The Blakes Bombard Disney! Ten Days of Food and Fun!

[choirchic]

Hi Everyone! Just got back from Florida Yesterday and I can't WAIT to get my pictures uploaded and share our adventures with you!

 

[Bama mom to 3]

Can't wit to read all about your adventures

 

[disneysis2]

want to hear more about not so scary...we want to try it on our next trip. hope you have lots of pics

 

[choirchic]

Can't wit to read all about your adventures

Yay! My first reader...welcome!

want to hear more about not so scary...we want to try it on our next trip. hope you have lots of pics

I only have a couple to share from this trip, but have PLENTY from last year and the year before...if you'd like to see them, send me a Private Message and I will be happy to share them with you!

 

[OhioDisneyLover]

subbing......

 

[choirchic]

subbing......

Yay! Thanks!

My husband is sorting through the pictures as we speak...I took a LOT since I had a new camera. Can't wait to share!


STAY TUNED!

 

[choirchic]

Hey there fellow DISers! Welcome to my trip report for the 2010 Blake Family Vacation!

This was a unique trip for DH and I ...we've only ever been to Disney together, but this time there were 9 of us!

All together, there were 6 Adults and 3 Children...and most all of us were celebrating something!

Before I get too ahead of myself, let's introduce the cast of characters:

First of all, there's me and DH...we were celebrating our 5th Anniversary!

Then there's FIL and MIL...they are the real reason for this trip.
They were celebrating their 40th Anniversary and decided a family trip would be a good way to celebrate! Yay!

We also have BIL and SIL...they were celebrating their 10th Anniversary.

Finally come the kids...The eldest celebrating his 10th birthday, the middle celebrating his 5th birthday...

And the youngest...well, I guess we were just celebrating his 1st trip!

That's it for introductions...now stay tuned for the travel portion of our report! Until next time...Thanks for Reading!

 

[OhioDisneyLover]

Nice intro! Waiting for more.

 

[choirchic]

ROAD TRIP! Except for one small detail...All of us were driving from different states...

The Parentals were driving from Baltimore, BIL and SIL were driving with the kids from Alabama, and we were driving from Charlotte.
We drove halfway to meet up with Mom and Dad just outside of Savannah, GA in a little place called Richmond Hill.

"Little Town...It's a Quiet Village..." Oh, Sorry, Back to reality.

We spent the night at what I thought was one of the nicest Best Western's I've ever seen.
It was clean, there were free drinks and cookies in the lobby, there was a pool, and it was pretty quiet. I'd definitely stay here again.

I neglected to get a picture of our room, but here's a pic of the outside.

We met up with some friends that evening and had dinner at a place called Molly MacPherson's. It's an Irish Pub and they have pretty good food.
I would have taken a pic of the food but I was a little nervous. (I wasn't in Disney so I was afraid people would look at me funny )
Here's a pic of the outside...

The next morning we had breakfast in the Hotel Lobby...it was free and it too was pretty good. There were waffles, cereals, muffins, and all kinds of juices.
I didn't eat too much as my Pixie Dust was starting to kick in and I already had a ton of energy!

Here's a pic of Mom and Me getting ready to leave. I was wearing my Phillies Gear as I'm originally from the North. (GO PHILS!)

As we were about to hit the road, I spotted a license plate that read "DISNEMOM"
I thought that was pretty awesome, and just knew it was the sign of a good day ahead of us!

Before I knew it...we started seeing signs!

 

[jpmandan]

I'm onboard.

 

[choirchic]

Nice intro! Waiting for more.

I'm onboard.

Yay! Welcome!

 

[choirchic]

We arrived in Orlando just in time for lunch...had a quick bite to eat, and then it was time to check in to the time share. We stayed at the Cypress Pointe Grande Villas. It's a quiet and relaxing place, and it's just outside property near Downtown Disney so we really didn't have to drive far. DH and I have stayed here before so I didn't take pictures this tip...but it really is nice. Here are a few pics from the last time we were there:

That evening we went to Downtown Disney for dinner. We decided to go to Earl of Sandwich.
It was a Saturday, and MAN was it packed! I've never seen the line so long!
It was wrapped around several times and then stretched way back into the kitchen store next door!

A few of us stayed in line while the rest of the family stalked around for a table that would accommodate all of us. Lo and behold...there was a whole area at the back of the restaurant before you get to the kitchen store that no one was using. It had a high round table and a ton of tall counter space. We couldn't believe that with that type of crowd, no one was using it. but we grabbed it and enjoyed our dinner.

(I tried the Tuna Melt for the first time...it was yummy! I usually eat the Caprese Sandwich, but was in the mood for something more substantial )

After dinner, we settled in at the time share for a relaxing evening. Tomorrow was our first full day in the parks...Studios it is!

 

[choirchic]

Our first full day was Sunday, October 3rd...I told the family I may have a surprise for them, so they had to be at the park at a certain time. What I really did was let them sleep in while I woke up early to get there for Rope Drop and get in line to Audition for the American Idol Experience!

I didn't want them to know unless I made it, so off I went! I was worried when I got there, because I had never seen so many people at Rope Drop! But there was only a few people ahead of me when I got to the audition area...I guess the rest of the crazy people were racing to get their Toy Story Fastpasses!

I went into the first audition in this little tiny room, in front of this little tiny judge (no kidding...I think my left shoe weighed more then this woman) I did a little bit of singing for her, then I went off to sing for who I guess was one of the producers. I got to rehearse with a track and then sing a little more a-capella for her...unfortunately I was told I'm more suited for the Broadway stage or Disney then I would be for American Idol. I took this as a compliment...and walked away with a little souvenir.

By this time it was after 10am and the family was finally getting to the park. We went our separate ways today...BIL, SIL, and the Kids when their own way, and Me, DH and the Parentals went another. Mom wanted a little something to eat so I took her over to Starring Rolls. She and Dad were wearing their Anniversary pins so they ended up getting breakfast for free.

After this, we walked around for a little, and then got Dad to go on the Tower of Terror. It was a blast!

We also went to see Beauty and the Beast, ate a quick lunch lunch near the Toluca Legs Turkey Co. (Nothing picture worthy or worth writing about) grabbed fastpasses to Rock N Roller Coaster, then went over to actually watch one of the Idol Shows. After that, we met up with the family, used our fastpasses and by then it was time to discuss dinner.

Some of us were hungry, and others weren't so we decided to go our separate ways and meet back up after dinner to get in line for Fantasmic. I wanted to show Mom and Dad the Beach Club, and I promised my oldest nephew some Ice Cream, so off we went to the Beach Club.

We ordered a few burgers...

Then got dessert...

Hey...I promised the kid Ice Cream didn't I?

He was so excited, and we ate every bit of it!

After Dessert we trudged our way back to the boat to head back to the Studios for Fantasmic. Here's a pic of two very full boys!

It was a little more then an hour before the first show when we got back, and can you believe that it was already "standing room only" We decided not to wait for the second show and called it a night. We let our nephew ride with us and went back to the Time Share to relax. All in all, it was a pretty good day!

Tomorrow we're headed to the Animal Kingdom for a Tusker House Breakfast!

Stay tuned!

 

[choirchic]

Hi Eveyone! I hope to post more this evening...Animal Kingdom is fast becoming one of our favorite parks!

 

[pinkxray]

Joining in.

I have to try Beaches and Cream on our next trip. It looks so good!

I have a hard enough time dealing with DH and DD on our vacation. I don't think I could do a grand gathering.

Can't wait to see AK.

 

[choirchic]

Joining in.

I have to try Beaches and Cream on our next trip. It looks so good!

I have a hard enough time dealing with DH and DD on our vacation. I don't think I could do a grand gathering.

Can't wait to see AK.

Beaches N Cream is one of my favorite places to eat. We go every trip!

Taking a large group to Disney is not something I'd like to do on a regular basis, but it was nice to experience. You just can't expect everyone to stay together all the time. Breaking the group up and going our separate ways definitely helped!

 

[choirchic]

Welcome Back friends!

Our next full day was spent at the Animal Kingdom. I snagged an ADR for Donald's Safari Breakfast at Tusker House, so I forced the family to get up early. When we got to the Animal Kingdom, the line went smoothly and we got through the gate shortly after we got there.

We made our way up to Tusker House and Got in line to check in. I was a little nervous because there were a lot of people in front of us, but apparently everyone was waiting for their photo with Donald. I told the hostess that we weren't interested (The picture costs extra...it's not included in your price for food) so we were seated in only a few short minutes.

If any of you out there are looking for a good Character Breakfast, that's a little different from the rest, I highly suggest this one. Not only is the food good, but the characters are in Safari gear, and there is great interaction with kids (and big kids too!)

Here are a few of our pics:

And the obligatory Mickey Waffle...

The restaurant knew we were celebrating, so they brought out a little surprise for the kids.

They were given cupcakes (for breakfast! awesome!) and birthday cards signed by the characters. It was a really good time.

We were sufficiently stuffed, and ready to get out day started! Upon leaving breakfast, we decided to head straight to Kilamanjaro Safari.

I highly suggest you take a look around as you leave this restaurant. You never know what you might notice!

Especially this sign! I would definitely be coming back later in the day to investigate this more!

Stay tuned for our Wild Adventures around the Park!

 

[choirchic]

As I mentioned in the previous post, we went straight for the safari. Mom sat this one out as she doesn't do rough or jerky rides (and for those of you who don't know...this can get rough when that driver starts going fast! I caught air a few times on some of those bumps!)

Being on this ride for the first time with children was totally amazing. I really enjoyed hearing them get excited about all of the animals we were seeing. It was a lot of fun. Here are a few pics of what we were able to see that morning:

Breakfast and then Safari was a great way to start the day!

After the Safari we made our way through the park to the Maharaja Jungle Trek...but not before a few photo ops and stopping for some fun!

On our way there...my husband quickly pointed me in the direction of a small crowd...I had to look really close at what they were trying to see, but finally I spotted her! I FINALLY got to see DeVine!!! I've been to Disney World more times then I can count, this was the first time I saw her! I actually almost missed her...she was on her way out. This isn't the best picture, but it was still really cool to see her!

Now we finally got to the Trek. This is a walking attraction for those of you who havn't done it, there are some really cool things to see in here!

We went straight to the bats, which kinda freak me out but are still fun to see.

We found a cool bench to sit for a little while and SIL thought this was the perfect opportunity for a few family photos.

We got a couple "goofy" ones:

And one pretty good one of the boys:

And now for the best part of the Trek! The TIGERS!

After our Trek, half of the family went on the Rapids ride, while the rest of us chilled in the shade for a little bit.

Our next plan was to head on over to Everest!

I got to ride with FIL while DH sat this one out to spend time with his Mom. It was kinda funny because me and FIL both had our Anniversary pins on so the Cast Members would hesitantly tell us Happy Anniversary. It made me laugh, but I think FIL was a little uncomfortable. Either way...it was kinda funny!

Since the kids couldn't ride Everest we wanted to do something fun for them, so our next destination was Dinoland. This place was a big hit.

By now, the park was starting to get hot and crowded, and it was almost time for the parade. We decided to separate. Me and DH walked Mom around to do some shopping and since we were over there, I decided to explore that previously found "Beer" sign.

That sign took me next to the Tusker House to the Dawa Bar! This is my new favorite place to cool of in the Animal Kingdom! Me, DH, Mom and Dad sat down and each couple shared a delicious, cold, and sweet Dawa Colada. Yum! I didn't get a pic of the drinks because they didn't last long, but here's the bar:

Our trip to the bar made for a nice end to our day in the Animal Kingdom...that evening we went back to the time share to relax, and Mom cooked a delicious dinner for all of us. Minus a few melt downs and a brush with lost and found, it was a pretty good day!

Tomorrow...some adult time at MK and Dinner at T-Rex

 

[choirchic]

Hi everyone...I might not get to post an update tonight, but definitely stay tuned. We had a great time in MK and an awesome dinner with the kids at T-Rex and I can't wait to share it with all of you!

 

[choirchic]

Hello again...our next full day took Me, DH, BIL and SIL to the Magic Kingdom while the kids stayed with FIL and MIL.

It was midweek, so MK really wasn't too crowded...and the weather was magnificent! I couldn't believe how pretty it was!
We made our way up Main Street, and stopped for a few photos.

We came across the funniest Photo Pass photographer and he made us laugh so hard that people were staring at us!
It was a great way to start the day...

We made our way around to Pirates of the Carribbean and were so excited to see that Pirate Goofy was out and about. I've always loved his interration with people, and this time was no dissappointment. He's a hoot if you ever get to see him. He wouldn't stop kissing my head!

Our next stroll took us through Liberty Square and over to the Haunted Mansion. I love all of the new additions to this place. It's turning out to be a really cute ride. I was excited to take pictures of the tombstones with my new camera, but they were all blocked off. I wonder what that's about!

We went back through Liberty Square and after making the guys pose for me, we decided it was time for a snack.

DH and I wanted to share one of our favorite spots with BIL and SIL so we took them around to Sleepy Hollow. This is one of my favorite snack places...funnel cakes, ice cream cookies, floats and more. I was excited to see that they were all decorated for halloween too...including the food!

(This is not orange ice cream...it's ice cream dyed orange for halloween! )

After our snack we walked out to Tomorrowland past all of the construction. I took a few pictures to show people that it's not too bad...and if you take the time to read the signs, there's some fun information about what all is being built.

Here's what I'm most excited about seeing after the expansion is done...

After some fun over in Tomorrowland, it was about time to head out to meet the rest of the family for dinner at T-Rex.
On our way out of the park, we caught a good spot for the afternoon parade!

All in all, it was an awesome afternoon!

Stay tuned for Dinner at T-Rex and then a trip to Jellyroll's with the parentals!