September 2007 - Disney World

[Noreen411]

September 2007 - Disney World ºoº- Noreen & Paul Chin


WHO ARE WE?

Noreen - 39 years old; First Vice President at an Investment Banking Firm in New York City. I will be the author of the report.

Paul (my husband) - 39 years old; former small business owner

Jennifer – 35 years old; my sister; works from home with medical documents in Brooklyn, NY

Kevin – 37 years old; Jennifer’s husband, my brother in law, works at Con Edison in Brooklyn, NY

Jillian – 5 years old; Jennifer and Kevin’s daughter, my niece

Kim – 31 years old; friend from work. She’ll be joining us for part of the trip from Wednesday to Sunday and staying at Riverside. Kim also is a new owner of DVC and bought points at Animal Kingdom Villas during her July 2007 trip. She got a great rate using the annual pass discount for this trip. It went through a few changes but I think it ended up at about $94 a night for a moderate. She’s not using her newly acquired DVC points for this trip. Kim changed her plans and won’t be joining us until Thursday night rather than Wednesday morning. She also changed her hotel to the Wilderness Lodge with an Annual Pass discounted rate of about $115 per night.

David – 32 years old; Kim’s husband. He’ll be joining us for part of the trip from Friday night through Sunday and staying at Wilderness Lodge (with his wife Kim). David wasn’t originally coming with us since he didn’t have vacation time and didn’t want to come just for the weekend. However, Kim’s flight on Jet Blue (from JFK) has gone down in price since she’s booked and she has a credit now with Jet Blue so convinced her husband to come.

Kelly - ? years old; fellow trip report write, we became friends through Mouseplanet and writing trip reports and met in person in 2006 when our Disney Trips overlapped. He is arriving from California the day I’m leaving but we’re planning to meet up for lunch. He’ll be in Disney on a solo trip staying at Pop Century with free dining. Unfortunately, Kelly had to cancel his trip and couldn’t make it.

PLANNING

Paul and I own a timeshare near Disney World at Vistana. We’ve had it for about 11 years and are very happy with it. We own a two bedroom, two bathroom timeshare unit. When it’s just Paul and I we usually book a 1 bedroom and based on the options/points scheme at Vistana are able to go for more than one trip (more than one week) using the 1 bedroom unit.

I’ve been trying to convince my sister to come to Disney with us for years. This year, she is finally coming so we’re getting the regular two bedroom/two bath for the week so Jennifer, Kevin, and Jillian will stay with us.

Paul owned a deli for a little over 2 years and worked 7 days a week. I barely saw him. I spent those two years vacationing with friends pretty much feeling like a single person. Paul is finally out of the deli business and is able to come on vacation.

I will try to note the prices I paid for things throughout the trip but won’t be compulsive about it.

Lodging
On Friday April 13, 2007 I called and made the timeshare reservation for a two bedroom from Saturday 9/15/07 – Saturday 9/22/07.

Car Rental
I booked a car through National Car Rental on line. A mid size SUV with unlimited miles for approximately $300. On May 11, 2007 I was checking the National Car Rental website and entered my BJ’s member ID and was able to get the same mid size SUV for $220 so I saved myself about $80.

I also booked a full size car for my sister and Kevin. Adding on the car seat for Jillian at about $10 a day brings their total up to about $300 too. I couldn’t check the BJ’s discount for them since they aren’t BJ’s members.

Kim told me to check Alamo car rental so I tried their online site. I was able to book a Full Size car for about $150.

I also booked a full size car for my sister and Kevin through Alamo. Their total was about $135. It’s a bit less since they are leaving early on Saturday while Paul and I stay until the evening so have to pay for a week and a day.

Flight
On 4/25/07 I booked mine and Paul’s flights online with JetBlue. I live in Northern NJ so the distance from my house to Newark airport is 43 miles and the distance from my house to JFK airport is 48 miles so I check the various NY/NJ area airports to see which one has the best times/prices. On Saturday 9/15/07 it’s flight #523 leaving from Newark Airport at 11:15 am and landing in Orlando at 1:54 pm. Coming home Saturday 9/22/07 it’s flight # 526 leaving Orlando at 6:55 pm and landing at Newark Airport at 9:40pm. The flights were $89 each way.

Jen and Kevin didn’t book their flights that quickly. They ended up booking flights through Orbitz and are flying Delta and it cost them about $220 each round trip. They are flying into and out of JFK since that is closer for them since they live in Brooklyn, NY.

On August 27, 2007 I was on the Jet Blue website and noticed that the flights have gone down to $69 each way. I called Jet Blue and we now have an $80 credit with them. Not bad for a 10 minute phone call.

Food
It’s challenging as I became a vegetarian in November 2004 and am still figuring out what I like to eat without meat, chicken, or fish in my diet. I bought the Disney Dining Experience (DDE) card prior to my June trip so we’ll use that for some onsite meals. My sister wants to do some character meals. I was hoping to have dinner at Chef Mickey’s the first night but they were completely booked unless we wanted to eat at 9pm. If it was just Paul and I, we would, but my sister said Jillian can’t eat that late since she normally goes to bed at 8. In July Jen mentioned that maybe we should just book the Chef Mickey’s dinner even if it is later because we’ll be on vacation so maybe it will be OK. So I’ve booked the late dinner for our first night.

I made several reservations before we went. Several times when I made the reservation they couldn’t accommodate a party of 5 (or 6 after Wednesday when Kim joins us) so would make reservations for 2 tables instead.

Saturday 9/15/07 - Dinner – Cape May Café @ Beach Club – 6:50pm - 2 tables
OR
Saturday 9/15/07 – Dinner – Chef Mickey’s @ The Contemporary – 9:10pm

Sunday 9/16/07 - Lunch – Crystal Palace @ Magic Kingdom – 12:55pm - 2 tables

Monday 9/17/07 - Lunch – Garden Grill @ Epcot 1:20pm

Monday 9/17/07 - Dinner – O’Hana @ The Polynesian 9:30pm

Tuesday 9/18/07 - Lunch – Prime Time @ MGM – 12:50pm

Wednesday 9/19/07 – Breakfast – Kona Café @ The Polynesian – 10am

Wednesday 9/19/07 – Lunch – Plaza Restaurant @ The Magic Kingdom – 1:10pm

Wednesday 9/19/07 - Dinner – Grand Floridian Cafe @ Grand Floridian – 7:30 - 2 tables. This is a princess dinner that usually is held at 1900 Park Faire. They are doing renovations at that restaurant so are holding the Princess dinner in the Grand Floridian Café instead and it will not be a buffet.

Thursday 9/20/07 - Breakfast – Grand Floridian Café @ Grand Floridian – 10. This is a breakfast with Alice in Wonderland, the Mad Hatter, Mary Poppins, and Winnie the Pooh. My sister mentioned that Jillian’s new favorite movie is Alice in Wonderland so I booked this. I don’t know how Mary Poppins and Winnie the Pooh fit in with Alice in Wonderland, but I’m not complaining.

Thursday 9/20/07 - Dinner – Boma @ Animal Kingdom Lodge 6:50pm

Friday 9/21/07 - Lunch – Chef Mickey’s @ The Contemporary 1pm

Friday 9/21/07 – Dinner – Cape May Café @ The Beach Club – 7:30pm

Saturday 9/22/07 - Lunch – San Angel Inn @ Epcot 1pm. My sister and her family have an early flight home on Saturday so this lunch with be with Kelly (from California), Kim, Paul and I.

Admission Media
Paul and I have annual passes so no new admission media is needed for Disney for us. My sister will probably get 5 day passes for her and Jillian and a 3 day pass for Kevin (he doesn’t plan to run around the parks as much and wants to get in a day of golf).

General Planning

DAY BY DAY

The week before the trip
The usual business with knowing I’d be out for a week. I stayed a little later than normal each night trying to tie up some extra loose ends so I wouldn’t get stuck too late on Friday.

The day before the trip – Friday 9/14/07
I finished up the work I needed to get done. I did the online Jet Blue Check in. I was ready to leave by about 8:30pm (I started about 7:30am) so it was a long day but not as bad as it’s been sometimes in the past.

I got home and finished the last minute packing.

Saturday 9/15/07
I had trouble sleeping last night – I guess I was excited about going to Disney. I also got involved watching the movie Kindergarten Cop until 1am. Paul played in an online poker tournament that didn’t end until 4:30 in the morning so he didn’t sleep at all.

I was up and gave up trying to go back to sleep by 6am. I took Kiki for a walk, then showered and got ready.

We left around 8:15sm to drive to Newark Airport which is about 45 miles away. Route 17 was at a dead stop almost as soon as we got on so we took a back road to avoid it. We heard on 1010 Wins that there was an accident so we got back on a little past the accident site.

We stopped at a bagel store and picked up something to eat on the plane. A bagel with cream cheese for me and a Bacon, Egg & Cheese on a bagel for Paul which he ate in the car.

We got to Corporate Park pretty quickly. It’s right near the Airport and we’ve used them in the past and have been very happy with the service. We left the car and they quickly had us at the airport. We checked in curbside with Jet Blue since I had already checked us in online.

We were through security and at the gate. We bought a bottle of water for about $2 to bring on the plane.

There were a lot of kids by the gate and a few were crying. One of the Jet Blue workers got on the microphone and said something like “There is no crying on Jet Blue.” It was cute and the kids started laughing.

We boarded early and were going to take off early. The scheduled time was 11:15 but we were backing away from the gate just before 11. Just as we started backing up, it sounded like we ran something over.

A part of the plane broke. They told us to sit tight while they tried to fix it. The Captain came out to talk to us and keep us up to date. Basically, the part did what it was supposed to do – something like it’s supposed to break if it runs into something (or something like that); but they needed to replace it now. There was a part on it’s way from JFK airport and they were trying to borrow the part from another airline here at Newark. Since it may take awhile they pulled back to the gate and let us get off if we wanted but told us not to go far. Paul stayed on. I got off and got us two bottles of soda for $4.25. We were called back onto the plane about 15 minutes later and we took off. The delay ended up being about an hour.

Since we had the delay, they let us have movies for free. TVs are always free on Jet Blue but they usually charge $5 for movies. We watched Live Free or Die Hard. We had already seen it in the movie theater when it came out. Watching the movie made the flight go by very fast and the move ended just before we landed around 2:35.

I waited for the luggage and Paul went to Alamo to take care of the rental car. He used the kiosk and was back just as our last piece of luggage came off the belt. Using the kiosk is not only fast, but you avoid the agents trying to sell you the extra insurance.

We reserved a full size but that row was empty. An Alamo worker told us to take the SUV – a Toyota Highlander so we did. It was a silvery gold color.

My sister, Jennifer, my brother in law Kevin, and my niece Jillian landed around 12 (they flew Delta) and were at Downtown Disney.

We met at Publix to get our groceries for the week. We spent about $100 (so $50 per couple) and got soda, water, cereal, milk, juice, detergent, English muffins, etc. Jen and Kevin wanted to get cold cuts so they can bring sandwiches for lunch a few days.

We drove over to Vistana to check in around 5pm. I signed up for the Diamond Lane and there was only one person ahead of me. He asked a lot of question so it took a bit, but the regular line was about 20 people deep. We’re in the Lakes – villa 1847 on the 4th floor with a pool view.

Luckily there was a luggage cart so we got everything up in one trip. We all unpacked and got everything put away.

Jen, Kevin and Jillian went down to the pool. Paul and I stayed in the villa and each showered and I wrote some trip report notes.

After Jen, Kevin, and Jillian came back and showered we got ready to go to the Contemporary for our dinner at Chef Mickey’s. Before leaving Paul and I gave Jillian the autograph book and pen we got for her.

We drove over to the Contemporary around 8:30 and spent some time in the arcade and browsing around before checking in.

We checked in just before 9, had our pictures taken, and then waited a few minutes to be seated.

Paul and I really enjoy Chef Mickey’s. The food is OK, but the character interaction is fantastic. It was great seeing Jillian’s amazement and pure joy when the characters came over to our table.

We took all sorts of variations of pictures with Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Pluto, Goofy, and Donald Duck.

With our DDE card we saved $24.99. The total after tax, tip, and DDE discount for the 5 of us was about $125. Paul and I paid $50 and they paid $75.

After dinner we went back to the arcade for a little while.

With the DDE card, we also had free valet parking which was very nice. We tipped the valet guy. I park in New York City everyday for work so am used to tipping someone for parking and bringing me my car.

We got back to Vistana a little after 11.

Although I would prefer getting to the parks when they open, we planned to leave around 10 tomorrow for the Magic Kingdom.

Jen doesn’t want to do the Winnie the Pooh lunch tomorrow; they will bring sandwiches for lunch instead.

Sunday 9/16/07
I had trouble sleeping again and got up for good a little after 6. I showered and got ready. Everyone was sleeping so I left a note and drove to Walgreens since Jen said they needed coffee filters. Paul and I never use the coffee pot in the villa. I don’t drink coffee and Paul only drinks it once in a while. My sister drinks coffee every morning. Jen was up when I got back so we hung out and waited a bit before waking everyone else.

Jen packed sandwiches for her, Kevin, Jillian, and Paul. I don’t eat cold cuts.

We had breakfast in the villa. Paul made eggs and cheese on an English muffin. Jillian had scrambled eggs. Kevin and Jen had fruit Loops.

We gave Jillian the “First Visit to Disney” pin we had for her.

We left for the Magic Kingdom a little before 10am. I went in Kevin’s car since I have an annual pass and Jen went with Paul in our car since he has an annual pass so no one had to pay for parking. We took 2 cars in case Jillian got tired and they wanted to go back sooner than us.

We parked in Pluto. At the TTC, Jen had to buy passes for her family. She got 5 day passes for her and Jillian and a 4 day pass for Kevin. She got the regular Magic Your Way Passes. She didn’t get hopping or water parks and more. After stepping away she realized all the park passes said Kalik (our maiden name) since her bank card she used doesn’t have her married name on her account (she’s already been married for 7 years). We went back but the guy wasn’t able to do it and said we need to go to Guest Relations once we get across to the Magic Kingdom.

We took the ferry over and Jen went to Guest Services. They changed their passes to the proper name pretty quickly and we were finally ready to have some fun.

We headed straight to Fantasy Land and went on Snow White. Jillian chose this as the first attraction, but she was scared. I guess that wasn’t the best choice for her first ride. She wanted to go on it first so we didn’t push our thoughts of doing something “friendlier” first.

We got fastpasses for Peter Pan which were valid about 40 minutes later.

Jen, Jillian, Paul and I got on line for Dumbo. Kevin is very sensitive to motion and can’t go on rides that spin, drop you, or move around too much. Paul rode in his own Tea Cup which he spun like a madman. The rest of us spun our Tea Cup much more calmly.

Kevin waited on line for Pooh and Tigger in the hot sun. We rode and he had barely moved. I waited on the line for them a bit while they went to see Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum.

Next we went into Philharmagic. It’s very hot out (probably in the mid nineties with a real feel over 100) and not a cloud in the sky so no relief from the hot sun when you’re outside. We love Philharmagic. Jen and Kevin did too. Jillian was a little scared and didn’t enjoy it that much. After Philharmagic she didn’t want to go on any other 3D attractions.

Jillian took a liking to me and wanted to hold my hand and sit with me on many of the attractions. It was so cute. Usually when we get together with our friends Chris and Alise, their two kids Haley and Danny are all over Paul and pretty much ignore me, so this was quite the change that I had a kid that wanted to hang out with me.

It was time for our fastpasses for Peter Pan. Jillian and I rode together. Jen and Kevin rode together. Paul rode in his own boat. Everyone enjoyed Peter pan.

Small World was next and we waited about 15 minutes.

Paul got a frozen pink lemonade which was very refreshing.

Next we went on Winnie the Pooh. This was a hit as well. There were a few moments of nervousness for Jillian when the rain scene (in the Pooh ride) started but she ended up liking it a lot.

We went to Peco Bills café for lunch. I got a veggie burger with fries. Paul got chili cheese fries to eat with his sandwich. Jen got fries to go with their sandwiches. We all had soda. It felt good to get in out of the heat.

Paul ran over to get fastpasses for Splash Mountain.

We walked into Adventureland and got on line for Pirates of the Caribbean. We all had a good time.

The Enchanted Tiki Room was about to start so we went in. Paul and I think this is cute, but Jen and Kevin weren’t thrilled with it.

The Magic Carpets of Aladdin was next so Jen, Jillian and I went on. Jillian and I in the front and Jen behind us. Jillian wanted a pink carpet and ours was orange so we asked the people behind us if we could switch and they did. I like the way they do the carpet assignments – you stand on a number at the end of the queue and when the gate opens that’s your carpet. Better than the free for all at Dumbo running for your elephant of choice.

Jillian wanted to ride again so we did this time with Jillian and I in the back and Jen in front.

Jen, Jillian, and Kevin wanted to have pictures taken with Genie, Jasmine and Aladdin so they got in that line.

We stopped for Paul to get an Itzakadoozie pop. Jillian wanted frozen lemonade like Paul had earlier so Kevin had to go to the next stand. That line moved so slowly. Finally that had their ice and sat on a bench. It was way too hot so we moved over to sit in Peco Bills which was nice and cool. Somehow the door we went in led us back to the room we ate lunch in which was empty and the lights dimmed. When we were done and leaving we realized why – that section was roped off. No wonder we were the only ones in there.

The fast passes for Splash were ready so we headed over. The wind picked up and clouds came out. It felt great since it was much cooler. We knew it meant rain would follow but we still appreciated the bit of relief from the heat. Jillian and I were planning to take the chicken exit. Me because I don’t like to get wet when I’m dressed and Jillian because she was scared.

Once we got to Splash it was closed due too lightening in the area. The train was also closed due to lightening.

We sat in the kiddie play area by the fastpass machines for Splash. It started pouring so we stayed there for a while. A lot of people had the same idea of staying out of the rain. There were some kids that looked way to big to be in there playing. At one point many of them were on top of the play structure. Paul said next to the part of the house with a slide and closed his eyes as if he was taking a nap. Of course, we started throwing things at him to wake him up.

The rain finally slowed so I put on my poncho and Jillian put on her raincoat and we ventured out.

It was about 6pm by now. Paul and I went to the Haunted Mansion. After Snow White Jillian had no interest in going on the Haunted Mansion so they went to Toontown. Our plan was to either meet them in Toontown if the Haunted Mansion was quick or we would meet at the Tea Cups at 7pm.

The wait for the Haunted Mansion was about 20 minutes. We were trying to pick out the changes. The roses on Master Gracie’s grave were new. The stones looked a bit fresher. The first room where the painting gets older looked the same. The stretching room is where we saw the first change. The guy than hangs was much more visible. Then we were onto the Doom Buggies. This was an enjoyable ride as always. The bride scene was definitely new as were the staircases. Most of the other changes we noticed were more along the lines of making the effects sharper. Haunted Mansion is one of our favorites so I’m glad it didn’t change too much.

We walked over to Toon Town and found them in the Hall of Fame tent. They went on line for some more pictures at least this time inside where it’s cool. Paul and I hung out and had some soda. Paul bought Pop Rocks candy. I haven’t had that since I was a kid. I didn’t like it then and still don’t.

Next we (Jillian, Jen, Kevin and I) went on the Barnstormer. We were surprised Kevin went but seeing it was a kiddie coaster he figured he could handle it. Jillian and I sat together as did Jen and Kevin. It was so cute but probably the shortest ride ever. Jillian wanted to go again. Once was enough for Kevin but the rest of us rode again.

It was already after 7:20 and the park was closing at 8 so we quickly walked to TomorrowLand.

We went into Monsters Laugh Floor. They even put Kevin on the screen as the guy buying churros. Jillian got a kick out of that. We all enjoyed it. It seems like it’s been tweaked since the last few times I’ve seen it.

We walked really fast to Buzz Lightyear (next door) since it was just before 8 and we made it. After her initial fear Jillian ended up enjoying the ride. Kevin didn’t ride. I thought there was a part of the ride where the cars spun around on their own as opposed to the rest of the ride where you control the spinning. When I told him about that he waited for us outside. That part didn’t happen. Am I mixing this up with a different attraction? He’ll have to ride it next time we’re at Magic Kingdom.

We walked towards Main Street to watch Wishes. We missed the very beginning but stopped to watch near the TomorrowLand Noodle Terrace. It looked like it was set up as a buffet tonight instead of the counter service it’s been in the past when it isn’t closed.

We made our way to the ferry then onto the tram. We drove over to the Beach Club to have dinner at Beaches & Cream. We were trying to decide between that or ESPN but being a Sunday night Kevin thought ESPN would be too crowded.

The hostess at Beaches and Cream was a bit dumb. She told us she would have to check if there is room for a party of 5. She told the next group (a party of 3) the same. Then she wanted to give us this little table for the 5 of us. It was one of the little tiny round tables. Then she was a bit snippy saying she told us she’d check if there is room for 5. Or we could wait 35 minutes for a booth. Paul said why not put those 2 little tables together? They were right next to each other and empty. They did and we were seated. Kevin wasn’t too happy with the menu. Paul had a cheeseburger. Jen and I had veggie burgers, Jillian had grilled cheese. Kevin had onion rings. After dinner Jillian, Kevin and Paul had ice cream. Our waitress was great. She was running around and I think the only one really working hard. The others were moving so slow. After tip and DDE discount the bill was about $54 so $27 a couple.

W stopped at the gift shop to browse for a bit.

We drove back the long way trying to use I4. I know leaving the Epcot parking lot that’s a quick way, but it wasn’t that quick from the Beach Club.

Once back we all showered and threw in a load of regular laundry. We felt so gross from being hot and sweaty all day.

I wanted to use the Jacuzzi but the stopper wasn’t working and the water kept draining. We called maintenance and they sent someone in about 15 minutes to fix it – that’s great service especially since we called at 11:30pm.

I ended up not going in the Jacuzzi tonight after all.


Monday 9/17/07
I slept a little better than last night and woke up around 7:15. I showered and got ready, then tossed in a load of laundry.

We had breakfast in the villa and headed out to Epcot a little after 10am. We were very lucky parking again and had the first and 2nd spots in the row.

Our first stop was Soarin. The wait was listed as 30 minutes. It was a little before 11 when we got on line. The waiting area has been improved and the screens are more interactive so it made the wait go faster. It took a little more than the posted 30 minutes but we had the first row. The ride was a lot of fun. Jillian liked it until the very end with the fireworks since she doesn’t like loud noises. Kevin didn’t feel good after getting off because he has motion issues.

We headed over to the Mini Chef area in the Landand saw that the first show of the day was at 12:30 (about ½ hour away). This is where the kids get to bake chocolate chip cookies and is sponsored by Nestle. A lady on line suggested we wait since they only can take about 15-20 kids so we waited.

All the kids got cute little chef hats and the person running it wrote their names on it. Jillian got very nervous when it was time to go in because she wanted Jen to come with her. All the parents stood just outside the little fence to the kitchen area. The cast members were very nice and let Jen go in the kitchen area but Jillian didn’t really participate. She was crying. Jen said we can just leave if she didn’t want to do this but she said she did. Jen was the only parent that went into the fenced in area. Even when the kids were each taking turns putting cookies on the tray, Jillian wouldn’t do it; Jen had to do it first. Kevin was worried that Jillian would come out of there with the cookies the kids were all sticking their hands in. I told him it’s Disney and it has to be sanitary and they probably already have freshly made cookies that we’ll get. Sure enough, the person tells the kids that their cookies are going into the Magic Disney oven and they will be out in a few moments. The ones that came out were perfectly shaped and already cooled off. Once Jillian got the cooked cookies and left she was happy. This was a really cute exhibit and it’s a shame Jillian didn’t have fun doing it.

We went on Living with the Land next. Kevin didn’t go on since he still wasn’t feeling well from riding Soarin earlier.

We checked in at the Garden Grill right at 1:20. They told us they were running a little behind. We were seated close to 2. We were a bit concerned that Jen and I would have nothing to eat. We both figured we could eat food from the kids menu. It’s family style and the adult platter had turkey, steak and catfish along with au gratin potatoes, green beans and butternut squash. The vegetables and the potatoes were very good. The kids menu was macaroni and cheese, chicken fingers, and French fries. They offered to make me a butternut squash risotto, but I just ate the vegetables and potatoes and was fine. The dessert was this apple crumble dish that was really good. They brought Jillian a little cupcake with stuff like sprinkles and M&Ms to decorate it with. Paul doesn’t usually like hot and sweet food so he wasn’t going to have any of the apple crumble. I told him to have a spoonful of what I thought was ice cream on top of it so gave him a spoonful of it. It turns out it wasn’t ice cream but frosting.

The character interaction is great. We saw almost all of them twice. It was farmer Mickey Mouse, Chip, Dale, and Pluto. Jillian is pretty shy when the characters come around. By the end of the meal Pluto was by our table. Jillian’s hair was in pigtails with braids. Pluto picked up her braids. Then he picked up his ears and she picked up her braids and was standing in front of him. She was laughing hysterically and just looked like she was having the time of her life.

Kevin didn’t realize that the restaurant rotates until we were halfway done with our food.

My DDE was taken for a discount and our total with tax and tip came to about $100. We paid $40 and they paid $60.

We headed over to the Seas and rode on The Seas with Nemo clam ride. Then we waited for the next Turtle Talk with Crush show. Crush spoke to Kevin during the show. That’s 2 days in a row that Kevin was singled out in an interactive show.

We walked right onto Journey into Imagination which was cute.

We walked into the Character Connection but Jillian already saw the characters in there so we left.

We stopped in Ice Station Cool and got both Jen and Kevin separately to try the Beverly. It was funny to watch and we even got Jillian in on the game telling her to tell Jen it was really good and then do the same to Kevin. Both Jen and Kevin thought it tasted pretty bad. Paul and I got a good laugh out of it.

Test Track was next with about a 30 minute wait. Kevin sat out. Paul went through the single rider line a few times while we waited for standby. Jillian really liked Test Track.

We walked over to World Showcase. Jillian started a mask at the KidCot station in Mexico. Jen, Kevin, and Paul went out to get Margaritas and I stayed with Jillian. They came back with frozen Margaritas; the Mango one was delish. After drinking the Margaritas we went on the Three Caballeros boat ride which everyone liked.

In Norway I thought Jillian may be scared on Maelstrom (there are dark parts with trolls) but she loved it and wanted to go on again. Jen, Kevin, and Paul headed to Germany while Jillian and I rode again.

Walking towards Germany Jillian and I ran into the rest of the group in China watching the acrobats so we stayed for the rest of the show. They are so talented.

We walked around Italy for a bit. Then we made our way to Germany. Jillian went to the kidcot station there too. Paul got soft pretzels that were really delicious. These were probably the best soft pretzels I’ve had in ages.

Jillian wanted to do Maelstrom again so we went back to Norway and got right on.

I ordered a rice cream to go for $2.44. They put the little rice cup dish into a coffee cup with a lid. That worked perfectly. I figured I’d eat it later.

Illuminations just started so we watched that. We joined the crowds leaving the park.

Paul and Jen went to Publix to get cookie mix since Jillian wanted to teach us to bake. They got the little Pillsbury logs where you just have to slice the cookies and put them on a tray to bake them. They also stopped at Pizza Hut to pick up dinner. They remembered to bring my rice cream in from the car too and we put it in the refrigerator.

Kevin, and Jillian and I went back to Vistana. We showered again since it was so hot out. When Jen and Paul came back we had dinner. Then Jillian put on her hat from Mini chef and taught us to bake. We all had to be in PJs to work on the cookies. It was really cute and she did what they did at Mini Chef at Epcot. She was the teacher and we were the kids and she came around for us to each scoop some cookie dough onto the tray. The cookies came out pretty good too.

We noticed a leak on the floor where the tile meets the carpet, but it was late so we decided to just call in the morning.

Tuesday 9/18/07
We had breakfast in the timeshare. The plan was to leave by 9 for the Animal Kingdom since they close at 5. I was up and ready and so was Jen. Surprisingly so was Paul. Kevin and Jillian were still sleeping so we left more like 9:30.

I called about the leak in the floor and they asked me to leave a little washcloth over it so they can easily find it when they come to fix it. Kevin walks by and picks it up and says “Why did you leave a washcloth on the floor, people can trip on it.” So we had to explain that it was there for a reason.

We stopped at the front desk at Vistana for Kevin to arrange golf for himself for Thursday. Then we were off to Animal Kingdom. Jen bought one of the misty fans.

On the way towards DinoLand we went through the character spot and took pictures with Pooh, Eeyore, and Tigger. In DinoLand we rode Triceratop Spin. Since Jillian enjoyed Dumbo and Alladin so much we knew this would be a hit too.

Next was to be Primieval Whirl but Jillian was too short. You need to be 48 inches and she’s about 46 ½. So we headed to Dinosaur next and somehow lost Paul in the process. I told Jillian it’s dark and noisy but she can close her eyes if she’s scared. Surprisingly she wanted to go. She spent the whole ride with her eyes closed. At the end she said it was fun. Go figure – she hated Snow White.

What I thought was so odd is that she’s too short for Primieval Whirl but tall enough for Dinosaur.

We found Paul when we came off Dinosaur.

We went to see the 11:30 Nemo Show and had front row seats. I don’t think the front row is the best vantage point and prefer the second tier of seats. Everyone enjoyed the show.

We picked up fastpasses for Expedition Everest for me, Paul, and Jen.

We headed to Kali River Rapids. I held everyone’s bags while they rode. I don’t like getting wet in my clothes. They all came off a bit damp. Jillian wanted to ride again so Paul, Jen, and Jillian went. Kevin waited with me. The second ride Jen and Jillian got drenched. They looked like they took a bath in their clothes.

It was time for Expedition Everest for me, Jen, and Paul. I was worried about sitting next to either of them since they were so wet. We waited for the first row. Luckily there are seat dividers so you only sit in your own seat and don’t slide into the person next to you. It was a lot of fun. We were making fun of Jen since she kept closing her eyes throughout much of the ride.

Lunch was at Restaurantosaurus. Veggie burger and fries for me. I’m getting sick of veggie burgers. Everyone else had the sandwiches they packed but got fries and soda. Paul got a cheeseburger basket and also got a McNuggets kids meal for Jillian, not realizing Jen already got Jillian a kids meal. I liked the apple slices with caramel dipping sauce from the kids meal.

We went to the safari next. The kids meals came with a little plastic dinosaur that squirted water. Paul was squirting Jillian with the dinosaur and she was squirting him with the squirt fan. Jillian would open her mouth and Paul would squirt water in her mouth. The safari was a little squished with all of us in one row. I was between Paul and Jillian so got a bit damp from their wet clothes.

Next we took the train to Conservation Station and Jillian pet and brushed the goats.

We made our way back and got stuck behind the end of the parade but made it to Camp Minnie Mickey for the 4:30 Festival of the Lion King show. Everyone enjoyed the show and by the time we came out the park was closed. We made our way to our cars.

Our first stop was the Grand Floridian to check out the menu for Wednesday’s Princess dinner. The self parking was very far from the entrance. Jillian was sleeping in the car so Paul and Kevin drove up to the front so Jen and I could just run in. I was happy to see that 1900 Park Faire was open and it is back to a buffet. When I made the reservation, 1900 Park Faire was being refurbished and we were originally scheduled to have the Princess Dinner in the Grand Floridian Café where it was a pre-plated meal. Since the refurbishment ended sooner than expected the dinner is moved back to 1900 Park Faire and a buffet.

As we were driving back, I was in the car with Paul this time, Jen called from Kevin’s car and said let’s go to the Macaroni Grill for dinner rather than going back, showering and saying “What do you want for dinner?” Of course I didn’t have my phone on or handy when they first tried calling so they had to pull up next to us and wave their phones for me to pull mine out. I had mushroom ravioli, Jen had the make your own pasta, Kevin had chicken parmesan, Jillian had pizza and Paul ordered the dish that had 3 different things – it was supposed to be chicken parmesan, lasagna, and chicken cannelloni. The waiter came by and said they were out of lasagna and could they substitute pasta. Paul said “How about Veal Parmesan”. Surprisingly they found lasagna for him. Kevin didn’t like his dish since they didn’t use Mozzarella, but used Asiago cheese instead. The waiter said they were trying a new way to make the dish. The waiter was very good and kept refilling Paul’s soda. He must have gone through 10 glasses.

Jillian got ice cream with her meal and her and Paul were throwing little pieces of bread at each other and trying to get it in the other ones mouth. They were directly across the table from each other. It was really funny. Some of Jillian’s bread would land in her ice cream and she would eat it anyway. We were all hysterical laughing. I guess we were “that” table. Dinner was about $80 so $40 per couple.

We stopped at Publix to get some items we needed – like more soda, cookie decorating things like sprinkles, ice, Pina Colada mix, etc.

When we got back we baked the sugar cookies with the decorations and Kevin made Pina Coladas. The maintenance people fixed the leak because the washcloth wasn’t on the floor anymore and it was dry.

Wednesday 9/19/07
Today was to be Jen, Kevin, and Jillian’s pool day but it was raining and cloudy and expected to stay that way all day. They decided to go to Downtown Disney and if it clears up swim later.

Paul and I were planning to go to the Kona Café for breakfast or maybe the food court in the Polynesian for Tonga toast. We ended up hanging out and Jillian was playing and jumping on the beds so we didn’t leave until around 11:30.

Paul and I left to head to Tampa and the Hard Rock Casino. We stopped at Arby’s for lunch. They had a special of 5 things for $5.95. We got a Roast Beef sandwich, a Ham sandwich, potato cakes, fries, and soda. I ate the starches.

We got to the Casino pretty quickly. They closed off the room that used to have the Rock House game I liked. That’s not really the name of the game; it’s really called something like Claim Digger. It’s a nickel machine and it’s really cute. The only places I’ve ever seen it was the Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood Florida and the one in Tampa Florida. So instead I played a fifty cent poker machine. I couldn’t find a quarter one. I was betting two credits ($1) and hit 4 2’s for 160 credits. I started with $20 and cashed out $80. Then I put in another $20 and played some more and hit 4 3’s for 160 credits. I cashed out $70. I went and played $20 in a different machine and lost. Then we played another machine and lost another $20. I left up $70. Paul lost on the games he played.

On the way back, we stopped for gas at the Hess Station by Downtown Disney and got $20 worth of gas.

At Basin at the MarketPlace I bought a mini vanilla bath bomb (to put in the Jacuzzi) and a pumice stone for Paul. He saw the pumice stone and wanted it so we got it.

In the World of Disney I bought a new 2007 photo album. I was looking for the box of the chocolate covered pretzels that I used to get. It was a box of 4 pretzels each one with different toppings over the chocolate (sprinkles, toffee, white chocolate and one with chocolate flakes) for $10 but I couldn’t find it.

Paul was in the mood for chicken wings. We thought there was a Hooters at the Crossings but we couldn’t’ find it. There was a different wing place so we went in there and Paul ordered some wings to go.

We came back to the villa where Jen, Kevin and Jillian were hard at work on a Disney jigsaw puzzle so we started helping. They bought us a cute Mickey shaped chip and dip bowl and some Mickey cookies as a Thank You for having them in the villa.

Jillian put on her Snow White dress for our princess dinner. We left for the Grand Floridian around 7 and valet parked (free with DDE when having dinner). We checked in at 1900 Park Faire and were seated right away.

There wasn’t much for me to eat there. The chilled strawberry soup was really good. The character interaction was great. There was Cinderella, Prince Charming, the Fairy Godmother and the 2 Stepsisters (Anastasia and Drusilla I think). After DDE and tip dinner came to $132 – about $66 per couple. We went out on the beach and saw the Electric Light Parade at 9, and then we looked through some shops.

We took the Monorail to the Polynesian and wandered around and then played in the arcade.

Back on the Monorail and back to the Grand Floridian. We got the car from the valet and went back to the villa.

Thursday 9/20/07
I was up early and did some laundry then showered and got ready. When I was ready to put my laundry in the machine, I noticed that Jen left her laundry in there. I assumed she started the laundry and then fell asleep (it was beach towels and towels) so I threw it in the dryer. When Jen and Kevin saw that they asked why I dried it, I told them my assumption. Kevin asked if I felt them and I did – they were damp – like laundry that was left in the washer overnight. It turns out they never ran the washing machine, they just put it in the machine to be washed. So I dried their dirty towels. We all got a good laugh out of that.

Today Kevin is playing golf and the rest of us are going to MGM.

We left around 9:45. We parked and were through security just after 10. Our first stop was Playhouse Disney. Paul and I never saw this and we didn’t know any of the characters. Jen and Jillian and all the other kids were singing along. Paul took a nap. Everyone sat on the floor as opposed to benches or chairs.

We got right into the Little Mermaid next. Jillian got scared during the Ursula scene.

We walked over to Tower of Terror and the wait was listed as 10 minutes but we walked right in. I warned Jillian in advance what goes on in this attraction and told her she can close her eyes if she gets scared of anything. Jillian was pretty scared. She was airborne most of the time going up and down and out of her seat. Paul was taking pictures of her being petrified. She was a trooper though and she didn’t cry. After we got off she said she didn’t like it and it was too scary.

After traumatizing Jillian we did something nice and calm and saw the Beauty and the Beast show. Everyone enjoyed the show. Jillian wasn’t feeling well so Jen wanted to get her some Children’s Tylenol. They had bottles of it to purchase in the Villains Shoppe; you have to ask the cast member as it isn’t out in the open. Or she could have gone to first aid and they would have given Jillian a dose of it.

Then we went to the Backlot Express for lunch. I had the grilled vegetable sandwich that I used to love. They changed the recipe and it wasn’t good anymore. One more thing I’m not going to order again. Jillian didn’t touch her food but put her head on the table to rest. After eating I took Jen and Jillian back to Vistana. Paul stayed at MGM while I went to drop them off. There was no reason for both of us to drive back and forth. I met Paul at the ABC Commissary when I got back; that was our designated meeting spot. Paul had ridden a few attractions while I was gone.

We headed over to Muppets 3D and walked right in.

We waited about 20 minutes for the Great Movie Ride and we had a female gangster again. I know they are doing the right thing by Diversity standards, but when you think of the gangster the cast member is portraying “Mugsy”, he’s a man. I don’t see them dressing up men as Cinderella.

We stopped in the Writers Stop and shared an apple cinnamon muffin and Paul had a coffee. As we were sitting there we saw several characters walking by going to the hat.

We walked towards Lights Motors Action but decided to go on the Backlot Tour instead. We spoke to Jen and she said Jillian’s feeling better now so they want to meet at ESPN later for dinner.

Paul and I headed out and stopped at Pop Century. We had some soda in the food court. Paul was excited to have some frozen coke. And some blue frozen coke. We like to browse around and explore the different resorts.

We were planning to go to Epcot but missed our exit. Eventually we found our way to the Boardwalk and parked there since we’re planning to have dinner at ESPN later with Jen, Kevin, and Jillian.

We took the boat over to Epcot. We stopped in England for Paul to have some fish and chips. It started raining while we were sitting there. Then it started pouring. I put on my rain poncho when it first started and we sat there for a little while. Once it started pouring we had to go since it was really bad. We ran into the shops in England.

It slowed down so we headed towards Canada. Then a torrential downpour started and Paul got drenched. My feet got soaked – yuck I had wet sneakers.

We saw the new O’Canada movie which was really good and an improvement over the first one. It was humorous and still showed the great scenery.

We took the boat back to the Boardwalk and got checked in at ESPN. Paul bought a new T-Shirt since his tank top was soaked. I was looking for a pair of flip flops or something like that so I could take off the wet sneakers and socks but couldn’t find anything I liked. I should have asked Jen to bring me my crocs but by the time Paul said it, they were already on their way.

Once we were seated I took off my sneakers and socks and kept my bare feet under the table. Dinner wasn’t that good. I had the veggie sandwich which I wasn’t thrilled with. Paul had a Reuben. Jen had chicken Caesar salad. Kevin had a chicken sandwich. They had wings as an appetizer. Jillian had a kid’s meal. Our total bill after DDE discount and tip was about $70

Kim’s flight landed while we were eating – she sent me a text message. By the time she got checked in we were in the arcade and getting ready to leave the Boardwalk. We made plans to meet at the Magic Kingdom tomorrow morning.

Paul and I stopped in Walgreens on the way back to pick up some more soda.

Jillian still wasn’t feeling well so went right to bed.

I haven’t been using the Jacuzzi every day but only every few days.

Friday 9/21/07
We had breakfast in the timeshare. Jen, Kevin, and Jillian took a little longer to get ready so we didn’t leave until about 10:30. We parked at the Polynesian and took the Monorail to the Magic Kingdom. We met Kim right when we entered.

Jillian was a bit shy around Kim as she usually is when meeting new people. We went to TomorrowLand and all rode Buzz Lightyear. Next we all went onto the Carousel of Progress. And then right onto the TTA.

Done with TomorrowLand we made our way to the Tea Cups. Paul and Kevin went to get us fast passes for Peter Pan while the four of us rode. Jillian and I rode in one Tea Cup while Jen and Kim rode in another Tea Cup.

We split up for a bit next with me, Paul and Kim going to Philharmagic while Jen, Kevin, and Jillian went to Ariel’s Grotto.

We met back up at Peter Pan and enjoyed our flight to Neverland.

Surprisingly, Jillian wanted to ride Snow White so we went over there. She kept her eyes shut for most of it but she went on and seemed to like it.

Jen and Kevin didn’t want to go to lunch at Chef Mickey’s so me, Paul and Kim went. We got stuck on the monorail for a little while. Kim’s birthday just passed so I told the lady seating us that it was Kim’s birthday. A little after we sat down, the waitress brought over a cupcake with a candle, a plastic placemat signed by all the characters and Minnie Mouse came over. It was cute and not over the top. Kim didn’t know I told them it was her birthday so she was surprised by the attention.

Lunch was good. There were a few new salads on the salad bar – like apples and granola. With DDE and tip it was about $65 for the 3 of us. We paid since it was Kim’s birthday.

We made our way back to the Magic Kingdom and stopped at the guest relations building when you first enter for Kim to get a birthday button. It’s really cute, they put your name on it so it’s a little more personalized. Then we took the train to FrontierLand. Paul got a fast pass for Splash Mountain and then him and Kim rode Big Thunder Mountain Rail Road. I didn’t ride since we just ate.

We met Jen, Kevin, and Jillian by Aladdin and rode that. We all went on Pirates next. Many of the cast members were saying “Happy Birthday Kim”.

After Pirates we split up for a bit with plans to meet at the Main Street bakery at 7 (the park closes at 7 for Mickey’s Not so Scary Halloween Party). We weren’t planning to stay for the Halloween party. I went to the Halloween party in 2005, but no one was that into doing it this trip.

Paul used his fast pass for Splash and then the three of us went to the Haunted Mansion. Kim and I spent most of the ride deciding what looked like it was new from the refurbishment.

After Haunted Mansion we had about ½ hour left. Paul wanted to wander around a bit. Kim and I went on It’s a Small World and we walked right on. Then we waited about 15 minutes for Peter Pan. We just made it into Philharmagic right at 7pm.

We all met back at the bakery by 7:25 and we headed out and took the Monorail to the Polynesian to get our cars.

Paul, Kim and I went to the Wilderness Lodge for Kim to get her car since she would need to drive to the airport to pick up her husband later. I went in with her. She had to stop at her room to get her valet ticket. There was a card and balloons on her bed wishing her a Happy Birthday from Minnie Mouse. It was really cute.

We drove to Bennigans on 535 right near our timeshare for dinner. Jen, Kevin and Jillian already had a table. Jillian was warming up to Kim by now and allowed her to sit on the girl’s side of the table. Dinner came to about $40 for Paul and me. I don’t remember the total.

Kim came back to Vistana so she could see the timeshare. We hung out for a bit and she left around 10 for the airport to pick up her husband.

I did some packing. We played poker until about 1:30am. This is the first time we played the whole trip. We don’t play for a lot of money when we play (unlike Paul’s poker games with his friends which are much more high stakes). I brought poker chips in little Ziplocs – not the whole suitcase of chips we have at home, but I counted out our usual buy in of chips and put those in 4 separate Ziplocs. Unfortunately, one of the Ziplocs broke and I had chips all over the suitcase. I found this when I was unpacking last week. I did my best to get them all gathered up. When we counted them out again, we were only missing 1 black chip so we improvised and used a little black triangle plastic thing we found. We ended up calling it the shark because it looked like a shark fin.

Saturday 9/22/07
We finished cleaning out the last minute items from the kitchen. I realized I never ate my rice cream that I got to go earlier in the week from Epcot. Unfortunately, I wasn’t in the moon for rice cream yet, and I didn’t want to eat it after it sat in the refrigerator for the last few days anyway. We got the cars packed up and checked out at 10am. Jen, Kevin and Jillian went to the airport since their flight was at 12:30.

Paul and I went to the Polynesian to Captain Cooks (the counter service place). They serve Tonga Toast for breakfast and I wanted to get that. Breakfast ends at 10:30 and we were there at 10:32. I couldn’t order on the kiosk but asked the person working there and he said he’d make it for me. Paul had a chocolate croissant. I didn’t like my Tonga Toast – it was too sweet and too hard. After a few bites, I ended up sharing Paul’s chocolate croissant.

Paul wanted to spend the day back at Vistana at the pool, but it was overcast so not really swimming weather.

We took the monorail to the TTC and then the Epcot Monorail to Epcot. I went into the Land to get us fast passes for Soarin. Paul went to Ice Station Cool and they had the watermelon soda (from China I think) today. Paul got 2 of the little cups and was waiting for me with one.

We went on the Single Rider Line at Test Track. Standby was about 40 minutes but we went right on and were just 2 cars apart. We spent a few minutes looking at the cars.

Paul went on Mission Space next. I skipped it. He likes the spinning side. I like the mild side but was still full from our overly sweet breakfast.

We went into Innoventions and did the Segway intro. It’s really cute but I still don’t see them used in everyday life as the norm. We have a big enough obesity problem in the US as it is, this would have people walking even less than they do now.

We went on the Universe of Energy. Paul napped through most of it.

Kim sent me a text message that her and her husband started seeing the Love Bugs as we were driving to her grandmother’s house. I guess we timed this trip right.

We walked through Mouse Gear but didn’t buy anything.

We walked into the other side of Innoventions and saw them making paper.

On the way out we stopped at the camera store to find out the location of our Leave a Legacy tile. While there I bought a cute lime green foam Mickey head key chain for $2.08. We looked at our tile and took a few pictures with it.

We left Epcot and took the Monorail to the TTC and then walked from there to the Polynesian. It was a nice quick walk. If it was sunny and 90 degrees we would have waited for the monorail.

I was a little sad leaving Epcot as my annual pass expires today. We won’t be back for about 6 ½ months for my 40th birthday in April 2008.

We had a quick late lunch in Capt Cooks of a kids grilled cheese meal for $4.25. Often I prefer the kids meals to adult food.

Paul bought an extra chocolate croissant this morning without me knowing and had wrapped it up. He pulled it out of his bag for our dessert after lunch. Good thinking on his part – they were out of them by now.

We stopped to fill up the car with gas for about $36 and then headed to the airport. Check in and security was pretty quick.

Paul was a little hungry so got a Filet O Fish from McDonalds.

It started pouring out – a torrential downpour with lightening and thunder. We wondered if we would take off on time.

Before boarding Paul got a sandwich and some soda at Au Bon Pain to bring on the plane.

We boarded and left about 20 minutes late. The flight was uneventful and we landed about 9:35. We got off and went to get our bags. There was a delay with the bags coming off the plane. Finally we had our bags and called Corporate Park to come pick us up. They were there in about 15 minutes. We loaded up our car and were on the road home by 10:30.

We got home about 11 and Kiki was happy to see us.

I went through some of the mail after playing with Kiki but decided to leave the unpacking until tomorrow.


FINAL THOUGHTS
This was another great Disney trip. It was a little too hot but it wasn’t crowded. It was really nice to get some bonding time with my niece and my sister. I think my sister finally gets why I love going to Disney. Jillian was the perfect age to go – she’s old enough to walk around and not need to be carried or need a stroller but young enough to believe that Mickey Mouse is Mickey Mouse. Our annual passes have gotten a good workout again. The DDE card was definitely a worthwhile purchase for us. Our last trip in June 2007 (just Paul and I) we recouped the initial cost of the DDE in the discounts. This trip it was all savings. And the DDE is valid until next June so we will get more use out of it on my birthday trip. Paul knows I want to go to Disney for my birthday and said to me do I want to go to Disney World, Disney Land, Euro Disney, or Hong Kong Disney? I think I want to come back to Disney World in Florida. It’s my favorite place.