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

[Momof2Disneyboys]

OMGosh, what a wonderful update! I just loved seeing the Osborne Lights in November and it was so much fun to relive it in your TR. Loved the video, it gave me chills. The Osborne Lights are such an amazing experience. They were definitely the highlight of our trip! I'm so glad you got to see them too!

 

[Lovemy3babes]

I'm loving your report! Your DHS pics has me excited since I have never been able to visit that park, and will finally be able to next month!!

I know some people really don't care for DHS but we love it! Next month isn't too far away!!

We ate at Pizza Planet....I was disappointed. I( kinda feel like its a been there done that type of place. Next trip we will choose somewhere else....

And we missed the Osbourne lights because daddy wanted to miss the crowds..grrr...

Ok, well at least we didn't miss excellent food or anything! Ha. I'm sorry you missed the Osborne lights. What a bummer.

OMGosh, what a wonderful update! I just loved seeing the Osborne Lights in November and it was so much fun to relive it in your TR. Loved the video, it gave me chills. The Osborne Lights are such an amazing experience. They were definitely the highlight of our trip! I'm so glad you got to see them too!

Thank you!! They are definitely something you should try to experience once, aren't they? They are so perfect in every way.

 

[brookelizabeth]

Pizza Planet closes early?! Good to know! I had NO idea either! Sounds like you headed over to the little area by RnRC and ToT? Glad you found something to fill those tummies!

WONDERFUL pictures of the kids playing with the snow!!! You captured the moment perfectly. I love the video too....ah, so so pretty!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Thank you!! They are definitely something you should try to experience once, aren't they? They are so perfect in every way.

Yes, definitely something every Disney fan should experience at least once!

 

[Lovemy3babes]

Pizza Planet closes early?! Good to know! I had NO idea either! Sounds like you headed over to the little area by RnRC and ToT? Glad you found something to fill those tummies!

WONDERFUL pictures of the kids playing with the snow!!! You captured the moment perfectly. I love the video too....ah, so so pretty!

Yep, you're right Brook. The little eating area with outside seating close to RnRC and ToT. Not wonderful but not too bad!

Thanks for the compliments! We loved everything about the Osborne lights.

Yes, definitely something every Disney fan should experience at least once!

For sure! Let's go back now! (I wish...) I guess the lights wouldn't be on anymore though.

 

[Lovemy3babes]

Soon the sun was up and it would be another great day at Mickey’s house. Today was Tuesday, December 8th, 2009. Once again we sent the family meteorologist aka Morghan out the door to test out the conditions. She was soon back and said it was cloudy but already a bit warm. Of course it was, we were going to Animal Kingdom, the park that is always ten degrees warmer than it really is! We were excited to spend an entire day in AK as we had never really dedicated that much time here before.

I called my sis and once again, we met up at the bus stop. Well, close to it. Her building was on the way so we met up while walking. Per TGM, we were doing “green” parks all week and today AK was “green”. We didn’t wait too long for a bus and we were on our way!

It’s always fun walking into Animal Kingdom, isn’t it?

Their tree is especially beautiful.

We made it right before rope drop and didn’t up waiting too long. We had an icky experience while waiting in line though. We were squished next to a family, with a daughter probably around 5. She was asking to hold the camera I think it was. Her mother leaned over to her and while handing it to her said “If you break this, I will break you.” How lovely. My kids heard it and looked at me a little nervously. Parents aren’t supposed to talk to their children like that! It made my stomach hurt a bit and we took a few steps to the side so I wouldn’t have to listen to that mouth anymore. Ick.

But the rope was finally dropped and we were off to Expedition Everest. There was of course, a mad dash. We took our time and just walked along, following the crowd, in no mood to be running.

It was timed perfectly and we were able to walk right into line. My sister and Jayse sat this one out, her being pregnant and him not being tall enough. This was the first time any of us had ridden EE and were not sure what to expect. Well….three of us were terrified and Morghan, the ultimate dare devil, LOVED it. I’m glad I did it and I actually would probably ride again next time. The Yeti was hilarious! It was the backwards part that had me a little frightened.

After being very exhilarated from EE, we took a little stroll into:

We waited a very short thirty seconds or so and took a ride on Tricera Top Spin.

After an equally short ride, we looked over to see this was currently down:

Oh bummer! Sorry folks, there isn’t enough Dramamine in the world for me to ride Primeval Hurl without getting sick. Oh well, onto our favorite ride in all of Animal Kingdom! Can you guess what it is? Some people hate it. It also makes some cry or scream. It just makes us giggle like maniacs. It’s Dinosaur!!!

Once again, there was basically no wait. It said 5 minutes and that’s pretty much what it takes to weave through the cool queue. There are some fun things to look at in here. My sister, being pregnant, sat out while the rest of us rode. It was such a hoot! I tried to get a decent picture of the ride photo but it didn’t turn out. Just picture the five of us laughing and pointing at the scary dinosaurs. No one was scared and they all asked for more! But we couldn’t do another as we had a late breakfast ADR to get ourselves too.

We were dining with Donald and all of his friends. Our reservation was for 10:20am and I found this to be great timing. You get into the park, ride a few things and then it’s time for something filling to eat. We used the bathroom and made our trek through the park to Donald’s.
Along the way, we ran into a Photopass photographer and took a few pictures. As you can see, the sun was right in our eyes! Oh well, they’re still cute. That crazy Stitch!

Continued in next post..

 

[Lovemy3babes]

On to Donald’s! I decided to get us all checked in and then I would make a quick run for Safari Fastpasses. The man outside taking our information was a little annoyed with the couple in front of me. They were on the dining plan but were just “shocked” that they would have to wait 30 minutes to be seated. I gave him a little smile and gave him my ADR number like an old pro. He thanked me and said he had been getting walk-ups all morning and people were upset with him that they couldn’t be seated immediately. Live and learn I guess. Don’t these people Dis?!? Heehee.

I made a super quick jaunt over to the Safari FP machines. I was getting quite good at this Fastpass thing. We didn’t really use them as much as we should have in past trips so I was determined to really get some good use out of them this time around. Back in minutes, we sat for a few before being called back. While waiting, this lovely gentleman entertained us. He was a lot of fun.

Without much more wait than to take those pictures, we were soon called. The entrance is sort of an organized mess to tell you the truth. You have to take one of those required pictures. Well, you’re in a small space, in a line with other families. You’re told to hold your belongings until it’s your turn and then there is a box to set them on. Once the picture is taken, you have exactly .5 seconds to remove the belongings from said tiny box before it’s someone else’s turn to leave their stuff there. Donald had two handlers and I asked if one would kindly use our camera to take one as well. I knew we wouldn’t be purchasing the $30 photo.

We were seated in a back dining room and were brought the jamba juice soon after. I know that some people rave about this but we really didn’t care for it. I guess we’re not that adventurous. Give me good old orange juice any day! Though it was late in the morning, we still had a huge selection to choose from. I didn’t take any food photos but there was just so much. Eggs, bacon, sausage, Mickey waffles with syrup, fresh fruit salad, whole fresh fruit, rolls, croissants, donuts, muffins and so on. We filled up and made our way back to get our eatin’ on.

We were seated for a just a minute and Mickey came along. Who doesn’t love Mickey Mouse, especially in his safari gear?

We bid our good friend goodbye and took this chance to get eat some of that good food. Next, this cute little lady happened to make her way to us.

Isn’t Daisy so cute?

We had a quick break in between characters to get another plate. I love character meals but getting everyone food, making sure they are all there when the character comes along and the autograph book is ready; it gets to be hard work.

Once seated again, except for one of us, I see Goofy coming out of the corner of my eye. Uh, where’s Mykenah?! She would be so bummed if she missed Goofy. So I made a quick run into the food area, spotted her ever so carefully pouring syrup on her Mickey waffle and got her back into her seat just before this big lug showed up. He had fun with us. He kept putting his ears in my face!

There was a little parade starting now but we all decided that we’d rather go have more park time. We used the bathroom and skedaddled out of there. It was a good buffet but felt a little rushed. The characters were lots of fun though! The timing was great. Sometimes it’s hard for me to eat right away in the morning so this felt more like a brunch, which worked well that day.
Bye Donald, Bye Daisy, Bye Mickey, Bye Goofy! We’ll see you all around! Grab those binoculars; it’s time for a safari!

Up next…safari time, I feel like something’s missing and let’s split up!

 

[SoonerGirl]

Great morning so far!! Again, I'm feeling so bad for your sis having to sit everything out. But, I guess just being in Disney World is great all on it's own, even if you can't ride most of the attractions

We had brunch at Tusker House too, and really enjoyed it. But, unlike you - we loved the Jamba Juice, my kids don't like OJ but they drank a ton of that juice!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Great AK update!

I'm glad you got to ride EE for the first time. I really like it, but this last trip DS10 made me ride it 2 times in a row. And that was enough for me!

I love Dinosaur too! No one else in my family really cares for it.

We used to do early morning character breakfasts, but this last trip we learned that it sometimes works better for us to do a late breakfast. I just don't get my money's worth when it is so early because I don't eat much. Not a morning person I guess!

It sounds like your day was off to a great start, can't wait to hear more about it!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

While waiting, this lovely gentleman entertained us. He was a lot of fun.

When we were at AK in November we were sitting there enjoying a little snack and this man came up to DS8 and had a little staring contest. It was hilarious!

 

[Lovemy3babes]

Great morning so far!! Again, I'm feeling so bad for your sis having to sit everything out. But, I guess just being in Disney World is great all on it's own, even if you can't ride most of the attractions

We had brunch at Tusker House too, and really enjoyed it. But, unlike you - we loved the Jamba Juice, my kids don't like OJ but they drank a ton of that juice!

I know, I felt bad too. She isn't normally a thrill rider though so she wasn't too upset about sitting out. She took lots of pictures and did a lot of shopping! I'm not sure why we didn't really like the juice. Too tropical maybe?

Great AK update!

I'm glad you got to ride EE for the first time. I really like it, but this last trip DS10 made me ride it 2 times in a row. And that was enough for me!

I love Dinosaur too! No one else in my family really cares for it.

We used to do early morning character breakfasts, but this last trip we learned that it sometimes works better for us to do a late breakfast. I just don't get my money's worth when it is so early because I don't eat much. Not a morning person I guess!

It sounds like your day was off to a great start, can't wait to hear more about it!

I think two times on EE would do me in too. That is an intense ride!! That's too bad no one else cares for Dinosaur. You'll just have to enjoy it alone then! The late breakfast really worked well on this day.

When we were at AK in November we were sitting there enjoying a little snack and this man came up to DS8 and had a little staring contest. It was hilarious!

I can just picture that!! So, so funny!

 

[MeMom]

We were seated in a back dining room and were brought the jamba juice soon after. I know that some people rave about this but we really didn’t care for it. I guess we’re not that adventurous. Give me good old orange juice any day! Though it was late in the morning, we still had a huge selection to choose from. I didn’t take any food photos but there was just so much. Eggs, bacon, sausage, Mickey waffles with syrup, fresh fruit salad, whole fresh fruit, rolls, croissants, donuts, muffins and so on. We filled up and made our way back to get our eatin’ on.

Nice group picture!

I didn't care for the juice, either.

Did you have any of the ham? That was what I remember being so good at that meal.

I've done Everest once, and it was definitely more than I bargained for. It seemed to last forever. Isn't it interesting how people see the rides so differently? We like Dinosaur a lot, and some people just hate it!

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

What a great update! Your pictures are great. I love the one of your daughter with the African entertainer guy. That is great. It just screams Animal Kingdom fun! Love it! Breakfast looked great too. I'd love to eat there one day!

Oh, and your Dinosaur pictures made me cringe!

 

[Megablocks]

Great update! My mom likes Everest, but it isn't something that she HAS to ride every time we visit AK. The backwards part freaks her out -- she doesn't like how disorienting it is. We all love Dinosaur, but I can never, ever keep myself from screaming and laughing at the same time. My dad and I went on it together last year and tried posing for the picture by turning to the left and pointing, instead of looking right like everyone else, but it didn't come out like I had envisioned because I couldn't cover my ears and point at the same time.

I love the TH group picture! It came out so cute!

 

[praisehisname]

Sounds like you had a great day at DHS! I feel so sorry for your sister, missing out on all the "good" rides!

I keep hearing really good things about the Tusker House breakfast; we'll have to try it someday!

Denise

 

[DisMomAmy]

Sounds like a fun morning at AK! I never thougth of asking for a photo with my camera at those mandatory picture places... we ate at Chef Mickey's & Tusker House last year and didn't buy the picture at either place. I'll have to remember that trick this year!

 

[KathyRN137]

Great photo.... everyone looks so happy!

Gotta love TGM Green Days!!


Kathy

 

[brookelizabeth]

That is horrible what that mother said to her child!!!!!!! Seriously...I don't understand those kind of people. If she didn't want her holding the camera, wouldn't a "no" be more appropriate?!

Anyway, onto more pleasant things...like your breakfast! Great picture with Donald! I'm glad to hear they were willing to take one with your camera as well. Character meals are fun, but I agree-it gets to be a lot of work, and its hard to relax!

I am a screamer on Dinosaur. I know what is coming, yet I'm screaming.

 

[Zookeeperof4]

We were going to do this breakfast the last day of our trip....earlier in the planning process it was planned for 9 am the last day. I thought with check out and all it would be rushed so we opted for Ohana the last day. Thank godness as we ended up doing AK on a different day and the 4th poured like buckets as we made an early departure. I am glad the rain was so heavy...it hid the sights as we were leaving for home.

So out of the breakfasts on your trip how did you rate this one??

 

[Charleston Princess]

Ah, I loved reading about your Animal Kingdom morning. You did some of our favorites -- Charles and Chelsea love Everest, we all love Dinosaur although I don't think we giggle on it , and Tusker House is probably my favorite character meal that we have done.

I totally agree that character meals can be hectic with the whole autograph book, picture taking, and eating. I always feel a little frazzled afterwards.