Our first time at the Fort - UPDATE days now complete

[woodsluvdis]

WOW...amazing...

 

[liv luvs disney]

And I thought I was organized! Like everyone else...WOW!!

I can TOTALLY relate to despising DH's (mine not yours of course) driving. My DH only goes one speed-FAST!!!!! I tell him all the time he is a bad influence on our children. He really should have been a race car driver.

Can't wait for an update.

 

[tlh0726]

So let me get this straight,,,you can't stand your husbands driving ?
I certainly hope that not a direct reflection against the poor guy himself,,or am I sensing a little jealousy here ?

He has a CDL license, but I am the onlyone that could do a uturn with the MH in front of his shop. He tried and couldn't do it (wouldn't listen to me) got mad and tried backing out, went off the driveway and sunk it up to the axle in mud. The man will never live it down since he had something like 10 people in it at the time!

 

[tlh0726]

Wow !!
and I thought I would go a little overboard sometimes when planning out vacations.

I am probably just envious I did not think of all that.

This is the only stuff that I really plan out. We fly by the seat of our pants at the parks and even as to which park we want to go to is done like the day before or even the day of.

 

[tlh0726]

Day 1 Thursday 4/15
Alarm went off and I told DH to get out of bed NOW! He is one that will hit the snooze for another hour (freaking alarm going off every 10 mins) before finally getting up. I went out to take the pic of the motorhome and van to update my previous post. I failed to notice that as I was walking through the yard the grass that I cut the day before totally coated my shoes and I walked back into the house leaving a trail of wet grass clumps. So, I had to clean that up. Then as I was downloading and then uploading the pic, DH informed me that he wanted to go down 270 instead of 695 thru Baltimore to 95. So, I then had to drop everything to look up the mileage/time difference. Since it was approx. only 10 mile difference, he decided to do the 270 route since it would most likely be less traffic. Got the kids up at 730am. DD was excited, DS could have cared less, had to carry him downstairs. Got them both fed and then dressed. We were ready to go. DH was still doing his morning ritual (DaveinTn, at least I think it was him, would enjoy DH’s morning “walk”), so I gave him fair warning that the MH had to be ready to go at 830 on the dot.
Everyone was in the motorhome at 825am Went to the end of our driveway to meet the school bus to pick up my one morning daycare boy and of all days for the bus to run late it had to be today. 842 the bus arrived, 10 mins behind schedule. Bus driver was waving and honking the horn. DH was honking the air horn. I think everyone’ on the bus had their face pushed up against the window smiling.
Finally on our way! We had to stop right before Rte 15 so DH could check the straps on the tow dolly which had to be tightened up. We then got on 15, then onto 270. Not one complaint (yet) from me about DH’s driving. We were getting close to the 270 to 495 exit and I was helping the kids get out their coloring books and markers, and the GPS unit was talking like crazy. Asked DH if he needed me up front, he said No. Next thing he is telling/asking me which way he should go because he remembers that there is something about mixing up northern Virginia and 95 south. GPS kept saying stay in the left lane. I am trying to listen to what the unit is saying, trying to look for 270 on the signs that the unit was saying to take, listen to DH, telling him to move one lane to the right so we could go either way. Well he didn’t move over the lane and we ended up going the wrong direction. I sat down, picked up my GPS unit, looking at signs, telling him to take the next exit. Was met with him yelling, YOU JUST DON”T UNDERSTAND, HOW MANY TIMES DO I NEED TO TELL YOU, YOU JUST CANNOT TAKE ANY EXIT WITH THIS THING!!!!! So needless to say we missed that exit. I put down my GPS and yelled back, how am I suppose to help you if you aren’t going to listen to what I am telling you! So down the road we continue to go with the GPS unit telling us to take this route, that route, etc, etc. exit after exit. DH kept saying this has to take to us 95 eventually. Well he finally saw 95 north to Baltimore which then prompts him to tell me if there is a north there has to be a south. Guess what, there is no 95 south highway it is a parkway that say no trucks. DH then proceeds to pound both hands on the steering wheel and repeat what the F#@% do we do now! We (don’t know how I got included in we) are screwed. No idea where we are.
I then picked my GPS again, and asked are you now going to listen to me. I then said take this exit. Top of ramp go left. Cross over the highway, make a left and get back on, going the opposite direction. Guess what, it worked!! After about 30 mins (total of an hour roundtrip) we were back where we missed the original exit. During the travel time back we had several “discussions”. One of which was me telling him the only reason you do not listen to the GPS must be because it is a woman’s voice and all you hear is blah blah blah. Another was him saying who is the captain of this ship and me spouting back, the captains only steers the navigator tells him which way to steer. We had several other discussions about all kinds of stuff. In the end, DH and I came to an agreement. The next time, he will listen to me. (yeah right!) After finally getting on 95, we hit some stop and go traffic, DH needed to use the bathroom so we did a rolling driver switch. I only drove a short distance, because DH wanted back behind the wheel. Said driving was bothering him as much because finally did what I do, stuffed a pillow behind him.
Around 11:30, (don’t know why kids were hungry they consumed an entire package of choc. chip cookies thus far) I made some ham & cheese sandwiches, threw in some cheese curls and sodas to eat (gotta love a MH).
We made another stop somewhere just inside VA so DH could check tow straps again and we let the kiddos run around a bit. When we left, I finally took over the driving. About 5 mins into my driving, I had a left exit so I moved over to take the exit, the exit then turned into 2 lanes, I tried to go back into the right lane. I had my blinker on and no one would let me over.. As the last car that was passing me on the right cut back in front of me the guy was shooting me the finger. DH thought it was hilarious. After about 100 miles and the MH looking like a tornado went through it we did another rolling driver switch. After cleaning up the mess, getting the kids settled with a movie on the laptop (need to get an inverter for the MH, another long story) I proceeded to just relax on one of the couches (I tried to stay out of the passenger seat as much as possible, what you don’t see you cannot complain about). The kids took turns riding shotgun. DS finally fell asleep, I removed him from the passenger seat and put him one on the couches. DD stretched out on the other couch was soon fast asleep and I reclined the passenger seat and took a snooze too.
Our next stop we made somewhere in South Carolina. It was around 530, we were not sure as to where and when we would stop for the night so I went ahead and made a quick dinner of grilled cheese, tomato soup, and applesauce. DH talked with some truckers because he did not believe me (or should I say the wisdom of the DISboards) about not being able to stop overnight just anywhere. After cleaning up the few dishes, we headed back out on the road with DH still driving, a major acomplishment for both of us. We then saw a BoatNRV sign (our MH was shipped up from this dealership) and DH and I both said we should see about staying there. So I called the Hamburg PA location (their # is programmed into my phone that should tell you something) and got the # for the SC location. DH talked to salesperson Matt who said that they lock their gates around 8/830. No way were we making that so Matt told us to take Exit 8, make a left, go about 5 miles to the Super Walmart on the left.
We took Matt’s advice and took the exit when we got there. We made a stop for fuel at the truck stop just off the exit. DH came back in the MH saying that he had to leave both his CC and driver’s license with the person in the booth while he was fueling up. My reply was I guess after getting ripped off enough times, you do what you need to do and that I would do daily checks on purchases. We pulled into the Walmart parking lot about 915pm and parked close to a 5th wheel setup that was already there. Then into the store for some shopping (wine, beef jerky, gummy lifesavers, ringpops, and a bottle of flavored water) We didn’t pop out the slides (another discussion)so DH and DS took the bed, DD and I took one of the couches. We ran the generator and watched Princess and the Frog. When the voodoo lady married Tiana and Naveen and after they kissed, DD said to DH. See they are married and don’t yell at each other.
What a way to end the day!

 

[fldisneymommyto2]

thank you for sharing how much planning you did for your trip... now if anyone ever says anything to me, I can share your post and they will leave me alone!!!!! I am impressed by all of your planning!! Can't wait to read the rest of the trip report!

 

[YodaGirl]

My goodness! Love all that planning!

And for the record, you and your DH sound about like me and my DH when we are traveling.

 

[Disneylitch]

Day 1 Thursday 4/15
Alarm went off and I told DH to get out of bed NOW! He is one that will hit the snooze for another hour (freaking alarm going off every 10 mins) before finally getting up. I went out to take the pic of the motorhome and van to update my previous post. I failed to notice that as I was walking through the yard the grass that I cut the day before totally coated my shoes and I walked back into the house leaving a trail of wet grass clumps. So, I had to clean that up. Then as I was downloading and then uploading the pic, DH informed me that he wanted to go down 270 instead of 695 thru Baltimore to 95. So, I then had to drop everything to look up the mileage/time difference. Since it was approx. only 10 mile difference, he decided to do the 270 route since it would most likely be less traffic. Got the kids up at 730am. DD was excited, DS could have cared less, had to carry him downstairs. Got them both fed and then dressed. We were ready to go. DH was still doing his morning ritual (DaveinTn, at least I think it was him, would enjoy DH’s morning “walk”), so I gave him fair warning that the MH had to be ready to go at 830 on the dot.
Everyone was in the motorhome at 825am Went to the end of our driveway to meet the school bus to pick up my one morning daycare boy and of all days for the bus to run late it had to be today. 842 the bus arrived, 10 mins behind schedule. Bus driver was waving and honking the horn. DH was honking the air horn. I think everyone’ on the bus had their face pushed up against the window smiling.
Finally on our way! We had to stop right before Rte 15 so DH could check the straps on the tow dolly which had to be tightened up. We then got on 15, then onto 270. Not one complaint (yet) from me about DH’s driving. We were getting close to the 270 to 495 exit and I was helping the kids get out their coloring books and markers, and the GPS unit was talking like crazy. Asked DH if he needed me up front, he said No. Next thing he is telling/asking me which way he should go because he remembers that there is something about mixing up northern Virginia and 95 south. GPS kept saying stay in the left lane. I am trying to listen to what the unit is saying, trying to look for 270 on the signs that the unit was saying to take, listen to DH, telling him to move one lane to the right so we could go either way. Well he didn’t move over the lane and we ended up going the wrong direction. I sat down, picked up my GPS unit, looking at signs, telling him to take the next exit. Was met with him yelling, YOU JUST DON”T UNDERSTAND, HOW MANY TIMES DO I NEED TO TELL YOU, YOU JUST CANNOT TAKE ANY EXIT WITH THIS THING!!!!! So needless to say we missed that exit. I put down my GPS and yelled back, how am I suppose to help you if you aren’t going to listen to what I am telling you! So down the road we continue to go with the GPS unit telling us to take this route, that route, etc, etc. exit after exit. DH kept saying this has to take to us 95 eventually. Well he finally saw 95 north to Baltimore which then prompts him to tell me if there is a north there has to be a south. Guess what, there is no 95 south highway it is a parkway that say no trucks. DH then proceeds to pound both hands on the steering wheel and repeat what the F#@% do we do now! We (don’t know how I got included in we) are screwed. No idea where we are.
I then picked my GPS again, and asked are you now going to listen to me. I then said take this exit. Top of ramp go left. Cross over the highway, make a left and get back on, going the opposite direction. Guess what, it worked!! After about 30 mins (total of an hour roundtrip) we were back where we missed the original exit. During the travel time back we had several “discussions”. One of which was me telling him the only reason you do not listen to the GPS must be because it is a woman’s voice and all you hear is blah blah blah. Another was him saying who is the captain of this ship and me spouting back, the captains only steers the navigator tells him which way to steer. We had several other discussions about all kinds of stuff. In the end, DH and I came to an agreement. The next time, he will listen to me. (yeah right!) After finally getting on 95, we hit some stop and go traffic, DH needed to use the bathroom so we did a rolling driver switch. I only drove a short distance, because DH wanted back behind the wheel. Said driving was bothering him as much because finally did what I do, stuffed a pillow behind him.
Around 11:30, (don’t know why kids were hungry they consumed an entire package of choc. chip cookies thus far) I made some ham & cheese sandwiches, threw in some cheese curls and sodas to eat (gotta love a MH).
We made another stop somewhere just inside VA so DH could check tow straps again and we let the kiddos run around a bit. When we left, I finally took over the driving. About 5 mins into my driving, I had a left exit so I moved over to take the exit, the exit then turned into 2 lanes, I tried to go back into the right lane. I had my blinker on and no one would let me over.. As the last car that was passing me on the right cut back in front of me the guy was shooting me the finger. DH thought it was hilarious. After about 100 miles and the MH looking like a tornado went through it we did another rolling driver switch. After cleaning up the mess, getting the kids settled with a movie on the laptop (need to get an inverter for the MH, another long story) I proceeded to just relax on one of the couches (I tried to stay out of the passenger seat as much as possible, what you don’t see you cannot complain about). The kids took turns riding shotgun. DS finally fell asleep, I removed him from the passenger seat and put him one on the couches. DD stretched out on the other couch was soon fast asleep and I reclined the passenger seat and took a snooze too.
Our next stop we made somewhere in South Carolina. It was around 530, we were not sure as to where and when we would stop for the night so I went ahead and made a quick dinner of grilled cheese, tomato soup, and applesauce. DH talked with some truckers because he did not believe me (or should I say the wisdom of the DISboards) about not being able to stop overnight just anywhere. After cleaning up the few dishes, we headed back out on the road with DH still driving, a major acomplishment for both of us. We then saw a BoatNRV sign (our MH was shipped up from this dealership) and DH and I both said we should see about staying there. So I called the Hamburg PA location (their # is programmed into my phone that should tell you something) and got the # for the SC location. DH talked to salesperson Matt who said that they lock their gates around 8/830. No way were we making that so Matt told us to take Exit 8, make a left, go about 5 miles to the Super Walmart on the left.
We took Matt’s advice and took the exit when we got there. We made a stop for fuel at the truck stop just off the exit. DH came back in the MH saying that he had to leave both his CC and driver’s license with the person in the booth while he was fueling up. My reply was I guess after getting ripped off enough times, you do what you need to do and that I would do daily checks on purchases. We pulled into the Walmart parking lot about 915pm and parked close to a 5th wheel setup that was already there. Then into the store for some shopping (wine, beef jerky, gummy lifesavers, ringpops, and a bottle of flavored water) We didn’t pop out the slides (another discussion)so DH and DS took the bed, DD and I took one of the couches. We ran the generator and watched Princess and the Frog. When the voodoo lady married Tiana and Naveen and after they kissed, DD said to DH. See they are married and don’t yell at each other.
What a way to end the day!

Driving with your husband sounds like driving with mine. Can't tell you how many times, this thing doesn't stop on a dime, turn on a dime, etc. alone with a few choice words. Mine could get lost driving circles and doesn't seem to be able to read the signs. I think they are in english for the most part. I agree, maybe we should change the voice to a man and they would listen, still get lost, but listen.

 

[Born 2 Fish]

Day 1 Thursday 4/15
DH needed to use the bathroom so we did a rolling driver switch. I only drove a short distance, because DH wanted back behind the wheel.

OMG,,Am I reading this correctly ?? REALLY ???
So what do ya'll do for fun, Russian rullet?? Or maybe just shoot blindly into the dark to see if you can hit something??

Ya'll can slam me all ya want ,,BUT THATS WRONG ! I just pray I'll never have to travel the same roads at the same time ya'll travel.

 

[kazlac4]

OMG,,Am I reading this correctly ?? REALLY ???
So what do ya'll do for fun, Russian rullet?? Or maybe just shoot blindly into the dark to see if you can hit something??

Ya'll can slam me all ya want ,,BUT THATS WRONG ! I just pray I'll never have to travel the same roads at the same time ya'll travel.

Frank, I totally agree with you! I certainly hope the "rolling" driver switch was not what I thought it was ..

 

[I'mDownWithDisney]

I did the rolling change out one time in my friend's 45' Zephr. They really should make an autopilot for those things.

 

[tlh0726]

Day 2 - Friday
DH got up at 520 to use the bathroom. I asked what time it was he responded 5 and went back to bed. Alarm went off at 615. DH got right out of bed (amazing!) He then made fun of me for pushing the generator button the wrong way (why it would light up and make the same noise in both directions is my question).
DH then had to ask where the cups and coffee were. He took one look at the almost empty instant coffee jar and gave me a look, I responded with only has to last you down and back, you have regular for while we are there. After finishing his morning rituals, he proceeded to ask me which bay the ladder was in, then where is the paper towels, and then where is the windex (see a pattern here?)
I decided to go back into Walmart to get some more non slip shelf liner for the cabinets (trying to stop some rattling around)and another bottle of windex since the way the windshield looked he was going to use half of the one we had just on that.
As I was exiting the MH, DH is trying to get the ladder open, I walk over reach down and unhook the little latch thing saying in a stupid voice, duh, I don’t know how to start the generator! (what he was making fun of me earlier for)
When I returned he was looking through his tool box for an allen wrench. He held up the holder and said guess what the size I need is the only one missing from this set (surprise, surprise) he was going to have to go inside to get new ones so that he could tighten up our side view mirrors which seemed to go lopsided during our drive the day before (DH says it was because of the way his speed demon wife was driving!). I proceeded to open up the one bay, pull out the tool container and hand him a complete pack of allen wrenches.
DD was awake, so I gave her some chocolate milk out of the refrigerator, warmed in the microwave, that tastes good (how she asks for it each and everytime!) and a glazed donut that I got in Walmart.
DH finally had all his stuff put away. Buckled DD up on the couch and left DS sleeping on the bed. (I know, going to get flamed on this)
As we were leaving the parking lot, DH says 740 I wanted to be out of here earlier. I said you are the one that said 615 for the alarm. He then said I asked you at 5 if you wanted to go. I said you never asked me anything. You only said it was 5 when I asked what time it was and when I looked it was actually almost 530. Our first “discussion” of the day!
DD fell back asleep on the couch. DS finally woke up about 930. I went to make him some warm tea and DH did the same mistake I did while starting the generator. Had a good time with DH with that one for a while. (payback!)
The rest of the drive was uneventful. I stayed in the back, watched a movie with the kids, and even took a snooze.
We arrived at the fort approx. 1pm. We were assigned to site 105. DH drove past the unhitch area (another one of his just keeping driving moments) so we ended up towing the van into the loop. (Giving myself a pat on the back for keeping my comments to myself)
Took a look at the site and I kept saying no way were we going to get backed into the site. A van across from our site was parked partially in the loop. DH wanted to try it. So he was in the process of unhooking the van while I called the front desk. DH could not get one of the safety chains loose on the tow dolly. Finally got through to the desk and was reassigned to site 109.
DH gave up trying to unhook the chains while sitting in the loop(getting to many dirty looks) and took the MH back to the hitch/unhitch area. After another one of our “discussions” and DH stepping away, I got it undone.
DH backed the van off the dolly, I jumped in it and did a u-turn. DH then did a u-turn with the MH (right in front of a CM on a golf cart).
Got back to the loop and someone was trying to back a TT into site 105. The guy did it on the second try. I gave him a big thumbs up as I drove the van past. As we were getting the tow dolly unhooked from the MH and pushed into the site, the guy in 105 starts pulling out. DH walked over and the guy said the front desk assigned him to a site he couldn’t fit the camper and tent in, he saw this site, and now they are saying that it was taken. We told him we just switched from the site, so the guy had to back his setup back into the site.
By the time we got all of this done it was almost 2pm. I went in to make lunch -chicken alfredo and some pears ( sorry no pics) while DH finished the hook up/set up process.

Pics of our site

After cleaning up dishes, we packed up some snacks, grabbed some water and headed off to Magic Kingdom.
We drove the van to the MK parking lot and took the ferry from there.
Got our first character autograph, Pluto. We got him first on our last trip too.

Chip and Dale’s line was to long so we skipped them for now. Just as we got in front of the castle just before Dream along with Mickey show was to begin.

After watching that, we then headed over to Frontierland and grabbed fast passes for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
DD wanted to do the treehouse so off we headed.
As we were going past Pirates of the Caribbean there was hardly any wait time so we did decided to try that.
We then stopped at The Enchanted Tiki Room.
Then the Magic Carpets of Aladdin.
Finally made it to The Swiss Family Treehouse.
Upon exiting we decided to get The Jungle Cruise crossed off our list.
We then cut across via the bathroom area (which is closed at current time) to watch Country Bear Jamboree,

Still had time before our fastpass return so headed over and did it’s a Small World.

As we were heading back towards Frontierland , Wishes began and we stopped to watch. Amazing as always!

We then continued on our way to ride BTMR (another first for all of us). It was great!

We decided to call it a day and headed out of the park just before Spectromagic was to begin. Kids fell asleep in the stroller while riding the ferry back to the parking lot.
Arrived back at our site, carried the kids into the MH and dumped them into their bunks. I grabbed a shower while DH fooled with trying to get the TV working via Disney’s cable.
Plan for tomorrow is to hit EMH at Hollywood Studios in the morning.

 

[tlh0726]

OMG,,Am I reading this correctly ?? REALLY ???
So what do ya'll do for fun, Russian rullet?? Or maybe just shoot blindly into the dark to see if you can hit something??

Ya'll can slam me all ya want ,,BUT THATS WRONG ! I just pray I'll never have to travel the same roads at the same time ya'll travel.

Not that it will make anymore feel any better about it. The first time we were going about 2 miles per hour and the 2nd was coasting up grade on a straight area with no other vehicles within site in either direction.

As for what we do for fun....
I think I will let that one go

 

[Born 2 Fish]

I did the rolling change out one time in my friend's 45' Zephr. They really should make an autopilot for those things.

Thats why these things have brakes,,so folk can change drivers without killing others.

Ya see,,I really don't care about your safety if you don't care,,
but I REALLY do care about MY safety and the ones I love.

 

[I'mDownWithDisney]

Thats why these things have brakes,,so folk can change drivers without killing others.

Ya see,,I really don't care about your safety if you don't care,,
but I REALLY do care about MY safety and the ones I love.

I agree. I was just sitting shotgun when I heard "here drive for a minute...I gotta pee". He was already standing up before I could answer. I slid in and drove to the next fuel stop so I wouldn't have to switch again. This took place cruising down the interstate too. It was a wee bit tense. Not something I would make a habit of.

 

[tlh0726]

Day Three - Saturday
Got up with the alarm, YIPPEE!!!!. Got DD up and gave her a quick wash down in the shower. Got her dressed and handed her breakfast. Got DS up, and when I went to turn on the shower, the end of the hose that attaches to the sprayer started spraying water. The plastic fitting broke. I took the sprayer off, switched the hose around and connected the hose back up to use it like a garden hose. After I was finished, DH noticed the other end fitting was cracked too. I said we will deal with it later, need to go. We finally got out the site and headed to DHS. We got there a few minutes before 8.
DH headed off to get Fastpasses to TSM while I took the kids to meet Minnie Mouse.

Next was Tigger and Eeyore

Donald and Daisy was standing at the base of the hat with a short line. Kids and I headed over there and DH met up with us. As we were waiting, a pair of ducks came walking by. Daisy and Donald went nuts over them.

Decided to do the Studio Backlot Tour since it was closed during our trip last March. While heading over there, saw that TSM had short standby. So we jumped into line. When we got to the handicap split the CM said walk up the ramp they need a party of 4 our first Disney magical moment!! Once we got off I said to DH should have handed him a thank you.

As we exited there was the Green Army Man.

Did the Studio Backlot tour. Kids really enjoyed it. The water and tanker truck was pretty neat. DD was the first one to notice the rainbow and had to have a picture of it.

DS wanted to see Lightning and Mater so we headed over to see them

After much discussion between the kids, it was decided that we would do Muppet Vision 3D next.
On our way back to see Mike & Sully, we were able to catch a meeting with the Power Ranger Red just before all of them jumped back into their car.

Onward to Mike and Sully. There was a toddler in front of us that was absolutely adorable. Ran right up to Sully and clutched onto his leg. He had the biggest smile and laugh. DH managed to call Sully by his correct name this time around.

We then did meet and greet with Buzz and Woody.

Next on the list was Voyage of the Little mermaid. This was the awe moment for DH last year when DD put her hands on each side of her face and her mouth was wide open as Ariel and Eric kissed at the end. Wasn’t the same this year, his little girl is growing up.
We then headed to the animation building where we managed to meet Carl from UP.

Just after we were through the line, Dug came out to replace Carl.
We jumped back in line to meet him.

We then did meet and greet with Mr. Incredible.

Last but not least we got in line to meet Sorcerer Mickey.

As we were finished with our meeting we told DS and DD to give him a hug. DD did, DS said he didn’t want to. No sooner than we stepped away he wanted to. Told him he couldn’t. That started him on the first “meltdown” of our trip. We carried him out of the building.
DD got in line to meet JOJO. DS refused.

We then got in line for Leo and Annie. Leo had to hang onto him for the picture.

Went then went to use our FP’s at TSM, as we were going over the walkway just before the stairs down I notice a FP laying on the floor. Picked it up and it was for Rock n Roller coaster. Since neither DH or I wanted to use it, when we got to the bottom of the stairs I went to hand the FP to a CM and it was the one that gave us the “magic” earlier. He remembered us. I handed him the FP, he happily pocketed it along with the Thank you card that DH handed him. Luckily for us, DS was back to normal when we got off.

We then headed out of the park. It was around 245pm later than we planned and most likely the cause of DS little meltdown.
Both kids fell asleep in the van. When we got back to the site, DH stayed outside talking to neighbors so the kids could snooze a little longer.
I went in and finally got to try out the convection micro for the 1st time Made Pizza and did some French fries in the fry daddy. Woke the kids up and ate. While I cleaned up the dishes, DH tried to fix the shower sprayer with some JB weld, electrical tape, & duct tape. The kids played with the Tonka dump trucks that we brought along. We had little piles of all kinds of stuff around our camper.
We then took a walk to the dock for a look around.
We let the kids play at the playground a bit and then took a stroll around the ranch area,
On our way back, we stopped to talk to Thunder the Clydesdale as he was waiting for his next passengers to arrive for their carriage ride.
We then headed off to MK via our van.
First stop was to grab FPs for Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin. We then headed into Monsters Inc. laugh Floor. DD was picked as Boo during our last trip. The format was not the same this time.
Upon exiting that, DH got in line for Astro Orbitor while I stopped to get another set of FP’s for Buzz.
Next stop was Tomorrowland Transit Authority. Sad not to hear paging Mr. Tom Morrow.
We then headed to Fantasyland to do the Mad Tea Party. Since DH cannot do spins, he went to grab FP’s for Peter Pan’s flight but they were already gone for the day so he grabbed some FP’s for Winnie the Pooh on his way back.
Our next stop was Goofy’s Barnstormer. A fun ride but way to short!
We then decided to go ahead and get the Fairy and Princesses over and done with.
Waited about 25 minutes and got to meet Iridessa, Tink, & Terence.

DS confessed to Tink that he loved her.

We then got in line for the Princesses. After about a 15 minute wait we got to meet Aurora, Cinderella, and Belle.

Wishes was just about over as we exited so we stood and watched the finale.
We then made our way back over to Winnie the Pooh to use our FP’s.
DS wanted to do Tomorrowland Speedway. The kids were excited to get another driver’s license.
Next stop was to use our FP’s for Buzz Lightyear . It was walk on, go figure!
Started heading out of the park.
We got to the tunnel about 3 minutes till Spectro. Both kids were awake and there was a good viewing spot so we stood and watched that.
As soon as it pasted us, we made a fast exit to the Ferry. DS was asleep before we boarded. DD fell asleep as we went across the lake.
Once back at the campsite we carried the kids out of the van and into the MH. DD is a load!
DS had something on the back of his ankle that he kept itching. We took a look at it and could not tell if it was a splinter, bug bite, or something else. Put some Bactracin on it, and left it go till morning.
I was about to jump in the shower when DH said he wanted to put more tape on the broken parts first. I just went to bed. When he was finished said go get a shower I said no I will take one in the morning. He then said sh!t it is almost 1, I said yeah now you know why I wanted my shower when I wanted my shower. He proceeded to take one and his repair did not work.

 

[tlh0726]

Day Four - Sunday
Woke up before the alarm went off. I had to un-tape the shower head so that I could use it like a hose (what I just wanted to do in the first place) before I could take my shower.
Since DH backed the van in to close to the MH the night before (another one of those listen to me moments), I had to move the van to get the stuff out of the stroller to repack it for today.
Woke DH up to help decide which park we were going to. Once that decision was made, it was get the kids up, dressed and out of the MH.
The rain started just as we got to MK. So glad I decided to get the Coleman poncho’s instead of using the Dollar Store ones.
First stop on our agenda was to grab FP’s for BTMR. Grabbed our FP’s and was told that BTMR was closed due to technical difficulties no clue as to when it would be open.
We then jumped into the standby line and rode Splash Mountain. It was raining anyhow what did it matter if we got a little wetter?
We then set off for Fantasyland.
Passed Tiana and Naveen meet and greet and was told by the CM that their line was closed. You could see the disappointment on DD’s face.
We went up the walkway by the castle and rode Snow White’s Scary Adventure standby.

Next was Cinderella’s Golden Carousel.

We still had some time until Tiana and Naveen were due back so I headed to grab FP’s for Peter Pan’s Flight while DH took the kids to meet the Fairy Godmother.

I met back up with them just as they were finishing up with Godmother.
Off we went to stand and wait for Tiana & Naveen. There were quite a few people already waiting in line when we got there. We stuck it out. The look on DD’s face when they finally reappeared was priceless.

We then headed back to see if BTMR was open but it was still not operating.
We then stopped to meet Woody and Jesse.

We then decided to ride the railroad around the park.
Upon our return to Frontierland, BTMR was still not up and running.
We decided to just return to the MH and grab some lunch.
On our way out we stopped to do meet and greet with Pinocchio

And Chip and Dale

DS fell asleep on the way back. DH carried him in and no sooner that he put him in the bunk it started to pour buckets.
DD watched a movie while I made Macaroni & Cheese (DD’s favorite food), Hamburgers, and Hot Dogs.
Woke DS up to eat and then hung out in the MH for a while.
One day soon they will not be this close.

When the rain let up some decided to head back to DHS to try to catch some characters at the animation building. We hit the jackpot.

June and Quincy

Handy Manny

The Penguins

JoJo and Goliath

Mr. and Mrs. Incredible

Russell, Carl, and Dug

Winnie the Pooh

Frozone

Jasmine and Aladdin

Snow Queen

Pocahontas and Meeko

Pinocchio and Geppetto

And Mulan

After leaving the animation building, we headed over to TSM.
Standby was showing a 50 minute wait. Passed on that and did The Great Movie Ride instead.
Exited DHS and headed back to MK.
Decided to Buzz first.
Stopped to grab a set of FP’s for Buzz to use later and asked the CM there about BTMR being open, she went somewhere and came back and said that BTMR just opened.
Did Buzz standby.
We then headed to Peter Pan’s Flight to use the FP’s we got earlier.
Then off to finally ride BTMR.
The Spectromagic parade was just getting to Frontierland as we were exiting. We stood there for a while watching that and then headed back to use the 2nd FP for Buzz.
As we exited Wishes just starting so we stood and watched then hit the bathrooms before leaving which was good because both kids were passed out before we got to the van.

 

[figmentfan1]

I remember my parents doing the rolling switch many times in our conversion van in the 80's. They were quite good at it!

Great trip! Ya'll are character hunters extraordinaire!

Waiting for more...

JE

 

[tlh0726]

I remember my parents doing the rolling switch many times in our conversion van in the 80's. They were quite good at it!

Great trip! Ya'll are character hunters extraordinaire!

Waiting for more...

JE

Thanks!
As for the characters, we are doing it while the kids still have interest. In a few years it will be a totally different ball game. They grow up so fast!!

 

[tlh0726]

Day Five - Monday
Plan was to head to Animal Kingdom for EMH
Left MH at 720 (on time) however DS proceeded to burp or something and threw up on his pants. Luckily nothing on the shirt (whew!!) So we had to turn around and go change him. We arrived in the AK parking lot at 815, not as bad as I feared it was going to be.
DH proceeded to take the kids to Kilamanjaro Safaris to do standby while I ran to get FP’s for Dinosaur.
On the way there, DH stopped to get the kids pictures taken with Flik.

As I headed back to catch up, noticed at the FP area outside of It’s Tough To Be a Bug, special FP’s for Nemo the musical, Festival of the Lion King and Flights of Wonder. You had no choice of what time. It gave you one in the morning and one in the afternoon for 2 different shows. I picked Lion King for the morning, Nemo for the afternoon. I then ran to catch up with DH and the kids.
By the time I got there, he had just parked the stroller at the drop off area. A CM led me to where he was and we caught the next bus loading.
A lot of animals were out this morning.
Two giraffes actually stood in front of the bus in front of us and then us for a good 10 minutes. Those two created quite the morning traffic backup.
Here is one of the culprits in action.

Elephants

DD’s must have flamingos

The lion

Upon exiting we started making our way to Festival of the Lion King.
We passed Lilo and Stitch on our way. Since we had about 10 minutes, I said let’s go back and get them. The line was now much longer and was slow moving so I sent DH back to FLK to save seats.
Upon his arrival at FLK, CM told DH that he needed to wait for everyone in his party before getting in line. DH called me to voice his complaints about us going to the characters instead of staying there to get good seats.
While he was waiting for us to arrive a CM (girl) saw him and remembered him from our last visit. He was back into good humor when the kids and I finally made it to Festival of the Lion King.

It was not a packed showing, but we chose to sit on the top row in the lion section so that the kids could stand up to get a good view.
Upon exiting we decided to hit the characters there.
We went to Thumper and Miss Bunny first. I told Thumper we wanted to see him thumping. Miss Bunny leaned over and kissed him and Thumper’s foot went like crazy.

Safari Mickey

Safari Goofy

Safari Minnie

Safari Donald

Safari Daisy was not due out yet so we then headed over to where we saw Terk.
We had to make a pit stop so my three monkey’s could play a little

We then continued our journey and passed this person. (No clue what she is officially called)

We then met Terk

It was almost time for Safari Daisy to appear so we headed back to Camp Mickey & Minnie. Luck would have it she was out early.

We then headed off to do It’s Tough To Be a Bug
Had to stop the line to get this picture

As we were waiting to enter the show

The tree of life as we exited

Started to make our way over to where King Louie and Baloo were to be appearing and the Flights of Wonder was just about to begin. So in we went catch this showing.
We then got Baloo and King Louie. Baloo signed our autograph card for King Louie.

Next stop was to catch the Widlife express train to Rafiki’s Planet Watch.
Caught Rafiki just as he came out.

Jiminy Cricket was not due out for a little while so we went to the Affection Station to pet the animals. DD had to announce very loudly every time one of them went to the bathroom.
We then cleaned up and decided to pass the time in the shade (only area in the shade with a seat was in the smoking area) with a Mickey ice cream bar for DD and strawberry popcicles for DH and DS.
We then headed back in the building to see Jiminy.

When we exited, dark clouds were everywhere. We rushed back to the little station and just caught that train back
It started to sprinkle rain just as we pulled into the other station area.
I ran to the stroller, popped open the umbrella and grabbed all the rain coats.
The Jungle Parade was just about to begin so we grabbed a spot to watch. DS fell asleep.
We started making our way over to DinoLand, as we passed the Maharajah Jungle Trek we decided to go ahead and do this now so DS could sleep longer.

As we were exiting it started to pour like crazy.
We stood squished in together at one of the little sales stands.
As the rain let up we continued with our journey over to DinoLand.

We grabbed some kid meals to eat at Restaurantosaurus. The rain had stopped so we actually were able to get a table inside.
We then rode Tricera Top Spin twice. During our 1st ride it started to sprinkle rain again. Started to get steady during our 2nd time. Thinking that it may start pouring again we went ahead and went to Dinosaur to use our FP’s. The ride was basically walk-on. Kids were scared, but we all got on 2nd time and both covered their eyes peeking through their fingers the entire time.
It was then close to closing time and we headed out of the park.
As we were walking back to the van we made the decision to call it a day and just go back to the MH.
DH gave the kids showers while I headed to the comfort station to do laundry.
Someone had sneakers in the dryer with a chair tilted back against the door. Their plan didn’t work. I stuck around and kept pushing the door shut and restarting it until it ran out of time.