Shopaholic, Workaholic & Bargain Betty Take On WDW A DM/DD TR-Last Day!

[dawnbu40]

We just got back from seeing the new Disney/Pixar film UP. This movie is absolutely wonderful and I totally encourage you to go see this movie this weekend! It is a beautiful love story and a fun action filled adventure all in one! Dale, Caitlin and I all loved this movie! We went to an early matinee and it was filled with teens and adults since most of the kiddos were still in school. It is rated pg so it might not be suitable for some little ones but it is destined to become a Disney classic! Trust me, you do not want to miss this movie!

PS-In the trailers they announced Toy Story 3 comes out June 18,2010!

 

[WrightFamily06]

We just got back from seeing the new Disney/Pixar film UP. This movie is absolutely wonderful and I totally encourage you to go see this movie this weekend! It is a beautiful love story and a fun action filled adventure all in one! Dale, Caitlin and I all loved this movie! We went to an early matinee and it was filled with teens and adults since most of the kiddos were still in school. It is rated pg so it might not be suitable for some little ones but it is destined to become a Disney classic! Trust me, you do not want to miss this movie!

PS-In the trailers they announced Toy Story 3 comes out June 18,2010!

I really wanted to take the kids to see this and from your description I want to take them even more now . It sounds like a great movie , I've been disappointed in a lot of the latest WDW movies but it sounds like Up may be the turn around . I'm soo excited you shared the Toy Story 3 information , both my DS love the first two , can't wait to take them to 3 now !

 

[PiratesCove]

I have been addicted to both of your threads! Thanks for such excellent reports. I love the idea of Tink gifts. When did you start them? We are taking DD (7) for her 3rd trip and DD (1) for her first at the end of July. I know the effect would be wasted on a 1 and half year old but the older one would love it!
Also, I noticed somewhere else on your thread (I think) about Pixie Hollow in MK. It is a new addition in Toontown? We haven't been since 2007, so going this summer sounds like we're in for a lot of new stuff!

 

[DisMomAmy]

Hi Dawn & Caitlin! I'm enjoying your report so far. I'm all caught up...

That's great news about Toy Story 3 - Toy Story is one of Zach's new favorites since our last trip.

Looks like you guys had great visits at AK & Epcot. We did one Kim Possible Mission - Japan - and it looks like it was different than yours. I know what you mean about missing out on some of the surprise factor when there were lots of other people around doing the same mission. It was fun though. I wish we had done more missions.

I just want to comment on something that I find really funny... I can always tell mom from daughter in your updates, not just by the colors but because Dawn uses a nice big font for those of us who are starting to find it difficult to stare at tiny font on the computer! Thanks Dawn!!

Can't wait to read more!!

 

[dawnbu40]

I really wanted to take the kids to see this and from your description I want to take them even more now . It sounds like a great movie , I've been disappointed in a lot of the latest WDW movies but it sounds like Up may be the turn around . I'm soo excited you shared the Toy Story 3 information , both my DS love the first two , can't wait to take them to 3 now !

We really did love Up and from the amount of money it took in over the weekend it sounds like a lot of other people did too! Did you get a chance to see it? Dale is very excited about the new Toy Story movie too and all the original voices are back!

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I have been addicted to both of your threads! Thanks for such excellent reports. I love the idea of Tink gifts. When did you start them? We are taking DD (7) for her 3rd trip and DD (1) for her first at the end of July. I know the effect would be wasted on a 1 and half year old but the older one would love it!
Also, I noticed somewhere else on your thread (I think) about Pixie Hollow in MK. It is a new addition in Toontown? We haven't been since 2007, so going this summer sounds like we're in for a lot of new stuff!

Aww thank you! I heard about "Tink gifts" on the disboards last year when I was planning Caitlin's "graduation" trip to WDW. I thought it would add a little extra magic to have a gift each morning so I tried it out. We had so much fun with them that we did it again in Dec. when we took my mom. So now it is our tradition and we will probably always have them. The gifts vary in size and cost and sometimes include pixie dust (Mickey confetti in our case) I try and have the gift match the park we are going to that day. For example, DH got a Mickey tee when we were going to MK or Caitlin got something HSM when we were going to DHS. I have as much fun planning and wrapping them at home as they do opening them. I'm sure your girls would love getting gifts whether the little one "gets" the Tink idea or not. Who doesn't love presents? Pixie Hollow opened sometime late last year (we were there April 08 and it wasnt there but by Dec it was) and it is so fun! It is in the Judge's Tent in ToonTown and Tink is there along with 2 pals. (the 4 pals rotate) The meet and greet area is adorable (they shrink you to fairy size)and the fairies are just like their counterparts from the movies ! Make sure you get there early though! This can have very long waits!
Thanks for posting! We hope you stick with us!

Hi Dawn & Caitlin! I'm enjoying your report so far. I'm all caught up...

That's great news about Toy Story 3 - Toy Story is one of Zach's new favorites since our last trip.

Looks like you guys had great visits at AK & Epcot. We did one Kim Possible Mission - Japan - and it looks like it was different than yours. I know what you mean about missing out on some of the surprise factor when there were lots of other people around doing the same mission. It was fun though. I wish we had done more missions.

I just want to comment on something that I find really funny... I can always tell mom from daughter in your updates, not just by the colors but because Dawn uses a nice big font for those of us who are starting to find it difficult to stare at tiny font on the computer! Thanks Dawn!!

Can't wait to read more!!

Glad you're with us! I know you're busy with the boys and your own trip report! We did have a great trip! My DF thinks we are nuts going to WDW so often but we just love it! There are always new things to see and do! Kim Possible was a lot of fun! Next time you guys will have to try another country! As for the size I had never really thought about it until Dale recently had to get reading glasses. (he's not happy about it either ) then I realized I should make the fonts bigger. Glad you like it!

***I had hoped to post an update today but it will have to wait. I have to take Caitlin to the doctor's. We did the 24 hour Relay for Life over the weekend and now she is sick. Her dad and I left around 11 on Saturday night to sleep in our own beds and care for the dogs but she and her bf stayed. Those 2 participated in every event that went on all night. At midnight it was a New Year's theme and she even walked the course in heels and a dress!(their enthusiasm did bring our team the 2 team spirit awards ) I had hoped they wouldn't push themselves too hard but I guess she overdid it. Hopefully she will be feeling better very soon! But I need to go and get ready for the doctor's visit so I hope you all have a good day!

 

[WrightFamily06]

We really did love Up and from the amount of money it took in over the weekend it sounds like a lot of other people did too! Did you get a chance to see it? Dale is very excited about the new Toy Story movie too and all the original voices are back!

No, we didn't get to go see it over the weekend , not much on the regular movie theater . We will probably wait and see if they bring it out at the base movie theater cause they only charge a 1$ a piece for the adults and kids 6 and under are free , so it only costs us 2$ . LOL Or we will just buy it when it comes out on DVD.

That's awesome that there bringing all the original voices back ! I can't wait !

 

[MagicShell]

I saw UP this weekend, and I loved it too.

 

[dawnbu40]

No, we didn't get to go see it over the weekend , not much on the regular movie theater . We will probably wait and see if they bring it out at the base movie theater cause they only charge a 1$ a piece for the adults and kids 6 and under are free , so it only costs us 2$ . LOL Or we will just buy it when it comes out on DVD.

That's awesome that there bringing all the original voices back ! I can't wait !

Wow 2$ to take the whole family to the movies?! Thats great! For that price I'd wait for it to come out on base too! Well, when they do get it you guys will have to catch it!

I saw UP this weekend, and I loved it too.

I'm so glad you loved it too! If Caitlin's up to it (no pun intended) we're going to go see it again with my mom on Saturday!



I haven't been able to post an update for a few days since Caitlin's been sick and I don't know how to upload the pics to Photobucket. I'm happy to report though that she's feeling better (we still don't know what she has/had and we're waiting on bloodwork ) and this morning she uploaded the pics of our MK day so I am going to get started on our next post!

 

[MEK]

Sorry Caitlin is sick. Hope she feels better soon!

It's pretty easy to upload to Photobucket. If you go into the site, I bet you can figure it out. I only say this because I am terrible with computers and I don't recall it being above my limited capabilities.

I am looking forward to your next installment, so that's why I am being so pushy!

 

[dawnbu40]

We took the bus from the Beach Club and arrived in time for the Welcome Show! We love the opening show at MK and you will find all 3 of us singing along loudly
(albeit off key ) to the Good Morning song.
Our plan this morning was to hit Tomorrowland first thing. When they dropped the rope we followed the crowds toward Tomorrowland but took the Noodle Station shortcut that we'd heard about on these boards. This works great! We ended up being right at the rope and when the park "officially" opened we were right behind the CMs and among the first on Buzz! At the end of our ride Dale had of course racked up the most points with me coming in last However, after we got off Caitlin was captured by Zurg

After we rescued her, we realized there was still no wait for Buzz so we walked through the queue and back on for a second time!

After our second ride we headed over to

Astro Orbiter. None of us had ever ridden this and Caitlin was anxious to try it out. This ride didn't appeal to Dale or me so we let her venture into space on a solo mission. She thought the ride was "cool" but it wasn't impressive enough to make her "must-do" list for future visits.

When she got back to Earth we headed over to visit those Kings of Comedy at the Monster Inc. Laugh Floor. We love this attraction and always make a point of catching the show!

Caitlin was really hoping Dale would get chosen to be "That Guy" but it didn't happen. In fact, this was the first time none of us even got on the screen. I guess they just didn't recognize our star quality!

After our comedy show we decided we were in need of a little adventure. So it was off to..where else? Adventureland!
On our way Dale got this beautiful shot of the castle...

Look how empty this is!

As soon as we arrived in Adventureland we ran into an old friend...

there was no wait so we had to stop and say hello!
We then had to stop so Caitlin could get that Disboard must have drink..the one the only

The Dole Whip! I must admit that I am not of fan of these and I do not get what all the fuss is about.
With the Dole Whip in hand we headed off to take our Jungle Cruise. We this and never miss it! This time we were excited because Caitlin has a college friend who is doing the CP as a Jungle Cruise Captain and we were hoping to catch his take on the campy jokes but it turned out he had the day off. We were disappointed but there was no wait so we were able to walk right on! Dale is a true adventurerer and had his camera ready to capture shots of those elusive animals....

When we returned to dock we decided our next adventure would be as pirates! I have loved POTC since I was 6 and the addition of Johnny Depp has only made this ride better! There was about a 10 minute wait but the time passed quickly and we were able to catch some of the theming in the queue that we'd missed before!

*Continued in next post*

 

[dawnbu40]

After our Carribean cruise we saw yet another old pal. There was a short line to meet with that boy who never grew up! We hopped in line to get a pic with Peter. He was so cute and he immediately pointed to Caitlin's pin and tried to phonetically sound out "Dean's List". He asked her what that meant (since he is unschooled) and then congratulated her. It was a really cute coversation!

After our time with Peter we were off to the Frontier and we immediately ran into this guy

We'd never seen Goofy in his western garb so that was pretty fun! By this time it was nearly 11:00 and it was not busy at all. We decided to ride BTMRR since it only had a 10 minute wait! We got fast passes for SM so we could ride that later in the day. After our ride, we decided to go over to Tom Sawyer's Island since we had never been there. I'm not really sure how I've managed to never go there but we were glad we finally made it!
It is really cool over there to explore the caves and rope bridges and I kept thinking how much Caitlin would have loved this when she was 5! (so if you have little ones put this on your "must do" list)

We saw one family over here having a secluded picnic which looked like fun!
When we'd had enough island exploring we decided to head back to shore and grab some lunch since we were all getting a little hungry. We decided to try Columbia Harbor House since so many dissers recommend it. We got 2 meals and split them 3 ways. Since we'd had a big breakfast and we had a special dinner planned this was enough food. I'm not sure it would be big enough for big eaters to share though. We got a table upstairs but there were several birds flying around which freaked Caitlin out! As we ate we discussed how we should spend our afternoon since we'd already seen so much! You'll have to wait for our next post though to hear about the rest of our day

 

[MagicShell]

I hope Caitlin feels better soon. Why does blood work take so long?

I enjoyed your update. You got a nice picture of Caitlin with Peter Pan. We have never been to Tom Sawyer Island either. Maybe we will try to do that next time. I have heard that a lot of people like it. Can't wait to hear what you do next.

 

[WrightFamily06]

Wow 2$ to take the whole family to the movies?! Thats great! For that price I'd wait for it to come out on base too! Well, when they do get it you guys will have to catch it!

Yes , only $2 to get in can you believe it ? For a medium popcorn & two medium drinks it's on $4.75 . Sooo cheap our total spent when we go is usually as much as just the price of one ticket at the regular theater . LOL

Great update The picture of the castle is gorgeous We really love the Buzz Lightyear Ride & Pirates of the Caribbean also , there both on our must do list when we go ! The Character pictures are adorable , I wish we would have saw Peter Pan I know what u mean about the Dole Whips , there very good but , thought it would be a little more , the way the people on here rave about it ! LOL

 

[dawnbu40]

After we finished eating we decided to head over to the Haunted Mansion.

The posted wait was 10 minutes but we walked right into the house! When we exited the parlor though...IT HAPPENED! Apparently the ride had been broken and no one was boarding but they kept letting more and more and MORE people in. Suddenly we were stuck in this huge crowd and surrounded by.....a MIDDLE SCHOOL TOUR GROUP!!!!!! Being stuck in this loud, rude group was much scarier than any Haunted Mansion could ever hope to be! They were pushing and yelling and thats just their teachers (no joke!) I could not wait to board and get away from this craziness! Finally it was time to board our doombuggy and the ghosts were a welcome relief from the school kids!
When we got out of there we decided to check out Fantasyland even though it would be our first stop on our other MK day. Peter Pan had its usual 40 minute wait so we didn't stop. Instead we got in line for my old school favorite...It's a Small World. I this and much to my family's dismay I must ride this EVERY TIME I am in MK! While we were in line Caitlin mentioned that she wished she could see the clock open. Well we must have gotten some because right after she said that, this happened...

It was really neat to see the clock open and inside there are numbers and little toy soldiers! It gave our ride a little extra (and made it more tolerable for my family)

We decided to head back toward Frontierland and use our Splash Mtn fast passes. On our way we stopped at the Shootin Gallery and we each tried our hand at being sharpshooters. This was a lot of fun and a cheap activity!

Our next stop was to visit those talented bears at the Country Bear Jamboree. (Caitlin and Dale usually find this a great opportunity to take a nap in the cool, dark air-conditioned room. ) I love the little girls in their bonnets! They are so cute!

When we got to Splash Mountain Dale informed us he wouldn't be coming. He used the camera as his "excuse" but I know he just doesn't care much for the water rides.

Caitlin and I love water rides but hate getting wet so we take those handy dandy little ponchos from Target to keep us dry! This turned out to not be our most enjoyable ride ever. We had this young guy behind us who never shut up! He talked through the whole ride but he never really seemed to say anything . It was very annoying and took away from the ride we know and love!

When we got off we found Dale and decided to head back to our hotel and rest before our dinner adr. On our way out we stopped at Guest Relations and upgraded our tickets to hoppers. This was really easy and took only a couple minutes! When we got to the bus stop a POR bus was waiting so we hopped on and then took a nice boat ride from POR to POFQ. We loved the boat ride and it turned out this was to be the first of many boat rides we'd enjoy! When we got to the hotel I noticed the Bounceback Offer and had Dale call and get a price. We already had our fall trip "on hold" but I wanted to make sure we were getting the best deal. Well, turns out free dining is a better deal than bounceback so our next call was to our TA. We told her to go ahead and book our "Dawn and Dale Only" trip for Sept! This was the first time we'd ever booked a return trip while we were enjoying a trip! Pretty cool! After giving Disney more money it was time to head to dinner. We weren't in the mood to wait for a bus so we took a cab to the Poly for our Ohana dinner. Cab fare was $13 plus tip so it wasn't too bad. When we walked in they were handing out leis so we each had to get one! After we checked in we waited at the bar til our table was ready. On this particular evening Dale quickly became a fan of Disney's "Adult" beverages! (fyi he preferred the Backscratcher to the famous LapuLapu)

After a brief wait we were seated. To be honest I wasn't looking forward to eating here but I knew Dale and Caitlin would love it so I was excited for them. Well it turned out I loved it! This meal and the service were so good and the atmosphere was so fun and lively that we all enjoyed ourselves! Dale and I liked it so much that it is on our short list for Sept too! I can't wait to go back here! When we finished our delicious meal we decided we were ready to go back to a park! My original plan was to go back to MK but since we had the hoppers, we could go anywhere! Hmmm where should we go?

 

[Traveliz]

That's really funny - I was also at rope drop that morning and walked with the cast members all the way to Soarin'!
I'm surprised we didn't see each other earlier!
You must have went in a special way!!

But it was great meeting you later in the day.
Very random coincidence but it's really cool to run into people you've chatted with on the boards!
I called my wife and she couldn't believe it.
Talk about a Small World.

And I'm so glad the trip report was helpful (now if I can only finish it!!)
Too bad that Imagination picture didn't come out - the computer crashed right when I went to send it.
And in hindsight, I can't believe we didn't take a group picture altogether!
We'll have to make sure we do it next time we meet!
Now, back to your report - it's so cool hearing someone else's perspective on the same day!!

And under the It's a Small World category my daughter was one of the opening CMs for Soarin' that morning!

Liz

 

[disneygirlinnj]

Awesome updates Dawn! Sounds like your trip is picture perfect so far and so much fun. And Dale is taking some awesome photos

 

[WrightFamily06]

Great update We love the HM but for some reason we never made it over there to ride it this trip , seeing your pic's makes me sad we didn't ! The ISW pictures are too cute this is DD new favorite ride and don't feel bad my family aren't fans of this ride either . LOL The Country Bear Jamboree is so much fun , I love the little girl bears too We loved riding the boats at POFQ last year too , I'm still kicking my butt for not staying there this year ! We love the Poly I told DH if we could ever afford a deluxe I'm staying there , it's just so pretty and Ohana and Kona both have yummy food Can't wait for the next update !

 

[dawnbu40]

I hope Caitlin feels better soon. Why does blood work take so long?

I enjoyed your update. You got a nice picture of Caitlin with Peter Pan. We have never been to Tom Sawyer Island either. Maybe we will try to do that next time. I have heard that a lot of people like it. Can't wait to hear what you do next.

I have no idea why its taking so long Today they got back the first test and it was inconclusive so we have to wait for the others.

Tom Sawyer Island is a nice peaceful break from the rides and crowds and worth a look around!

Great update We love the HM but for some reason we never made it over there to ride it this trip , seeing your pic's makes me sad we didn't ! The ISW pictures are too cute this is DD new favorite ride and don't feel bad my family aren't fans of this ride either . LOL The Country Bear Jamboree is so much fun , I love the little girl bears too We loved riding the boats at POFQ last year too , I'm still kicking my butt for not staying there this year ! We love the Poly I told DH if we could ever afford a deluxe I'm staying there , it's just so pretty and Ohana and Kona both have yummy food Can't wait for the next update !

You missed the HM?! We could never do that lol I think we usually ride it a couple times each trip! So what didn't you like about CBR? I don't think you've really said in your report. Or did you just like POFQ better? The Poly is lovely! My family stayed there twice when I was a kid and I didn't appreciate. I always wanted to stay at the CR because I thought it was so cool how the monorail went right through the hotel!

Awesome updates Dawn! Sounds like your trip is picture perfect so far and so much fun. And Dale is taking some awesome photos

O thank you! We did have a great time and it was much more relaxing than last year when our dog got hurt and had us all stressed out! Dale says thank you too! He had a lot of fun playing with that new toy!

 

[dawnbu40]

While we ate we discussed where to go next. We decided that since Epcot had pm EMH we should head over there! On the way out we stopped and took some more pics of the Poly.

By the time we got over there,everyone was getting ready for Illuminations so we used this as an opportunity to hit the rides that are usually busiest. Caitlin did Mission Space and it was only 14 minutes from the time she left us til she got back! Dale attempted some pics to show how cool MS looks at night but they didn't come out so great.

(He spent a lot of time on this particular evening taking "cool evening shots" but they didn't come out )

While we waited for Caitlin I noticed these very large creepy, crawly things on the ground! They move very quickly and scurry around looking very gross! Dale said they are Palmetto bugs? IDK looked like roaches to me! I was wishing I wasn't wearing flip flops!

When Caitlin returned from Mars we headed to TT. We thought it would be fun to try it at night and we were right! The posted wait was 40 minutes but it was more like 15 . Riding at night upped the thrill factor!

After we tested our car and made a TT pressed coin we decided to visit WS. By this time it was starting to clear out since all the offsite guests were leaving. Our first stop was Mexico. Ole! We do enjoy that little boat ride!

Our next top was Norway since we'd missed Maelstrom the day before. There was just a short wait (maybe 10 min?) and then we were off to the land of the Vikings! After our journey we stopped in the bakery for Caitlin to buy a SchoolBread. We were all stuffed but she thought it would be good for breakfast in the morning.

(this did not look appetizing to me at all. I don't seem to "get" the obligatory Dis snacks!)

After we left Norway we kept on touring the world. We stopped in Morocco so Dale could try the much heralded Sultan's Colada.Which he said was very good!

(FYI- Dale wants everyone to know he DOES NOT have a drinking problem! At home he rarely drinks and when he does he has an occasional beer. Caitlin's food report knowledge kept telling him what and where he needed to try things )
It was so funny after she took that pic the cashier looked at her like she was crazy

We continued on around the lagoon and on our way I tried my hand at a few pics

We were all getting tired about this time so we decided to head back to the front and catch a bus. Afterall, it was getting late and we wanted to be up for the AM EMH!

Up next...our family's love affair with TSM begins!

 

[WrightFamily06]

You missed the HM?! We could never do that lol I think we usually ride it a couple times each trip! So what didn't you like about CBR? I don't think you've really said in your report. Or did you just like POFQ better? The Poly is lovely! My family stayed there twice when I was a kid and I didn't appreciate. I always wanted to stay at the CR because I thought it was so cool how the monorail went right through the hotel!

Yes , indeed we did miss HM and I seriously don't know how we did , we are also a family that rides it several times . I don't know maybe it's because we were so involved in getting our character pictures and autographs this year we forgot to ride a lot of rides . LOL I mainly didn't like CBR because every where you went u had to walk a country mile to get there and I like to have the laundry,food court and main pool close by . At POFQ last year we stayed in the building on the left side of the pool but on the backside at POFQ , so there wasn't a lot of noise but we were close to everything . We didn't even do the refillable mugs this year because Old Port Royle was so far from our room in Aruba . The Poly is so lovely I'd say you were just being a little kid then , any kid would want to stay at the resort w/ the monorail going through it . Oh well maybe one day we will both get to stay at the Poly w/ our families

Almost forgot , great ending to May the 8Th We love the Mexico boat ride as well but yet again we didn't make it on this , this year either Boy did we miss a lot of rides now that I think about it . The night time pictures we so pretty , it's hard to take night time pictures , I have a hard time w/ it also .