luvmy2sams
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2000
- Messages
- 3,798
Dateline: Saturday, January 7, 2006
The alarm pierced the silence of the hotel room at 5 a.m. Is that really even a time? Its not normal to be awake when the sun is not at least rising in the distance. I am so not a morning person! DH rolled out of bed, and I nicely told him that he could have first dibs on the shower. Silly DH thinks that Im being a wonderful wife. What Im really doing is grabbing a few extra zzzs while DH is being jolted awake by the lovely fluorescent lighting in the bathroom. Silly man! Once we were ready for the day, DH woke the sleeping princess. At first all he got back was a mumble and a roll further under the covers. Then, she suddenly sprang out of bed and, jutting her arms over her head, yelled Disney World. Isnt it great when you wake up on that one morning and realize that, yes, today is the day .WERE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!
DD busied herself getting ready, and DS woke up all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.. You have no idea what a huge accomplishment this is. From DDs birth on, she has woken up with the sweetest disposition you can imagine. DS, on the other hand, will more often than not make you question why you became a parent in the first place. 
I love him to pieces, and I wouldnt trade that personality of his for anything, but boy do I get tired of being yelled and cried at first thing in the morning. Surely someone else out there can relate to this. Surprisingly enough, we were out the door and in the car by 6:00 a.m.
The airport was a whopping 8 minutes away, so we soon arrived at the DFW Park Air Express. Here is where the first comedic event (and there will be many) of the day occurs. Weve opted to take DSs carseat on the flight. Thinking it will be safer to have him restrained in case he decides he doesnt need the seatbelt on when the captain insists that he does
, weve purchased a carseat travel bag to aid us in transporting this monstrosity across the airports. DH has the honor of removing the carseat and placing it in said bag while I get the kids on the courtesy shuttle. Guess who had the easier job? Two rolling duffles, two backpacks, a carseat, a stroller and a diaper bag later were safely aboard the shuttle and heading to the airport. DD made small talk with the other passengers during the following 30 minutes we spent dropping everyone else off at their stops first. Isnt there another law about the first aboard being the last to depart? This happens to us all the time. Tommy the Park Air Express driver dropped us at Terminal E, and we were relieved of our 2 duffle bags in less than 10 minutes by a very friendly AirTran agent. Next up was the giant obstacle of passing through security. Wed briefed DD on what to expect, so her experience was a breeze. DS, as usual, was the wildcard in the situation. Have I mentioned that hes very particular about things? Hed been happily observing things from his stroller, but now he needed to walk through the security screening. My precious DS wants what he wants when he wants it. You might offer him the very thing he desires, but if hes ticked off for some unknown reason, then hes going to let you
and everyone else
hear about it. It usually goes something like this
.
DS, lets get out of the stroller for a second and walk.
NO, MOM MOM, NO!
DS youve got to stand up.
NO MOM MOM (insert crying for added empasis if the mood strikes him.)
Two seconds later he jumps out of the stroller and walks around like its what hes wanted to do all along. This entire scenario probably takes less than a minute, but it can feel like an eternity. Like I said, he doesnt do anything until hes good and ready.
Thankfully, we werent profiled as suspected terrorists, so we were able to proceed with putting our shoes and assorted paraphernalia back together and making our way to gate E16. We had an hour before boarding began, and I spent the time taking DD back and forth to the bathroom and entertaining DS by showing him all the big choo choos out the window. I think DH spent the entire time stressing about whether the carseat was going to concuss anyone as he made his way up the aisle of the plane. Thankfully, this didnt happen at least not to my knowledge.
It was finally time for boarding to begin. DD was so excited that she could barely contain herself, and frankly DH and I felt the same way. Id carefully changed our assigned seats online the day before to ensure that we were sitting on the side of the plane with only 2 seats. I hate middle seats, and I knew DD would want to sit by the window. We also figured that with these seat assignments, DS could sit behind DD and kick her seat instead of some innocent strangers. In the excitement, however, DD and I boarded and situated ourselves in Row 16 while DH installed the carseat in Row 15. Yes, you read that right, the brilliant planner forgot to put the 2-year-old in the row behind his sister. It didnt even dawn on me until we were up in the air. DH claims that he almost said something, but I have a feeling that he didnt think of it at the time, either. Im so rarely wrong that Im sure he would have seized the opportunity to point it out. It ended up not making any difference since DS fell asleep shortly after takeoff and didnt wake up until we were making the descent into Orlando. DD was entranced by the scenery and couldnt get over how small everything was from the air. She wondered aloud if there was some little kid down on the ground looking up at our plane at that moment. Im sure there was. She then asked if the plane would be going upside-down during the flight. You can imagine the startled look on the face of the man sitting behind us as she pondered this one. Im glad to report that no upside-down plane driving occurred during this flight, but there was plenty of homework to be done. DDs teacher put together the homework assignments for the 6 days of school DD would miss, and I made a journal for her to do in lieu of her normal school journal for the week. DD actually loves school, and she was very excited to be able to do all this homework at once.
We landed at MCO approximately 15 minutes ahead of schedule, so we took a little extra time making our way to baggage claim. We had one final surprise for DD of a limousine ride to the hotel waiting for us at baggage claim.
We used Southern Elegance, a company DH and I had used the previous year, so we knew exactly what to expect. Or so we thought
..As we descended the escalator DH and I were discussing with DD how we should get to the hotel. DH told her that maybe some nice man would drive us to the hotel, and perhaps we should look for a sign with our name on it. We began to look
and look
and look. There was no sign of our driver anywhere. 
We had confirmed, and our credit card had been charged, so I was a bit ticked off. We claimed our baggage and now had the joy of keeping track of everything while trying to figure out where the driver was. We called the limo company and were told that the driver should be there since hed left over an hour earlier. Finally, after several calls back and forth with the limo company, our driver arrived. I suppose 30+ minutes late is better than nothing, but we were disappointed. The driver loaded our luggage on a cart and took us outside
.to wait while he went to get the car. Another 15 minutes passed, and the driver finally returned with our white limousine. DD was once again stunned into silence. I think shes still trying to figure out how were so rich. 
All loaded up, DH confirmed our destination with the driver and we began the cross-town trek to our hotel. Not the start to our vacation that I had envisioned. The limo service had guaranteed us a decorated limousine in honor of DDs birthday, complete with a Goofy ride-along stuffed animal and the Toy Story video for DS. None of this was done, and I was disappointed. However, I would not let it spoil the beginning of a wonderful 10-day adventure. The kids watched Shrek 2, and DH and I watched the scenery once we entered the Disney gates. Everything went smoothly, and the driver pulled us into All Star Music at around 2:00 p.m. This would be wonderful, except we were staying at All Star Movies. This is just not our day apparently. Back into the limo and we were ushered next door and into the long check-in line. I guarded the luggage and supervised DD and DS by the TV while DH stood in line.
A relatively short 20 minutes later DH emerged triumphant with the news that we had a room in Toy Story, but it wasnt ready yet. Not a problem as we were hungry, and the food court was calling. DH and I had a cheeseburger and fries while DD and DS shared a grilled cheese sandwich. We opted against buying the refillable mugs since we were using the dining plan and would get drinks with each counter service credit anyway. Our room was ready at 3 p.m., and we were very excited to see that we had a 3rd floor corner room overlooking Andys Room. How perfect would it be for DS to be able to look out the window and see his favorite characters anytime he wished! This is just too good to be true and or course, it was. We opened the room to the unbelievable stench of cigarette smoke. Were a family of non-smokers, and we frankly are sickened by the smell.
DH thought that the smell was concentrated by the sink and that perhaps someone was smoking in a non-smoking room. He called mousekeeping, and they assured us that this was a non-smoking room and they would get rid of the smell via some sort of ozone machine. We simply needed to be out of the room for at least 2 hours. Not a problem since we had big plans for the evening. DH was told to call mousekeeping back when we were leaving, and they would start the freshening process. We continued checking out the room, and I noticed a lovely brown smear of some sort in the bathroom near the toilet paper dispenser. I had my suspicions, but I wasnt about to move closer for further inspection. We packed up the kids, who were busting at the seams to get out and experience the World, and DH called Mousekeeping to inform them of the bathroom issue and to tell them we were ready for the ozone machine. They promised to fix everything to our satisfaction immediately, and based on our experiences with All Star Movies, we knew this would be the case.
Aaahhh .fresh air.
We stopped by Donalds Double Feature to pick up autograph books, pen, and a Mickey jawbreaker for DD, and then boarded the bus to the Magic Kingdom. DD was not happy that wed spent a whopping 45 minutes getting into our hotel room, and now she was really not happy because there wasnt enough time to ride Splash Mountain before our ADR at Chef Mickeys. We finally convinced her that there would be plenty of time to do everything that she wanted to do, and she was happy
.for the time being. We exited the bus at the MK and hopped on the monorail to take our traditional loop around the Seven Seas Lagoon. DD gave us our first scare by exiting the monorail at the TTC and barely making it back on. Guess its time for the talk on what to do if youre separated from us at Disney.
We exited the monorail at the Contemporary and had our second episode of the evening when DD freaked out about taking the escalator. I dont like these things myself, but for some reason this one really spooked DD. DH ended up carrying her and the stroller while I kept DS from running away from us all. We still had a few minutes before we needed to check into Chef Mickeys, so we stopped in Fantasy Faire to pick up a new Minnie fanny pack and princess ears for DD. A great CM loaded DDs pack with Mickey stickers, and DD spent the next few minutes trying to figure out if Tinkerbelle really filled the pack or if it was the CM.
We checked in at Chef Mickeys for our 6 p.m. ADR and took the official vacation picture. We buy this sucker every year regardless of how goofy we look. This one is a real winner. Weve got the biggest, cheesiest smiles youve ever seen. Talk about looking like a family of goofs!
Chef Mickeys is our traditional first meal at Disney. We love the celebratory atmosphere, and the character interaction is always excellent. The mashed potatoes arent too bad, either. We were seated in a table in the back of the restaurant in the little area with great views of the other monorail resorts and of the Magic Kingdom. Our server brought out a birthday placemat for DD at the beginning of the meal, and she presented DD with a birthday cupcake at the end of the meal. 
Goofy was the first character to make an appearance at our table, and he didnt disappoint. DS was enthralled with this larger than life guy, and DD couldnt quit giggling as Goofy continuously played with her princess ears. The characters continued to flow throughout the evening, and we took the obligatory pictures of the kids with Mickey, Minnie, Chip and Dale. Pardon the interjection here, but are we the only family that always seems to end up seated next to the family that doesnt know the rules of character interaction and proper supervision of minor children? We were seated next to a family of 8-10 people with lots of little ones. One toddler in particular went so far as to try to eat off of DDs plate. He was constantly getting in the way of the pictures, and the family didnt seem to care. I completely understand the awe these characters place the kids under, but shouldnt the parents at least keep the kids near their table? This became a theme at several of our meals, and it was more than a little bit annoying. 
Anyway
rant over and back to the saga
.
After dinner we boarded the monorail for the Magic Kingdom. DD couldnt wait to do something anything in this park, and frankly, we felt the same. I never feel like Im truly at Disney until Im getting that first glimpse of the castle. We made it through security intact and survived the battle of the finger scanners, and then there it was in all its glory. The Magic Kingdoms Christmas tree?.?.
The garlands and decorations continued to flow all the way up Main Street USA. After a brief recollection that it was, in fact, January we comforted ourselves with the hope that surely Disney would return to its regularly scheduled decorations and music before the end of our vacation. Theres just something about hearing Christmas music after Christmas that I dont like. Before the holidays it gets me in a festive mood, but afterwards it makes me realize that its only January and there are A LOT of days between now and December 25th.
Shaking this disturbing thought from my head, we continued up the street and around the bend by The Confectionary. Now Im on vacation .I see the sight before me. The beautifully breathtaking Cinderellas Castle lit up in a painters palette of colors. It was a sight to behold, instantly transporting us back in time to .our last trip to McDonalds. Was that a giant McDonalds happy meal toy suspended above the castle archway? DH made this comment, and I spent the entire vacation trying to get past it. Yep
it looks like a McDonalds toy, or maybe great-grandmothers most hideous broach. Really it wasnt that bad, but I prefer the simple elegance of an unadorned castle myself.
DD was clamoring for Fantasyland, so we took our chances and made our way to the land of a million strollers. Surprisingly, it wasnt that crowded. We rode Its A Small World, which looked great after the rehab. However, we missed Walts voice at the beginning of the ride. It was Walts voice, wasnt it? If not, then please dont spoil the illusion weve placed in our minds. Thank you very much. DD always loves this ride, and DS was wide-eyed, pointing out every single sight that he encountered. I love seeing Disney through the eyes of a child thats where the magic lives. After IASW, we stood in a whopping 5-minute line for Dumbo, following this up with a spin on the tea cups. Next up was the nausea-inducing Tomorrowland Speedway. DD and DS both drove while DH and I manned the gas pedals. Leaving the ride with only a minor case of whiplash, we learned that DD now wanted to attempt the AstroOrbiter again, and despite our misgivings, we decided to give it a try. On our 2002 trip to Disney, I was pregnant, and DH, DD and I rode this marvel. I thought I was going to be hurled into the Contemporary, and I taught DD a word that no 4-year-old should know, so this was a major milestone for me to even be considering a second go round with this one. Turns out that 2 out of 4 of the family members loved it this time. DS thought he was Billow (his word for Buzz Lightyear, his hero), and I had a ball. DH doesnt like heights, and DD stated that it scared the hell out of me. Doesnt my 7-year-old have a lovely mouth?
Now is the moment Ive been dreaming of for months. Its time to find the perfect viewing spot for Wishes. I love fireworks, and this show at Disney is my absolute favorite. I love the soundtrack, and its often playing in my SUV as I transport the kids around town. It always makes me cry as I recall the previous trips to Disney, and the memories weve made here. Among my favorites are DD making a wish as the Blue Fairy instructed and then promptly announcing that all wishes made at Disney are granted. Oh that it were true. Needless to say, Wishes did not disappoint, and I relished the fact that DD was quietly singing along and did, in fact, close her eyes to make another wish. DS was not to sure about all the noise at first, but after the first segment, he was pumping his fists in the air and yelling more, more. Me too, buddy, me too. After Wishes, we decided that our bones were more than a bit chilly in this balmy 40 degree Florida weather 
, so we headed back to the bus stop and our home for the next 10 nights. Both kids fell asleep on the bus, and a very nice man helped me with the stroller as I wielded it and my DS down the steps. I think he secretly was just fearful that I would wallop him with the stroller on my way up the aisle. Either way, it was a much appreciated gesture.
We said goodnight to Billow and Woody and headed back to our now smoke- and poop-free room. At least thats what we would have liked to have done. Instead, we headed back into our stinky, questionable brown stuff on the bathroom wall room and got quite ticked off. Its now too late to transfer rooms, as we have two sleeping kids under our wings. I tried not to think about what else might be lingering in this room that I couldnt see with my naked eye and laid my kids down for a blissful nights sleep. Wed deal with this issue first thing in the morning, believe me. DH ran back to the food court for hot chocolate and a Sprite. Snacks downed, we set the wake-up call and headed to bed a little after 11 p.m.
Coming up next What dragons would be slain in order to get a room in which we could breathe and use the facilities? Would a day at the Magic Kingdom live up to expectations? Would being forced to forgo naps spell doom for the family? Stay tuned for the next installement in our Price Family Vacation.
For the Love of a Little Girl
Surprise Beginnings
The alarm pierced the silence of the hotel room at 5 a.m. Is that really even a time? Its not normal to be awake when the sun is not at least rising in the distance. I am so not a morning person! DH rolled out of bed, and I nicely told him that he could have first dibs on the shower. Silly DH thinks that Im being a wonderful wife. What Im really doing is grabbing a few extra zzzs while DH is being jolted awake by the lovely fluorescent lighting in the bathroom. Silly man! Once we were ready for the day, DH woke the sleeping princess. At first all he got back was a mumble and a roll further under the covers. Then, she suddenly sprang out of bed and, jutting her arms over her head, yelled Disney World. Isnt it great when you wake up on that one morning and realize that, yes, today is the day .WERE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!
DD busied herself getting ready, and DS woke up all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.. You have no idea what a huge accomplishment this is. From DDs birth on, she has woken up with the sweetest disposition you can imagine. DS, on the other hand, will more often than not make you question why you became a parent in the first place. I love him to pieces, and I wouldnt trade that personality of his for anything, but boy do I get tired of being yelled and cried at first thing in the morning. Surely someone else out there can relate to this. Surprisingly enough, we were out the door and in the car by 6:00 a.m. The airport was a whopping 8 minutes away, so we soon arrived at the DFW Park Air Express. Here is where the first comedic event (and there will be many) of the day occurs. Weve opted to take DSs carseat on the flight. Thinking it will be safer to have him restrained in case he decides he doesnt need the seatbelt on when the captain insists that he does
, weve purchased a carseat travel bag to aid us in transporting this monstrosity across the airports. DH has the honor of removing the carseat and placing it in said bag while I get the kids on the courtesy shuttle. Guess who had the easier job? Two rolling duffles, two backpacks, a carseat, a stroller and a diaper bag later were safely aboard the shuttle and heading to the airport. DD made small talk with the other passengers during the following 30 minutes we spent dropping everyone else off at their stops first. Isnt there another law about the first aboard being the last to depart? This happens to us all the time. Tommy the Park Air Express driver dropped us at Terminal E, and we were relieved of our 2 duffle bags in less than 10 minutes by a very friendly AirTran agent. Next up was the giant obstacle of passing through security. Wed briefed DD on what to expect, so her experience was a breeze. DS, as usual, was the wildcard in the situation. Have I mentioned that hes very particular about things? Hed been happily observing things from his stroller, but now he needed to walk through the security screening. My precious DS wants what he wants when he wants it. You might offer him the very thing he desires, but if hes ticked off for some unknown reason, then hes going to let you
and everyone else
hear about it. It usually goes something like this
.DS, lets get out of the stroller for a second and walk.
NO, MOM MOM, NO!
DS youve got to stand up.
NO MOM MOM (insert crying for added empasis if the mood strikes him.)
Two seconds later he jumps out of the stroller and walks around like its what hes wanted to do all along. This entire scenario probably takes less than a minute, but it can feel like an eternity. Like I said, he doesnt do anything until hes good and ready.
Thankfully, we werent profiled as suspected terrorists, so we were able to proceed with putting our shoes and assorted paraphernalia back together and making our way to gate E16. We had an hour before boarding began, and I spent the time taking DD back and forth to the bathroom and entertaining DS by showing him all the big choo choos out the window. I think DH spent the entire time stressing about whether the carseat was going to concuss anyone as he made his way up the aisle of the plane. Thankfully, this didnt happen at least not to my knowledge.
It was finally time for boarding to begin. DD was so excited that she could barely contain herself, and frankly DH and I felt the same way. Id carefully changed our assigned seats online the day before to ensure that we were sitting on the side of the plane with only 2 seats. I hate middle seats, and I knew DD would want to sit by the window. We also figured that with these seat assignments, DS could sit behind DD and kick her seat instead of some innocent strangers. In the excitement, however, DD and I boarded and situated ourselves in Row 16 while DH installed the carseat in Row 15. Yes, you read that right, the brilliant planner forgot to put the 2-year-old in the row behind his sister. It didnt even dawn on me until we were up in the air. DH claims that he almost said something, but I have a feeling that he didnt think of it at the time, either. Im so rarely wrong that Im sure he would have seized the opportunity to point it out. It ended up not making any difference since DS fell asleep shortly after takeoff and didnt wake up until we were making the descent into Orlando. DD was entranced by the scenery and couldnt get over how small everything was from the air. She wondered aloud if there was some little kid down on the ground looking up at our plane at that moment. Im sure there was. She then asked if the plane would be going upside-down during the flight. You can imagine the startled look on the face of the man sitting behind us as she pondered this one.
Im glad to report that no upside-down plane driving occurred during this flight, but there was plenty of homework to be done. DDs teacher put together the homework assignments for the 6 days of school DD would miss, and I made a journal for her to do in lieu of her normal school journal for the week. DD actually loves school, and she was very excited to be able to do all this homework at once. We landed at MCO approximately 15 minutes ahead of schedule, so we took a little extra time making our way to baggage claim. We had one final surprise for DD of a limousine ride to the hotel waiting for us at baggage claim.
We used Southern Elegance, a company DH and I had used the previous year, so we knew exactly what to expect. Or so we thought
..As we descended the escalator DH and I were discussing with DD how we should get to the hotel. DH told her that maybe some nice man would drive us to the hotel, and perhaps we should look for a sign with our name on it. We began to look
and look
and look. There was no sign of our driver anywhere. We had confirmed, and our credit card had been charged, so I was a bit ticked off. We claimed our baggage and now had the joy of keeping track of everything while trying to figure out where the driver was. We called the limo company and were told that the driver should be there since hed left over an hour earlier. Finally, after several calls back and forth with the limo company, our driver arrived. I suppose 30+ minutes late is better than nothing, but we were disappointed. The driver loaded our luggage on a cart and took us outside
.to wait while he went to get the car. Another 15 minutes passed, and the driver finally returned with our white limousine. DD was once again stunned into silence. I think shes still trying to figure out how were so rich. All loaded up, DH confirmed our destination with the driver and we began the cross-town trek to our hotel. Not the start to our vacation that I had envisioned. The limo service had guaranteed us a decorated limousine in honor of DDs birthday, complete with a Goofy ride-along stuffed animal and the Toy Story video for DS. None of this was done, and I was disappointed. However, I would not let it spoil the beginning of a wonderful 10-day adventure. The kids watched Shrek 2, and DH and I watched the scenery once we entered the Disney gates. Everything went smoothly, and the driver pulled us into All Star Music at around 2:00 p.m. This would be wonderful, except we were staying at All Star Movies. This is just not our day apparently. Back into the limo and we were ushered next door and into the long check-in line. I guarded the luggage and supervised DD and DS by the TV while DH stood in line.A relatively short 20 minutes later DH emerged triumphant with the news that we had a room in Toy Story, but it wasnt ready yet. Not a problem as we were hungry, and the food court was calling. DH and I had a cheeseburger and fries while DD and DS shared a grilled cheese sandwich. We opted against buying the refillable mugs since we were using the dining plan and would get drinks with each counter service credit anyway. Our room was ready at 3 p.m., and we were very excited to see that we had a 3rd floor corner room overlooking Andys Room. How perfect would it be for DS to be able to look out the window and see his favorite characters anytime he wished! This is just too good to be true and or course, it was. We opened the room to the unbelievable stench of cigarette smoke. Were a family of non-smokers, and we frankly are sickened by the smell.
DH thought that the smell was concentrated by the sink and that perhaps someone was smoking in a non-smoking room. He called mousekeeping, and they assured us that this was a non-smoking room and they would get rid of the smell via some sort of ozone machine. We simply needed to be out of the room for at least 2 hours. Not a problem since we had big plans for the evening. DH was told to call mousekeeping back when we were leaving, and they would start the freshening process. We continued checking out the room, and I noticed a lovely brown smear of some sort in the bathroom near the toilet paper dispenser. I had my suspicions, but I wasnt about to move closer for further inspection. We packed up the kids, who were busting at the seams to get out and experience the World, and DH called Mousekeeping to inform them of the bathroom issue and to tell them we were ready for the ozone machine. They promised to fix everything to our satisfaction immediately, and based on our experiences with All Star Movies, we knew this would be the case. Aaahhh .fresh air.
We stopped by Donalds Double Feature to pick up autograph books, pen, and a Mickey jawbreaker for DD, and then boarded the bus to the Magic Kingdom. DD was not happy that wed spent a whopping 45 minutes getting into our hotel room, and now she was really not happy because there wasnt enough time to ride Splash Mountain before our ADR at Chef Mickeys. We finally convinced her that there would be plenty of time to do everything that she wanted to do, and she was happy
.for the time being. We exited the bus at the MK and hopped on the monorail to take our traditional loop around the Seven Seas Lagoon. DD gave us our first scare by exiting the monorail at the TTC and barely making it back on. Guess its time for the talk on what to do if youre separated from us at Disney. We exited the monorail at the Contemporary and had our second episode of the evening when DD freaked out about taking the escalator. I dont like these things myself, but for some reason this one really spooked DD. DH ended up carrying her and the stroller while I kept DS from running away from us all. We still had a few minutes before we needed to check into Chef Mickeys, so we stopped in Fantasy Faire to pick up a new Minnie fanny pack and princess ears for DD. A great CM loaded DDs pack with Mickey stickers, and DD spent the next few minutes trying to figure out if Tinkerbelle really filled the pack or if it was the CM.
We checked in at Chef Mickeys for our 6 p.m. ADR and took the official vacation picture. We buy this sucker every year regardless of how goofy we look. This one is a real winner. Weve got the biggest, cheesiest smiles youve ever seen. Talk about looking like a family of goofs!
Chef Mickeys is our traditional first meal at Disney. We love the celebratory atmosphere, and the character interaction is always excellent. The mashed potatoes arent too bad, either. We were seated in a table in the back of the restaurant in the little area with great views of the other monorail resorts and of the Magic Kingdom. Our server brought out a birthday placemat for DD at the beginning of the meal, and she presented DD with a birthday cupcake at the end of the meal. Goofy was the first character to make an appearance at our table, and he didnt disappoint. DS was enthralled with this larger than life guy, and DD couldnt quit giggling as Goofy continuously played with her princess ears. The characters continued to flow throughout the evening, and we took the obligatory pictures of the kids with Mickey, Minnie, Chip and Dale. Pardon the interjection here, but are we the only family that always seems to end up seated next to the family that doesnt know the rules of character interaction and proper supervision of minor children? We were seated next to a family of 8-10 people with lots of little ones. One toddler in particular went so far as to try to eat off of DDs plate. He was constantly getting in the way of the pictures, and the family didnt seem to care. I completely understand the awe these characters place the kids under, but shouldnt the parents at least keep the kids near their table? This became a theme at several of our meals, and it was more than a little bit annoying. Anyway
rant over and back to the saga
.After dinner we boarded the monorail for the Magic Kingdom. DD couldnt wait to do something anything in this park, and frankly, we felt the same. I never feel like Im truly at Disney until Im getting that first glimpse of the castle. We made it through security intact and survived the battle of the finger scanners, and then there it was in all its glory. The Magic Kingdoms Christmas tree?.?.
The garlands and decorations continued to flow all the way up Main Street USA. After a brief recollection that it was, in fact, January we comforted ourselves with the hope that surely Disney would return to its regularly scheduled decorations and music before the end of our vacation. Theres just something about hearing Christmas music after Christmas that I dont like. Before the holidays it gets me in a festive mood, but afterwards it makes me realize that its only January and there are A LOT of days between now and December 25th.Shaking this disturbing thought from my head, we continued up the street and around the bend by The Confectionary. Now Im on vacation .I see the sight before me. The beautifully breathtaking Cinderellas Castle lit up in a painters palette of colors. It was a sight to behold, instantly transporting us back in time to .our last trip to McDonalds.
Was that a giant McDonalds happy meal toy suspended above the castle archway? DH made this comment, and I spent the entire vacation trying to get past it. Yep
it looks like a McDonalds toy, or maybe great-grandmothers most hideous broach. Really it wasnt that bad, but I prefer the simple elegance of an unadorned castle myself.DD was clamoring for Fantasyland, so we took our chances and made our way to the land of a million strollers. Surprisingly, it wasnt that crowded. We rode Its A Small World, which looked great after the rehab. However, we missed Walts voice at the beginning of the ride. It was Walts voice, wasnt it? If not, then please dont spoil the illusion weve placed in our minds. Thank you very much. DD always loves this ride, and DS was wide-eyed, pointing out every single sight that he encountered. I love seeing Disney through the eyes of a child thats where the magic lives.
After IASW, we stood in a whopping 5-minute line for Dumbo, following this up with a spin on the tea cups. Next up was the nausea-inducing Tomorrowland Speedway. DD and DS both drove while DH and I manned the gas pedals. Leaving the ride with only a minor case of whiplash, we learned that DD now wanted to attempt the AstroOrbiter again, and despite our misgivings, we decided to give it a try. On our 2002 trip to Disney, I was pregnant, and DH, DD and I rode this marvel. I thought I was going to be hurled into the Contemporary, and I taught DD a word that no 4-year-old should know, so this was a major milestone for me to even be considering a second go round with this one. Turns out that 2 out of 4 of the family members loved it this time. DS thought he was Billow (his word for Buzz Lightyear, his hero), and I had a ball. DH doesnt like heights, and DD stated that it scared the hell out of me. Doesnt my 7-year-old have a lovely mouth? Now is the moment Ive been dreaming of for months. Its time to find the perfect viewing spot for Wishes. I love fireworks, and this show at Disney is my absolute favorite. I love the soundtrack, and its often playing in my SUV as I transport the kids around town. It always makes me cry as I recall the previous trips to Disney, and the memories weve made here. Among my favorites are DD making a wish as the Blue Fairy instructed and then promptly announcing that all wishes made at Disney are granted. Oh that it were true. Needless to say, Wishes did not disappoint, and I relished the fact that DD was quietly singing along and did, in fact, close her eyes to make another wish.
DS was not to sure about all the noise at first, but after the first segment, he was pumping his fists in the air and yelling more, more. Me too, buddy, me too. After Wishes, we decided that our bones were more than a bit chilly in this balmy 40 degree Florida weather , so we headed back to the bus stop and our home for the next 10 nights. Both kids fell asleep on the bus, and a very nice man helped me with the stroller as I wielded it and my DS down the steps. I think he secretly was just fearful that I would wallop him with the stroller on my way up the aisle. Either way, it was a much appreciated gesture. We said goodnight to Billow and Woody and headed back to our now smoke- and poop-free room. At least thats what we would have liked to have done. Instead, we headed back into our stinky, questionable brown stuff on the bathroom wall room and got quite ticked off.
Its now too late to transfer rooms, as we have two sleeping kids under our wings. I tried not to think about what else might be lingering in this room that I couldnt see with my naked eye and laid my kids down for a blissful nights sleep. Wed deal with this issue first thing in the morning, believe me. DH ran back to the food court for hot chocolate and a Sprite. Snacks downed, we set the wake-up call and headed to bed a little after 11 p.m.Coming up next What dragons would be slain in order to get a room in which we could breathe and use the facilities? Would a day at the Magic Kingdom live up to expectations? Would being forced to forgo naps spell doom for the family? Stay tuned for the next installement in our Price Family Vacation.
For the Love of a Little Girl
Surprise Beginnings
We exited the monorail at the Contemporary and had our second episode of the evening when DD freaked out about taking the escalator. I dont like these things myself, but for some reason this one really spooked DD. 
Till this day all the other kids talk about how my friend ran up the stairs and saved my DD! I felt so helpless standing at the top. NOw we always hold hands going down the escalators, i'm not even sure she remembers the whole thing but she does remember something happend in WDW with an escalator! How scary it was!
Please.
