My First Trip Report - but not our first trip - with photos. UPDATED Oct 2010

[jecskc]

Hello and welcome to my first trip report. I hope that it will be as interesting to everyone who takes the time to read it as it will be for me to write it.

I planned for months. I haunted the Disboards every night, printed out copious touring plans, checked the crowd calendar, changed my mind and then printed out some more. Quarters and pennies were stock-piled for pressed pennies, lists were made, crossed off and then a few more were necessary. I put a countdown app on my cell phone, took my lunch to work every day and saved, saved, saved !! My sister called to ask me if I would take her son with us, and I gladly agreed. My son was thrilled to have him along. We talked my DH's daughter into coming with us as well. She went when she was three and didn't remember it, so she told everyone it was her first trip, because that one didn't count because she didn't remember.

So here goes. Our trip was scheduled for October 1 - October 10. Three named tropical storms swirled in the Atlantic. As soon as we got within our 10 day window, I checked the weather site about a 100 times a day. And it changed 10 times that week. We were exceptionally fortunate because the weather on our trip was AMAZING and it didn't rain a drop. We got the kids out of school an hour early, had the car loaded up and we embarked on our 8 hour drive to Disney.

 

[jecskc]

My DH managed to get us there in less than 7 1/2 hours. Some speeding laws may have been harmed in this process. We arrived late at night at The Silver Lake Resort. We got this through an RCI points extra vacation timeshare exchange for ten days and nine nights for less than $400. We decided to save our points for another vacation later next year. We stayed in a 2BR 2 BA unit with a full kitchen and a washer and dryer. One bedroom had a king bed, the other had two full-sized beds, plus there was a sleeper sofa. The resort is very nice. All granite and tile, nice pool area, flat screen TV's and the mattresses were amazingly comfortable. We had no problems with this resort at all. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay there and would go back in a heartbeat. It was very close to Disney and we could even see the Tree of Life at Animal Kingdom from some vantage points at the resort. Sadly, this is the only picture I took of the actual unit. This is DD8, DS11 and DN11 ("N" stands for Nephew) in the kitchen right when we arrived

DN11 thought we were staying in a regular hotel room and was very happy with the accommodations. We unpacked, got everyone calmed down and into bed and set the alarm for an early start. First park on the agenda ??? Animal Kingdom.

 

[jecskc]

We set the alarm and woke up early. Had breakfast in our unit at the resort from cereal and groceries purchased at a nearby Wal-Mart by DH the previous night, We saved copious amounts of money on food by doing this. We scrambled into the car and made our way to the park. We had MYW tickets - 9 days with the water park option. We paid for parking, parked in the Diamond lot thanks to our AAA membership, and entered the park. We immediately went to Guest Services and upgraded to annual passes !!! This took some time, but we were off and running to fast pass Expedition Everest.

We arrived at the attraction, saw that the wait was only 5 minutes and rode it right away. We fast passed it for later and went off to ride the safari. Only a 10 minute wait - YAY !!

Me and DD8 on the safari

We saw giraffes (my favorite animal)

The baby white rhino. DH got it as quickly as possible, but the mother and baby made thier way into the tall grasses very quickly. This was all we saw of the baby.

A collective "Awwww, it's soo cute" came from our vehicle. Who doesn't love a baby animal ?? Especially one so rare. BTW, the weather was PERFECT. High 60's in the AM and mid 80's for a high. No rain. Not a drop.

Some more safari photos. I hope you enjoy them.

White rhino

Safari Vehicle

Upside-down Tree

 

[jecskc]

We got off the safari, found some pressed penny machines, got a book to put them in, toured afew gift shops and spent - gulp - over $80 in pins. Shhhh. Don't tell DH !! It was time to ride Everest again so we made our way back to Asia and saw a friend along the way:

A little further down, we saw a small crowd. They seemed to be looking at something off the side of the walkway. We closed in, curious, to see what everyone was looking at.

It was Divine ... and she was beautiful.

She was super cool and came right up to DS11. We were so excited to see her.

We rode Everest again and made our way to Dinoland to ride Primevel Whirl. Here are some other pictures we took.

DN11 - you will see, that is is kinda tough to get him to smile.

DD8

I LOVE this snack vehicle !!

Dinoland

We rode Primevel Whirl - 15-20 min. wait and then DD and I jumped on Triceratop Spin. Only about 10 minute wait

We fast passed Dinosaur, got some lunch at Restaurantasaurus and went to see the Flights of Wonder show that DH had been wanting to see. It was pretty neat.

 

[jecskc]

After Flights of Wonder, we headed to the Boneyard so DD8 could play.

DS11 and DN11 found some fun while they were waiting.

After that we rode Dinosaur, fast passed Kali River Rapids and then scoped out a good place to watch the parade. This was our first time watching the AK parade ... and it was AMAZING !!

Our amateur photos don't do this parade justice. I highly recommend this parade to anyone who hasn't seen it.

Next, we rode Kali River Rapids, got completely soaked, and then took a couple more pictures

The kids did some of the kidcot activities and got some stamps on thier AK passports. We knew we were coming back later in the week, so we figured we would get the rest of the stamps then. Back to the resort to swim, soak in the hot tub, eat supper and get some rest. Next park on the schedule ?? Epcot.

 

[jecskc]

So one of my BEST friends from school planned her Disney trip that same week we planned ours. She is partly responsible for my Disney obsession. She and her DD10 met us at Epcot on Day 2 of our trip.

We arrived at the park and headed straight to Soarin' for fast passes. Then to ride Test Track. Only a 5 minute wait. YAY !! Then we went over to Mission Space, which we haven't had the chance to ride yet.

We were light weights and chose the green side. We enjoyed it very much !! We rode Spaceship Earth after that, which was another ride that we had not tried.

Loved it !!

Then, it was time to ride Soarin'. My favorite ride

We requested the front row. The flight attendant said we would have to wait a few more minutes. We said OK and got front row, center. YAY !!

 

[jecskc]

After Soarin', we rode the Land which was another thing we had never gotten the chance to ride since it was closed the two other times we went. It was cool.

We got some pretzels and drinks. Then we rode Nemo.

Got this photo of DN11 afterwards. Fish are Friends, not food.

 

[Pixie Princess]

So one of my BEST friends from school planned her Disney trip that same week we planned ours. She is partly responsible for my Disney obsession. She and her DD10 met us at Epcot on Day 2 of our trip.

Only partly responsible??? I like to think I am fully responsible for your addiction. Lovin' the pics from the AK parade. We still have yet to do this! It ends up getting bumped from list everytime.

Subscribing so I can see what else I missed.

 

[heaven2dc]

Love seeing baby animals - so cute! Your timeshare definitely was a bargain

 

[jecskc]

Only partly responsible??? I like to think I am fully responsible for your addiction. Lovin' the pics from the AK parade. We still have yet to do this! It ends up getting bumped from list everytime.

Subscribing so I can see what else I missed.

Haha. Disney Magic was the other part You HAVE to see the AK parade. It is really artistic and cool. DH didn't want to take the time to see it, but afterwards he said that he was really glad we did. Kids got lots of high fives from the characters during the parade. It was sooo cool !!

 

[jecskc]

Love seeing baby animals - so cute! Your timeshare definitely was a bargain

Yes !! Love the baby animals. The time share was a GREAT bargain !! We will be staying there again !!

 

[jecskc]

Epcot Day 2 continued ---

OK. Where was I ?? Oh yes, we had just gotten off Nemo and then went over to Figment to ride that and then the kids wanted to try Sum of all Thrills. They liked this A LOT. After that, it was time for the World Showcase - and the Food and Wine Festival - YAY !!

Some pictures we took along the way.

We signed up for the Kim Possible mission - one for the girls and one for the boys - and headed off to Canada so DD8 could get her mask and color it at the Kidcot station and my DBFF could get her lamb slider from the New Zealand kiosk, I think. I stopped and got some cheese soup, salmon and a Moosehead from the Canada kiosk to share with DH.

Victoria Gardens in Canada

More Canada

Then we split up. Me and DBFF, her DD10 and my DD8 went aaaallll the way over to Norway to do their Kim Possible mission

While DH took the boys, DS11 and DN11 over to China for their Kim Possible mission.

It was getting later in the day and my DD8 wans't that into the Kim Possible thing anymore, so my DBFF's DD10 finished up that mission. We met up with the boys near Morocco

We had lamb chops from the Australian booth nearby and the kids had blue slushies as evidenced below

We went back to Norway to ride Maelstorm and play in the gift shop

After that we went over to ride the Boat ride in Mexico - Gran Fiesta something or other. DBFF was teasing the boys and telling them that there was a big drop on that ride and that we were going to get soaked. It was pretty funny.

The kids got some more pressed pennies and we decided to head back to our resort while DBFF and her DD10 stayed at the park for a while and them went to eat at Wolfgang Puck's at Downtown Disney. My feet were killing me and with several more days to go, I decided we should head back to the resort to rest and eat dinner. The kids and DH hit the pool and I did a load of laundry.

 

[jecskc]

Day 3 - Magic Kingdom

So my DBFF was staying at Pop Century and had free dining while we were there. Although we couldn't afford to eat at all of the wonderful Disney restaurants with her, we did decide to splurge on one meal and met them at Magic Kingdom for an 8:05 AM character breakfast ressie at the Crystal Palace.

Some photos are we entered the park and made our way over to the restaurant.

The obligatory castle pictures. LOVE the castle !!

We were seated with little waiting and then bellied up to the breakfast buffet. My DS11 remarked that it was a fancy place and were we sure we could really afford it. To tell the truth I was wondering the same thing myself ... LOL. Some photos from breakfast.

BFF's DD10 and my DS11 and Piglet. DN11 said - before Piglet got to the table - quick !! Hide the bacon !! Here's come Piglet !!

DS11, DN11 and DD8 and Tigger

Mickey Waffles !!! The buffet was excellent !!

All of the kids and Pooh

DH and Eeyore

The kids and Eeyore

This was a very enjoyable breakfast !!

 

[Disney_Jill]

Great pictures! It looks like you guys are having a super time!

 

[vicceja]

Looks like you had a wonderful time - Great Pictures!

 

[jecskc]

OK. So after breakfast, we headed over to Tomorrowland to fast pass Space Mountain. We got some Photopass pics that I will add on later when I get my Photopass CD in the mail. I pre-paid and saved $50 on that !!

Here's one DH took.

The wait for Space Mountain was only 10 minutes, so we got Fast Passes while BFF's DD10, my DS11 and DN11 rode. Me, DH, DBFF and DD8 headed to the Peoplemover to ride that real quick while we were waiting. We call it the blue train. We saw Stitch on the way and he stopped for a quick picture with DD8

Riding the blue train

After everyone was done riding each, we all got together and DBFF, myself and the girls headed to Toontown to try to catch the Fairies while DH and the boys stayed in Tomorrowland to do Stitch, Buzz Lightyear and Laugh Floor.

We waited a good long time to see the fairies. The sign said 25 minutes or so, but I would swear that it was more like 45. Anyway, DD8 was really fired up about seeing them. She loves the fairies !! We got to see Rosetta, Tinker Bell and Vidia. Both of the girls really enjoyed it and I got some great photopass pictures, but will have to wait to post them when the Photopass CD gets here. I know that BFF got some photos. Maybe she will post some ... hint, hint

We rode the Barnstormer and visited Minnie's house while we were in Toontown and headed back to meet up with the boys in Tomorrowland. We all rode Space Mountain. After that we fast passed Buzz Lightyear and went to see the Laugh Floor show while DH went to get Fastpasses for Peter Pan. DBFF's joke got picked and that was fun. Then we rode Buzz Lightyear. He's some photos from the gift shops nearby.

We went to see ride the Haunted Mansion and then spent a little time in Liberty Square

We got fast passes for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and then rode Pirates of the Caribbean. We headed back over to Fantasy Land to catch Mickey's Philharmagic and ride the carousel. Here are some picture of the kids trying to pull the sword from the stone

But, alas, none of them were destined to be the King or Queen of Camelot and we made our way back towards Peter Pan to ride that. BFF wanted to go see Country Bear Jamboree, so we parted ways, there ... or so I thought

 

[disneypartyof5]

I'm lovin' your trip report!!! And your pictures are amazing!! I can't wait to read about the rest of your trip.

Was it very crowded at the parks, and how hot/humid was it? We're leaving in 10 days and are wondering what the crowds will be like.

 

[jecskc]

A little side story. When we planned this trip, we both - me and BFF - consulted the crowd calendars on the touring plans web site. That day, Touring Plans reported that the crowd for Magic Kingdom was going to be a 3 out of 10, I think. Well to me at least, it seemed like the crowd was more like a 7 or 8. VERY crowded day at MK. But, due to intelligent use of fast passes and such, the longest thing we waited for all day was to see the Fairies. all of the other stuff, we waited 15-20 minutes or less.

Anyway, I had the Lines app on my phone and BFF had Mobile Magic. We compared throughout the day who had the more accurate reporting of standby times and fast pass returns. And I have to say, that Mobile Magic was more accurate that day. As we were heading over to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, BFF and her DD10 (who didn't get a fast pass for it because she was at Country Bear Jamboree, I think) came flying by us yelling out, "the wait for BTMRR is only ten minutes !!" We got over there and sure enough, it was !! Mobile Magic wins again. We ended up riding it at about the same time ans then it was time for us to leave.

We headed back to the resort to eat, pool and rest. DH went to the airport to pick up his daughter who will now be named DSD27.

 

[jecskc]

I'm lovin' your trip report!!! And your pictures are amazing!! I can't wait to read about the rest of your trip.

Was it very crowded at the parks, and how hot/humid was it? We're leaving in 10 days and are wondering what the crowds will be like.

THANKS !!! I will say that the parks were moderately crowded the week we went, but we managed it very well with fast pass. The weather was amazing. High 60's in the AM and mid 80's during the day. Very low humidity. To us, it was perfect Disney weather. Cool enough to be nice, but still warm enough to swim. I know you are so excited. I hope you enjoy your trip !!!

 

[jecskc]

We got and early start this day since the crowds were a little bigger than we thought they would be and we KNEW that the Fast Passes for Toy Story Mania would be gone if we waited too late. BFF had a breakfast ressie at Chef Mickey's and would meet us there later. DSD27 was very excited about getting started. We got there about five after 9:00 AM and headed straight to TSM to get a fast pass. So, at five after nine, our fast pass was already set at 12:30 PM and they were completely out of fast pass for TSM before noon. BFF's fast pass was for after 4:00 PM.

I love these topiaries in front the The Brown Derby

So we went to ride the Rockin' Roller Coaster. 10 minute wait. Good stuff.

After that, we rode the Great Movie Ride. DS11 wanted to ride the Tower of Terror, but I asked him to wait until my DBFF and her DD10 got there so he could ride it with them. I still haven't gotten the nerve to ride it yet. Someday ... soon.

DD8 wanted to go to the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground. We got some more pics on the way.

Streets of America

DH Singin' in the Rain - the water part wasn't working that day.

The Playground - which is really neat.

DSD27 in the playground

The kids on the slide at the playground

DD8 on the Giant Ant

DBFF was there by then and she wanted to go see the Beauty and the Beast show. DH wanted to see the Indiana Jones show.

The Indiana Jones show was OK. I was jealous of BFF and her Beauty and the Beast, which she loved. The kids were whiny, so we got some lunch at the place right outside the Indiana Jones show. This helped morale considerably. We were bummed that Star Tours was closed for refurb. It was time for us to ride TSM, so we went over there to ride.

Obviously, I need to let DH stick to the photo taking.

Then we headed over to the Stunt show, which was pretty cool. Tried to get together with BFF, but they were on the opposite side of the stadium from us. Here are some photos from the show.

We finally got together with BFF and did the Back Lot Tour.

DD8 put her head out over the edge and got all wet.

After that, we needed to go back and rest before Downtown Disney, so we headed back to the resort.