Our 2nd Trip to Disney! Did it Measure Up? (w/pics) **THE END**

[gogo65]

Hi Carissa,

Looking forward to hearing all about your trip, I hope you had heaps of fun!

We arrived home yesterday morning I am totally exhausted, the flight over was terrible, 38 hours from leaving home to arriving in Orlando, but coming home was much more civilised with an overnighter in LA, the kids managed the 14 hour flight well.

WDW was amazing, I just couldn't believe how busy it was.

Hope you have a safe trip home.
Gabrielle

 

[Blueyed Girl]

Glad you are having such a good time! Can't wait to read all about it on your TR.

 

[jordanyosh]

Today we begin our drive home But, first we have Chef Mickey! I'll post again when we're home on Sunday.

That went fast.....too fast.

 

[carissanboys]

Hi Carissa

Just joined the boards and recognized your name from over at SN. I love your PTR. Can't wait to read all about your trip!

BTW, go Pats!

Hey! to the Dis Is this screenname the same one you have at SN? I didn't renew so my membership is up over there at the moment. Glad to have you join in

Hi Carissa,

Looking forward to hearing all about your trip, I hope you had heaps of fun!

We arrived home yesterday morning I am totally exhausted, the flight over was terrible, 38 hours from leaving home to arriving in Orlando, but coming home was much more civilised with an overnighter in LA, the kids managed the 14 hour flight well.

WDW was amazing, I just couldn't believe how busy it was.

Hope you have a safe trip home.
Gabrielle

That is a LOT of flying. I totally can understand how you all must have felt when you arrived in Orlando. Jet lag is not fun to deal with. Glad to hear you all enjoyed yourselves

Glad you are having such a good time! Can't wait to read all about it on your TR.

I can't WAIT to write it!

That went fast.....too fast.

Yes, it did


We're in Savannah, Georgia at the moment. We'll be heading home tomorrow. I can't wait to tell you all about the trip! It's really hard not to spill the beans right now I shall try to pace myself

 

[carissanboys]

We're home! We just got home about 30 minutes ago. I hope to actually be able to post Day 1 of our trip tomorrow (if I can get all of the pictures up).

Up Next...A Few Things Before We Begin

 

[jordanyosh]

Welcome home.............sort of.

 

[Liz]

Glad ya made it home safe and can't wait to read about all your adventures!

 

[DisDancerina]

I'll take lots of pictures

You know those weeks that you have to much to do and can't DIS? It had to be the week that I miss your TR going along. I WILL be dilligent and keep replying after every post!

Good job on the spelling!

Is it sad that an almost 34 year old woman has seen many episodes of Suite Life of Zach and Cody? And I know the theme song for it?

Thanks for the good job!

What's wrong with being 34 and watching The Suite Life....??

Ok. So I've booked a night at a hotel in Santee, SC (figured we're familiar with the area, although it does mean driving until 9 p.m. or so, but that's ok) for Friday. AND, I've reserved a room in Orlando for Saturday. We're leaving a day early!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now panic will set in soon as I realize this means I have half a day less to get ready!!!!! That's ok though. I work well under pressure

So much to think about. I need to see if Wishes is going on that Saturday night (or we could do Illuminations since the younger two haven't seen it yet). We'll probably still stick with DHS on Sunday, but now we'll have the whole morning/early afternoon there!!

I need to get ready for a Scout den meeting, but I'll be back later.

Awesome! That rocks that you're staying another day earlier You stayed for a week, right? Have fun! (Though, it's a little late to be saying that now, isn't it?)

We've decided to just go with CS at MK when we arrive on Saturday. We'll probably try out Cosmic Ray's. We liked Columbia Harbour House, but I want to try something different. I also just called and changed a couple of ADR's around including ADDING one at Prime Time! See, on our last trip we were going to try and eat there, but we ended up not doing MGM with my parents (and they're the ones that I really wanted to take there). Then when I was planning THIS trip, I'd read that it was going to be closed for refurbishment during our stay. I decided to go with Sci Fi instead. But, I keep seeing those darn pictures of the pot roast at PT and I MUST try it! I decided to see if I could do Sci Fi on Sunday (since we'll have all morning and afternoon there now) and try to get an ADR at Prime Time on Wednesday with my parents. And I did! We may have to sit in 2 cars at Sci Fi (she didn't have a bigger one showing as being available but she said there MIGHT be one when we go), but it doesn't matter to me because the kids will be watching the screen anyway I'm sure. It's not like you can really sit and chat in there during your meal!

So! Here's my newest itinerary!!

Friday - leave after school and drive to Santee, SC

Saturday - arrive in Orlando and check in to hotel
Head to MK (CS meal at Cosmic Ray's and Wishes)

Sunday - DHS (not sure if we'll get there for opening, but we'll try)
Lunch at Sci Fi
Check in to townhouse at 4
p/u parents from airport

Monday - Boma for brunch
Naps/mini golf
Pirate and Princess Party

Tuesday - Sleep in
Head to Fort Wilderness early to look around
Hoop Dee Doo

Wednesday - DHS at opening
Prime Time for lunch
Dinner at DTD

Thursday - Epcot at opening
World Showcase - lunch around the world
Le Cellier for dinner/Illuminations

Friday - AK at opening
Lunch at Flame Tree BBQ
p/u rental car and pack up

Saturday - MK at opening
Brunch at Chef Mickey
Depart for Savannah

Sunday - arrive home


Did I mention that Chuck offered to pick up my parents from the airport so that I don't have to miss the Patriots game?

I'm off now. Have to bring Connor to the doctor's for a check up of his ears (ear infection) and to get that referral we need. Then it's home to pack and clean!!!

Wonderful itinerary!!! I could never do mine that well. It's also great you got ressies for Prime Time!

Just a couple of quick pictures to share (and then I'm off to pack, I swear!)...

Owen got out his Mickey Ears last night (these were in his basket that was waiting in our SOG room on our 1st trip). He even kept them on during dinner. I guess he's excited to go??

And this is what we'll be leaving behind tomorrow!

Sully informed me yesterday afternoon that he really wasn't that excited about going to Disney. After I picked my jaw up off of the floor, I asked him why not. He said because he'd be missing Alana. That's his girlfriend They've been "together" for most of the school year. So, I told him maybe we could bring her back a souvenir. That seemed to make him happy. This morning he was very excited to go, probably because he can't wait to pick something out for her. Ahhh, young love

Happy dance time!

Wait... And how old is Sully?? They sound so cute I can't wait to see what he gets her! (Maybe a Buzz Lightyear action figure )

Remember how I said I was like the Queen of Procrastination? Yeah, that goes for just about anything, including packing and cleaning

The boys just got home from school and Owen's teacher sent home the packet of stuff she put together for him to do. Now, she said she was going to make him a journal to write about his trip. I told her to go ahead and give him some worksheets if she wanted to keep him busy on the drive since he loves that kind of thing. This is what she put together:

I cut off the bottom half of the folder because it had our last name on it!

This is the first page of the folder:

And this is a note she wrote to him:

Then there is a journal page for each day and she asks him to write about something different each day. There's phonics worksheets and lots of Disney Trivia and fun pages (she got a lot of the stuff at themouseforless.com so I asked if her if she happened to be a Disboard member). And at the back is a separate packet of math worksheets.

Isn't that awesome?! I know she put a lot of time into it. I think it's so awesome that she's a fan of Disney too

Sully's teacher has told him to just enjoy his trip. I think he'll have a few things to make up once he returns, but mainly a few math worksheets, etc. I thought that was cool too because Sully does NOT enjoy homework.

I was going to run out and do some errands (pick up some free water bottles that I have a coupon for, fill out the hold mail form at the post office, and gas up the van), but with the weather I've decided to just do that stuff in the morning. Tonight I'll focus on laundry, packing, cleaning, and my school work.

I GUESS I should get to it, eh?

I wish I had teachers like that (Even though I'm in Junior High). Why can't they take time out of their busy day to make us an awesome folder?? Also, why can't they all live on this DIS planet?? (It's lime green! )

Here's an update on the snow situation in our area:

I'm glad we're heading to sunny Florida!!

Two things I wanted to share. First, a tip for the night before you're heading to drive somewhere with young kids. If you're going to be leaving really early the next day (like we normally do), put them to bed in sweat pants and a t-shirt. It's comfy to sleep in, but it's not actually PJ's. So, the next morning you can just get them up and get them in the van without having to worry about changing clothes. I was going to share this tip with you because that's what we WOULD have done on Saturday morning. But, now we won't be leaving early in the morning!

Second, I asked a CM today about picking up my Hoop Dee Doo tickets. He recommended I pick them up an HOUR before the show (I was planning on 45 minutes). He also said I could pick them up at guest services in Downtown Disney. Just an FYI for anyone who may be in a similar situation.

*Carissa thinks if there is anything else she could possibly write about to keep her from having to go pack and clean. She realizes that packing is fun when you're a month away from your trip and really anxious about it and looking for something to pass the time. But, it's not so much fun when you HAVE to do it because you're leaving soon.

As I just said, I didn't toss and turn for too long last night. I was pretty tired. HOWEVER!

Owen must have sensed the trip was coming up and couldn't contain his excitement because...

at 1:30 a.m. Connor woke me up saying he was hungry (that's pretty normal). I went downstairs to get him a granola bar and what do my eyes see? Owen sitting at the kitchen table reading a magazine!!!!

Me: Hello?!! It's 1:30 in the morning!!!!

Owen: My tummy was really rumbling cause I was starving (he says as I spot a half eaten granola bar on the table).

Me: That's great honey. Take the rest of your bar and GO BACK TO BED!

I quickly get Connor settled and then I fell back into MY bed. Until...(brace yourself for more poop talk)


At 5:45 I am woken by the sound of a child hollering, "I'm done pooping!!!" Yes, I am afraid to say that my 5 year old Owen still refuses to wipe his own bottom There are many mornings that I am woken by that lovely statement.

Needless to say, I did not get back to sleep after that. Will there ever come a day that I am allowed to sleep straight through the night and wake of my own accord for more than a night or two?

I completed my class assignment that was due last night. I haven't checked my grade yet, but it was only worth 15 points. No biggie. At least I turned something in. You'll discover that I tend to fret about my grades as I have a 4.0 and would like to keep it that way Honestly , last night I could have cared less. I almost didn't even turn in an assignment because I just couldn't figure out what to write about. But, I've never even turned an assignment in late so I wasn't about to start. I did not complete the assignment that is due Sunday. I've printed everything that I need for it and will work on it during the drive (that's the plan anyway). We don't have any plans Sunday night anyway so I can always finish it then.

I haven't received a message that schools are closed so I'm assuming the roads are fine As soon as the older two head off to school in an hour, the preparations will begin!!

If I don't get on here before I leave, I just wanted to thank you all for following along and for making the days leading up to the big event so exciting I will definitely check in at some point while I'm in Florida (although you will have to wait for the details ).

I'll talk to you all soon

Poopy talk...

We haven't even left yet and already there's drama!! But, that will have to wait until I get back!

The boys will be home in about 5 minutes and then we're off! I'm going to TRY and videotape the boys hearing the exciting news.

Until next time...

I have to hear about this drama...

I knew they won the second they won!

Hello all! I am typing this while sitting at the table in our townhouse. Chuck and Connor are still sleeping in our master bedroom, while Sully and Owen are hanging out with Memere and Pepere. All is good.

I just wanted to check in and say hi and see if everyone was keeping my thread bumped for me!

Lots of exciting things to tell you about when we return. I've been diligently taking notes... and pictures!

I'll see you soon Liz!

You better have been diligent with your note taking! Any dreams happen???

Today we begin our drive home But, first we have Chef Mickey! I'll post again when we're home on Sunday.

Don't worry, be happy.
What do you mean home? Don't you technically mean your vacation home because your home is Walt Disney World, right???

We're home! We just got home about 30 minutes ago. I hope to actually be able to post Day 1 of our trip tomorrow (if I can get all of the pictures up).

Welcome to your "vacation home"! I hope you had fun! Well, you also better have gotten some pics of make your own lightsaber! Dani needs, Dani needs...

 

[Blueyed Girl]

Glad you made it home safely. Can't wait to read of your adventures tomorrow!!

 

[pamouselover]

Cant wait to read and see all the pictures.
I need a escape from reality in my life right now!

 

[irene_dsc]

We're home! We just got home about 30 minutes ago. I hope to actually be able to post Day 1 of our trip tomorrow (if I can get all of the pictures up).

Welcome home!!!

Y'know, you can start your TR without pics and add later....

 

[carissanboys]

Dani (DisDancerina) -

Thanks for checking in and all of your great comments

Glad you made it home safely. Can't wait to read of your adventures tomorrow!!

Thanks! I have most of the pictures for day 1 ready to go. I'll get working on posting soon.

Cant wait to read and see all the pictures.
I need a escape from reality in my life right now!

I shall try to provide some escape reading for you

Welcome home!!!

Y'know, you can start your TR without pics and add later....

LOL Afraid not. But, don't fear. I will have a post of Day 1 today.

 

[winkers]

waiting patiently.............

 

[carissanboys]

This is all a little overwhelming! I feel a lot of pressure now that the time has come to actually write the much anticipated trip report My biggest concern is making sure I organize everything well and don't throw all of the info out at you.

Before we get started, let's go over a few ground rules.

I may have to break up each day into separate posts as some days were pack full of good storytelling. I will title each entry Day 1 - Part 1, etc.

I wasn't super good about remembering to take pictures of the food we ate until after it was consumed Sorry. When I see good food, I tend to focus on the eating of such food, not taking pictures. I did manage to take some shots for you all to make your mouths water In addition to the pictures, I will give a rating system for each CS or TS meal we ate (only the ones in Disney). Each restaurant will receive a Mickey rating for the food, the atmosphere/themeing, and the overall enjoyment (meaning, would we go back). I will use 5 Mickeys as excellent and 1 Mickey as pitiful and all of the Mickeys in between. Got that?

The Mickey guide as well as any other highlights of the day will be bulleted at the end of that day's report. There are some people out there that actually read the TR's looking for info. For those people, I will provide important info at the end. Look for such things as costs (gas, meals, souvenirs), travel times, tips, etc.

Ok, I think I've covered most everything. You ready for the ride?

Up Next...Day 1 - Our Adventure Begins

 

[dddisrunner]

I can't believe you're back already. That went by so fast! I'm glad you had a great time and I can't wait to read all about it!

 

[carissanboys]

So, where did I leave off? Ahh yes. We last left our excited travelers getting ready for their newly decided departure day. Remember, we got to leave a day early?

We got the older two boys off to school that morning with still no idea that we'd be leaving that afternoon for Disney World! I was so proud of myself for keeping a secret

Chuck and I spent the morning finishing packing, picking up the house and running errands. After I finished my errands, I sent Chuck with Josie the Kitten to the kennel for drop off.

Let me backtrack a smidge. Did I mention that Santa brought Chuck a GPS unit for Christmas? Santa was not expecting Chuck to love his GPS quite as much as he does. Chuck loves to use his GPS even if he's taking a route that he is already familiar with.

He gets the address for the kennel and sets off with Josie the Kitten. I'm thinking it probaby would have been easier to call the kennel and get directions, but being the good wife that I am, I let him play with his toy and wish him luck. Thirty minutes or so pass and my phone rings. Guess who? He can't find the kennel. He is near the address that it states, but the road is closed. See, we live on a military base. I figured the kennel was on base, but the directions he was using took him OFF post. I called the kennel and asked for directions. Turns out the kennel is indeed on post and Chuck needs to drive back on base to get there.

Now we're back on track and I continue to get ready to go. Fifteen minutes later I receive another phone call from Chuck. Uh oh.




The kennel can NOT take Josie the Kitten.

Remember one of my faithful readers mentioned something about a dog needing a shot in a certain amount of time to be allowed in the kennel? And I laughed because we had a cat and that would not be an issue. Well, see, Josie received her distemper shot, BUT she needed the booster before she could be admitted to the kennel. And it was too soon to receive the booster. No can do.

Chuck heads home with Josie and I scramble to figure out what to do. The kennel gave Chuck the name and number of a person to pet sit, but we were suppose to leave in an hour or so! I decided to call on a favor from a neighbor (who owed me one) and asked if she'd mind checking on Josie while we were away. Not a problem.

And the best part? We ended up saving $100 since we didn't have to pay the kennel Oh. And the kennel employees supposedly loved Josie. They had already taken her out back before they looked over her shot record. They said she was so sweet and not mean like most of the cats they get. And they commented that she had a really long tail

Chuck returned home and we finished our preparations and had the van loaded up and ready to go with about 15 minutes to spare before the boys returned home from school. I even had time to type up a letter "from Mickey" that would share the exciting news with the boys.

I even got my camera ready to record the special event.



Unfortunately, the news didn't go over quite as well as I'd hoped I stopped recording when I realized my magical moment was not going to be captured (and I was disappointed that I wouldn't be able to share their utter disbelief and surprise at how wonderful their mother was!). Sully's reason for not wanting to leave right away was because he had told his friend that he was going to go outside and play with him. However, once he realized he could play with his Gameboy on the trip, he was ready to head out!

After a final pee pitstop for everyone, we headed out in the van. We told the boys they would need to wait until we reached the beltway (around D.C.) before we handed them their Gameboys. We figured we needed a few moments to get settled in the van and they could wait a bit. How I wish we had just given them their Gameboys right away!!

We got to the beltway and Chuck goes to get the Gameboys out. I had used a small plastic bin to hold all of the Gameboys, accessorires, CD's, crayons, etc. so they'd be in one handy spot That is, IF they'd actually been IN the bin! I quickly realized that I had left their Gameboys on the sewing table while I was searching for their cases. For a brief moment I considered not turning back. But, this trip was a big reason why we got them the Gameboys. So, relunctantly, we turned around.

We had originally left the house at 12:40 p.m. By the time we returned home and retrieved the Gameboys (and after I'd taken another pee pitstop ), we were back on the road at 1:40.

Chuck was starting to get nervous that we'd run into really bad traffic around the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. I was hopeful that it was still early enough that we'd miss most of it. Luck must have been shining down on us because we had no issues.

Until we reached the 95 split. Traffic was never really stopped, just very congested and slow moving. It got better once we reached Quantico and after that it was smooth sailing

The boys didn't even watch a movie until several hours into the trip as they just played with their Gameboys and Leapster. Owen and Connor even napped, which was a good thing since we didn't get to our hotel until late.

We stopped once to pee and then stopped at Wendy's for dinner. We haven't had a ton of good luck with Wendy's (except up North). It seems like it always employs people who would much rather be doing anything BUT working there However, THIS Wendy's was great. There was hardly anyone there and the customer service was great and the food came out fast. The order was even correct! Now, I can't tell you where it was, perhaps North Carolina?

We didn't take many pictures during this first day, but here's one of the boys standing outside of Wendy's with their little puppies (from their kids meals).

And here's one of MHJ:

I'm afraid to say that MHJ will not be making many appearances in this TR. The reflection off of the very shiny lamination did not combine well with pictures.

So, after we ate at Wendy's, we swapped drivers (I started the trip, btw). Chuck took over for the remainder of the drive to Santee, South Carolina (our destination for the night).

If anyone has ever driven down 95, you are very familiar with all of the TALL signs in North Carolina and South Carolina. What is up with that, anyway? We did get to see the highly humorous Risque Cafe. I wish I could have gotten a picture.

We only stopped one more time for a pee break at a rest area. It was starting to get late and Owen and Connor dozed off for the rest of the ride. I tried to find a decent radio station, but that is quite a job in that area of the country, let me tell you. I ended up with an 80's type station and had a great time singing along to some oldies, including Hungry Eyes. Remember that gem?

At 9:40 our minivan pulled into the Hampton Inn located in Santee, South Carolina. We stayed at the Best Western there last time we drove down, but Connor was under 3 at the time. For this trip we needed a place that would take 5 people. I got a good rate at Hampton Inn and we were very pleased with our room (I can't even remember what it looked like now to be honest). I do remember (thanks to my notes ) that it was clean and the beds were comfy, although the pillows left a bit to be desired. I had brought my pillow along, but I forgot to have Chuck bring it in for the night.

We got the boys settled in bed (Connor in a pack-n-play - the advantages of having a small 3 year old) and Sully and Owen in their bed (Sully hates sharing with Owen). We all fell asleep with visions of Disney in our heads.

Important Info

* Gas - filled up before we headed out and again somewhere along the way - $45 and $32

* Wendy's - $20

* Hampton Inn - $98 (military rate)

* 8 hours from 2nd departure to arrival at hotel in Santee, South Carolina

* If you're driving down 95, be sure to have a working CD player, ipod, or play a movie during that time because it's slim pickin's for music.​

​

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Up Next...Day 2 - Part 1 (We're Almost Caught in a Tornado!)

 

[dismagiclover]

Welcome home! Can't wait to hear your report and how it compares to our trip. I know that drive along 95, and I'm not jealous we didn't make it. Keep the action coming!
Jenny

 

[carissanboys]

Welcome home! Can't wait to hear your report and how it compares to our trip. I know that drive along 95, and I'm not jealous we didn't make it. Keep the action coming!
Jenny

Welcome home to you! You'll have to share your experiences of your trip as I write about mine

Being completely honest, the drive up and down 95 was a breeze. The boys were angels.

 

[carissanboys]

I can't believe you're back already. That went by so fast! I'm glad you had a great time and I can't wait to read all about it!

Thanks And yes, it went by super fast

 

[irene_dsc]

Sounds like a good start - other than almost leaving the Gameboys! And let's hear it for 80's music!