Pre-trip My Plans for the World *** Final day at AK and wrapping it all up!

[Dismom+two]

Cast of characters:


Me39… mom of two deprived kids who are now just getting to experience Disney.

Ds15….doesn’t show much excitement he’s quiet, prefers to just hang out in his room playing video games. Driven crazy by younger sister which sometimes causes arguments but nothing ever too bad.

Dd11….loves to talk…very dramatic….Likes to meet new people and make friends.


My bags are packed, they’re ready to go, I’m standing here, by the door, I hate to wake you up to say ahhhhh ba-bye…..hehehe. Ok, so I’m excited, can you tell?

Our plane is expecting to leave by….by…..oh darn, don’t know exactly what time….but it’s early. We are scheduled to land in Orlando at about 10:00ish am. The rental car will be waiting for us…..and our hotel will be rolling out the red carpet for us….ok…maybe that’s not true, but it should be. They should feel honored to have us staying at their fine establishment, even if we aren’t paying for it. Staying on rewards points!! Niiiice. Thanks to dear, wonderful hubby/daddy.

I decided this trip that I would rent a car. Don’t want to have to rely on the shuttles from the off site accommodations. We will now have the freedom to come and go as we like. Of course now this means I have to study that map like the back of my hand until I know exactly how to get to each park and back to hotel…even in the dark. So look out Orlando….crazy-woman-tourist-who-has-no-clue coming through!!! BEEEEP….OUTTA MY WAY!

My “plan” for the four days we are there.
I do not go commando with planning to the minute…or making ressies. I like to basically go with the flow. I really don’t like to be committed to things and have to be aware of the time constantly.

• Our arrival day…hoping to get to Epcot by noon. I decided to go there first seeing as they are open until 9pm.
• Thurs. I am planning on heading to Mk for opening. They are open until 11 this night and will give us the opportunity to head for a nap or swim breaks in the afternoon.
• Friday we are heading to MGM for opening….straight to TOT….then off to RNR. That will wake us from our sleepy little heads from the late night before. The rest of the day we will just wander and do as we please. Although, we have to make sure we get to see the Car stunt show…that will be right up my son’s alley. He loves that kind of stuff, which makes me nervous seeing as he will be driving very soon!!
• Saturday, we will be at the rope drop for Ak. We, despite many groans, will head right for the safari and ride a couple of times. I know EE will be open and most people I am expecting will head right for that. After the safari, we will head over and get FP for EE so we can be chased by the Yeti! After that we will just mosey around and do whatever. When we are done with AK I am heading down to DTD for some last minute shopping and maybe some dinner.

Our flight out on Sunday is at 6:55 AM. It will be an early night on Saturday. After DTD we will head back and take a last time swim and pack our things.
Oh I am depressed just thinking about going home and I haven’t even gone yet!
Now somewhere in these plans, we will be meeting up with an old friend from my home town who I haven’t seen in about 20 years. He is one of Kissimmee’s finest these days, he’s a cop, not a firefighter, he’s not THAT fine! No seriously, he’s a good guy! He stood me up last trip but I threatened him this time that I would hunt him down….after all, I know where he works! (And this will be one advantage of having a car too) No really, he had an emergency that last time I was in town.
Our neighbors are also going to be in the World at the same time so we will be hooking up with them one day.

So these are my plans. Stay tuned to see just how these plans play out.

 

[OhMari]

Give your son the maps and let him be your co-pilot. So what if you get lost. Some of our best times were letting our kids read the maps and telling us when to turn, we saw many different off-beaten places by letting them navigate.

 

[KathyRN137]

If your teenage son likes video games, he may enjoy:
*VMK (Virtual Magic Kingdom) on Main St, USA.
*The Mission Space exit area (EPCOT). Lots of interactive games.

Your dramatic daughter may want to get in touch with her "inner diva" at Bibbidy Bobbidy Boutique at World of Disney (DD).

If you are planning on eating at any table service restaurants at the parks or resorts, please get ADRs. The dining plan has made these very popular and you may not be able to get a table.

Happy planning!

Kathy

 

[Dismom+two]

The trip I am writing about has actually already occured. We went in April and had a great time. I will post the next installment soon.


I have been putting off this report but decided I had better get moving before my next trip with my DH and my two wonderful step kids!


I hope everyone is having a very happy and safe July 4th!!

 

[Minniespal]

Can't wait to read all about it.

 

[Dismom+two]

We flew out of NH the 26th of April. The flight was pretty much uneventful, LONGEST three hours of my life!! However, there was a young boy, I guess in the 8-10 year old range that was sitting just a couple of rows back that was given a portable DVD player and mom had put in a Disney info DVD to watch. Yes, that’s right, guess where you’re going!!?? He had no idea that they were on their way to Disney!! What a great surprise!! That was really fun to watch his reaction as the news spread throughout the rows around him.

We landed in Orlando about 10am, headed to pick up our luggage and then to pick out our rental. I am not excited about driving but decided it was best seeing as we will have more freedom. We actually got to choose our car, the kids were pointing to this one and that one and in the end it was the one that I wanted, I am the one driving, right?? I picked out a cute little Pontiac Vibe. I LOVED it. I want one!!!

With the help from an old friend, who now lives in Kissimmee, I found my hotel with very little problem.

We stayed at the Marriott Village at the Fairfield Inn. I found it to be a very nice place to stay. As a little background, my husband travels A LOT and he stays at Marriott’s and so he builds up the rewards points. Needless to say, we stayed on points. During check in, they upgraded us, and presented me with a nice little gift basket with goodies!!! People around me that were also checking in looked at me as if to say, “why is she so special!?” Little do they know just how special I am, just ask my mom! So off we go up to our room to drop our bags, grab our maps and off we went……to Epcot.

We arrive at Epcot about 12:30ish. First thing we hit was Spaceship Earth. The kids probably could have done without it (so they informed me) but it just HAD to be done.
From there we walked over to Test Track, the standby time said 40 minutes but I don’t think we waited more then 20.

This is us, waiting to unload after our ride.

After TT, we headed over to The Living Seas. We looked around there, gawked at the fish and left. From there we went into The Land. We were all very hungry and mighty thirsty so we got something to eat and drink in the food court there. I didn’t REALLY like what I got but I was so hungry I ate it.


While we were in the building, we went to Soarin. For our first mistake of the trip, we got into the standby line and stood and stood and stood. The time said 30 minutes and DD was given one of those, “here-take-this-and-give-it-to-the-CM-at-the-end-of-the-line-and-see-how-long-you-REALLY-stood-in-line-for (hehe)” cards. YEA, guess what?? It wasn’t 30 minutes!!! Yes, we became some of those people glaring at and almost cursing out loud at the fastpass people flying by us like we were backing up! OK lesson learned.
The ride was INCREDIBLE! It was so wonderful that I had forgotten about three years I aged while I stood in line to see it. I am a crier and this ride did make me shed a tear or two. Has anyone else had this happen?

We headed out and went to Honey I Shrunk the Audience. We were getting VERY, VERY warm and I seriously thought I was going to pass out standing watching that pre- show. The last thing I wanted to do on our first day was take a header onto the floor. They would have to rename the show, Honey, We’re Killing the Audience! The door finally opened and we were seated. The show was cute and I think the kids liked it but we were all pretty spent and just wanted to leave.

The path to the World Showcase was right there but we all decided that we were just too tired and too hot and headed for the parking lot. I do regret not bringing them, not sure if they would have enjoyed it or not but I wish now that we stayed longer. We never went back that evening for Illuminations, regret!

We stopped at a couple of gift shops on the way out. DD and I bought our lanyards and some pins. DD decided that she would rather start collecting pins instead of getting a t-shirt or whatnot that will not fit her in six months. Smart girl!! We got well needed drinks (water), enjoyed the fountain and cooling mist from it and called it a day.

I thought I would be able to find my way back to the hotel ok….I was wrong with that. As earlier in the day, my lesson was learned. I finally found were we belonged and was glad for that! We spent the evening in the pool cooling off and enjoying the Florida night. We bought dinner at the food court they have there at the hotel and ate in our room.

As a small aside, I have a neighbor that plays the drums much to my dismay! The full set of drums is in the basement of their house yet I can sit in my living room and hear them playing all the time. What bothers me is when they are playing after 9pm!! Ahhhhhh drives me CRAZY!! So with that in mind, we were just settling down and I hear drums!! I thing to myself, you have GOT to be kidding me!!! The little drummer boy has followed me to Disney!!! Noooooooo!! I got up and looked out the window and there was a drum line practicing out in our parking lot. I just had to laugh. I did however enjoy them, I like marching drums! I am assuming they are there to play in the World the next evening.

Our first day was busy, hot and most of all fun.

Tomorrow: Magic Kingdom, a belly ache and more tears of course!

 

[Dismom+two]

sorry about the HUGE pictures. I am going to work on getting them all smaller...not sure why some are and some aren't!!

 

[Dismom+two]

Today we woke up to the alarm clock…if I remember right it was about 6:30. I had talked to my friend who agreed to meet us there in the lobby of the hotel to visit for a short time before going to the park. Not long after I showered, he called to see if we could meet him somewhere for breakfast. After deciding on a place and hung up, poor dd started to cry telling me she had a bad stomach ache. Ok, so called back my friend and asked if we could go back to original plans to meet there at my hotel so I could leave her upstairs to rest while I visited.

He finally arrived and we had a great visit. It was real good to see him and caught up on news, jobs, family etc. We had hotel employee take a photo of us and decided we would see each other again in July so he could meet my husband.

I headed back up the room and dd was still in some pain. She felt awful about putting a damper on our MK day. I told her we had plenty of time and we could just stay there until she was feeling better.

We finally got going off to MK and dd was ready to take on the World. We found our way just fine. I decided after getting lost the day before, I would go through DTD and just follow signs from there. We did this the rest of the week. At the end of the days, we would just follow the signs back to DTD and get back to our hotel from there.

My mind is starting to fail me as far as exact details but I do know we went on the usual Mts…..all three and loved them all. We did Pirates, Indy, the train around the world and the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. We did use Fastpass when necessary.
Of course we did It’s a Small World, I don’t care what people say….I do like this one. My DH hates this one and with that in mind, I called him on my cell while we were on it and let him hear that wonderful song! He said nasty things to me!!

I'm too sexy for this fish!!!!

For lunch, we got a great tasty hotdog with chips and a soda over in Tomorrowland. At some point we got a Mickey Bar…YUMMMMMMY and you know how moms on here talk about their little ones getting this all over them?? Well my dd got hers all over her…yes…your right….she is 11. FEAR NOT…..I know my daughter and pulled out my Tide Stain Stick!! God bless the people who invented this thing!!

As the afternoon wore on, we were getting tired and my knee was starting to swell, we decided to head back for a break and a swim. I haven’t mention until now about my knee. It had been bothering me for some time……ok….WEEKS. I had been self medicating and icing it when I could. I would go back to the hotel at night and put ice on it until it was good and numb……and coating on the Icyhot for bedtime.

Ok so we head towards Mainstreet and people are starting to line up for the 3:00 parade. I asked the kids what they wanted to do and they agreed to pass on it and just head for a swim. Most decisions I let them make…after all, it was their vacation. I have been there, done that and will be back in July to do it again.

Alrighty, step into my timemachine and jump forward about three hours. We are back at MK after a nice break and cooling swim. We head over to Jungle cruise and grab a fastpass, did HM and then back to JC for our jaunt through the jungle. I love that kind of humor….I’m strange…I know.

We finally head back to Mainstreet and realized we are STARVING!! Trying to find something other then popcorn we wandered around aimlessly. Not a good idea. At this point I just needed something to drink more then anything. We finally found a place at the entrance end of Mainstreet where we got a soda and a candy bar!! Great dinner huh?? Nice mother I am!!

We stood and watched the Spectro parade right by start of it. It was beautiful and of course made me cry at the end of it. I suppose the reason for my crying this time was they had Snowwhite and the Seven Dwarfs and to me…..that’s Disney. At my age…all of these newer movies don’t say Disney as much as the older movies. Then I saw Pluto…..and I yelled to him….my kids just about slinked away from me. OH come on kids….its Pluto!! I love Pluto!!!

After the parade, we found a spot by the flag pole to watch Wishes. My reasoning for being at that end of Mainstreet was to be able to bolt as soon as it was over. Get a jump on the crowd. We actually watched up until about 2 minutes prior to the end and started to head out. I know..we should have just watched the whole thing and then fought the crowds but we had no wait at the monorail and was on the first one. It worked out well.

On the way back to the hotel, via DTD of course, we hit McDs just off property…we were all still pretty hungry. With food in hand we retired to our room, ate, iced my very swollen knee and got a good night sleep for our next day.

Tomorrow…more belly aches…..a broken ride and yes……more tears!!

 

[lauren_elizabeth]

I know how the whole knee thing goes! I had surgery on my knee in June 2004 because of a torn meniscus and man, it was painful! Hope yours feels better!

Love the report! Keep it coming!

 

[Dismom+two]

Well Lauren_Elizabeth, when I came back from Disney, I called the dr. the next day and was in the office. They did xrays and bloodwork and everything came back neg. He did however put me on meds for it and have been taking that ever since so HOPEFULLY in the trip in two weeks I won't be in so much pain. There is no pain now so keep your fingers crossed for me!

 

[DisneyFan06]

There are some amazing Trip Reports around, but I must say this is one of the best that really appeals to me! I think it is very well written and organized! I look forward to reading more!

 

[Dismom+two]

Ahhh thanks Disneyfan06.....that really makes my day! I was starting to think I was writing this report just to amuse myself!

I hope to get the next day up tomorrow.

 

[Dismom+two]

Our day starts out by our alarm buzz waking us up. We all showered and made our way down to breakfast. Being at the Fairfield Inn, they have a free breakfast. I always find it very good. They have the make your own waffles to dry cereal, pastries, fruit, yogurt and even toasters for toast, bagels and english muffins. They of course have juices, milk, tea and coffee. We fill our bellies and get going to MGM. We are finally gong to make the rope drop!!!

We get to the parking lot and can you believe, we were the FIRST CAR THERE!! Just a little early I guess! Fine by me! Ok kids…..lets go! The trams were not running yet but who needs the tram when you’re so close! We got up the turnstiles and are first in line. Wow! Nice!!

We started talking to the mother and daughter that came in behind us. I really can’t remember where they were from. DD then tells me that her belly was hurting again. She headed off to the bathroom and was gone for sometime. I went in to check on her and she was in tears. Ok….no problem I told her, we can go back to the hotel and she can lie down and we will come back when she feels up to it! Off to the car we go and she said she just wanted to lie down in the back seat for awhile. After 15-20 minutes, she said she was feeling better and wanted to head back to the turnstiles.

When we returned, the park was open and we headed straight for ToT with a stop at the bathroom of course. ToT was pretty much a walk on…maybe 10 mins. total in line. I was so excited about this ride and of course the kids were excited but a bit nervous. DD has been waiting so long to ride this and couldn’t wait! We got front row seats, just to the right as you walk on. Yea!!! The ride moves along, and finally into the shaft, waiting for the window in front me of me to open and then the drop….
The window didn’t open as expected and we dropped….OH FUUUUUUUUDDDGGGE
WHOAAAAA….ok, then the window opened and drop…up…....and drop…up…..and drop. OH my that was awesome!!
We get to the bottom and there is a screen of some sort that has a quick little thing…can’t really remember and then…….darkness. No movement and no light….ok….what’s going on here. Some teenage girls were on the ride starting to freak…people started to flip open their cell phones to get some light. The lights finally came on and there were some maintenance men that came over and talked to us. Told us everything was fine, there was a safety issue that the ride sensed and shut the ride down. I took a picture of us and then one of the men asked if we wanted him to take one with our camera….sure!!! Poor DS was not enjoying this at all…I could see the beads of sweat on his forehead. We sat for about 10 minutes or so and then the car turned a quarter turn and the doors opened.
We were offered another ride but we declined. The kids were not ready for that again!

After our unforgettable ride on ToT we sauntered over to get FP for RnR. DS was little light headed still so he laid down on a wall to gather himself.

When he was feeling a little more like himself, we walked over towards the Wizard hat and saw Mickey and Pluto. DS found some shade to sit in while DD and I got in line for autographs and photos. The line moved along pretty quickly and we were done.

Our time for our FP was approaching so we headed back towards RnR. DS decided he wasn’t up for the ride and sat out while DD and I rode. Great ride and we both enjoyed it!
We retrieved DS figuring he would like to see the gift shop and he did and of course found something that he wanted. DS got a set of drum sticks and DD got a pencil in the shape of a G Clef for her music teacher.

After leaving that shop we walked over to the Lights, Motors, Action. By this time, my knee is KILLING me!! I gimp along slowly only to find out that to get to the seating for this you have walk what seemed like 41 ¾ miles, people were standing on the sidelines holding out cups of water and cheering us on!!! We finally get there and my knee is throbbing!!! We enjoyed the show and took many pictures that I won’t bore you with…same pictures you can see anywhere on this site. NOT that the pictures that are posted are boring!!! Mine are just the same thing.

Continuing on after the show, we made our way over to the Backlot Tour. I put my daughter in the sacrificial lamb seat. OH I’m so mean…but hey, it was done to me in the past by my hubby I just thought I would share the experience. DD was not thrilled with me but I told her….at least you’re a little cooler now…..still not amused.

DD wanted to see Indiana Jones after seeing about it on Full House, one of her favorite shows. We found our way there and I wobbled in. A very kind and considerate CM saw me and asked if I would like to sit in the handicap section so I would not have to deal with the stairs. OHHHHH Thank you sooooo much!!!!
We sat and watched the show with a cold drink and pretzels if I remember correctly.
The show was the same as I remembered it and the kids seemed to like it.

I believe at this point, we all agreed on a swim break so we left and drove back to the hotel with plans to return for Fantasmic.
Having a tough time walking at this point, I decided that I just may swallow my pride and rent a wheelchair that evening and possibly tomorrow.

We arrived back at the park, swung into Oscars Service Station and rented myself a wheelchair. I felt very strange and uncomfortable sitting in the chair but thought it was for the best. I was extremely nervous about the kids pushing me knowing how they run ME over with the carriage while food shopping. My hands stayed on the wheels at all times ready to stop quicker if need be.

We made it over to the amphitheater and up that long hill….my poor kids!!! We were escorted over to an area where I could sit in my chair and the kids’ right in front of me.
I LOVE this show…..it always makes me cry in the beginning of it when Mickey is down there “conducting” the water fountains and the water goes higher and higher.
We met a great family who was sitting beside us; ironically they don’t live far from us!! It IS a small world after all!!

We all took pleasure in the show and followed the mob back to the turnstiles. We of course had to return my wheels back to Oscar before leaving the park.

We had a nice day at MGM but I wished we could have done some more. I was just in so much pain that I didn’t push it too much. I know there were a lot of things that we missed that I would have loved to seen and done but it will be an excuse to return another year.

Tomorrow…..Elephants….gorillas and a big fury Yetti, from what I am told…I had my eyes closed!!

 

[DisneyFan06]

I am looking forward to your next posting, I suppose it's on Animal Kingdom

 

[Dismom+two]

Yes..........our last day was spent in Animal Kingdom.

 

[Dismom+two]

Our final day has arrived. I am sad, I am relieved, and I am EXCITED!! Today, we face the Yetti!

We get up at our usual time by our trusty, dusty alarm clock buzzer….ok, well maybe not dusty but it rhymed. We showered and strolled down to breakfast. We ate more then our moneys worth and started off to AK. After being on my feet all week and my knee is really bothering me today I decided that a wheelchair rental would be a must today.

We arrived at AK and seemed close enough to walk and besides there was no tram in sight, so we set out. Much to my relief, the gift shop where WC rentals were is right outside the gate. I gimped over to find my wheels and reminded the kids not to run anyone over.

The line into the park seemed to move fairly quickly and we were in before we knew it. Of course our first mission, along with hundreds of others, was to head for EE. I know in my pre-trip plans, I was not going to go there first but I shook my head and let that stupid thought fall right out! With me in a chair and the kids fighting over who was going to push me we followed the throngs. I have to say, I did not like looking at everyone’s butts down there at my eye level!

We arrived at EE and saw the stand-by line meandering down and around and decided to continue on to the FP machines. There was quite a line there as well. After pulling over and discussing our options, we agreed to go and get into the standby line as it was moving quite quickly!!

Quicker then your child rips into his or her holiday gifts, we were boarding our train!! Here we go kids, this is it!!! I do remember some of the ride although when that flippin’ Yetti jumped out, all I remember is screaming like I was in the middle of a horror movie being chased by a mad man in a hockey mask and jumpsuit wielding a machete!!
I seriously have never screamed like I did on that ride nor did I know I COULD!!

Talking to my daughter after the ride there were things that I didn’t remember. I guess I had my eyes closed too long. I did however LOVE the ride and can’t wait to ride it again!!

With our adrenaline pumping, we continued on our way. We stopped to take some pictures and then moved on to see the Gibbons. OHHHH those Gibbons…aren’t they entertaining??? They sat there so pretty, picking fleas or whatever off of each other when they all split up and went swinging around. The male was sitting looking at us watching him when all of a sudden the female came over to him and took a seat also facing us…..oh HIS lap! AND there they go!!! OHHHH MY…..oh DD cover your eyes!!
Now there is some Disney Magic you want to share with your family!! Sex Ed 101 Disney style!!

Alrighty then, so we move on to Kali Rapids and had a wonderful refreshing ride by getting pretty wet. From there we strolled through the Pangani Trail, well, I guess it wasn’t a stroll seeing as I was sitting and the poor kids were now fighting over who HAD to push me. Not the park you want to have to have your kids push your Pooh Size butt around!! Sorry kids!! We took some extra time looking at the gorillas. We also did the Maharajah Trek at some point.

Most of the details of this day are kind of fuzzy mainly for the fact that I have NO idea where my notes from this day disappeared to.
Although I do remember we did the Safari and loved to see the baby elephant. He was so so cute!! Being in the wheel chair, we were sent to a separate loading dock for the handicap truck!! Apparently they only have one seeing as we waited so long for it.

While we were waiting for our FP time for this ride, we watched an African drum troupe that was real cool!! They pulled some people from the audience to come up and shake their booty and they did a great job!!

Before leaving we did It’s a Bugs Life. I really like this one and DD got a little grossed out but enjoyed it. We were about to go see Festival of the Lion King but after looking at the next time for it, we just missed the next show and not wanting to hang around for the next we all decided to call it a day in the park.


We returned my wheels and toddled to the car. It was only about 3:00 and wanted to hit DTD before going back to the hotel. We enjoyed our walk around DTD, did some last minute shopping took some pictures and bought some goodies at Goofys’ Candy Co. I just loved those Mickey Rice Crispys on a stick!! Even better with chocolate on it!

With tired legs, feet, minds and bodies, we made our way back to our hotel. The kids wanted to hit the pool and I wanted to soak in the hot tub. We spent quite a bit of time there in the pool and just about the time we were going to head for something to eat, DD came over to tell me she met a girl her age in the pool. Isn’t it always the way, you meet someone on the last day!? Anyway, DD was all excited that this girl was her age and she was from SCOTLAND! With the help from myself and her new friend’s dad, we exchanged email and snail mail addresses.

Knowing we had to get up bright and early…..ok, ok, not bright, the sun will not be up yet, we got all of our luggage packed the best we could and then got dinner from the food court before getting to sleep early.

There was no trouble finding the airport and there was no traffic seeing as it was like 4am. I think I did tick off some poor schlep with my driving and turning last minute into the garage to return my rental. I’m sorry to this unfortunate person who got stuck behind me….honestly.

Overall, the trip was wonderful. The kids had a great time and can’t wait to go back again and catch some things that we missed. I did not mention too much about meals. We did not do any big meals and just ate when we got hungry. We had plenty of snacks and drank lots of H2O.
Thanks to all who took the time to read my report and to those of you who replied, I hope I supplied some form of entertainment to all!

Best Wishes and plenty of Pixie Dust to all and may all your trips be Magical ones!!

 

[DawnA401]

I really enjoyed your report and the pictures were great!! Thanks for taking the time to write it...I hope your knee is feelin better...

 

[littleelvis]

I loved reading about your trip. Sounds like you had a great time! Makes me excited to go in Feb.

 

[tiggerbell]

Thanks for posting! I enjoyed your report! How's your knee now?

 

[luciloo]

Great Report, Thanks for posting