SuPeRcAlIfRaGiLiStIcExPiAlIdOcIoUS

[thornton0511]

Hate the Magic Carpets​

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We were up super early this morning for EMH at MK. Man I love morning EMH at Mk! We got a lot of rides in and it made the rest of the morning very relaxing.

At some point Sydney got to meet Jasmine
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Then, since we were already right there, the family decides that we should all hop on to the Magic Carpets. I have an unnatural fear of this ride so I am not too excited about going on a magic carpet ride at this point. Now I can get on Dumbo no problem but for some reason I feel like I am going to fall right out of this ride and its just high enough for me to break my neck on the way down...then you add and extra ride button that will allow your carpet to tilt on top of going up and down..... But you see my family knows that I hate this ride and not only are they not sympathetic to my fear they think its funny to tilt the carpet as much as the ride will let them. Ha ha its all funny until mommy falls out of the carpet, then we will see who is laughing But I was brave and sucked it up long enough to survive my near death experience. I will say that after the ride my DH did try to make it up to me with one of these and one of these

That did make me feel a bit better
At this point the crowds were getting a little heavy so we decided to head over to Old Port Royal for some lunch.

The kids each had their own hot dog pail, and DH and I each had a hamburger meal. The food served it purpose and we used 4QS credits for this meal.

Up next hopping on over to AK...

 

[thornton0511]

A Day of Park Hopping Continues​

After lunch we decided to head over to AK for awhile to catch some rides and the afternoon Nemo show...which we unfortunately missed on our last trip. It was awesome by the way! Sydney had to ride the "Dino Dumbo" and so while she and DH did that Cory and I decided to give Primeval Whirl a spin. Man that ride is rough on your back! Good grief! It was fun though and we laughed the entire time.


Now what day would be complete without hitting 3 parks in one day....exactly. So we booked it on over to HS and had dinner at Sci Fi....and it was pretty yummy! I will say that even though this place was really neat it's a one time thing. Especially if you are on the DDP. Unfortunately for me though I was out voted for our upcoming trip and we will be venturing over to the drive in for another dinner . Ah well take one for the team.



After dinner we rode Star Tours about 20 times.....no kidding. Apparently my three children (DH included) decided they wanted to see if they could get all of the different ride sequences in, and after crashing on Hoth one too many times I was pleading with the Disney gods to please just let us go to Naboo once so it could all be over...and then FINALLY happened . I seriously rode this thing enough times to where I am good for the next few visits....seriously. Soon enough we were back and the resort finally getting a much deserved sleep.

 

[thornton0511]

And the Rain Rain Rain Came Down Down Down...​

Today was our planned full Animal Kingdom day. We had gotten a little taste the day before and we were ready to go back. The first thing we did was go on a safari...and then it starting to sprinkle.... If you remember our last trip we had only one day at AK and it poured relentlessly that day. I tried to stay positive about the situation though. After the safari we tried to do all of the things that we missed on last years trip just in case it decided to rain again, including Kali River Rapids. I really wish that this ride was a little longer. It just seems like if I am going to get that wet on a ride it should be worth it right? The kids got to meet Baloo and King Louie and they were adorable

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At this point I was feeling pretty confident about the things we had accomplished, especially with the dark skies that seem to loom over us all morning and then...... It was like deja vu. We ended up getting stuck on the jungle trek in the viewing area for the tigers which was better than nothing, but after quite a while we realized we may not ever get to leave dry so the ponchos were on and we "trekked" though maharajah. We needed a dry place to wait it out and since it was close to lunch time we decided to stop in at Yak and Yeti.....as did every other sopping wet person in Asia lol . Good thing we had our Landry's card because that wait looked LONG. We got to eat upstairs with a view.

The food here was very good!
First I started out with one of these....

The kids each had chicken tenders

DH had the steak and shrimp

and I had the crispy honey chicken

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The rain had finally gone from a down pour to more of a steady pour so we found our way back on the bus to CBR to rest a spell. Tonight was EMH at MK and we were really hoping for some with the weather...

 

[thornton0511]

Magic Kingdom All Night Long
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Believe it or not the rain actually let up in time for us to enjoy evening magic hours at MK and we were so happy! The park was open until 1AM and we had planned to stay as long as we could. On thing I have learned though is if I let our kids stay up waay past their bedtimes they act very silly. It's really fun to watch them...and I would rather them act silly then get cranky.

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At some point we needed to eat dinner and decided on Pinocchio's Village Haus. the kids each had pizza, as did the DH, and I went with the chicken caesar salad. The salad was surprising good, and the others seemed to be enjoying their pizzas.

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The kids decided, after they ate, that it would be funny to make faces through the window at the poor, unsuspecting people below trying to enjoy IASW. I assume most people would just wave to our fellow boat travelers but my children would rather make monkey faces....

Overall we really did enjoy being at the MK during EMH. The crowds did seem a little thick but we were not bent on trying to get a lot of rides in either. One of our favorite family moments of the week was sitting on a curb in frontier land sharing popcorn and just being in the moment. I love Disney.

Next up....Hollywood Studios and a star wars experience

 

[thornton0511]

May the Force be with you ​

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With only two full days left at Disney, and having a Star Wars obsessed 10 year old, we knew that we had to attend Star Wars Weekend at Hollywood Studios. So that is where we found ourselves this day. We had two things on our mind and that was to meet as many characters as possible and see the star wars parade. We managed to do both quite well too.




It was a very interesting afternoon to say the least and Cory had the time of his life! It was definitely his moment. Sydney had a good time too I'm sure.

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Up next...Dinner in Mexico and Illuminations

 

[thornton0511]

Dinner in Mexico
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After spending the day with Wookies and Jedi warriors the plan was to hop over to Mexico to have dinner at San Angel. If you have ever been on the boat ride in Mexico you have probably wanted to eat at San Angel at some point...tonight was our night. I knew that we wanted to request to sit by the water (as most people do I'm sure) and that there was a good chance that would not happen, but can't hurt to ask right? We walked up to the podium to check in and there was a man and woman griping BIG TIME to the two hostesses about one thing or another so we patiently waited until they were through trying to make the two hosts feel stupid about adding people to their party but not expecting to have to wait longer that their reserved time to be sat, and yada yada....some people. So when my very charming, spanish speaking husband approached the two women and ,very politely, checked in and requested a water table well.....

a water table we received. Always be kind to your host or hostess.
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We had a lovely dinner and it was one of the best themed dinners I have ever experienced.



And now without further ado.....the food

the husband and I stared off with these


the kids had the chicken tender meal


DH had the carne asada...yum and whatever this was for dessert


I had the nom nom pollo a la rajas and some kind of caramel dessert
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I should mention here that even though we were on the dining plan my DS was not was not at all an adventurous eater on this trip and stuck to eating kids meals whenever we were not at buffet type meal....he has told me that he is not planning on eating chicken tenders and hamburgers this time around though lol.

After dinner we were just in time for Illuminations and it was not crowded at all so we were able to get a good view from where we were in the Mexican Pavilion. Tomorrow would be our last Disney day....

 

[thornton0511]

A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes​

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We woke up for what would be our last day with a surprise for Sydney. Every trip we take we try to find something special for each of the kids to do. Yesterday's surprise had been Star Wars at Hollywood Studios, and today Sydney was getting to wear her Cinderella gown and eat breakfast in CINDERELLA CASTLE!

We had ressies before the park opened too so I was excited about seeing the park without the hoards of crowds running, I mean walking quickly, down Main Street Sydney had her dress on and was ready to meet some princesses!

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Even after watching timeless you tube videos seeing inside the castle in person is absolutely breathtaking. So beautiful.
So after meeting Cinderella herself

and walking up the royal staircase

Sydney finally got to meet all of her friends

Sydney likes Belle a lot because she likes to read like her but her heart belongs to Ariel...she loves this little mermaid so much

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I managed to get a few pics of the food including

the pastry plate (they apparently had discontinued the fruit bowl)

the stuffed french toast

and the lobster crepes....which apparently it was too early in the morning to be eating lobster so they were not fully enjoyed​

With our bellies full we bid the princesses farewell. We were now on a mission to pack as much Magic Kingdom fun in as we could...

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[thornton0511]

Snacks, Squirrels, and Sugar Rushes​

We spent the afternoon at MK enjoying our last day and trying to get in as much as we could but also trying to just take everything in and enjoy our time there. Sydney and I went to meet Tinkerbell and Vidia

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and at some point we had to go to Sleepy Hollow so I could try a funnel cake....nom nom nom

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we witnessed a squirrel try to steal an entire waffle from a small boy at one of the picnic tables. The guys are fearless
After the funnel cake we girls waited for the boys to get out of the haunted mansion (Sydney is still a little hesitant about this ride) and Sydney apparently had a sugar rush from our snack....

My silly girl ​

After a while the day was getting hot and the park a bit crowded so we decided to head back for a rest, but the fun was not quite over yet because we had dinner planned at Epcot and another EMH at MK to look forward too...

 

[thornton0511]

It's so Hard to Say Goodbye​

After having some resort time we took a bus over to Epcot because we were having our last Disney meal at the Coral Reef. When I was little I remember on Full House when the Tanners went to WDW and I have wanted to eat at this restaurant ever since . I also wanted to stay at the Grand Floridian and have Uncle Jessie sing to me while playing the grand piano, but eating at the Coral Reef seemed more realistic. We did ask to sit by the fish tank but ended up one row up...not too shabby at all.

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For some reason I do not have pics of the meals only the desserts but I do remember Philip and I having the steak and I have no clue with the kids lol. For dessert we had cheesecake, the chocolate wave, and the kids had some sort of chocolate cake.


After dinner we headed back to MK for EMH. The park was closing at 2am and we were in for the long haul. It was sooo much fun and at some point I know we were Disney delusional and well that was fun too.

We got some great ride photos from Splash Mountain. (Yes my kids hate this ride but somehow we manage to always talk them into "just one more time")

Philip and Sydney 2nd row
Doesn't she look excited...


Our family last two rows
I have no idea what kind of face that is on Cory lol​

At promptly 2am we left kicking and screaming and I am sure at some point I probably had a toddler type temper tantrum on Main Street and refused to leave....just kidding. In reality my age probably kicked in and with my legs and back sore I realized that I was too old to be up and park touring at 2am . Either way our Disney vacation had come to its conclusion and it was time to say goodbye .

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I think this is the part when we realized that Disney had now become a part of who we are as a family and that we would have to somehow find a way to make this part of our lifestyle. Its now what we do...its our thing. Sure at some point we may change and find interest in other things (ha not likely ) but for now this is how we enjoy spending our time together and will continue to return. Love Disney....just love it

 

[thornton0511]

On With the Show​

So now that everyone has had a glimpse into our past trips its time to get back to the current one.

Day One: Friday, Dec 6th​

We have an early flight out of DFW, which is about a 2 hr drive for us, so we will be getting up when everyone else in the world is sleeping...but since we are getting up for Disney I think we can make the sacrifice. This will be our first time to use DME and I am really excited about this. I cannot wait until we see this:

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Hopfully we will be seeing this around 11am:

After checking in and leaving our bags we will quickly hop on a Disney bus and head to my favorite:
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I figured that this would be the best park for our arrival day since we won't be able to make rope drop and arriving around lunch time. Epcot does have EMH this evening but since we just taking it easy today I am not too worried about the crowds. Plus if they have fastpass+ rolled out by this time I might schedule ride times for Test Track and Soarin so we can get those in too....

Speaking of lunch time we have our first ADR for Biergarten @12:10pm and yes that means that I have been moving my ADR's around..... We decided not to do hoppers after all this year and that meant that I needed to move some dining plans around. Biergarten was a last minute change from Chefs de France and I think we will be happy with the decision.

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So my thinking is after we have had our fill of Epcot for the afternoon we will go back to the resort (hopefully be in our rooms) and rest a bit before going to have dinner at....

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The one place that I am really excited about trying this time around is Wolfgang Puck Express so that is where I am hoping we can have dinner.The food looks so good from the reviews I have seen.

nom nom nom​

That's pretty much it for our arrival day, but day 2 will start with an early EHM.....stay tuned....

 

[thornton0511]

Hollywood​

Day 2: Sat, Dec 7th
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For our second Disney day the plan is to head over to Hollywood Studios for morning EMH... which I know sounds a bit crazy to go to HS with morning EMH but I am really hoping that the crowds will not be too bad, and we will be there AT rope drop. Plus we have an ADR at:

Sci Fi @ 1:25pm​

I was not really excited about eating here since we already have once and there are so many places we have not tried yet, but I was over ruled by the family and plus DH really wants his parents to experience this place so Sci Fi it is...lol.

Since we are not park hopping this will be our only true day at HS and we have a lot to get in this day. Not sure yet if that means and afternoon break or just staying at the park until the 8pm closing...but we definitely want DFIL and DMIL to see:

Fantasmic!
And also I really want to see:
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So I still need to see how to fit all of this in. Either way it will be a late evening so for dinner we will probably end up going back to AKL and eating here

so that I can see what all of the hype is with these
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So that's Day 2 stay tuned for Day 3 next...

 

[thornton0511]

Welcome to the Magic Kingdom!​

Day 3:Sunday Dec 8th​

I really did not want to wait until our third day to visit the Magic Kingdom but we wanted to make sure that the first time DFIL and DMIL saw Cinderella Castle and walked on Main Street was special. Plus if this is your first time ever you have the see the build up from....

The Welcome Show​

The first time we went to MK we saw this show and the build up they do before letting you in is fantastic. I still get goosies thinking back to Casey Jr comin' down the track and hearing the train whistle. Then seeing Mickey and all the other characters for the first time....I cried like a baby walking into the park . We want that for my DH's parents.

Sunday seems like a good day too with MVMCP it should not be a very busy day. Plus the day before, on Sat, the MK is open really late so hopefully most people will have this park checked off their list for a least a day or two.

We will get to experience a first with this park too this year in the form of:

but not before we ride...

favorites​

Up next where to eat lunch on your first Magic Kingdom day.....

 

[thornton0511]

A Neglected Pre Trip Report ​

I am ashamed to admit that I have been neglecting my pre trip report....August came like a whirlwind and unfortunately updating this got left out in the cold. This month has been very busy but good busy for the most part. My DH and I celebrated our 13 year wedding anniversary for one.



We took the kids to the zoo as a last minute thing before school started

And then Monday the kids started school, with my oldest now officially in Middle School.....

Now we have 14 weeks until Disney and I am determined to keep this thing going. I am going to take a break though from posting plans only because I am still making changes on a daily basis so I might just end up letting out plans be a surprise for the trip report lol....sorry. The good news is that we started our Disney Movie Nights tonight and are planning to do one a week until we leave so I will be posting those! Stay tuned

 

[thornton0511]

Disney Movie Night

DUMBO
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We had our first Disney Movie Night and decided to kick things off with Dumbo! This is my favorite of all the Disney classic movies. Dumbo and I go way back. When I was a toddler in the 80's my grandparents bought the VHS for me and I watched it over and over until they finally had to hide it from me and tell me it was lost.....happy to say it was "found" and we were reunited once more. I still have it too

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When I went to the world as a teenager I of course had to have my pic with Dumbo and my grandfather.

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When my son was a baby "baby mine" was the song I would sing to him when I rocked him to sleep. Yeah, I guess you could say I kind of like Dumbo...
So anyways we decided to go with a circus theme for the food....

Hot Dogs, Old fashioned Root Beer


Nutter Butter "Peanuts"


and of course popcorn to go with the movie

I also thought it would be cool to serve the food "under the big top"


So the night was a hit and we really had a lot of fun.
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Now only 13 more weeks to go!

 

[DisMomJill]

Your Dumbo movie night looks like a lot of fun. We have tried to have movie nights, but DD loses interest very quickly.

 

[thornton0511]

Your Dumbo movie night looks like a lot of fun. We have tried to have movie nights, but DD loses interest very quickly.

Awww thank you Jill! So far we only have the one under our belt so we will see how many of these we actually accomplish in the next few months lol!

 

[thornton0511]

Disney Movie Night #2
Pinocchio
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Tonight's movie is everyone's favorite wooden puppet....PINOCCHIO!

I really had to do a little researching and heavy thinking on this one. I found a recipe for Pepperoni Stromboli and DD helped me put that one together...





She also made the cards for the food.

There really was no decor for tonight's movie just food themed after the movie since it was a school night.



To go with the Stromboli we had.....


Pinocchio's Pretzel Bread


Cleo's Crackers


Geppetto's Grapes


Wish Upon a Star Cookies

We are really enjoying this once a week and it makes the countdown a lot more fun and also makes the time seem to go by a little quicker! Planning on having another this Sunday night so stay tuned!!!
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[thornton0511]

Disney Movie Night #3​

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

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I am doing really well with having a movie night once a week but horrible at updating my PTR so thanks to anyone who might be following along and still have any interest in my adventures in planning .

This particular evening we found ourselves in the hundred acre woods with none other that Pooh Bear and his friends. Love love love this movie from when I was little and can never get enough of the ride at WDW .So without further ado I give you the food....

Honey....yum yum


Eeyore is my favorite


Gotta have veggies!


These were fun to make and yummy in the tummy

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TTFN.......

 

[thornton0511]

Disney Movie Night #4

Toy Story

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My mother-in-law wanted to take a crack at this movie night thing so tonight was her night. She did really well too, and I was very pleased with her creativity. Plus its fun to see the grandparents get in on the fun too . Since we no longer have any toy story toys Duffy got to make his appearance in his woody costume. Anyways here we go.....

The centerpiece decor for the table. I loved the attention to the characters in the movie that she incorporated...someone really did their Disney research


Toy Story Alien Cupcakes....very nom nom


"Pizza Planet" Pizza


Group Photo....we all had our sheriff badges and bandannas ​

We will be having another movie sometime this weekend and I will try my best to post it ASAP this time if anyone is still out there....

 

[thornton0511]

Disney Movie Night #5

Peter Pan

C'mon everybody here we go........


















Hope you enjoyed!

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