Our 15 day summer adventure to WDW! NEW TR LINK 11/6 pg. 49!!

[Queenofallthings]

Sounds good!!!! If I don't "talk" to you again have a WONDERFUL trip and be sure to tell your DD that she MUST take pictures!!!!

Thank you so much I will tell her again, I'll tell her everyday...."remember what Diane said, lots and lots and lots of pictures"

You guys have a safe and wonderful holiday in Aruba, we'll have a ton of catching up to do when we both get back.

 

[purplepeg]

Have a great trip Diane! We leave tomorrow and I told myself I have too much to do to be catching up on the boards but I just HAD to be here. Too bad about HBD. I agree with Queen. I don't think we'll ever be eating there either. Love the "chat" you had to have with Eic at Sci Fi. I keep warning Mini Montana(4) that she best be on her best behaviour or there's no pool time! Seems every day she cries when I say she can't do whatever it is she is asking. Hopefully we'll nip it the bud but I have a feeling I'll be having a lot of "attitude adjustment" conversations while we're away. Hoping for some pixie dust to change the behaviour Love that you and Leslie were wearing the same shirt....kindred spirits! Sounds like you had an awesome day at HS. Is Brian going to review WP for us? Tell him what a great job Tim did and that it's his duty to the disIf he won't maybe Matthew would

 

[goofy's_gurl]

just got all caught up. im loving your report. sounds like you had a great trip. have fun in Aruba

 

[I<3stitch626]

Great photo pass pics!! Is the cd worth it? I've been toying with the idea of getting it for our next trip.

Also great job drawing Bolt! So excited to check out the animation class my trip! (being a disney animator is my dream job )

sounds/looks like a great trip!! So fun you guys got to meet up with other dis members! Kids look like they had a great time!

 

[wigdoutdismom]

Great photo pass pics!! Is the cd worth it? I've been toying with the idea of getting it for our next trip.

Sorry Diane but I'm hijacking for just a minute, hope you don't mind....
We have been lucky enough to find a group to do a photo pass share. It makes it well worth the money! I think we've paid about $20 to join!

 

[I<3stitch626]

Sorry Diane but I'm hijacking for just a minute, hope you don't mind....
We have been lucky enough to find a group to do a photo pass share. It makes it well worth the money! I think we've paid about $20 to join!

Wow that's great! and def worth it! Wish we could do that with groups just not sure if for a group of 4 it would be worth it
thanks!
sorry for the

 

[dddisrunner]

Thank you so much I will tell her again, I'll tell her everyday...."remember what Diane said, lots and lots and lots of pictures"

You guys have a safe and wonderful holiday in Aruba, we'll have a ton of catching up to do when we both get back.

Thanks so much! happy and safe travels to you too!

Have a great trip Diane! We leave tomorrow and I told myself I have too much to do to be catching up on the boards but I just HAD to be here. Too bad about HBD. I agree with Queen. I don't think we'll ever be eating there either. Love the "chat" you had to have with Eic at Sci Fi. I keep warning Mini Montana(4) that she best be on her best behaviour or there's no pool time! Seems every day she cries when I say she can't do whatever it is she is asking. Hopefully we'll nip it the bud but I have a feeling I'll be having a lot of "attitude adjustment" conversations while we're away. Hoping for some pixie dust to change the behaviour Love that you and Leslie were wearing the same shirt....kindred spirits! Sounds like you had an awesome day at HS. Is Brian going to review WP for us? Tell him what a great job Tim did and that it's his duty to the disIf he won't maybe Matthew would

Thanks! Yes, Eric was quick to respond and starightened up! I hope you have a wonderful trip! Bryan didn't take pictures, but they LOVED there meals and said he would DEFINITELY go back!

just got all caught up. im loving your report. sounds like you had a great trip. have fun in Aruba

Thanks so much, glad you are all caught up!

Great photo pass pics!! Is the cd worth it? I've been toying with the idea of getting it for our next trip.

Also great job drawing Bolt! So excited to check out the animation class my trip! (being a disney animator is my dream job )

sounds/looks like a great trip!! So fun you guys got to meet up with other dis members! Kids look like they had a great time!

Thanks so much, it was GREAT spending time with Lesley, Tim and the kids! I thought the photopass CD was worth it, I preordered it so it was less expensive....you just need to make sure you stop to have your pictures taken!

Sorry Diane but I'm hijacking for just a minute, hope you don't mind....
We have been lucky enough to find a group to do a photo pass share. It makes it well worth the money! I think we've paid about $20 to join!

I don't mind, and I agree 100%

Wow that's great! and def worth it! Wish we could do that with groups just not sure if for a group of 4 it would be worth it
thanks!
sorry for the

No problem...good luck!

 

[dddisrunner]

Hi everyone...sorry for the delay but here is Day 11! I have to preface this installment by saying that this was one of my FAVORITE days of the trip, just a fun day!

The day started with us heading to the Artist palette for breakfast! After breakfast, we decided to walk to the Springs bus stop because it was closer than going back to Grandstand! I was nervous though because sometimes if the bus is full they will skip the Springs altogether!

It was raining when we headed over! I text Lesley, because I knew they were heading to Epcot and so were we! They were at the Grandstand waiting so I told her to save us seats! It worked out great, Tim had put his poor bum knee up on a row of seats for us! (thanks, Tim!) We all got on the bus and we were off to Epcot!

Here is our group walking in!

Lauren was riding in style!

We had arrived about 10 am and because of the rain we decided to not even fastpass Test Track because we knew it would be down alot because of the weather! So we decided to head to Innoventions! The kids had fun trying out the different games...

Lesley had mentioned how much fun the Velcro show was so we all decided to give it a try! There was about a 20 minute wait so Tim and Bryan waited by the Velcro show and Lesley the kids and I tried to do the Where's the Fire game but there was a wait for that too so we headed back to the Velcro game to wait!

The boys looking at some fire info...

Everyone waiting...

We walked into the show and there was our 2 families and maybe 1 or 2 other families! Our kids got picked to participate in a building block game, it was the big kids against the little kids!

It was ADORABLE! Poor Eric and Lauren, they would get theirs so high and then it would tumble down and Matthew and Luke were slower but theirs stayed steady!

Here is a video of some of it!



Everyone was a winner though! The next up was Tim! This was HILARIOUS! I hope Lesley posts the video! Tim and another dad had to race against the clock to diaper and attach the babies bottle to the baby in a certain amount of time! They had to stick the babies to an apron that they were wearing and whoever had the most babies won! The babies were on this conveyor belt and it was SO FUNNY watching those little babies flip around on it!

The finished product!

After that we went over to another fun station that you could create your own video game!


CONTINUED IN NEXT POST!!

 

[dddisrunner]

So we were off to the make your own video stations! We had a BLAST doing this! First you are sent to a station to be recorded running, jumping and doing a victory dance!

Then when you are done, you can go over to another station and actually play your game with you in it! SO MUCH FUN! Here is Matthew jumping in his game!

Here is Bryan in his...

After the videos, we said goodbye to Lesley, Tim and the kids as we had Coral Reef reservations, no worries, we would see them later!! We were on our way to the Coral Reef when Bryan saw this sign and no line!

He wanted to do it so we stopped and watched!

A happy Bryan when he was done!

It was time for us to start making our way over to the Coral reef but we made one more pitstop here first!

The queue for this is SO CUTE! SO LONG but SO CUTE!

Silly Eric pretending to be underwater...

Some ride pictures...

Our attempt at a self portrait...

I wanted to do this, but there was NO TIME...BUMMER!

With that, we went over to check in at the Coral Reef! I was nervous and hoping we wouldn't get Rico as our server. Lesley and Tim had him a few nights back and just had a HORRIBLE experience!

When I checked in, I asked for a tankside table!

Bryan waiting!

CONTINUED IN THE NEXT POST...

 

[dddisrunner]

Thankfully we were given a tankside table and Rico WAS NOT our server! As Matthew would say "Thank Lord"!

My guys at our table...

Some pictures from lunch!

Eric trying Mahi Mahi...GO ERIC!

look at this guy!

There was a turtle just sitting at the bottom of the tank and it looked fake BUT everyso often it looked real so then we panicked and thought maybe it was DEAD!!!! We were so obsessed with this turtle that I took NO food pictures sorry!

Finally after a little while MUCH to our delight the turtle woke up and swam away!

Dead looking....

HOORAY!

Overall it was a funfilled lunch and we had decent meals! After our bellies were full, we went back to Innovention to complete another game recommended by Lesley! It was called Don't Waste It! It was all based on how much garbage your family produces and how recycling can help build many things!

Basically you got to choose a team name and you were given a miniature garbage truck which the boys LOVED and you had to take it to 3-4 different stations to sort your garbage...

It was GREAT and we all loved it! It showed how much energy we generated from disposing of our garbage in certain ways...

At the end we were given a certificate for our greatness!

After our garbage adventure it was on to the World Showcase to head to Norway to ride Malstrom!

It was GORGEOUS outside! It was VERY overcast but it was beautiful, not at all humid or hot! PERFECT!

Some Malstrom pictures! For some reason Matthew was apprehensive to ride, I guess the fear of the unknown!

We had a fun ride! Matthew decided it was no big deal! At this point we decided to head out, we wanted the boys to make some Goofy treats and use some snack credits!

CONTINUED IN NEXT POST...

 

[dddisrunner]

We decide to get some ice cream treats on our way out of Epcot!

Matthew was tired from holding up the "golf ball"

Then we left Epcot and were Downtown Disney bound! Goofy's here we come!

Poor Bryan couldn't participate but the boys and I had a blast creating our yummy treats!

Our creations being made...

Eric watching!

Playing in the silly mirrors...

Happy boys with happy treats!

After Goofy's, we went back to SSR to shower and freshen up for dinner! We were eating at the Turf Club! It was AWESOME knowing that we didn't have to leave the resort to eat!

Here are a few pictures from dinner! I apologize again, I didn't take any food pictures! I was just enjoying my meal and talking with my family!

i have to say both Bryan and I LOVED the Turf Club, the food and service were AMAZING! What a hidden little gem this restaurant is! Tim and Lesley were also eating at the Turf Club that evening, so after dinner, the kids all played pool together outside the restaurant for a little while!

After some pool playing we went over to Community Hall because the kids wanted to play video games and ping pong! Well Bryan ended up playing the video games...

Luke was on a video game mission too...

my boys wanted to play Ping Pong but a father and son were playing FOREVER and of course my boys were complaining and upset so Tim saved the day and asked them when they would be done so my kids could play! THANKS TIM!! Then everyone got crafty and made beaded necklaces!

Then Eric posed with Tim...the thumbs down was because eric was wearing a Mets shirt and Tim is a HUGE Yankees fan along with Luke and Matthew! This was a BIG joke throughout the vacation between them!

After our crafting and game playing, we all decided to swim so we went to change into our suits....

Eric climbing the steps....

Our doormat and room number!

After getting our suits on we met back up with Tim and Lesley at the Grandstand pool! The kids wanted to go to the main pool so Lesley and I took them down there while Bryan and Tim relaxed in the hot tub at the Grandstand Pool!

CONTINUED IN NEXT POST...

 

[dddisrunner]

We went to the main pool with the kids and they were excited to go on the slide and just play together!

I didn't take very many pictures! Here are some that I did take though!

It was funny because originally this was supposed to be the only night that we would get together with Tim and Lesley and the kids and here we had already spent so much time together! Lesley and I had a great conversation and I can tell you she is every bit as sweet and genuine as she comes across! Bryan and I were so happy to have their company on this very long trip! After about an hour, we gathered up the kids and Lesley and I went into the Artist Palette to refill our mugs! SO FUNNY...we made the kids wait RIGHT OUTSIDE the door where they could see us because they were wet...WELL my 2 pitched a fit and were SO UPSET that I left them outside...GEEZ, I could even see them...but they did not like it ONE BIT! Mugs filled, we went back up to The Grandstand pool area where apparently Tim and Bryan met a crazy NY Yankees fan and this guy offered them beers and he was chatting their ears off! Turns out he and his wife share the same anniversary with Bryan and I! He was very complimentary of the kids though! We were a little wary of him though!

A spa picture!

Finally at around 11:30 we decided to head upstairs to our room! This was our last night at SSR as tomorrow we were headed to the Boardwalk! We were sad to be leaving our new friends just for nights like the one we had just had!

This was the PERFECT day and we rode NO major attractions, we just had fun seeing and doing things we had never done! The weather was gorgeous and we capped it off wiht a GREAT night with our new friends! We were in Disney heaven!



COMING UP NEXT!

TAXI DRIVER SAYS WHAT!!!
BOARDWALK!!!

 

[timandlesley]

GREAT update Diane! So glad you had a better Coral Reef experience than us. You are too sweet saying those things : ) Thank you, such a good friend! Glad you guys had a good day too, such fun reading about it. We had such fun this day too!
Lesley

 

[I<3stitch626]

great update
so excited to hear about the boardwalk!!

 

[Trentmom]

Sounds like a wonderful day.

Glad u had a great experience at Coral Reef. Yay for turtle being okay

Glad Tim spoke up so your boys could play games, too

I can't stand when parents do that, when they know there are other kids waiting..one of my pet peeves


That is so nice that your family and Lesley family have become such great friends

Bummer on having to leave your new friends, but yay on Boardwalk

Can't wait to see some pics of there

 

[IluvXU]

What a fun day taking in the hidden gems of EPCOT. You showed so many things we don't get to, but should enjoy as my kids get bigger.

What a fun night at the pool.... and dinner.

 

[carissanboys]

We really need to give Innoventions another try. We went once on our first trip and I wasn't feeling well. I don't remember any of those games so it must be in the other building.

You've really had some wonderful days! Oh - and the whole turtle thing...

Whenever we go to the aquarium here in VA Beach, there are sea turtles in this one tank. And there's always one turtle who is on the bottom - not moving. Must just be a turtle thing.

 

[bballbabe]

Hi Diane. Great update! Sounds like it was a very relaxing no worries type of day at Disney. Someday I hope to be able to do something like that.

 

[mylag1rl]

Great update Diane ! Loved all the pics of your and Lesley's families. So cute to the kids playing together. Have a great time in Aruba !

 

[kmartin555]

That velcro game looks SO much fun! We are definitely going to have to try to fit that in!

Loving your TR, BTW. Your family is gorgeous!