Mummy, Daddy, Nanny, Anna and Poppy go to WDW!

[PoppyAnna]

All I remember about DTD from our visit to WDW in 2001 was the Rainforest cafe as it was my first experience of one. When planning the holiday itin I took the advice to stay away from theme parks and water parks on Saturday and Sunday and it seemed a good opportunity to book the Bibbidi Bobbidi for my DD4. We did promise both girls a special Princess dress as a holiday gift so we hit World of Disney and start the painful search for the perfect dress!

After our souvenier shopping we have time for lunch before the BBB, we have nothing booked and don't fancy the rainforest cafe again so we have fish and chips in Cookes of Dublin. I have to say it was quite nice, hot and fresh - we just couldn't believe we were eating F&C in Orlando! I have glossed over a serious amount of time spent dealing with my eldests tantrums today, including a trip back to the car for a calming down session with the aircon on! - don't know what is the matter with her, she's usually like this when she's about to get ill or maybe she nervous/worried about the BBB as she doesn't know what to expect.
It's time for the BBB.
This is what she looked like before she went in.......

To be continued.............

 

[arieljasmine]

Ooo, I am in suspense now! Your daughter looks lovely in her dress already! I still have heat meltdowns sometimes, and I am definitely old enough to know better!

Laur's

 

[irongirlof12]

I can't wait... your dd looked sweet before she went in !

I have my 2 DD's booked in for our trip.

 

[GemmaPixie]

NOOOOOOOOOO.........MORE MORE MORE!! I wanna see the princess daughter! love the TR

 

[PoppyAnna]

I gave my DD's name to the CM at the BBB desk, she was lovely and gave me a buzzer and a flyer "To princess Anna......" she asked that my DD choose which hairstyle she wants before they are ready for her.
There is a choice of three, the classic princess "up doo", the US child beauty queen style (with matching extensions) and the colourful pop princess style with coloured extensions. She chose number three I suddenly thinking, what have I done! Two CM's "work" on each "princess" mu daughter also got a choice of colour of make-up and nails - they asked if we wanted to take the false nails with us as they would fall off as it was early afternoon. Oh yes I said - I was really thinking that she's never going to see those purple false nails again!
Look how miserable she looks!

The other girls (mainly from the US) being "done" are loving every minute of it, asking for more glitter and more spray and even complaining that the CM's weren't putting on enough make-up. I'm sitting on the central sofa watching thinking please let this be over......I just didn't like it, I don't think my daughter was enjoying it and I felt a bit sorry for her being pulled, pushed and teased.
This is the final result.

Little one was sleeping outside in her buggy with my Mum, on the way out of World of Disney my DD4 turned a few heads and an older lady from the UK commented on how pretty she looked, I answered that I disagreed, it made her look too old and took away my baby - so there it is, thats why I didn't like it I think it's a super thing for an older girl but it just wasn't for us. When my DD4 looks at the photos now she says she enjoyed looking different but didn't like it when it was being done. I hear they are soon to open another branch in the castle (if they haven't done so already) it certainly was popular!
Look what happened five minutes later

......gave the rest of us an excuse for ice creams from Ghirardelli's....
Next: MGM for ToT and Fantasmic!

 

[PoppyAnna]

We hot foot it over to MGM, it's about 4pm when we arrive and we have a Fantasmic! dinner adr at MM for 5.40. The girls meet Pocahontas and Snow White and the SNow queen under the hat - they chicken out of having their photo taken with the Snow Queen - DD19mo is shouting "baddie.....baddie" I think the CM found it hard to keep her best mean face on!

I admit, DH and I want to go on ToT and we debate whether or not to take DD4 on. We decide to go for it, it's a walk on and as we enter the building DH almost chickens out. Once we leave the "library" we're both starting to get really nervous, I tell DH that I will take the elevator down with her but she really wants to go on. DH found it scarier than he remembered and our ride photo is her sitting between us with us holding her so tight and staring at her She said she didn't like it and she was scared but she didn't cry. DH regrets it to this day. She now remembers it and giggles
We head for Mama Melrose's. I have the Steak which was lovely, DH had a chicken pasta dish which he didn't like and my Mum had the salmon which was over cooked and dry - they had main course envy! Needless to say, I liked Mama's, they didn't.
We took our seats for fantasmic and WOW!!! I have it all on video so don't have any stills, I can understand that you either love it or hate it. I loved it, with one exception - I didn't like the water projections. I'm glad we did it - it got the thumbs up from all my family.
We go and collect the mickey ears from Celebrity which I ordered a few days previously, it's late and after a spot of shopping we head back to the Vistana.

 

[natalielongstaff]

your dd does look lovely i understand how you feel about the whole make-up thing though.

 

[jns]

Thanks for sharing your holiday with us
love alll the photos

 

[sandshal]

Another couple of great days - thanks for posting the picture of the Vistana - looks even better than I remember! 94 days to go and counting .....

 

[florida sun]

Lovely reports and pictures, cant wait to read more

 

[PoppyAnna]

I think the pace of life WDW style is starting to catch up with the girls, they seem over stimulated and despite their physical tiredness last night was a terrrible night for sleep, catching naps here and there in buggies and shorter nights isn't how it is at home so although I consider them quite active children they are finding it a struggle. Perhaps Fantasmic was a too much for their little brains last night So, as we've been up most of the night it's a mega lie-in no matter how much you plan your itinerary you can't account for nights like that one and I could never wake them to go out to fulfill my holiday wishes. After a late breakfast we head out to the Premium outlets as Mum wants a few things she saw the other day, I want to get some gifts and shoes that I saw and DH wants to do Gap. After shopping we go for a drive to find a restaurant for lunch we opt for Landrys seaford on Little Lake Bryan. We all really enjoyed it, they serve yummy bread (I love bread although it doesn't love me) and a salad family style then I had a shrimp combo, the girls had chicken and shrimp. DH had a shrimp platter. The shrimp tasted tender and fresh compared to what we'd had at the rainforest cafe, adnwe thought that was nice!

We decided to head back to the Vistana for some afternoon pool time but,
oh no

THUNDERSTORM!
So that's the only water we all see today, we even got the girls in their cossies, it crept up on us that quick. They were disappointed they missed their swim.
I had taken quite a a few art supplies with me for the flights so we got all that out and they actually had a great time just doing their own thing for a few hours. I think they needed some down time to themselves.
After putting the girls to bed Mum stayed with them and DH and I went to DTD, we had a walk around the market place, a drink in Raglan Road and then we went to Disney Quest - never been in there before, we did the virtual reality game which made me feel sick, we did the riverboat thing which made me feel sick and then we went to the cheesecake factory which made me feel sick!!!! Only kidding - although I didn't think much of their iced frappachino the banofee pie was to die for! We checked the news back home and I posted on the DIS. Sad to say that since becoming parents we're not the social animals we were and we just wanted to get back!
Tomorrow - Typhoon Lagoon.

 

[PoppyAnna]

A better faster start today and we get to TL early. Hmmmm ours is only about the twentieth car in the car park....when we go through the gates people are coming out!
DH and I need a beach towel as I didn't pack any as we needed new ones, we've bought princess and tink ones for the girls. I bought a surf board shaped pink and white TL one and DH gets Mickey on a surfboard!
We make "base camp" a few sunbeds on the sand near the little slides in wave pool. I know why it's quiet - it's cold! When the water hits you it's freezing.....although it's warm in the sun. We take the girls to Ketchkiddie creek and the love it, little one still seems tired and crashed out on a sunbed!

Mum stays with her and ME, DH and DD4 head for some rides after we manage to get her out of the wave pool. We go on the family raft so many times I lost count as there was nobody there - I would love to see the attendence for that day, I'd be surprised if it was over 400 - not kidding.
DH goes to see how Mum and little un is and DD4 and I go on the lazy river on a double ring, and then on two singles, and then on a double - and so on, she couldn't make up her mind which she loved the most!

We're all back together and we have a CS lunch which wasn't memorable.
We head back out as group and the girls love TL, we all went on the family raft again a number of times and I said to DH to do the slides as I can't be he wasn't bothered (he's become a bit of a wuss since having the girls!) We took turns with the little one while the others went on the single tubes. This really was a special day for us, and although chilly to start with it warmed up and I actually got a bit burned - silly billy!!

We play beach ball games before heading home.

DH's favourite day of the holiday.

Tomorrow - Universal Studios

 

[jns]

its lovely been in the water parks when it is quite
we are big water park fans too
one year we hit the waterparks most mornings then the park in the evening
slept for a month when we got home

 

[Nubbedy]

Just catching up with your trip reports and really enjoying reading them. Looking forward to more.

Sara.

 

[irongirlof12]

your dd's dress from BBB looked beautiful, thanks for sharing photo's, shame you didn't enjoy it.

nice to have a few relaxing days as well. I plan for England, but sometimes kids don't follow suit do they?

 

[arieljasmine]

A lovely few days, thanks for sharing with us. I love the picture in the lazy river - you both look so happy. Sorry to hear that your daughter didn't enjoy BBB.

Laur's

 

[PoppyAnna]

Okay, I know this is DISboards but I can't skip days out of my trippie, so here goes.

As I'm self nominated chief organiser I go and exchange the virgin vouchers for our tickets.

As you can see it's a lovely blue sky day as most have been, but I think this is the hotest of the holiday so far.
After going through the gates I forgot how small Universal was and how it really doesn't have the Disney WOW factor. Shrek 4d is top of the list and as it's right there we get in line, we queue for 20 mins - oh my goodness it's faberoonie, my DD4 is a massive Shrek fan and it's great for adults too as you can't help but love the humour. Upon exit I look across the street to see Shrek going in for a break so I keep the character meet and greet to myself until later. We carry on up Plaza of the stars and head for Twister, I'm not bothered about doing it but the wait time is 10 mins so we go for it, when we finally get to it (30mins) I remember how awful it is - My Mum is so disappointed, all she has had is Disney so far and already US isn't coming close.

We have a stroll around past Mummy, Beetlejuice and Earthquake etc and up to Amity Ave - this has a really tacky feel to it, US seemed desperate (or more obvious) to generate extra income with these "fairground" attractions. We walk past MIB, the park is very quiet and we feel we can afford to stroll around orientating ourselves before pick and choosing our attractions.
We have lunch in World Expo, and then head for the kids zone. The girls love Fievels playground, Woody's coaster and Curious George goes to town, they get soaked again and again. After a change of clothes DD19mo nods off and Me, DH and DD4 go on MIB, then My Mum DH and DD4 walk onto Jaws while I look after little un.

Mum swaps with Me looking after DD19mo and the rest of us go to Earthquake. Again US underestimate their wait times, everytime we get into the "holding room" of an attraction the doors are left open to get the maximum capacity to "run" the ride.
After ice-creams at Schwabbs we decide to call it a day, I ask DH is he wants to do Terminator or Mummy but he declines.
We see Shrek and Dora on out way out, great as DD4 loves Shrek and DD19mo loves Dora. DD19mo was really freaked out by Donkey - made her cry!ahhhh.

No one else was waiting for Dora so she spent ages playing peek-a-boo with my two.
We decide to do Jimmy Neutron on the way out and boy are we glad we did - what a laugh, DH sat with little un in the "static" seats but we had a blast being thrown around. DD4 has never seen Jimmy but loved it anyway.
In summing up we had a nice day at US but the poor estimation of wait times really disappointed me especially with two little ones to ammuse (with no cheery CM's in sight), I thought US's merchandise was tacky and cheap, I thought it was a cheek to still have the Back to the Future Shop even though the ride was gone. If I go back to Orlando in the next few years I won't rush to US - DH can go on his own!
PS - We walk in Bubba Gumps without ressies - the atmosphere couldn't be beat but the food was not a big hit - good fun though!

 

[jen_uk]

I was really disappointed with US as well, the wait times were way out when we went and we ending up queuing for far longer than we would of liked for some of the attractions.

 

[irongirlof12]

your photos are great.

 

[arieljasmine]

Pleased that you made it on Jimmy Neutron, that is my favourite ride in US and a lot of fun. I love the pic of your girls with Dora, so cute.

Laur's