Me (age 37)
DH (age 45)
DS (age 11)
DS (age 9)
DS (age 6)
Day 5 - Wednesday 8/29
Plan called for Animal Kingdom. Family mutinied. I can't understand why. It was only 950 degrees. (NO, that was NOT a type-o.) Coincidentally, about 1 week before our vacation, DH was offered a job in Orlando. This was the day I decided I do NOT want to move to Florida. We had a leisurely, high fat and calorie, unscheduled breakfast at Kona Café. Extraordinary. Another 5 thumbs up! Highlight for DH: Finally! Grits and Egg Beaters; just like Momma makes! Highlight for me: Tonga Toast. Highlight for DSs: Nothing - Evil Mommy Death made them eat fruit for the first time in the vacation (even though it was alongside their pancakes made no difference in their disgruntlement).
DS-9: "I don't care if we go in the Animal Kingdom, I just want to go to the gate so I can tell my friends I went TO the Animal Kingdom."
Spent most of the morning in the Volcano pool. Super fun including the miscellaneous bumps and bruises. (ME: "Bravo, Mr. Disney, what a great place to put a pool bar!")
DH and DS-11 went to Epcot to try to get on Test Track. They never made it. They did get to Maelstrom (report: lame), El Rio Del Tiempo (report: lame), Honey I Shrunk the Audience (report: A+), Journey Into Your Imagination (report: DS-6 would have liked it). They returned forthwith due to Fantasmic dinner package PS at Hollywood and Vine at 4:50. Yes, 4:50. That's all they had!
Highlight for DH: he liked everything. (At this point, it's "What low-fat diet?") Highlight for me: bruschetta and red velvet cake. Highlight for DSs: fried food fiesta and the dessert bar. (ME: "No, you cannot have a third bowl of ice cream.")
Somehow I got chocolate mess all over my shorts. DH was mortified at my dishevelment and refused to walk near me until he forgot. Then I rubbed up against him to try to get some on him. He's so fastidious I thought it would be funny but he didn't notice.
We went on Muppets 3D. We're huge Muppets fans, we really liked it. Then we went on the Backlot Tour. From left to right it was DS-11, me, DS-6, DS-9, DH. By the time we were at Catastrophe Canyon it was DS-11 on my lap, DS-6 on DS-9, DS-9 on DH's lap. It was like a dog pile! It was so funny. DS-11 was like clawing his way trying to get OVER me.
We went to the Fantasmic theatre. It was a long walk like they say. I thought we had to leave the stroller outside Oscar's so DS-6 whined the whole way. Just outside the theatre I saw all these strollers parked. (ME: "OOPS! Sorry!") Well, the little couch potato could use the exercise anyway, he spent the whole vacation in the stroller practically. Got our seats. The CMs tried to get everyone to "Slide one seat to the left and make room." I told the guy next to me, "I'm not moving. I'm sweaty enough as it is." So nobody moved. (To people standing at the end of our row: SORRY! But I don't think I smelled nice enough to get that close to anyway.) It may be a regular thing, but the whole crowd did the wave back and forth about 20 times. It was a powerful demonstration of the herd mentality. DH and I did not participate, but the boys were on board. Fantasmic was indescribable. Don't miss it, even if you have to wait in line for hours on end. DS-6: "Mickey's the BEST!"
Day 6 - Thursday 8/30
Plan called for DisneyQuest. We did DisneyQuest. Slept late, ate garbage from the snack box. Got to DisneyQuest about 10:30. West Side parking lot deserted. No lines anywhere at DisneyQuest. People would exit attractions and there would be nobody lined up ready to get on.
(TIP: Whenever an attraction asks you for money or to swipe a card, hit the green "OK" button. Everything is included in the admission price now, except the redemption prizes.)
Created a warped toy at Sid's. DH and DS-6 and I rode Aladdins virtual carpets. I crashed repeatedly. DH did better. DS-6 (video freak in training) beat Jafar. Got off that feeling a little queasy.
Went over to the virtual Jungle Cruise. My friend says you have to wear yourself out paddling. Didn't find that to be true. Especially because after about the first 30 seconds I was so close to hurling that I had to put my head between my knees for the rest of the ride.
Drove the treasure jeeps for awhile. That was fun. Met up with DS-11, DS-9 at Cheesecake Factory for lunch. I can't tell you what they did after that because I decided acquisition reality suits me better than virtual reality. I strolled all the shops on the West Side, Pleasure Island, and Marketplace. Broke the souvenir budget but an unmentionable margin. Spent a lot of time in Magnetron.
Met up with the menfolk in the late afternoon. Went back to the Polynesian and dressed up a little (i.e., no chocolate stains on the shorts). Dropped the boys at the Neverland Club. DS-11, DS-9: "Mom, this is for babies. Oh wait, there's the Nintendo machines. SEE YA!" DH and I went to the Contemporary/California Grill for dinner. We had planned to head out to Pleasure Island that evening. But the dinner was so leisurely that we didn't get out of there until 9PM (our PS was 6:45). By that time, I was too tired and had a headache to go out. (LESSON: Definitely plan the grownups' night out EARLIER in the trip. If I'm going to run out of steam, let it be something else!) Picked up the boys and went to bed early.
Day 7 - Friday 8/31
Plan called for Typhoon Lagoon. But since we'd already done that we swam in the volcano pool, rented the water mice (fun! do it!), and took the monorail around to the resort penny presses. Did do the character breakfast at Ohana. Priceless: Goofy giving austere DH (the "executive") noogies.
The flight home was uneventful. The valets forgot we were coming back and didn't have our car ready. Got home, made spaghetti. Had a stiff vodka. Went to bed.
SUMMARY:
August is too hot. DS-6 was too immature to enjoy the trip fully. DS-9 was a little whiny, but then again he had to walk. DS-11 was the absolute perfect age for this, he got the most out of everything we did. DH took 2 days to relax. He was very grumpy at first. He'll be required to take a few days off work in advance next time. The Polynesian was perfect. Ohana was perfect. Whispering Canyon was perfect. Enight was perfect. Typhoon Lagoon was perfect. Fantasmic was perfect. Universal was a take-it-or-leave-it. HIFS was good enough. We'll be back.
DH (age 45)
DS (age 11)
DS (age 9)
DS (age 6)
Day 5 - Wednesday 8/29
Plan called for Animal Kingdom. Family mutinied. I can't understand why. It was only 950 degrees. (NO, that was NOT a type-o.) Coincidentally, about 1 week before our vacation, DH was offered a job in Orlando. This was the day I decided I do NOT want to move to Florida. We had a leisurely, high fat and calorie, unscheduled breakfast at Kona Café. Extraordinary. Another 5 thumbs up! Highlight for DH: Finally! Grits and Egg Beaters; just like Momma makes! Highlight for me: Tonga Toast. Highlight for DSs: Nothing - Evil Mommy Death made them eat fruit for the first time in the vacation (even though it was alongside their pancakes made no difference in their disgruntlement).
DS-9: "I don't care if we go in the Animal Kingdom, I just want to go to the gate so I can tell my friends I went TO the Animal Kingdom."
Spent most of the morning in the Volcano pool. Super fun including the miscellaneous bumps and bruises. (ME: "Bravo, Mr. Disney, what a great place to put a pool bar!")
DH and DS-11 went to Epcot to try to get on Test Track. They never made it. They did get to Maelstrom (report: lame), El Rio Del Tiempo (report: lame), Honey I Shrunk the Audience (report: A+), Journey Into Your Imagination (report: DS-6 would have liked it). They returned forthwith due to Fantasmic dinner package PS at Hollywood and Vine at 4:50. Yes, 4:50. That's all they had!
Highlight for DH: he liked everything. (At this point, it's "What low-fat diet?") Highlight for me: bruschetta and red velvet cake. Highlight for DSs: fried food fiesta and the dessert bar. (ME: "No, you cannot have a third bowl of ice cream.")
Somehow I got chocolate mess all over my shorts. DH was mortified at my dishevelment and refused to walk near me until he forgot. Then I rubbed up against him to try to get some on him. He's so fastidious I thought it would be funny but he didn't notice.
We went on Muppets 3D. We're huge Muppets fans, we really liked it. Then we went on the Backlot Tour. From left to right it was DS-11, me, DS-6, DS-9, DH. By the time we were at Catastrophe Canyon it was DS-11 on my lap, DS-6 on DS-9, DS-9 on DH's lap. It was like a dog pile! It was so funny. DS-11 was like clawing his way trying to get OVER me.
We went to the Fantasmic theatre. It was a long walk like they say. I thought we had to leave the stroller outside Oscar's so DS-6 whined the whole way. Just outside the theatre I saw all these strollers parked. (ME: "OOPS! Sorry!") Well, the little couch potato could use the exercise anyway, he spent the whole vacation in the stroller practically. Got our seats. The CMs tried to get everyone to "Slide one seat to the left and make room." I told the guy next to me, "I'm not moving. I'm sweaty enough as it is." So nobody moved. (To people standing at the end of our row: SORRY! But I don't think I smelled nice enough to get that close to anyway.) It may be a regular thing, but the whole crowd did the wave back and forth about 20 times. It was a powerful demonstration of the herd mentality. DH and I did not participate, but the boys were on board. Fantasmic was indescribable. Don't miss it, even if you have to wait in line for hours on end. DS-6: "Mickey's the BEST!"
Day 6 - Thursday 8/30
Plan called for DisneyQuest. We did DisneyQuest. Slept late, ate garbage from the snack box. Got to DisneyQuest about 10:30. West Side parking lot deserted. No lines anywhere at DisneyQuest. People would exit attractions and there would be nobody lined up ready to get on.
(TIP: Whenever an attraction asks you for money or to swipe a card, hit the green "OK" button. Everything is included in the admission price now, except the redemption prizes.)
Created a warped toy at Sid's. DH and DS-6 and I rode Aladdins virtual carpets. I crashed repeatedly. DH did better. DS-6 (video freak in training) beat Jafar. Got off that feeling a little queasy.
Went over to the virtual Jungle Cruise. My friend says you have to wear yourself out paddling. Didn't find that to be true. Especially because after about the first 30 seconds I was so close to hurling that I had to put my head between my knees for the rest of the ride.
Drove the treasure jeeps for awhile. That was fun. Met up with DS-11, DS-9 at Cheesecake Factory for lunch. I can't tell you what they did after that because I decided acquisition reality suits me better than virtual reality. I strolled all the shops on the West Side, Pleasure Island, and Marketplace. Broke the souvenir budget but an unmentionable margin. Spent a lot of time in Magnetron.
Met up with the menfolk in the late afternoon. Went back to the Polynesian and dressed up a little (i.e., no chocolate stains on the shorts). Dropped the boys at the Neverland Club. DS-11, DS-9: "Mom, this is for babies. Oh wait, there's the Nintendo machines. SEE YA!" DH and I went to the Contemporary/California Grill for dinner. We had planned to head out to Pleasure Island that evening. But the dinner was so leisurely that we didn't get out of there until 9PM (our PS was 6:45). By that time, I was too tired and had a headache to go out. (LESSON: Definitely plan the grownups' night out EARLIER in the trip. If I'm going to run out of steam, let it be something else!) Picked up the boys and went to bed early.
Day 7 - Friday 8/31
Plan called for Typhoon Lagoon. But since we'd already done that we swam in the volcano pool, rented the water mice (fun! do it!), and took the monorail around to the resort penny presses. Did do the character breakfast at Ohana. Priceless: Goofy giving austere DH (the "executive") noogies.
The flight home was uneventful. The valets forgot we were coming back and didn't have our car ready. Got home, made spaghetti. Had a stiff vodka. Went to bed.
SUMMARY:
August is too hot. DS-6 was too immature to enjoy the trip fully. DS-9 was a little whiny, but then again he had to walk. DS-11 was the absolute perfect age for this, he got the most out of everything we did. DH took 2 days to relax. He was very grumpy at first. He'll be required to take a few days off work in advance next time. The Polynesian was perfect. Ohana was perfect. Whispering Canyon was perfect. Enight was perfect. Typhoon Lagoon was perfect. Fantasmic was perfect. Universal was a take-it-or-leave-it. HIFS was good enough. We'll be back.
