Spring in the air, tears in my eyes, oh my will I survive this ride!?!-pg 6&7, 10/22

[jeremysdisneymom]

I read your update this morning when I could still see pictures. Hmmm...that was awhile ago - lets see what I can still remember.

OK - I love Jeremy's shirt. Very cute.

The dragon topiary was amazing.

I saw some new, creative displays that weren't there in 2010 like the man made out of flower pots. So cool.

You got a lot of really great shots!

I loved that shirt. He is has already outgrown it so I am going to be looking for a bigger size in November.

I figured that maybe the man in pots was part of this years theme. This was my first F&G so I wasn't sure.

I thought I did pretty decent photos with my camera. I got a new one before we went. Nothing real fancy but a little better than what I have had in the past.

Wow those topiaries are all just... Wow... now that is why we all love Disney... all those special details... I loved the dragon and the Beauty and the Beast Ones and well of them but the especially the Dragon and B&B

How cute was that about DH and Chubby Checker... I love when stuff like that happens... It's like they're a kid again...

I always wanted to go to a country fair... I'm kind of a city girl so I remember reading Charlotte's Web as a little kid and thinking that it would be such a cool thing to get to go to... Lots of luck to Jeremy

BTW- I think the shirt is quite fly as well...

The topiaries were amazing. I loved the festival. Would love to go every year but that will probably not happen until DS is older and it is just me and DH.

I will post some pictures of our fair when I get them loaded. I had some on on FB I took with my camera. Our fair is so much fun. I wish all my Dis friends could come down for a day and enjoy it. We would have a ball.

you should be able to find it on the Disney parks Chanel on YouTube. As for the train tour I love that one and have been on it twice.

Sent from my Samsung Galexy Ace using the DISBoards app

The train tour is amazing. The best thing I have ever done at Disney. Can't wait to share my story about it.

I. LOVE. YOUR. PICTURES!!! You did such a great job of capturing all the special displays and details. Thank you for the Easter Egg pictures. Matt and I saw them when we were there, but he did not want to spend the time to look closely at each one. I was pried away much too quickly. I loved just spending as much time as I wanted looking at yours. Those were amazing works of art!

I totally get the Jeremy shirt thing.... Tyson has a few shirts that he will only wear at Disney, because 6th graders can be jerks about shirts that they CLEARLY don't understand!

Can't wait to hear how the fair went! Keep us posted!

Glad you liked the egg pictures. They were quite exquisite. I had such fun looking at them.

You are so right about kids not getting it. Jeremy has such a time with kids teasing him about going to Disney World all the time. I am truly amazed at how kids pick on each other. I am sure we did that when I was that age but I don't remember it being so mean.

All caught up! I hope you are enjoying fair week! Good luck to Jeremy with all of his projects!

Those eggs at the GF are beautiful! I wonder how long they keep those around? We'll be there about 3 weeks after Easter next year. I would love to see them sometime.

So funny about Tom & Chubby Checker! They have some pretty good performers during the different festivals.

We felt the same way about the Boardwalk pizza... actually I didn't have any but DH didn't like it.

I think the eggs were just an Easter display. According to the annoucement, they were always there in the past but only on display in the GF restaurants. They decided to move them to the lobby and make it more public. They were popular so maybe they will have it longer.

Glad we weren't the only ones who didn't like the pizza. That is the only drawback in my opinion to staying at the BW is the lack of good CS there.

Erika.....I'm all caught up! Great report so far! I first pic of Jeremy is so great! Love that smile!

Can't wait to read more!

I am getting caught up. Need to get over to your report to see if you have updated. After Thanksgiving, I will be in Disneyland planning mode for next year so I am anxious to hear all about your travels.

I have never seen pictures of those eggs at the GF, those are amazing!

I had no doubt that Tom would love EoS, how can you not? Best sandwiches ever!

That is a really cute story about how he got so excited to see Chubby Checker, I bet that was fun to watch.

You got some really fabulous pictures of all the F&G stuff!

Thanks! I loved F&G. Would love to go back someday.

Tom really enjoyed what little bit of Chubby Checker he saw. Would love to go back and enjoy all their concerts some time.

Hope you get to see the Easter eggs someday. Very pretty!!!

 

[SoonerGirl]

Yes, 5th grade is tough! I don't know about your state, but that is the grade here that we have the BIG standardized test that covers every subject plus a big writing test. They push those kids hard to learn everything on those tests since so much rides on them these days.

I am so with you on the science fair projects - HATE them!

We went to Sequoia National Park during our CA vacation, it was AMAZING, we were seriously awe struck. I have quite a few pictures from there in my CA TR in my siggie if you want to check them out

 

[MeMom]

We will be heading to Disneyland next Thanksgiving. We plan on spending at least a week in California with a stop at Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon and a visit to Knots Berry Farm as well.

This will be an incredible trip, I bet! I think with John's job having him travel to CA occasionally, Jill will get to go to Disneyland within the next few years.

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

Let me start this post by saying---I am sorry!!! I can hardly believe it has been almost 2 months since I last posted. Life has been very hectic around here lately.

Jeremy started school the end of August. He is in 5th grade now. I am trying to cut my apron strings and let him be his own student. I am giving him the freedom to study when he needs to, get his homework done, ask me when he needs help, you get the picture. It has been going pretty well but man oh man, 5th grade is sure different than any other grade he has been in.

Truer words have never been spoken sister... My little man just started 5th grade and it is a huge jump in work...

The homework is horrible, the push for technology is unreal. We had to go buy him a tablet to use in class. He is in the middle of doing a science fair project. A project that I hate every year (sorry to you teachers out there but I hate science projects!). He has been every night doing homework for at least 2 hours.

This one is a little easier because both my little man and my bigger man are all down with the science... They think it's fun...

We had our fair at the end of September. If you were on FB, you saw that Jeremy did really well. He got 2 grand champion ribbons and a 3rd place on an apple pie he made. We were very proud.

That's really awesome... you should be proud...

Tom and I are in the process of finalizing our roles in Cub Scouts. Jeremy is moving on to Boy Scouts in December. The last month has been stressful. We have finally found some people to take on our roles and keep our pack going. However, we have some parents that are giving us fits. I like to volunteer and do things that help Jeremy and the other boys, but man, some parents can be such a pain. I wonder why I put myself through this.

Cause you love your son and you're community minded...

So, with all that said, I am still determined to get this report done. I plan to update today on our November trip. So, look for that in a few hours. I have had some Disney pixie dust come my way on it and am so very excited about our plan!!!! This will be our last trip to WDW for a while so I am super excited to be going. We will be heading to Disneyland next Thanksgiving. We plan on spending at least a week in California with a stop at Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon and a visit to Knots Berry Farm as well. Depending on how much all that costs, will determine what else we do next year, but no WDW.

Yeah for Disneyland and California and yeah for our National Parks... I'm a huge fan/supporter of our National Parks... Thank God Teddy Roosevelt had the vision to push for them (with John Muir's inspiration...) You're going to have some good travels...

Thanks for this hanging with me, letting me rant, and being patient while I catch up on all your trips. I will post our Thanksgiving plans later today.

hmmm... it's good to rant sometimes... Thanksgiving? hmmm...

 

[jeremysdisneymom]

Yes, 5th grade is tough! I don't know about your state, but that is the grade here that we have the BIG standardized test that covers every subject plus a big writing test. They push those kids hard to learn everything on those tests since so much rides on them these days.

I am so with you on the science fair projects - HATE them!

We went to Sequoia National Park during our CA vacation, it was AMAZING, we were seriously awe struck. I have quite a few pictures from there in my CA TR in my siggie if you want to check them out

I read it before we went to San Francisco this past summer. It actually helped me a lot with that planning. I love the picture of driving through the Sequoia. I want to so do that!!!!

We actually did the science experiment this weekend--a whole 2 weeks before it was due!!! I am never that far ahead of the game.

Yes, 5th grade is more standardized tests in our state. They really push the tests too much I think. In 4th grade, Jeremy had to write a paper about what the tests meant to him. He wrote that the only reason he took the test was to see if whether or not his teacher would have a job next year. I about died. His teacher laughed as they actually told the children that.

This will be an incredible trip, I bet! I think with John's job having him travel to CA occasionally, Jill will get to go to Disneyland within the next few years.

I hope you get to go sometime. I am looking forward to go out there but will miss WDW.

 

[jeremysdisneymom]

hmmm... it's good to rant sometimes... Thanksgiving? hmmm...

We loved Muir Woods this past summer. We also went to Yosemite. Beautiful but one day just did not do it justice.

Update coming and hopefully Thanksgiving plans as well...... I am running behind yet again...

 

[DisMomAmy]

How exciting to go going to Disneyland! We hope to get out to California for a long trip and, of course, include Disneyland as part of that! There are so many things we could do while we are there. I suspect we'll do a couple weeks in the summer when the boys have a good chunk of time off from school.

 

[jeremysdisneymom]

Once again, I did not live up to my promise. I never got my update for Thanksgiving done. I need to find some photos online to do it. I may just start with day by day and do a small update each day. If things work out, I will try to do a small one after this update.

Let's keep this trip report rolling. Why, well I need to get it done. I woke up today and realized that 4 weeks from today I would be waking up on the Dream and docked in the Bahamas!!! Gave me some little effort to just keep swimming through this hectic time in my life!!!

Easter Sunday, April 8, 2012

It was Easter Sunday. Jeremy woke to find that the Easter Bunny had left him something by the door.

The Easter Bunny had been picking up items on the trip down and while we were at Disney. It looks like he had a Duffy Easter Bear, the first Kingdom Keepers, and some goodies.

These glasses had been found by the Easter Bunny at the Cracker Barrel in Florida.

The chocolate bunny was found at a store on the Boardwalk.

This shirt was found at the Cracker Barrel in Kentucky and was the least favorite thing in Jeremy's basket. I am a KY girl and love the UK Wildcats. My dad does too. Two years ago he gave Jeremy a hard time when UK beat OSU in the NCAA tournament and Jeremy has hated UK ever since. He was actually rooting for Kansas in the final game. So, the Easter Bunny couldn't resist getting him this. He did end up wearing it that day and has occassionally since then.

Plans for today was to hit Epcot at EMH. We didn't plan on staying long and coming back to the resort. We might hit up some of their Easter activities but we were going to lounge around the pool.

Epcot was the only EMH I didn't like. We got to the IG around 7:45. I thought that they let you in and then there was a rope holding you until the park open. Am I right or wrong? They didn't even let you start through security until EMH begain at 8:00. It was about 8:30 before we even got to Soarin. The line wasn't long so we rode and then hit up Nemo with Friends.

Jeremy was in a good mood and got in Bruce for me.

I think we got FP for test track and finished looking at the F&G displays.

I loved the Fairies display. I took a lot of pictures so sit back and enjoy!

 

[jeremysdisneymom]

I just realized I didn't post his UK shirt. You can see him wearing it but here it is.

Now, on with the fairies.

 

[jeremysdisneymom]

I really enjoyed the fairy displays. The only thing that I didn't like was the signs for each fairy had a lot of crayon marks on it. You could do something on these with a piece of paper and crayon but it was obvious that on some the paper was no it.

Jeremy and I headed to the butterfly display. For some reason, Tom does not like these things. He doesn't like the butterfly flying around him. Silly man!

The Bambi display was probably one of my favorite topiaries. I loved that they had color.

With the butterfly house done, we were ready to head back to the BWV. Tom was waiting for us somewhere in England so Jeremy and I headed that way.

Another shot of the sand sculpture. I am amazed at how they do this.

I still hadn't got a picture of Pluto at the World Showcase entrance so we headed over there to get a picture before we met Tom.

Not sure why I took this.

I loved the tea pots in the garden of England.

Up Next:

Easter Afternoon
A disappointing Easter dinner

 

[jeremysdisneymom]

How exciting to go going to Disneyland! We hope to get out to California for a long trip and, of course, include Disneyland as part of that! There are so many things we could do while we are there. I suspect we'll do a couple weeks in the summer when the boys have a good chunk of time off from school.

I am really excited about it. I was there in high school but don't remember anything about it. I thought about summer but we love the parks at the holidays. It works next year as that will be Jeremy's last year at the elementary and they are still lenient about being out of school a few days. The jr/sr high..not so much.

 

[jeremysdisneymom]

Thankgiving Trip Planning

I think it might be easier for me to keep up with if I do this part on a day by day basis. So, a little background....

If you followed my report from this time last year, you know that our family Thanksgiving trip became a mother/son trip when Tom decided to get his EMS certification. Jeremy and I went from the Friday before Thanksgiving and returned he day before Thanksgiving and stayed at BWV. It was a wonderful trip and made me realize how much I missed Disney at Christmas time. Our first real Disney trip with staying on property was in 2008. It was wonderful and really put me in the holiday spirit.

So, when we decided to go back in 2012, we originally planned to visit WDW and then do a 4 night Disney cruise. However, with some new rules at Tom's work, it was obvious we couldn't do that and him be off work. So, we had decided to just skip WDW and do the cruise. Well, a few months ago we figured out he could be off a few more days then we thought so the WDW portion was back on, but we decided to do the cruise first. So we are doing a 3 night cruise and then spending 5 nights at WDW. With this last minute planning, it has been hard getting rooms and VERY stressful. At one point, I had us at a different resort every night and no night for Thanksgiving. But, with a lot of persistent and patience, I do have the whole time at the end of the cruise at one resort and scored some Dining ressies I had been wanting. I can honestly say that a whole lot of Disney pixie dust came my last week!!!
However, I don't feel like I have anything planned on the cruise and am hoping some of you experienced cruisers can help me along the way.

Let's get started.

Friday, November 16th

Jeremy will head to school, Tom will head to work, and I will head to Kentucky that day. If you are on FB, you probably saw that we have a new pet. A stray cat has come to our house. Walt (yes, Jeremy named him after Walt Disney) arrived last week. He has become quite the member of our family and is getting neutered today. Well, he is spending our vacation with my mom. So, I will drive an hour to drop him off. It will probably be a long hour as he already hates the cat carrier and cries the entire time he is in it.

I will come home and get everything packed up. I am hoping that our scouts have picked up their popcorn order the night before, otherwise I will be dealing with that. I am hoping I have a happy boy arrive home from school like he was in the spring.

We will not be flying like we did in 2008.

Tom will get home shortly after 6, shower and then we will be on the road. I am sure there will be a late dinner in Lexington, KY at none other than Cracker Barrel. Tom will drive until we hit the Tennessee state line.

I will take over and drive the state of TN. Tom takes over again in GA and we take turns throughout the night.

I would say that with us leaving later than normal, we will see the Florida sign in daylight and possibly get to enjoy some juice.

Saturday, November 17

I think we will get to the resort around noon. Yes, I said resort!!!! I finally convinced Tom to spend the night before the cruise at WDW instead of a hotel near the port. We will not go to a park but just enjoy the resort and do some resort hopping looking at Christmas decorations. So, what resort will it be? Well, our official DVC home.....

Bay Lake Tower with a Lake View

This might change if my waitlist comes through but I am not holding out hope on that. I have us waitlisted for a theme park view. Shhhh, the boys don't know so if I get some pixie dust on that, I will keep it a surprise.

We will check out the decorations and have lunch at Contempo Cafe. I expect Tom will hit the room for some rest but he may change his mind when he finds out what I have planned.

First, I am going to take the Monorail over to the MK. From there, we will board the riverboat (as Jeremy has never done that) and go to the transportation center.

I plan to visit here that afternoon...

I have never seen the Christmas decorations here. Not sure how I ever missed them but I have. But, I am not going to just see decorations. We are going to enjoy that DVC perk and pool hop here.

Jeremy will be estatic. He has wanted to swim here forever!!!

After an afternoon of fun, we will head back to BLT and get ready for some resort hopping that night. I plan to visit here..

Mainly to see this...

and this

We will head back to the MK boat dock and take the boat to WL.

We will have dinner at our favorite CS on property, Roaring Forks. And then we will take in the sights.

We will take the boat from the WL back to the CR and head here.

We will catch our first view of this beauty

and watch wishes.

Then it will be off to bed as we have a DREAMy day ahead of us.

Questions:

So I need some help.

Where does everyone get those pillowcases the characters sign on the ship? I am not sure I can even get one in time but am willing to try.

If you drive to the port, where do you recommend for parking?

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

First, I love your photos of the Fairies and the the Bambi topiaries...

There is a museum about a little less than an hour from here called the Brandywine River Museum... It has a lot of American Artist/Illustrators work...the Wyeths...NC and Andrew ... anyway at Christmas every year they have special exhibits for the holidays... trains, toys and the trees are all decorated with ornaments that look like miniatures of Tink and those other fairies... Lovely workmanship... NOT lovely crayon Graffiti... I mean who lets their kids (or themselves) do that at Disney

Do you know that the first time a Cracker Barrel opened near us (Suburban Philadelphia) I got so excited... at first I didn't realize that they were a chain... I just loved their little store in the front so much... I was a teeny bit disappointed when we were driving in North Carolina and I saw another one... and DH was hysterically laughing when he realized I didn't know they where a chain...

Never been in Kentucky...but I have been to Tennessee... and what I saw of it was quite pretty...

I think your upcoming trip plans sound awesome... and I can't wait to hear about your cruise... I've never been sure about cruising...whether I'd feel trapped on the ship or not... so I'm curious to see what you have to say about it... and of course if I did go on a cruise... it would have to be a Dis cruise...

Your holiday pictures are really pretty... I can't wait to see it again decorated for Christmas... you'll be there 2 weeks before us...we have a pretty short trip -Nov. 29- Dec 3 --- 5days, 4 nights, but I'm SO excited...

Also can't wait to see your Bay Lake Tower photos... already promised David we could stay there for his 12th birthday... (not till August 2014)

Good luck on getting your park view...

 

[Sooze]

Beautiful fairy pictures... I see what you mean about the crayon on the signs! Surely the Disney custodians have cleaner that can remove that stuff? I know I have some in my classroom! (Of course, they probably have to clean those signs every single night... rude kids!!)

Can you believe how CLOSE Thanksgiving is?!?

 

[jeremysdisneymom]

First, I love your photos of the Fairies and the the Bambi topiaries...

There is a museum about a little less than an hour from here called the Brandywine River Museum... It has a lot of American Artist/Illustrators work...the Wyeths...NC and Andrew ... anyway at Christmas every year they have special exhibits for the holidays... trains, toys and the trees are all decorated with ornaments that look like miniatures of Tink and those other fairies... Lovely workmanship... NOT lovely crayon Graffiti... I mean who lets their kids (or themselves) do that at Disney

Do you know that the first time a Cracker Barrel opened near us (Suburban Philadelphia) I got so excited... at first I didn't realize that they were a chain... I just loved their little store in the front so much... I was a teeny bit disappointed when we were driving in North Carolina and I saw another one... and DH was hysterically laughing when he realized I didn't know they where a chain...

Never been in Kentucky...but I have been to Tennessee... and what I saw of it was quite pretty...

I think your upcoming trip plans sound awesome... and I can't wait to hear about your cruise... I've never been sure about cruising...whether I'd feel trapped on the ship or not... so I'm curious to see what you have to say about it... and of course if I did go on a cruise... it would have to be a Dis cruise...

Your holiday pictures are really pretty... I can't wait to see it again decorated for Christmas... you'll be there 2 weeks before us...we have a pretty short trip -Nov. 29- Dec 3 --- 5days, 4 nights, but I'm SO excited...

Also can't wait to see your Bay Lake Tower photos... already promised David we could stay there for his 12th birthday... (not till August 2014)

Good luck on getting your park view...

Too funny about Cracker Barrel. It was the thing in my family. We had to eat there every trip we went on. I guess it has become our thing as well as we usually stop there for dinner and breakfast the next morning. We have quite a few in Ohio but not as many as Kentucky.

I was disappointed about the graffiti. Found it odd that it was still on there. We were there pretty early in the day.

This will be our first cruise. I have read many people say that 3 nights is not enough, however I think it will be fine to see if we like it or not. I am like you. Not sure I will like being confined to a ship. I am sure it will be fine and we will probably love it so much that another one will be planned.

We stayed BLT last summer. You will read some people think it is a boring resort with no theme. I actually really liked it. We just had a standard room so no great view but the resort is nice. I love walking over to the CR and seeing the monorail and MK. The pool is nice and Jeremy really liked their slide. Jeremy loved Community Hall there. He has never gotten into that at any other resort. Plus, I thought their beds were some of the comfiest on property. I think your son will like it there.

Beautiful fairy pictures... I see what you mean about the crayon on the signs! Surely the Disney custodians have cleaner that can remove that stuff? I know I have some in my classroom! (Of course, they probably have to clean those signs every single night... rude kids!!)

Can you believe how CLOSE Thanksgiving is?!?

I was really surprised that the garfitti was still there. It was early in the day and I would have thought it would have been gotten off by then. I couldn't imagine that it all had been put on there in just a couple of hours.

I can't believe Thanksgiving is so close. I am super excited but I have so much stuff to get done between now and then. Christmas will be less than a month away when we get back off our trip.

Enjoyed your pictures on FB this past week. Looks like you and your family had a great time. Don't know if you have been on FB tonight or not, but I have a percussionist in the family now. You will have to check out my page.

 

[SoonerGirl]

In 4th grade, Jeremy had to write a paper about what the tests meant to him. He wrote that the only reason he took the test was to see if whether or not his teacher would have a job next year.

Ok, I seriously laughed out loud when I read this!


When reading your update, I was really bothered by all the crayon markings on the fairy signs too, disappointing that Disney hadn't cleaned it off, but more disappointing that parents let their kids color on them....

Your pictures from the area are great though!


Yay for BLT before the cruise!!

You know, when we were there for Christmas a few years ago, I don't remember the Poly having any decorations to speak of Surely they do!

I believe most people get the pillowcases from different vendors on etsy. Not sure if you can get one with such short notice, but it's worth checking out anyway, maybe you'll get lucky!

We parked at the port itself, it's pricey, but very convienent. Plus there is added comfort in knowing your car is parked in a secure lot

 

[jeremysdisneymom]

Ok, I seriously laughed out loud when I read this!


When reading your update, I was really bothered by all the crayon markings on the fairy signs too, disappointing that Disney hadn't cleaned it off, but more disappointing that parents let their kids color on them....

Your pictures from the area are great though!


Yay for BLT before the cruise!!

You know, when we were there for Christmas a few years ago, I don't remember the Poly having any decorations to speak of Surely they do!

I believe most people get the pillowcases from different vendors on etsy. Not sure if you can get one with such short notice, but it's worth checking out anyway, maybe you'll get lucky!

We parked at the port itself, it's pricey, but very convienent. Plus there is added comfort in knowing your car is parked in a secure lot

I was just glad his teacher got a laught out of it!!!

I too was disappointed about the crayons. I am sure they have something to take them off with. If it was later in the day, I could understand but it seemed like an awful lot to have only happened in an hour or two.

I think I have read that there isn't much at the Poly other than a small tree. Seems kinds of odd.

Did you park at the Disney lot? Well, maybe it is not the Disney lot but the one next to the ship. I looked at that and thought that why pricey, it would be nice to be that close.

 

[SoonerGirl]

Did you park at the Disney lot? Well, maybe it is not the Disney lot but the one next to the ship. I looked at that and thought that why pricey, it would be nice to be that close.

Yep, it's actually connected to the terminal by a walkway. Don dropped us and the luggage off at the terminal. The porters take your luggage then and you don't see it again until it is delivered to your room. The kids and I went in and went through security and started the check in process while Don parked the car. He met us inside just as I was finishing up check in, worked like a charm! When we got back, we just used the walkway (made it very easy with the luggage!) and were in our car and on our way in no time at all.

To be honest with you, I don't even know what other options are available. I know there are some hotels that if you stay there the night before, you can leave your car in their lot and they will shuttle you to the port. I'm sure there are some off site shuttle services as well, but I like easy

 

[eandesmom]

So I need some help.

Where does everyone get those pillowcases the characters sign on the ship? I am not sure I can even get one in time but am willing to try.

If you drive to the port, where do you recommend for parking?

Ok first, wow. That sounds like a LOT after driving all night. It made me tired just reading it. The poly pool is fun, we pool hopped there last week, as did several other DISers! In fact, 4 of us were there at the same time but somehow we didn't see one of them. Too funny.

I've gotten my pillowcases, both times, from Stitches N Bows. You can find her on etsy and FB. I can FB PM you the links if you want. Not sure if she can do it but doesn't hurt to ask!

We didn't park so I'm not much help there but it seems like everyone parks at the main lot right there.

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

Hey Erika,

Bumping up...

Did you already go on your trip?