The Meanest Mother in the World--A L-B TR, 5/05 *DONE. p.65, with one last pic*

[BostonTink85]

“Mummy!” she stage-whispers across the table to me. “There’s no chair for Cinderella! Where’s she going to sit?”

OMG, That is too cute! Gotta love how kids think

 

[Shelby5514]

Grad Night trip with a dozen kids from my senior class, with my mom as a chaperone (Samantha Fox, New Kids on the Block, and Information Society, yeah!!)

I am soo jealous now...I only got to see NKOTB in high school...I would've died to see 'Sa-Sa-Sa-Sa-Samantha FOX' and Information Society...'I wanna know what you're thinking, there are some things you can't hide...I wanna know what you're feeling, tell me what's on your mind...Pure Energy'.

Still lovin' the trippie! Keep going!

 

[hucifer]

I LOVE your latest installment! And I can't get over how beautiful your children are. I absolutely love the looks on their faces with the characters. Conor is SUCH a doll. I love the pics! I really really do!

Okay, I'll stop gushing over your family now.

Keep on keeping on.

 

[1stWDWtrip]

Hiya Kim. I have been away from the boards for a few weeks due to a family medical emergency, and just had to get back to see if there had been any updates... and there were 2!! Great job once again. I feel sort of "jipped", as I thought that I had done so much research, and did not find out until after we got back from our trip that we too could have met Cinderella at the Grand Fla. I did not know there was a dinner there with her. BUT, we did get to the Grand Floridian and went to Narcoossee's. It was fabulous (but very expensive. $200 for me and 2 kids!) But boy oh boy, is the resort AMAZING! You made me have instant flashbacks to when we were there in May.

I just love the photos too! Great job!
Linda

 

[aGoofyMom]

Soon we’re seated, and Piper quickly assesses the situation.

“Mummy!” she stage-whispers across the table to me. “There’s no chair for Cinderella! Where’s she going to sit?”

.

I know this one - my daughter thought we would walk up to the castle, go in the front door & poof say Hi to Cinderella. At least I was able to convince her that she had stepped out....

Love the new installments now that I am caught up - keep it comin'!

 

[spiceycat]

what to add - another great one!!!

your kids are cute!!!

just think you get to do this every year.....being a DVC owner is great!!!!

 

[ZZUB]

KPK:

Loved the flash back to the '70s. I enjoyed it more than I actually enjoyed the '70s. Will you indulge me for a minute? Something I've been chewing on for a while and you mentioned it in a left handed way (Hi Horse W. Girl). When we were kids, we always stayed off property. There was one time we stayed at the Polynesian, but every other trip was at the Days Inn/Days Lodge. I don't ever recall feeling like we weren't "in the magic" whatever that means, nor do I ever recall feeling like we were missing something when we ate dinner some place other than at one of Disney's overpriced eateries. Now it may have been my age, but I thought those perish-the-thought off property trips were really great.

And yet, the very idea of staying off property now sends me into near convulsions. I won't even consider staying off property. In fact, I generally don't even read off property Trip Reports. Reckon why that is? Why did we grow up staying at Days Inn/Days Lodge and it was great but as adults we insist on staying "in the magic," whatever that means?

Did we buy into the marketing machine?

Now then. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed 1900 PF (technically, you were at Cinderella's Gala Feast, but there's only so much RAM in our brains for all of the Disney nomenclature, right?). We ate there a few years ago and were nonplused. But based in part on the Clampitt's report, we're headed back there again on our next trip. Of course, they regularly eat pig's feet and other unmentionable meat-type food products, so maybe La2's recommendation should be taken with a hearty bit of salt (and Immodium AD). However, you seem normal and you really enjoyed the food. That's encouraging. 'preace the good word.

Looking forward to more, but I'm getting sad your trip is nearing the end.

 

[TwinkieMama]

Hi Mean Mama-
you are doing great... I laughed. I cried. It was better than Cats. But now to hijack your thread to address the flashback scene and Brother Zzub's comments.... my childhood trips weremostly off site.
I am wondering if the "magic" felt on childhood off-property trips had something to do with the fact that as a child you just showed up and had fun while others were the suitcase packing, car parking, camera juggling, stroller pushing, backpack carrying fools.. um I mean,dedicated and sacrificial parents.... as opposed to the adult trips which are preceded by research, planning, high expectations, personal stake in dollars spent and then enjoyed while camera juggling, stroller pushing etc etc
T.

Ps back in the 70s a good day at MK with 2 kids = about 4 photos, one of which would have Mickey in it
today 90 gazillion MB of digital pics.....

 

[LaLa]

Hey Mean Mama. Not.

I LOVED this installment. Partly I guess because we loved 1900 Park Fare. Excuse me. Cinderela's Gala Feast. Even if they don't serve pickled pigs feet or coon.

Those pictures are priceless. So cute. And this...

We realize that we don’t know which one is Suzy and which one is Perla. With much guessing on our parts and hand gesturing on their parts, we determine that Perla is wearing the purple dress.

That’s a tip for you, people. Write it down. PERla, PURple. It’s a mnemonic device. Use it, love it.

..is how we remembered which one Perla was too. Borg.

Our kids fell in love with the Fairy Godmother as well. She was great with them, really attentive. I was a little surprised at how much we liked her. Cause you know, you don't GO THERE for the Fairy Godmother. But she was pretty cool.

Did yall get the slipper dessert? We loved ours. And ZZUB. You have to order it for your DD before you go. It's awesome. Yeah yeah, I know the Battle rages on and it's fourteen bucks for one dessert. But it's out of this world and well worth it for the pictures alone.

BTW. I think you bought the wrong vowel. Again.

 

[flipflop]

Meanest Mama - time to stop worrying about what "hosers" are and get to writing your next installment.

 

[1000thhappyhaunt]

Still mean.

I see.

Although... your husband in the fancy white jacket and red epaulettes looks rather jolly.

What he sees in you... I'll never know.

Mel happyhaunt

 

[AshClan]

For another great installment. Y'know, you and ZZUB make a good point. I was thinking of this just the other day. Why DO we (that's the collective "we") feel like it would be the end of the world as we know it (which, I suppose, could be a GOOD thing....but, I digress) if we stayed off property? Would it really be that bad? Unfortunately, I think my answer is yes. I know that I would spend the whole trip lamenting the traipsing back and forth, on and off property. And that it would just feel "less magical" to me. We would not be invited to EMH, for instance. Even though I tend to avoid EMH. That's not the point. As long as I stay on property I COULD go if I wanted to. ANYWHO, it may be succumbing to the great and powerful Disney marketing machine, but I'm an on-siter for life. Perhaps, in a few months, even a DVCer. But those childhood memories when it all didn't matter so much are precious, aren't they?

Oh, and LOVE the pics. The excitement in the eyes of your children, now THAT'S where the real magic comes from!!

 

[Beana9802]

Days Lodge question

I totally remember Days Lodge. I wanted to stay at one, but my grandmother always had us stay at the one "Days Inn West" on 192

 

[musicmama]

DD-13 and I are 1900PF bound in just a "few more" weeks. She is soooo looking forward to seeing Fairy Godmother - was the only character she wanted to see at Christmas and was not at Cinderella's castle (boo hoo). I just showed her your writeup and pix and she said "oh, she looks so nice...."

Must add to the recent postings about offsite vs. onsite. Our trips have been mostly offsite. That's because we really couldn't afford anything else. Growing up, my family didn't "do Disney" until my youngest sister (8 yrs. younger) was in high school and the band went - it was too expensive. And for that trip, just my sister and my parents went. I only went once - with a girlfriend who was a travel agent, Epcot was just being built so that tells you how long ago - before I went with DH and DD in 2000. We went on a very inexpensive 4-day package tour and stayed at the Days Inn Hotel - our park tix were waaay more than our room - and all 3 of us loved it (anyway). We found that a location just outside DTD was almost as good as being on property, especially with a rental car. But that's the thing - almost as good. (It's not just the marketing department talking...) But if that's the only way we can afford to go, then we'll stay offsite again just to be able to be at Disney World. Although DD and I are staying onsite in August - because it's value and Free Dining.

 

[kpk89]

KPK:

Loved the flash back to the '70s. I enjoyed it more than I actually enjoyed the '70s. Will you indulge me for a minute? Something I've been chewing on for a while and you mentioned it in a left handed way (Hi Horse W. Girl). When we were kids, we always stayed off property. There was one time we stayed at the Polynesian, but every other trip was at the Days Inn/Days Lodge. I don't ever recall feeling like we weren't "in the magic" whatever that means, nor do I ever recall feeling like we were missing something when we ate dinner some place other than at one of Disney's overpriced eateries. Now it may have been my age, but I thought those perish-the-thought off property trips were really great.

And yet, the very idea of staying off property now sends me into near convulsions. I won't even consider staying off property. In fact, I generally don't even read off property Trip Reports. Reckon why that is? Why did we grow up staying at Days Inn/Days Lodge and it was great but as adults we insist on staying "in the magic," whatever that means?

Did we buy into the marketing machine?

Now then. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed 1900 PF (technically, you were at Cinderella's Gala Feast, but there's only so much RAM in our brains for all of the Disney nomenclature, right?). We ate there a few years ago and were nonplused. But based in part on the Clampitt's report, we're headed back there again on our next trip. Of course, they regularly eat pig's feet and other unmentionable meat-type food products, so maybe La2's recommendation should be taken with a hearty bit of salt (and Immodium AD). However, you seem normal and you really enjoyed the food. That's encouraging. 'preace the good word.

Looking forward to more, but I'm getting sad your trip is nearing the end.

Very interesting question, ZZUB. Here's my longwinded, rambling thought on the subject (scroll down if just want the "nutshell" version.)

Back then, when there was ONLY the Magic Kingdom, and ONLY FW, Contempo, and Poly, it was much easier to "day trip" it to the MK. I know on our trips, we went to Sea World, and sometimes Cypress Gah-dens. As my nana would say. (Ever see the Super Friends in a waterskiing pyramid? Can't find it at WDW, my friend.) I don't think we went to MK several days in a row, or anything. It was a day there, a day at the pool, a day at Sea World, a day at the pool, yada.

And, I think there's a huge dose of "you don't know what you're missing." For us kids, who had never been out of New England, the road trip alone was a blast. (My brother, 3 at the time, commenting at EVERY 18-wheeler all the way down I-95, "There goes a bee-bee twuck." (bee-bee = big big) ) And gosh, back then we could just stretch out in the way-back of the station wagon and nap. That was the life.

Anyway, staying in a hotel was huge. Any hotel. Was magic. And a pool!!??! Are you kidding??!!! We didn't even want to go to Disney World (Magic Kingdom, really, but what the heck did we know?) all that much. Same thing with eating out. Going to the local Bonanza (and hearing my 3 yr old brother ask EVERY waitress " 'scuse me, canIgetasalad?" because he heard my mom say it once.) was a thrill, because we just never got to eat out, ever. Except on vacation.

Now, being on property is, to me, essential. There are FOUR parks to navigate, for the love of Pete! And because we do stay at hotels and eat meals out occasionally, the Disney-ness of the hotels and the restaurants is something special we can't get at home.




The abbreviated version of that whole diatribe is ...




Those were different times, my friend.




AND. Actually, the restaurant is called 1900 Pare Fare. Cinderella's Gala Feast is the name of the character meal which takes place there at dinner time. The breakfast meal is the Supercalifragilistic Breakfast.

So there.

And, how did you know I'm left-handed?

 

[kpk89]

Hi Mean Mama-
you are doing great... I laughed. I cried. It was better than Cats. But now to hijack your thread to address the flashback scene and Brother Zzub's comments.... my childhood trips weremostly off site.
I am wondering if the "magic" felt on childhood off-property trips had something to do with the fact that as a child you just showed up and had fun while others were the suitcase packing, car parking, camera juggling, stroller pushing, backpack carrying fools.. um I mean,dedicated and sacrificial parents.... as opposed to the adult trips which are preceded by research, planning, high expectations, personal stake in dollars spent and then enjoyed while camera juggling, stroller pushing etc etc
T.

Ps back in the 70s a good day at MK with 2 kids = about 4 photos, one of which would have Mickey in it
today 90 gazillion MB of digital pics.....

I don't know, Twinkiemama. Because I think my parents had JUST as much fun on those offsite trips as we do now on our trips.

(Except for the one when we had to drive back to the hotel to retrieve 13 yr old Kimmie's diary from its supersecret hiding place wedged behind the headboard, thus making us have to rush back to the airport and causing my dad to accidentally bounce the trunk of the car off my brother's head, making him bleed and us nearly miss our flight due to the need to call paramedics. Yep, bloodshed. All stemming from my need to NOT let the chambermaids find out that I liked Jimmy S.)

I think it's totally a case of "you don't know what you're missing." Or "you don't know what you've got till it's gone." Not sure which.

 

[TwinkieMama]

wow- your parents were wonderful.... I am sure my parents would have never gone back....

We had fun on all of our family vacations (and most were to the wild wonderful world of Wisconsin) because we liked being together...
IMO a lot of the "magic" is in the attitude that you approach life with ie if you go into something expecting to have a good time you probably will

ps of course we only had 3 channels on tv back then and we liked it

pps whatever happened to Jimmy S?

ppps for what it is worth I liked Johnny S

 

[SmithFamily2003]

Just joined your trip report! Whew, it is hard reading all of this in one sitting! Can't wait for the next installment! Love the pics!

 

[ZZUB]

I think you're right; things were different and we didn't know what we were missing. My parents enjoyed those Days Inn/Days Lodge trips as much, or more than they enjoy our on-property extravaganzas now. You've made an excellent point about the thrill of staying in any hotel. I think there are other reasons why we insist on staying on property now, but on balance I think your argument was persuasive.

You are, of course, wrong about 1900 PF. That is the name of the restaurant. The meal you ate there was dinner. As you conceded, dinner at 1900 PF is in fact Cinderella's Gala Feast. So when I said, "technically, you were at Cinderella's Gala Feast" I was correctly identifying the name of the meal. Your attempt to correct me fell flat. Like Commander in Chief.

Who said Brother ZZUB was pedantic?!

Why did I think this was nearing the end of your trip? Did someone spike my Yoo Hoo? Again.

 

[scrap4u]

Throughly enjoying your trip report! I love the story about you dad hitting your brother in the head with car trunk. Not that I enjoy violence but you tell the story so well! Can't wait for the next chapter!