Sea World & first trip to Disneyland in 25 Years

[starshine514]

We finally completed our postponed Sea World/Disneyland trip. We were scheduled to go back in January, then my mom had a stroke just days before we were scheduled to leave, so the trip was postponed until May - and it finally happened last week.

This is my first trip since 1986 and my girls' first trip ever! We took them to WDW last year, and now we're totally hooked on Disney parks!

First, let me introduce you to our group:

• Me - energetic, Disney-loving, mom of 2. The planner in the group. I have two part-time jobs, one of which is teaching at our local community college
• DH - Just along for the ride. He has MS, so he can't do the long days that I can, but he does have his scooter, so he tries to keep up some
• DD6 - My little tomboy princess. Is usually up for just about anything
• DD4 - My spoiled little princess - also a daredevil
• DSIS - My sister, comes along on family vacations yet swears every vacation that will be the last
• BJ - DSIS's boyfriend, graduating from college and joining us mid-trip
• Dad - my dad. In great shape for a man who'll be 70 next month. Plenty of strength, patience and energy, great with my girls
• Mom - my mom. She hasn't been the same since her stroke in January and has been feeling especially weak lately. She'll be in a wheelchair for all park time

Dateline: Saturday, May 14.
My birthday and a horribly busy day. Due to various obligations (and BJ's graduation) this busy day begins with me getting up before 7 AM to get the pool setup to be without me for a week, continues with grading, packing, watching BJ's gradation, etc. and finally ends up leaving Tucson, driving towards San Diego at about 5 PM. There isn't much to say about this day, other than it was very busy and stressful and wasn't a good way to spend a birthday. Everybody except BJ loaded into my parent's extended-cab pickup and drove towards San Diego. We finally arrived at our first hotel, the Travelodge in La Mesa about midnight.

Dateline: Sunday, May 15. Picts: http://www.flickr.com/photos/63234721@N04/sets/72157626791769908/
Had a nice breakfast at the hotel (am pretty happy with the breakfast here - waffles, bagels, toast, english muffins, juice, milk, name-brand cereal, fruit and pastries. All starch, but some good variety) then set out to do a little shopping (just me, my sister and the girls). Made our way to Lemon Grove and found ourselves a Rite Aid (gotta have some Thrifty Chocolate Malted Crunch ice cream when we visit Cali), Home Depot (totally forgot to bring my Lime Green Mickey Head), and Super Walmart (had to pick up craft supplies to attach said LGMH and stuff to make a sign for Jedi Training Academy, as well as bowls and spoons, cereal and a few toiletries. Note to self, this would have been a good time to look at raincoats and ponchos...) before picking up lunch at Taco Bell for the group.

We ate lunch in our rooms and then headed to Sea World! Arrived there about 2 PM and were disappointed that there were none of the evening show scheduled (there had been when I had checked about a month ago, but things are subject to change). The park was moderately crowded, but I've seen it worse. I had already decided that Sunday would be mostly a show day (since the Sea World shows seem to be least affected by the crowds, but I hate walking through crowded exhibits). We had remembered to bring one of our popcorn tubs and a refillable soda cup from a previous trip, so DH scooted over to get refills right away before we headed in to the 2:20 Blue Horizons show. We had also remembered our 2 Sea World ponchos (one child-size, one adult) and DSIS and I made our way to the second row center (with said ponchos) for the Blue Horizons dolphin show. Mom, Dad and DH sat in the side-view handicapped seating (not in the splash zone). We sat and were mesmerized by the show (covered ourselves with ponchos, but didn't have much of an opportunity to get wet, since they had the male dolphins instead of the pilot whales doing the splash portion of the show), waited until most of the crowds had dispersed and got our pictures taken with Marina and Delphis after the show. My girls were cute, I overheard them discussing whether it was the same Marina and Delphis that they had gotten their picts taken with in October (which was very funny to me, since this set was African-American and the previous set had been Caucasian). The SkyTower and SkyRide are now included with admission to Sea World, we walked by the tower and considered riding, but decided to wait until the next day due to the line.

We then visited the tide pools for a little while before finding seats for the 4:00 Believe show. Since the Believe show is going to be replaced at the end of the month, they were walking around selling the Believe DVDs for $5, so we purchased one of those. Once again, Mom, Dad and DH sat in the handicapped seating area, while DSIS, the girls and me went down into the splash zone. There wasn't much of a splash zone, however, since they had about the first 8 rows or so blocked off so nobody could sit down there. We watched the Believe show, but didn't need to use our ponchos at all since our area didn't get splashed. I'm actually glad they are replacing this show, it has really lost a lot now that they don't go into the water with the whales anymore.

After Believe, we visited Rocky Point Preserve and the girls fed the Sea Lions. For the first time ever, the Sea Lions got all the fish (normally, the birds steal at least one of them - here's a video from our visit 2 years ago http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtzBUqN2sQc). We then headed over to Sea Lion Stadium for the 5:15 show and entered/sat on the right side of the stadium this time (normally we sit on the left side, but DH wanted to try something new). That was a mistake, the sun was in our eyes the whole time and it was difficult to enjoy the show. The bulk of the show remained the same as last year, but the preshow (and arguably the best part of the show) was different and funny.

After the show, we headed to the Sesame Street Bay of Play and rode each of the three rides once. The lines were long, but we promised the girls more rides the next day. We headed out after that, dropping off Mom, Dad, DH and the girls at the hotel before running to Von's to pick up a rotisserie chicken and soup for dinner.

 

[starshine514]

Dateline: Monday, May 16. Picts: http://www.flickr.com/photos/63234721@N04/sets/72157626667069499/
Had breakfast again at the hotel before heading out. Got a slightly later start than intended and didn't make it to the park until 10:30, so we missed the 10:00 dolphin feeding. A Shamu character was greeting kids near the front of the park, so we stood in a short line and met him before getting on the SkyTower ride. The SkyTower ride was neat. I hadn't ridden it before. My DD4 left her little Dora backpack on the ride, but we wouldn't discover this for another hour. After riding the SkyTower, we went over and left Dad, Mom, DH, and both girls in the Bay of Play - the lines were short and they could ride all three little rides quickly. DSIS and I went over and rode Atlantis twice (without getting off) then heading back to the Bay of Play. DH wanted to ride Atlantis as well and we tried to talk DD6 into riding with us (DD4 is still too short), but she refused. So, they Bay of Play'ed a while longer while DH and I rode Atlantis. We returned just in time to hop in the line to meet Elmo and Zoe with both girls. When we finished meeting them, DD4 asked for a snack. This is when I realized we had lost her backpack. I sent the group ahead towards Wild Arctic and headed back to the SkyTower - they hadn't seen it and sent me to Lost & Found. They didn't have it, but had me fill out a report. I rejoined the group and we saw the polar bears, beluga whales and commerson's dolphins. We then viewed the penguins and sharks. I still love the shark tunnel. We were then headed to the SkyRide when Lost & Found called - her backpack had been turned in! We rode the SkyRide gondolas over Mission Bay, (with me feeling much happier - even having a bird poop on me didn't dim my spirits) picked up the backpack and left the park about 2:45 PM - happily headed towards Anaheim.

We arrived at our hotel (Desert Inn and Suites) and checked in about 4:45 PM. I knew I needed to pick up our Disney tickets that evening (had ordered them through getawaytoday) and wanted to check out the Character Warehouse Outlet. DSIS wanted to check out DTD and wanted to do it first (this was a mistake, we should have done the driving first and then the walking). So, eventually, DSIS, me, and both DDs headed to pick up the tix (which was a breeze, btw. The CM even went ahead and gave my girls their first visit buttons) into DTD. The girls were hungry, so we got a Wetzel Pretzel and some Haagan Daz before browsing Build A Bear, the Lego store and World of Disney. At 7:45, I hustled them out and back to the truck to head out to the Character Warehouse and grocery store. The Character Warehouse took me a while to find; my GPS told me to turn the wrong direction, but I eventually found it and closed it out at 9:00 PM. I bought each girl a souvenir, as well as something for my niece. They had some stuff I really liked, but not in the correct sizes. Oh well. DSIS was really annoyed at me for the time by the time we left the outlet store. We had a hard time finding a grocery store (finally found an Albertson's) and then headed back to the hotel with some supplemental food (peanut butter, jelly, cottage cheese, bread, yogurt, bananas, milk and cereal). When we got back to the hotel about 10:00 PM, there was no parking anywhere. Ended up calling Dad down and he had to Valet the truck. Got the girls into bed as soon as I could, since we were going to Disneyland the next day!

Hotel picts: http://www.flickr.com/photos/63234721@N04/sets/72157626774391639/

 

[starshine514]

Dateline: Tuesday, May 17. Pict: http://www.flickr.com/photos/63234721@N04/sets/72157626791776696/
Woke up to rain this morning. Had planned on waiting until BJ was with us on Thursday to use our MM anyway, but had been planning on sneaking into DL at regular opening and meeting some characters before hopping over to CA. But since it was raining, decided to just head over to CA at 9:30 instead. However, we had a small problem - 2 of the 3 ponchos we brought were in the truck that the valets had parked. We went down and got breakfast (pretty sparse - danish, toast, apples, cold cereal with milk, OJ and horrible coffee) and noticed a few empty parking spots, so Dad had the valet bring the truck so we could get the ponchos. We then parked the truck in the spot it would remain in until we checked out. We set out, DD6 wearing a Sea World kid poncho, me in an adult Shamu poncho, and the last poncho over DD4 in the stroller (DSIS refused to wear a poncho and everyone else stayed in the room). We rode Soarin' right away, got FPs for later and headed for TSMM. Had a 20 minute wait for that and then re-assessed our poncho situation - put the kid sized one on DD4 and an adult on on DD6, left the 3rd to cover the stroller. Got on the Fun Wheel - Swinging next. The rain was still coming and each swing dumped rain water on us. This is when we decided to dump the rest of the touring plan and head for cover! We took the girls on the carousel before heading to the Visa Meet & Greet. Met Chip and Dale in the rain, then waited a few minutes for DH to head over as the rain began to subside. Rode Monsters, grabbed ToT FPs and then headed into the Animation building. Found that Woody, an Army man and Goofy were greeting people in the lobby, so my girls met Woody and Goofy (they had no interest in the army man). Then visited the Sorcerer's Workshop and caught Turtle Talk before using the Soarin' FPs we collected earlier (I sat out, opting to let DH use my FP).

By then, the rain had let up entirely and Dad called DSIS saying they were heading over and DH took the girls to Bugs Land while DSIS and I rode ToT. When we got off ToT, Dad called, asking where we were - they were by Great Moments w/ Mr. Lincoln - in Disneyland! Since they seemed confused, I headed over to retrieve them. We rejoined the group in Bug's Land and headed to Taste Pilot's Grill for lunch. (A mistake was made here, we needed to get Soarin' FPs before eating). Next, we decided to ride Soarin' but since the standby line was 30 minutes, yet the FP return was only an hour, we decided to get FPs and let the girls meet pilot Minnie first; we tried to visit the challenge trail, but it was still closed due to the earlier rain. Finally, we made our way back and hopped into the FP line exactly at the start of our return time. My parents really liked Soarin! Even though Mom had to transfer from her wheelchair, it was an easy transfer.

We then headed towards the 4:40 Aladdin show, getting a group photo taken on the way. When we arrived near the Hyperion Theater, we found that the Pixar Pals show was happening directly in front of it, so we had to wait until that was over before making our way into the area. We thought the Aladdin show was amazing. The rest of us sat separate from Mom and Dad, since she stayed in her wheelchair. DD4 sat in my lap and fell asleep during the show, but the rest of us were quite impressed! After the show, Mom was ready to leave, so she and Dad went back to the hotel. DH took the girls back to Bug's Land while DSIS and I rode ToT with their FPs we had gotten earlier. We joined them in Bug's Land and rode the Chew Chew train before viewing It's Tough to Be a Bug. We then headed over DTD and visited the World of Disney store in search of a water-resistant jacket for DSIS; we came up empty-handed. By then, it was getting cold again, so we headed back to the hotel. After settling everybody in, DSIS and I headed to McDonalds to pick up dinner (for future reference, they had a pretty good Chinese Chicken Salad).

Since we hadn't brought enough warm clothes and had worn our warm ones that day (with rain in the forecast for Wednesday also), we then did a load of laundry at the hotel. We bought a little box of Tide at the front desk for $1 and spent $2 each to wash and dry the clothes. DSIS's jeans were nearly new and bled all over DD4's little white sweater (which had gotten coffee spilled on it that day). Note to self: next time, spring for 2 loads and separate lights from darks.

 

[6Smiles]

Happy Belated Birthday! Sounds like a busy trip, but also a lot of fun.

Kris

 

[starshine514]

Thanks for the birthday wishes! The b-day itself was difficult, but the trip was a lot of fun.

Dateline; Wednesday, May 18. Picts: http://www.flickr.com/photos/63234721@N04/sets/72157626791778888/
We awake to rain once again, but by the time BJ's shuttle drops him off about 8:20, it has nearly subsided. He gets settled in really quick and he, DSIS, DH, I and both DDs head out, arriving at the gates just before 9:00 AM. We head staright for the Astro Orbitors and DH and I ride with the girls while DSIS and BJ pick up FP for Space Mountain before rejoining us for Buzz Lightyear (BJ got the highest score and DD4 got the lowest). Then, we split up again with my immediate family riding Autopia while DSIS and BJ rode Captain EO. In my opinion, Autopia at DL was much better than Autopia at WDW. Then, we reconvened, got a second set of SM FPs and everybody except DH rode. It was DD4's first time riding and she wasn't fond of it, when asked she said 'That was bad' - I was tempted to buy the picture, the look on her little face was priceless. She didn't cry or anything, though, and she loves roller coasters, but her hate of the dark took precedence this time. DD6 loved it - just as she had at WDW last year (and, for the record, she says the one at DL is better).

We then left Tomorrowland and rode the Jungle Cruise, Pirates, and Haunted Mansion (went by BTMRR, but it was closed). We split up again, with DH and I taking the girls to Critter Country to ride Pooh, while DSIS and BJ had lunch at Blue Bayou (I ate DSIS's leftover Monte Cristo - so yummy!). At DD4's request, we got into the line to meet Pooh, Tigger and Eeyore - but Eeyore left before we got through the line, so we met Pooh and Tigger separately instead of together.

We then found that BTMRR had reopened, so we picked up FP and DH, the girls and I rode before DSIS and BJ returned from their lunch. They picked up FPs for BTMRR and DD6 and I ate DSIS's leftover Monte Cristo. Mom and Dad arrived then and joined us as we got picts in front of the castle, then we headed to Fantasyland and DH, the girls and I got in line to meet the princesses, while everybody else rode It's Small World. After that DSIS and BJ hopped to CA and we eventually met some princesses (after a 75 minute way, we met the big 3 (Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella), but neither of my girls' favorites). Since we were so close (and Mom could stay in her chair for the ride), we rode It's a Small World (Mom and Dad for the second time). We then rode Pirates with Dad and Mom. Mom was not a fan of Pirates - it was dark and she got wet.

We picked up a funnel cake and some popcorn and sat Mom and DH by the Rivers of America while DSIS and BJ rejoined Dad, the girls and I on BTMRR. Mom and Dad headed back to the room while DSIS, BJ, DD6 and I rode Space Mountain again (DH hung around to watch DD4, who didn't want to ride again). Then, DH left for the hotel while the rest of us headed to DTD to meet DSIS and my childhood friend for dinner. The girls saw the Rainforest Cafe, so we gave in and ate there. I was glad I had a Safari Club membership b/c it cut the 1.5 hour wait into about 45 minutes. We browsed the store and visited while waiting for our table. I asked the waiter about the free appetizer and decided to just have part of the chicken quesadillas appetizer, rather than ordering a meal. DD6 ordered a pizza, which she didn't eat much of and DD4 ordered mac and cheese, which she ate all of. Everybody else at the table ordered the tomato basil soup and salad. Everybody seemed happy with their food. The soup came in these adorable little cauldrons (I'll try to post a pict later). After a nice dinner and visit, we headed back to the hotel for the evening.

 

[starshine514]

Dateline: Thursday, May 19. Picts: http://www.flickr.com/photos/63234721@N04/sets/72157626791781296/
Magic Morning! We (me, both DDs, DSIS and BJ) made it to the gates early, but not as early as I was hoping for - about 7:40 instead of 7:30. Followed everyone's advice and headed to Peter Pan first (walking as fast as we could). There was a 20 minute line already. Oh well, we hopped into the line and rode, then went over to Dumbo - 20 minute wait again. By this time our MM was nearly over, but we got into the Matterhorn line (Tomorrowland side) anyway.

I was disappointed by our MM, but figured since it was pouring rain on Tuesday morning, everybody had decided to wait for Thursday to use their early entry. I then ignored the rest of my magic morning rides and we jumped to the 9:00 plan and got on the Storybookland Canal boats. BJ and DSIS then headed over to get Indy FP and our WOC FPs and have some alone time in CA and the girls and I rode the Teacups, followed by Pinnochio and Snow White. We then headed over and waited for Toontown to open. When it did, we made our way to Minnie's house and Mickey's house (Minnie had a photopass photographer, but Mickey didn't - weird) and met them both rather quickly. I then realized that I couldn't take the girls on Gadget's Go Coaster b/c neither of them is old enough to ride alone. So, we rode Roger Rabbit (once. It wasn't horribly enjoyable since none of us had seen the movie) and played around in Toontown until DH arrived. When he did, we rode Gadget's Go Coaster then met up with DSIS and BJ (they bought us corn dogs - oh, so very yummy! And they had picked up SM FPs).

After a break, we split up again with my little family headed back to Fantasyland and hit the rides we had missed during Magic Morning. I must admit, his ECV was a godsend for this, as the wait times were much shorter for us than the people in the standard queue (this wasn't always the case, but it was true for the Fantasyland rides that morning). We rode Alice in Wonderland, Mr Toad's Wild ride, the Carousel, and the Casey Jr Train (this completed all the Fantasyland rides for us).

We then grabbed BTMRR FPs and decided to visit Pixie Hollow and the girls got to meet Vidia (no Photopass photographer) and Tinkerbell. As we were entering the Pixie Hollow line, the CM at the entrance was talking to my girls about his pins. He asked them if they had any pins, they said no and he gave them each a pin to start their collection! He told them they could trade them with any CM in the park if they saw one they liked better. I thought it was terribly nice of him! My girls wore them with pride the rest of the day. I may pick them up lanyards and let them start a collection if they want.

After meeting the fairies, DH decided to head back to the hotel and trade places with Dad (Mom didn't feel like leaving the hotel room that day ). We rejoined DSIS and BJ and headed to Tom Sawyer Island (picking up Dole Whips along the way - I was impressed with them!) and we played there until Dad made it into the park. Then, Dad, DSIS and BJ rode Indy while DDs and I played a little more on the island and then picked up a few more BTMRR FPs. Then, DSIS and BJ played on Tarzan's Treehouse with the girls while Dad and I rode Indy.

Then, we all headed over to BTMRR (DSIS, Dad and BJ grabbing FPs) and rode with the FPs we acquired earlier. Then, having about 20 minutes to kill before our next FPs were good, I decided now would be a great time to take the girls to the restroom. So, we consulted the map and headed to restrooms by the Village Haus restaurant. They were closed and advised us to use the ones by the Alice in Wonderland ride. So, in short, we ended up walking halfway across the park to find a working restroom. Needless to say, our FPs were good by the time we returned and we rode BTMRR again (this was my DD4's and Dad's favorite ride).

We then headed over to ride SM with the FPs they had picked up earlier. Dad, DD6 and I rode first, while DSIS and BJ stayed with DD4. We got about halfway through the ride when it stopped, and then eventually they turned on the lights. It was neat seeing all the track in the light! We eventually got a push-start and completed the ride in the dark and then they let us ride again (when they asked DD6 was the first to yell out "Yes!" - even though I think Dad had already had enough (he got nauseous from the twists and turns in the dark. I guess he needs to see where he's going). We switched places and DSIS and BJ rode without incident while we got a few more photopass pictures and made our way towards the entrance.

We then regrouped and hopped over to CA, w/ everyone but me riding Soarin' with FPs they had collected earlier (we were one short, so I wanted Dad to use mine). Dad then headed back to the hotel, but DH decided not to join us for the evening. We got some food at Pacific Wharf Cafe (BJ and I enjoyed soup, the girls had Mac & Cheese (and a Mickey head cookie - which looked like it would taste a lot better than it did) and DSIS didn't care for her roast beef sandwich) before getting in the line area (no official line yet) for World of Color.

We got into our section (Blue) and got a rail spot on the second level.It was a little chilly and we didn't want to be in the wet zone. I ended up carrying the stroller down the stairs b/c I didn't know where the ramp was. We got to sit for a while before the area began to fill up enough that they made us stand. We really liked the WOC show! DSIS was complaining about it before it started, but I'm pretty sure she was glad she stayed for it by the time it was over. When it was over, they ushered us out and we ended up exiting to DTD, which was odd...

 

[starshine514]

Dateline: Friday, May 20
DH joined DSIS, DDs, BJ and I this morning as we headed towards the gates prior to the 9 am opening. I chose a short-looking security line, which took forever. I then realized that the security lady was going through everything in the bags. Realizing I had contraband snacks for my girls in the backpack, I switched to a (longer) line that was moving more quickly. Lost a bit of time in this endeavor, but their PB & J sandwiches got to join us at Disneyland.

Headed straight to Nemo (passing a long, long, long line at Star Tours for the special preview they were doing for contest winners that day), and were greeted by a 10-minute wait. DH parked his ECV with the strollers and we got in line (a 10-minute line is something he was able to stand in, especially first thing in the morning). We found Nemo, then DSIS and BJ headed over to get Indy passes, while we got a few photopass pictures taken (waving at Minnie, girls holding Tink, family photo when Peter Pan was walking by - so family photo with Peter Pan). Was told that our girls might appear on the MMaY show at It's a Small World that night.

Met back up with DSIS and BJ (who had our tix) and headed to CA. Took a few more picts with PP over there and got Screamin' FPs before getting in the TSMM line. After that, we split up again (DSIS had forgotten something at the hotel) and DH and I took the girls on the Silly Symphony swings - twice. We were planning on riding the Golden Zephyr then, but it was a little windy and it wasn't running. So, we made our way to the Greetings store (grabbing Soarin' FPs on the way) - and got APs!

That took just a little longer than expected, so we had to book it to get DD6 changed into her little Jedi outfit that DSIS had made her and over to Tomorrowland in time for the Jedi Training Academy. She found a place to sit right at the blue line on the far right side and was chosen (how could you not choose a kid in full Jedi garb - and with a sign to boot?). Her sign read "Taller than Yoda I am", which we borrowed from a onesie DD4 had when she was a baby. After having a small amount of trouble with her lightsabre (or as she would call it, lifesaver), she fought Darth Vader (or as she would say, Dark Vader) like a trooper! They gave her a little certificate when she was done. This was definitely a highlight of the trip. My only regret is that my Dad didn't get to see her fight, as they hadn't joined us in the park yet.

So, right after Jedi, my Dad calls - they're on their way over (of course). We have them meet us in CA and send Dad, Mom and both DDs on Soarin (getting another set of FPs for the group before embarking), while DH sits out and DSIS, BJ and I use the Screamin' FPs. We had 6 FPs, so the three of us rode twice. I really liked Screamin - I think it may be the smoothest coaster I've ever been on!

We then rejoined our group and headed over to ride Monsters, Inc. We chose this ride b/c Mom could stay in her wheelchair for it. I believe DSIS and BJ went off to do their own thing here. I don't recall what they did... When that was done, I grabbed a set of ToT FPs and we headed back to use our Soarin' FPs. However, we found that the FP line was out the door and decided that we didn't have time to ride and still get in the line to meet Rapunzel before her M&G closed. So, DH, Mom and Dad headed back to the hotel (DH's ECV battery was running low) and the girls and I went back to Disneyland. DD6 had asked to ride Gadget's Go Coaster again, and since that is a two seater, I needed another adult. So, I asked Dad if he would return in a while to ride that with us.

On our way to the Tangled M&G, we went by BTMRR and got 4 FPs (I had Mom's ticket, since she wasn't planning on coming back in to the park). We then joined the Tangled line. The posted wait time was 90 minutes, ugh! I prepared the girls for the long wait, but was surprised to find that it was only about 45 minutes long. While in line, I found a BTMRR FP laying on the ground. During that time, DSIS texted me that Star Wars was soft opening and that they were in line. After we met Rapunzel and Flynn, DH joined us, but his ECV battery still hadn't charged long enough and he was having trouble. We made our way to Toontown and rode the Go Coaster before plugging him in at the restroom in FL (Toontown restroom didn't have an outlet). Eventually, DH got it charged enough to get back to the hotel and he spent the rest of the evening there.

While DH was doing this, the girls and I wandered over to Tomorrowland and said 'hi' to DSIS and BJ in the Star Tours line. We talked for a few minutes and the guy in front of them in line (who is a CM, by the way) gave me 3 more FPs for BTMRR. We then went to the castle and did the walk through and finally ended up over in Adventureland, and went through the Tarzan treehouse and got pretzels. While we were eating our pretzels, Dad arrived. DH had made it back to the hotel and they had switched places. We then rode BTMRR twice with our FPs.

DD6 was whining to go to the World of Disney store in DTD to get the Tinkerbell set that she had decided she wanted as her souvenir. I had looked at a couple of places in the park and hadn't seen it, but decided to try one of the large stores on Main Street. We asked a CM about it, and she took us right to it! Score! Saved a bit of walking!

Next, we noticed that they were starting to rope off parts of the hub. We asked a couple of CMs where we were allowed to be and staked out a front-row (slightly side view) position for fireworks. We hung out there and DSIS and BJ grabbed some Bengal BBQ for dinner and joined us. I ended up holding a girl (there were still a lot of people walking back and forth in front of us, so it still wasn't an unobstructed view), so I didn't get picts, but BJ did and hopefully, he'll share them with me at some point.

We decided not to battle to see Fantasmic, so we then headed to the Kodak store to get the JTA photos loaded onto my FP card. The guy there tried to talk me into buying the CD for $59 right there, claiming it would be $20 more if I ordered it later online. I didn't buy it, and what he said wasn't true - the website price is still $59. Dad then took the girls back to the hotel, while DSIS, BJ and I shopped with my AP discount. We did some shopping on Main Street, rode the train a full circle and then finished off at the World of Disney store in DTD. While there, Dad called asking me when I was coming to get the girls ready for bed. Uh, I had thought DH could take care of that... There is no end of guilt when you're a mom, I guess. Even when you try to give yourself a little 'me' time, people still make you feel bad about it. So, I had two girls to get ready for bed around midnight when I got back to the room.