Photo Trip Report: My 6 and 4 year-old park commandos -- How we conquered the World!

[jake&samsmom]

I almost forgot, the boys ripped their respective umbrellas by playing lightsaber duels vs. each other after the Indiana Jones show

I told them, I would never give them their own umbrellas again, ever!

Of course, they now have new umbrellas for the upcoming Texas rainy season, purchased by myself two Sundays ago

Coming Soon: Our Fantasmic Evening

 

[rainwatter]

I am loving your TR!! Your boys are super cute, and it looks like you had a blast.

 

[jake&samsmom]

I am loving your TR!! Your boys are super cute, and it looks like you had a blast.

Thanks for reading along

 

[jake&samsmom]

I told you I'm a big fan of Ariel. And since we had end-zone seats earlier in the morning, this time I was going to make sure we would be in the front row and center

We arrive at VOTLM early, and we are first in line. Here are the boys in the pre-show area:

Can you spot the difference between the picture above versus the picture below?

So, we DO get the front row/center seats. And it was as awesome as our first viewing. It took a lot of self-discipline on my part not to sing out loud with the actors onstage!

Spoiler: Because we were seated so close to to the stage, I could make out the puppeteers clad in all-black who were manipulating the neon fishes in the "Under the sea" song number! Very clever! I was wondering how they did that!?

After the show, we take the loooong walk to the Fantasmic Ampitheater. I hear two boys whining about how their legs are tired, their feet hurt, they need to go to sit down.....Of course, those boys turned out to be mine

I make a comment that "this is why you won't come back for another trip here" (liar)

When we get to the theater, the Mickey section is almost completely full, but we manage to get prime seats in this coveted section anyway, about 14 rows from the front.

Here's the view from our seats:

I call DH on the cell phone to tell him where we were, and he comes to us with a bag full of RnR Coaster souvies! Caps, pins, etc. He said RnR was his new favorite coaster because of how smooth the ride was. He didn't have a fastpass, but rode via the single rider line. He missed out on TOT though, but he didn't seem that interested to go on it.

While waiting, the audience do the obligatory "wave" and the boys really get into it It was so cute to see them all smiling and happy.

Gotta go home now. Part 2 of our Fantasmic experience later.

Thank you to all my DIS friends for keeping up with my TR, and lurkers too

 

[3princesses+aprince]

I just came across your TR today. It's one of the best ones i've ever read. I started it this morning and just finished. I love all of the pictures, and your boys are so cute. Can't wait to read the end of your TR.
And I can relate to you. I feel my dh is going to want to sleep in more than we are.

 

[jake&samsmom]

I just came across your TR today. It's one of the best ones i've ever read. I started it this morning and just finished. I love all of the pictures, and your boys are so cute. Can't wait to read the end of your TR.
And I can relate to you. I feel my dh is going to want to sleep in more than we are.

When the boys were very little, we all called him "Grumpy"......now he's just "Sleepy"

 

[jake&samsmom]

Here's Jake posing in a more than half empty Fantasmic theater:

However, do not be fooled by the empty seats, we were at Fantasmic more than an hour before the scheduled start! The theater filled up quickly, and at about 30 minutes before the show, it was SRO!

Here is Sam checking out the Park Map. He insists that there will be real Dragons in this show (he points out the illustration of the Dragon battling Socerer Mickey in the map). He is so cute.

The boys are getting tired of the "wave" by this time. I am a little bit worried that the show might get cancelled by rain. See the dark clouds hovering above:

The boys are getting fidgety, and notice the light-up toys being sold by the CM's down in the front row (refer to cart in the lower left of this picture):

Jake especially wants a light-up sword. I firmly say NO. We have too many light-up gadgets from various Disney on Ice shows that have been loved for one night, then forgotten the next. I brought them Dollar store glowstick necklaces from Houston, and I tell them that those would have to suffice.

Here's Jake buddying up with Dad after I put my foot down about those lighting toys (seriously, the Dollar diarrhea has to stop somewhere, right? It was hard to keep my ground, but I did...... But I confess, I felt a little sorry for Jake - he looked longingly at the other kids who had them toys.....):

 

[jake&samsmom]

The show finally starts with nary a drop of rain Since this is the first time the boys will see it, I paid more attention to the expression on their faces whenever something amazing happened, rather than looking at the amazing scene on stage. They barely blink. They are completely mesmerized by Fantasmic.

I myself believe that Fantasmic in itself is worth the price of admission to DS-MGM Studios (When we were in Disneyland before this trip, we went on a day when Fantasmic wasn't scheduled so, Fantasmic was a top priority this time.)

Some Princess photos:

I thought that the boys would be scared of the villains/snake/dragon. Sam snuggled closer to me at this point, but was never too scared to cover his eyes.

I know, the next picture is dark, but it's approximately the time when Mickey says, "This is my dream!" So I have to put it here

After the show, the boys do their best Mickey impersonation of "This is my dream!" (over and over in a faux-Mickey high pitched tone of voice...kinda sounding like like David Beckham )

The CMs tell us to grab a stroller from the Fantasmic stroller lot...apparently, plenty of folks abandoned their strollers there on the way out of the Theater!

So, we get one and while I push our Maclaren stroller with the backpack passenger , DH has the boys in a double stroller. No more whining about sore feet and tired legs!

The boys pose in front of this:

I just noticed now that the "O" and the "e" are not lighted up (Duh Mom, it's supposed to look like that for a creepy effect!)

Here are the boys not wanting to leave the comfort of their double stroller:

We walk towards the exit, and I notice that it hasn't rained for a good 3 hours now! We stop by one of the giftshops to purchase an acrylic Mickey head stretchy bracelet for my "little" sister (who is 29 years old and just graduated from Medical School! ). Jake picks out a nice big picture frame for his and Sam's GORGEOUS photo taken by a photopass photographer in front of Cinderella's Castle (the one that was unanimously chosen as our Family's 2007 Christmas card pic ) Btw, I will post some photopass pictures as soon DH locates it. He made CD copies for our relatives, then can't remember what shelf he placed the original in He'll find it eventually.....

We ride the bus to ASMu, and for the first time, we arrive before midnight! We didn't turn into mice or dogs this night!

Toy Story is being played on a huge screen by the pool. We eat a late dinner of pasta with alfredo sauce and chicken for the adults, and marinara pasta for the boys (yum!)

While DH starts packing upstairs, the boys and I go to the back of the resort to take photos. We had never ventured beyond the Guitar pool, and wanted to see the Piano pool.

Here are the boys clowning around with Ariel and friends:

We are all a little sad that this was our last night "home"

We head back to our room, the boys go to bed, and Mom finishes up packing.

Up Next: Our Final Disney Day 2007

 

[jake&samsmom]

Don't you just hate the last night of any vacation? Months and months of planning....then a glorious few days......why does it all end too soon?

I almost cried when I took down our window decorations...I had loved coming "home" to our resort in the late evenings, and then seeing our brightly colored orange Halloween lights, welcoming us to our room.

I had this huge lump in my throat while I was taking down all the Disney Birthday cards Jakob received this whole week. I pack them carefully and lovingly into my Disney folder.

I hate goodbyes.

 

[Nicole786]

I hate goodbyes as well

I love Hello's though! whens the next trip??

 

[jake&samsmom]

I hate goodbyes as well

I love Hello's though! whens the next trip??

Nicole, you're such a

112 more days! I already have ideas for a pre-treppie!

 

[Nicole786]

Nicole, you're such a

112 more days! I already have ideas for a pre-treppie!

Just wanted to remind you the next one isnt that far away! (I have to tell myself because if its a long time for you, than its a long time for me!)

 

[dydo2424]

Thanks for the awesome TR. I read every page of it starting this morning. It's 1PM now, guess I better make DD lunch. Really enjoyed all the photos. Your kids are park commandos. What troopers they are!

 

[Mic_n_Min]

I just found this TR just before lunch and couldn't stop reading and enjoying your wonderful pictures. You're family is so sweet! Can't wait to read the rest of this TR and read another in a couple of months!

 

[bunnyscootles]

I just read your entire TR, you have such beautiful boys
I love all the pictures

 

[klacey1]

This was wonderful to read-- sounds like a great trip was had by all.

 

[jake&samsmom]

Just wanted to remind you the next one isnt that far away! (I have to tell myself because if its a long time for you, than its a long time for me!)

This was wonderful to read-- sounds like a great trip was had by all.

I just read your entire TR, you have such beautiful boys
I love all the pictures

I just found this TR just before lunch and couldn't stop reading and enjoying your wonderful pictures. You're family is so sweet! Can't wait to read the rest of this TR and read another in a couple of months!

Thanks for the awesome TR. I read every page of it starting this morning. It's 1PM now, guess I better make DD lunch. Really enjoyed all the photos. Your kids are park commandos. What troopers they are!

Thanks to all you for giving me the encouragement and motivation to keep on writing...It makes me so happy that you are "enjoying" our trip...

I am reminded of a quote I read recently:

"We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can only fly by embracing one another"

Thank you, DIS friends....

 

[jake&samsmom]

I wake up very early and let the boys sleep in. I cancel our breakfast with Stitch - I wanted the little boys to sleep in so they won't be cranky on the plane ride home. A rest day for the commandos who are about to graduate from WDW boot camp. As usual, DH sleeps soundly through all the noise.

I call Bell Services to pick-up all our luggage to be brought to the ASMu airline check-in counter. I also make sure our All Star fridge is marked with the next swapper's name/reservation info, and stored with luggage services.

I love the convenience of being able to check-in at the resort and having our boarding passes in hand hours before we fly.

I take a deep breath, and browse around Maestro Mickey's (the ASMu gift shop). I couldn't resist getting myself a pair of Mickey flip-flops I also buy the boys more jibbitz for their crocs.

I walk back upstairs, and the whole family is now awake. DH wants to have breakfast at EPCOT. I get the boys dressed, and make sure that all of our carry-on luggage is ready to go. We ride the bus to EPCOT.

We make a Kidcot stop at Innoventions West (where we won our Dream Ears a few days ago!):

The boys trade pins with the nice CM manning the station:

DH is getting hungry, so we proceed to Sunshine Seasons:

The breakfast is yummy but not extraordinary: eggs, sausage, bacon. I don't have much of an appetite, though. I feel a little sad that we are leaving this Magical World soon.


This is the view of the ceiling from where I was seated (I thought the angle was interesting):

After breakfast, we get fastpasses for our favorite ride at EPCOT:

Since we had about two hours before our Soarin' FP return, we decide to mill around Future World. We walk onto the Living with the Land boat and sit in the front row.

The kids are always amazed to see the huge vegetables and plants. I take photos of my favorite veggie on display:

Don't you just love the pumpkin Mickey head?:

We walk towards Test Track, and it is only a 25 minute wait, so we get in line. OK, this ride is not on my must-do list, but the boys insist we ride it. I have read on the DIS that this is the fastest ride in all of WDW, so I really hesitate to go with the boys on this one.

We almost reach the loading dock, and I get cold clammy hands. My heart starts to palpitate. I look around for the "chicken" exit, and tell the boys I'll meet them at the TT gift shop. The boys plead with me to ride with them....

Will I Test the Track?!
Or will I go all Chicken Little?
Stay tuned for the answer!

 

[jake&samsmom]

As I get ready to leave the TT queue, I notice this elderly lady walking onto the loading dock via the Fastpass line....She inspires me to go ahead and try the ride, I mean if she can tolerate it, I guess I could too!

So I run to where the boys were standing, and I get in the car with them. We have the entire car all to ourselves. Jake and DH are in the front, Sam and I are in the back seats. We all sit on the sides, and the middle seats are empty. I question the safety of the middle seat, having only a lap belt and no diagonal chest seatbelt. Of course, I am a scaredy cat, and usually over-cautious, esp. when it involves kids.

Did I enjoy this ride?

Yes! The whole family loved the speed of the car, and the smoothness of the track. DH buys a TT Mickey head pin at the TT gift shop to commemorate our first time riding (I can't believe I almost skipped this one....thanks, lady, wherever you are ) When we go back to EPCOT in July, we are absolutely riding this one again!

We say farewell to Test Track:

We head to Club Cool, not for the Beverly trick , but rather for each of the boys to custom-build a character cup for themselves....

 

[jake&samsmom]

We didn't have time to go to DTD on this trip, and I really wanted the boys to have a souvenir character cup. Luckily, I found out from the DIS that you can make your own cup at Club Cool!

Jake made a Mickey cup, and Sam built a Stitch one. I was tempted to make a Minnie one for myself, but decided against it for budgetary reasons. Their cups are filled with an Ocean Blue Raspberry-flavored Icee, which the boys found to be so refreshing after a busy morning.

Here's the boys enjoying their Icee (this was taken later on in the day ):

Now we walk back to the Land to use our Fastpasses for Soarin'. However, DH thinks we are cutting it too close to our Magical Express pick-up time, and wants to go back to ASMu to shower and change instead. The little boys and I decide to stay in Epcot, while DH volunteers to settle the charges at the front desk, check out of our resort, and bring all our carry-on bags down to the ASMu lobby.

The boys and I ride Soarin' for one last time. We are lucky to ride in the middle column in the middle row. We secure the Mickey and Stitch cups in the underseat pocket, and they fit in snugly. I remove my shoes for the "flight"

After Soarin, Sam requests to ride Nemo again And since DH was not there to say "no", we head to the Seas Pavillion

There is a short line. Several kids stare wistfully at the boys' cups. One parent asks where we got them from

I try to figure out what the backstory of the Nemo queue is. Thankfully, there's an obvious clue (located high above on the ceiling):

I infer that the bottom of the boat hovering above the "audience" suggests that we are all in an underwater journey.

Here are the boys a few minutes before boarding the clam-mobile:

After we get out of the clam, we run towards Turtle Talk with Crush. We are just in time for the show's start. It is a whole different conversation between Crush and the audience, but is as funny as the last time we were there.

After Crush, we mill around the Nemo-Shark exhibit:

We do not stay too long because DH calls us on the phone and reminds us that it is time to get back to ASMu!

We half walk, half run to EPCOT's front gate, and get to our bus stop in record time! It is around 2pm now, and we are the only ones waiting there for the bus to ASMu.

The bus arrives a few minutes later.

As we turn away from the giant golfball, Sam whispers, "bye EPCOT...see 'ya later."


Up next: Buses, Planes and SUV's