One Mom and Three Kids Tackle the World in a Week - Dec '09 Trip Report - Complete :)

[Lovemy3babes]

I'm here now, and caught up! First, you are NOT a bad writer at all. Very entertaining!!

That is awful about your camera. I'm glad at least it still took pics. Were you able to return it and get your money back considering it was new? (Sorry if someone else asked this, and you answered it-I skipped the chit chat and used your handy links, which I'm guessing someone explained how to do them. )

You guys are cruising right through MK - what a magical day!!!

ETA - I'm so sorry to read about you loosing the $1000! That is awful. I haven't read the whole thread, but geez...sounds like you really got scammed, that is very WRONG.

Thanks for coming over Brook! I definitely am not as a good writer as some of you Disers, that's for sure but I'll try my best.

The camera was about 3 months old so I couldn't return it but thankfully, it was under warranty so Canon repaired it for free. Go figure, I get it back the day after Christmas.

The $1000 debacle was awful. Thankfully it's behind me but probably something I will always worry about unfortunately.

That's a happy and great-looking bunch of kids!


It's nice to hear that you ran across some nice, fun cheerleaders.We mostly read about the negative things associated with teams and cheerleaders, so it's good to hear about a group that was representing themselves in a good way.

Thanks MeMom!! I hadn't seen any of the negative stories with cheerleaders but we did have one bad run-in with them on POC in MK. The other fun group very much outweighed them for sure though thankfully!

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Great report so far!

Hi there!! Thank you and welcome.

I cannot believe you walked onto all those rides with a crowd that that at rope drop! Amazing!

Too bad about your camera! I would have had a meltdown if that had happened to me. At least it didn't die all together.

Can't wait for the rest!

You are right, I would have been devastated if it completely had died. The walk on rides were wonderful!!

 

[BrooklynnsMommy]

Finally here and ready for the rest of this trip!

 

[jewels1916]

MK rope drop! I remember those days! I haven't done a rope drop since I was small enough to sit on my Dad's shoulders! (This is not due to my not planning them, by the way - it's more or less the other travelers.... ) And about having a family appointed "meteorologist!" That would be my official job too! I am always checking the weather. How else will you know what to wear??

 

[Lovemy3babes]

Finally here and ready for the rest of this trip!

Hey Jill! I'm glad you came on over.

MK rope drop! I remember those days! I haven't done a rope drop since I was small enough to sit on my Dad's shoulders! (This is not due to my not planning them, by the way - it's more or less the other travelers.... ) And about having a family appointed "meteorologist!" That would be my official job too! I am always checking the weather. How else will you know what to wear??

This was our first trip doing rope drops. The getting up part was not easy for the kiddos but they sure enjoyed being able to walk right on those rides! My daughter Morghan definitely took her job pretty seriously. She'd come in and say "It's a capri day mom!" or "Wear your jackets people!" Heehee. She's ten and of course, knows everything at this age.

 

[Lovemy3babes]

When we last left you, we had some very rumbly tummies. It was lunch time! We had a date with Pooh and his friends at Crystal Palace. This was my third time eating here actually. I guess you could say I’m a fan. It was our first time coming at lunch though so that was different.

The line to even just check in was huge. The window is sort of hidden around the corner and people were standing this way and that, not sure where to line up. A pretty um, forceful Cast Member come out and starts giving out military-like orders. We were checked in and then barked off of the steps by the same lady moments later. That was interesting. Thankfully we didn’t have to stand long and were ushered in about 15 minutes after our ADR time.

We lucked into a really excellent location. We were the very first table to your right upon entering the restaurant. We quickly took our seats and gave our waiter our drink order. We could see a character off in the near distance so we scooted right up to the buffet to get some food.

Soon, Eeyore slouched over to us. I love Eeyore! I just want to hug him and bring him home with me! What a cutie. This was the first character we have met with this trip so the kids were pretty excited! They whipped out their book like old pros and then smiled for mom’s picture.

We were able to get some more food under our belts before we spotted Pooh heading our way. Hi Pooh! Pooh was really nice and took some time with the kids, giving them extra hugs and such. Everyone smile!

Guess who was next? Our old pal Tigger. I love Tigger and his interaction. He was hilarious. He jumped right up to the table and messed up Dimitri’s hair. LOL! He gave all of us a high five and motioned for me to get into the picture too. It was really fun.

We had time to grab some dessert and we all were sure ready for that! The ice cream machine was a favorite among the girls. Dimitri is a chocoholic so anything chocolate, he inhaled. You’ll be able to tell from the big chocolate stain on his sweatshirt for the rest of the day. LOL!

Finally Piglet made his way over. And of course, I did what every mom seems to do to their 10 –year old daughter; embarrass her somehow. My crime? I called Piglet “she”. Duh. I know Piglet is a boy. I really do. I was just in the moment, getting the autograph book to the kids and said “isn’t she cute?” to Morghan. She turned red and said “Geez mom, doesn’t everyone know Piglet is a boy!” Sorry, the pink threw me off. Sorry Piglet. He just shook his little head at me. LOL! Poor Piglet, being mistaken for a girl.

Piglet then motioned for the kids to come join HIS parade. LOL! There was napkin twirling, marching and dancing going on for all of the characters and kids as they made their way through the restaurant. The really enjoyed it and it was a lot of fun to watch them.

Continued in next post

 

[Lovemy3babes]

Crystal Palace was good and I’d like to go back again and try breakfast. It’d be fun to walk down an empty Main Street. The food at lunch time was pretty good. The potatoes and the veggies were my favorite. The kids ate the standard kid fare and liked most of it except for the macaroni and cheese. None of them liked it so it must not have been the best mac and cheese around.

Ok, time’s up and the bill is due. For a party of 6, they automatically add on an 18% tip. I should have known this. We made the mandatory bathroom break and headed out into the sunny but not quite warm enough Florida air after snapping this nice photo:

We headed towards the bridge and ran into a nice Photopass photographer and decided to get our first Photopass pictures of the trip! These were some fun ones. Dimitri just does not photograph well. He squints anticipating the flash and does this flared nostril thing. He’s a ham.

(See the chocolate stain?)

And the girls got to kiss a frog, which they loved!

We were then off to….Jungle Cruise! This was a first for all of us. I think I forgot to mention that we had grabbed a Fast Pass for JC on our way to lunch. We became quite good at using Fast Passes throughout the trip. What an awesome idea FP was. It was time to doing a little cruising!

So hopped in the boat with a really funny captain. I don’t remember her name but she had reddish hair and just a really hilarious sense of humor. She made the ride a lot of fun.

The elephants were most everyone’s favorite. We sure didn’t want to get wet though!! I think we barely missed the water.

Uh oh, look at these guys!

Our ride was over unfortunately. She made one parting remark that made us giggle like crazy. It went something like “If you had a great time on the cruise, well my name is “Jane” and come back again soon. If you didn’t have a great time well then, ummm my name is “Sam”. It was so quirky my sister and I just had to laugh out loud.

Now at this point, we should have taken a break. We had full bellies and the troops were getting a little wild. We all could have used a nap. But, I went against my better judgment and we trudged along. There were Splash Fastpasses to be used of course! Everyone to Splash Mountain!!

Again, a first for me and Dimitri but not for the girls. So, I was really, REALLY looking forward to this. It was awesome!! I am certainly placing it upon my favorite list. The music was great, the effects were fun. But silly girl that I am, I thought the first drop was the big one and said “Oh, that wasn’t bad.” Don’t laugh at me, I didn’t know. LOL!!! Yep, we got soaked, big time. Wet, wet, wet.

My sister is pregnant so couldn’t ride so she got this shot of us after the drop.

Dimitri is not happy about being wet as you can see. Doesn’t the girl behind us look like she’s posing for my sister too? LOL!

The weather was still not that warm. The sun went under the clouds so when we came out, it was chilly. The ride was wonderful but the after effects in December, not so much. We wrapped up in the jackets we left with my sister and tried to warm up as quickly as we could.

A smart person would have said right there, “It’s time for a break, right?” Well, you would think so. That person was not me. We did head towards the exit; shivering and trying to warm back up. But Dimitri saw the train depot, right before we were out the doors. And that little guy said “Mom, can we please ride Walt Disney’s train? Can we please mom?” That’s all it took. Of course you can. We’re on vacation! We can do whatever we want. Geesh. So, we all lugged our tired bodies up the stairs for a complete ride around the park. This was another first. It was neat, seeing the different parts of the park from the train’s view. Pretty cool. But it was close to 2:30pm at that point if I remember correctly and it was time for a nap. Mom was getting sort of crabby. I admit it, I was. We didn’t have much sleep the night before and I was really, really feeling it. I hated feeling it at the Happiest Place on Earth though.

We made our way out of the park finally and shot a couple of pictures along on the way out before we headed back to OKW.

(Look at them sitting on poor Minnie Mouse!)

(Ahhh, love the castle. I wished I lived there.)


Thankfully it wasn’t too much of a haul to our bus stop and a bus did come fairly quickly. Yay! Good bus mojo.

We were let off at the South Point bus stop and I made plans to meet up with my sister around 4:30pm. (In hindsight, we should have just called it a day here. We did so much that morning and should have relaxed at the resort.)

My and my three kiddos and I made the haul down to good old building #49. It wasn’t even ten minutes and the four of us were sound asleep. I had remembered to set my alarm for 4:15. But….would we get up on time? Would we get back into Magic Kingdom before it shut down at an early 7pm?

Up next…I cannot believe it closes at 7pm! dinner someplace new and a “not quite” campfire sing-a-long.

 

[SoonerGirl]

Oh my goodness, the pictures with the frog are so cute! I haven't seen anyone post one of those yet. I love it!

I totally hear ya on pushing just a little too far and ending up tired and a bit cranky. It's just hard to slow down sometimes isn't it?

 

[jewels1916]

Crystal Palace is my family's favorite! We usually do hit it up for breakfast, which I would definitely recommend. And I love the pics of the girls kissing the frog! What a great tie in with the new movie! Looks like y'all were having a great time!

 

[BrooklynnsMommy]

Tigger was not so great when we were there for dinner two weeks ago. He didn't even acknowledge Bella and barely stopped long enough to take a picture with Brooklynn. Brooklynn has that encyclopedia book for all the characters to sign. It usually gets lots of attention because the characters see themselves and get "excited."

 

[Megablocks]

Splash Mountain is one of my absolute favorites! I'm so disappointed it's going to be closed for refurb when we're down there next month, but it's just a reason to go back, right?

Your kids are SO cute and I love the pictures with the frog! That's the first I've seen of that.

 

[Lovemy3babes]

Oh my goodness, the pictures with the frog are so cute! I haven't seen anyone post one of those yet. I love it!

I totally hear ya on pushing just a little too far and ending up tired and a bit cranky. It's just hard to slow down sometimes isn't it?

Thanks! I thought they were really cute. You are right, it is soooo hard to slow down when you're having fun. Why do they make it so fun? LOL!

Crystal Palace is my family's favorite! We usually do hit it up for breakfast, which I would definitely recommend. And I love the pics of the girls kissing the frog! What a great tie in with the new movie! Looks like y'all were having a great time!

Thanks so much! We will definitely have to try CP for breakfast next time. We had a lot of fun.

Tigger was not so great when we were there for dinner two weeks ago. He didn't even acknowledge Bella and barely stopped long enough to take a picture with Brooklynn. Brooklynn has that encyclopedia book for all the characters to sign. It usually gets lots of attention because the characters see themselves and get "excited."

What? Not cool at all. Ya know, if people aren't feeling it, well there are other places to work. To throw a downer into someone's trip like that isn't fair at all. I'm sorry Jill. We have that exact same encyclopedia and used that this time too!

Splash Mountain is one of my absolute favorites! I'm so disappointed it's going to be closed for refurb when we're down there next month, but it's just a reason to go back, right?

Your kids are SO cute and I love the pictures with the frog! That's the first I've seen of that.

You are right!! We must always have another reason to go back! Thanks so much for the compliments.

 

[Charleston Princess]

We have never eaten lunch at the Crystal Palace before, so it was neat to read your perspective of it.

Great Photopass pics -- Connor does the same thing as Dimitri -- if the sun is in his eyes, he gets all squinty. Love the new frog photos -- too cute!

I have pushed myself beyond the limit before so I know exactly how you must have been feeling. Glad you were able to get a nap in, but I hope you get up in time!

 

[brookelizabeth]

Those Princess and the Frog pictures are adorable!!!! I haven't seen those before! I hope they keep them....and I get one on our next trip.

Gotta love a good captain on the Jungle Cruise! I think they can really make or break the trip. We had a really great one the past two times, I'm going to look for her next trip and request to be on her boat!

 

[jordanyosh]

what a great day a mk!

and yes, you are on vacation and you can stay at the park if you want.

 

[If U Had Wings]

I haven't eaten at the Crystal Palace since before it became a character meal. One of these days I'm going to have to try it again.

I love the frog pictures with the girls. Too cute!

 

[Lovemy3babes]

We have never eaten lunch at the Crystal Palace before, so it was neat to read your perspective of it.

Great Photopass pics -- Connor does the same thing as Dimitri -- if the sun is in his eyes, he gets all squinty. Love the new frog photos -- too cute!

I have pushed myself beyond the limit before so I know exactly how you must have been feeling. Glad you were able to get a nap in, but I hope you get up in time!

Thanks Jackie!! Lunch was good. I'd say it was very similar to dinner though and cheaper. LOL! The squinty eye thing drives me crazy. His school pictures even have it. Crazy boy.

Those Princess and the Frog pictures are adorable!!!! I haven't seen those before! I hope they keep them....and I get one on our next trip.

Gotta love a good captain on the Jungle Cruise! I think they can really make or break the trip. We had a really great one the past two times, I'm going to look for her next trip and request to be on her boat!

Thanks Brook! I really thought the frog pictures were a cute idea. You are right about having a good Captain. We rode it once more later in the week and it wasn't quite the same.

what a great day a mk!

and yes, you are on vacation and you can stay at the park if you want.

Thank you Jordan! You are right; we are on vacation and can stay at the park if we want! I'm going to sing that line to the tune of "It's my party and I can cry if I want too." Heehee.

I haven't eaten at the Crystal Palace since before it became a character meal. One of these days I'm going to have to try it again.

I love the frog pictures with the girls. Too cute!

Thank you so much! Yep, put it on your list. We really enjoyed it and filled our bellies with no problem.

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Great pictures of Crystal Palace! We just love that place. We've been there on 4 out of our 5 trips. We skipped it this past trip, but will definitely be going next time.

That was a funny story about you calling Piglet a girl!!

Love the pictures of the girls and the frog. Very cute!

Looking forward to more.

 

[KathyRN137]

Hi Kelli!

I'm still reading but I wanted to stop and post my hello before I have to go back to work. (I'm home for lunch.)

You and your sister are brave women to attempt the MK on a day of the Christmas Parade taping! Seems like the parade siphoned off some of the Fantasyland crowd, though.

I love the new photo pose with the girls kissing the frog! That is so clever! We never do Disney without visiting Pooh and Friends at CP, either.

Also... hats off to you and your hubby for stepping up and adopting your grand nephew. He has a wonderful and loving family now.


Kathy

 

[Lovemy3babes]

Great pictures of Crystal Palace! We just love that place. We've been there on 4 out of our 5 trips. We skipped it this past trip, but will definitely be going next time.

That was a funny story about you calling Piglet a girl!!

Love the pictures of the girls and the frog. Very cute!

Looking forward to more.

Isn't CP wonderful? I love the atmosphere and it's always so light and open in there. Poor Piglet, being called a girl. I messed up! LOL!!

Hi Kelli!

I'm still reading but I wanted to stop and post my hello before I have to go back to work. (I'm home for lunch.)

You and your sister are brave women to attempt the MK on a day of the Christmas Parade taping! Seems like the parade siphoned off some of the Fantasyland crowd, though.

I love the new photo pose with the girls kissing the frog! That is so clever! We never do Disney without visiting Pooh and Friends at CP, either.

Also... hats off to you and your hubby for stepping up and adopting your grand nephew. He has a wonderful and loving family now.


Kathy

Hi Kathy!! I didn't think much of the parade while doing my trip planning but I will never do that again. I'm glad your family enjoys CP as much as we do. And thank you for the kind words about Michael. It was a process and now that we have an Autism diagnosis, we're going through some more stuff as you know much about. But, it's all completely worth it.

 

[My2BabiesLexis&Dill]