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

[carissanboys]

I love that picture of Owen in your sweatshirt! At first I thought it was a blanket sleeper That is so funny! It reminds me of the time Trevon came out wearing a pair of Zar's pants. Trevon was 7 and Zar wore 2T. They fit like long jean shorts that come to above the knee. He wanted to know why they had snaps

Kids can be so funny and cute

AK Lodge is the only deluxe resort I would really want to stay in. It is so beautiful and unique. I love it.

You should try Boma for dinner ~ it's incredible. It is our favorite place for breakfast and dinner, breakfast had delicious omelets and dinner is just wonderful.

Thanks for suggesting exploring the resort! I love to explore the resorts at WDW, but never had time to explore that one, we were always rushing to get to out ADR and then leaving afterward because we were tired after a long day at the parks. This next trip in Sept. though we will, that's the kinda stuff we're doing this time

The splash pool is great! That would be so fun to have to yourselves!!! I bet it was wonderful heated, like a giant personal bathtub

I can't wait to hear about the PPP, I have never read about one before and I bet it was really great!!!​

Yes, kids are great to have around, aren't they I'll try and get to the P & P Party today, but I'm doubting it's going to happen.

Your trip report is amazing.

I stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge last year around May and I absolutely LOVED it!

Wow! Such high praise and thanks for stopping by! I'd love to stay at AKL someday (there's a lot of "somedays" in this report, arne't there?).

 

[Blueyed Girl]

Great pic's!! I hope we get a chance to swim a bit on this trip. We never do that anymore.

 

[winkers]

The pic of Owen in the sweatshirt is hysterical!!

 

[DisDancerina]

Your boys are hysterical!!



But, where do they get it from?

 

[G8r4evr]

Great TR! Looking forward to reading the rest =)

 

[scottny]

swimming is always nice and buying gifts is better.

 

[carissanboys]

Great pic's!! I hope we get a chance to swim a bit on this trip. We never do that anymore.

The pic of Owen in the sweatshirt is hysterical!!

Your boys are hysterical!!



But, where do they get it from?

Great TR! Looking forward to reading the rest =)

swimming is always nice and buying gifts is better.

Thanks gang!

My assignment is complete and I have a little time before the game starts so I'm going to attempt to finish up Day 4

 

[carissanboys]

After swimming, we all just relaxed around the house. I tried to get Connor to lay down and take a nap with me, but that wasn't gonna fly. *I* really wanted a nap though!!

We all got ready with our pirate and princess gear and headed to the TTC. Since it was my parents' first trip to the Magic Kingdom on this trip, we had to take the ferry once again. The weather was beautiful. When we first arrived, it was quite busy, which I had expected. It WAS a Saturday of a holiday weekend, after all! I snapped these before heading through the ticket line:

(sorry, the lighting didn't come out too well on that one)

We had our picture taken by Photopass in that spot, but they didn't come out very well. I have to say that we don't have a lot of luck with Photopass. We never manage to get many taken, the ones that are taken aren't very good, and the photographers never seem to do the fun things with us like they do with others, such as putting the hands out to hold Tinkerbell, etc. Maybe it's because they can tell 2 of my children aren't thrilled to be getting their pictures taken?

By the time we got through the gates, it was shortly after 4 p.m. We all got our wrist bands and a treasure bag. They were all ready for us, even though the party didn't officially start until 7 p.m. We grabbed our stroller and headed to Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin. Connor was very anxious to ride this one, and we all really enjoy it, although my parents hadn't done it yet (remember, they'd only done Pirates of the Carribean and Hall of Presidents on our last trip). There was only a 15 minute wait so I guess the crowds weren't that bad afterall!

I have to stop and give my dad props. Chuck is in the military. When he was stationed in Maine, he use to be a shooting instructor (I'm not familiar with guns and don't know much about the proper names for things so forgive me). Anyway, he was an expert marksman. That means he was good at shooting. On our last visit, Chuck beat the pants off of all of us! So, we all go on Buzz and get to the end. My dad had a score of 140,000! And Chuck? Only 60,000. Poor guy. My dad WAS in the air force MANY moons ago, but the most he held in his hands were pints of beer.

Once we got back out into Tomorrowland, who should we see up ahead, but the Ranger himself! We got in line, with autograph book in hand, and waited our turn. The line wasn't very long and soon Owen was up. Did you know that Buzz has a difficult time with pens? So, Mr. Smartypants brings his own stamp for such occassions! Check out the jacket that Owen is wearing in the pictures.

After Buzz, we headed to Mickey's Philharmagic. I figured that even if it was busy, we should be able to get into a show fairly easily. And I was really excited for my parents to see this. My parents had SUCH a blast (as I knew they would)! They LOVED it. And, really. Who doesn't?

By this time, we were all getting hungry. We had thought about going to Casey's (my stepmother had heard about it), but since we were close to Columbia Harbor House, we decided to head there. I took Owen in to use the bathroom quickly (it was an emergency) and thought it odd that the place was deserted. How lucky I thought! It took me a few moments to realize that the reason they were deserted is because they were closed.

So, we walked on down to Pecos Bill's instead. I have to say that I was more impressed with this place than I was with Cosmic Ray's. The burgers were quite good (and of course the fixin's bar ) as were the fries. And the kids got a cookie with their kids' meal. We sat outside, which I think made a huge difference in our meal. It was so loud and stuffy inside. Once again, no pictures were taken of the food, but I did snap this one of Owen after we finished eating:

Since we were close to Pirates of the Carribean, we had to check out the line. What do you know? No line! They now began asking for our wristband (where did those 3 hours go??), which we happily obliged.

I have to say, I was pretty bored on this attraction. It was fun the first time, and I do like the small drop. But, otherwise, I could have easily lived without it.

Next! On to Fantasyland! I really wanted to get as many rides in as we could before the fireworks and if Pirates was any indication, the waits would be minimal.

And they were. We quickly rode It's a Small World, Peter Pan and Dumbo. While waiting in line for Dumbo, we glanced over and saw Sebastian having a pretty cool dance

Here's Owen on Dumbo:

As we headed for Winnie the Pooh, look at what helped guide our way:

A happy Sully (who didn't want to wear his Pirate Mickey ears (guess they bothered his head, but wore his Pirates of the Carribean hat instead - not sure where it was for this picture, though):

I didn't enjoy Winnie the Pooh nearly as much this time. Not sure why. I'm afraid I felt this way about a lot of attractions this time around. But, I'll go into that more later in the TR.

After completing our mission in Fantasyland, it was time to head to Toontown! Sully convinced Memere and I to go on Goofy's Barnstormer. Connor wanted to join us! I wasn't too sure about that, but he insisted. During the ride, I couldn't tell if he was screaming because he didn't like it or because he was having fun. At the end he had a few tears in his eyes, but he said it was a lot of fun. Who knows? I'm just glad that ride is over so quickly.

We had decided not to spend a lot of time looking for loot, but we let the boys get the treasure in Toontown. They really had a lot of fun with that (and ended up playing with their "jewels" at the townhouse quite a bit). So, we let them find another spot in Tomorrowland as we headed for Monster's Inc Laugh Floor. This was to be our last attraction of the night before finding a spot for the fireworks. Here's Connor and Owen showing off their loot (Connor's face is too funny! He's like, "Hey! Give me back my loot!!")

There wasn't anybody in front of us, but we must have just missed the previous show because we had to wait quite a while. Thankfully, a good portion of that time is watching the screen and being entertained. None of us had any good jokes to text in (but I did get a chuckle when Mike says, "If you don't know how to text, ask a teenager near you.")

Then it was time to head in! Very soon into the show, Pepere's face made it onto the screen. I don't remember what it was for. And a few minutes later, there he was again! And again! For those that have seen the show, my dad, Pepere, was THAT GUY! We all laughed so hard. And afterwards, a CM came up to him and gave him a pin that says, "I was THAT GUY at Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor" and the CM said, "Thanks for being THAT GUY." Very cute. My dad being THAT GUY would become a theme on this trip. Just wait!

So now it was time to find a spot for the parade and get some icecream! My plan was to find a spot on Main Street, but along the way, we cut through the Tomorrowland Terrace and saw the tables right there that face the castle. Perfect! We sent my dad and Chuck off to get some icecream for us all, while the boys checked out their loot. Finally, the men brought back these goodies for us:

We would eat quite a few of these on the trip. Here's some pictures of the boys enjoying theirs:

And now...drumroll please!

Time for the fireworks!!!!

They started out a bit slow and I began to question everyone that said it was such an amazing show.

Please ignore the greenery in the next photos. We had a great spot except that I couldn't get a clear shot without these bushes in the way!

By the end, we were all impressed and could easily see why everyone loves this fireworks show so much. The theme and story is so great!

Once the fireworks ended, we began to make our way through. The crowd wasn't bad at all since most people were remaining in the parks until the party ended. We easily got on the monorail and made the first tram that showed up. Connor ended up falling asleep on the tram ride and didn't wake up, even after I took his clothes off back at the townhouse. He was one tuckered boy!

My feelings on the Pirate and Princess Party is that it is definitely worth it simply for the ability to get on the rides with no wait. The boys enjoyed the treasure spots more than I thought they would and, while many people say to skip them, I say take the time to check out a few. We got so much done in such a short amount of time! My parents were amazed. The atmosphere in the park is really nice too. I got called Princess a few times (I was wearing my tiara). It was a great night and I would do it again for sure. We didn't do any of the special character greets or parades, etc. and I don't feel that we missed out on anything.

We were all home in bed by 11:00 p.m.

Important Info

Pecos Bill - $30

Icecream - $17

Pirate and Princess Party is definitely worth it!​

Up Next...Pecos Bill's Rating

 

[carissanboys]

I didn't get to my Mickey Rating Guide for Pecos Bills, but the game is about to start so I will do it tomorrow.

 

[earthfaries]

Fun update! What a great night!

You took a pic of your mickey ice cream sand. just like mine! They look identical

The treasure and loot the boys got looked cool, what kind of stuff was it?

I love the parties, you just walk on all the rides all night because everyone is doing the activities

Glad you guys had a great time, can't wait for more ​

 

[Blueyed Girl]

Yay!! Great pic's of the P&PP and great info about the fireworks. Last time the fireworks started while I was riding POTC and ended while DH was riding it. We just stood in front of the ride and watched through the trees. From what we could see it looked REALLY GOOD. This time we plan on watching from somewhere in front of the castle to get the full effect.

 

[ashleypmo]

You're crackin' me up!

Hmmm...sneakin' into the pool, eh? Can I take a guess???

 

[carissanboys]

~ Pecos Bill Rating ~

Food -

Atmosphere (based on outside area) -

Overall - ​

I completely forgot to mention a special part of the fireworks!! I was NOT expecting Tink to make an appearance during this firework show, but she did! And, she ended up flying right over us! That was so cool to see her coming closer and closer. That was a big surprise

I also forgot that Owen went with my dad and Chuck to get the icecream before the fireworks (this is all stuff I forgot to write down). The CM at the icecream stand asked Owen who his favorite was - Jack Sparrow or Barbosa. Owen answered Jack Sparrow, of course! And she gave him a free icecream.

Can you tell it's halftime? The game is not going very well. My poor Tom has been pummeled during this game. But, the Pats always dominate in the second half so I have faith!

Up Next...Day 5 - Part 1http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=23014029&postcount=560

 

[hlbrink]

I happened onto your thread while searching for Windsor Hill reviews - we are staying in a townhome w/splash pool in May and I love all of the pictures and comments. I'm really enjoying your trip report and all of the pics Your boys are adorable!

 

[becca011906]

Yay!! Great pic's of the P&PP and great info about the fireworks. Last time the fireworks started while I was riding POTC and ended while DH was riding it. We just stood in front of the ride and watched through the trees. From what we could see it looked REALLY GOOD. This time we plan on watching from somewhere in front of the castle to get the full effect.

We attended 2 parties last year and still missed the fireworks both nights We are going to be sure and see them this year!!!

 

[carissanboys]

Fun update! What a great night!

You took a pic of your mickey ice cream sand. just like mine! They look identical

The treasure and loot the boys got looked cool, what kind of stuff was it?

I love the parties, you just walk on all the rides all night because everyone is doing the activities

Glad you guys had a great time, can't wait for more ​

I know! I saw the picture of your Mickey Icecream bar and I thought, gee...that looks familiar! We only went to a few treasure spots, but they got plastic jewels of different colors and shapes and some necklaces/beads. We also saw some other kids with plastic gold coins.

Yay!! Great pic's of the P&PP and great info about the fireworks. Last time the fireworks started while I was riding POTC and ended while DH was riding it. We just stood in front of the ride and watched through the trees. From what we could see it looked REALLY GOOD. This time we plan on watching from somewhere in front of the castle to get the full effect.

I've only ever seen Wishes and the P & P fireworks from the front of the castle. I don't like the crazy crowds so our spot for the party fireworks was great.

You're crackin' me up!

Hmmm...sneakin' into the pool, eh? Can I take a guess???

Please do!

I happened onto your thread while searching for Windsor Hill reviews - we are staying in a townhome w/splash pool in May and I love all of the pictures and comments. I'm really enjoying your trip report and all of the pics Your boys are adorable!

Thanks! I should probably put something in my title about staying off property for people looking for some reviews of that. Glad you found us and

 

[Liz]

Another great update Carissa! Sounds like you guys are having so much fun! I would love to go to the PPP! And that's awesome that your dad was chosen to be "THAT GUY"! The guy who was chosen when we were in the show didn't seem to like it very much!

Your kids are so cute! And your stepmom has such a pretty smile! The pool looks like tons of fun too! I love reading your report. Its almost like being there!

 

[carissanboys]

Another great update Carissa! Sounds like you guys are having so much fun! I would love to go to the PPP! And that's awesome that your dad was chosen to be "THAT GUY"! The guy who was chosen when we were in the show didn't seem to like it very much!

Your kids are so cute! And your stepmom has such a pretty smile! The pool looks like tons of fun too! I love reading your report. Its almost like being there!

Thanks so much Liz

 

[DisDancerina]

They won!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Go GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[winkers]

The p&p party looks like so much fun!