The Ever Morphing Trip Report

[GeminiAngel]

What an amazing show! I cried . All warm and fuzzy inside.
Everyone loved it so much.

Now we all head back to Mom & Dad's at OKW until dinner. Lorraine has had a sore leg/knee all week and Dad offers to remedy it up for her. Back in the day, Dad was a masseur at a health club. Sometimes he still thinks he is :no:.

Off to OKW

Now, I'm going out on a limb here. These videos are just wrong! We are a very sick bunch & there is a partial curse word (so if that offends, please don't watch). You can hear Dawn laughing in the back ground like a hyena :lol:. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQTXSaCCyeA

The part where I say "I feel like I'm shooting a porno" was out of Nova's earshot. (just so ya know :wink
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COf60LbvZ_8

I take Nova back to our room to change into her Belle gown. Its cold out, but she doesn't care. Lorraine and the gang stop at the ATM. And on the the boat to DTD.

Dawn and Nova

And finally, our destination!

Mom, Dad, Kev, Nova, & Me went to Fulton's for a nice family dinner.
Lorraine and gang were still undecided about where to eat.
Jimmy & Barb were to eat at Wolfgang Puck's, DTD, after a great day at EPCOT.

I had the grilled filet mignon w/ demi glace, garlic mash, and a side salad

Nova had the kids filet mignon with rice on the side instead of mashed potatoes, which she hates!

Now for the good stuff that I'm allergic to. :frown:

Kevin had the alaska king crab claws & australian lobster tail

Mom & Dad had the best!
Louie Fulton's Ultimate Crab & Lobster Experience for Two

They were so WOWED!

But were able to handle it :thumbsup:.

Fulton's came to around $267 for all 5 of us.

----------------------------------------------------

After dinner we met up with D-L-H, then J & B by Stitch at World of Disney.
Jimmy and Barbara looked very annoyed. And I could tell ya why. The National High School Cheerleading Championships was in Da House! These kids were loud, and everywhere :tantrum with stick:!

Shopping was not fun. We all became separated. Nova tore through her money, and we all parted from the area. Jimmy and Barb threw in the towel for the evening and walked back to SSR. Dad & Kevin jumped on the boat back to OKW. Us ladies (and Tristan), walked out the parking lot. Lorraine was looking for the Hess station that one of the bus drivers told her about.

Looking to buy cheap smokes and beer for Dawn. We made it out to the main street to find no sidewalk :whistle:. Dawn was now talking about forgetting the whole thing and Lorraine wanted to press on, both of them were annoyed with each other. Nova was really starting to wind down and getting a bit cranky, I wanted to get to the store and get back to the room asap before her big crash.

We spot the Hess station off in the distance to our right towards MarketPlace.
We started walking through the parking lot all the way to Marketplace. Dawn could not judge how far off the street the Hess station was. Then the fight started. Dawn and Lorraine argued on and on. Lorraine took off by herself to the Hess station. Dawn & Heather with Tristan. Mom, Me & Nova went off to the buses. I was so worried about Lorraine. But of course she was fine, and needed to get away from Dawn for awhile.

Coming up: Finally all 11 of us! a perfect day!

 

[topdog]

Great report!!

It's so nice to spend quality time with family members at WDW. I am so jealous.

 

[GeminiAngel]

Sunday February 8, 2009 - touring day 5

Hollywood Studios
6:55pm ADR O'Hana
EMH at MK for 9pm Dis meet


Oops! We overslept a wee bit. I grabbed Nova and pulled her into the shower with me because today she must wash her hair. That is at least a half hour ordeal in itself . Special shampoo, special conditioner for 5 mins, special creme rinse for 2 mins. We jump out and I try to squeeze the water out of her hair :no:. Sit her on the toliet, and pull out the blow dryer

.

Off to Mom & Dad's for a quick bite to eat. Finish blow drying Nova's hair in their bathroom. And out the door all 5 of us go! Dad's neck was much better now that the weather was warming up. I told him he could handle the walking at DHS, the park just seems much smaller. I called Dawn while we were walking to the bus stop and got her voicemail. Then called Jimmy and Barbara, they just got done eating breakfast at ABC Commissary. So here it is 9:45am, finally on our way!

I am amazed at how I could just take or leave this park. I enjoy the shows, but it just seems to missing some sort of spark.

I give Dawn a call again, and get her voicemail again.

Where the heck are Dawn and her crew?

 

[GeminiAngel]

We decide to head to The Great Movie Ride. Jimmy calls me while were in line, and tells me we'll meet at the exit, and reminds me its their last day :frown:. Guess its gotta end sometime.

Mom & Dad just flipped over this ride! All the old movies. They even like the corny live action scenes .

It was so nice to watch Dad finally enjoy an attraction. He loved the Alien scene the best. Nova hid her head in my lap

.

Jimmy and Barbara

I call Dawn again, voicemail! Oh well, the show must go on. We head towards Toy Story Mania only to learn standby is 60 mins. FP return is for 4:15. We will be gone by then. Great planning on my part. I don't know why the return says 10:46 in the photo. The tickets printed 4:15.

A face only a mother could love :no:

I really want to see Light Motor Action and I didn't have a park or show guide with me. Again, great planning I lead us in that direction cause I figured the time would be posted in front of the attraction. On the way, we stopped in the little gift shop over by where the Monsters greet is. Figuring I would pick up a park map and show guide, which I forgot to do

. Instead we dropped a little coin. Mom bought some gummy snacks, Nova got die-cast Disney ride vehicles and Disney transportation vehicles. Barbara got a plush Lightning McQueen for her nephew. And we goofed off, of course.

Dad holding up the pole.

Just as we were about to leave there, out comes Sully! Great photo op!

Lights, Motor, Action said the next show time would be 1:00. Nova had to use the potty at this time and I found my favorite bathroom!

Barbara just thinks I've lost my mind at this point.

Once exiting the restroom I see people lining up along the curb and find out HSM3 is going to start soon. So we grab some sidewalk, and Dad grabs sidewalk that is in the parade route. I tell him he can't be there. Dad just shrugs. Sure enough this happens

What a great show this was!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6zJANWWgOk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQuv52IpdoI


Coming up: A date with Beaker & Where is D-H-L?

 

[GeminiAngel]

Sun February 8th - Continued


After HSM3, we wandered through New York and San Fran.

Then we stumbled across Muppet's 3-D. No line? In we go. Growing up on the Muppets would make you think I would have seen this show before. But for as many times as I've been to DLR in CA, I've never had an interest to see it. Jimmy his brother Mike and I used to watch the Muppet show together sometimes. So with Jimmy by my side, I had to see this show. I am a huge Beaker fan. :biggrin:

My, my. Did we laugh our heads off! Barbara said she just loved watching me and Jimmy laugh at the exact same parts. We looked like 2 kids. Nova enjoyed it, but did not really know all the Muppets.

My ode to Beaker:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDFgtFXfnv0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpcUxwpOQ_A

Following Muppets, we stopped in the gift shop. MrsKSomeday (aka Tracy)
told me where to get a great Beaker tee. I decided to have that and a Fozzie Bear plush that Nova liked sent back to OKW. They were kind enough to include the purchases of the die-cast vehicles from the other gift shop, so I wouldn't have to carry that bag around the rest of the day. Now that I recall, Nova had also bought a small Eve plush from the first gift shop.

Timing was now on our side! Finally! We had just enough time for lunch before Lights, Motor, Action! We spotted Pizza Planet across the way, looked at each other, shrugged and headed over. Poor Barbara was stuck ordering and carrying everything herself. Jimmy was glued to the video games :lol:. Our gang made its way upstairs and chowed down. I must say it was really, really good pizza and salad.

Dad said the plate was great!

Jimmy and Nova headed to the video games and I called Dawn again. Hello voicemail! Now I'm really starting to get concerned. What's going on!
Us women folk cleaned up the mess, and we headed for Lights, Motor, Action.

 

[GeminiAngel]

I couldn't believe how BIG the stadium is for Lights-M-A! Just huge, and we had to climb almost to the top. Mom and Dad labored up the stairway. What another great show. Jimmy was in love . He's a big car buff, even works for GM.

Upon leaving Lights, J & B took some alone time and split for a bit. We had plans to go to TOT and I think they went to the Indy show. Then all of a sudden... My phone rings! Dawn!! They had just headed into Toy Story standby and are stuck in line because the ride broke down. But they are going to stick it out and wait. Turns out they were just enjoying their day and had been there since opening. That's fine everyone was having a great day. It was nice to be with Jimmy and Barbara alone, being that it was their last day.

Kevin, Dad and Nova rode TOT. It was Dad & Nova's first time and won't be their last. Free falls, not for me or Mom. Heck no. So Mom and I wandered while waiting.

This guy is just too funny!

Now Dawn called me and they were leaving TOT. I told her to meet us in front of Anaheim Produce. Jimmy calls, I told him to meet us in front of Anaheim Produce. Then, yup. Kevin calls, guess where I told him to meet us.
:lol:

All show up within 10 minutes of each other. Awesome timing :thumbsup:
Then we have a family only picture taken by Dawn. Barbara's request. It came so good.

Right after this picture, Barbara realizes she left her bag of souvenirs on a near by bench. Of course it was gone. She was very upset, all her gifts for friends and family were in there. Dawn, Heather, & Lorraine were staying to have dinner later at Sci-fi Cafe & catch Fantasmic. We said our goodbyes for now. We'll see them tonight at Magic Kingdom for EMH.

Time for us to leave back to OKW for a rest, it was a little after 3.
J & B needed to go pack and just wanted to take it easy for the rest of their time here. On the way out to the buses we stopped by Lost and Found to see if Barb's bag was turned in. No dice. It was a tearful goodbye for us at the buses.

Jimmy and Barbara getting on the bus to Saratoga Springs.

Coming up: One of those special moments that last a lifetime.

 

[Blueyed Girl]

Yay! Having a great time looking at your pic's and reading your TR. Glad you got to see FOTLK. Looks like you guys had a great day at DHS.

 

[lizet313]

SIZE="3"]Saturday Feb 7th, 2009 - Continued[/SIZE]

My, My! It was so nice to sit with my honey of almost 8 years and relax! I just LOVE AK, and now I could just sit in one spot for awhile and soak it in and breathe .

After about 10 mins of that non-sense, it was time for lunch! I left Kevin with the stroller, and headed all the way back to Yak & Yeti for some Chinese take out. On the way over I realized something that panicked me!

Festival of the Lion King was at 3pm! We will never make it! And that was my only request for today, we missed it last trip in 2007. I also realized nobody has eaten lunch yet and they would probably want to do that after coming out of Nemo. There would be no time!

Only one thing to do I thought to myself (my pace was quickening with my panic). I got up to the counter and ordered:
Kevin: Kung Pao Beef
Me & Nova (split): Honey crispy chicken
Mom: Chicken fried rice
3 orders of egg rolls for Dawn, Lorraine, Heather.
2 bottles of water, Nova & me needed new ones.

Now I ask you. How in the world was I supposed to carry this all the way back to the Nemo theater? On a tray of course! I wrapped up the egg roll trays with napkins, popped the water bottles in my purse. Carried waiter style up on my shoulder all the way back. You would not believe how many people were heckling me! " oh just leave that here.", " thanks for bringing lunch to us!" I'm not in the mood! I have a show to catch :lol:!

Honey Chicken, It was just OK

Kevin said the same about the Kung Pao Beef

Chicken fried rice, and 3 orders of egg rolls

I save half the chicken for Nova, and figure everyone can eat enroute to FOTLK. They finally let out, I think it was about 2:20!

I show them the food and say LET'S GO! Everyone just looks at me .
I apologized to everyone and said, I must go I really want to see the show.
Nova says she doesn't care about it and decides to take her time with everyone else! Kevin and I race ahead to FOTLK. Once inside the theater, seated in the lion section, my phone rings. Dawn tells me they are in the theater and can see me and Kevin.

So now I'm looking all over, looking for them waving. I said to Kevin, How the heck did they get here so fast? I mean this group was in laid back mode! Dawn insists that she still sees me and Kevin. All of a sudden, a tap on my back... They are all right behind Kevin and me!!! They are hysterical of course. I said to Lorraine how in the world did you catch up?

Lorraine coolly says, you forgot who you are with. Yup, she can commando when she wants to .

Oh wow that is amazing so glad you got to see that show I love it.

 

[lizet313]

WOW that lobster was huge. All the pics look great am so glad you had fun I need to see the stunt show I missed it due to the food I was so hungry and stopped to eat oh well better luck next time. I am so happy everyone had fun disney was made for all kids of any age .

 

[GeminiAngel]

I'll answer reply's tonight and wrap up Sun Feb 8th

 

[GeminiAngel]

Yay! Having a great time looking at your pic's and reading your TR. Glad you got to see FOTLK. Looks like you guys had a great day at DHS.

It was an on the go day
And I was NOT going to miss FOTLK.

WOW that lobster was huge. All the pics look great am so glad you had fun I need to see the stunt show I missed it due to the food I was so hungry and stopped to eat oh well better luck next time. I am so happy everyone had fun disney was made for all kids of any age .

Oh wow that is amazing so glad you got to see that show I love it.

I just wish I could've had some of that big beautiful lobster
We really loved Lights Motor Action, it is just amazing all the stunts they do. The Muppets are a scream! A new favorite.
I still need to catch Beauty & the Beast & Indy.


Nova's been sick all weekend . And I've had college basketball tournaments since Thursday, So that means I've had no sleep.

I will wrap up Sunday Feb 8th tomorrow

 

[GeminiAngel]

Sunday February 8, 2009 - Conclusion

So Jimmy & Barbara are gone. Dawn and the gang are still at DHS.
the 5 of us were now kickin back at Mom & Dad's untll our dinner at O'Hana :biggrin:.
Nova put on some Disney Channel and crashed on the couch. We sat around and had coffee. At 5:45 we decided it was time to head over to Hospitality house to catch a cab to the Poly. I was so looking forward to this meal, and the others had really no clue what to expect.

Waiting for our cab

Its blurry, but we ran into this bride & groom everywhere on this night.
We had the same plans. :lol:

The ride over the Poly was smooth & the sunset was just beautiful. I was looking out the window and just thinking to myself what a wonderful trip this is. Everyone was so happy and peaceful. I was really getting excited for the meet tonight! Wirki, Winkers, & Blue Eyed Girl. Pulling into the Poly Mom's hands hit her face in awe.

We were about 45mins early so we wandered around the lobby. What I should have done was checked in at O'Hana's right away. But I figured we were way too early.

After the photos we headed upstairs to a HUGE crowd & our bride and groom from OKW. I checked us in about 20mins before our ADR and was told they are running about 30mins behind!
Dad ordered drinks for us (Nova loved the virgin Colada), which I now needed because I knew that meant the meet was off for me. I did not want to rush this meal, that would have just wrecked it. So I called Cherie (BlueEyedGirl) and canceled myself from the meet :frown:. So many months! I couldn't wait for this darned thing!
:tantrum with stick::tantrum with stick::tantrum with stick:

Liquid Therapy

Way to go Mom! Ripped after one sip of Pina Colada!

Dinner was supposed to be at 6:55pm. It turned out to be at 7:40pm!
The meet was too be at 9. AnyWho, They seated us near a big window in the back away from the fire pit. That table turned out to be the best seat in the house! We watched wishes just about when our main course started.

Warning! Food Porn!

 

[GeminiAngel]

The waiter wouldn't stop! The food just kept coming and coming! I scarfed the turkey and the steak. Nova ate steak, noodles, & bread. Mom, Dad & Kevin emptied the ocean of shrimp. Mom complained the shrimp was very spicy, but did that stop her....:no:

I didn't have the heart to tell them about dessert. I had my own private giggle at all the groans when the waiter put the dish down and poured the sauce over the bread pudding.

This meal was nothing less than fantastic! And they managed to eat the bread pudding.

I still needed to hit EMH at MK. Nova was rearing to go, so was I. Mom, Dad, & Kevin declared they cannot move at all and are going back to OKW to call it a night.

One of the seven sins. Gluttony.

-------------------------------------------------------

I called Dawn and told her we are going to make our way over to MK. They were already there. We parted ways from Mom, Dad & Kevin. Ah finally, alone with my little girl....

Nova said she would rather walk to MK than hop on the monorail. Now that was just fine with me, I was so full and looking to walk off some of this food.

We made our way over to one of those bench swings. It was so quiet, nobody was around at all! The lights from the castle were just stunning & you can hear the ferry's horn off in the distance, as well as the water gently lapping the shore.

Nova then says Mommy can I talk to you? Then she goes on thanking me for planning the most perfect vacation ever! She says You go through so much trouble to make everything perfect for all of us. You're the best Mommy! I love you so much! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! I'm now bawling my eyes out and hugging her close.

That moment will be with me forever

We wander around the lake passing the Spirit of Aloha area. The gate was open, and no one was in there. So we tip toed in just a little and reminisced when we saw the dinner show in 2007. I've never had a bad time at the Poly :thumbsup:

We also snooped around the Wedding Pavilion. Just awesome!

We got to the Grand Floridian and Nova wanted to get on the monorail. No problem.

Once at our destination, Nova tells me she wants to walk through the castle. Who am I to say no to this little girl who just sung me praises! I would have given her an elephant right now if she asked for it! :lol:

We met up with Lorraine-Dawn-Heather and all went in to see Mickey's Philharmagic. It was in its last day of refurb when we were in MK on Friday. I was sorry Mom & Dad missed it.

On to Tomorrowland where Nova took her first ride on Space Mtn. with Dawn & Heather.

Lorraine and I sat at the Lunching Pad waiting for them. Lorraine fed Tristian and I went and got a sweet cream cheese pretzel. She finished my pretzel because I just thought it was the most disgusting thing on the face of this earth!

Upon their return. We called it a night. It was late and it was crowded.
It was also the last night for the cheerleaders.:biggrin:

During the bus ride back, Nova fell asleep & I got to congratulate the bride & groom. :biggrin: We tucked in about 11:15.

Coming up: The dreaded last day & a robbery!

 

[Blueyed Girl]

So sorry we missed you guys. It was good to hear your voice, though. Looks like you had a fabulous dinner once you got in! I agree that night was crowded at MK. Sort of a bummer. I too was not sad to see the cheerleaders go.

 

[ShannonMB]

Great updates!! So sorry to hear you missed the DIS meet, but your meal at Ohana, and especially the bonding time with your little girl sound priceless!!! I love how you guys all feel free to split up and do your own thing. Much more relaxing that way!!!

 

[winkers]

I'm finally all caught up! You are so fast you make me look like a slacker!

 

[GeminiAngel]

So sorry we missed you guys. It was good to hear your voice, though. Looks like you had a fabulous dinner once you got in! I agree that night was crowded at MK. Sort of a bummer. I too was not sad to see the cheerleaders go.

What a neat little southern accent you have! It was great to talk to you.

O'Hanna was just awesome, I recommend it to everyone & now a must do every trip.
I'm dying to know how the meet went. But no one seems to be able to get their TR's moving!!
(could you PM me and tell me how it went?)

The cheerleaders were just brutal. I couldn't believe the way some of them were dressed

Great updates!! So sorry to hear you missed the DIS meet, but your meal at Ohana, and especially the bonding time with your little girl sound priceless!!! I love how you guys all feel free to split up and do your own thing. Much more relaxing that way!!!

That bonding time would have never have happened if O'Hana would have been on time.
I can't imagine trying to keep a large group all together & pleasing everyone.
This way, no one is doing something, & wishing they were doing something else.

For example: Kevin's golfing. I would never take away what he enjoys to do on vacation. And Barbara doesn't really care for AK, so her and Jimmy went to Epcot that day. (but now Jimmy wants to see AK, so next trip Barb is gonna have to go )

What I did was explain to everyone that I was going to come up with my family's itinerary. I then e-mailed it out, and asked everyone to join us where they wanted to. I figured it would mostly be for dinners. Turned out everyone seemed to like my plans, so for the most part we were together.

I'm guessing next trip we will be a little more spread out.

I'm finally all caught up! You are so fast you make me look like a slacker!

Glad I didn't say it. Thanks for reading along there Pokey.

 

[Misslandsquirrel]

Read your TR!!! LOVING it!!!

 

[GeminiAngel]

Read your TR!!! LOVING it!!!

Thank you! And Welcome!

------------------------------------

I'm having a very rough 2 weeks right now. I promise to get to the last day soon!

 

[GeminiAngel]

Monday February 9, 2009

epcot today
5:30pm adr @nine dragons
must see illuminations


A pit formed in my stomach as I woke up today at 6:45am. Its the last day :frown: I couldn't let that consume my thoughts, I must enjoy! there's still lots of fun to be had! Jimmy and Barbara are leaving this morning...see, thoughts wandering over to the dark side again! No, no.

Its very hard to think about fun when you have to start packing up. Usually I do this little by little everyday. So it won't be so bad. Well, I had a mountain to sort out due to my packing procrastination this trip :redface:

Kevin was finishing up in the bathroom, and I decided to peak outside to check the temperature. It was gorgeous outside. Clear and slightly chilly.
Then I saw the most horrific sight....The ME envelope on the door. can you spell D-E-P-R-E-S-S-I-O-N! I took it in and checked all the info, it was correct, then I tossed the dreaded thing onto the table.

Over to Mom & Dad's for our last breakfast. We had waffles with bacon and sausage. Kevin & Nova finished up quickly and then did the craziest thing!
They hopped the balcony onto the golf course! Kevin and Nova had planned without my knowing to go on a golf ball hunt! I figured what's the worst that can happen? They're told they can't do that? They had so much fun, it was such an adventure for Nova, and they ended up with about 8 balls :lol:

Kevin kissed Nova & me goodbye for the day, and headed off to Osprey Ridge for his last day of golf. He would be joining us for dinner later at Nine Dragons. Dad was yet again hanging back. His plans were to ride the boats around today to check out Saratoga Springs, POR and maybe some DTD. Then with Kevin, meet us up for dinner.

9am sharp Mom, Nova & me headed for the bus stop. Off to Epcot for the day. Nova wore her favorite new Wildcats sweatshirt that she bought Sat. night and made me take pictures of it.

Thought of Buzz as I took this one :lol:

As we got off the bus at Epcot my mood seemed to change for the better.
I got a little happier and was now looking forward to getting this day rolling!

Right before going in I called Dawn. They were still having breakfast at the hotel. So we took advantage of that by doing something I knew they were not that interested in. Innoventions.

This almost looked tempting, but no.

We were the only ones in the place for now.

Nova dressed up one of these cute little frogs.

The video games were fun

Then we all decided to take a nap!