Queen, Jasmine and a Disney Virgin...will he love it like we do?

[Queenofallthings]

I got up extra early this morning to get this post done but I made the mistake of turning on the tv and Canada AM is following the last day of the Olympic Torch Relay....so I've been watching that.....who knows when the Olympics will be back in Canada so I'm going to try and multi task

I left off with us leaving Epcot and heading back to the hotel. We went straight to our room and all got into bed and I decided at that point that it seemed ridiculous to try and make rope drop considering we had very little sleep the night before and lord knows, I didn't want anyone getting sick due to lack of sleep (me in case you were wondering). I talked to the kids and said why don't we just get up when we get up. They loved the idea. We were planning on spending the entire day at MK anyways so a couple of hours wasn't going to hurt anything....I hoped!!

I woke up at 730am and just turned over but never did get back to sleep. We had decided that Jasmine would get up first everyday, but since I was awake I thought I would just jump in the shower and get the backpacks ready for the day. I finally got out of bed at 830am. The kids were up when I got out of the shower, excitement will do that to you I guess. By the time everyone was showered and ready to leave it was just after 1015am.

While the kiddies were finishing up, I stepped out and decided I would take a couple of pictures. As you can see we were very close to the hat...the elevators were right around the corner from our rooms, though we never took them once since we were only on the second floor.

The Nutcrackers right across from our room

When Jasmine and I came in 2000 we stayed in the Love Bug building...it was also where we saw the shuttle launch for the first time other than on television...I was happy we were a little closer to the lobby this trip.

The kids under the "big hat" as Aladdin kept calling...we said Sorceror's hat, he got it by the end of the trip!! Throughout the trip Jasmine would turn to him when we would see certain characters and say "who's that" and he would say I don't know....she looked at me at one point and said "clearly I should have worked with him before we left" we all had a good laugh.

Walking past the brooms on our way to breakfast..don't they looked thrilled for another picture

Ahhh, the pool, unfortunately this would be the closest we got to it this trip...maybe next time the weather would be more on our side. Like I said earlier, Jasmine and I are now so used to coming in August and being in the pool everyday, it was definitely different not being in it once.

Walking into the lobby for breakfast. Aladdin had asked what kind of stuff there was and we told him all the basics...he couldn't wait to have his first Mickey waffle with sausages.

Aladdin couldn't believe all the choices when we actually got to the point of ordering, but he did finally decide on the mickey waffle

Going to get the bottles of water while I ordered the food.

So with our tummies full we headed out to the bus stops. Aladdin was blown away by how organzied everything seemed. He couldn't believe that the bus would just come and take you right to the park and it was free. I was so happy that something which seemed so simple to me after so many trips was so exciting to him. As you can see, crowds were at a minimum on this our first day....

We no sooner arrived at the bus stop and along came our bus. We told Aladdin it must be him, because when we were at ASMu in August Jasmine and I had absolutely no luck with buses.

First ride to the Magic Kingdom...I couldn't help but get emotional on the bus, going to my favoritie park with my two favorite kids....it doesn't get any better than this...sun would have been nice, but hey, we were there, together, what more could we ask for.

First picture is a must. I could have kicked myself when I realized that I had forgotten to pre-order the photopass cd, but nonetheless, we still used the photopass photographers...if there was a lot of great pictures I would buy it, if not I would just purchase a couple before we left.

I think they may have been ready to kill me at this point...all they wanted to do was get to the rides, but I reminded them all they would have when we got home were their memories and pictures help with those memories, so stand there and smile...too harsh? The line ups behind the kids were for character greetings, but they decided Space Mountain was waiting for them so off we went.

Off we went...but had to stop for the castle shot! It's a must every trip, no matter what. The kids actually got a photopass one done to the side of the castle right before you enter into Tomorrowland, but she only took one and both their eyes were closed. I was so sad that I hadn't taken one with my camera there.

Ahhh, Casey's...best hotdogs on earth IMO. I love it there, but again, it wasn't meant to be on this trip. I had made most of our ADR's for lunch instead of dinner and with the temperatures being so low on this particular day, I was beginning to wonder just how long we would last here today.

I have a picture of these topiaries from our last few trips so had to take another, why, not sure, but I felt the need. As we were walking to SM, we were coming up the LF...I said to the kids we're right here and there's no one in line, let's go in. They said ok!Aladdin thought this show was hilarious and Jasmine and I were happy that it was different than last time we saw it. None of us made it to the big screen this time!

Finally, SM, how we missed this last time!!

I love the fact that they have these interactive games in the lineups now! Aladdin won everyone they did....

One more shot before boarding the ride.

I am going to leave off here as I have some errands to run today....gotta go get some groceries!! I am going to make appetizers for dinner tonight so we can just sit and munch while we watch the opening ceremonies of the Olympics!!!! GO CANADA GO!!!!!

 

[quest4dl]

Another great update!

I had the same thought about making munchies for dinner while we watched the opening ceremonies but we are two hours ahead so we'll probably be done with dinner by the time it starts! It's frustrating being a Canadian living ion the States at times like this - most of the coverage is (understandably) on American athletes. Oh well, I guess I'll get my Canada fix during opening ceremonies and hope they have enough athletes in medal contention to get some coverage here.

 

[Disney Brat]

Great update Queen!!! Loved all the pics. The SM line looks great...can't wait to try it on our next trip to the World! Your evening sounds great, have fun wathcing the opening ceremonies!!

 

[Diamondintheruff]

I'm looking forward to seeing what they've done to SM myself too.

I agree it does make a huge difference when you are used to going to WDW in the summer to go at a colder time of year. It was freezing when we were there in October and it just seemed so wrong to be wearing my rain poncho to keep warm instead of to keep dry.

 

[DisneyDaddio]

Tuning in and thoroughly enjoying this report.

 

[MaryAz]

Great update. Alladin is such a sweetie. How fun to see it through the eyes of someone who appreciates everything!!
Looks like a fn morning at MK.
Yay fo rthe Opening Ceremony!!

 

[dawnbu40]

Nice update but I wish the weather had been better for you!

 

[Queenofallthings]

Another great update!

I had the same thought about making munchies for dinner while we watched the opening ceremonies but we are two hours ahead so we'll probably be done with dinner by the time it starts! It's frustrating being a Canadian living ion the States at times like this - most of the coverage is (understandably) on American athletes. Oh well, I guess I'll get my Canada fix during opening ceremonies and hope they have enough athletes in medal contention to get some coverage here.

Welcome and thanks!! The parade of athletes just finished and I was weeping....I love the opening ceremonies. We were in WDW in 2008 during the summer Olympics and my parents kept us posted on how the Canadians were doing!! They showed the Canadian soldiers in Kandahar watching the opening ceremonies and I was done, bawling like a baby. My dad was in the military, so it always gets to me when I see them. They all had their Canadian shirts on....

Great update Queen!!! Loved all the pics. The SM line looks great...can't wait to try it on our next trip to the World! Your evening sounds great, have fun wathcing the opening ceremonies!!

Thanks Tiff... you will love SM, it's so cool!! Watching it right now and loving it.

I'm looking forward to seeing what they've done to SM myself too.

I agree it does make a huge difference when you are used to going to WDW in the summer to go at a colder time of year. It was freezing when we were there in October and it just seemed so wrong to be wearing my rain poncho to keep warm instead of to keep dry.

It just seemed wrong doesn't it? When we got home, the kids said "it's -10 but it feels warmer here than there"....it's that prairie dry cold I guess

Tuning in and thoroughly enjoying this report.

and thank you for the wonderful compliment, I am really enjoying writing it...keeps the magic alive a little longer

 

[Queenofallthings]

Great update. Alladin is such a sweetie. How fun to see it through the eyes of someone who appreciates everything!!
Looks like a fn morning at MK.
Yay fo rthe Opening Ceremony!!

Thanks!! He really is, we are quite fond of him!! You know how some people never truly appreciate things for what they are...he's not one of them. He is so thankful for everything, just an overall great kid.

 

[Queenofallthings]

Nice update but I wish the weather had been better for you!

Thanks Dawn, me too!! I know it will be great when you get there...can't believe only 18 days

 

[Queenofallthings]

Our plan was to make it over to Toontown as Jasmine wanted to see the fairies! When we got off SM though we noticed that the wait time for Buzz Lightyear was only 5 minutes so we couldn't justify not riding with such a short wait. I honestly didn't think the three of us could ride together, but we did. The kids each had their own shooter and I was turning the cart....not very well either, accordingly to them. Truth be told, I was doing it on purpose.....keep it interesting

Thought I would take a couple of pictures while we were walking through.

Right before we boarded I decided to take a picture of the ride vehicle. I was trying to take pictures of things that might be hard to explain if that makes any sense. Since Aladdin's family had never been, I was doing my best to try and capture everything, even though I appeared to be annoying them with all the pics. A mother's job is never done.

Once we were through Jasmine still wanted to go and see the fairies, but I was quite certain we wouldn't have time. The wait times as the day goes on can be pretty long and we had a 3pm ADR at The Plaza. We decided to go do The Carousel of Progress. There is something about this ride that I love, Jasmine thinks it boring, but I reminded her that it wasn't all about her. Part of the reason I wanted to go in there was the temperature. It was so cold and windy that day that it went right through you. Jasmine had worn a hoodie but it was quite thin and really wasn't doing the trick. I said once we had ridden CoP that we could run over to the Emporium and look for some hoodies or sweatshirts...anything to keep us warm.

On our way, we stopped at The Plaza to see if there was any way we could get in a little earlier, but the young lady said they were completely booked so it probably would be really close to our ADR time. Off to the Emporium we went. Jasmine ended up with a really cute pullover hoodie in pink with a matching little backpack, it was so cute. Aladdin didn't want something that screamed Disney (I guess the difference between a boy and a girl at age 17) so we found him a really nice long sleeved black waffle shirt with a little red Mickey embroidered over the left chest, at least this way he would be layered which worked against the wind.

By the time we payed for everything, it was about quarter to three so we headed back to the restaurant. We waited maybe 5 minutes before being seated.

Once we were seated, our waitress came over and congratulated the kids on their upcoming graduation. It was hilarious beyong belief to see the look on Aladdin's face...he looked at us and said "how's she know that" and Jasmine didn't skip a beat, she leaned over the table, grabbed his hand and said, "Disney magic, isn't it wonderful". He was blown away and never questioned it again. Thought I would take a picture of the menu. I'd never thought to do this before...I guess there's a first for everything. I have to say, the waitress we had here, Jeannette, was beyond amazing. She was so nice and attentive. We were all shaking when we were seated and all decided we wanted hot chocolate. It was the most delicious thing I thought I had ever had...warmed us right up. Now, I said to the kids, order a soft drink because I'm sure the refills won't be free on the hot chocolate....well they were. She brought out a big jug filled with hot chocolate, filled all of our mugs 3 more time throughout our meal, and brought a plate of whipped cream everytime she filled us up. She was wonderful.

The confetti decorations on our table. I love these little touches, it makes everything seem more special.

Aladdin and I waiting for our lunch, we were really hungry by this point.

Jasmine and I both decided we would have the cheeseburger...I had mine with homemade potato chips that were so yummy and Jas had her's with fries, which she too loved. I have to say this was one of the best cheeseburgers I have ever had. It was done to perfection, hot and juicy. So good...comfort food on a chilly day.

Aladdin choose the cheesesteak sandwich. His face was so funny when he bit into it....he looked at us and said I could eat this everyday that we're here. We burst out laughing.

Aladdin finished his meal in no time, but Jasmine and I only ate half of ours each. We really should have split ours but we never thought about it. When Aladdin saw we weren't going to finish he decided he was still hungry so ate both of ours. He was then a little on the full side....so when the waitress brought them each a cupcake for their celebration we howled at the look on his face....he ate it and then didn't feel good at all.

Jasmine with her hot fudge sundae and her cupcake. She ate her sundae but got a box to take her cupcake back to the room.

I ordered the pineapple sundae and it was so good. I really did enjoy this...and I didn't get cold because I still had my hot chocolate...it was such a wonderful lunch. We all decided this was one of our new favorite restaurants.

After lunch, we decided we would do the Tomorrowland Transit Authority as it was done in August when we were here. It was fun to be back on it, but it was even colder than before we went into lunch. We all decided it was time to go back to the hotel. We walked over to Toontown, got the train to the front of the park, and took the bus back to the resort. When we got there, we looked around the gift shop and then headed up to the room. We rested for a couple of hours (Ithink our travel day had caught up with us) but decided at 8pm we should head to DTD so off we went.

Aladdin was so excited when we told him about the Lego store. When him and his brother were younger, all they played with was lego, he thought he had died and gone to heaven when we walked into the store. He wanted to buy everything!! We looked around and I said that we would be back and if he still wanted to buy some stuff that we would see how much room we had in the suitcases when we were packing to go home. He couldn't believe all the stuff they had made out of Lego. The funny thing was though, he completely missed the lego monster in the lake.

Jasmine hanging out waiting for Aladdin to make a decision on what he thought he just couldn't live without. He ended up with nothing, he said if he bought something, he would want to play with it and we were all too tired. Too funny, I guess boys will always be boys.

With the lego family outside the store

We wandered through all of the stores and at 1030pm Jasmine and I decided we needed a little something to eat, Aladdin on the other hand, still couldn't entertain the thought of eating after everything he had eaten at lunch. I was dying to go to WPE so off we went. I wanted the butternut squash soup and OMG it was delicious, I could have eaten a whole pot of it.

Jasmine decided on the margarita pizza which she loved. I had a bite and I have to say it was beyond delicious...so light and fresh tasting....scrumptious

We were the only ones left in the restaurant so we decided we would quickly finish so the people working could get cleaned up and get home. The young man that was looking after us with our drink refills brought us a creme brulee on the house! Aladdin couldn't believe it, he said, it just keeps getting better. It was delicious, probably the best I've ever had. So creamy, just the right amount of crunch on the top...absolutely delightful.

We finished up and walked back to the bus to get to bed. We decided that each night before we went to sleep that each of us would say what our favorite part of the day was. Today for Aladdin was SM, Jasmine's was lunch at The Plaza and me was seeing it all through his eyes, everything seemed fresh and new to me too!!!

Up next....DHS!!!!

 

[dawnbu40]

Sounds like a great day despite the cold! So glad to hear how much you enjoyed the Plaza. We have an adr there on our last day and I've been debating keeping it or just doing cs. I think after your review we'll have to try it!

 

[MaryAz]

Another great update. Sorry it was so cold! Lunch looked very yummy. My hubby still likes legos. What a fun day!

 

[Queenofallthings]

Sounds like a great day despite the cold! So glad to hear how much you enjoyed the Plaza. We have an adr there on our last day and I've been debating keeping it or just doing cs. I think after your review we'll have to try it!

It was great, we kept reminding ourselves it would have been colder at home so that helped alot I really think you would enjoy it, it's smaller than I thought it would be so it was actually quite quiet, which surprised me.

Another great update. Sorry it was so cold! Lunch looked very yummy. My hubby still likes legos. What a fun day!

Thanks Mary! It was so good, I know we'll go again next trip! Good or bad weather, we kept thinking "we're in Disney" and it made everything ok!!

 

[ellajeansmom]

Great updates

Sounds like a great meal at The Plaza, it's great how those little things like free hot chocolate refills just make your day!

What a sweetheart Aladdin is His amazement at all the Disney magic must have been so fun to watch and experience. I totally get you wanting to take pics of everything, I've found that the rides are the hardest things to describe - especially ones like Space Ranger Spin.

We watched the Opening Ceremonies too minus Jean as she was too tired but Ella lasted until the Canadian athletes came through, I thought I would only watch another 5 minutes and ended up watching the whole thing We thought it was wonderfully done!! We've been watching all weekend and saw the moguls gold medal tonight We let the girls stay up and watch since we have the Family Day holiday tomorrow (no school or work ). Ella is old enough to understand the significance of it being Canada's first gold medal on Canadian soil and was crying during the ceremony at the ski hill.

Looking forward to more!

 

[PISCESANGEL]

The Plaza looks great!

Wish it had been warmer for you though

 

[Queenofallthings]

Great updates

Sounds like a great meal at The Plaza, it's great how those little things like free hot chocolate refills just make your day!

What a sweetheart Aladdin is His amazement at all the Disney magic must have been so fun to watch and experience. I totally get you wanting to take pics of everything, I've found that the rides are the hardest things to describe - especially ones like Space Ranger Spin.

We watched the Opening Ceremonies too minus Jean as she was too tired but Ella lasted until the Canadian athletes came through, I thought I would only watch another 5 minutes and ended up watching the whole thing We thought it was wonderfully done!! We've been watching all weekend and saw the moguls gold medal tonight We let the girls stay up and watch since we have the Family Day holiday tomorrow (no school or work ). Ella is old enough to understand the significance of it being Canada's first gold medal on Canadian soil and was crying during the ceremony at the ski hill.

Looking forward to more!

We watched everything too! I can`t imagine the work that went into it and how well it came out!! The kids had gone out for their Valentine`s Dinner, but decided to wait until today to go to a movie because they wanted to watch the moguls too!! We were all on the edge of our seats and were so excited when he actually won gold!! To see him with his brother brought me to tears, the bit the CTV did on them was great, made you really think what`s important in life!

Can`t wait for the actual medal presentation tonight!!!

The Plaza looks great!

Wish it had been warmer for you though

Quaint is the best way I can describe it....we loved it!! I couldn`t decide if I preferred the heat of August or the fact that if we put on more clothing we were warm....at least we weren`t dripping in sweat by 10am...that`s what I kept telling myself

 

[Queenofallthings]

We didn't rush out of bed this morning either, 830am would be our standard wake up time for the rest of the trip. Showered and ready to head out, we made our way to the food court for breakfast. Jasmine and I both had a croissant and Aladdin had his mickey waffle and sausages. He decided that would be what he had everyday, he said "we're in Disney, I have to have that" Good, he's making his own traditions...gotta love it.

We headed out to the bus stops to make our way to DHS. Jasmine was so excited to ride her favorites, Tot, RnRC, and TSM. We decided on our way though that we would first ride ToT and RnRC and if TSM was meant to be for us that day, then we would, if not, we would get FP's on our next day at DHS.

We made it to the park just before 11am and headed straight to ToT. Of course I made the kids stop for the obligatory picture...don't they look happy. I know all they wanted to do was get to the ride, but mama needs the pictures.

No wait time and it's 11am....it was going to be a great day. Once again it was a little on the chilly side, but nothing like the day before. This was completely manageable!!

This actually became my view of the kids for most of the trip! Aladdin walks very quickly and apparently my daughter has no problem keeping up with him...me on the other hand, not so good! My response when they would look around to see where I was " it's ok, I'll catch up, I'm just trying to take it all in". I don't think they bought it...as I rushed to catch up with them I could hardly breathe never mind talk. I went and joined the gym as soon as we got home, I am not going to feel that way on our next trip!!

Entering into the ride, we literally walked right on. It was perfect.

Took some shots along the way. I told Aladdin that it wasn't like going to an amusement park, that these "rides" were actually called attractions. He completely understood when we walked in. He kept saying "this is so sick" which meant good, I wasn't sure at the beginning.

This shot brought back memories of the first time we rode with my little Mini Montana (niece) her comment was "these ghosts really need to dust. We all laughed at the thought of her little face and how much we missed not having the girls on this trip.

I think I took this picture just to irritate her.

It's like being transported back in time on this ride and I love it. I think because I have always been a lover a ghost stories....and to be "in" one made me very happy

Aladdin's first real view of exactly what we were getting on. It ran through my mind to tell him we had to stand, but then I thought I would be nice.

Just a matter of minutes and we would be plummeting 13 stories...gosh I love this ride. Jasmine has been on this ride countless times and she still behaves like it's her first time. Makes me smile!!

I have to run and grab some groceries before the Men's Downhill gets started so I will try and get the rest of this day up this afternoon.

 

[DisneyMomLiz]

Wow, how did I miss 3 updates?!?! Great updates Queen!!

Looks like a great first couple of days. The kids look so happy!! The best feeling, isn't it!!

Ooh, can't wait to ride SM this trip. I've missed it! Looking forward to those new interactive games

Mmmm...Plaza, haven't tried that one yet

Must be something about the boys and their mickey waffles, my DS will eat nothing else for breakfast while at WDW

It's like being transported back in time on this ride and I love it. I think because I have always been a lover a ghost stories....and to be "in" one made me very happy

me too...I love ghost stories, and for that reason I've always loved the theming in ToT and the ride too my DH not so much?!

I've been thinking about you and Lisa each time I watch the Olympics, my Canadian friends. Especially thinking of you everytime I see someone wearing the Canada mittens, they are really cute!!

for more updates! shhh...back to work for me!

 

[DisneyDaddio]

Rockin' updates. Oh that food (errrr, desserts) looked good.