Still Too Excited To Sleep Completed! I leave for the next trip in 7 hrs and 38 mins

[tictoc]

Just wanted to let you know that I am still reading the trip report and still really enjoying it! If I may ask, what was the price on the glittery up dos and the hair color? I think our family could really get into that!!

You guys all look so happy! What a way to grow closer as a family (bickering and all)!!

The hairdos are very reasonable actually. For just a style and the colored gel with pixie dust is ONLY $5! It hink it is the best bargain in the parks. If you get an actual cut I think it is 15 for kids and 19 for adults. Either way--very reasonable. They do a great job on the cuts and all of my kids got their first haircuts at Magic Kingodm. All by Michael who is great.

We are a close, happy, bickering, dancing down the middle of Main Street humiliating each othre family.

Thanks for reading. I am almost finished with this report because I am leaving to go back in 10 days!

 

[tictoc]

Me thinks this is my new favorite trip report!

Disneyland Mama I am quite honored and humbled at your compliment!

 

[tictoc]

After Stitch got us to our feet we grabbed the Trailblazer and headed to Epcot. Those princesses would be waiting and we had an 8:30 ressie. Another opportunity to walk through an almost empty park and snap photos. Rachel had awakened up early again and had chosen her Aurora outfit to wear to her grand breakfast.

On the way to the restaurant we stopped to photograph the topiaries of the princesses in the theme of the new postage stamps.

About this time my little Sleeping Beauty decided she did not want to be dressed as Aurora. She saw a little girl in a Jasmine costume and declared that she too would prefer to be Jasmine. She declared it as she stomped on the ground and shrieked at the top of her lungs. I had planned to buy her a Jasmine outfit on this trip, but this would not be the way. She cried the whole way to the restaurant. She cried while we waited for our table. She even refused to be photographed with the most beautiful Belle.

We got to the table and Princess Aurora approached. She fussed over the fact that she was dressed like her. Rachel got a big smile on her face and there was peace in the World Showcase again!

She was anxious to go and take a picture with Belle now.

After we returned to the table from Belle Jasmine was approaching. Would Rachel meltdown when she was Jasmine? Would the hissy start all over again? No one knew but when Jasmine stood with Rachel she looked up and said “I was supposed to look like you, but I ended up looking like Aurora by accident."

After breakfast we grabbed fastpasses and hit the rides. We did get around to buying that jasmine costume and headed to World Showcase to find that princess. We stopped for a photo with Gipetto on our way.

My princess looked beautiful next to Jasmine. I can not blame Rachel for wanting to look like that! I teased Drew as he got in the photo. He was kinda fond of that princess too!

While in Future World we wanted to spend some time in Image Works and Figment. We also wanted to spend a little more time in Innoventions. We had missed most of that on our other days in Epcot. After riding Figment and watching Honey I Shrunk the Audience, we went to spend some time in Imageworks. We had a blast making music and jumping on those big dots. We also sent some emails and Rachel struck up a conversation with the cast member displaying the digital cameras. Rachel was invited in to the lab and the really nice cast member posed Rachel for some great pictures.

We had a lot of fun, but had reservations at the Luau for the 5:15 show. We wanted to change clothes and clean up first so we headed for the parking lot. We were parked in one of the first spots so it only took a few minutes to get there. So far another day with very little fighting!

When we arrived at the hotel we only had a few minutes to change and head to the Polynesian. Rachel also has a Lilo costume but it is not your traditional Lilo costume. It is not the red dress with the white flowers that Lilo wears. It is a hula costume that she wore in one of the shows. Rachel wanted to wear it so we put it on. The boys had not brought their Hawaiian shirts for this trip. They just wore t-shirts and shorts.

We headed to the Poly and valet parked for free. I love that Dining Card. We stopped by the gift shop because I wanted to buy flowers for Rachel’s hair. We walked out with flowers but also with Stitch t-shirts for the guys to wear.

When we lined up for the luau there were the cutest little girls in front of us. Rachel of course struck up a conversation and the parents were very chatty as well. It felt good to have a full conversation with adults. They were very nice and the girls were enchanted with each other. One of their daughters was the same age as Rachel and one was only 2. We learned that the family was from Canada so the boys started calling them darn Canadians. They got a real kick out of that. When it was time to get their photo taken the youngest refused to look at the photographer. Rachel stepped in front of the cameraman and called the little girl’s name. It worked! The girl looked at Rachel and the photographer was able to snap a great pic!

The mother was thrilled. It was our turn to take our picture now. Drew was wearing a silly hat and the photographer was calling him Gilligan. He got a kick out of that as well.

The other family asked if I would like to get our tables close together. When we got to the front we realized our tables were very close. There was one table between us and we were in the front and center table. I was so excited. I had been to the luau before but had only gotten really far back seats. With little ones that is important.

The luau started and we were enjoying the opening show. They had changed it a little since we saw it in 2004 but the story line was the same. The couple from Canada were celebrating their anniversary on the trip. When they had all of the celebrating couples come to the front to dance. I was able to get some great pictures for them. Just as they served the main course the rain really started to come down. I jumped up to run and get the stroller. The autograph books were in there and I wanted to protect those!

I was thrilled to see that the strollers had all been moved under cover by the cast members. I wondered how they would finish the show. The show went without a hitch, it just all occurred under cover. More Disney Magic. The rain stopped just in time for the fire twirler guy to come out. He is really amazing!

We really enjoyed the luau and for those of you who are wondering the adult meals are great. It is chicken rather than fish which I always find weird! They have a menu of drinks, but I refrain most of the time when I am alone with the kids! The vegetables are really good. You get wine free I believe, but I never drink wine. The kids’ meals however are horrible. This is the case every time I go to the luau. They were bad in 2001, 2004 and 2006. They serve pre boxed dinners of hot dogs and nuggets. The hotdog buns are always rock hard and the nuggets are just plain bad!

After the luau we headed to the beach. We were heading to the Magic Kingdom for a little bit. We walked the beach from the Poly to the Grand Floridian and caught the monorail from there.

That beach is beautiful and very romantic. It made me miss Malcolm even more so we called him while we were walking. We also played in the sand a little.

When we got to the monorail stand we were lucky enough to get in the front. The driver was very nice and talkative. While we were waiting for everyone else to board he called me to the doorway. He pointed out the beautiful sunset so I took a photo!

We did not stay at the Magic Kingdom very late that night. We rode some rides and went to Toontown to see who was in the Hall of Fame. No one new so we rode Goofy’s Barnstormer and headed to Frontierland to ride Splash Mountain. We had a big day planned for the next day. We were heading to MGM and the Bippity Boppity Boutique followed by a dinner with Cinderella and the pumpkin changing momma.

We rode the monorail back to the Polynesian where they were serving more of those great cookies. We grabbed a cookie and waited for the valet to bring our car. Love that Dining Experience card!

Off to our very own piece of the world where we would welcome ourselves home. When we arrived at the lot there was a big old red van right in my piece of the world! I huffed as I drove up and down the aisles looking for an alternative spot. I had to park by the front lobby. As I walked past the front desk I had half a mind to complain to the authorities that someone was in my spot!

Oh well, I guess that is what happens when you usurp the pizza guys parking spot. Power Rangers take me away!

 

[Tinker*Shell*Bell]

There were cookies at the Polynesian? I was there for 4 nights and never got a cookie.

Your pictures are great! I love Rachel and Jasmine...my 6yo son thinks she is cute...

 

[Disneyland_Mama]

Hi! Looking forward to your BBB adventure. I'm taking DD there when we hit the *world* next month. Would love to hear your take on it.
Thanks for sharing your great trip and wonderful family pics! What lucky kids to have a momma like you!

 

[tictoc]

We headed to MGM shortly after our call from Stitch. Sleeping Beauty stayed asleep on this fateful morning. It was a Star Wars Weekend but since we had dedicated the entire last visit to MGM to Star Wars I wanted to get some of the playschool stuff done today. We grabbed a map and headed to Bear’s House.

Of course Rachel met a little girl and when it came to dancing she got down with the best of them. Stevie managed to get a few moves in his groove, but Drew was determined to not dance! We watched Playhouse Disney and rode the Great Movie Ride and I noticed Drew was kinda itching to do something. He really wanted to play Who Wants to be a Millionaire but did not want to be selfish. I told him that I thought we could find time to fit it in. He is such a good kid!

We went to the Beauty and the Beast Show next. i love that show. It makes me so happy even though it is an abbreviated version. There was a lady that sat right in front of us ans she was wearing this really snazzy hat. She must have been a member of the Red Hat Society! Cracked me up!

sighhhhhhhhh

After Belle and her Beast we were off to see the action of Indy. Love him!

We managed to watch almost all of the shows and fit in some of the Star Wars stuff too. We did not get to see Ariel or Beauty and the Beast on this day, but I was determined we would see both on this trip!

We left around 2:30 to get to Downtown Disney where our resident princess had a date with beauty. We checked in to the Bippity Boppity Boutique where they made Rachel feel very special from the beginning. When we arrived at the check in the cast member retrieved a paper that read Princess Rachel. She was told to use the paper to choose which style she wanted. They gave us a light up disc and told us that it would be a few minutes.

We had brought our own Cinderella dress but we did not have all of the accessories.
You know Cinderella must have the latest in accessories. So in the time that we waited for the light up hockey puck to go off we grabbed up shoes a wand and a perfect crown. Drew had been regretting not buying a video game during our previous trip Down Town so we picked that up as well. Rachel seemed just as intrigued with the skulls that you could fill with eyeballs as she did with the crown and wand.

Just as we were paying for all of our loot and getting a whopping ten percent off with our annual pass the hockey puck started to shine. It was time for the not so extreme makeover.

The boys sat on the couch and played their video games while Rachel climbed up in the beauty chair. She chose the princess do. The cast member that made her up was really nice to her. The photographer also took our photopass card and took photos throughout the entire makeover. When you book you can purchase the $175.00 package that includes the costume and photos throughout the experience. We already had the costume, but I still wanted pictures. Apparently everyone gets pictures on their photopass card they just only offer that information up if you ask!

It was very quick to get hair, makeup and nails done. The entire process took about 30 minutes. Now if you do the full package you get photos taken and they actually print out a package of pictures for you to take. Everyone can get the photos taken for free. They just put them on the pass instead of giving you the prints.

The only negative in the experience is that to get the photos, you have to go to the Art of Disney Store waaaaaaaaay down from the World of Disney. Now, normally that may not have been a bad thing. Most people probably like to explore the stores anyway. The problem for us was that we had reservations coming up at Cinderella’s Royal Table and Rachel was wearing those really cute but not so functional Cinderella shoes! It did not help that it felt to be about 1000 degrees!

We did make it to the photo shoot and we did get some beautiful pictures of my girl! We made our way to the Toy store as well because one of the boys was looking for a very specific item. Unfortunately, I can not remember what it was!

More pics of Mini Cindy. . . these are for you Disneyland Mama

We would not have time to make it back to the room before our reservation and although the princess looked beautiful, the rest of us were kinda stinkiy! We ran back through the World of Disney and got some clothes! We picked up a Tink shirt for me and red collared shirts for my guys.

Now we needed to get those clothes on! We made it to the car and I drove to the back of the parking lot. I do not remember why but we all had clean shorts in the car! We pulled to the back lot and I told the kids to change in the backseat. Now I also had to change. I pulled off one shirt and put on the next without much drama. The shorts were going to prove to be a challenge. Just as I was changing the Disney Security car pulled up to us. I rushed to get everything tucked in and buttoned in time! The officer just wanted to tell me that I could not park sideways like I was!

No problem, we were leaving anyway! The boys really got a kick out of me almost getting caught naked in the Disney parking lot!

We headed to the Grand Floridian to park our Chariot so we could take the monorail over to the Magic Kingdom.

Into the Magic Kingdom and off to the castle. I was really looking forward to checking out the new show. We have eaten breakfast in the castle many times. We have also eaten dinner there, but there was never the show before. The thing I was very much looking forward to was the photo opportunity and the lithograph. The first thing we did was take a picture with beautiful ‘Rella herself. She was so beautiful and of couse my clan made her even more so.

The waiter came to the table and he was nothing if not unfriendly! He was very snooty in fact. He took our orders and even managed to roll his eyes a few times. Halfway through the dinner Rachel decided that all of that Bippity Bobbity Boutique paraphernalia was just too much. She demanded that stuff be removed from her hair right then. I removed the hair pieces so that we could enjoy dinner.

The “show” left a lot to be desired. It consisted of the Fairy Godmother and Suzie and Perla dancing around the tables. Because our table was on the outer rim of the room the Fairy Godmother barely made it past our table. There was no stopping for photos much less autographs. The castle is beautiful and I love the atmosphere. I almost fell as though the show took away from the experience. I did enjoy the photo with Cinderella and the complimentary lithograph but I think I will stay with breakfast from now on.

After dinner we rode a few rides and headed back to the hotel. As we walked down the sidewalk we found yet more evidence that a hobo was staying amongst us. Clothes were scattered amongst the path.

It is the end of June the 3rd and our trip is almost over. Makes me sad, but it has already been a very funfilled vacation. As we drifted off (of course the Power Rangers were guarding over us) I thought of how lucky I am to have such a great family. We have so much fun in the world and I am sure there was some bickering on this day, but who can remember all of that when you feel this good? I am lucky with my not so Disney husband too. Even though he is not a Disney fan, he allows us to go and have a great time. It is a sacrifice to go two weeks without your family around.

So, until the 4th where we will try Animal Kingdom again. . . . . maybe!

 

[UtahMama]

Bibbity-Bobbity did your DD's hair so pretty! I am a hairdresser so I KNOW
What did you do about your snotty waiter who's eyes were dramatic??? That's alot of $$$$ for a drama queen waiter! I hope that happens to me though. I'm all prepared to handle snotty CM's.

Hurry with Animal Kingdom. I'm anxious!

Love Ya-
UtahMama

 

[tictoc]

Okay Utah Mama--I told him that he was taking a little bit of magic out of my trip! He replied that he did not meean to chastise my lady! That was that--We had fun to spite! Hey Mama you got a few days before you go--get to makin' a hat!

 

[Boo99]

Hi Rhonda,

Loving the report. But you better hurry with this one because soon you will have to write the next one.
Rachel looks absolutely adorable, a real princess.

Too funny about you and the security guard almost seeing "all" of you. Thank god you can get dressed fast!!

See you in "our normal spot"!!

Sue

 

[novdisneydreams]

The boys really got a kick out of me almost getting caught naked in the Disney parking lot!

Still loving your report! Your kids are adorable You know they should come up with some kind of BBB type thing for boys - like a place where they can get dressed up like a Pirate or Peter Pan or Tarzan or a Prince and get photos in different scenes. My boys would love that - Or is there already a boy thing that I just don't know about?

 

[tictoc]

no nov disney dreams--(hey I will be there in November too) there is nothing like it for boys. They sell costumes but that is it. They have the boys room that they really talked up on the phone, but when you get there it is some pirate stuff and video games for sale! Not quite equal!

Glad you are enjoying the report. I must finish for I leave to go back in 6 days!

 

[Disneyland_Mama]

Thanks so much for the photo's, it looks like it was a fun experience for you little princess! DD loved seeing your little princess all made up. She looks beeeeutiful!

 

[Lil' Grumpy]

.........ha, i been trying for the past week but it's been one
thing or another...even sick..me> ]

[so i've been entertaining myself by re-reading your funnies..they
always lifted my spirits!... {i'll bet i read this 10x,and still finding
new stuff each time!]

why so determined?...cos it drawn on me [ ] that this has been
more than a magnificent report....rather a great guide on how to do a
disney vacation right! [..truly, an expert @ "play",
by any imagination including walt's! * from a beginner, reports
like your's, utah's #1 mother, hucfier's, hauntygirl's, are signifiicant better
than benbahn [respectfully mis-speelled & i been readin them since 99].

here's a tippo..when trying to help others [lackin disney knowledge-like me],
i used the things from your guys reports..hope that's okay?

my personal take from reading others'? is learning all the tidbits that makes
up a sucessful vacation versus a "failed" investment...i also think there are
many chosing not to do disney secondary, lacking knowledge instead of
money. upmost, is variety..in that if one set forth certain prefect
expectations,will only increase the rate of feeling doom...go!, with hopes and
the willness to make changes...will lead to unexpected magic.. something i learned from this most excellent trippie!


doing disney right, is doing it your way! that is, best for your own family interests?

oh,boy--do i like yours ever more! [& hoping you share your next one too!]

insighty.. it most likely because iam not a real disney fan compare to
the experts on these boards..but..my profession allows me to cross over
[just a lil]...& i do believe putting my feelings into the way i live life...which
explains why i think your report is so valuable...#1..not putting pressure
on my children to act a certain way and to respect their limitations..then
keeping one eye opened, to catch their reactions...#2.. a failed expectation
only resulted in a lil blimp,then a new/sometimes better opportunity for your
family..including those "acting poorly" around you.. "pardon me, get off of my
cloud!" ha! finally#3, only permitting your kids to be grumpy before becoming
sad..by reidrecting them back to ..& using the disney props!

thanks for sharing esp. the walk on the beach...talk about
bringing the magic home!.."i sure bet it made your husband felt .
actually, that is my all time moment reading here!

pic..wised..did you see? mr.huficer? hands all stretched out..
waiting for jasmine..just saying, i know what he meant! & then all the lil
..and brothers..hit home! ok? ,will trade sister..for
video game.. ,and the older one ..what all american boy
wouldn't, when it comes to jasmine? ..you certainly are a keen mother & one
heck of a disney guide [ stolen from dino..yep, reading your story, then
seeing your son displaying is hard-earned trophy..made me ...

i know many are wanting proper structure and reports formated to a
english class..problem is..life is sponateous and does not follow a organixed
order of events...poof,magic happens!..so to redo or put such restrictions,
will lose alot of the stories..the feelings..and disney knowledge. a big part of
the magic is helping others to find theirs? i know this* cos many times our
family was reacting the same way you was describing...like the lula, ours
rained too..unfortunatley...wiped up the ladies ..in front of us.. but leaving
us by ourselves...dead center! life can be so funny....& interesting...now if
they hadn't been so ,we could have "worked' them in...sometimes it
pays to have a attitude?


what others think can interfere with having fun...therefore, i try to make it
a habit to pass them on by...i forgot to mentioned, alot of my input is based
on my experiences. if i have listened to some, i would have missed out on
some of the best moments in my life...& some amazing adventures! disney
2 me, is all about "out to have some fun!" me>

some are surprises...2002..pre cruise show...chip & dale are working the
crowd..when our daughter [all of 4 y/o] yells out ..let's here it for "chipppie"!
it was so quiet just before..so her voice carried ..next thing i know, the
whole place clapping for "chippie"...who would've thought? to this day, i have
no idea what made her did that....except giving us the chance to her!

ok..you do realized there no way to comment on all the things? but..
your hair..was just like wishes! did you get alot attention from others?
..it also reminded me..@ mnnshp...we "all" got our face painting! our daughter
got a kick out of that..we matched up!

p.s...it is assumed your title from the commercial?

 

[tictoc]

Lil' Grumpy--are you sure you are grumpy?

 

[tictoc]

So we got up—you should know the routine by now! Stitch starts it out, we dress and load up sleeping beauty leave our very own parking piece of the world and head to the Animal Kingdom, right???? WRONG!!! I really really really wanted to ride Expedition Everest without the worry of what might happen to the kids while I was fighting the Yeti. So, the kids still do not know this. Of course, they will if and when they read this report. I had prearranged an in-room sitter. They were to come to the room and stay with Rachel while I rand to AK and rode Everest. I would return and pick her up and she would never be the wiser.

So here is how it happened. The sitter, a lady named Kim, arrived at 7:40. I was dressed and ready to leave. The boys were so sound asleep, and had not had a sleep in day yet. I decided I would leave all of the kids with Kim while I ran to the park. I left the room and got to the park early enough to be almost first in line. I went through the gate and watched Awakenings. It is a whole different experience without kids saying “pick me up” “Will you stop touching me”, etc. Don’t get me wrong, I live for those moments!

I ran straight to Expedition Everest and grabbed Fastpasses. Okay, get ready for the flames! I have two kids tickets and they do not require finger scanning. The cast member was not paying much attention so I scanned those two tickets in addition to mine. I was then able to get fastpasses for the boys since we were all coming to the park soon! The plan was to then to ride standby and return to fastpass line. Well just as I entered the standby line the cast member said that the train was down and they did not know how long but would not let anyone line up. Wow! All that money to pay a sitter so I could ride in peace and this was the outcome. Hmmph! I was tempted to stick around but I did not want the kids to be alarmed when they woke up and I was not there. I turne to walk away just as the cast member announced it was opened. I raced to the front of the line. I rode it in peace. I took lots of photos on the ride! It was so much fun. The first time I rode I did not think it was that great. I guess because I was preoccupied. This time I thought it was fantastic. I giggled the entire way through the ride. There was a man in the seat beside me and he was getting quite a kick out of my reaction.

Oh by the way, the reason the line was closed is because they were filming the ride for some video!

I rode again on my fastpass. I had as much fun this time as I did the first time.

I raced through Asia and returned to my car. I jumped in and returned to the hotel and returned to the room with the kids never even knowing I had left! I got everyone up and dressed and we started back toward the Animal Kingdom.

We rode a few rides and and had a good time for all. Anytime I am in the Animal Kingdom, no matter what, I think of the song “Ugly Bug” Ball”. I love that song. I love Haley Mills and I just love the movie that song came from. So I walk through the hot park behind the fighting kids singing “Gotta crawl, gotta crawl, gotta crawl to the ugly bug ball!”

After just a few hours though the boys started to become a little sad that Star Wars weekends was over for them.

It was only around noon but we decided they were finished at Animal Kingdom for this trip. They asked if we could go back to MGM for another whirl at that Star Wars stuff. So we got in our rented Trail Blazer and headed towards MGM.

The kids had a good time just walking through the store and the character areas. We had already gotten a lot of autographs, but they were just enjoying being there. The kids wanted to eat at 50’s Prime Time and we had reservations for Whispering Canyon for this evening and for 50’s for the 6th. I called and was able to get a reservation for 6:20.

We walked through the Narnia exhibit and I know it has gotten some bad press on these boards, but we absolutely loved it. In fact we walked through everything for quite some time after the other people had all gone.

After the exhibit it was time to head to dinner. When we walked out of Narnia one of those sudden but brutal Florida storms blew in. it was raining VERY hard. We were under cover and luckily the stroller was dry. This was the one day that we had not carried our ponchos with us! There was a sidewalk vendor across the street and she had ponchos. We ran across through the rain and got wet to buy ponchos so that we would not get wet. I am not sure where the logic was on this day. The poor cast member was trying to move this huge display of shirts that were getting rained on. So, my good sons set out to help. We all helped her lift the display and move it to dryer land. After we had our ponchos we thought we would try to make it to the restaurant. Now there is quite some distance between where we were and 50’s. But hey we had ponchos. I had covered Rachel and the stroller with an adult poncho.

As we walked across the open area around the hat, it looked as though no one else was in the park. Suddenly the rain tripled in strength. It was really coming down and those ponchos were not built for monsoons. There was a cast member running across a few feet from us and he yelled something about the rain and that it was the first day of hurricane season!

We made it to 50’s and parked the stroller. I covered it with the poncho and hoped for the best. It was a rental so I knew it was built to last!

During dinner we were lucky to have been seated between two great families. To our right was a family filled with teenagers. They were having a blast! On the left were four adults and behind us were their four children. It soon became on big party. I ordered the herb fried cheese from recommendations on the boards. Now I must admit I thought it to be kinda gross. Just not my cup of tea. Our waitress made several comments about being overworked. I do not think it was just part of the act. She really seemed disgruntled. Earlier in the week a local had told me that Disney was down many employees and I think maybe some of the cast members were picking up too many shifts. There was still more than our share of magic, but we did seem to run into some Grumpies that were not dwarfs.

I do not remember what everyone ordered, but I do know that I ordered the fried chicken. Now I really wanted to try that out. It was like a whole freakin’ chicken that thye brought out. Steven had agreed to share the chicken when we ordered and we would still have a lotleft. One of the kids at the table behind us was really upset that she had not gotten the chicken. She was whining because she was still hungry. I think she had shared a meal with her brother. So, I offered our extra. The mother happily took me up on it. After all, we had extra plates so we had not eaten around or touched the chicken. I think the father was a little embarrassed. Now here is the funny part. The father was embarrassed to take the chicken, but when I explained that we would have three uneaten, unordered desserts he happily ordered one of those humungous sundae with popcorn things. The kids behind us split two sundaes.

This is where it gets weird. I think the waitress was a little ticked that I ordered desserts and then gave them away. We never received our check. It was taking forever. So when the waitress came by I explained that we were on the dining plan and could we just give her the card now. A few minutes later this really hateful manager approached our table. She said that it was obvious that my kids were children and should have ordered off of the kids menu. What? They make you pay adult meal prices for the dining plan for anyone over ten and I had paid an adult price, should have been allowed to order an adult meal. Drew does not eat chicken strips and hot dogs he eats salmon. Now, I remember what he ate that night! She huffed a little more then left with my card. She finally brought it back and she had taken four table service credits off. We only had three meals. I explained this to her and she said that they did not allow sharing. I told her I knew that was wrong. She finally gave me my credit back.

When we left the restaurant it was already after eight and the park closed at nine. We headed to see Ariel sing lalalalalalala.

After the show we went into the Art of Animation. By the time we got to the area where the Cars cutouts were we were the only ones left in that whole area of the park. We took some cute photos and just walked around a bit until the cast member told us they were closing.

We made our way to the front and shopped a little. We were scheduled to return here on the sixth so we would have one more day at MGM. We finally made our way to the car and drove the very short distance to our hotel. I was a little regretful however that we had skipped out of our reservation at Whispering Canyon. I love that place. Can I have some ketchup please? We will definitely head there during our September trip and I won’t let anyone stop me!

We pulled into our piece of the world and made our way to Power Rangers dreaming.

 

[tictoc]

This entire day was spent at Magic Kingdom riding and re-riding all of the rides and watching all of the shows. This was one of those days where everyone is completely content. The day started by arriving before the park opened. The cast memebers had a game of Princess Hopscotch set up for the kids to play. rachel had so much fun that I bought her a set for her birthday. Hmmm I wonder if that was a ploy?

When it was just a few minutes until opening Steven realized he had to go to the bathroom. The cast member, the same one the retired nurse that had helped with the bloody Heeleys, let us run to the restroom by the Town Hall. When we finished we were yards ahead of everyone else just getting into the park!

We rode everything many times. The kids fought and I danced and sang down Main Street. About mid day my phone rang. It was Steven’s friend and he wanted to make sure Steven was having a good vacation. They talked for quite some time. Steven was sitting in the stroller with Rachel talking on the phone while Drew and I enjoyed watching the barbershop Quartet.

We also got an opportunity to see that princess from under the sea.

We also went to see the kinda weird Tiki Room. I prefer the original one myself.

this is for you David!

After riding and watching and playing all day it was time to head to 1900 Park Fare for Cinderella’s Royal Gala. We took the boat to the Grand Floridian. This is where it gets kinda funny. As we were walking up the path to the restaurant Steven told me that it hurt to walk. I figured out the culprit must be a heat rash! I did not have anything to treat it with. I went to the gift shop and found some Balmex. Of course I also bought Princess Rachel a beautiful new dress to wear to the meal. I did not eat the buffet, but I love that restaurant. There was a couple with their barely adult daughter sitting next to us. They were not real happy about being sat next to a family of kids. They never said anything directly, but made it obvious. Hmmm, did not really care. THIS IS DISNEYWORLD PEOPLE!!!!

Steven was really starting to complain now. I gave him the bag with the cream in it and told him to go to the bathroom and take care of it. Now you can imagine where this rash is. In all sincerity he asked Drew if he would go and help him put it on! I laughed so hard. Drew’s reaction was priceless. He looked at him and quietly said, “For this one bro, you are on your own.” Of course when I started laughing that got the boys and Rachel started as well. Rachel was really going nuts. I am sure that trio next to us really loved the seating arrangements now! So Steven went and took care of his own medical needs and we enjoyed the meal and some time with the crystal shoed celebrity and her prince. These characters were great. It was not overly crowded and they spent a lot of time with us. The prince was especially charming.

So after we ate, I politely turned to the table next to us, the table with the three kid unfriendly people sitting at it and asked if I could pay for their meal. After I explained that I still had several left over credits that would expire at midnight they obliged my request. We had finally managed to use all of our table service credits but still had seven counter service credits that would go to waste. Oh well, using up that dining plan is a lot of work and we had fought a good fight but just could not do it!

Drew wanted to go back to Magic Kingdom. He had early on in the trip requested that we visit the Virtual Magic Kingdom store and I had yet to take him there. I was not even really sure what it was. So we took the monorail over and went straight to that store on Main Street. We grabbed a rental and Rachel fell asleep. Maybe I need to get one of those strollers for her to sleep in at home. Somehow she manages to sleep much better in them.

So on to the subject of VMK. There were several computers stations set up and the idea was to create a character. I am not sure what the character does, but I do know that if you create it at the Magic Kingdom your character gets golden Mickey ears. So we create a character. At least two of us do. One of us slept in the stroller and one of us (me) sat on the floor next to the one asleep in the stroller.

After a while we realized there are some scavenger hunts that you can complete and earn furniture for your character’s room. We got the copies of the “hunts”. There were three different ones. We knew many of the answers but some you really had to look for. Drew said that he was satisfied with just completing one. He got the cards to match the quiz he completed. We got out of the park and transferred Rachel to her own stroller. We took the monorail to our car and headed to our waiting piece of the world.

We had 7 counter service credits left and fifteen minutes before they expired. Even if we just bought soda and bottled water it was a shame to let them go to waste. We headed to the food court area. When I thought about the bottled water still in the room I knew the right thing to do would be to give the credits away. There was a family getting in line with trays of food. I listened to their conversation long enough to know that they were just checking in and were tired. There were several kids in varying ages all of which had a pizza and a refillable Disney Vacation Club Mug. I pulled the mom aside and explained that I had all of these credits left and that if she would pay for the mugs I would pay for the pizzas and even throw in a dessert for each of them. At first she said I did not need to do that. I explained that if she did not let them buy my dinner she was gonna be wasting my hard earned money. Just throwing it away. So she obliged my request. I also threw in the bottled drinks. We had several left in the room. In fact, at check out we left several so it was not big sacrifice on our part. The funniest part was when she alked over and told her husband. He was so thrilled. What a great way to start out a vacation! Seven pizzas at 8 bucks each, 7 drinks at 2 bucks each and 7 Mickey Bars at 2.50 each. They saved a total of 80.00 the first night there!

The trip was really coming to a close, but we had done so much, had so much fun and I could lay my head on my pillow knowing I would only have to watch the Power Rangers two more times. I declared that after this trip I would never watch them again.

 

[javamom]

That's awesome that you shared so much of your meal credits on this trip, way to spread some pixie dust!

 

[tictoc]

So we are no longer bouncing out of bed it is more like dragging. Tigger would not be proud. The plan according to Tour Guide Mike was to spend the entire day at MGM. The plan according to Steven and Drew was to return to The Magic Kingdom and finish those other two Scavenger Hunts! So being the coolest mom in the fifth grade we headed back to the home of the castle. We did not quite make it to the castle however. We made it as far as the VMK store and got our hands on those other two scavenger hunts and we started off. The first stop was to see how many cats there are in the mural of Cinderella on the tunnel through the castle. Rachel did insist that we at least ride a few rides. As we got to the final hunt we realized those rides that are in that quiz are at Animal Kingdom so we left the castle house and headed to the land where bugs gotta crawl. We decide to just do what was at Magic Kingdom.

After we had all the info we needed we headed back to the Virtual Magic Kingdom Store to turn in our results. Wow, what an achievement. We had all of this virtual furniture. Four sets of it in fact because you get a set for each ticket that you have. Where would I store it all in a virtual storage room? My idea was to head to MGM like Tour Guide Mike planned.

So we headed to MGM because I wanted to spend a little more time in One Man’s Dream. That turned out to be a little dramatic. Rachel walked through the room and got very “nostalgic”. Now how much nostalgia can a four year old muster. She watched the video and started crying. She wanted to know what had happened to all of the old characters. I guess my girl is a tradionalist! We went to see old Sorcerer Mickey himself and then the Little Einsteins. Even those modern characters could not force a smile from that girl!

However, the boys wanted to play with their new toys. So we headed back to the Pop where they could play and I could pack for a mere $9.99 access fee to the internet. That is how we spent the rest of the night. Our final night in the world. On the computer playing with virtual characters in virtual rooms with virtual furniture. I packed all of our things and he kids had a blast on that computer. And all was right in the world—Mickey’s and ours.

Kids even said I did not have to watch Power Rangers tonight. Wouldn’t want to break that tradition. So those colorfully clad guys and gals sang me to sleep.

 

[tictoc]

Everything was packed so I called for a bellman to help get our stuff to the airline check in. I do not ride the Magical Express busses but I do check my luggage at the hotel. I am not sure if that is allowed and I do not intend to ask. Well, to my surprise bell service does not start that early. I had to go to the front desk where they gave me a hand cart to use. They made me sign a waiver saying they were gonna charge me like a million dollars if I did not return it! Like I would be able to check that with the baggage!

I got my luggage loaded up and went to the check it. This service was quick, easy and efficient. The employees were also very nice. There was still a man in line just a griping about the service. Everything about the service. A free bus ride to the airport without having to cart your own luggage. What the heck is to complain about man? Get a grip!

I returned to the room and woke everyone up. It was our last day and I wanted to get going early. As we headed to our piece of the world we bid a fond goodbye to our hobo. We never actually saw him, but we knew he lurked close by. Till next trip such sweet sorrow! Sorry to be saying goodbye to the world but glad to get home to Malcolm. Besides, I had another trip to plan!

We decided we would head over to Animal Kingdom and get some more furniture. It was okay ‘cause one of the questions led us straight to Expedition Everest. We grabbed the fast passes we would need. There was another question about Dinosaur. My kids hate that ride, but said okay if it is for virtual furniture after all! We headed to the dino ride and there was hardly a wait. We got to the boarding area and chicken err I mean Princess Rachel said—not so much. So we watched the boys board while we made our way to the exit. We also had to ride the Khali River Rapids to get a stamp on the paper.

When we had all of the answers we made our way down Main Street and inside the VMK store one more time. We turned in our quizzes and found out there was another quiz we had not completed. There were actually two more. One was trivia questions and one was a list of items to purchase. Now some of those items were easy and some were hard. We had to be in the car at 3:30 so that I would not suffer a panic attack.

On a previous trip to the world I had made it to the airport two hours early but had almost missed my plane. I was there without kids and I found a very small boy who was lost. I ended up spending about thirty minutes helping him find his family! Then as my friend and I were going through the security there was some kind of glitch and that took forever too! We were the last two on the plane and had to gate check our carry-ons! Needless to say, I did not want to miss the flight. We had nowhere to stay and Memorial Hermann expected me to be at work the next morning!

Drew had agreed that he would only complete one of the sheets. We ran through the park and finally got all of the answers. This was so hard. We had to read all of the words on all of the windows on Main Street. The answers were not obvious! It was now almost one and hew turned it in and we went to see if we could get into eat at Tony’s. That was such a great lunch. We had the best waiter. I have eaten there so many times and that is one thing that is always consistent good wait staff. While we were eating I ran over and dropped of my photopass card and asked to make a CD. I told them I would pick it up after I ate.

While we were eating I started to feel like I should have gotten that last sheet completed for Drew. He had asked to go to that store early on in the trip and I had not gone in. So, I casually said, ya know I really would like to buy those items on that list anyway. His face lit up. We swallowed the rest of our food and set out. We had to go to Fantasyland first and buy a shirt and then ew had to go to Tomorrowland and buy something I do not remember! Here was the hard part, we had to go to Frontierland and buy a ride photo from Splash Mountain. We had already bought several of those. I did not think we would possible have time to wait and then buy the photo. I explained it to the cast member and he slipped me two kid switch tickets! So much magic, so little time.
We grabbed the photo after the ride. We still had to buy candy in Frontierland and a pin. We rushed through and let go of the rest of our money. The little but I had managed to keep. It was being spent on $10 fudge! It did not matter though. We had all of our treasure! We could go home now knowing we had defeated both the dining plan by using all of our credits and the VMK virtual furniture gods by getting every last card! Wahahahaha!

So now it was over. We came. We conquered. We left. Headed to our car valet parked at the Grand Floridian. It was moments before our Trail Blazer arrived and we were headed to the airport.

The time spent at the airport was uneventful. Uneventful except that the plane was almost tow hours late! It was almost 8:30 before we left on our 6:30 flight. That gave us some time to sit and relax. It had been quite a sprint to get all of that virtual furniture. I am just glad it all fit in our carry-on. We met such a nice family. The teenage girl got a kick out of Rachel and occupied her the entire waiting time. I met this very nice man who worked in a church and occupied me the entire time.

The time on the plane was crazy. The plane was full. In fact they were buying people’s seats. Horsgirl could add to her riches! I however, wanted to get home. When we got on the plane we were seated in front of a family that took the six seats behind us. Steven sat by the window, Rachel in the middle and I on the aisle. Drew sat on the aisle across from me.

There was a baby behind us that cried the entire time. But also in her family was an obvious special needs teenaged girl. She started crying very hard about the time the plane started to taxi. We had not taken off and the flight attendants were still walking the aisle. There was a very sweet flight attendant that asked the mom if she could do something for the girl. The mom explained that she got nervous at take off but once we were in the air she would be fine. The girl continued to cry very loudly. I felt so bad for that family and for their two girls—both the baby and the teenager. That extra time in the airport was just too much. Another flight attendant walked up and told the woman, “You are going to have to do something about her. She is annoying the people around her.” I looked over at Drew’s row who was the people closest to her and Drew was reading and the two people next to him were asleep.

I said, “It doesn’t seem like she is bothering anyone to me. Is anyone bothered by this?” No one dared to say yes! The flight attendant turned and walked away.

We took off and as promised, the girl stopped crying. The baby did not. The mother was so stressed out, I asked if I could hold the baby so Rachel could play with her. It worked the baby stopped crying for the time that Rachel played with her.

Soon it came time for refreshments. First the nice flight attendant came by and brought sandwiches. She gave Drew two. The people next to him were still asleep and I think she thought he was with the man. I think she gave Drew his sandwich.

In a few minutes the mean, let’s just call her evil flight attendant came by with the drink cart. She started serving and the people on Drew’s row woke up. The woman asked if she could have a sandwich. He man, who obviously had broken English also asked for a sandwich. The evil flight attendant said “These people need to stay awake. I can’t be going back and forth on this huge plane getting sandwiches.”

The woman on Drew’s row said “Did she say what I thought she said?”

When she returned the man said “you know you should not be so angry. When you are so angry it makes you very ugly.” The evil one was very mad now. But she knew to keep it to herself. Utahmama would have been so proud of that man. So proud that he set that evil flight attendant straight!

The rest of the flight was uneventful. The baby kept crying, but I was numb to it by then. As we entered the landing the people around me started to panic. Several of them had to catch other flights in other terminal and because of the tardiness of our plane they were on a tight time limit. The woman with the special needs child was really upset. She was so worried about missing the flight because she just did not want her daughter to have to sit at the airport longer. The girl could not walk very fast and she was really afraid she would not make it. When we landed I got to the front and asked the flight attendant to call her one of those riding carts to take her to the other terminal. I told her she owed the girl that. I exited the plane not knowing if she had called or not, but I was hoping.

As we four very tired, very happy Disney vacationers made our way towards Daddy we got a wave by the family with the crying baby and the girl that could not walk very fast as they rode past us on their cart. It brought tears to my eyes really. Too much magic I guess! I wanted to shout out in victory that they would make their connecting flight!

We go to the baggage claim area and I always hate that mess. Just as we were coming up to the carousel they called my name overhead and told me to report to this office. I entered the office to find out my luggage had been left behind. It was still on vacation. I guess it just did not get enough fun! They said not tow worry they knew where it was but that it had gone to Connecticut! It would be home in the morning and they would deliver it to our house. Boy, now that was magic!

I told you that my day starts pretty early and I left my house the next morning at 5:00. I had to go to work so I could make some money for my next trip. It was after all, coming up pretty soon! It was only 83 days away! Around 9:00 Malcolm called to let me know that my luggage had been delivered and was safely at home.

What a wonderful trip!

 

[Boo99]

Hi Rhonda,

Congrats on finishing your trip report and I see you already started your next one. You did an awesome job!!

Hope you have a great trip again. Can't wait to see your next TR


We will be missing you in chat this week!!!

Sue