The MURPHYS are LIVE from POLY and the CONTEMPORARY (10/21-10/27) PICTURES ADDED!!!!!

[KFJames]

It's right in front of Star Tours at Hollywood Studios. They select kids from the audience for "training".

Thanks. Is it held at certain times of the day?

 

[ReneeDisney]

HI!

Thank you for sharing your family vacation! I still have your Travel Channel special on my TIVO and when I'm having a bad day, I watch it for some magic and inspiration! I can't believe how your boys have grown.

Love the pictures and the live updates! Keep em comin---

 

[GeminiAngel]

HI!

Thank you for sharing your family vacation! I still have your Travel Channel special on my TIVO and when I'm having a bad day, I watch it for some magic and inspiration! I can't believe how your boys have grown.

Love the pictures and the live updates! Keep em comin---

What travel channel special??? How cool!!

 

[ReneeDisney]

What travel channel special??? How cool!!

About 4 years ago there was a Travel Channel special "Fan's Guide to Walt Disney World". They featured different families and their experience at WDW. The Murphy's were one of the families! They are DIS Celebrities!!

 

[jwwi]

WHAT?!?!?

Castle lights already? I was there 10/16-10/20, we only went to MK for MNSSHP. Did I miss my chance to see the castle lights? UGH!!!!!!!!!

Erika, I really enjoy your live reports. Too funny that you didn't know you had free internet in the CR rooms. I would love to stay in a MK view room, but like you I don't think I would like the decor either.

Thanks for your great report, your boys are too cute. Bummer about the homework though.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

OMGosh you guys I am sooooo sorry I totally abandoned this trip report!!! It's a long story but basically the short verison is... youngest DS got sick on Sunday, throwing up and all the yucky stuff that goes along with it, so I ended up sitting in the room with him most of the day...

Then Monday we ended up not flying home, we spent the night in the Hyatt hotel inside the airport and didn't go until Tuesday morning. So the boys missed another day of school. Which resulted in them missing some important tests and having even MORE makeup homework to do. So the last few days we have been struggling to get them caught up on school work, also DH and I had to jump back into work, and somehow also unpack and do laundry... oh, and get ready for HALLOWEEN!!!!!

So anyway, we're finally settled back down from vacation and back to normal... somewhat. The boys are soooo excited for Halloween tonight, I have a million things to do this afternoon to get ready. But if anyone has anymore questions about our trip feel free to ask away. Here are some final thoughts:

Contemporary = probably won't stay there again, unless maybe to try the new Bay Lake Tower. We just didn't find the hotel had the "vacation" feeling we wanted. We didn't like the pool, the layout of the bathroom is terrible, the quick service was horrid (but hopefully will get better when the new place opens) However, as I said before, the view from the balcony was AMAZING, the castle right there... the DREAM LIGHTS were totally incredible... Wishes from the balcony, like a DREAM... but that isn't enough to bring us back for the price we had to pay for the MK tower view. Way too expensive for what you get. Also we found the front desk to be incredibly rude on two occasions. At check-in and again on our last day. I won't bore you with the miserable story of that! But mousekeeping was very good.

Dining Plan = Ugh, everytime we do it I say never again, we all eat way too much and feel sick by the end of the week. I'm not sure it's even a good deal for the price anymore... the gratuity is the killer, even though your meals are covered you still have to pay $40-50 on top of it for dinner. And if we didn't have to do a sitdown every night we probably wouldn't, so in the long run we probably spend more on food. Or pretty close to the same.

MNSSHP = Fun, fun, fun, loved the parade, LOVED Hallowishes, even bought the CD and the kids have been listening to it everyday. Definitely worth the money, and we'll definitely do it again.

Haunted Pirate Cruise = I forgot to report on this! The boys had a BLAST! But I have to say it was pretty chaotic and unorganized. It took a long time to get every child checked-in, picture made, etc, and then the lady kept asking them over and over to use the bathroom before they left so by the time we went through all that the boat left about 20 minutes late. And they didn't add on any extra time at the end to make-up for the late start. So that felt kind of like a rip-off. But the boys really enjoyed it... I've got some cute pictures to post! They had tons of stories to tell when they got back... and they got pirate mickey ears and a bag of treats. I think it was worth the money... and all the parents enjoyed a few "beverages" in the Tambu Lounge while they were gone.

Hmmmm... what else am I forgetting to tell you.... well, I guess that's all for now! I'll be back later with more PICTURES!!!!

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

WHAT?!?!?

Castle lights already? I was there 10/16-10/20, we only went to MK for MNSSHP. Did I miss my chance to see the castle lights? UGH!!!!!!!!!

Erika, I really enjoy your live reports. Too funny that you didn't know you had free internet in the CR rooms. I would love to stay in a MK view room, but like you I don't think I would like the decor either.

Thanks for your great report, your boys are too cute. Bummer about the homework though.

The park wasn't open when they came on. In fact the park had closed at 8:00 PM that night. We just happened to be out on our balcony when the Dream Lights came on. It might have been a private party? Or a wedding? Or maybe they were just testing them out? I'm not sure. But they were INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Echo queen]

Glad your back will wait for pictures

 

[heaven2dc]

Loved your live report even tho I didn't catch it til today Beautiful pics esp off the balcony and the video of Wishes was awesome!

I have never wanted to stay at the CR just because of how it looks from the outside and the rooms are too modern but the view from the Tower can't be beat (at least the view you got).

I'm sorry that your son got sick on the last day but maybe on a good note no one got sick earlier in the trip. That's sort of a worry I have for our upcoming trip in December. I can't wait to see the Castle lights when we're there - that was neat that you got a preview!

 

[jwwi]

Thank you, that makes me feel better. The lights are amazing, I went there on our last night just to see the lights. I think I was politely asked to leave, I just couldn't pull myself away. They are breathtakingly beautiful. Maybe next year. Sorry your son got sick, that is never a good way to spend a day of vacation. Thank you again for the great live report.
Judy

 

[distherapy]

Hope your son is feeling better. Thanks so much for sharing your vacation with us!

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

GeminiAngel - next air date is Thursday, November 20 at 9:00 AM on Discovery HD!

 

[Amy&Dan]

Hey Erika,

That was us at Epcot that night (the 24th) that got starstruck by meeting the famous Murphy's from Fan's Guide!

Sorry your son got sick, what a huge bummer. And I hear you on getting caught up, its been two weeks and I still feel out of sorts!

And I am never doing the DDP again either! Once they added that tip in, it was a no go for us. And when your boys become adults at age 10, its even less of a good deal. Get the Tables in Wonderland if you haven't already! Also hear you on the AP's, we did four trips to WDW on ours this year, and so help me, I am not renewing them!

It was great to meet you!

Amy

 

[Amy&Dan]

Also, I met a fellow DISer tonight at Epcot! Amy&Dan... they were coming in the entrance at the same time we were! Great meeting you guys!!!

Yep that was us! We really enjoyed meeting you guys too. I knew from your last trip report you guys would be there the same time as us and I told dd we might see you, she was so excited when we really did. Too funny, I mean as crowded as Epcot was that night, that we would see you at the turnstiles.

 

[Amy&Dan]

I just read the whole report and realized we were at MNSSHP the same night as you guys. That rain was such a bummer. But I must say, compared to last year (we did 10/30/07) it was much better. That night, it literally poured from about 9:00 all the way through. The walkways were completed flooded, the second parade was postponed around an hour and it was miserable. So this year's wasn't as bad but still a bummer. My son was Santa Claus at this year's party, so if you saw a tall, skinny Santa, that was us!

 

[Miffy]

Erika --

I just now saw this incredible thread and read the entire thing. Love your pictures, your descriptions, your adorable family, and, in fact, everything! Thanks a mil for posting.

Ever since they redid the rooms at CR, we've had zero desire to stay there. I always thought it'd be so cool if the rooms there looked like fantasy rooms on a spaceship or another planet or were incredibly futuristic. But, sadly, they took away even the old not-so-bad Kennedy-era feel and replaced it with an ordinary upscale hotel. Very disappointing.

I see from your signature that you've stayed at many many WDW resorts, so I'm just going to ask: Do you have a favorite? and why?

Thanks so much. I hope you and your family had a great holiday.

 

[thesupersmartguy]

Hi Erika Glad I had a chance to see this one! I did not know you had gone back again since July! I know what you mean when you say AP's are dangerous, we leave for another trip in about 5 hours and we bought DVC. The Mouse has us hooked!

Talk to ya later,

Super.