Deweysgirl
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2003
- Messages
- 1,161
7/31-8/2/04-Celebration trip for my 40th!
Me-Now 40! (UGH!!) DH-41, DD-9, DD-6
DDad (my Dad-60)
DM (my Mom-60)
7/31-Saturday morning. Packing is done! Head out for two days with 40 suitcases, 2 kids and a dog!
Luckily were dropping the dog off at the kennel for boarding (too bad they dont take kids too!) and were off!
Quick drive up to Disney and we checked in at POP Century. Its a new resort for us, our first time staying here. (Thanks Tyler and everyone for all of your helpful hints!) The theming was so cute! Very nostalgic with all of the icons and memorabilia from the 1950s through the 90s decorating the resort. We stayed in the 50s building and I really liked it. Lady was the icon for our building and I always loved her when I was little (long time ago!). Lady and the Tramp is one of my earliest memories of a Disney flick so it was quite appropriate that we were assigned this building even though I didnt specifically request it. We got into our room and Mom and Dads room was connecting. They had a handicap room so we checked it out to see the differences. We were starving by this point so we walked up to the food court. DH and the girls all ordered cheeseburgers and fries and I got a cheese steak and potato salad. It was all very good but $25.00 for lunch, yup were at Disney!
We went back to the room and Mom called and said they were on the way. (Another over packer, this is where I got it from!). Hurry up Mom, the day is almost over! Mind you they are only coming from Tampa! 
After a quick game of Twister and checking out the resort and gift shop we went to the Bowling Pin pool so the girls could take a swim. That was fun and I like how they have the music of the different decades piped in at the pools and along the walkways.
After a while it started to rain a little 
so we went back to the room and got ready to go to MGM for the live taping of Baseball Tonight for the ESPN weekend. I heard on the DIS boards that you could earn free tickets for being an audience extra for the show. We drove over but found out we couldnt get in until 9:00pm so we left and went over to Caribbean Beach Resort for dinner. We ate in the food court and it was real good. I miss CBR. We havent stayed there in a long time so I made a mental note to myself to try it again hopefully in the near future. After dinner we went back over to MGM and waited on line with 200 or more people hoping to earn the free tickets too. 
Well, what we didnt realize is that it was taped outside and it rained on and off the whole evening, which made things quite miserable. Most people started leaving by 11:00pm or so. The girls fell asleep on a picnic table but they stayed dry and I took my place and stood in the rain with my umbrella pretending to have fun on queue! We did make it through the night and got our free tickets at 2am! (Only about 50 of us were left in the end!) Ok, I dont think Ill ever do this again!
Sunday-8/1 EPCOT Day! Mom and Dad finally arrived at some point yesterday with 40 suitcases in tow! We all get up and head down to the food court for breakfast. Everything was real good. The food court has big POP waffles instead of Mickey waffles and they were just as good! They didnt have sausage gravy though; everyones grumbling now! Overall everything else was pretty good. I went in to the gift shop and rented two Pal Mickeys. He turned out to be just so cute and told the corniest jokes ever! He really did keep us entertained though. We headed over to EPCOT with our free tickets in hand! We got our fast passes for Test Track first thing and then got on line for Mission: Space. The time listed for waiting on line was 30 minutes but it turned into well over an hour. DH and DDad decided to bypass the ride. I went on against my better judgment. I just wanted to go so I could at least say I rode it once in my life! OMG!! It was pretty amazing. The lift off part was the worst.
You really did feel like you were zooming in to space. UGH! (Where are those barf bags again!) 
Anyway, the girls did well and DMom really liked it. She even wanted to go again! Is she crazy or what?! Well, once is plenty enough for me! Afterwards we went over to Universe of Energy to ride Ellens Energy adventure (def. more my speed!)and I was able to recuperate from Mission: Space. I felt a little light headed and queasy for about an hour afterwards. Did I mention that I also took a Bonine beforehand too! Cant imagine how I wouldve felt otherwise. After Ellens ride we went over to Living Seas but stopped off at Electric Umbrella and got some lunch on the way. I had the childs mac and cheese. I thought I wouldnt be able to handle much more on my stomach. Everyone else got hamburgers, fries and chicken strips for the girls. DH got a great piece of chocolate cream pie, which I had a couple of bites of, very good! Over by Living Seas we checked out the new Finding Nemo display which was very cute. We went in and saw the big aquarium and watched the dolphins swim. 
We also got to see the manatees eating. It was really adorable to see how they use their little front flippers to eat with. We did some interactive stuff inside and then went over to ride Figment. It was fun and we enjoyed it as usual. We got itzakadoozie and strawberry bars and headed for Test Track to use the fast passes. Even on the fast pass line we waited 20 minutes or so. The ride itself kept having technical difficulties and they were starting and stopping it constantly. It was fun though as we finally got to ride.
We hit Spaceship Earth and Ice station cool and then headed out towards the countries. We dodged the rain on and off most of the day and by late afternoon it was really coming down. We went to Mexico and Norway before our scheduled PS in Canada at LeCellier. We enjoyed the boat rides in these countries
and spent some time shopping in Mexico and trying Marrgaritas 
while waiting for the rain to slow down. Well, we had to breakdown and buy Mickey ponchos so we could get to Canada for our dinner. We had to wait a good 20 or 30 minutes for our table, it was packed but we were finally seated and it was well worth the wait!
DH and I started out with the cheese soup that was quite good. We all had the breadsticks and our favorite was the pretzel bread. For dinner I ordered the Le Cellier Mushroom Filet Mignon and DH had the New York strip. Our meals were just so delicious and we were able to add a lobster tail, which I decided on because after all I am celebrating! DMom told our waitress that it was my birthday and they surprised me with the Canadian Club cake that was so yummy! The chef had written Happy Birthday from Le Cellier on the dish in chocolate. It was amazing.
DD-9 ordered the chocolate moose. It was designed in the shape of a moose complete with maple leaf cookies used for the antlers and a cherry for the nose. It was just an adorable dessert! This was one of the best meals Ive ever had by far! We were able to catch the tail end of Illuminations and then it was time to go.
Monday 8/2 My 40th birthday!
DH (mug man) got up and went down for coffee for us. When he got back the girls wanted to swim one last time before we left. He took them down to the Hippy Dippy pool and I went in and returned our Pal Mickeys. I was disappointed to have to give them back but no way can I justify the money for both. We will definitely rent him again in the future though. I went back to the room to get ready and pack up. DH brought the girls back and they showered and got ready for Chef Mickeys breakfast this morning. Before we left POP the family had a little party in the room for my 40th! DM and DF got me a new luggage set with Mickey on it that we sure needed. (40 suitcases are never enough!
) Also a luggage tag and Mickey lock for my new suitcases. The biggest surprise was a 14k gold Mickey ring from DH. 
Its beautiful! The girls each made picture frames for me and they were just too cute. Sure was a great little party, and I was so happy and surprised with my gifts. We were running a little behind as usual but when we got over to the Contemporary the guard was very kind and said not to rush, they would take us in even though we were late for our PS. We went in and DMom and Dad showed up shortly after us. We were able to get the family picture taken and it turned out real good. Goofy was in the foyer mingling with the guests and he was so funny. He juggled and just acted goofy! We were seated in the main dining room and had a great table. It was a bit out of the way but we were still able to see everything. The waitress came and took our drink orders. We then helped ourselves to the buffet. The food was all so good and they had sausage gravy! Woohoo! Everyones happy now! 
The characters all came around and we got some real good pictures of the kids with the characters. My favorite picture though is Mickey giving me a big birthday kiss! 
It was really quite special! After breakfast they brought out a cupcake complete with candle and everyone sang Happy birthday to me. Minnie was even on hand to help me blow out the candle! 
It was such a great breakfast and special way to celebrate my birthday today. We all had fun! The girls danced and laughed and had a ball. I will never forget it!
After breakfast we went to ride the monorail and I asked if I could sit up front. Luckily no one else had asked and we were able to! I had never sat up front in all of my trips to Disney and I was so thrilled to get the chance, especially on my 40th birthday! It was really cool! It was a different perspective for sure. After the monorail ride, it was time to head for home. The girls both starting school tomorrow and after the busy weekend we needed to get home, get settled and pick up the dog from the kennel.
I sure had a wonderful birthday and everything was just so special! DDad even got the placemat they had sat at my place at our table signed by all of the characters. I thought it was just for decorative purposes but the waitress said I could actually keep it! Its a great reminder of the fun day I had at Chef Mickeys on my 40th! Im so glad my folks were able to come and help me celebrate with my family. It wouldnt have been the same without them there.
Until next time
Me-Now 40! (UGH!!) DH-41, DD-9, DD-6
DDad (my Dad-60)
DM (my Mom-60)
7/31-Saturday morning. Packing is done! Head out for two days with 40 suitcases, 2 kids and a dog!
Luckily were dropping the dog off at the kennel for boarding (too bad they dont take kids too!) and were off!Quick drive up to Disney and we checked in at POP Century. Its a new resort for us, our first time staying here. (Thanks Tyler and everyone for all of your helpful hints!) The theming was so cute! Very nostalgic with all of the icons and memorabilia from the 1950s through the 90s decorating the resort. We stayed in the 50s building and I really liked it. Lady was the icon for our building and I always loved her when I was little (long time ago!). Lady and the Tramp is one of my earliest memories of a Disney flick so it was quite appropriate that we were assigned this building even though I didnt specifically request it. We got into our room and Mom and Dads room was connecting. They had a handicap room so we checked it out to see the differences. We were starving by this point so we walked up to the food court. DH and the girls all ordered cheeseburgers and fries and I got a cheese steak and potato salad. It was all very good but $25.00 for lunch, yup were at Disney!
We went back to the room and Mom called and said they were on the way. (Another over packer, this is where I got it from!). Hurry up Mom, the day is almost over! Mind you they are only coming from Tampa! After a quick game of Twister and checking out the resort and gift shop we went to the Bowling Pin pool so the girls could take a swim. That was fun and I like how they have the music of the different decades piped in at the pools and along the walkways.
After a while it started to rain a little so we went back to the room and got ready to go to MGM for the live taping of Baseball Tonight for the ESPN weekend. I heard on the DIS boards that you could earn free tickets for being an audience extra for the show. We drove over but found out we couldnt get in until 9:00pm so we left and went over to Caribbean Beach Resort for dinner. We ate in the food court and it was real good. I miss CBR. We havent stayed there in a long time so I made a mental note to myself to try it again hopefully in the near future. After dinner we went back over to MGM and waited on line with 200 or more people hoping to earn the free tickets too. Well, what we didnt realize is that it was taped outside and it rained on and off the whole evening, which made things quite miserable. Most people started leaving by 11:00pm or so. The girls fell asleep on a picnic table but they stayed dry and I took my place and stood in the rain with my umbrella pretending to have fun on queue! We did make it through the night and got our free tickets at 2am! (Only about 50 of us were left in the end!) Ok, I dont think Ill ever do this again!Sunday-8/1 EPCOT Day! Mom and Dad finally arrived at some point yesterday with 40 suitcases in tow! We all get up and head down to the food court for breakfast. Everything was real good. The food court has big POP waffles instead of Mickey waffles and they were just as good! They didnt have sausage gravy though; everyones grumbling now! Overall everything else was pretty good. I went in to the gift shop and rented two Pal Mickeys. He turned out to be just so cute and told the corniest jokes ever! He really did keep us entertained though. We headed over to EPCOT with our free tickets in hand! We got our fast passes for Test Track first thing and then got on line for Mission: Space. The time listed for waiting on line was 30 minutes but it turned into well over an hour. DH and DDad decided to bypass the ride. I went on against my better judgment. I just wanted to go so I could at least say I rode it once in my life! OMG!! It was pretty amazing. The lift off part was the worst.
You really did feel like you were zooming in to space. UGH! (Where are those barf bags again!) Anyway, the girls did well and DMom really liked it. She even wanted to go again! Is she crazy or what?! Well, once is plenty enough for me! Afterwards we went over to Universe of Energy to ride Ellens Energy adventure (def. more my speed!)and I was able to recuperate from Mission: Space. I felt a little light headed and queasy for about an hour afterwards. Did I mention that I also took a Bonine beforehand too! Cant imagine how I wouldve felt otherwise. After Ellens ride we went over to Living Seas but stopped off at Electric Umbrella and got some lunch on the way. I had the childs mac and cheese. I thought I wouldnt be able to handle much more on my stomach. Everyone else got hamburgers, fries and chicken strips for the girls. DH got a great piece of chocolate cream pie, which I had a couple of bites of, very good! Over by Living Seas we checked out the new Finding Nemo display which was very cute. We went in and saw the big aquarium and watched the dolphins swim. We also got to see the manatees eating. It was really adorable to see how they use their little front flippers to eat with. We did some interactive stuff inside and then went over to ride Figment. It was fun and we enjoyed it as usual. We got itzakadoozie and strawberry bars and headed for Test Track to use the fast passes. Even on the fast pass line we waited 20 minutes or so. The ride itself kept having technical difficulties and they were starting and stopping it constantly. It was fun though as we finally got to ride. We hit Spaceship Earth and Ice station cool and then headed out towards the countries. We dodged the rain on and off most of the day and by late afternoon it was really coming down. We went to Mexico and Norway before our scheduled PS in Canada at LeCellier. We enjoyed the boat rides in these countries
and spent some time shopping in Mexico and trying Marrgaritas while waiting for the rain to slow down. Well, we had to breakdown and buy Mickey ponchos so we could get to Canada for our dinner. We had to wait a good 20 or 30 minutes for our table, it was packed but we were finally seated and it was well worth the wait!DH and I started out with the cheese soup that was quite good. We all had the breadsticks and our favorite was the pretzel bread. For dinner I ordered the Le Cellier Mushroom Filet Mignon and DH had the New York strip. Our meals were just so delicious and we were able to add a lobster tail, which I decided on because after all I am celebrating! DMom told our waitress that it was my birthday and they surprised me with the Canadian Club cake that was so yummy! The chef had written Happy Birthday from Le Cellier on the dish in chocolate. It was amazing.
DD-9 ordered the chocolate moose. It was designed in the shape of a moose complete with maple leaf cookies used for the antlers and a cherry for the nose. It was just an adorable dessert! This was one of the best meals Ive ever had by far! We were able to catch the tail end of Illuminations and then it was time to go. Monday 8/2 My 40th birthday!
DH (mug man) got up and went down for coffee for us. When he got back the girls wanted to swim one last time before we left. He took them down to the Hippy Dippy pool and I went in and returned our Pal Mickeys. I was disappointed to have to give them back but no way can I justify the money for both. We will definitely rent him again in the future though. I went back to the room to get ready and pack up. DH brought the girls back and they showered and got ready for Chef Mickeys breakfast this morning. Before we left POP the family had a little party in the room for my 40th! DM and DF got me a new luggage set with Mickey on it that we sure needed. (40 suitcases are never enough! ) Also a luggage tag and Mickey lock for my new suitcases. The biggest surprise was a 14k gold Mickey ring from DH. Its beautiful! The girls each made picture frames for me and they were just too cute. Sure was a great little party, and I was so happy and surprised with my gifts. We were running a little behind as usual but when we got over to the Contemporary the guard was very kind and said not to rush, they would take us in even though we were late for our PS. We went in and DMom and Dad showed up shortly after us. We were able to get the family picture taken and it turned out real good. Goofy was in the foyer mingling with the guests and he was so funny. He juggled and just acted goofy! We were seated in the main dining room and had a great table. It was a bit out of the way but we were still able to see everything. The waitress came and took our drink orders. We then helped ourselves to the buffet. The food was all so good and they had sausage gravy! Woohoo! Everyones happy now! The characters all came around and we got some real good pictures of the kids with the characters. My favorite picture though is Mickey giving me a big birthday kiss! It was really quite special! After breakfast they brought out a cupcake complete with candle and everyone sang Happy birthday to me. Minnie was even on hand to help me blow out the candle! It was such a great breakfast and special way to celebrate my birthday today. We all had fun! The girls danced and laughed and had a ball. I will never forget it! After breakfast we went to ride the monorail and I asked if I could sit up front. Luckily no one else had asked and we were able to! I had never sat up front in all of my trips to Disney and I was so thrilled to get the chance, especially on my 40th birthday! It was really cool! It was a different perspective for sure. After the monorail ride, it was time to head for home. The girls both starting school tomorrow and after the busy weekend we needed to get home, get settled and pick up the dog from the kennel.
I sure had a wonderful birthday and everything was just so special! DDad even got the placemat they had sat at my place at our table signed by all of the characters. I thought it was just for decorative purposes but the waitress said I could actually keep it! Its a great reminder of the fun day I had at Chef Mickeys on my 40th! Im so glad my folks were able to come and help me celebrate with my family. It wouldnt have been the same without them there.
Until next time
