Skip the lotion, we're just gonna be ashy!

[bookmama]

Okay, it's time for Epcot, bathroom run and we're off right? Um no. I can't find Sugah Mama's ticket. I have everyone's ticket but hers. Where is her ticket?! I'm freaking out. I actually picked my bag up and turned it upside down and shook it. The kids were looking on the floor, even all the way back to the monorail. No ticket. Now I'm really panicking. Where is her ticket!? Mom said, let's go check the car, if it's not in the car maybe you left it on the table at home. Ok let's go we're burning daylight. On the monorail back to Epcot. Now it's pouring, the wind's picked up a little but we're still thinking this is the usual Florida weather and we'll be fine. We're more worried about the ticket. The kids have picked up on the panic and it's taking everything in me not to start screaming. We run to the car. We're near the entrance so we don't have to wait for the tram. I yank open the door, and frantically start going through every nook, cranny and drawer. NO TICKET

Mom's like breathe, we'll check the house. We head back to the house, wipers swishing and I'm screaming on the inside. No traffic coming home. The kids have fallen asleep, thank God and I run into the house. I flipped the bed, emptied drawers. NO TICKET! I'm about to go completely crazy. I was about to be 302'd in Orlando. (For those that don't know, 302, is admitted to a mental hospital, in 4 point restraints. Doped up and observed for 72 hours.) Okay Breathe. Mom says, call Undercover Tourist, see if they can get you the ticket number so you can get a new one for Sugah Mama. Yeah, that's good. Um, no. It's Sunday, they are closed. Tears are in my eyes. We can't afford to replace her ticket. It would blow the whole budget.

Wait I took a pic of all the tickets as soon as I got them. Hopefully, I got it. YES! I remembered from Dis and Mousesavers that if I lost any ticket. They can use the number to find it and get us a new one. So I scribble the number down and we rush back to the car. Dev wakes up, "Did you find it?" Nope, but I got the number to replace it. We're back on the road. We can salvage this day. The rain is really coming down, and we forgot to stop and get ponchos. We were going to pay for that. But we don't care we got to get this ticket thing straightened out. We're much further back because it's now 11 am. Not surprisingly people were there to play in the rain. So we hop on the tram and that's when learn that A: Epcot is the 2nd largest parking lot in the world and B: Dev gets a little, ok a lot, interested in the College Program. Focus, girl, bask in the happiness that your boy may actually want to go to college, later. Get the ticket problem solved first.

There's no line at the ticket window. I explain the problem and the CM and she is all too happy to help. Dev, once again notices that someone is in the college program. She's from Georgia University. I'm like see Dev you can do it, you can work here at the College Program. He's all know-it-all-ly, "Mom I can't
commute down here from Penn State." I give him the stank look. I really wish they had a smiley for that. Any way, I feeling all good I got the problem solved, or so I thought. She can't find the ticket. No. God No. I tell her I wrote down the numbers off the back of the tickets. She asked for all the tickets. She's comparing numbers. Then she asks, is it a child's ticket?. Yes. She's typing. Then she says "Okay, I got it." She prints Sugah Mama a new ticket. I'm bout ready to lay down on the wet ground and roll around in the puddles. Then she gives us this very important piece of info:
When you copy down the numbers from the back of your ticket. It is the numbers on the right hand side.


We let Sugah Mama put her ticket in her lanyard and we're on our way into Epcot. Finally!

 

[bookmama]

Your TR is hilarious and really fun to read. I love all your pics from the pirate league and the house offsite. I am thinking about staying offsite next time and it is nice to see some pics and TR's showing the experience. Can't wait to read more.

It was really convenient. And I swear, it was faster to get to the parks than staying on property.. Sometimes our life is a comedy act. People can't believe us when we tell them what happens to us. They just shake their heads.

Please enjoy reading.

 

[bookmama]

I mostly lurk on the DIS, but I had to tell you how much I'm enjoying this TR! You're a woman after my own heart. I too love what you said to Dev at CP - those words have come out of my own mouth over the years!

And a HUGE shout out to your mom - she's a real trooper and seems to be a big help!

Thank you. That boy just about drove me crazy wait to you see what he did on Monday. Yeah mom was a great help. When things started falling apart she kept me from completely losing it.

Welcome!

 

[MinnieJay]

Dev should go for it! I did the college program. You live in Florida so he wouldn't have to commute. Rent comes straight out of his paycheck so that's one good thing. If he get the chance, it's a AMAZING experience. Plus, he would get main gate passes so y'all can come for free and get discounts on hotels, and meals. Y'all should check it out.

 

[bookmama]

Yay, can't wait to hear more. Sorry to hear about your thumb but glad you recovered enough to write more of your report.

Thank you. I thought I was going to pass out. I have a problem with finishing writing stories but I really wanted to keep going so people would know how it was to be offsite.

Hello, Great TR! I'm going to have to catch up! From some of the pics I'm guessing you stayed at a vacation home....how exciting!

Yes it was our first time. It was all about money and space, with this many people it would've been crazy to stay onsite. Trust me I looked at DVC rental too.

Great update! I'm gald you mentioned this BBQ joint, we LOVE US SOME BBQ!!!!!! we took a trip to Memphis in May and spent 4 days trying different BBQ places! We will have to try it this coming November..So far, there is 11 of us coming, I'll give you the real count when we get closer!

One of our favorite places at home is Famous Dave's . Bubbaloo's was a great choice. For all that food, $104 with tax.

Haha your title got me. Sometimes, lotion takes too long to rub in! A little ashiness doesn't hurt sometimes lol.

I know. I don't know how many times I said I'll air dry lotion just takes too much time. The rain, the rain. Lotion was absolutely useless.

 

[ShortStuff]

I read the title of your trip report and . Then I read the introductions and said, : cool, she's taking her kids to WDW! Then I started reading about the kids and said, : as I have a grandson who has Aspergers and is somewhere on the autism spectrum!

I admire you greatly! I love your sense of humor and the fact that you can enjoy life and bring us on your journey through your trip report, that is enjoyable and a good insight for me as my grandson presents many challenges. I really love the house you rented and how cool to have a pool just for your family!!

I am so happy you had your Mom along!! She seems like an ! My daughter and grandsons live with me, so I know there are times I get on her nerves, but overall I think she is happy to have me around!

I really appreciate your giving us the cost breakdown of your meals. It helps a lot. One of the problems with my grandson, is that he really can not handle restaurants well at all. Due to that, we have always done QS at WDW, with a few TS restaurants thrown in for good measure. I long to have a trip where I can bring them to so many character meals!!

Looking forward to more about your trip! Just curious how much your BBQ dinner was? It looks fantastic!

 

[TotalDreamer]

Hey, I got pulled in by your title!

And I'm so glad you got the ticket! That's a great tip I never knew about and I'm a huge worry wart when it comes to tickets and stuff so I will def. be taking a pic of my tickets from now on.

 

[bookmama]

I read the title of your trip report and . Then I read the introductions and said, : cool, she's taking her kids to WDW! Then I started reading about the kids and said, : as I have a grandson who has Aspergers and is somewhere on the autism spectrum!


Looking forward to more about your trip! Just curious how much your BBQ dinner was? It looks fantastic!

Mom has custody of Sugah Mama and Albert and my youngest sister (Wellster's mom) lives with her too. So mom gets no break.

BBQ was $104 with tax. You can order it online. They had it ready in 20 minutes.

Hey, I got pulled in by your title!

And I'm so glad you got the ticket! That's a great tip I never knew about and I'm a huge worry wart when it comes to tickets and stuff so I will def. be taking a pic of my tickets from now on.

Me too, I'm the one that only looks spontaneous, I have the back up plan for the back up plan. This trip was a new one for me. No plans, no schedules.

Dev should go for it! I did the college program. You live in Florida so he wouldn't have to commute. Rent comes straight out of his paycheck so that's one good thing. If he get the chance, it's a AMAZING experience. Plus, he would get main gate passes so y'all can come for free and get discounts on hotels, and meals. Y'all should check it out.

I talked to him last night. He said, Let's go! We're starting with the Disney Dreamer's Academy that Steve Harvey sponsors.

 

[2Pirates2Princesses]

Hey fellow PA Dis'er Your title also caught my attention, so here I am

I am getting back into reading TRs since we are planning on going back to the World next year (most likely in the summer again). Your sense of humor is brilliant and I can so relate to your approach with things. Your family is beautiful and I am lovin' the rental house We are leaning towards renting a minivan and staying offsite in a condo or townhouse for our next trip. The Pirate's League makeovers turned out awesome! I think all four of my kids would love to get these done for our next trip as this is something they can all do together; and the prices are reasonable . My girls would love the mermaid makeovers, and my boys would love the pirate makeovers. I can definitely see my DS3 with that Jake makeover
Can't wait to read more about your trip!

 

[Dancing Queen]

oh my goodness - on my very first trip to wdw (oven 30 years ago) my mother lost her park ticket at the poly!!!

glad everything worked out ok

 

[ShortStuff]

Thank you for the BBQ information! It looked good and that seems like it was a generous amount of food for the price!

You and your Mom are both very special ladies! :

 

[bookmama]

So when we left off we finally were in Epcot. The rain was coming down, hard. The wind had picked up and we were getting seriously soaked. So let me start off by saying that the space under Spaceship Earth is the absolute perfect wind tunnel. We're walking near it, getting slammed by water and wind. We run into the first dry spot we could find. It was either Mouse Gears or Gateway Gifts. Remember I said that we would regret not picking up those ponchos before we got there? Yeah, it cost us $46 for 4 adult and 2 children ponchos. While we're cringing at shelling out dang near $50 or ponchos we hear people screaming. We look out the door and we see strollers rolling down the sidewalk and people clutching desperately at the ropes under Spaceship Earth. Kids legs were flying in the air, parents trying to keep their babies on the ground.

People were running into the store trying to escape the rain and wind.

We're all geared up, ready to face the rain. We wait for a break in the wind and run. We head to the next dry spot. Art of Disney. I grab a new map and try and find a spot to go. We told the kids not to touch nothing. We can't afford anything and we're all too clumsy to get close. We decide on Innoventions West. It's closest. One, two, three, RUN! We're still getting wet, the rain is relentless.

We make it in and it's not too crowded. We see this station with computers it's called Smarter Planet. The kids are so excited because there is no line. They were pretty good and answering all the questions. Even Dev.

After the kids got bored they wanted to move onto something else. Now this is where we lost Dev. He says we left him, but we were still in the same place. We took Sugah Mama, Wellster and Albert to the Great Piggybank Adventure. It was so cute. Let me tell you, they do not work well together. Especially when one doesn't want to do it anyway.

They answered a few questions and a pig came out.

So we waited a few minutes and we headed to our first station. They had to collect their coins. The kids put the pig on this conveyor belt and the pig rolled in.

After they finished the first station it was on to the second where they had to increase their savings. They collected their pig and they were off.

Man they could not work together. Wellster was a half a beat behind, Sugah Mama kept looking for the pig and Albert was irritated because he really didn't want to do it and the kids were slow.

After collecting their pig the kids learned about losing money.

Finally, they learn exactly what they saved.

It was cute, I wish they had this when I was a kid, it sure would've saved me when I was an adult. So now that we're finished we start looking for Dev. We pass the video game station and I just knew he was near there. Nope. He calls me, where are we? He's in Paris. Mom starts in, see he's always going off by himself. This causes problems. The boy is 15, he doesn't want to hang around with little kids. Really. I tell him hold on, we're on the way.

So we're headed out of Innoventions West and the floor is slippery. Guess who slips? Me. It was crazy, my foot goes out from underneath me. My comfy flip flops, good for walking, bad for traction. I landed like a cheerleader doing a half split. It took me back to the 8th grade when I made and then didn't make the cheerleading squad. BE Aggressive, Woo! Mom was laughing, I was too and the kids were worried I was hurt, but the laughter was their clue that I was ok. After I told them too. Thank God I started running and my knees were stronger than before.

So we're off to find Dev. He's in the WS. I can't find it in the rain. We go around in a circle for a while until Dev finally catches up to us. He wants to do the Perry Adventure. Perry is his favorite.

It amazes me how dedicated CMs are. It was pouring, I mean pouring and they were helpful and cheerful and pleasant. Man, I would've been like would you people go home? It's raining.

So they chose to do the UK mission. We were running around in the raining trying to solve this case. Insane. Sugah Mama got sidetracked and she just had to stop.

 

[bookmama]

The kids are looking for clues.

Well Dev was, the kids were a little interested in something else.

Of course with so much rain, we needed to take a bathroom break. Here's me in my rain gear.

Back to the mission . . . in and out of different stores the kids are running around in the rain. Mom stops to buy tea from the tea shop in UK and I'm just following along. After about 10 more minutes they solved the case. They had to drop off the communicator in a mailbox in UK. Here's the really cute part. They were dropping the communicator in the mailbox when Tigger comes out behind them and holds an umbrella over their heads. AAAHHHH It was too wet to take a pic but it was one of the sweetest moments in our entire trip. Albert of course was not happy. He really didn't want to do the Agent P mission but went along with it anyway. He's now making his displeasure known. He's hungry. I tell him to go over to Rose and Crown. He didn't want fish, he's just complaining irking my nerves. Mom goes into some store and grabs some snacks. The kids eat a kit kat bar and we're slogging through WS to find food. Dev's wanting to do another Agent P mission but he's overruled. We stop at a snack cart and get some more snacks. They got muffins. Albert got chocolate. Why I don't know, since it gives him headaches. When I find the receipt I'll let you know how much everything was.

This little bit doesn't satisfy anyone. Except me, I'm still full from breakfast. We finally make it to France and I know just where to go. Boulangerie Patisserie. I know we can get some good eats without breaking the bank. We split 2 ham and cheese crossiants and 2 ham and cheese sandwiches. It is packed and there is nowhere to sit. We're standing by a trash can in the back of the store and I can see the poor guy from France sitting alone at the kidcot table. No one's interested, everyone's more interested in staying dry. Mom swears she hears thunder so now everyone really wants to go. There's a flash, it's lightning. Dev's like no, it's the flash from a camera. He's still angling for another Agent P mission. Me, I just wanted to see the rest of WS even if it was in the pouring rain. Dev and I were outvoted, we were going home.

We're walking through WS and of course there are puddles. Wellster and Sugah Mama are splashing in them.

I kick water on their feet and they are splashing me back. Dev's walking past and since I hate socks worn with flip flops I purposely splashes him. I completely soak him, Sugah Mama and Wellster get in on the act and Dev's kicking water back.

We are in our own little world. People are walking past us, looking at us like we're crazy, but hey we're still having fun. This is how we do Epcot in the rain.

I just have one question. Why in the pouring rain are the fountains still on? The water, just drew them in.

The kids are thoroughly soaked under their ponchos and we're continue towards the exit. Sugah Mama takes off her sandal, Albert's sneakers are so wet they're squeaking. Then Wellster finds another big puddle and we're splashing again. One poor woman sees us splashing so she starts kicking water at her son. She has this disgusted look on her face because of the rain. After a while she's smiling and laughing and her son is laughing too. Woohoo, we just draw people into our madness. We still haven't reached Spaceship Earth and we just give up on wearing shoes. it's useless and it feels really good to have water splishing over our feet.

We're almost to the entrance so we can get on the tram and we see two characters standing under the walkway all by their lonesome selves. Sugah Mama sees Daisy. She's been dying to meet Daisy. Daisy walks over and takes Sugah Mama's hand.

and well look. . .

It was a quiet night when we got home. The kids ate and watched tv. Albert was glued to the news and told us that we were in the middle of a tropical storm. Boooo! I was still hoping we would be able to go to the beach the next day. What do you think? Did we make it?

 

[pooksma]

While I don't know if you made it to the beach or not, I love they way you handled the rain. No point in getting angry at Florida weather, right?

Splish spalsh away!

 

[JuliaIsabella]

Hi Bookmama, so glad you were able to replace Sugah Mama's ticket. Even with all that rain you all looked like you had so much fun. Can't wait for more.