She graduates and we head where?

[disneymom2one]

The Cast :

Me - the mom, late 30's
Dad - the ... well dad, very late 30's
Hann - the kid, the reason we exist, the graduate, soon to be 12

So Hann (coolkidhann95 from other boards) graduated from elementary school on Thursday morning. It was an amazing, amazing day. Her dad and I could not be prouder of the young person she has become. She's risen above every challenge and the entire school seemed to be applauding as she accepted her awards.

And what did we do the minute graduation was over and hugs were exchanged? We headed to Walt Disney World of course!

After a long, long, long drive, we arrived! Did I say long drive? Ah yes. The wonders of living in Florida but NOT close to Disney! We love where we live though and it's worth it. In fact, would you believe this crazy family turned down an opportunity to move to Orlando? But I digress. So we arrive and check into Old Key West. We're DVC members and love, love, love Old Key West. We were assigned building 53 in the back which was fine for this short trip. And truth be told, our room was great. It was a studio, first floor, and steps from the bus stop.

Speaking of bus stop, that's exactly where we headed. Did we stop to unpack? No! Did we stop to smell the flowers outside our room? No! Did we admire the view from our porch of the air conditioner? No! We headed straight to the above-mentioned bus stop. We had places to go. Characters to see. Rides to ride. Soon enough we were on our way to the Magic Kingdom. And slowly we took a deep breath! Ahhh. The bus ride was great and we quickly made our way into the MK. After a quick stop at guest services we were soon at Pinnochio's Village Haus. It was now nearing eight o'clock and we were hungry! Dad and Hann had Italian sandwiches and I had a panini. They came with fries and we ordered a couple of drinks. This was a no-dining-plan trip so no credits to deal with. Just good food. Hann snagged a table overlooking Small World and we happily and quickly downed some pretty good food.

Of course we then had to ride "It's a Small World." The ride was different at night which was as Hann would say "cool!" Next stop was Dumbo where Hann and her dad rode and I enjoyed watching my two favorite people soar through the air. Finally we rode Buzz. And thanks to Hann's tips I got my highest total ever! 367,000 but who's counting? Not Hann who is none too thrilled at her mom's overexhuberance as I skipped through the Magic Kingdom (okay not really).

We then had one last ride. I know you've heard of it. It was the dreaded "make it through Wishes Crowds on Main Street without getting trampled" ride. Our ride was long. It was difficult. But soon we emerged unscathed at the exits. After a quick ride back to resort, we unloaded the van and were asleep within minutes.

What an amazing day! The "little one" who was about four when I started posting here graduates and we end it in the one place where our family seems to be most at peace - Walt Disney World.

More to come ....

 

[disneymom2one]

Day 2 - Friday

We were up bright and early! It was a Disney Day! Our plan for today was Epcot and the Flower and Garden Festival. We rode the bus up front and had a quick breakfast from Goods to Go. This is one of my only "complaints" about Old Key West. We just don't have good counter service options at Old Key West. We arrived at about 7:20 only to be told that hot food wouldn't be ready until 7:30. But couldn't we order and wait for them to cook it? No. Note that the same woman from December again was working at Goods to Go and she was in about the same mood that she was in then. Let's play the "which one of these just doesn't belong" game. Come on. Sesame Street. You remember. Okay here's your list. 1) Cranky. 2) Doesn't want to be bothered. 3) Acts a little like we're asking her for a favor as we pay for our food. 4) Works at a Disney resort counter service location. If you said number four, you win ... my eternal admiration? But I digress. So we walked around for a few minutes and then she graciously allowed us to order. We split two bagels and a breakfast platter along with some donuts from the room. The food was great (especially the breakfast platter) and we were soon on our way to Epcot.

We arrived at Epcot to find they have slightly improved bag check. Just seems like a better system but crowds weren't bad so who knows? Still at least they're trying. We were early so we tossed Hann's stuffed dog around. "Nestle" goes everywhere with us. She's usually in Hann's arms but her dad and I aren't adverse to a little keep-away on a bright sunny morning. Hann secretly enjoys it for awhile. Soon enough Nestle was back in Hann's arms and we were through the turnstiles. The topiaries rocked this year! Amazing! Anyway,we positioned ourself on the right and waited for rope drop. 10,9,8, okay you get the picture. And we're off. I love the "Land" opening with the little band downstairs. They seem so glad to see us. Maybe they should teach Miss Goods to Go a thing or two. But again, I digress. We headed right to Soarin after grabbbing Fast Passes for later. We were on Soarin' before we knew it. We all love,love,love this ride. It just rocks. Gently hang gliding through scenes of California. The smells of the grapes. The roar of the water. And the ending. Love it! We had a few minutes before our fast pass window so we rode Living with the Land. This was the first time for us under the new automated narrator situation. It was fine but I miss the college kids. They were great. So enthusiastic about well ... plants. Then it was back to Soarin' and another fantastic hang glide around California. Next stop was the Nemo ride at the Nemo pavillion. Awesome as usual and a complete walk-on. We then made it right into the Turtle Talk show. New theater. Same great interactive show. Hann loves this and so do her dad and I. Next stop was over to Test Track. We weren't there to ride Test Track but to check out some Flower and Garden festivities. Hann loved the playground and we all enjoyed the Butterfly Garden. I took pictures for my best friend of the whole caterpillar/butterfly/cocoon thing. She actually likes this sort of stuff. I'm not a fan of bugs but it was neat to see anyway.

We then crossed the park and meandered over to Canada and then the UK. In one of those "this is why we love Disney" moments, a street play was starting. It was great. Hilarious. About fifteen minutes the show was over and we headed to France for our ADR at Chef's. Soon enough we were seated. Hann was at this point trying to communicate to us the importance of making the 12:55 showing of Myuki - the candy maker - and yes I know I mangled her name. Well it was after 12:00 when we were seated. What to do? We decided to hope our food arrived fast and we could eat even faster. Dad got the lunch trip (french onion soup, ham and cheese, and creme brulee) and Hann got a tuna sandwich. I ordered the goat cheese with salad. In the end, Hann and threw down our food as fast as possible and left her dad to enjoy a more leisurely lunch while we hustled over to Japan. By the way, the food at Chef's was just okay to me. I've had better meals there and it'll probably be awhile before we return.

So we arrive at Japan and I'm still clueless what all the fuss is about. Hann reads Disboards a lot more than her dad and I. We tend to rely on her for knowledge. This time she was right on. What can I say? It was absolutely stunningly amazing. Hann was picked first and before our eyes a handful of melted sugar/corn starch was turned into a beautiful blue dragon. It was a great, great experience. I'm so glad we made it. Eventually Dad joined us too and watched some of it. He also had made a special trip to the France bakery for another creme brulee and a chocolate cake. Did I marry a great guy or what? Well ... some days "or what" but not today! We ate our dessert at the American pavillion and then headed around WS to Mexico.

Ah Mexico. The pavillion with the boat ride. You know that ride. The new and improved version where you're treated to Mexican tourist scenes with the Three Cabelleros somehow super-imposed right on them. And then out of nowhere ... DOLLS! Lots of them. And then more tourist scenes. None of it really makes sense. People leave the ride sort of shaking their head. But you know ... it's Disney so we go with it.

Our final stop in Epcot was the new Siemen's exhibit at the end of the Spaceship Earth ride. This was a blast and we're looking forward to the new and improved Spaceship Earth for a lot of reasons. Chief among them is we're thinking there will probably not be dolls or the Three Cabelleros anywhere in sight!

We left Epcot after a great day and headed back to Old Key West for a long swim and some down time. Hann went down the slide again and again and again and loved it each time.

We drove to SSR for supper. We actually really like the Artist's Palette. Hann had the barbecue flatbread and her dad and I split two specials - a chipotle shrimp flat bread and a pesto chicken panini. Both were just okay. Hann's barbecue flatbread was the best of the bunch. We then took the bus to Downtown Disney which gave us a good glimpse of how big SSR has gotten! Wow! At DTD, we actually had a mishap where we lost each other. It wasn't fun but in the end, all was okay again. We were soon asleep and looking forward to our last day.

 

[disneymom2one]

Our final day!

We drove over to Coronada Springs and checked in. YAY. Rooms were ready at 7:30. We had our pick but chose Casitas 5. Great location. Hann and I walked over while her dad drove the van and met us. The room was really nice and we had a great view of the Swan/Dolphin. We found the bus stop and were soon off to the MK.

At the MK, we split up once we were in the holding area. The dad headed to where he could be in a good spot to be the first in. Hann and I stayed more in the center so we could see the opening show. I have to say I get teary eyed every time. I love that show. I love seeing the anticipation on everyone's faces. It's just a great start to a MK day. After the countdown, Hann and I headed to VMK central and picked up some quests. Her dad had. in the meantime, headed to the Main Street Bakery. We met up and packed up our breakfast. Avoiding the hordes we walked to Frontierland and Pecos Bill's. It's closed of course but we just needed an outdoor table. We then enjoyed a quiet, peaceful breakfast of french toast loaves and breakfast croissants. This is one of our favorite ways to start an MK morning. No rushing. No crowds. No lines. Just us and usually some ducks. And we love french toast loaf!

After breakfast we strode over to Fantasyland. Hann and her dad rode Peter Pan and I waited for them. We all rode Winnie the Pooh and then made it over to Tomorrowland. After a spin on Buzz Hann and her dad took off to do the VMK Tomorrowland Quest. It was pretty easy and they were done soon enough. We took the back path to Toontown and Hann played in the water area for awhile. She had a blast in Donald Duck's House and loved being wet!

After that we slowly made our way out of the MK. We would have taken the train but it was down. The monorail was our next stop. Seeing the destruction of the Contemporary North Wing up close was wild! Hopefully DVC will confirm soon that they'll be there. We made our way through the Contemp to the bus stop and eventually made our way to Downtown Disney and Goofy's Candy Company. Slushes were on the agenda! Then it was off to Once Upon A Toy where Hann made her own light saber. What a great souvenir! We hopped on the Coronado bus and were soon back at the resort. I think we saw Typhoon Lagoon up close and personal at least twice that morning. Downtown Disney bus routes are so long because of that!

Anyway, we got off and had lunch at the Pepper Market. Hann had linguni with alfredo sauce and her dad and I split some fajitas and quesadillas. The food was all good but in general the Pepper Market set-up bothers me - as does the 10% automatic gratuity for what is essentially counter service. Then it was swim time! Hann swam and swam and swam. Eventually she took a break and we had some dessert from the Pepper Market and relaxed in the room but soon enough she was swimming again. By 8:00 that night we were at the playground playing. We then headed to the room and changed. Dinner was at Mara at AKL. We split a couple of chicken pitas and an African soup. The food was great! We love Animal Kingdom Lodge and want to stay there again soon. We ended the night and really the trip with a visit to the Savannah where we saw some zebras up close. Hann loves zebras so this was really neat for all of us.

After a quick night of sleep we were on the road early and back home by lunch. It was a great trip. As you can see we do things at a relaxed pace and just enjoy every moment we're there. We'll be back again in a couple of months or so but we miss Disney already.

Thanks for reading. And since I know my little girl will be reading this let me say again : Hann, we love you. You're amazing and we couldn't be prouder. As you say, "middle school or bust!" We can't wait to watch you climb even more mountains. Keep soaring and know your mom and dad love you immensely.

 

[coolkidhann95]

Dont be suprised if I post my version of it. " cough cough"

Nice trippie. I'll be putting the link on my siggy.