Our Trip of Firsts, Dec 4-11, 2005 (with photos)

[kimwim8]

Cast:

Me (Kim) – age 31.9999 (at the start of the trip). Planner and DIS researcher for the group.
DH (Jay) – age 37. DVC expert of the family, and likes to ask questions (which lead to more time for me on the DIS!)
DD (Emilie) – age 6.5. Princess of the family, finally over 40” and ready to hit the RIDES!! (4th trip to WDW)
DS (Jacob) – age 4. Mr. Disney World. Remembers bits and pieces from each previous trip, but is TOTALLY prepared for this trip, thanks to Erin, Dave, Luke and Stacy from the planning DVD (which he watched no less than 50 times in the 6 months or so we’ve had it)!! (3rd trip to WDW)
DFIL – (age 66). Loves, loves, loves WDW!! Likes to wander off, and ALWAYS sees people he knows from home!!
DMIL – (I won’t tell her age!) Always enjoys WDW, and was a HUGE help with the kids!

**Before I begin, allow me to explain the title of my trip report. Even though every member of the family listed above has been to WDW many, many times, each and every one of us experienced something for the first time on this trip. We have SO many wonderful memories from this trip. This was one of those trips that makes me continue to long for WDW every day. (Unfortunately, I have had trips before that did not make me feel that way due to many factors, none of which were within Disney’s control ).

I’ll keep the whole report on the one thread, since I find them easier to read that way.

 

[THE HAT]

can't wait for the report and pics...looking fwd to it!!

 

[Minniespal]

Can't wait to read more.

 

[dismom9761]

Patiently waiting for more.

 

[kimwim8]

DAY 1 - Sunday, December 4, 2005 – Who knew MCO was THAT big?!?
We woke up around 4:15am – rolled out of bed, barely had to set foot in the kids’ rooms and they were UP (and with smiles…which is EXTREMELY RARE, especially for DD!). We all got dressed, and the kids sat excitedly (is that a word?) while DH and I finished loading the van with the last minute luggage.

**sidenote…In an effort to be the most prepared I could possibly be, I backed the van up to the garage door the night before. So that we could walk from the house, through the garage, and into the car (since it was December in NJ…not exactly warm!).And really, why waste those precious seconds that we could be on our way to the airport, by spending the time backing out of the driveway….when we could pull forward out of the driveway and save 4-5 seconds?? This information will be useful at the end of the trip report, if you make it that far!!

All packed and buckled in, we get on our way. We picked up the IL’s and made it to the airport within 30 minutes. There was a very short check-in line, and made our way to our gate. Everything is going great. We eat the breakfast we packed, hit the potty – and we’re ready to board. Our flight is scheduled to take off at 7:10am, and according to the monitors posted all around the airport, it’s ON TIME!! We boarded, and settled in, taxi’d…but OH NO!! What did the pilot just say??? DE-ICE??? Sheesh, not sounding good. Well, the process of de-icing only took maybe 15 minutes, but unfortunately we weren’t the first plane in line for the de-icers. Thank goodness for the early flight time, and the dimetap I gave the kids for their ears, b/c they slept through the delay. The plane took off about 8:10, and we arrived at MCO at 10:15 (only ½ hour late).

OK, so I read just about EVERY thread on DME on the DIS. I knew that we had to go to terminal A, level 1 to check in at the DME desk. So after we get off the plane, I say to the group…..”Follow me, I knew exactly how to get to DME”. Famous last words. We hopped on the first little monorail we could find, and we get off on the other end. We proceed to level 1…..and there’s no big Mickey hands to show us the way. Hmmmmmmmmmm. What in the world??? So one of the group asks an airport employee, and they explain to us that DME is in terminal A. Well, of course it is!! I knew that!! Didn’t the monorail take us to terminal A??? Um, nope, we were still in terminal B. So we took a stroll on over to terminal A, went down to level 1, and eventually found it. There was a separate check-in line for those people with Pop Warner, which I thought was pretty cool. We went in the other line (just clearing that up) and we were checked in and in line for our bus by 10:50. There was some disappointment with the DME service, but only for me. I knew what the DME busses looked like, and that there was a video on board for us to watch to get us more excited about going to WDW (as if that were possible). Well, I guess there were a lot of people using DME for Pop Warner, because we were loaded on to a MEARS bus, with a teeny tiny little DME sign in the front window. No seats with little stars on them, no tv’s with the WDW promotional video. Just MEARS. Oh well, at least it was free, right? Once we arrived at Saratoga Springs, I was ok!!

**Another sidenote…Our first taste of the Disney Love the kids shared – As we were exiting the monorail in MCO, DS says to DD “OK, Em, now it’s YOUR turn to pick a ride!!!” (The kids were repeatedly told that we would try to see everything they wanted at WDW, and that we would be taking turns on picking rides) Gotta love that kid. He made us all smile!!

That was, until we walked in the door to check in at SSR. HOLY COW, what a line!! Fortunately it was the longest line we’d stand in all week!! I’d say it took close to an hour in line to check in. Our rooms weren’t ready (2 studios), so we went into the restrooms to change, dropped our carryon luggage with Bell Services, and we headed out to find a bus stop.

Let me just tell you, for those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of staying at SSR yet, it is one BIG resort!!! Lots and lots of walking! Don’t get me wrong, everything is beautiful, and once you learn the lay of the land, it’s pretty easy to get places – just a long walk, especially for the kiddies (or for mom & dad when the kiddies fall asleep on the bus at night)!!

Anyway, we are on a bus, and headed for MK!!! Woooo hooooo. It’s the only park we can start our trips with. Gotta make that trip down Main Street USA!!

Our first stop was to buy AP’s for the 4 of us. The IL’s had purchased theirs over the summer on their last WDW trip. So once we have our AP’s we head on in.
We went to ride Buzz first, but it wasn’t working, so we FP’d Pooh and headed for Philharmagic. (last year, both kids LOVED it). Poor Jake, he came out of Philarmagic shaking like a leaf. He was so scared!!! He said he never, ever wanted to do that show again!! We headed over to It’s a Small World since the wait time was short. The line was moving along, and then stopped. It was several minutes and we hadn’t moved. Then I see cameras flashing. Oooooooh, there must be a celebrity around!! FINALLY I can jump on one of the Celebrity Sighting threads on the DIS!!! So I look around, and OMG, it’s Kelly Ripa!!! I actually recognized her husband Mark Consuelos first. It was the 2 of them, with their 3 kids, and a few other adults. They were standing on the dock where we would normally exit the boats. Mark was playing around with the kids, and Kelly was chatting it up with a CM. She is the tiniest woman I have ever seen!! It did back up the line a little, but for me (a celebrity entertainment junkie) I loved every minute of it! The CMs left a few empty boats in front of them, and a few behind. DH asked me why I wasn’t taking pictures of Kelly. I said, “she needs her privacy, just like everyone else.” I’m sure Kelly realized that I did not take any pictures, it was all the other crazies around me!

After the excitement, we were ready to eat. Where else is there, besides Cosmic Ray’s??? We love that place. Gotta hit it at least once per trip. And hey, Sonny Eclipse is back!! The kids really enjoyed him, and we all enjoyed our first meal in about 8 hours.

Buzz was up and running again, so we enjoyed that, then went to Pooh, and then Pooh’s playground. That was a LOT of fun for the kids. I think that was a GREAT use of space!! We then went over to Frontierland to go on BTMRR. This would be Em’s first time, and she was SO excited. Jake had been looking forward to it, b/c Luke on the planning DVD said it was part of the triple mountain trifecta, and Jake wanted to do whatever Luke told him!! Well, unfortunately, Jake JUST MISSED the 40 inch height requirement. The poor kid, bless his little heart, even tried to stand on his toes (and, NO, we did not tell him to do that!). He wanted to ride SO bad. Em loves the rides, but is VERY nervous and unsure about them for a while before. Jake would hop on anything & love every minute of it, but unfortunately he’s a little peanut. DMIL took Jake on the railroad while we rode BTMRR, so he was ok. Em LOVED BTMRR and she wanted to ride again, of course. But it was 5:50, and the park was closing at 6pm since it was a MVMCP night. We RAN over to the Magic Carpets, and rode that one last ride for the day. Then we made our way out of the MK, along with the masses of people that were not attending the party.

All in all, a very productive day in MK, for a short time. Wait times were posted between 15 minutes and 120 minutes (for Pooh….who would actually wait 2 hours???). BTMRR was posted 30 minutes, but was actually only 15. SSR, here we come.

Well, I had called SSR around 4pm to get our room assignments. I wrote down our room numbers, and asked which bus stop we should get off. The CM I spoke to didn’t really know. She put me on hold several times, and then came back & gave me 2 street names that she thought we were in between. OK, thanks - I wrote them down & felt good with boarding the SSR bus. Little did I know, the bus stops were not named according to the street names. So we had no idea where to go. We ended up getting off the bus, and wandered around SSR for a good 20 minutes, before we found a CM on a golf cart that steered us in the right direction. Thank goodness our luggage was there. We all unpacked, and MIL came to stay with the kids while DH and I made the trek to the resort grocery store & counter service restaurant. We got a flatbread pizza and some goodies for our breakfasts in the room. We ate, and went to sleep. Dreaming Disney dreams…..

To recap the firsts that happened today:

1. Our first time as AP holders! (4 of us)
2. Emilie’s first ride on BTMRR
3. Our first stay at SSR (all 6 of us)

 

[kimwim8]

DAY 2 – Monday, December 5, 2005 – The first meltdown…

We had ADRs for Crystal Palace (another first) at 8:10am, which meant waking up early again. We were all excited about getting into the MK with only a few select others (which actually turned out to be more than I thought!!). So we did a few pictures while we waited for our turn.

Breakfast was AWESOME, and the kids had a great time. Our server was Lorraine (from the UK) and she couldn’t have been nicer. DS loved the parade they had around the restaurant (DD is a little more reserved).

After breakfast, the plan was to go to EPCOT, but we ran over to Fantasyland, since the park was just opening. We went on Peter Pan (waited about 2 minutes) and then figured we’d better head out, since we had plenty more time scheduled at MK, but only the one day scheduled at EPCOT.

We headed up the ramp to the monorail headed for the TTC. There was room for 2 up front, so DH & DS went (again, a first). Then we switched monorails at the TTC, and the ramp was PACKED with people. I figured it was a longshot, but I asked, and all 4 of us were able to get in front!! What an awesome experience!! And of course, a few pics…

Once we arrived in EPCOT, DH ran ahead & got us all FP’s for Soarin, while me, the kids and the IL’s went to get a stroller. We met up with DH at The Living Seas to see Turtle Talk with Crush (um, first). We waited around 40 minutes for Crush, but it was SOOO worth it!! We all loved it, and the kids continued to talk “turtle” for the rest of the day. We then went on Journey into Imagination (DS, again was a little shaky after this one) and played briefly in the lab. We had our customary Mickey ears ice cream, and then headed over to The Land for Soarin. DD kind of freaked out because she was afraid of the unknown. We knew this would happen ahead of time, and didn't want to be perceived as those pushy parents who force their kids on rides...so we tried to explain to her that she could cover her eyes. She tried it, but still wasn't happy - until after the ride. She LOVED it! Then we tried to explain to her (for the millionth time) that she needed to trust us, and that we wouldn't put her on anything that would cause her harm or really scare her. She said she trusts us, and we moved on. We did the child swap b/c poor DS just missed the cutoff, so DD, DH and I were able to ride twice. The first time we were in the second row, and it was awesome. The second time we were in the center section, front row and it was AMAZING!!!

After Soarin the IL’s went to get lunch on the Boardwalk & rest and the 4 of us went to Innoventions West for the Disney Visa Meet & Greet. We had 4 – 5 minutes with Goofy and Minnie and got some good pictures.

We also played “Where’s the Fire” in Innoventions and the kids played on some computers. Afterwards, we went on Ellen’s Energy Adventure and Spaceship Earth before heading over to the World Showcase.

We didn’t go into too many countries at the World Showcase, but we did spend some quality time with Tigger and Pooh while waiting for Father Christmas in the UK.

We ate dinner in America, and watched a little of the Candlelight Processional (from across the walkway) while waiting for the IL’s to meet up with us. We went to see Santa & Mrs. Claus, and then finished walking around the World Showcase fairly quickly. We did go on the Malstrom and the boat ride in Mexico. We found a spot for Illuminations, but ended up leaving at 8:45 because the kids were getting tired, and weren’t interested in watching the fireworks (and we adults figured we’d beat the rush out of the park).

So we walk to the bus stop. It’s a combo pickup spot for SSR and another resort, I think OKW?? Well, 2 or 3 buses showed up for the other resort, and NONE for SSR. We ended up watching Illuminations from the bus stop, and then (as if magic) an SSR bus appeared!! We don’t know if they intentionally held the buses back for after Illuminations, but there was more than a bus full of people waiting in line BEFORE Illuminations even went off. That poor bus driver that did stop for us got an earful.

To recap the firsts that happened today:

4. Crystal Palace
5. Getting in to MK before opening
6. Riding in the front of the monorail
7. Soarin
8. Turtle Talk with Crush
9. Private time with characters (meet & greet)

 

[kimwim8]

DAY 3 – Tuesday, December 6, 2005 – How much for batteries???

We all slept in a little, and then took the bus to MK, in order to hop on the monorail line and check out some holiday decorations at a few resorts. We first stopped at the Contemporary, and then the Grand Floridian, where we bought our MVMCP tickets for later that night. The Gingerbread house was incredible!!

I didn’t bring the video camera, since I knew we were stopping back at SSR before MVMCP, and of course my extra batteries for the digital camera were in the video camera bag. So I stopped in the little gift shop at the Grand Floridian to get AA batteries. I had no choice, but to buy them because we had a lunch ADR at Whispering Canyon Café, and we’ve never been to the Wilderness Lodge before, so I wanted to take pictures. Who knew that a 4 pack of AA’s could cost $15?!?!?! Lesson learned.

From the GF, we rode the monorail back to MK, and then took the boat to WL. We walked around in awe!! We went to see the Villas (our DVC home, which we have yet to stay at).

We had a great lunch at WCC, and our server was awesome. DD and DS joined in on the pony races and animal noises. FIL asked for a refill on his lemonade, and….

The only downside to that was, now it was a challenge for him to finish it. He met that challenge, but spent the rest of the day on a tour of WDW bathrooms! Hahaha

We stayed to watch the geyser, and met a family of ducks swimming in the pool (it was too chilly for anyone else to enjoy the water). I believe the one duck was asking for Vettechick99, but I could be wrong. My English-to-duck translation isn’t so great!

We took the boat back to MK and hopped on the bus back to SSR. DH and DS napped while DD and I read a book to relax. We got dressed and headed out to the bus around 5. We entered MK around 5:30 and got a free double stroller. We ate dinner at Pecos Bills (good food, as always). We were corralled in Liberty Square, where DS decided his belly wasn’t doing too well. After about 45 minutes of in and out of the bathroom, we went to the Baby Center near Crystal Palace and got DS some Childrens Mylanta. Holy cow, does that stuff work wonders. My boy was raring to go in a matter of minutes. Yippee, problem solved.

We went to see Mickey’s Night Before Christmas Show, which we all agreed was GREAT!! (for those going next year, don’t be intimidated by the long line waiting to get in, a LOT of people fit into the theatre. We just happened by the Castle Forecourt show, and liked that too. We then walked over to the dance party in Fantasyland – it was total CHAOS!! Too many kids vying for the characters attention, so we didn’t stay there.

We went over to the bridge between Main Street and Tomorrowland to watch the fireworks (a GREAT spot)!! The kids got to see Tinkerbell, and we all loved the fireworks. From there we headed to Frontierland to get a spot for the 2nd parade. I had called Dan Murphy earlier, and he said he’d be in Frontierland, so I ended up finding him. It was my first ever DIS meet!! Dan was sooo nice, and I also got to meet Always Quiet and PoohBear123. What a great experience to actually see some other people face to face, that love Disney (and the DIS) as much as I do.

After the parade, the IL’s decided to call it a night, and the 4 of us remaining went to get our picture taken in Tomorrowland. The kids wanted to ride Peter Pan again, and we were also able to squeeze in Snow White’s ride before the night came to an end.

DH and I couldn’t believe the kids actually hung in there!! What a MAGICAL night!

Here are some pics of the sweatshirts we all wore, designed by Julia & Nick’s Mom! (thank you!!)

To recap the firsts that happened today:

10. walking around resorts (never really spent much time at all at the resorts, even the ones we’ve stayed at)
11. Paid $15 for batteries (ok, ok, I’m over it!)
12. Whispering Canyon Café
13. MVMCP
14. DIS meet

 

[kimwim8]

DAY 4 – Wednesday, December 7, 2005 - Where’d you go for those hot dogs??

We slept in again and headed out to the Animal Kingdom around 10:30. We didn’t plan a lot of time at AK for that day, but we wanted to hit a few key things.

DH ran to get us all Safari FP’s and we went to Tarzan Rocks (for one last time – I will miss this one, as will DS, who continues to ask when we can go see Tarzan Rocks again. I don’t have the heart to tell him…). We went on Triceratops Spin and then the Safari. Our Safari guide (I’m pretty sure) must’ve been sick and lost her voice. It was almost hard to listen to her as we went on our safari. The poor girl must’ve struggled later in the day, with all that talking. We had lunch at Pizzafari and then saw the Pocahantas show (first for us) and the Lion King.

We left AK and went to SSR to change into warmer clothes, and then headed out to MK. We found a spot on Main Street to sit for Spectro (which was about an hour away), and DH went to get us some hot dogs at Caseys. It literally took him 45 minutes to get a few hot dogs, some fries, and some sodas. Normally this wouldn’t be such a big deal, but DD and DS didn’t understand the concept of needing to sit in our spots waiting for a parade that wasn’t even close to starting. FIL wandered away, as he liked to do from time to time. Thank goodness for MIL who was able to help me with the numerous potty trips the kids needed to take.

Well, DH finally made it back with the hot dogs, and of course, they tasted GREAT!! Spectro was AWESOME. It was a first for me and the kids. Unbelievable. I tried to take pics, but they don’t do it justice. I wish I would have just watched instead.

The IL’s took the kids back to SSR while DH and I stayed for EMH (a little early birthday present for me). We enjoyed Wishes, which we had never seen before, and then hit the rides. All in all, I don’t know if we’d do EMH at MK again. We were able to get in a lot of things, considering the big crowds. Thank goodness it was only the 2 of us. If the kids were still there, we wouldn’t have stayed very long.

We went on the following (using some fastpasses): Splash Mountain (testing for DD’s first ride), BTMRR in the rain (pretty cool), Haunted Mansion (decided against taking DS on this later in the trip), Space Mountain, and Stich’s Great Escape (to test for the kids – we voted NO!! that ride/show isn’t very good at all. We thought it was pretty boring). We did a little shopping on Main Street, and then headed back to SSR.

To recap the firsts that happened today:

15. Pocahantas show
16. Spectromagic
17. Evening EMH
18. Stitch’s Great Escape (first and last)

 

[kimwim8]

DAY 5 – Thursday, December 8th – It’s my birthday, and it can rain if it wants to…

Well, unfortunately, Mother Nature thought it would be funny if it rained on my birthday. We didn’t laugh so much. BUT, we also didn’t let it get us down!! We had planned MGM for this day, so it worked out pretty well, since the majority of things to do there are under cover or inside.

Now, I’m not normally a person that likes attention – and on this trip I was at an all-time weight high (hence the reason there aren’t too many pics of me on this lovely little trip report ). But I decided, hey, it’s my 32nd birthday, and I don’t know how many birthdays I’ll actually spend in WDW, so I’m making a shirt for myself (with help from Julia and Nick’s Mom). Unfortunately, the rain poncho kind of hindered anyone’s view of it, but the few times we were able to take the poncho off, I got a LOT of happy birthdays!! So, it was pretty darn cool.

The IL’s decided to take it easy today, so DH, DD, DS and I slept in a little and then headed to the bus stop around 11.

**sidenote – this is SO not our way of doing WDW. We are usually at the parks at EMH or at the latest, opening. This trip was a little more laid back, since we had 7 days in the parks…so we had the luxury of sleeping in a little & not dealing with the frantic morning rush we are so accustomed to.

We hit a lot of rides/attractions in the short amount of time we were there. Namely:

The Great Movie Ride (we sat in the very front row & had a GREAT CM. She pointed out a couple hidden mickeys, and shared some interesting WDW facts). – Like did you know that the plane they show in the Casablanca scene is the front ½ of the plane…and the back ½ of the plane is on the Jungle Cruise in MK?? (it is…we checked! )

Playhouse Disney

The Magic of Disney Animation (and saw Chicken Little afterwards)

Lunch at Backlot Express

Sounds Dangerous (and jumpy, shaky DS LOVED this!! Go figure)

Muppets 3D

Lights Motors Action (the ground was a little wet, though the rain had stopped – which made the show even more thrilling for us – we kind of expected the cars to be slipping & sliding all over the place)!

Backlot Tour (gotta say it’s not so great anymore…lots to see of Lights Motors Action, but not too much else)

We headed back to SSR around 5 to get dried off, and relax a little before dinner. The kids wanted to go to the Rain Forest Café for my birthday dinner, and that sounded good to me. We stopped by the IL’s room to “pick them up” and we went to the bus stop for DTD. There was over an hour wait for RFC, but we put our names in, and wandered around for a little while. By the time we were seated for dinner, it was close to 8pm. DD made sure as soon as a server came to the table she told her that it was her mommy’s birthday!!! We ordered, and started eating, and DS said he was tired. He leaned over & laid his head in my lap & passed out cold. (one of the things I love about that kid, he’s tired – he sleeps!!) He missed out on his dinner, and when the servers brought out a volcano for us to share, while singing their happy birthday song. I was a tad embarrassed, but DD was sooooo excited. What a great birthday it turned out to be.


To recap the firsts that happened today:

19. wearing a shirt that advertised my birthday
20. Seeing Chicken Little (ok, that might be a stretch)
21. Backlot Express (not bad at all)
22. Lights Motors Action
23. being sung to at RFC on my birthday

 

[fizz13]

I am LOVING this report. Your kids are gorgeous, the shirts are fantastic, happy birthday, really feeling for DS being vertically challenged ( I have kids the same age and DS couldn't get on BTMR in january when DD could), great planning!

Phew, think I'm done Great report, will be looking out for more,
Claire xx

 

[kimwim8]

Thanks Claire!! I'm having technical difficulties with my picture site, otherwise I'd already have the rest of my report posted. grrrrrrrrr

I'm glad you enjoyed it!

 

[Blueeyes101817]

I LOVE IT KIM!!!

keep on writing!

 

[kimwim8]

DAY 6 – Friday, December 9th – Now that’s one BIG Buzz!!

We checked out of SSR, since we are those “cheap” DVC owners who prefer not to waste our points on the weekends (weekend days cost more points). We arranged with Bell Services to transfer our luggage to the All Star Movies Resort, and we headed on to Animal Kingdom around 9:30am.

Our first stop was Conservation Station/Rafiki’s Planet Watch (since we’ve never been there before). We had fun roaming around with the kids and they were able to get close to some interesting animals/bugs/whatever they were. We also saw Stanley and Rafiki, so that was cool. Em wasn’t interested in petting any animals (mostly goats) so she and I hit the gift shop while DH and Jake got up close and personal with some goats. I was very excited to find some butterfly items in their gift shop, since I LOVE butterflies and can’t seem to find too much butterfly stuff at home. I got a couple things, and I REALLY wanted to get a beautiful butterfly stepping stone for our flower bed, but I didn’t want to carry that heavy thing around, and figured that might set us over the edge for our luggage weight going home…so I resisted.

We took the train back and walked the trail through Asia (sorry don’t remember the name) and I was able to get (what I consider, for me) a great picture of one of the tigers.

Anyone that knows me, knows that I have NO sense of direction. BUT, we were walking somewhere in AK after the trail through Asia, and I see a CM just kind of standing there doing nothing. I have no idea why I thought to do it, but I got my camera out & kind of just lurked for a couple minutes. Of course my family thought I was nuts, but…guess who I saw…

It’s Devine!!!

We were walking and were getting close to Expedition Everest and I thought I saw people riding it!! DH and took off running to the CM standing near EE’s entrance (the IL’s were pushing the kids in the stroller, so don’t worry about them!!) I said – “Are you having an AP or DVC preview of EE?? Because, we’re both, you know! “She said (as nice as she possible could) “um, no – those are sandbags.”. Now, I know that woman must’ve had a hard time refraining from laughing in my face. Sheesh, what an idiot I am!! And as if I weren’t embarrassed enough, DH reminded me constantly of that momentary lapse of vision I had.

We headed over to the Boardwalk to check out the holiday decorations and have a quick bite to eat. We had hot dogs & French fries from a vendor on the boardwalk, and then had some ice cream. Holy cow, that stuff is good!

We hopped on the boat to MGM (and it started raining, out come the ponchos again!). DH got FP’s for RnRC, and we all went to see the Beauty & the Beast show. We all just love that show. The IL’s took the kids in some stores while DH and I went on RnRc. That ride is just so awesome. We met up with the IL’s in time to see the parade. We were about 3 people deep from the parade, but we were able to see the floats. We made our way over to Hollywood & Vine for our Fantasmic Dinner (package). We have never eaten here before, and it was REALLY good! The kids loved their selections, and we adults stuffed ourselves silly. We walked around and browsed in some stores for a little bit, and then made our way to the Fantasmic Theater. It was still drizziling (sp?) and we kept hearing the announcement that there may be a delay b/c of the weather, but the show went on & we loved it (another first for us).

We headed out to the bus stop for ASMo, and saw a HUGE line heading into MGM (Pop Warners). Holy cow, that was a HUGE line!! The bus wait wasn’t too bad, and we checked in without a hitch.

**little sidenote – We’ve never stayed at a Value Resort before. I wouldn’t call us Resort snobs, but we always felt the jump in price to a Moderate wasn’t too bad, so we usually went Moderate (before we bought DVC, and haven’t stayed anywhere non-DVC since). We were all a little concerned about moving from SSR to ASMo, but we were so pleased!! The resort was immaculate and the room appeared to be the same size as the SSR studio we were staying in. We were also able to get adjoining rooms with IL’s, so that was convenient.

**another sidenote – DS has LOVED Toy Story, and especially Buzz Lightyear since he was 2. Thankfully ASMo was able to honor my request to stay in the Buzz building. Even though it was still a little rainy, we took him outside to the courtyard to see the HUGE Woody and Buzz statues. He had the biggest smile I’ve ever seen on him!

To recap the firsts that happened today:

24. Conservation Station/Rafiki’s Planet Watch
25. seeing Devine
26. Fantasmic Dinner Package
27. Eating at Hollywood & Vine
28. Fantasmic
29. staying at All Star Movies (or any Value Resort)

 

[kimwim8]

DAY 7 – Saturday, December 10th – OH NO, it’s our last day!!

We went to MK at 9am and saw some of the opening ceremony as we got there. DS had been asking to ride Dumbo, and it was always around a 30 minute wait, so we had already decided to hit that ride first. After that, we rode Snow White, Peter Pan, IASW and Pooh.

We went over to Toon Town for their opening at 10am, and Eeyore grabbed DS’s hand and went for a little walk with him!!

We rode the Barnstormer (Goofy rode in the “airplane” before ours), and then saw Minnie, Pluto and Goofy in the tent. We went to see Mickey in his tent, since we had yet to get a picture of us with the big Mouse.

**small sidenote – DS is a toucher. He’s a lover and a touchy-feely kind of kid who likes to snuggle and be close to the people he cares about.

So, when we got home, and checked out the pictures with Mickey, we noticed that Jake’s love of being close had a whole new meaning with Mickey. (I am SO sorry, Mickey!!)

And yes, all the Photopass pictures are the same.

We rode Buzz, TTA and CoP and DH grabbed FP’s for the Jungle Cruise while the rest of us made our way to Cosmic Ray’s (didn’t I mention that we love that place??) After lunch we grabbed a FP for Splash Mountain and then rode the Jungle Cruise. DD was in the front of the boat near the CM (Mark). He was hysterical. And DD loved the attention she got from him. We got in line for PoC (all 6 of us) but by the time we were rounding the corner to get on the boat, there were only 2 left in line – DH & FIL. Haha MIL had jumped out of line to take DS to the potty, and then I had to sneak out of line with DD for the same reason. Too funny!!

We headed over to Splash Mountain (MIL stayed with DS) and then got FP’s for BTMRR. We went to see the Hall of Presidents and then the Tiki Room (hadn’t seen the newer version).

For some reason, as we’re walking to our next attraction, DH put his hand in his pocket & realized his cell phone was gone!! Now, he hasn’t had a cell phone in years, and I kind of forced him to get one so that we could communicate at WDW, and in the other occasions at home when we are in different spots. So, he’s not used to carrying one. We were in full blown panic. We went to ask at several of the MANY attractions we had seen already & (per a CM’s instruction) went to Guest Relations at the front of the park to report it missing. This totally ruined DH’s mood, but he was a sport, and we got back to the rides/attractions since it was our last day.

DH, DD and FIL went on BTMRR while MIL and I took DS to see the Country Bears Christmas show again (he loved the New Years Bear in his diaper. For some reason he got such a kick out of that!). We all went to see Cinderellabration, and the IL’s headed for the Boardwalk for FIL to get one more dish of ESPN’s Chili, which he loves. The 4 of us remaining went on PoC (all of us made it this time ), and then checked the Tiki Room as we were walking by it again – and don’t you know they HAD the cell phone!!! Woo hoo!! Disney Magic at it’s best!! I told the CM I loved him, and he looked at me a little strange, but he had no idea how much stress he saved us!!

We saw Jasmine outside of the Magic Carpet ride (DD’s all-time favorite character) and got some pics with her.

On our way out of MK we saw Meeko & Rafiki together at the entrance/exit of Adventureland, and then got a bucket of the popcorn that I had wanted so bad all week, but never seemed to get.

We took a bus to SSR, and then another bus to DTD. The kids had McDonalds, but I wanted Earl of Sandwich (I’ve never had it, and I am a BIG sammich girl). Em had been wanting a hair wrap all week, and I made her wait til the last day to make sure she didn’t want to spend her money on something else instead. Well, she saved her money for it, and we put our name on the list and then walked around a little before it was her turn). She got her wrap, and in the meantime, DS fell asleep on DH. Here is my proud DD with her new hair wrap. (if you look closely, you’ll note the glassy eyes. She ended up crying because I wouldn’t let her buy an extra wrap that you can clip into your hair. I’m so mean, I thought that one wrap for $25 was enough). She got over it, and then I took this picture:

We did a little shopping, and it got pretty late. DS was extremely cranky b/c he couldn’t lay down & go to sleep comfortably. So, unfortunately, I didn’t get my sammich. We got back to ASMo around 11pm. As we unlocked the door, I noticed the TV was on, and for some reason this upset me, like I did something wrong if I left it on all day. BUT, those awesome Mousekeepers at WDW actually set up the kids stuffed Mickey’s holding the remote control in front of the TV. OMG, it was so cute…

It’s too bad the kids were both out cold, and missed it. That’s the main reason I took the picture. That, and that I needed to show you guys!

DH and I were starving, so he ran to the food court & was able to get us a pizza.

I also turned on the WDW Resort channel while DS was sleeping, and took a picture of Stacy. One thing I forgot to mention earlier was that as of our first day, Jacob fell in LOVE with Stacy. He walked around all week telling anyone that would listen about his girlfriend, Stacy. He still talks about her!!

To recap the firsts that happened today:

30. Saw opening of Toon Town Fair
31. Character took a walk with DS
32. saw the “new” Tiki Room
33. lost something at WDW
34. hair wrap
35. Earl of Sandwich – OH WAIT, still haven’t done that one!

 

[kimwim8]

THE LAST DAY

We woke up on Day 8, December 11th and were picked up by DME around 7:30am. I’m happy to say it was a REAL DME bus, and a great end to our trip.

At our home airport, we found our car, loaded it up, dropped off the IL’s and the headed home. As we pulled into the driveway (around 1:30 or 2pm), our neighbor came over. We’re not all that close with our neighbor, so we figured something was wrong.

Now, if you’ve been with my trip report from the beginning, you’ll remember my brilliant idea to back the van up to the garage to save us some time the morning we left. Well….my brilliant idea wasn’t so brilliant. In doing so, as we pulled out of the driveway, we never SHUT the garage door!!! My neighbor realized after a full 24 hours, that we weren’t coming home anytime soon, and she called the police. They were able to shut the door somehow, after making sure the rest of the house was still locked & secure.

Unbelievable.

So anyway. It was a GREAT TRIP!! The kids were so “into it”. DD was constantly asking “is that real?”, and my reaction was always “Everything in WDW is real!.” They were a lot of fun, and we can’t wait to go back!!

Thanks for reading, if you’ve done so. I know I personally love to read trip reports. I know that I am no where near the writer that some others are…but I had a great time writing this, and will look back on it later with my family and re-live the trip.

 

[Blueeyes101817]

i loved reading this Kim--it sounded like you had an AMAZING trip and the kids had a ball--i love the pictures!

 

[Grammyof2]

This was a great report. Glad you had a great time. We were suppossed to go from the 12/4 to 12/14 but my DH had a stroke just before Thanksgiving and we had to cancel. He is doing fine and we rescheduled for 12/2006. I have loved reading the reports from everyone that enjoyed December trips. Really wishing we could have made that December trip, but we will be there soon enough. Sounds like your kids had a great time. Your daughter looks beautiful with her hair wrap.

 

[BabySimba]

Thanks so much for sharing.What bad luck about the grage door huh?Anyway it seemed like a great trip and I loved reading it.

 

[MImom]

Thanks for the report.
The pic of your kids and Mickey cracked me up and reminds me of some of the past pics of my kids and the characters. When they are small, some personal things are at eye (or hand) level.
Great report.

 

[Starrin]

Thank you for sharing your great experience.

The pictures are great and the expression of your son looking up at what I believe is either Woody or Buzz is just classic.