The Fixer,The CookMaster,The Teacher,The President: 2007 sequel-*BACK 10-20-08 * Yep

[Emeline]

Ok - as a novice to this process, I must say it is a funny feeling to see myself and my peeps in pictures online!! I am reliving the moments - came back home to full blown chaos with life in general so I am happily taking myself back to chaos of the fun sort! I was stunned over the upgrade to Concierge, um scuse me, Club Level! My DH did not seem to get this right off - I kept saying "do you KNOW what this means??" and he was looking at me like I had lost part of my mind. Little did I know it was over cottage cheese! On the way to MGM I called Jams and she spilled the secret and made me vow not to tell the Cookmaster. It was hard but I did not call her!! Our stay was made SOOO easy by having breakfast and coffee early in the am and my kids loved taking the card by themselves and riding to the 5th floor - that was a cool independent activity. We stayed on the 2nd floor about 10 doors from the elevator and convienient steps to the lobby - it was terrific! And I loved the Amstel Light at 5 pm....I will never think of cottage cheese in the same way! On with the story, Fixer!!!

 

[GeorgiaAristocat]

Emeline! We love seeing your comments, too, and the different perspective - please come and share!

I've decided I need to vacation with the Fixer.

 

[DISNEYDUET]

Ok - as a novice to this process, I must say it is a funny feeling to see myself and my peeps in pictures online!! I am reliving the moments - came back home to full blown chaos with life in general so I am happily taking myself back to chaos of the fun sort! I was stunned over the upgrade to Concierge, um scuse me, Club Level! My DH did not seem to get this right off - I kept saying "do you KNOW what this means??" and he was looking at me like I had lost part of my mind. Little did I know it was over cottage cheese! On the way to MGM I called Jams and she spilled the secret and made me vow not to tell the Cookmaster. It was hard but I did not call her!! Our stay was made SOOO easy by having breakfast and coffee early in the am and my kids loved taking the card by themselves and riding to the 5th floor - that was a cool independent activity. We stayed on the 2nd floor about 10 doors from the elevator and convienient steps to the lobby - it was terrific! And I loved the Amstel Light at 5 pm....I will never think of cottage cheese in the same way! On with the story, Fixer!!!

Welcome Emeline! We are happy to have you in the DIS family! And concierge is wonderful! It has been hard for us to go back to a regular room, even though it is DVC. Fixing my own coffee and breakfast just is not the same! Although, I could make DH do it. Then it would be like having my own personal concierge. Hmmm...

 

[jamal]

Hmmm...a DH as Concierge? Somehow I just don't see that working around here, but Shrek very kindly delivered my coffee to the room several mornings!

Actually, my sweet E was my coffee man and we had a loooong walk down the hall. He brought it to me while I dried my hair without me asking him to do it! He will take care of me in my old age for sure.

Emeline! Let's go back! GA Kitty, come on! There's always room for more!

Next chapter up today and Em? Remember I have 739 pictures and you are in at least 1/2 of them Why don't you email me a few more choice ones we discussed ??

 

[tkd lisa]

Jamal! We were there the same time! Although we didn't get there until Sunday. And we were at BWVs, so I know we crossed paths.

Looking forward to more.

 

[jamal]

Lisa, uh oh. You will surely know and see if you saw us Wasn't it beautiful??

 

[jaycns]

WOO HOO you are back...and I just got to read all that you have written so far at once. First, the sign you had the driver hold up? THAT makes you my hero! AWESOME!!

The boys holding hands...don't you love what Disney does to you?!

Bring it on...MORE MORE MORE!!!

**And those mouse ears are so cute**

 

[AshClan]

Just had to add my welcome (again) to Emeline. Keep visiting! We love to hear from Jami's IRL friends (you can ask her what that means!! )

Jam, when, praytell, do you think you're going to find the time to write the next chapter? Don't you have a birthday party to plan?

Not that I'm discouraging, mind you. The more chapters before I leave the better!!

 

[MomofCKJ]

Loving it! It makes me want to go with our best friends. I think we'd have a ball just like you and your gang! Not sure we'd have the luck of getting the sweet upgrade though! That is just awesome!
Allyson

 

[jamal]

My ears were bleeding. Do your ears ever bleed? It happens to mothers because we are compelled to listen to children. Men don’t listen. First of all, between the roar of the raceway and the excitement of the Dream ears, I didn’t know the CookMaster had called about the Fastpass issue. I am blushing again. Since we were about to spend some time in Tomorrowland, I asked her to join us and FP Buzz. She was happy (she’s always happy) to oblige. My apologies began and she hung up on me.

Anyway, back to bleeding ears. My boys are not terribly chatty, but I know some girls who are. Their mothers’ ears bleed on a regular basis. My sister’s ears bled when my dear niece (Cinderella, on this trip and appearing soon) was a preschooler. Mine ached when she stayed with me for extended periods.

OK, I lied. My ears didn’t quite bleed this trip but they ached and danced a few jigs with nine (at some points) children telling me Trip Report stories, often in stereo, many times on this trip.

Stop. STOP!

I love these children. I DO! I love my boys. I love the Gatelatches, the Cousins, and the Coattails. I have watched them grow up and have dreamed of the fun we would have touring the parks and vacationing together. My fantasies were coming true as these kids got along better than I had dared to dream! They ate up the idea of tallying sights for the Trip Report. They ALL did.

They just wanted to tell me everything they saw all at once. Usually they wanted to tell me, sweet things, when I was working on what we were about to do next and didn’t have my notebook open. I asked them in my nicest voice to remember (please!!) to tell me on the bus when I had my notebook because I needed their great memories.

And the bleeding stopped. It (almost always) stopped.

Last year (see link below in case you forgot) we tallied meltdowns and fights. This year we decided to watch for meltdowns (because they are so much fun), unusual Castmember names, and clueless comments (great for eavesdropping but surprisingly easy).

Beat is the clever one. No offense to the other eight children, for they all share terrific gifts and talents, but this kid is S-H-A-R-P. I’m not just saying that because he named me The Fixer and made me a comic book star. At 10 he has eyes and ears like my heroine, the Bionic Woman. You know what I mean if you are over age 35.

Beat approached me in line for Indy and said, “I have an idea for a tally. Clueless Comments. Listen to this. Someone just pointed to Space Mountain and said, ‘Look honey! There’s the pretty Cinderella Castle.’” I had seen the pointing and knew exactly what he had seen. Amazing, isn’t it? And so, the idea for the Clueless Comment Tally was born. I think he was off to a great start!

More in a bit….

 

[jamal]

This part brought back great memories of one of the many trips that my parents brought my twin cousins with us. They didn't try jumping over waist high posts, no, they went bigger! They wanted to try and jump the turnstiles that lead up to the monorail (I think it was at the TTC). As four of us are about to board the monorail we realize that Josh is missing. We look around us and he is nowhere to be found, we look down towards the turnstiles and there is a huge crowd forming around one. Turns out he partially made it over, but his leg ended up getting stuck in between the turning part and the stand that actually holds the revolving piece. Yep, in that tiny space is where his leg was lodged. The EMTs had to come and soap up his leg and the turnstile to get it out. Needless to say that was the last time either of the boys attempted jumping the turnstile. Luckily there was no permanant damage done, just another great memory at Disney!

I love reading this trip report. We went to Disney at least every other year growing up and always went with more than just my parents and I. Most of the time we took the twins, but other times we had 2 or 3 other families with us. What great times, to be able to share such magical memories with so many people that you love. Can't wait to hear more!

OK, this HURTS! I read it over and over trying to picture the place the leg got stuck. I almost wonder if Disney has a leg-soaping team ready to spring into action. Ouch! Thank you so much for reading!

 

[kpk89]

Let the pixie dust shower begin!

Hi Emeline!!! Nice to "meet" you. Please keep sharing your perspectives from the trip.

 

[jamal]

You must know that even though I sent the CookMaster on an errant FP mission (will I ever get over it?) she didn’t miss riding Space. She didn’t WANT to ride Space. Did you worry that she did? Oh, I hope not. She doesn’t really like it. She secured FastPasses for Buzz on her way to meet us at the Castle~~er, Mountain. The rest of us did ride, with minor incident. We loved it! After a typical 10 minute restroom break (my policy is to stop whenever anyone needs to go) we had a quick strategy check. The FPs for Buzz were only 20 mins away (yet there were people waiting in the standby line…) so we took a nice tour of Tomorrowland on the Tomorrowland Transportation Authority, which E used to call Space Mountain. He still loves that ride. How many Moms have ridden it over 50 times? I think I have!

That’s all there is to say about our journey over Rocketower Plaza.

All morning, I’d heard the men saying ‘an even 1,000’ or ‘really, a grand’ or ‘you’re on.’ As we approached Buzz, distributed the FastPasses, and discussed the two-by-twos, I realized what was happening and it’s name was gambling.

Those men were placing a big fat wager on the high score for Buzz. Once the rest of us heard about it, we wanted in on the scoop. Was it family total or Dad only? Best in family or, again, Dad only? Trip high no-practice-run-one-time-shot?

I really really REALLY hoped I wouldn’t have to contribute as I am not very good at Buzz. I mean, I’ve heard all the tricks. I hold the trigger, shoot at volcanoes, shoot in the tunnel, and shoot early and often. Still, I don’t think I’ve ever broken 100,0000.

They confirmed this was mano-a-mano. We were merely the cheerleaders and passengers. We would also be the benefactors of a Happier or Grumpier spouse from my perspective.

The line moved quickly as we pitied the standby queue. Why?????????????????????

The children paired up with each other. Shrek and I got in our star cruiser.

The tension was palpable as we rounded the bend:

Lookatmyscore

Lookatmyscoreagain

itkeepsgoingUP!!

It’sthebestEVEREVER!!!!!

Mywholefamilyhad,byfar,ourbestBESTBuzzscoresever!!!

So, Shrek won the bet. More importantly, my score was 778,000+. I still can’t believe it. I topped all comers, including all the kids, who might have been surprised and impressed. We were roundly chastised by a CM on the exit platform for moving too slowly but still laughed our way out of the galaxy. More on the bet later. Heh heh.

We made our way across the park hoping to catch a Pirate ride (non FP, of course) while some of the crew rode Splash with some FastPasses. Did I tell you we made sure we had FastPasses all day, every day? That’s always part of the plan. Hey, you may think your mother and her friends run like chickens and your Dad waddles when he race-walks, but I don’t see you children complaining when we hand you FPs let you pass hordes with no waiting. Actually, the kids were always grateful and never missed a chance to thank us for our planning, skipping rides to get FPs, and not waiting in lines. We never did. Really.

Disney didn’t ask me but with Jack part of the scene Pirates really should be a FastPass! I mean, I’ve used FP for Philharmagic but what’s the point? Can we trade out and repaint the boxes? OK, opinion off. No Pirate adventure for us as the wait was 30 minutes. We just don’t do that. We can do it another time as we have several more MK days (you, though, may not, if I don’t pick up the pace…). I did have a chronic concern for the Gatelatches. I couldn’t let it go. They only had five days, and this was one of their MK days. OK, they had to have a rest in the afternoon, and that was already looming. I kept asking the boys THEIR priorities as I knew the other families would be back to MK. They were so delightful and respectful; they honestly didn’t really care. They loved it all! I soooo wanted to get them to Philharmagic, Jungle Cruise, Mike’s Comedy Club (soft opening; long waits), Tom Sawyer Island (paintbrush search), Haunted Mansion (Big Jule only), etc. Time was ticking and I needed to let it go.

Something made me let it go.

Jack.

As I said, most of the crew (including the so happy Gatelatch boys) were on Splash as the CookMaster, Emeline and I happened upon the pirate tutorial with Jack Sparrow. Emeline was in her happy place as she adores The Captain. This was SOME Jack Sparrow! Johnny has a twin and he was in the MK that day. I couldn’t get many pictures but the CookMaster and I were cracking up at our friend, who also developed a new crush on Jack’s sidekick, Mack (no photos available).

Doesn't he really really look like Johnny???

Sometimes, our travel mates are our best entertainment. I found myself thinking that many times this trip, in terms of entertainment, conversation, and laughter! We’ll be back, Jack. Emeline’s husband is here and the whole soaked crew is starving.

I asked where they wanted to eat, then came up with a line we used (and heard other families thank us for and use) all week: the kids get an opinion, but the adults will decide. So after listening to CosmicRay’s/PecosBill’s/PinocchioVillageHaus I announced we were going to Columbia Harbour House and eating upstairs. It was delicious and everyone loved it!

After lunch we decided to try some Fantasyland. That was a fantasy. It was strollertime. Toddlertime. Crowd, line, wait, Dumbo-or-die time. Every attraction had at least a thirty minute wait and this party was having no part of that. This was Saturday, March 17th, the beginning of Spring Break travel for some of the country. I guess I should have told you that to set the scene. Oh well; now you know. Sorry. It was the point in the day when the Fixer crowd jumps ship and heads for the resort. When we saw a 40 minute wait for the teacups, we knew we were outta there. Besides, we had a big night ahead and HAD to have that break!

Except Shrek.

‘Scuse me?

Yes, Shrek whispered, except he can’t really whisper, that he and E were going to meet us back at the Beach Club pool after they accomplished their mission. OK; got it.

E received $100 for Christmas. My father gave it to him. The same grandfather mailed him a $100 bill for his birthday; isn’t that smart? So my 7 year old son has had $200 for a couple of months and knew he wanted to spend it in Disney World.

If you read last year’s TR, you know that E is a greedy little joker. If you lived with me, you know there is junk all over his room, he begs for everything he sees, and it drives me crazy that he is so attracted to things. A is not. I am not. Anyway, before this trip, I had a heart to heart with E and told him we were not going to spend this trip in every single dump shop buying, even with ‘his’ money, every pin/costume/prop/weapon/eyepatch/candy/pen/book/toy we saw. I wanted him to think about one purchase he could make, preferably at the end of the trip. He has been learning about money in first grade and understands its value better (thank God).

He was home sick-ish about a month before the trip; that may have helped us turn the corner. It was one of those sick days where you know you could have sent him to school by about 11:00 AM but by then it’s too late, you’re enjoying his company, so you decide to go to the mall. Well????????? We hit a smokin’ hot sale at The Disney Store where E fell in love with, and bought with money from his wallet he had ‘sneaked’ in his pocket, a 14’ stuffed Pooh bear. Who could say No to Pooh?

As we paid for the 14 t shirts I was buying for the trip (well???? They were SUCH a good price!), E showed me a HUGE Pooh and announced that was what he was going to buy on the trip. I told him that was a great idea, he should really think about it, and we would see Pooh while we were there.

He never wavered and we were thrilled. When we had ridden Pooh that morning, we saw THE Pooh in the dump shop. He cost exactly $100. E said that was the one. So, when we parted ways at the teacups, E and Shrek went back to get Pooh. Shrek wisely asked for the camera. They had some special moments in the Thotful Shop with a lovely CM:

That is how E, greedy little joker, learned a wise spending lesson and brought a treasured Pooh into the Fixer house.

Next up: Stormalong Bay, scary phone calls from home, and a memorable evening

 

[deide71]

OMG that Pooh is GINORMOUS!!!!!!!!!

Did you have to buy him aseat on the plane home?

 

[Shelby5514]

You know I love it!

 

[jamal]

He didn't have a seat on the plane but of course there is a story. Stay tuned! E still adores him by the way!

 

[Suzflee]

Thanks for a super installment. Love the Pooh pics - I still have mine, not nearly as ginormous, from my first childhood trip to the World - hope he has a big room! And what DID you do with him on the plane?

After a typical 10 minute restroom break (my policy is to stop whenever anyone needs to go) we had a quick strategy check.

Hmmmm, are you implying that some of us refuse to make a potty stop if someone has to go? "No, sweetie, that's not on the schedule just yet?"

 

[Bibbidi]

Your trip reports are so much fun to read. I'm tempted to send you some money just so you can take another Disney trip next year so I can read about it

But seriously, it's great to read about families traveling together who have such a great time. We have some friends who live in So. Florida who we have had the great pleasure of meeting up with our last several Disney trips. We will be seeing them again in May and can't wait.

 

[AnnNan]

That is how E, greedy little joker, learned a wise spending lesson and brought a treasured Pooh into the Fixer house.

That is the cutest picture ever! I love it! and your report!

 

[jamal]

You all, ALL of you, are so nice. This is one of the reasons trip report writing is so much fun.

Suzflee~~OK, I will spill. The Teacher (my sister) drove down. She chauffeured Pooh home! It was funny because we, too, spent some time discussing how to get Pooh home on the plane. One day over breakfast E said, "Why doesn't he just ride home in Aunt's car?" Duh.

Bibbidi~~The till is open! Just today at Easter lunch we discussed going back next spring break. A even said he would contribute his life's worth: $400, especially if the same cast could return! I hope your May trip is fantastic. Write a report!

AnnNan~~Thank you! I didn't see it until I scrolled through pics one day. I am so glad Shrek took the camera; he is grear at capturing the moment!