door... and off the rest of us went to see BARNEY! We didn't know it at the time, but that was going to be one of our trip's highlights! We didn't bother with any ride that DD4 couldn't go on... this was going to be HER morning and we were out to make sure she had a lovely day! Our first stop? Woody Woodpecker's KIDZONE!

We found the KIDZONE on our first day and in fact rode on E.T. while DH strolled her around outside. It wasn't until a Universal employee mentioned it that we found, there is a special car that has a "bike" for wheelchairs! How lovely, is that?

Here is Phoebe getting strapped in for our "bike" ride to save E.T.'s planet! She enjoyed almost the entire ride. A few places at the beginning of the ride had loud noises where 4-wheel drive vehicles were chasing us, other than that, she really enjoyed it.

After riding, E.T. we looked around some in the gift shops and commented on how "unbusy" this section of the park was... I told DH to just ENJOY~ ours is not to question WHY! LOL!

Daddy's little Yankee fan!

Barney has scheduled showtimes and we were trying for the first one at 11 AM. We strolled into the pre-show area since it was covered. Today was a very HOT day, but for some reason the ceiling fans up above were not on. They would have been enjoyed, but we really didn't have long to wait before the pre-show started. One thing we noticed was that at yesterday's show, the pre-show actor was a woman (Patricia A. Peekaboo) today's pre-show was a man (Patrick Aloysius Peekaboo). The male actor was funny, but I enjoyed the woman more. She was extremely personable and made it a point to know each of the disabled children by first name. VERY SPECIAL! I can't recall the male actor ever speaking to us??

Here we are at BARNEY's preshow. It is about 10 mins long. TIP: If you stand very close to the waterfall (at the far right as you face the stage), beware... it has a very strong CHLORINE odor and will burn your eyes. We moved away since we worried about how healthy it was to be breathing that level of chlorine. Keep that in mind if you are asthmatic or have children that are.

When the doors opened behind the waterfall, we were all let in to a theatre in the round type of auditorium. There are no bad seats in the entire room from what I could see... The front rows are reserved first for children in wheelchairs and we had a great view. (DH and I moved to the floor so the children behind us could see as if they were in the front row. Hopefully that isn't a problem with some code or regulation! LOL!) Phoebe was enchanted from the first MOMENT Barney popped up on the stage!

"IF ALL THE RAINDROPS WERE LEMON DROPS AND GUMDROPS, OH WHAT A WORLD THAT WOULD BE! STANDING OUTSIDE WITH MY MOUTH OPEN WIDE...!"

"I LOVE YOU! YOU LOVE ME! WE'RE A HAPPY FAMILY! WITH A GREAT BIG HUG AND A KISS FROM ME TO YOU! WON'T YOU SAY YOU LOVE ME, TOO!"

After the show, the children in wheelchairs were invited to stay behind in the theatre to meet Barney! WOW! How cool is that? The other children also got to meet Barney, they had a place set up just outside the theatre to get photos and sign autographs!

The morning has slipped away and now we must head for the HARD ROCK CAFE for lunch. DD16 went on ahead armed with the 2-way galactic communicator (made by Motorola... most people think of them as "radios".) She is supposed to pick up DD10 at our hotel, then meet us at the HARD ROCK CAFE by noon. What fun! I can't wait!

 

[Sherrilatte]

Phoebe is a cutie and that smile is priceless!

 

[Disbug]

Phoebe is a cutie and that smile is priceless!

Thank you so much! She is a REALLY good kid. Anything we do for her has never seemed a burden, but a joy. Hard to explain.... but, that smile is all the reward in the world! The only one she fusses at is our middle daughter! LOL! They have the typical youngest vs. middle child relationship!

Glad you are enjoying the trip report and hope I have included enough info for those seeking knowledge of the GREAT Universal experience!

 

[Disbug]

As the noon hour approached, we converged on the Hard Rock Cafe. Remember we sent DD16 back to the RPR to pick up DD10? They kept us apprised of their progress via our 2-way galactic communicators. Those things are pretty cool! We knew where they were and they almost knew where we were! LOL! What I didn't know then, but do now is that Hard Rock Cafe makes it very convenient to enter if you are in Universal Studios. TIP: If you are inside US, you do NOT need to exit in order to get to the HRC. There is a back entrance! If you go down NICKELODEON AVE. (which is between SHREK 4D and Jimmy Neutron), follow the signs to the Hard Rock Cafe! Exit through the turnstile (get your hand stamped if you need to) and VOILA! You're there!

Here is the "signature" Hard Rock Cafe Burger which my DH ordered! It was huge! I was wondering how he was going to eat it... but he managed!

For those who don't know (which we didn't!) THIS particular Hard Rock Cafe is currently the World's Largest! There is an upstairs (which had private glass doored rooms, for VIPs perhaps?), and a downstairs section, a bar, and an attached arena for concerts where world reknowned bands have performed. I think that night's concert was sold out for Jesse McCartney! He must have been there, because several times we heard large crowds of young girls scream! LOL! (Oh! another Jesse McCartney sighting!)

We REALLY enjoyed our lunch here. The FOOD was GOOD, the SERVICE was good (Thanks, Bruce!), the ATMOSPHERE was GOOD! My daughters (esp the 16 yr old) were in HEAVEN! All her favorite bands were either displayed on a wall of fame or were playing music videos while we dined... Thank goodness a few classic rock tunes came on! (*Yes, we were the family who was singing California Dreamin' by the Mamas and the Papas!)

LOVE ALL, SERVE ALL! I like that motto..It's HIP!

After lunch and a cruise through the gift shop where we just looked~ (this time), we split up. DH had a Yankees game starting at 1:20PM and I believe our arch rivals the Red Sox were the other team (so, he WASN'T missing that!). Phoebe also needed a nap and Sierra wanted to SWIM... again!

TIP: The RPR pool complex is open daily from 8 AM to 11 PM at night. It was always staffed with Life Guards. That was a nice touch! Plus there was usually a good game of water volleyball going on and lots of children to play with!

So DD16 and I went over to City Walk for a StarBucks Frappucino and a movie at the giant theatre complex. She had already seen Star Wars so I let her choose and the next thing you know... I was snoozing through "HITCH HIKERS GUIDE TO THE GALAXY"! I know she laughed through it more than once out-loud (unless I was dreaming), but she pronounced it lame when it was over and I know I found it very boring, I mean RELAXING (it did put me to sleep after all...) I only hope I wasn't snoring since we were sitting towards the front! (How embarrassing would that be?...)

We strolled back to the RPR contented with the pace of the day... when we get back to our suite, Sierra is already back and Phoebe is waking up. I comment to my DH, that if we went to church tonight we wouldn't have a big time crunch in the morning to pack and check-out as well... GASP! I can't believe we are almost at the end of our wonderful weekend! I don't want to think about it, so like Scarlett O'Hara "I'll think about that tomorrow"! Decision made, we all jump up, get ready and head over to Mary Queen of the Universe Shrine for 6 PM Mass. It is only about 15-20 mins away over on Apopka-Vineland Rd., directly next to the ORLANDO PREMIUM OUTLETS...Beautiful church, beautiful music!

This turned out to be a good decision, since tonight we had reservations at Emeril's Tchoup Chop. This is one of my all time favorite places to dine. The food is WONDERFUL! In the meantime, we have to get the kids fed and I need a shower. DH walks the children downstairs and ultimately over to CityWalk for their choice of dinner. DD16 unfortunatley chose loaded nachos from Jake's and they were TERRIBLE! Worse than terrible, the jalopenos were so prevalent, even though she tried to pull them out, she still got one and it made her cry! And she LIKES jalopenos...These were very green and HOT! I gave her milk, cereal, an egg roll, anything I could get my hands on. She did not finish them, and that was her dinner. I felt bad for her... Once again, she didn't want us to take them back. It would embarass her. (I've GOT to get her over that!) I was ready by the time DH and DD10 came back with her large PIZZA, WOH! from CityWalk's Pastamore. I wondered if that was a little big for just one little girl... but she was thinking "cold pizza for breakfast". DD16 did not want anything else, so after putting DD4 down to bed... we headed downstairs to Tchoup Chop!

 

[Disbug]

3rd Night, Saturday, May 28, 2005

We have 9:30 PM dinner reservations and it is so remarkably close.. We walk down the hall, take the stairs at the end of the corridor and we open the door right next to Emeril's! Not even 5 mins... When we announced our arrival and reservation time, it was so nice to be greeted by name and they even remembered (or it was written down, maybe!) that this was to be a belated 22nd anniversary dinner for us. That entire evening I think everyone took turns calling us by name! What a nice touch... After we were seated, we were presented with a small complimentary appetizer. It looked like a tortilla chip with beef covered in a sauce. It was good and I haven't a clue what I ate! But I TRUST EMERIL's! LOL! I am moderately adventurous in dining and only turn my nose up at things that can be sampled on FEAR FACTOR (worms, snails, octopi and such!) DH is slightly more conservative than myself in that regard...ALTHOUGH, I take that back.... he HAS swallowed that worm in the tequila bottle in the past... I'll say that I am slightly more conservative than him after reexamining the facts!

TIP: If you want to make reservations at Emeril's in City Walk or at Tchoup Chop, you can call them directly (407) 503-CHOP or do as we did and make a reservation online through www.opentable.com. This was very convenient and we were able to plug our dates in and the approximate time we were looking for. If your time is not available, then an alternate time will pop up and you can accept whichever time works for you. We received a confirmation number and were told to call the restaurant to confirm no later than 3 PM the day of our reservation. I found this to be very convenient!

For our dinner, since it was special we decided to both do the Chef's Tasting Dinner. I added the wine pairings with my meal, since I appreciate a good wine with my food. The Chef's Tasting Dinner is $45/person with an additional $25 for the wine pairings. But the price does vary based on the menu which changes nightly.

Our First Course was sashimi style yellow fin tuna with caviar, wasabi horseradish on the side and a dipping sauce. Plus a small micro-herb salad. My wine was a dry white Riesling. (I wish I had kept the menu so I would have remembered everything! Especially the vintage and vineyard of the wine that was served!)

This course was very different and while at first I wasn't sure if I liked the flavor and the texture; in the end we both agreed that it was very good. The wine was especially great with this course. After the dishes were collected we awaited the second course with anticipation. Yes, we waited and waited... talked some, then waited some more... I was served the next wine pairing... But the fish course never arrived! Tom looked at me and said, "I think they forgot the 2nd course!" I was wondering the same thing... or maybe it had gone to another table? Just then, here comes the 3rd course brought from the kitchen by an impressive array of servers one of which was one of the night managers. As they placed the plump steaks on our table and asked us if we needed anything... We smiled up at them and asked where the 2nd course was? The night manager's eyes got nice and round as she replied, "You haven't received your 2nd course?" We shake our heads no with a smile... Well, she whisked those steaks away before we could stick our forks in either one...(oh, they looked so gooooood!) I was ready to settle for the 3rd course and wait on the 2nd! LOL! But it was too late! A short while later our first server (I think we had 3 different ones) came by and mentioned that she had "heard" we had a little problem with the 2nd course? I think it would have been better if she came over and apologized for this, but she didn't seem to think it was really her fault. Hmmm? Oh, well. It wasn't long before our 2nd course was whisked with flair to over our table...

Our somewhat delayed 2nd course was well worth the wait! It was grilled swordfish on a bed of mashed plantains with a light butter sauce! YUM! My wine pairing was a white (Chardonnay, I believe). Absolute perfection!

My 3rd course wine arrived early (like all the others). It was a red cabernet. I found the off-set timing to be slightly annoying, because I would tend to drink half the wine before the entrees were served. For the future I will request for the wine to be served when each dish is brought. The 3rd course arrived quickly and looked like it had been re-prepared as opposed to just kept warm!

The strip steaks were served perfectly... mine rare, his medium well. They were both delicious and just the right size!

Dessert was the piece de resistance! A bittersweet chocolate tower filled with raspberry mouse, whipped cream, vanilla bean ice cream with raspberries and blackberries topped by a celebratory candle! It does NOT get any better!

By the end of the meal, we were full and satisfied that it was one of the best meals we had ever eaten. Do not be afraid to eat here, it is FABULOUS! You will not be disappointed. We never have been. And now, YAWN... it's back upstairs to dream our last night away in the Singapore Suite before heading home tomorrow!

 

[Disbug]

Day 4, Sunday, May 29, 2005

Well, we have a 2 PM checkout today, but we decide to go ahead and get everything packed and to the car early so we don't have to worry about rushing back to the room for check out...

DH went to pull the van around and we called Bell Services to collect our luggage. After being informed that there would be a 10 to 15 minute delay, we informed them that was perfectly fine... Well, I hadn't hung up the phone before the door bell was ringing! LOL! WOW! Craig was our delightfully charming bellman who was as efficient as he was cheerful. (He says he will remember US, but it is we who will remember HIM!) I certainly hope my DH gave him a great tip!

As an added surprise my children ran into a friend of the family from our church back home! It turns out her son and grandchildren had been staying across the hall and down a few doors! Deja Vu!

I sent the children to the Lobby to wait for me. DH was still supervising the loading of the van and I wanted a moment alone in the room to check for small items left behind, etc... The real reason was to savor one last moment cherishing the memories we had shared during the past few days. I sighed as I mentally thanked everyone who had a part in our enjoyable stay. Then I turned and smiled as I locked the door one last time. Ni sa moce!

 

[Disbug]

Well everyone, that is my trip report and we did have a grand time! After we checked out, we did go back to IOA to spend the day re-riding our favorites! We even HAD to go back to the HARD ROCK CAFE for lunch... (it was a MUST DO according to the two oldest daughters!)

I'm not sure if it was because of the food, or the cool crayons and coloring menu..

Of course, THIS time we did not make it out of the souvenir shop unscathed... They both had to have a T-Shirt, I bought a couple of Hard Rock guitar pins... we even received a complimentary Hard Rock Zippo lighter for DH since we had spent $50! (Oh, good! He'll like that!) TIP: Don't forget to use your AP discount if you have one! We received anywhere from 10-20% off at all shops, restaurants, etc...The hard part is remembering to ask!

I really can recommend this place for lunch. It was soooo good! I had the Stormy Blue Burger (with Bleu cheese melted on the burger accompanied by a great horseradish sauce) YUM! Once again, we were too full to try the desserts. I think you just have to come in and share a meal so you can split a dessert! Otherwise, you're just too full...

After lunch, we made one round of the park... our favorite thing that day? THE MYSTIC WATER FOUNTAIN in the LOST CONTINENT section of the park...just past the Dueling Dragons and before MYTHOS. We spent at least 30-40 minutes here jesting with this "talking" fountain. His name was MON-TAY. Hard accent on the 2nd syllable, and had an accent very much like Professor Snape from Harry Potter! Being very quick witted and sharp-tongued, he had everyone in stitches from his antics. Both of my older daughters got soaked to the skin from being squirted, pelted, and rained upon by this fountain of fun! He kept referring to DD10 (who was drinking a blue raspberry and cherry swirled ICEE) as "SLUSH WOMAN"! It really is TOO funny and his humor falls across all age groups. TIP: I have to stress that this fountain is NOT to be MISSED! It is a treasure of FUN for your whole family. If you don't wish to be "splashed" or squirted, you can look down and see where the pavement is wet and stand just behind that!

It was getting late and we still had two Q&C vouchers to use, so I suggested we go back to Beaches 'N Cream for dinner before heading for the highway. This is met with a lot of head nodding, so we make our way to the parks exit.

On our way out of the park we ran into the Gypsy Fortune Tellers who remembered us from 2 days ago! They must be psychic or something?

The Adventure WILL live ON! In our memories, and our trip report!

Strolling back again to the RPR one last time to pick up our van which is still in the parking lot... I have really learned to LOVE this walk and will probably only take the boat in the future if we are exhausted.

There is a certain added charm to strolling with your family in a beautiful park setting on a lazy late spring day. It makes us all slow down and appreciate our time together! It will be a part of the memory for us.

Don't forget to call out "ECHO" as you walk underneath the bridges!

Goodbye Royal Pacific Resort, IOA, and Universal! We'll be back! (Soon I hope!)

 

[3Mousketeers]

Disbug - You posted pictures of the RPR King Suite for me on the Resorts Board and luckily I just found this trip report. What a wonderful family you have. Your youngest is absolutely adorable!
Thank you so much for all the details. My family of 5 will be at Universal for the first time so reading your report was invaluable. You gave me some great tips!
We usually go to WDW but this time my boys really wanted to try Universal. I micro plan our WDW trips down to the times we should be at each ride.
With FOTL I feel like I don't need to plan like that (its actually a major relief). Honestly I haven't planned at all other than checking out which rides I think would be appropriate for the ages of my kids. But, seeing your family's vacation makes me confident we will have a wonderful time. I'm so tired of having Priority Reservations for everything at WDW that I think we're going to wing this vacation a little. We don't plan to do any character meals. Maybe we'll try Emeril's one night (thanks for the reservation link).
The Singapore Suite looks beautiful. Do you mind my asking if it was much more expensive than a King Suite? I'm assuming it must be by the look of it.
Thanks again for sharing your trip with us!!!!

 

[Disbug]

Disbug - You posted pictures of the RPR King Suite for me on the Resorts Board and luckily I just found this trip report. What a wonderful family you have. Your youngest is absolutely adorable!
Thank you so much for all the details. My family of 5 will be at Universal for the first time so reading your report was invaluable. You gave me some great tips!
We usually go to WDW but this time my boys really wanted to try Universal. I micro plan our WDW trips down to the times we should be at each ride.
With FOTL I feel like I don't need to plan like that (its actually a major relief). Honestly I haven't planned at all other than checking out which rides I think would be appropriate for the ages of my kids. But, seeing your family's vacation makes me confident we will have a wonderful time. I'm so tired of having Priority Reservations for everything at WDW that I think we're going to wing this vacation a little. We don't plan to do any character meals. Maybe we'll try Emeril's one night (thanks for the reservation link).
The Singapore Suite looks beautiful. Do you mind my asking if it was much more expensive than a King Suite? I'm assuming it must be by the look of it.
Thanks again for sharing your trip with us!!!!

You're very welcome for the pictures! I'm glad I remembered I had them. I thought I had more and probably do (somewhere..LOL)! I KNOW you will enjoy having FOTL and I also felt less pressure to plan every single moment! Don't forget to check out the shows as well as the rides and there are street performers everywhere... we especially enjoyed the Blues Brothers over near the Mummy ride.

The Singapore Hospitality Suite is roughly twice the cost of a King Parlor Suite...

It was my pleasure to share my trip. And now I have a photo-journal diary myself to help me remember this trip in the future! Have a GREAT time and be sure to post your own trip report... I'll be looking for it!

 

[Disbug]

Hi, everyone! Just wanted to note that I am not a professional writer and tend to remember things that I left out or come up with a new tip at the end of the report... It might be worth it to give the trip report one more glance as I have added a lot! LOL! That is why I need my camera... it cues my memory about what happened when. Only this trip, I used the video camera quite a bit and would end up capture something on video, but not on still images. Thank you for sharing the journey with us and feel free to leave any comments!

 

[GODreigns]

What an amazing trip report. It makes me look foward to my trip all the more. Loved the pics aswell!