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

[Bama mom to 3]

Awww, I have really enjoyed your trip report. I am gonna be sad to read the ending.

 

[moparop]

The bus arrives a few minutes later.

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

Awe!!!! That is so stinking sweet!

It sounds like you guys had a great vacation all in all! Are you gonna do another TR for the July trip?

 

[foodrocksluver]

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

Oh gosh, I just got tears in my eyes after reading this! I do the exact same thing, only I say it on the inside and cry on the outside. I am never too upset when leaving the other parks but saying good-bye to EPCOT is like saying good-bye to my best friend.

I could just hug cutie patootie Sam for saying that!

P.S. Looks like he know's he'll be back soon enough!!

 

[myAAbatteries&aTD]

How did I JUST now find this???? Great trip report - the boys are adorable and remind me a lot of my girls since mine look so much alike and are almost the same ages.... I could only read a little bit, so am subbing to finish later!

 

[jake&samsmom]

How did I JUST now find this???? Great trip report - the boys are adorable and remind me a lot of my girls since mine look so much alike and are almost the same ages.... I could only read a little bit, so am subbing to finish later!

Hope you enjoy my trippie. Would love to hear about your girls' WDW adventure. Thanks for reading along!

Oh gosh, I just got tears in my eyes after reading this! I do the exact same thing, only I say it on the inside and cry on the outside. I am never too upset when leaving the other parks but saying good-bye to EPCOT is like saying good-bye to my best friend.

I could just hug cutie patootie Sam for saying that!

P.S. Looks like he know's he'll be back soon enough!!

I was tearing up when I was writing and reminiscing about that moment. I gave Sammie a hug on your behalf. Thanks for being here, and for your very tender-hearted words

Awe!!!! That is so stinking sweet!
It sounds like you guys had a great vacation all in all! Are you gonna do another TR for the July trip?

We still talk about our vacation as though we just came back yesterday Hopefully, July will bring us more wonderful memories that I can share here with all of you, my DIS friends.

Awww, I have really enjoyed your trip report. I am gonna be sad to read the ending.

It makes me sad too. But it fills me heart to know that you are all here with me, accompanying me to the end of this "journey".

 

[jake&samsmom]

We arrive at ASMu and DH is waiting for us at the food court. We quickly eat a light (and late) lunch. We have around 7 snack credits left, and I use it to buy 7 Mickey rice crispy treats (yum!).

We get our carry-on luggage from bell services. As you can see, we had a lot :

I ask DH if he made sure that we didn't leave anything in our room. I cannot bear to go back upstairs to look at our now empty room - the bare window which was once filled with lights and cards and color.

We have a few minutes left before the bus arrives, and the boys decide to watch vintage Mickey cartoons in the lobby:

It seems as though it was just yesterday that we were checking in.

I am a little envious of the bright smiling faces of the guests who are just arriving. Eager with anticipation. Excited about where their Disney adventure will take them. I know the feeling.

We follow the rest of the departing guests to the Magical Express outdoor waiting area.

Notice DH in the back, making sure he has all his souvienirs in his shopping bag :

I take a picture of the facade of ASMu, our first Disney "home":

The dreaded bus now arrives.

We get settled in our seats. I ask the boys to mug for the camera, Jake playfully pushes Sam out of the way. See how mad Sam is?

I tell them to play nice. I want to remember how blissful they were at this moment. No sad faces here. Only brilliant memories of a vacation of a lifetime.....

And thus it was, our 2007 Walt Disney World Vacation ended.



You mean there's more? : Mickey and Stitch on the way home...Houston Halloween...The Search for the PP CD....and some Final Thoughts......Please stay tuned.....

 

[Nicole786]

What a great last picture to a great TR!! I cant wait for the next one!! Thankfully its sooner than later!

 

[jake&samsmom]

What a great last picture to a great TR!! I cant wait for the next one!! Thankfully its sooner than later!

Thanks, Nicole Writing tonight was so emotionally draining. But it's always worth it. I'm very glad you're reading (still).

P.S. I can't believe I'm almost finished with my trippie....

 

[Bama mom to 3]

LOL, I love how exhausted everyone in the background in that one photo looks. Micky tuckered them out.

 

[CHEK]

Thanks sooo much , really enjoyed reading the rest of your report, I know how you feel leaving, my DH is terrible the last 2 days of our trips, he just want's to stay forever , if only hey!! , we need to get our next trip sorted

 

[bunnyscootles]

The end is no fun at all! It looks like you guys had a lot of great memories though

 

[jake&samsmom]

LOL, I love how exhausted everyone in the background in that one photo looks. Micky tuckered them out.

Thanks for pointing that out

 

[jake&samsmom]

The end is no fun at all! It looks like you guys had a lot of great memories though

Thanks sooo much , really enjoyed reading the rest of your report, I know how you feel leaving, my DH is terrible the last 2 days of our trips, he just want's to stay forever , if only hey!! , we need to get our next trip sorted

I think the only way to get out of the post-Disney funk is to plan for a new Disney adventure, and/or write a looong trippie to reminisce about the one that just finished. I am thankful that I am in between both

 

[jake&samsmom]

The melancholy bus ride to the airport is tempered by the Disney documentary/infomercial showing on the bus monitors. I am amused at all the wide open spaces we pass on by....I have been in Disney too long (staring at castles, giant sorcerer's hats etc.), and real life presented a stark contrast

We are famished as we step off the bus. We arrive 2 hours early for our flight. The boys, DH and I eat by the foodcourt, and for the first time this week, I whip out a debit card instead of a KTTW card to pay for our meal.

We walk towards our gate after our meal. I try to take a picture of DH, but Stitch gets in the way:

I tell the boys to pose with DH, and Jedi Mickey and Stitch decide to join them:

We board the plane and wave goodbye to Florida. I help Jake complete his school journal project. And I start writing my own trip diary, while the memories are still fresh in my mind.

We arrive in Houston, load up our luggage in our Tahoe, and drive home.

DH tells the boys to thank Mom for a wonderful vacation. DH doesn't say much, but it made me very happy to be acknowledged for all the hard work and effort that I put into planning our WDW trip. I know y'all know from experience that it is no small feat to plan a WDW vacation; more so a virtual commando "invasion" of WDW.


It will be Halloween the day after we get home, and I was missing Disney so much that I transposed our window decorations from ASMu to our "real" front window. Here are the boys on Halloween in front of our house:

And, trick or treating in the neighborhood with friends:

I also finally found our Photopass CD. It has about 166 pics, but I won't bore y'all to death with all of them

Here are some of my favorites:


Upon entering DAK:

Meeting an old friend for the very first time:

A photo-op with Donald:

Upon entering Main street in the Magic Kingdom:

Me: "I wear the glass slippers in this house!"

DH at EPCOT (while we were at Tutle Talk, he snuck into WS and had a snack at the Food and Wine fest):

My not-so-favorite Test Track ride photo: (You think this is bad? I looked much worse in the TOT ride pic! )

Coming up: The last Chapter....

 

[Mom2JPL]

I just finished reading your entire trip report...it was wonderful! Thank you so much for taking the time to write it! Can't wait for our next trip in November! BTW, I think it's funny that people think your sons are twins - they ask me that all the time too about my two youngest, who are 20 months apart!

 

[foodrocksluver]

Oh I love the pictures of you and the boys! You all look so darn happy...but that's to be expected since you were in the Happiest Place on Earth!

Test Track photo=PRICELESS!! At first I looked at it and thought you had passed out! That would not have been good...at all.

 

[Nicole786]

More awesome pics! I love the photopass pics! I need to go find a photopass group for august!

 

[jake&samsmom]

More awesome pics! I love the photopass pics! I need to go find a photopass group for august!

Thanks for reminding me, I need to do that too!

Test Track photo=PRICELESS!! At first I looked at it and thought you had passed out! That would not have been good...at all.

You made me laugh like a hyena here at home and scared the boys!

I just finished reading your entire trip report...it was wonderful! Thank you so much for taking the time to write it! Can't wait for our next trip in November! BTW, I think it's funny that people think your sons are twins - they ask me that all the time too about my two youngest, who are 20 months apart!

You are so welcome! Have loads of fun in November!

 

[jake&samsmom]

In summary, I give you the basic blueprints of our WDW invasion:

Day 1: October 25, 2007 Thursday
Depart Houston IAH via Continental Air
Arrive Orlando MCO
Take DME to ASMU
Check-in
Decorate Window
Bus to EPCOT
Ride Figment
Ride Nemo
Dinner at Coral Reef
Ride Soarin'
View Illuminations
Visit Gift Shop
Bus to ASMu

Day 2: October 26, 2007 Friday
Breakfast at ASMu
Bus to AK
Go around Discovery Trails
Ride Expedition Everest
Get FP for Safari
See FOLTLK
Take photos with Lilo and Stitch
Ride Safari
Have Face Painted
Lunch at Mr.Kamal's
Ride Kali River Rapids
Ride Dinosaur
Play in Boneyard
Play Arcade Games at Dinorama
See Street show: Smear, Splat & Dip
See Jammin Jungle Parade
Split up,
See Nemo Musical (Mom & Sam)
See ITTBAB (Dad & Jake)
Meet up at exit
Take picture with Mickey and friends at exit
Bus to ASMu
Change clothes
Taxi to Contemporary Resort
Dinner at Chef Mickeys
See Hallowishes from CR (4th floor viewing deck)
Shop for pins at CR Gift Shop
Monorail to MK
See Electric Water pageant
Bus to ASMu

Day 3: October 27, 2007 Saturday
Breakfast at ASMU
Attempt swimming at ASMU Pool
Bus to MK
Pictures along Main Street
Ride POTC
Get FP for Jungle Cruise
Get Dole Pineapple Float
Lunch at Crystal Palace
Ride Jungle Cruise
Tour Swiss Family Treehouse
See Tiki Room
Play at Frontierland Shooting Arcade
See Dreams Come True Parade
Ride Haunted Mansion
Ride Small World
Ride Peter Pan
See Philharmagic Twice
Shop at Giftshop
Rest at hub
See Spectromagic Parade
Snack on Casey's hotdogs
View Wishes
Late snack at Casey's
Shop at Main St. Emporium
Bus to ASMu

Day 4: October 28, 2007 Sunday
Breakfast at ASMU
Bus to EPCOT
Browse around Innovations West
Ride Land Boat
See Circle of Life
GET FP for Soarin'
Ride Nemo
See Turtle Talk
Do Kidcot station
Lunch at Garden Grill
Ride Soarin'
Split up,
Ride Mission Space (Jake & Dad)
Shop at Mousegears (Sam & Mom)
Meet up at Mousegears
Bus to ASMU
Rest a little
Bus to MK
Get MNSSHP wristbands and free stroller
Change into costume
Split up,
See Dream along with Mickey (Sam & Mom)
Ride Space Mountain (Dad & Jake)
Hand off Sam to Boys
Split up again,
See Viillain's Show (Mom)
Ride Stitch Great Escape (Boys)
See Monsters Inc Laugh Floor (Boys)
Meet up by Castle
Join street games while waiting for parade
See Boo to you parade
Ride Splash Mountain
See Hallowishes
Split up,
Ride Haunted Mansion (Mom)
Ride IASW (Mom)
Ride TTA (Boys)
Ride Buzz (Boys)
Meet up at Toontown
Trick or treat in Toontown
Play in Pooh's Playground
Split up,
Ride Astro Orbiter (Sam & Dad)
Ride Indy Speedway (Jake & Mom)
Meet up at Casey's
Eat late dinner at Casey's while viewing Villains' show
Shop at Main St. Emporium
Bus to ASMU

Day 5: October 29, 2007 Monday
Breakfast at ASMU
Bus to DS-MGM
Ride TOT
See VOTLM
Ride Movie Ride
Lunch at 50's Primetime Diner
See Jedi Training
Ride Star Tours
See Muppets 3D
See Indiana Jones
See Beauty and the Beast Show
Split up,
Ride RnRC (Dad)
See VOTLM again (Mom, Jake, Sam)
Meet up at Fantasmic Theater
See Fantasmic
Bus to ASMU
Dinner at ASMU foodcourt
Pack up

Day 6: October 30, 2007 Tuesday
Check in luggage for flight
Shop at ASMU gift Shop
Bus to EPCOT
Do Kidcot and Pin trade at Innovations West
Breakfast at Sunshine Seasons
Get FP for Soarin'
Ride Land boat
Ride Test Track
Experience Club Cool
Ride Soarin'
Ride Nemo
See Turtle Talk
Explore Nemo Shark exhibit
Bus to ASMU
Eat lunch at ASMU Foodcourt
Spend last snack credits on Mickey rice crispies
Ride DME to MCO
Depart Orlando MCO via Continental Air
Arrive in Houston IAH

As you can plainly see, commando touring can be done with a 6 and a 4 year-old!

 

[jake&samsmom]

It is quite difficult to write this last installment, it makes the "goodbye" seem so very final.

I owe so much to the DIS -- the wealth of information I gathered here helped us find our way around the World, and what a glorious journey it was!

I hope that through this trip report, I was able to give something back to my DIS family.

I am humbled that you have taken time out from your hectic schedules, to visit here and "join" our little family on our trip.

I thank you all for your kind words.

After we got back home from WDW, I must admit, it was hard to pick up the threads of an old life.

Our family has travelled to many places, and have crossed many oceans...but no vacation has filled our hearts like this one.

The other day, Sam asked me if Magic is "real".

To which Jake answered, "Of course Magic is real --- but only at Disneyworld."

And so, I wrap up this TR with the Photopass picture which ended up being our family's official 2007 Christmas card photo. (I couldn't really end this trip report with our Test Track picture, could I? )

I look forward to our next great adventure. And I hope to read all about yours.





See y'all real soon!