Shhh...it's a surprise/Lies all Lies...day 4 added 10/10

[amytheobald]

I was wondering how you got them for $5 each. I went tonight and they were like $10 each. Not sure if you had a code or something. Do you know any other places that I could try? I prefer not to make our own iron ons, they never seem to hold up well for me. Thanks for your help, I am learning so much here and people like you are helping me learn.

Google cheap t shirts and vista print, and find a code.

 

[amytheobald]

WAHOO, we are here! This will be a short synopsis, with no pics because I m tired and need my beauty rest!

We drove to Tallahassee last night, got up this morning and drove into Orlando. The kids didn't figure out we weren't in Texas. Our middle asked why the sign said 55miles to Orlando if we were going to Dallas, and DH said, "Orlando, Texas" just like Lafayette, Louisiana and Lafayette, Indiana" then anytime we saw a green road sign referring to WDW DH would distract the kids... I m going to leave the reaction for the rest of my report... but we spent the day at Epcot, rained on and off all day, not too bad though and crowds were SOOOOOOOO low.


SO next up...were the kids mad we weren't in Texas?

 

[sherreis]

Quick thinking for DH!

Glad you've had a good day. I couldn't begin to imagine what low crowd level was like.

 

[amytheobald]

We're back...well we've been back for four days, and I had to make an honest attempt at catching up on real life before I could indulge in DIS again, so I made an honest attempt...nope I m not even close to caught up...but oh well, there is a Trip Report to share!!


So as I said in my last post, leaving town went fairly well. We took everything we would've taken if we were evacuating for a hurricane with us, since when we left on Tue we didn't know where Ike was headed. Right before we all got in the car DH says "Bad news guys we lied to you we're not really going to Texas" the kids all said whatever and went to the car... We drove to Tallahassee and got in to our Econo Lodge around 2am Florida time. We were up at 7 and in no time flat we were in the car headed for the World. The kids all slept the night before, so we were wondering how long it would take them to realize we weren't in Texas...well it was the weirdest thing, none of them seemed to look out the windows all morning...it really was strange and not like any of them! Aiden slept most of the morning, Ethan read and Aly did, whatever it is Aly does (talk mostly). We were 55 miles outside of Orlando when Aiden woke up and noticed a green road sign, and said "Hey, where is the Great Wolf Lodge" we said it's in Dallas, he said "then why are we in Florida, theres a sign for Orlando?" DH says, "Oh, its Orlando, Tx...just like lafayette,la and lafayette, indiana" Aiden says "Ok" and then gets involved with the toy on his lap, no longer looking outside the windows, or seeing the "FLORIDA Visitors station "signs I swear every mile or so. Why oh Why are there so many FLorida signs in Florida! As we get closer and the WDW road signs start DH distracts kids by tickling, jokes, snatching toys etc...anything he could think of!

It's 11:22am and we're getting near the famous WDW arch, and I say "Well guys I have some bad news, yesterday when Daddy told you we weren't going to Great Wolf Lodge he wasn't lying he was telling the truth! Why don't you look out the window and see if you can figure out where we are going"

So they all look out the windows, and Ethan says, Disney World as he sees the sign, and we say"yep that's right, were going to Disney World" and heres the reaction we got...that we've waited for forever....Ethan says "Ah man I wanted to go to great wolf lodge not some Disney hotel in Texas." Poor boy still didn't realize we were in Florida, he still thought we were in Texas...so we said, it's not a Disney Hotel, it's Disney World...WE're in FLorida! Aiden says "You lied to us...do we get to ride the rides?" We replied "yep , just like our spring break trip same hotel, the parks etc." DD says "Can we ride the buses" We say "yep" and then they all become all smiles, clapping their hands, and bouncing up and down in their seats. As we walk into POR to check in, they continue to build their excitement.

So as we are walking in the parking lot to POR I see a Magic Express bus, I say to DH, run...get in front of the bus crowd...he asks no questions and takes off in a jog to get in the checkin line...we beat the ME'ers and were greeted by a friendly cast member within seconds...then she said the magic words "Your room is ready!" I was Shocked!!! it was not even noon yet! We get our Keys to the World, maps etc...and head back to the car. We do a quick check of the room, change clothes, walk to the bus stop and at 12:23 we were on the bus on the way to Epcot!

We walk through the gates, stop at the first photopass photog for a family ball shot...and we were greeted by the sweetest photog, she joked with us all, talked to the kids, really was just awesome! We got our photopass, headed on our way...we went into the Land building, fastpassed Soarin, and went to grab lunch. We shared a plate of noodles and rice and chicken and veggies, as well as a sandwich, and a strawberry shortcake, and a choc. asian cake. Then we headed to soarin,

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just by luck we got the front row, and as the burst of air from take off hit our faces DD exclaimed, "Mommy I m flying, I can't believe it we're flying!" and as sappy as it sounds, I got that warm fuzzy feeling, and the reminder of why we LOVE these trips so much!

Next up...will our day end as good as it begins? Will we all wish we were in Texas?

 

[amytheobald]

Ok, so Soarin was our first ride. Then we headed to Living with the Land...we are geeks...we LOVE this ride!

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While we were inside, it had began to sprinkle...DH and I realized on the drive over that we had forgotten our ponchos, the kids had their wind/rain breakers in their camelbacks...anyways the point, it was raining and DH and I had no Ponchos... the kids pulled their jackets out, and we decided to tough it out..it wasn't raining hard enough to get us very wet. So we all headed to Figment.

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Ethan held his nose the whole time, in anticipation of the skunk smell
Figment is one of my favorite characters, so I love that ride too.

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So far everything was basically walk on, even though we had fast passed Soarin, we could've walked on...we decided to use the fastpasses out of principle..lol.
Heading out of Figment, we decided to head to the Character Spot. The characters were all inside because of the rain, and the lines were moderate we waited about 5 min to see all of the characters.

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The Photog that had taken our first Epcot pic of the day was in the character spot, and remembered us...even asking where my other child was when he was in the bathroom. The Character interaction was great, all were playful and sweet....I couldn't have asked for more!

 

[sherreis]

Welcome home! Looking forward to hearing how the trip went. Good for you for pulling off the surprise.

 

[amytheobald]

With the rain and the low crowds our pace was very relaxed...dinner ressies weren't until 8:10pm, so we really just took our time. After the Character spot, we headed over to Spaceship earth, I haven't ever been on this ride since I guess it was refurbed eons ago...anyways, it's a cute ride, and all of the activities in the building are fun too. It was nice not to feel rushed and just to experience whatever came , and wherever the kids kinda migrated to. We then hit Mission Space, the Green side. Test track was closed due to the rain. So we headed to world showcase. We ran into more characters along the way...

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Our kids all carry camelsbacks which have water in them, but have pockets for their autograph books, rainjackets etc. Well Mulan was fascinated by them, she asked the kids "What is this," Ethan says "It's a camelsback" Mulan says "that's funny you look nothing like a camel." Ethan said "Im not a camel, that's just what its called..it holds water so you can have a drink even when your walking" MUlan says "Mushu we must get some of these strange contraptions for our army so they are not thirsty...I still don't understand the name though, they look nothing like camels." It was so funny they had like a 5 minute conversation about the backpacks. Right when we were done Mulan and Mushu took a break, so I was thankful for that little bit of pixie dust!

We just kinda wandered the World Showcase...

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and to fuel the notion that I am truly the worlds meanest mom, who makes their kids carry their own things in theme parks I submit this pic...not only do I make them carry their own bags, but encourage them to push each other in the stroller as well.

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I found myself walking hand in hand with DH, the only thing I was carrying was our keys to the world which were in a lanyard, DD was pushing DS and Aiden was just kinda tagging along. The kids were begging to push, and the crowds were SO low that we weren't endangering anyone by letting them!
We had joined the stroller swap, but weren't going to get it until the next day. So we decided just to be safe to rent a single stroller and the kids could take turns...really this is our best bet, we're not ready to be completely without the stroller just yet, but don't need a seat for all 3 either.

Around 4 or so we stopped in Germany and got a Brat, and an apple fritter...YUMO is all I can say, I love spreading our CS out around the whole world! We actually only used 3 CS out of our 5 on our first day!

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Up next our first dinner in the World....

 

[the4princesses]

With the rain and the low crowds our pace was very relaxed...dinner ressies weren't until 8:10pm, so we really just took our time. After the Character spot, we headed over to Spaceship earth, I haven't ever been on this ride since I guess it was refurbed eons ago...anyways, it's a cute ride, and all of the activities in the building are fun too. It was nice not to feel rushed and just to experience whatever came , and wherever the kids kinda migrated to. We then hit Mission Space, the Green side. Test track was closed due to the rain. So we headed to world showcase. We ran into more characters along the way...

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Our kids all carry camelsbacks which have water in them, but have pockets for their autograph books, rainjackets etc. Well Mulan was fascinated by them, she asked the kids "What is this," Ethan says "It's a camelsback" Mulan says "that's funny you look nothing like a camel." Ethan said "Im not a camel, that's just what its called..it holds water so you can have a drink even when your walking" MUlan says "Mushu we must get some of these strange contraptions for our army so they are not thirsty...I still don't understand the name though, they look nothing like camels." It was so funny they had like a 5 minute conversation about the backpacks. Right when we were done Mulan and Mushu took a break, so I was thankful for that little bit of pixie dust!

We just kinda wandered the World Showcase...

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and to fuel the notion that I am truly the worlds meanest mom, who makes their kids carry their own things in theme parks I submit this pic...not only do I make them carry their own bags, but encourage them to push each other in the stroller as well.

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I found myself walking hand in hand with DH, the only thing I was carrying was our keys to the world which were in a lanyard, DD was pushing DS and Aiden was just kinda tagging along. The kids were begging to push, and the crowds were SO low that we weren't endangering anyone by letting them!
We had joined the stroller swap, but weren't going to get it until the next day. So we decided just to be safe to rent a single stroller and the kids could take turns...really this is our best bet, we're not ready to be completely without the stroller just yet, but don't need a seat for all 3 either.

Around 4 or so we stopped in Germany and got a Brat, and an apple fritter...YUMO is all I can say, I love spreading our CS out around the whole world! We actually only used 3 CS out of our 5 on our first day!

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Up next our first dinner in the World....

hi are you from La.? We are from Gonzales,la and we were at POP for the storm. We were at WDW Sept. 1-10th. We were leaving when you were getting to WDW.

 

[amytheobald]

So we had ressies at the Storybook Dinner in Norway... We had enjoyed lunch here so much on our previous trip, that we wanted to try dinner here this time. We were seated immediately even though we had checked in 10 min early. We were greeted by Belle, and DD told Belle that she has her dress and is going to be her for halloween, Belle said"Have you been in my closet again?"

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After sitting down, Johan our server came over and took the drink orders and let us go get our appetizers. The princesses were Cinderella, Belle, Aurora, Jasmine and Ariel. DD was disappointed that there was no Snow White. We told her snow white had to put the dwarfs to bed. DD said "I didn't know the dwarfs were real?" Johan overheard this and piped up with "Of course they are silly" DD had a shirt on with Belle, Cindy and Aurora on it...and when Jasmine came over aly was trying to find her on her shirt Jasmine said "I m not on your shirt, those other princesses never let me in on their photo shoots, thats ok though I was with Aladin that day!" As Belle left for the evening DD said "Your on my shirt "as she passed by, Belle said, "Oh take care of me"

The food was good and the interaction/service was awesome...add in the free pic package with the meal...and it can't be beat in my book!

 

[the4princesses]

With the rain and the low crowds our pace was very relaxed...dinner ressies weren't until 8:10pm, so we really just took our time. After the Character spot, we headed over to Spaceship earth, I haven't ever been on this ride since I guess it was refurbed eons ago...anyways, it's a cute ride, and all of the activities in the building are fun too. It was nice not to feel rushed and just to experience whatever came , and wherever the kids kinda migrated to. We then hit Mission Space, the Green side. Test track was closed due to the rain. So we headed to world showcase. We ran into more characters along the way...

[/IMG]

Our kids all carry camelsbacks which have water in them, but have pockets for their autograph books, rainjackets etc. Well Mulan was fascinated by them, she asked the kids "What is this," Ethan says "It's a camelsback" Mulan says "that's funny you look nothing like a camel." Ethan said "Im not a camel, that's just what its called..it holds water so you can have a drink even when your walking" MUlan says "Mushu we must get some of these strange contraptions for our army so they are not thirsty...I still don't understand the name though, they look nothing like camels." It was so funny they had like a 5 minute conversation about the backpacks. Right when we were done Mulan and Mushu took a break, so I was thankful for that little bit of pixie dust!

We just kinda wandered the World Showcase...

[/IMG]

and to fuel the notion that I am truly the worlds meanest mom, who makes their kids carry their own things in theme parks I submit this pic...not only do I make them carry their own bags, but encourage them to push each other in the stroller as well.

[/IMG]
I found myself walking hand in hand with DH, the only thing I was carrying was our keys to the world which were in a lanyard, DD was pushing DS and Aiden was just kinda tagging along. The kids were begging to push, and the crowds were SO low that we weren't endangering anyone by letting them!
We had joined the stroller swap, but weren't going to get it until the next day. So we decided just to be safe to rent a single stroller and the kids could take turns...really this is our best bet, we're not ready to be completely without the stroller just yet, but don't need a seat for all 3 either.

Around 4 or so we stopped in Germany and got a Brat, and an apple fritter...YUMO is all I can say, I love spreading our CS out around the whole world! We actually only used 3 CS out of our 5 on our first day!

[/IMG]

Up next our first dinner in the World....

hi are you from La.? We are from Gonzales,la and we were at POP for the storm. We were at WDW Sept. 1-10th. We were leaving when you were getting to WDW. We had some roof damage. Did you have any?
It looks like you all had a wonderful time!!

 

[amytheobald]

hi are you from La.? We are from Gonzales,la and we were at POP for the storm. We were at WDW Sept. 1-10th. We were leaving when you were getting to WDW. We had some roof damage. Did you have any?
It looks like you all had a wonderful time!!

We are from Lafayette, we came through the storm with minor damage, thank goodness! Hope ya'll are getting back to normal....I m readyy for Hurricane season to be OVER!

 

[thumperbelle3]

Didn't you love the low crowds!

I tried to tell Mark that we were so lucky to not wait more than 15 minutes (at the very most!) for anything!

If it weren't in the middle of hurricane season I might plan a trip this time of year everytime!

Great start! I'll be back to read more!

 

[AZMickeyfans]

I am laughing so hard at the whole meanest mom in the world comment! SO FUNNY.

We got backpacks for the kids this upcoming trip too for the first time so I can join your ranks as well!!!!

Sounds like you had a GREAT day in EPCOT!

Can't wait to read more.

 

[amytheobald]

After dinner we walked out of the park slowly, watching illuminations on the way out. We were in bed at 10 or so , and I don't think anyone even moved at all.

DAY 2

I had a wake up call at 7:35, I had showered the night before and laid out everyone's clothes...today we were celebrating Aiden's birthday and were headed to DHS(MGM)...so Jedi Mickey T-shirts for the boys and pink polos for DH and I (the same ones we wore last trip) and pink princess outfit for DD.
We got out to the bus stop around 8:15 and were in plenty of time for rope drop. DH headed straight to FP ToyStory, and we followed behind, jumping in the standby line and riding it...our wait was about 12 minutes.

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We all loved this ride, it was so much fun!

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The whole park heads to this attraction at rope drop, so fastpassing it and riding other thrillers may be a good option too!

After finishing up Toystory, we headed to the Tower of Terror and Rockin Rollercoaster. DD isn't tall enough for RR, but TT is one of her favorites. DH and I were cracking up at how creepy some of the CM's for this ride appear. This ride was great as always, and Aiden our middle child we discovered is quite the screamer....I don't remember him being so vocal last trip, but this time he screamed MAMAAAAAA quite a few times!!! But was overcome with excitement when the ride was over!

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After doing the two thrillers we headed to Jedi Training... Oldest DS Ethan was the first one chosen out of the crowd....I was so scared Aiden wouldn't get picked, and was envisioning how heartbroken Aiden would be if Ethan got picked and Aiden didn''t especially since we were celebrating Aidens Bday on this day....but the Jedi Master quickly put my fears to rest and choose Aiden as the second one for the stage. For others wondering, they were wearing Jedi Mickey t-shirts and jumped up and down like fools!! I was so impressed with the interaction in Jedi Training, they really go all out..and this was a highlight of the trip for the boys!!!

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Our reservations were for Sci Fi at 4:15pm...I had tried and tried to get a better time before our trip, but was never able to. Well while we were at Jedi Training I called and was able to get us in for lunch at 11:25 so we headed straight from Jedi Training to lunch. It was good and the kids enjoyed the atmosphere. After lunch we went and hit some of the character stops...last trip we missed the power rangers and this was a big priority for Aiden.

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We then went back and used our fastpasses to hit TOy Story again, we tried to get one more ride on TSM in, but the wait was 45min...we don't do those kind of waits!

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After wandering a bit, and doing a few more rides we went and watched Beauty and the Beast, what a great show this was.

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We followed BB with Little Mermaid, I could do without the little mermaid show, but the kids loved it and it was dry and cool!

About this time the skies opened up and the rain began, and this was not a small downpour. We hit Prince Caspian, the drawing class, and star tours during the monsoon. Luckily we had bought ponchos at Epcot, and the kids rain coats held up like champs! After star tours we waded over to TT and RR again, and took turns riding RR with the boys, I think we got in 3 more rides and then rode TT twice more. All the rides were walk on. On a side note, with it raining there were several large groups from other countries, I think some were from Brazil..anyhow, several of the older women simply removed their shirts and were walking around in their bras with the Disney clear ponchos on...it was so odd!

We ate dinner at the ABC commissary, really MGM/DHS has the worst park food...but it sufficed! We hung out and crossed our fingers that Fantasmic would not be canceled....luckily it wasn't! Around 7:50 we went and got seats, DH got seats in the 7th or so row from the bottom, and it was AWESOME! The kids loved the show, and we enjoyed it more without the kids whining like they did last year! This was a commando day, we had never spent 12 hours in a park, but it was a good day. We did have periods that we took slower...but it was a great day! We left after fantasmic and went to bed as a happy bunch!

 

[mom_of_3_70737]

Yay!! You started your report too! I can't wait to read more!!!

 

[sherreis]

What a great day at DHS. Love all the pics! Glad to hear that both boys got picked to be Jedi's. This way you didn't need to deal with any attitudes. I'm impressed that your kids do TT - I certainly cannot. I'm a wimp - what can I say.

Keep up the great work on your TR.

 

[amytheobald]

What a great day at DHS. Love all the pics! Glad to hear that both boys got picked to be Jedi's. This way you didn't need to deal with any attitudes. I'm impressed that your kids do TT - I certainly cannot. I'm a wimp - what can I say.

Keep up the great work on your TR.

Aly rode it when she was 2 and a half on our last trip, and LOVED it, couldn't wait to do it again! Our kids are tall for their ages...so they get to ride things kinda young. Jedi Training is so cool, I love the things Disney comes up with!

 

[amytheobald]

Just a quick note... I will be updating tonight, or tomorrow morning...

Coming up, our Magic Kingdom day and was MNSSHP terrifying, or delightful?

 

[naholder]

I never thought of VISA Print....
That is a great idea I am ganna try that this year.

 

[amytheobald]

Day 3 - Our Magic Kingdom Morning

We got out to the bus stop around 8:00 and got on the first bus to Magic Kingdom. We arrived at Magic Kingdom around 8:25, and we waited for rope drop which was at 9. The kids hula hooped, picked up pixie dust off the sidewalk, and played happily while we waited.

At about 10 til the train came around, and we got to see the opening show. It was nice that the crowds were light enough that we didn't have to worry about our position, we just relaxed and watched.

When the rope dropped we walked straight to Dumbo. Since this was just going to be a half of a day we left the stroller at the hotel, so we walked down Main St towards the castle together.

We were on the second ride of Dumbo that morning.

After Dumbo we did all of the rides in Fantasyland(Pooh, snow white, peter pan, small world etc),