THAT WAS TOTALLY WICKED!!! The Incredible(s) Trip to Disney

[LegoMom3]

Sunday was another day that we didn't have to be up super early, so while the gang slept I took my usual coffee walk and enjoyed the POR grounds. Maybe a little slower this day. We were coming down to the wire, and while I don't like to think about departure day before it actually arrives, I gave it pause long enough to remind myself to slow down and really savor the moments.

Somewhere towards the end of the first week, we got new neighbors at POR. We didn't hear them, and except for one brief occasion, we didn't see them. We knew they were there because we could smell them.... No, they were not lacking in the personal hygeine department, and no, they weren't sneaking cigarettes out on the balcony. The mother was absolutely smothering the two children in citronella....

The discovery of this fact came early one morning while I was standing on the railing across from our door, sipping my coffee and enjoying the sun coming up, and just taking in the start of a new Disney day. This family emerged from their room, whereby the kids were directed to stand with legs apart and arms out, while Mom commenced the spraying. About this time I pretended that something at the far end of the balcony caught my attention and I made a leisurely stroll to put as much distance between myself and this stench as I could before I either passed out or started hacking uncontrollably.

Dude. Even at Fort Wilderness at dusk I never saw so much as one gnat... WHO needs that much bug repellent at Disney World????? Now, I know it's possible that this was sunscreen with bug repellent; it does exist. But honestly I've only ever seen that in lotion form. In my mind, citronella-scented spray = bug repellent. Period.

I could not imagine how these poor kids went through an entire day smelling like that. They must have been immune to it, is all I can figure. But it's a smell that lingers and lingers and lingers. When we went out that Sunday morning for our 10:30 ADR at Kona, we knew the Citronella People had already headed out for the day because the entire upper balcony of Building 34 smelled like a perfume counter gone bad.

Sometimes, when your day begins a certain way, you just know you should see the signs.

We arrived at the West Depot and waited just a minute or two for a Magic Kingdom bus. It wasn't crowded, so we hopped on to make our way to the MK and then the monorail to the Poly. At the next bus stop, there were were a couple of people on scooters. It took 30 minutes to load them on the bus....!!!!!!!!!!!

Stand by for my rant.....

The scooter use at Disney is Out. Of. Control. We saw them absolutely everywhere on this trip, to the point that we really noticed the increase in their use. Now please don't flame me for being unfeeling towards those who need them! But there needs to be a better system for handling them within the Disney transportation system. The bus system has enough quirks and challenges on its own; making people sit for a half-hour while a single bus driver loads up scooters is just insane. These people didn't even have a clue as to how to maneuver their scooter. The bus drivers certainly don't know. So what ensues is a melee of forwards and backwards and forwards again (and sometimes completely off the bus and back on at a different angle....... ) until they are lined up just so with the safety straps that tie them down. If you are on a newer bus that has a ramp and simply lowers to curb height, it's bad enough. If you're hapless enough to be on a older bus that has the lift system, you may as well get out and walk to your destination. I guarantee you'll get there faster.

*Rant over*


Fast forward to the Poly. We arrived with a few moments to spare for our ADR at Kona. I was lovin' the Poly and took a few moments to take a deep breath and refocus. There is nothing like a tropical atmosphere to make you relax.....

The atrium area at the Poly:

Entrance at Kona:

The boys getting pressed pennies:

We were seated before long and immediately greeted by the Best CM of the Week! Her name was the same as mine so we hit it off 110%. She sat right down with us and took our orders like we were old friends chatting about old times.

The coffee here was undoubtedly the best I'd had all week, and I wished I could walk from POR to the Poly. But that would be one heck of a coffee walk. Breakfast was very good and we'd eat there again. I was sad that I was missing out on the chance to have a Lapu-Lapu. Oh well, that's one for next time!

Hidden Mickeys in the carpet at Kona!

After breakfast we hopped back on the monorail and were off to the MK! It was a beautiful day, the rain bands from Ike were no longer a threat, and the day was promising.

And h-o-t......

We kind of wandered around aimlessly for a while. The Dapper Dans were out (score!!) so we stopped and watched them. At the end of their performance, I witnessed a Magical moment of a different kind that I will never forget. There was a woman next to us with a young gal who had some special needs. It was her 14th birthday, I believe, and she had met the Dapper Dans a few days prior. She loved them, and was back on this day, her birthday, to see them again. They remembered her, and when they discovered it was her birthday, they came over and did a rendition of "Happy Birthday" as only the Dapper Dans could, just for her! She was beaming, and DH and I nearly cried! It was beautiful. Sometimes, the magical moments you experience at Disney, aren't even your own.

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continued......



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[LegoMom3]

As we arrived at the hub and were just about deciding to head to Tomorrowland, some confusion was happening up by the castle, which we soon realized was a stage show of some kind. Now I am normally very averse to any stage show of any kind, but this was Mickey and the music was catchy, and besides all of my kids wanted to watch. So we found some blessed shade under one of those little overhangs by the water fountains and watched the show.

I also discovered that Mean Queen has a moonlighting job!....

At the conclusion of the festivities, we made our way to Tomorrowland. It was hotter than ever, so we sought out some cool: Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor. Funniest. Show. Ever. We loved this! It does help when the people who end up in the spotlight are really into it, and the guy who dances really, really got into it!! He was great!

I loved this inside the pre-show waiting area:

And Mike has his very own door, about 2-1/2 feet high!

A brief foray into Fantasyland resulted in riding the Teacups, the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, the carousel, and another visit to Mickey's Philharmagic. The line for Peter Pan was insane so we bypassed that one. I love it, but not enough to wait nearly an hour for it. We then returned to Tomorrowland and did the Speedway, Carousel of Progress, Space Mountain (DH and DS11), and of course, the WEDway...

And, yes, before long the heat caught up with all of us and it was time for a swim. We planned to return to the MK later on for the evening EMH, so a break was mandatory. But it almost cost me a long-awaited moment of this trip!!

We got back to POR around 2:00pm. As we took the stairs to the 2nd floor to our room, we realized and voiced out loud that the Citronella People had recently been by. We changed into swimsuits, crossed back through the cloud of citronella, and made our way to Ol' Man Island. It was a glorious afternoon. The pool felt soooo refreshing. We made several runs on the Olympic Water Slide, and swam under the water falling from the sluice. I was enjoying myself. So much so, matter of fact, that I almost failed to realize when it was after 4:00pm and we needed to be thinking about getting back to the MK.

As soon as I got back to our room, I checked my cell phone and sure enough, there was a message on it. From a certain DISer that I'd planned to meet. We played cell-phone tag 2 or 3 times until finally we connected! She and her family were still at the MK but planning to leave soon. It was their arrival day, they had been up since some ungodly pre-dawn hour, and their little nugget was nearing his breaking point. Well heck, they all were, but....! I was on a bus in no time and headed back to the MK. All was going well, until....

....we stopped at the main bus depot at POR and there were MORE scooter people waiting to get on!!!!!!!!! This time there was a whole posse of 'em. And boy were they steamed when the bus driver said he could only take two! But even still, loading two scooters on the bus took forever and a day. My dreams of meeting TarzansKat were fading very, very fast.

That single bus ride to the MK from Port Orleans Riverside took exactly ONE HOUR! Tell me my friends, what's wrong with this picture???!!! I have now sworn off Disney bus transportation from here on out. I'm done. No more. I will commit to memory the maze of Disney property roads, and drive my own car.

As soon as the bus pulled up at the MK stop, I was on the phone to TK. They were still there, but barely. I apologized a gazillion times and explained the hour-long bus fiasco. We remained on the phone while trying to find each other, until suddenly someone approached from behind... There was the usual screaming and yelling and laughing and hugging. We had the fastest meet-and-greet ever, there under the monorail at the entrance to the Magic Kingdom, but it was one of the best 5 minutes of my trip. Not only did I finally meet a DISer, but I met a DISer that I had already gotten to know here on the boards. Being able to put a face to the name was priceless to me.

We parted ways and my family and I headed through the entrance back into the MK for the start of our evening. We were full on hungry by now, having had a late breakfast and nothing but a snack in between. We knew exactly where to head for dinner: Casey's.

I'm not sure what it is about the lowly hotdog, but eating one in the Magic Kingdom while gazing at the castle that is beginning its evening show of colors...well, a hotdog never tasted so good. And the cheese fries....! Oh heaven. Death in a paper box, to be sure, but heaven. We found a table outside and sat down with our dinner and were once again accosted by ducks. Nobody was feeding them on purpose but honestly, there are so many things that spill that they have a virtual feast just picking around under the Casey's tables! Cute little things, actually.

When we had all finished eating, we decided a better viewing spot for Wishes could be had over on the walkway by the railing. It was perfect. We could see the castle and the zip line and all the sky. I did not want to be messing with my camera all evening, so I hadn't brought it with me, which is why I have no pictures of the MK this night. But I really was glad to just watch Wishes without trying to get the perfect shot. Suffice it to say, it did not disappoint. Wishes is Disney all the way, and if you somehow have been in the Magic Kingdom, and yet for reasons that would escape me have still not caught the Magic, you will by the time Wishes is over.

Cue the "all-kinds-of-warm-and-fuzzy"...

The rest of our EMH was awesome! We did Big Thunder Mt. twice, in the dark! We did the Haunted Mansion - at night!! That was super, super cool. There really were no lines for anything. The time flew by, though, and 11:00pm was approaching at light speed. We decided to end the night, and our last day in the Magic Kingdom, by taking a spin on the WEDway. There's just something about that little ride...

Now, this would be a great way to end this chapter. It was a great evening, we were all feelin' good, and there was nothing amiss. But it ain't over til it's over, as they say, and we still had to get back to POR. Getting out of the MK wasn't all that bad. The crowds were moving, so we moved with them. Our number was up, though, when we approached the bus stops.... The line for POR was unlike ANY thing I'd ever seen. Dude!!...what did EVERY one who is staying there come to the EMH??! Was there a secret POR gathering that we didn't know about?!! Seriously, this line was easily an hour long. It was late. We were tired. As we stood and contemplated our fate, the final nail was driven into this coffin by the sight at the front of the line: the Scooter People!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dude.

The very same little clan that we dealt with that morning on our way to Kona....

No. Way.

Right about this time, DH made the astute observation that there WAS no line for POFQ!! We didn't even have to speak. We motioned the boys to follow us, ducked under some railings, and reached the bus stop at the exact moment that a FQ bus was pulling up. We hopped on, rode to the French Quarter in a scant 12 minutes, hopped off there and took the ferry back to Riverside. All tolled the trip took maybe a half hour. We felt very smug. It was hard not to, even though we're not usually that kind of people. And so our perfect evening ended with a perfect boat ride along the canal...peaceful, magical, and oh-so-Disney.

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Next time: Our last day and a tour of the World!



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[Lady Lallie]

Do not apologize for ranting about the scooter people because I feel the exact same way. It's not that I mean to people who really need them it's the fact that they think they are entitled to ride the bus even though there are others who have been waiting longer. That really peeves me.

Sounds like a lovely day at MK and so happy you got to meet TK.

I am really scared about the buses now at POR. I am going to have to remember your little POFQ trick!

 

[jenjolt]

Wow I spent my lunch hour reading your trip report and finally now that the bell has rung I can finally reply!!

I'm loving hearing about your trip!! It makes me even more excited about my trip in January. The talk about Disney transportation is making me a little nervous. I'm taking a rental car so I'm starting to think it might be easier for me to use my car some of the time. I'm really glad I bought my GPS now just to make sure that it will recognize all the sites on WDW site LOL!!

Can't wait to hear out the last day of your trip went.

 

[TarzansKat]

And Mike has his very own door, about 2-1/2 feet high!

I love how Mike's door was previously the Maintenance closet.

As soon as the bus pulled up at the MK stop, I was on the phone to TK. They were still there, but barely. I apologized a gazillion times and explained the hour-long bus fiasco. We remained on the phone while trying to find each other, until suddenly someone approached from behind... There was the usual screaming and yelling and laughing and hugging. We had the fastest meet-and-greet ever, there under the monorail at the entrance to the Magic Kingdom, but it was one of the best 5 minutes of my trip. Not only did I finally meet a DISer, but I met a DISer that I had already gotten to know here on the boards. Being able to put a face to the name was priceless to me.

Seriously, no apologies were necessary. I was just so grateful I caught you before we left. My hopes of meeting you were fading fast as my little nugget got crankier and crankier! I really enjoyed that quick meet and greet, and it was a pleasure my dear.

I still owe you that photo, don't I?

I'm not sure what it is about the lowly hotdog, but eating one in the Magic Kingdom while gazing at the castle that is beginning its evening show of colors...well, a hotdog never tasted so good. And the cheese fries....! Oh heaven. Death in a paper box, to be sure, but heaven.

Dude.

So, so borg on this.

the Scooter People!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You just couldn't get away from them.

Now, I must say, Nana does require the use of one in the parks, and they can be difficult to manuver, but she's gotten fairly good at it over the years. No broken toes yet!

 

[LegoMom3]

Do not apologize for ranting about the scooter people because I feel the exact same way. It's not that I mean to people who really need them it's the fact that they think they are entitled to ride the bus even though there are others who have been waiting longer. That really peeves me.

Sounds like a lovely day at MK and so happy you got to meet TK.

I am really scared about the buses now at POR. I am going to have to remember your little POFQ trick!

SERIOUSLY!! And even if the ferry isnt' running for some reason, without kids in tow, you and Marc could do the walk in 10 minutes tops. It's not all that far and it's really nice!

Wow I spent my lunch hour reading your trip report and finally now that the bell has rung I can finally reply!!

I'm loving hearing about your trip!! It makes me even more excited about my trip in January. The talk about Disney transportation is making me a little nervous. I'm taking a rental car so I'm starting to think it might be easier for me to use my car some of the time. I'm really glad I bought my GPS now just to make sure that it will recognize all the sites on WDW site LOL!!

Can't wait to hear out the last day of your trip went.

....Wow! I hope you managed to get in a bite to eat, too!! Glad you've enjoyed it. I always start these things with such enthusiasm, but then life happens and I get more and more behind until I almost just want to toss it out the window. By this stage of the game, I wonder if I'm keeping people's attention anymore!

Seriously, no apologies were necessary. I was just so grateful I caught you before we left. My hopes of meeting you were fading fast as my little nugget got crankier and crankier! I really enjoyed that quick meet and greet, and it was a pleasure my dear.

I still owe you that photo, don't I?

Yes. Yes you do... Do you still have my e-mail address?! Or, I could come pick it up in person!...

You just couldn't get away from them.

Now, I must say, Nana does require the use of one in the parks, and they can be difficult to manuver, but she's gotten fairly good at it over the years. No broken toes yet!

I don't have an issue with people needing to use them. And I certainly don't have the answer but the transportation system as it is just can't handle it! At the very least, the bus drivers need special training on the basic operation of a scooter. When neither the bus driver nor the person IN the scooter have too much of a clue on how to maneuver them, it just isn't pretty....

Then agian, it is entirely possible that all the scooter people on Disney property that week were staying at POR, and nobody else has these issues!


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[TarzansKat]

Yes. Yes you do... Do you still have my e-mail address?! Or, I could come pick it up in person!...

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Oh, I may be tempted.

Hmm...I just don't know if I have your e-mail anymore.

 

[mommytothreeboys]

Just finished reading your TR in one sitting and wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed it. I also have three boys...duh!! We made our first Disney trip in April of 2007 and also fell in love with POR. We are so looking forward to going back this coming April! I teared up reading your description of your first park day....I SO GET IT! We are 4 1/2 months out and I am way too excited...how will I ever pass the time! Thanks for the great trip report...looking forward to more!

 

[creativeamanda]

Great addition! And, silly me, I get all teary-eyed about you meeting TarzanKat!

Anyway, I completely understand about the scooter situation. Apparently, there were complaints about it with POR/POFQ, because when we were there, if there were scooters getting on a bus, they would board 2 buses at the same time, with the lines moving much faster. I do agree the situation is getting completely out of hand due to the fact that I think people are renting them without having ever driven one.

 

[Mean Queen]

I also discovered that Mean Queen has a moonlighting job!....

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You caught me! Now you know how I can afford to go to Disney all the time. I put on a full blown Malificent costume and walk right in through the CM entrance.

I agree about the scooters. Nuf said.

My DH has been the dancing guy at Monsters Laugh Factory. He really got into it. Our friend was "that Guy" on another trip. I want to be the one that buys churros one day. Goals. I haz dem.

 

[Vexorg]

Just read through the whole thing (so far) and I've enjoyed it. I can definitely associate with the part about getting rained on since it happened the last time I went to Disneyland, but if you can live with it, it's not that bad (and can really cut back on the lines too.) Even so, I'd like there to be some sun when I go in a couple of weeks, because there's plenty of rain to go around up here already.

 

[LegoMom3]

That title is the name of a song from the original "Chronicles of Narnia" soundtrack, which has become a bit of a theme for me with this trip. I even put together a slide show on my computer and used tracks from that album for the musical score. Brings me to tears every time.

But even though we've come to the end of my trip, and, thankfully!, the end of this poor little TR, it really is only the beginning of the adventure for me.

I'm looking forward to 2009. Aside from the Disney trip, 2008 was not kind to the Lego clan. I bid it adieu and will not look back. Every new year arrives full of promise, but the reality is that none of us really know what it will bring. I hope and pray that this is the year I finally get to move. I hope and pray that 2009 is the year that finds me in Florida. Or at the very least, south of the Mason-Dixon line! Cold winters do nothing for me, and seasons in New England are over-rated to me. Probably because I've grown up with them. Just sayin'.

As you can tell I'm waxing nostalgic today. It may not be the best time to attempt to finish the TR, but it needs finishing so it can be mercifully laid to rest and we can all move on in our little lives. Or at least I can. I highly doubt this is anything more than a diversion to the rest of you. To me, it's become a burden, and it's time to be done.

I don't have another trip to Disney in the works. I can honestly say right now that I have no idea when we'll return to the Happiest Place on Earth. Again, I hope and pray it's this coming year, as Florida residents with APs, but only God knows if that will happen. So letting go of this trip is just that much harder. Which is why I made a slide show with the "Chronicles of Narnia" soundtrack for the musical score.

But I digress....




The last day of a trip is always the hardest to write about, I find. It goes without saying that part of that reason is due to the long-awaited and every-detail-planned out trip is coming to its inevitable end. Which no one wants to happen.

But it does.

Our last full day was spent at Epicot. We arrived around 11:00am, due to having been out late at the MK the night before. We slept in (well, the men did...I was up for my coffee walk as usual at 6:00). We headed first for Spaceship Earth. Remember we still needed to experience the complete ride. NOJapaneseaudio. Everything was functioning properly this time and since I was riding with DS8, it all went off without a hitch.

Except I am in mourning for the old audio track. Just not feelin' this new one. It lacks the detail and intensity of the Jeremy Irons narration. I felt the scenes were rushed through (audio-wise) and if you never experienced the old SE, you would have little idea of what the scenes were really about. It's HISTORY, man! Disney seems to be in such a hurry to get to the "modern" day of communication, that it blows right by the timeline that brought us here in the first place.

So. Sad.

I snapped this photo of the Roman soldiers when the ride came to a brief stop. Please remain seated in your Time Vehicles. The ride will resume shortly.

DS8 absolutely cracked up over the interactive screens at the end!...this was his favorite part:

And, upon exiting:

We didn't linger in the post-ride area, since we had done that already and wanted to devote most of today to World Showcase. We had lunch at the Electric Umbrella, then made our way over to begin our tour of the World within the World.

All this needs is the monorail to be the perfect shot!

Our first stop was Canada. I don't know why but we always tour WS in a counter-clockwise direction. It would end up saving us a lot of back-tracking today, though, since we had a 4:30 dinner at the Biergarten in Germany. Good strategy!

We did see the new "O Canada!" film, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It helps that I like Martin Short, but I felt that this "upgrade" accomplished what it should have: freshened up the film without losing what it's all about. The kids also had Passports so we had to find the KidCot stops in each country. They really enjoyed this. I grew weary of it after about 4 countries... But the completed Passports really are a neat souvenir, and most of the CMs wrote something in their native language, which the boys thought was way cool.

Meanwhile, back in Canada:

On to the United Kingdom!

We ended up having a lot of fun here, and would have stayed even longer than we did if we weren't on a schedule. We saw Piglet and Eeyore while at the FunStop, and had a really great time browsing the shops. I bought a stuffed "Owl" from Winnie-the-Pooh to add to my collection at home. DH bought some Beatle's "Yellow Submarine" t-shirts and a mug for one of his brothers. According to our Times Guide, the British Invasion was due to perform in just minutes so we pulled up a patch of shade on the side walk by the gardens and watched the show. They were fantastic!! The boys were able to get their autographs afterwards, too, which was a big highlight of the day for them.

Mary Poppins!....the boys didn't want her autograph but I wanted a picture:

(Continued next post....)


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[LegoMom3]

After the UK, we toured France, Morocco, and part of Japan before needing to head to Germany for our early dinner. Nothing funny or spectacular or unusual happened in any of those countries, so I'll just post some pictures for your viewing pleasure:

We arrived in Germany with time to spare for our ADR, so we gave our name and had a seat on a bench where some cool air was mercifully blowing down on us. Don't get me wrong, I love, love, love the heat, but a cool breeze is just plain refreshing and feels oh-so-good when you've been pounding the WS pavement for 3 hours!

We were seated down on the main level with two other gentlemen. They were friendly but not overly talkative so there wasn't much interaction after the initial greetings. Which was fine by me. It's noisy in the Biergarten so conversation is difficult. DS11 got a front-row seat for the show and was all kinds of excited about that.

This guy is AMAZING!!....love the cowbells...

And, possibly my favorite picture of the entire trip - DS6 raising his glass of rootbeer!...

(Continued next post...)


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[LegoMom3]

After dinner at the Biergarten, we backtracked to Japan to finish touring there. We spent a disproportionate amount of time in the store, mostly due to the uber-cool stuff for sale, especially for three Pokemon-loving lads!! I really liked it, too, and could have spent more time and money there than I actually had. In our search for the FunStop here, we found ourselves in the tin toy museum. This was fascinating, I thought, and worth a look if you find yourself in Japan in Epcot!

I saw this in the coy pond:

Looking across World Showcase from Italy:

We continued our tour of the countries with Italy, USA, the train village next to Germany, and finally on to China....

....where it became exceedingly apparent that DS8 and DS6 were not going to last for Illuminations. Since I had seen it on our last trip, I was not going to push them, but rather I volunteered to call it a day with them and the three of us would head back to Port Orleans. We did a whirlwind tour of Norway (including Maelstrom) and Mexico (NOboatride) on the way by (had to get those last two Passport stamps!) and made our way out of World Showcase. The clouds that had been building for the last couple of hours were now putting on quite a display of lightning, and I wondered if DH and DS11 would actually get to see Illuminations after all.

I was enjoying Epicot at night as we strolled our way towards the exit. It's every bit as magical as the MK, in my humble opinion, and maybe more so in its own way.

The next morning, I was up for my last coffee walk of this trip. I took my camera with me and took the long way around to Riverside Mill. I walked slowly this morning, savoring every sight, sound and smell, wishing I could bottle it all up and save it.

So this was it. In a few short hours we'd all be back on the Magical Express bus (which is not-so-magical when it's returning you to the airport...), then on a plane and bound for home.

Sitting here now, more than 3 months later, I can say that I would have no idea then, at the end of this trip, how much it would come to mean to me that we were able to take it. Life has dealt us a hard blow, and it's so good to be able to look back at this trip and have the memories.

It truly was "Totally wicked!!!", which is a phrase not uncommon in my born-and-bred-in-New-England vocabulary. Only now it means something just a little bit different. Because for one brief moment in our lives, we were The Incredibles, and our family was a family of Supers, and it just doesn't get any better than that, my friends.

Thanks for reading.

Final Incredible Quote:
Dash: That was the best vacation ever! I love our family.


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[2xcited2sleep]

Awww. It's over? It's really over? Well, I'm so glad you finished b/c I've loved reading along with your family.

Sorry that 2008 wasn't the greatest. Here's hoping that 2009 will bring you sunny skies, warm temps, FL resident passes and lots of trips to see the mouse!

Great final updates. In random order:

LOVE the photo of DS hoisting a pint in Germany!

I agree, Epcot is just as magical as MK.

ME definitely not as magical in reverse.

Great photos!!

Thanks for sharing your trip with us!

Oh and great ending to your TR. You are the Incredibles and it sure sounded like the best vacation ever!!

 

[Mean Queen]

The trip may have come to an end, but you will have those memories for a long time. Plus, you'll make more when you move down here this year. I'm going with the power of positive thinking. I'm positive you will be sitting in shorts and a t-shirt, like I am, next Christmas.

You are a great photographer! You really tell a story with those alone.

 

[Lady Lallie]

Awww. This last update brought a few tears to my eyes. You have a such a great family. Though I am a little miffed your boys didn't want to see Mary Poppins.

 

[lovegrumpy]

 

[susieq76]

Great Trip report! We made the move from NY to NC last year and are lovin it! I hope you can make the move soon!

 

[mommytothreeboys]

Loved your TR! I'm sorry that 2008 was not your year, but here's to 2009! It's always nice to have a fresh start! You've inspired me to begin my own Pre-Trip report...I'm sure it won't do yours justice! Nice Job....and Happy New Year!