S.O.C.K. and Stitch Return to the World with a Dog **New 6/14** Day 8/9 The End p. 19

[carissanboys]

Feel better soon

Glad to hear your feeling better!!!

Glad to hear you're starting to feel better Get well soon

Take care of yourself!!!

Amanda

Thanks everyone! I have a couple of papers to write for my classes this weekend but I will definitely get another update posted on Monday morning.

 

[carissanboys]

We hopped on the boat back to Fort Wilderness. Connor requested that we sit out front.

I snapped a picture of the crowds still swarming into the park.

We had a relaxing ride back and even saw someone parasailing.

Once we made it back to our cabin, we saw this:

We had the most wonderful mousekeeper during our stay. Her name was Katie and she took such good care of us! She had our last day off and we really noticed a difference. Katie went out of her way to make this a special trip for us.

We quickly dropped things off and got in the van to head over and see Baxter. One of the biggest pluses of having Baxter stay at Best Friends was the ability to go see him every day. We walked in and said we were there for a visit. They ask for i.d. and then bring your baby out to you. Behind the building they have a small walking path and a large dog park. Baxter was very excited to see us. We took him for a walk first and then headed into the dog park.

Baxter had fun exploring, but he spent a lot of time sitting over by the exit. He seemed to be saying,"Okay folks. This was fun and all, but I'm ready to blow this popsicle stand." That first day was hard leaving him behind. I think he started to understand on our next visit, but leaving him behind made it difficult to visit him.

After saying our goodbyes, we went back to the cabin to relax for a while. The boys watched tv while Chuck and I probably played on our phones. I made dinner in the cabin: eggs, toast, and sausage (eggs and sausage purchased at the Meadows Trading Post). The boys were itching to go swimming so Chuck took them to the quiet/cabins pool, which was located across from our loop.

We'd decided to go to the campfire that evening, but I know we got there kind of early. They do have activities before the campfire and movie, but we decided to look around while we waited for people to show up.

This is the movie/campfire area:

This is the pond by the bike barn where you can rent kayaks (I believe it's $6 per 30 minutes. Very reasonable.):

We checked out the Meadows pool:

The boys played at the playground for a bit and then we headed back over to the campfire area.

When we got back over there, things were finally starting to happen. The activity this night was sidewalk chalk. My boys really weren't interested in participating although Owen did draw something. Chip 'n Dale were there, although again, my boys didn't want their picture taken with them.

I'd brought along marshmallows, chocolate bars, and graham crackers from home to save money (you can buy these items at the Chuck Wagon), but we didn't have sticks. I bought 3 at the Chuck Wagon (they were 59 cents each and we used them again another night).

The boys toasting their marshmallows:

After everyone had eaten their share of s'mores, the boys decided they didn't want to hang around for the sing-a-long or the movie. We made a quick stop at the Meadows Trading Post for a few items and then went back to the cabin. The boys went to bed and Chuck and I followed as soon as Wishes was over.

Up Next - Day 4

 

[pirate<3rocks]

I'm liking that you could park next to your cabin with the amount of walking at WDW I imagine that was very nice!

Yeah I was really disappointed to not see more bathroom pictures : Oooh boy

Do you think you would take Baxter to that kennel again?

Glad you're feeling better

 

[carissanboys]

Do you think you would take Baxter to that kennel again?

I would because I liked that we could keep a close eye on him and I think they did a good job. It was definitely better than leaving him in a kennel back here at home. But ideally, I'd prefer not to leave him in kennel at all.

 

[DrMomof3]

Jessica really wanted to go to the campfire but that was the night that Zachary fell off the golf cart so it didn't happen. I think she would have enjoyed it!

Amanda

 

[Disney9.9.10]

This is such an informative TR - thank you for taking the time to write down all of the little details I'm glad that Baxter had a good time at the kennel and you could visit him every day. It would be nice to know that your pet is being well cared for, but leaving would be really hard to do!

 

[eandesmom]

So sorry you've been sick, ick! Hopefully it's on the upswing now. Fun update, you actually took advantage of some of the activities at the Fort. I'm still a bit bummed we never did. I honestly thought we had some of the best mousekeeping ever at the Fort and definitely some of the best towel animals!

Love being able to cook dinner and still be on property like that, it's just wonderful.

Fun update and it's always nice to see pictures of Baxter

 

[carissanboys]

Jessica really wanted to go to the campfire but that was the night that Zachary fell off the golf cart so it didn't happen. I think she would have enjoyed it!

Amanda

I definitely think younger kids would enjoy it more than mine did. It's a really neat activity for free.

This is such an informative TR - thank you for taking the time to write down all of the little details I'm glad that Baxter had a good time at the kennel and you could visit him every day. It would be nice to know that your pet is being well cared for, but leaving would be really hard to do!

Thanks for saying that. I try to provide info for those who are planning upcoming trips.

So sorry you've been sick, ick! Hopefully it's on the upswing now. Fun update, you actually took advantage of some of the activities at the Fort. I'm still a bit bummed we never did. I honestly thought we had some of the best mousekeeping ever at the Fort and definitely some of the best towel animals!

Love being able to cook dinner and still be on property like that, it's just wonderful.

Fun update and it's always nice to see pictures of Baxter

I don't think we had any towel animals, but every day she did something different with Stitch and Big Muffin. We all looked forward to going back to the cabin to see what mischief they'd been up to that day.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Looks so peaceful at the lake. So nice to be able to get some respite from the Disney crowds Love the campfire and toasting of marshmallows. We all though we'd died and gone to heaven the first time we tasted s'mores (don't have them here) Now toasting mallows is a "must do" every trip!!
Had to laugh when I saw Sully hiding from the camera on the boat home as that's usually the pose my eldest son strikes

 

[carissanboys]

Looks so peaceful at the lake. So nice to be able to get some respite from the Disney crowds Love the campfire and toasting of marshmallows. We all though we'd died and gone to heaven the first time we tasted s'mores (don't have them here) Now toasting mallows is a "must do" every trip!!
Had to laugh when I saw Sully hiding from the camera on the boat home as that's usually the pose my eldest son strikes

He hasn't liked getting his picture taken since he was 2!

 

[Goofster57]

We hopped on the boat back to Fort Wilderness. Connor requested that we sit out front.

I always liked the boat rides to the MK from Wilderness Lodge.

Once we made it back to our cabin, we saw this:

We only got towel animals when we went...I always hid my teddy bear so they wouldn't see it.

This is the movie/campfire area:

That looks pretty cool!!! What was the movie they were going to show?

Look at all those Hooligan's graffitin' the sidewalk!!!

Sounds like another really nice day!!!

 

[carissanboys]

We only got towel animals when we went...I always hid my teddy bear so they wouldn't see it.

A bear? I always figured you slept with a stuffed Goofy.

That looks pretty cool!!! What was the movie they were going to show?

I don't remember. It was some Disney movie!

 

[MeMom]

I did this two Octobers ago with Brooklynn, some of my cousins, our friend, Kay, and her granddaughter. All the kids are little, and they enjoyed the singing, dancing, characters, and the excitement of being allowed near a fire to roast marshmallows. We didn't stay for the movie, but they quite enjoyed the evening anyway.

I can relate to Sully. I have long hated getting my picture made.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

He hasn't liked getting his picture taken since he was 2!

Ach we must all get a boy like that - my eldest boy is the same way The youngest one however would happily pose all day long (for now at least ). Really do love the look of the campground more and more with every peek at your photos

 

[carissanboys]

I did this two Octobers ago with Brooklynn, some of my cousins, our friend, Kay, and her granddaughter. All the kids are little, and they enjoyed the singing, dancing, characters, and the excitement of being allowed near a fire to roast marshmallows. We didn't stay for the movie, but they quite enjoyed the evening anyway.

I can relate to Sully. I have long hated getting my picture made.

I'm sure the younger kids love all of the activities that go along with it.

Ach we must all get a boy like that - my eldest boy is the same way The youngest one however would happily pose all day long (for now at least ). Really do love the look of the campground more and more with every peek at your photos

Owen is nice enough to always be willing to pose for me. Except no one was overly interested in getting pictures taken with characters this trip.

 

[DawnMaree]

I feel honored! And a big shout out to the lovely DawnMaree for booking our trip!

I know I don't get over here that much. In fact, the last time was when I last posted here. LOL

Did you feel like the boys were feeling a "bit old" with some of the Disney cuteness? For example, not wanting to get a picture with Chip/Dale. I know my boys were getting that way last time, and it pangs a bit at the heart.

 

[scottny]

Great update and pics.

I think it great you brought Baxter down and visited him.

I have never done the campfire at Disney. Cute thing to do just not for me. Of course I have never had a S'more either.

 

[carissanboys]

My notes say I slept until 6:30 this day. Woohoo! I got my shower and woke everyone up by 7. We were out the door by 8. This day we used the buses to get to Epcot. There was the typical wait for one to arrive, but we got to Epcot with time to spare.

I apologize that I did a very poor job of taking pictures of the topiaries this trip. Many of them were similar to the last one we attended and I posted lots of great photos in my last TR.

I did take a lot of food porn though.







Not a lot of pictures for the first part of our day. We had a mission! First thing we did was head to Soarin' and went through the stand-by line. It took a while, but then we were flyin'. Connor kind of hid his face for a lot of it. Then we booked it over to Test Track, but the stand-by line was already 40 minutes. We decided to get FPs and find something else to do. Crowds were already showing it was not going to be a great day in that regard.

We decided to head over to Mission:Space. I'd done the green side on my last trip and thought they would all enjoy it. I wasn't sure how Connor would do, but he was a trooper about trying everything once on this trip. I opted to sit out while they went. Turned out to be one of Connor's favorite rides of the trip!

With the mission complete, we still had a bit of time to kill for our return FP time so we headed to Spaceship Earth. While we walked through the line, we handed out snacks to everyone. Lara bars and water. A few pictures from our trip through time and space:

I rode alone:




Sully and Connor went together:





We walked over to Innoventions for a bit and then decided to hit Ellen’s Universe of Energy. A show was just getting ready to start and would take us to FP time.

Finally we made it to the new Test Track. Unfortunately, the FP line kind of bypasses a lot of the fun part where you get to design your own car. There is only one section to do this in FP (or that’s all we got anyway) and it’s just a basic design. From what I’ve heard, the stand-by line is much more fun and involved. Overall, we were disappointed with the new TT. I preferred the old theming. But we still enjoyed our fast spin around the track.

With everything in Future World completed that we wanted to do, it was time to head to the World Showcase and eat some food!

At this year’s Flower and Garden Festival, there were food kiosks. I was most excited about this! The first one we stopped at was in the UK.



This was Potato, Chive and Cheddar Cheese Biscuit with Smoked Salmon Tartare and Sour Cream and Waterkist Farms Heirloom Tomatoes with house-made Mozzarella, Minus 8 Vinegar and Basil. I tried a small bite of the smoked salmon but it’s not my thing. The caprese salad was okay.

We continued on, everyone still starving. The boys decided the just wanted to stop somewhere for a meal so we headed to Morocco and got them something to eat. Then it was off to find more kiosks.

Saw these and thought they were neat:





This was Spiced Lamb Kebab with Vegetable Couscous Salad in Morocco. I thought it was okay. The lamb was kind of tough. Chuck enjoyed it more than I did.

Then it was frushi in Japan! I didn’t have any as it had toasted coconut and coconut is one of those things I just can’t stand. But Chuck and the boys enjoyed it.



We spent some time in Japan shopping for Sully’s girlfriend. She’d recently celebrated her birthday and Sully wanted to pick out a couple of things. He got her a necklace and a little cat figurine.

Between Italy and the American Adventure we stopped so the boys could do a mission for Agent P. The boys had never done Kim Possible (I did once) so this was new for them. We were sent to Germany for our mission. The younger two seemed to have a lot of fun with it.



And then I hit the jackpot! I found my favorite item of the festival.



This was Spring Pancake with Grilled Chicken and Green Apple. I could have eaten a couple of those. Yumm!

We headed into the Mexican pavilion for a boat ride. Chuck was hungry and wanted to grab something at a counter service so he headed out with Owen while Sully, Connor and I did a little looking around. He ended up waiting in a long line for a big plate of nachos that he shared with the boys.



In Mexico I had my last items that I shared with Sully: Tacos de Carnitas (Pork Tacos topped with Tamarindo salsa, served on a flour tortilla with Chicharrón) and Tostada (Crab tostada served with Chipotle Mayo and Valentina Salsa). They were both okay, but I just wanted another spring pancake.



At this point, the crowds were really starting to get to us so we knew it was time to head out. We did stop at MouseGears and bought some pins. I loved this one!



It opened up:



Probably my favorite pin ever.

And we stopped for a final snack on the way out:



Connor really wanted to take the monorail so we hopped on to go to the TTC and then get a boat ride to the Fort. It ended up being a much longer trip than if we’d taken a bus, but it was our only monorail ride of the trip.

Since we’d left so late (I think it was close to 4 or shortly after when we got back to the cabin) and we were all beat, we decided to skip seeing Baxter (this was the only day we didn’t see him). We got back to the cabin to see what Stitch and Big Muffin had been up to in our absence. They were a bit, uhm, indisposed…





We all rested and had hot dogs for dinner (cooked on the stove). The boys took showers and watched tv and then we all crashed.

Up Next - Day 5 - Part 1

 

[carissanboys]

I know I don't get over here that much. In fact, the last time was when I last posted here. LOL

Did you feel like the boys were feeling a "bit old" with some of the Disney cuteness? For example, not wanting to get a picture with Chip/Dale. I know my boys were getting that way last time, and it pangs a bit at the heart.

Yes, that was definitely part of it. Although we have never been big into getting our pictures taken with characters. Connor has never liked it and Sully only did it with special ones last time (like his favorite, Donald). But Owen gave me the impression he was feeling a bit too old to be doing it.

Great update and pics.

I think it great you brought Baxter down and visited him.

I have never done the campfire at Disney. Cute thing to do just not for me. Of course I have never had a S'more either.

S'mores aren't all that great anyway.

 

[Disney9.9.10]

What a great day at Epcot It looks like you got quite a bit accomplished despite the crowds. I love the pin that you bought too, very cute. Your mousekeepers were quite creative with the stuffed animals!