Tammi67
<font color=green>1st to out the Tag Fairy as the
- Joined
- Oct 29, 2004
- Messages
- 23,325
Players:
Myself, 38, OCD planner, DDA
DH John, 42, goes with the flow
DS Nicholas, 6, No fear
DD Alyssa, 3, No fear, except for characters
DF Bob, 62, No Clue about WDW
DF Donna, 57-ish, Ditto
Pre-trip December 16
This day was spent packing. Yes, I wait until the last minute
. I did have lists, though, which made it much easier. Why does DH get to pack only for himself, and I have to pack for three?? Because I know he would forget things, that's why 
. Anyway, we finally get the van packed, kids loaded, dogs to the kennel, and on the road 
at 5PM. Tonight we are heading to Baltimore to stay at the Ameri-suites, since our flight leaves at 7AM and BWI is a 2 hour drive from our house. This way we won't have to get up quite so early. We finally get checked in to the hotel at 8PM (we stopped and had dinner on the way), which has shuttle service to/from the airport, so we can leave our van here instead of at the airport. Anyway, after unloading and getting the kids ready for bed, we find out that they are way too excited 
to sleep. They spend a good hour tossing and turning, which by the way drove me nuts 
, and finally fell asleep around 1030. Now all was quiet and I could get some much needed shut-eye.
Day One, Saturday, December 17
4:15 AM came awfully early. I got up, started a pot of coffee
and proceeded to get myself ready. John got up too, and around 5 we started waking the kids. We had to check out and catch the shuttle to BWI at 5:30. The shuttle was prompt and we were at the airport in about 5 minutes. Bags were checked at the curb and we proceeded through security, as I had already checked us in online. We stopped at McDs in the airport to get the kids and John some breakfast. I can't eat until well after I've been up for awhile, so I just got myself a bottle of water.
After a short wait at the gate, we were ready for boarding. The flight was uneventful and not the kids first time flying. My only concern
was Alyssa, as she had been to the Dr. earlier in the week for an ear infection. She had been on antibiotics for about 4 days now. During our descent she complained that her ears were hurting. I came prepared with lollipops so I gave one to both kids and that seemed to do the trick 
.
After landing we headed straight to the Magical Express counter without any problems. There was absolutely no wait and we walked right on to our bus, which was about 2/3 full at this time. I looked out the bus window and guess what....it was raining
, and there were no signs that it was going to clear up. We waited about 5 minutes for a few more passengers. The kids got to enjoy Brother Bear during the wait and ride to POFQ. Our first stop was OKW, then SSR and then FQ. It was nice to see a few of the other resorts. Finally we were here.
After we got off of the ME bus, we met up with our friends, Bob and Donna. They had driven down, as they were staying with family for Christmas in the Ft. Pierce area. The kids did not know that they were going to be vacationing with us. What a surprise
that was for them! Everyone waited in the lobby while I got us checked in. This took about 15 minutes, as there was a small line. Our room was not ready and I didn't expect it to be. It was only 11 AM. I got a printout of all of our ADRs to make sure everything was in order. We then stored our luggage and picked up our stroller that was waiting there for us. This is the second time that I have rented a double stroller from A Baby's Best Friend and it again worked out perfectly. The rain had stopped by now and we headed off to Epcot!
We went directly to the bus stop and waited just a few minutes for a bus. The ride there was quick. As soon as we got to Epcot, Donna and I headed straight to Soarin' to get FPs for everyone. It was very crowded
getting into The Land and down to Soarin', as it was lunch time. Standby time was 90 minutes and I was happy to see that FPs were still available. Our return time was 3:40. I didn't know how the kids would hold out until then, since they were up so early, but decided to just play it by ear.
We then headed to Germany where we were to meet up with the rest of the gang for lunch. All of the adults had brawts and kraut and the kids had hotdogs. We were all on the dining plan. We had tables outside and Alyssa promptly dropped her hotdog on the ground. We just bought her another one and paid out of pocket.
After lunch the rain started again. Nothing real bad, just enough to be annoying. We all donned our ponchos. We walked back to Future World clockwise, looking for characters, but none were found.
The kids were anxious to do a ride so we headed to Imagination. Alyssa was a little leary at first, but I think it was just due to being tired. After the ride she was very excited and now in the "Disney mood." We played around for awhile in the exit area and sent an email picture to my mom and dad. While I was busy doing the editing and sending of the picture, John told me that he was taking Alyssa to the bathroom. Bob went as well and Donna stayed with me. I finished with the email and Donna and I proceeded to exit. I asked her if Nicholas went with John, as he was not with us. She said that he did. Well, we get outside and Bob asks us where Nicholas is. I said that we thought he went to the bathroom with John. John and Alyssa come out of the bathroom at that time. No Nicholas.
I raced back into the play area to where we last were. By this time my heart is racing and I am trying to think of what to do. As I walk through the gift area, Nicholas is walking toward me 
, not crying yet, but with that panicked look on his face. All he says is "I couldn't find you." What a relief and I say a few prayers of thanks. Anyway, he had walked over to where you can conduct your own music, while I was doing the email thing. We now had another talk about making sure someone knows where you are going, even if it is only a few steps away.
Now that we are all together again and the kids are up for another ride, we head over to Test Track. Standby time was 60 minutes and FP return time was later than we wanted to stay at the park, so we decided to head over to Crush. We had about a 1/2 hour wait which wasn't so bad since there was the scuba diver demo going on. That kept the kids entertained for awhile. Crush was amazing. I still don't know how they do that. The rest of the day was spent speaking in Crush lingo. On the way out we saw Nemo.
It was time for Soarin' so we head over to the land. We had maybe a 10 minute wait. I still have no idea why people stand in those lines when they can FP them
. I was so tempted to walk up to someone and ask "why??" Soarin' was awesome to say the least. We were in the third row and I did notice the dangling feet. We decided we would come back to this another day and try for the first row.
We needed to get back to the hotel, unpack and relax, but the kids wanted more. So I told them if Spaceship Earth had no line that we would ride it on the way out. No line, so we rode. I always liked the ending of this, when you are under the stars...but lately it seems to have lost something. I don't know if it has been changed or if it is just me.
On the way out, we stop at the Legacy tiles to look for the picture of the kids that we had done last December. After searching for a few minutes we finally found it. I was able to get a good picture of it. I think it turned out really nice.
We headed to the bus stop and after a very short wait, our bus came. It was rather empty. We got back to FQ, got our luggage and found our room. We were in building 6 on the third floor. The room was nice and I have no complaints other than some hair found in the shower (ick) and some mold on the shower curtain. After unpacking we went to the food court and had some dinner. The kids had mac n cheese and I had a chicken ceasar salad. I forget what everyone else had. We bought our refillable mugs, too.
John and Bob headed out to the grocery store for a few essentials, mainly milk, oj and cereal for breakfast. I got the kids showered and ready for bed. They were asleep by 8 PM. Luckily we had connecting rooms with Bob and Donna so after the kids were asleep we were able to hang out next door and plan for the next day......
Photos: http://photobucket.com/albums/y254/tammi67/WDW%20December%202005/
Myself, 38, OCD planner, DDA DH John, 42, goes with the flow DS Nicholas, 6, No fear DD Alyssa, 3, No fear, except for characters DF Bob, 62, No Clue about WDW DF Donna, 57-ish, DittoPre-trip December 16
This day was spent packing. Yes, I wait until the last minute
. I did have lists, though, which made it much easier. Why does DH get to pack only for himself, and I have to pack for three?? Because I know he would forget things, that's why . Anyway, we finally get the van packed, kids loaded, dogs to the kennel, and on the road at 5PM. Tonight we are heading to Baltimore to stay at the Ameri-suites, since our flight leaves at 7AM and BWI is a 2 hour drive from our house. This way we won't have to get up quite so early. We finally get checked in to the hotel at 8PM (we stopped and had dinner on the way), which has shuttle service to/from the airport, so we can leave our van here instead of at the airport. Anyway, after unloading and getting the kids ready for bed, we find out that they are way too excited to sleep. They spend a good hour tossing and turning, which by the way drove me nuts , and finally fell asleep around 1030. Now all was quiet and I could get some much needed shut-eye.Day One, Saturday, December 17
4:15 AM came awfully early. I got up, started a pot of coffee
and proceeded to get myself ready. John got up too, and around 5 we started waking the kids. We had to check out and catch the shuttle to BWI at 5:30. The shuttle was prompt and we were at the airport in about 5 minutes. Bags were checked at the curb and we proceeded through security, as I had already checked us in online. We stopped at McDs in the airport to get the kids and John some breakfast. I can't eat until well after I've been up for awhile, so I just got myself a bottle of water. After a short wait at the gate, we were ready for boarding. The flight was uneventful and not the kids first time flying. My only concern
was Alyssa, as she had been to the Dr. earlier in the week for an ear infection. She had been on antibiotics for about 4 days now. During our descent she complained that her ears were hurting. I came prepared with lollipops so I gave one to both kids and that seemed to do the trick . After landing we headed straight to the Magical Express counter without any problems. There was absolutely no wait and we walked right on to our bus, which was about 2/3 full at this time. I looked out the bus window and guess what....it was raining
, and there were no signs that it was going to clear up. We waited about 5 minutes for a few more passengers. The kids got to enjoy Brother Bear during the wait and ride to POFQ. Our first stop was OKW, then SSR and then FQ. It was nice to see a few of the other resorts. Finally we were here.After we got off of the ME bus, we met up with our friends, Bob and Donna. They had driven down, as they were staying with family for Christmas in the Ft. Pierce area. The kids did not know that they were going to be vacationing with us. What a surprise
that was for them! Everyone waited in the lobby while I got us checked in. This took about 15 minutes, as there was a small line. Our room was not ready and I didn't expect it to be. It was only 11 AM. I got a printout of all of our ADRs to make sure everything was in order. We then stored our luggage and picked up our stroller that was waiting there for us. This is the second time that I have rented a double stroller from A Baby's Best Friend and it again worked out perfectly. The rain had stopped by now and we headed off to Epcot!We went directly to the bus stop and waited just a few minutes for a bus. The ride there was quick. As soon as we got to Epcot, Donna and I headed straight to Soarin' to get FPs for everyone. It was very crowded
getting into The Land and down to Soarin', as it was lunch time. Standby time was 90 minutes and I was happy to see that FPs were still available. Our return time was 3:40. I didn't know how the kids would hold out until then, since they were up so early, but decided to just play it by ear.We then headed to Germany where we were to meet up with the rest of the gang for lunch. All of the adults had brawts and kraut and the kids had hotdogs. We were all on the dining plan. We had tables outside and Alyssa promptly dropped her hotdog on the ground. We just bought her another one and paid out of pocket.
After lunch the rain
started again. Nothing real bad, just enough to be annoying. We all donned our ponchos. We walked back to Future World clockwise, looking for characters, but none were found. The kids were anxious to do a ride so we headed to Imagination. Alyssa was a little leary at first, but I think it was just due to being tired. After the ride she was very excited and now in the "Disney mood." We played around for awhile in the exit area and sent an email picture to my mom and dad. While I was busy doing the editing and sending of the picture, John told me that he was taking Alyssa to the bathroom. Bob went as well and Donna stayed with me. I finished with the email and Donna and I proceeded to exit. I asked her if Nicholas went with John, as he was not with us. She said that he did. Well, we get outside and Bob asks us where Nicholas is. I said that we thought he went to the bathroom with John. John and Alyssa come out of the bathroom at that time. No Nicholas.
I raced back into the play area to where we last were. By this time my heart is racing and I am trying to think of what to do. As I walk through the gift area, Nicholas is walking toward me , not crying yet, but with that panicked look on his face. All he says is "I couldn't find you." What a relief and I say a few prayers of thanks. Anyway, he had walked over to where you can conduct your own music, while I was doing the email thing. We now had another talk about making sure someone knows where you are going, even if it is only a few steps away. Now that we are all together again and the kids are up for another ride, we head over to Test Track. Standby time was 60 minutes and FP return time was later than we wanted to stay at the park, so we decided to head over to Crush. We had about a 1/2 hour wait which wasn't so bad since there was the scuba diver demo going on. That kept the kids entertained for awhile. Crush was amazing. I still don't know how they do that. The rest of the day was spent speaking in Crush lingo. On the way out we saw Nemo.
It was time for Soarin' so we head over to the land. We had maybe a 10 minute wait. I still have no idea why people stand in those lines when they can FP them
. I was so tempted to walk up to someone and ask "why??" Soarin' was awesome to say the least. We were in the third row and I did notice the dangling feet. We decided we would come back to this another day and try for the first row. We needed to get back to the hotel, unpack and relax, but the kids wanted more. So I told them if Spaceship Earth had no line that we would ride it on the way out. No line, so we rode. I always liked the ending of this, when you are under the stars...but lately it seems to have lost something. I don't know if it has been changed or if it is just me.
On the way out, we stop at the Legacy tiles to look for the picture of the kids that we had done last December. After searching for a few minutes we finally found it. I was able to get a good picture of it. I think it turned out really nice.
We headed to the bus stop and after a very short wait, our bus came. It was rather empty. We got back to FQ, got our luggage and found our room. We were in building 6 on the third floor. The room was nice and I have no complaints other than some hair found in the shower (ick) and some mold on the shower curtain. After unpacking we went to the food court and had some dinner. The kids had mac n cheese and I had a chicken ceasar salad. I forget what everyone else had. We bought our refillable mugs, too.
John and Bob headed out to the grocery store for a few essentials, mainly milk, oj and cereal for breakfast. I got the kids showered and ready for bed. They were asleep by 8 PM. Luckily we had connecting rooms with Bob and Donna so after the kids were asleep we were able to hang out next door and plan for the next day......
Photos: http://photobucket.com/albums/y254/tammi67/WDW%20December%202005/
. Had our circumstances been different, though, I would have preferred to just use FP.
to say that I only scored 9500, but this way my first time. I redeem myself later in the trip.
. Pooh, Tigger and Eeyore came out to great us. Nicholas and I headed to Goofys Barnstormer, and he would have been able to ride with Goofy had 2 older girls not RAN to beat us. Thats okay though. After we got off of the ride, Goofy motioned for Nicholas to come to him. This provided a great photo op. I then took Nicholas to the meet/greet with Minnie, Goofy and Pluto. Mickeys autograph was next. We got lots of great comments on the shirt (thanks Denise!) from CMs, characters and visitors. 
. We decided that waiting in line was not something that we wanted to do and would hit this later. So we proceeded down to PotC and rode without any wait. After this we went to the Tiki Room. Being in WDW 6 times, this is something that I have never seen. The kids enjoyed it. We have the Happiest Celebration on Earth CD and they love this song, so I knew it would be a hit. 
when they returned to the room and found these. More excitement! 
. Nicholas rode again with John on the child swap deal. Bob, Donna and I took Alyssa to the Teacups (her favorite). I think Bob gave us whiplash on that thing. 
to DTD and did a little shopping. Nicholas picked out a Peter Pan Christmas ornament, and Alyssa got a Tink one. We grabbed a quick bite at Earl of Sandwich, since we were still quite full from dinner. The kids were amazed watching a juggler from our outside table. He was very entertaining. 
