The Toddler Takes Over WDW (Dec. 2-12)

[katerkat]

The Whosits and Whatsits and Wheresits
Russ has been to Disneyland twice, but by the time he was 20 months old, we thought it was time to immerse him in the brainwashing of the World. So I planned, I booked, and I invited people. Get ready to meet them all!

Me: Russ’s mom, over 30 trips to the World, worked there as a CP in 1999, etc, etc
DH: Russ’s dad, 2 trips to the World, is only doing this because I’m making him (we thought he’d be deployed for Christmas, so invited all the family to WDW to celebrate before he left – of course, now he’s not deploying for another month or so)
Russ: the boy himself, 20 months old and in the throes of toddler terror – he’s the reason people want adult-only stuff at WDW
**we stayed at Shades of Green from Dec. 2-12**

CB: my MIL, DH’s mother, been to WDW once back when EPCOT was new
GB: my SFIL, DH’s step-father, been to WDW for a conference or two but never for “real”
**they stayed from Dec. 2-6**

EM: my mother, been to WDW countless times
RM: my father, been to WDW countless times
**they stayed from Dec. 5-10**

CM: my little sister, WDW countless times like the rest of us
**she stayed from Dec. 6-10**

LB: wdwpluto, a good friend who is such a big WDW fan that she moved to Orlando earlier this year
KB: LB’s husband
MOH: LB’s maid-of-honor four years ago at her Disney wedding, we met back then and happened to be there the same week this year

MS: dsneygirl, another online friend from a wedding website, owns DVC at the Wilderness Lodge, taking her five month old (Baby Pirate) for his second trip

Grandpa: my grandfather, lives in Melbourne

 

[katerkat]

I Need Something On Ice
Now, I know you want a trip report full of drama and excitement and alcohol. Well, um, toddlers equal drama, grandparents are excited, and oh BOY did my husband drink. Good enough?

We booked everything in June – three rooms at Shades of Green, plane tickets, plenty of ADRs – then changed our minds on the ADRs every five minutes. Literally, I called and changed dinner plans with five days to go. (C’mon, to anyone in the “Saved By The Bell” generation, who would you choose to see for the Candlelight Processional, Mario Lopez or Marie Osmond?)

By the time Friday rolled around, though, I was all set and ready to go. Minus all the packing. Oh, and we happened to have tickets to Disney On Ice that night, because ten days at Disney just wasn’t enough. So I ended up sending the boys to a friend’s for pizza while I got all the packing done. (Russ kept sitting in the suitcase. Please, like I could stay under the weight limit with him in there. )

Disney On Ice was really cool. I sang all the songs to Russ and kept telling him he’d meet the real Tiki Birds on Tuesday. He used his Incredibles wristband to help save Mickey and Minnie, but looked confused as to why they weren’t using the Mouseketools. DH rolled his eyes every two seconds or so. Not enough alcohol involved. (Only two beers at the friend’s.) We put Russ to bed around 10 pm, three hours after bedtime. That should bode well for the plane flights the next day!!

After putting his majesty to bed, there was more packing. And more packing. And convincing my husband to not pack his laptop. Unsuccessfully. (He needs it for work. Guess how much work he did?) But I did manage to get it into the backpack instead of adding a fourth carry-on. Because really, a stroller, carseat, diaper bag, backpack and toddler aren’t enough. We finally collapse out of exhaustion around 11:30, with only the sippy cups and toiletries to pack up in the morning. Amazingly, I do sleep fairly well, which almost never happens the night before a trip.

 

[PrincessCLM]

Literally, I called and changed dinner plans with five days to go. (C’mon, to anyone in the “Saved By The Bell” generation, who would you choose to see for the Candlelight Processional, Mario Lopez or Marie Osmond?)

I would totally pick Mario over Marie. YAY SLATER!!

 

[katerkat]

So What’s Wrong With Delta?
We’re booked on Delta. I know. I read the DIS afterward and discovered Delta is hated. They never changed our flights or seats, though, so I figured it was one of those Internet things where it’s never as bad as it seems. Yeah, nice thought. Actually, we were mostly fine until the return flights. More on that later, of course – this isn’t the return, this is the going.

We have three flights. I know – apparently there’s not much direct stuff from Spokane, and we couldn’t find anything worth driving to Seattle. But with a toddler, you need to get off the plane and let him stretch his legs every few hours. So the connections don’t bother me.

Delta bothers me, though. First, we couldn’t get our tickets on the kiosk, so we had to talk to a person. Person printed tickets that said we had an infant in arms. Person apparently thought said toddler could be held by arms for more than two minutes. (I’m not anti-lap babies. He’s been a lap baby. Lap-toddlers are a totally different story.) Person refused to print new tickets and said it wouldn’t be a problem. Since I have the paperwork proving we paid for his ticket, I decided to let it go.

We made it through security just fine – DH was amazed at my mad skills in getting everything through. Six flights alone with the boy taught me exactly which order everything needs to go through the scanner. And it’s much, much easier with someone else to wrangle the boy at the same time.

Delta is annoying with the lack of pre-boarding and the “zones.” Who the heck wants to wait in the aisle while I install a carseat? Especially the wiggly toddler? I went ahead and ignored my zone and boarded with the carseat ten minutes ahead of the husband and toddler, that way everything was ready to go when they boarded. Repeat three times.

The flights went well (this time). Most everything was a couple minutes early, and we had time in Salt Lake and Atlanta to find food before boarding again. We had no problems in Orlando finding GB. (CB was already in bed, of course. We got in at 10 pm!) Finding the Magic Kingdom was…interesting. We missed a sign and ended up getting a quick tour of the Animal Kingdom parking lot. Did eventually turn on the GPS and found our way to Shades of Green, where we dumped the toddler on his sleeping grandmother (anyone else waking her up would have been dead) and headed to the front desk to check-in.

You know, I don’t get the people who don’t think SoG is “Disney.” It’s just as nice as the Wilderness Lodge and half the price. (Oh, and double the room!) I love the lobby and rooms and the no-tax and everything else. And there’s a big Mickey in the lobby. Wah, no Mickey soaps – hookairs?

Anyway, we get checked in and head back to the room – we got everything we requested. Connecting rooms with the ILs and a full-size crib for the toddler. (He doesn’t sleep in a pack-n-play anymore.) We drop everything and head to bed. I know, not too terribly exciting. But really, it was all day on the planes. There’s nothing terribly exciting about that.

 

[katerkat]

How Few Rides Can You Do In One Day?
This is the day that I discover not everyone believes in Commando Disney. My family spends every waking hour in the parks. My ILs and husband, not so much. Now, with a toddler, I knew we’d be a bit low-key this trip, but I wasn’t expecting having to beat everyone out of the hotel hours after the park opened. OK, maybe an hour. But that’s a WHOLE HOUR lost in the parks, people! Fast Passes for Everest are gone by then!

I leave the toddler with CB, DH to the showers, and run downstairs with GB to get tickets and various sundries from the BX. And, um, Starbucks. Oh yes, SoG has Starbucks. Contain your jealousy – compared to Washington coffee, this stuff is terrible. Watery and not nearly as strong as it ought to be. But it is Starbucks, so ha ha to everyone drinking Nescafe at your “Disney” hotel.

(Also, SoG has turkeys. A lot of them! And a peacock, and cranes, and herons, and deer and of course, ducks. We even saw hawks!)

I finally drag everyone to Animal Kingdom by 10. (By the way, PT Cruisers don’t really fit four adults and a carseat.) Where my ILs proceed to use the bathroom and pursue the gift shops, instead of heading immediately to the safari.

Do these people know where they’re going?

They even stop to take pictures of the ANIMALS on the way through Discovery Island. *sigh* Can you imagine? (Oh, and while on Discovery Island, we heard someone comment on how real the animals looked. Yes, seriously!) I finally get them to Harambe and leave them watching some drummers so I can grab safari Fast Passes.

Fast Passes in hand, we head to the Lion King show. Russ wants to spend less time sitting and more time dancing. Luckily we have an end seat, because he’s an excellent dancer, if you think stamping your feet and turning in circles is cool. And I’m pretty sure the toddler in front of us thought he was cool. Too bad he already has a girlfriend. We saw a tumble-monkey fall – the first time I’ve ever seen it. He recovered well, though – my ILs thought it was part of the show.

From there, the safari. They are really not selling the “story” well, but Russ enjoyed the animals that he could see. Which wasn’t many. It’s not really a toddler ride.

There’s hippos? Birds? Eh, I’d rather play with my toy.

That’s what the trails are for – we did the Pangani trail after that. Russ mistook “Forest Trail” as “forge your own trail.”

Mamo! (You’d think, with his strong grasp the “n” sound, he’d be able to say Nemo. Or Nomo.) His people!

He is drawn to water. Do they really think fences can stop him?

He loved the fishes to the point that there was kicking and screaming when we had to move on. Yay, toddler-hood! We stop by the gorillas, and let’s just say, if there’s one squatting, with his back toward you, give him some privacy.

He’s getting hungry and cranky, so it’s a good thing we have lunch reservations at Rainforest Café. Good place for toddlers. Loud, lots going on, and moving animals with Santa hats! We have a coupon for a 99-cent kids meal, so Russ actually gets his own meal today. Shrimp and chicken, but he mostly eats the corn. I’m so not changing that diaper. By the end of the meal, he’s getting really cranky, so CB walks him around looking at everything. Surprise, surprise, they end up in front of the aquariums.

The toddler is done with us by then, so we take him back to the hotel and let him nap. (Yes, if you’re counting, we did ONE ride and ONE show and ONE walk-around attraction at AK.) And the nap lasts forever. My husband’s, not the toddler’s. It’s past 5 by the time I get everyone back on the road. They seem to think this is a “vacation.” We get to MGM in time for one ride – the Great Movie Ride, of course. GB thought it was hysterical that both PeeWee Herman and Michael Jackson had hand/footprints in WDW.

Then the ILs went to see Fantasmic with the toddler while DH and I rode the Tower. And the Muppets. And Star Tours. And we’re still back before Fantasmic ends. Apparently, all Russ did during Fantasmic was eat. And CB thinks the show is too dark for little kids. We sat down to eat some more popcorn and watch Russ devour his dad’s frozen lemonade (mmm, sticky!) while DH and GB rode Tower. Again.

By the time they got off, the park was closed, so we headed outward. DH was letting the toddler explore his “boundaries” right off the edge of the curb and right in front of a cart of some sort. The cart-CMs had much better reflexes than my husband. Don’t worry, I was busy ignoring my child and buying a Rice Krispie Mickey Head. Yum.

We’re back to the hotel and in bed before ten. And for those keeping track, yes, that was only ONE ride and ONE show for CB; three for GB; four for me; and five for DH. Totally worth the $60 a day. Good thing Russ is free!

 

[resol37]

Yay for SoG! I found your TR by doing a search on Shades of Green. Wanted to see if there were any other SoG lovers amongst all the, "Contemporary is the best!" "No, Poly is better!" I've only ever stayed at SoG and needed some comraderie.

I'd choose Mario Lopez, too. How can you not love him?

Sounds like fun so far. I'm a commando too and we've got a 12 person family trip coming up in May so I'm a little worried about doing everything. I don't know about drama, but I've got the alcohol side of things covered!

 

[katerkat]

Yay for SoG! I found your TR by doing a search on Shades of Green. Wanted to see if there were any other SoG lovers amongst all the, "Contemporary is the best!" "No, Poly is better!" I've only ever stayed at SoG and needed some comraderie.

I'd choose Mario Lopez, too. How can you not love him?

Sounds like fun so far. I'm a commando too and we've got a 12 person family trip coming up in May so I'm a little worried about doing everything. I don't know about drama, but I've got the alcohol side of things covered!

This was my first trip to SoG and I was surprised at how very, very nice it was. I would compare it to ANY of the deluxes, although my parents stayed in the older section and the rooms were smaller. Heck, our bedroom was pretty much half the size of our house! I pretty much stayed at the Poly growing up and I thought SoG was awesome.

I don't think I could ever do a family trip with people who just want to go with the flow. Which includes my husband. Luckily now that we have done Russ's "first" trip, I'm allowed to go back with my family without him! And then we can use his vacation time on a vacation he'd prefer.

 

[katerkat]

Trips to the Land: ??
I woke up bright and early…and then waited for hours for everyone else, again. (Repeat after me: never vacation with un-like-minded people, never vacation with un-like-minded people.) Actually, the problem was in our mode of transportation – we walked from SoG to the Poly Great Ceremonial House, then instead of continuing along the walk to the TTC, they give up and want to take the monorail. Except we’re going to EPCOT, and we’re at the Poly, so we have to do the entire circuit of the resort monorail to get to the TTC. They said, “It’s OK, we want to see the resorts.” I mumbled, “Yeah, tomorrow on the way to/from the MK would be better.” It took us an hour and a half to get from SoG to EPCOT.

But we did finally get there and got inside. I managed to hurry them past the front by promising to do pictures on the way out. (Ha ha, and they totally fell for that.) GB determined that Spaceship Earth is a big commercial for Siemens, so I get them past that and over to the Land for some Soarin’ Fast Passes. I ditch them in front of the Jammitors this time, where my son proceeds to show off his super cool white boy dance again.

We got there at 10:30. Our Soarin’ Fast Passes were for 1 pm. Whee! (And, it’s really annoying to go down the stairs and fight through the crowds just for FPs…though I suppose if they set them up at the top of the Land, there’d be a whole lot more takers.) Once we had those, we headed over to the Living Seas. Russ was bored with the Nemo ride, but not the aquarium. He was ready to swim with the manatees, if only these people would quit holding him back.

After a good half hour of letting Russ run wild in the aquarium, we decided we were hungry. Nearest food is back in the Land. (Trips into the Land: two.) Found a seat and had some interesting food at the Food Fair. Russ wasn’t a fan, even of the cheese, and he loves cheese. CB and GB had sandwiches, DH had Asian some-such and I had the kid’s sandwich.

After that, we still had a while before our FPs started, so we rode the boat ride. Boring for everyone but CB, who is a major gardener. Though we did learn about Disney’s secret tourist growing program, lurking in the back of the pumpkin torture room. They said it was a “tour” but we all know better.

After that, we still had a while before the FPs were up, so we went over to Journey to Imagination. Which is just terrible, if you remember Dreamfinder and Figment and how it used to be. Russ enjoyed it, though, and enjoyed the stuff after the ride even more. Waving arms around wildly to create “music” is right up his alley. While in there, CB and DH bought Russ a t-shirt and bouncy ball, because my ILs think his shirts are too short. They are, but c’mon, width-wise, the kid can still fit in his 3-6 month clothes. Anything over 12 months is HUGE on him. 3T is ginormous. But I am a good daughter-in-law and I stuck him in his big EPCOT t-shirt.

After a nice diaper change, we walked back to the Land for Soarin’ finally! (Trips to the Land: three.) I saw the world’s worst mom try to get in line with her baby strapped into a Bjorn. Only the baby was asleep and completely hanging like dead weight in the carrier (I have a Snugli and there’s no possible way Russ could hang like that in the carrier.) The mom was snapping from side to side and the poor baby is just whipping around. When she was told she couldn’t go on the ride, she let her mom go, but then chased down her mom because she’d need baby food that was in her mom’s bag, apparently. The cast members really didn’t seem happy with her!!

Anyway, we spilt up for Soarin’ – CB and I first while the guys waited with Russ. (Did I mention he’s ready for a nap? My favorite time to leave him!!) We missed the “next” Soarin’ by two people, which meant we waited for two more after that, or something. Anyway, even with FPs, the line took 20 minutes. And I found out that CB is afraid of heights. Uh, oops. I convinced her to go on anyway by not really telling her what happens. She was OK with it, but I don’t think she’ll do it again. At one point she had to do the whole “focus on a point in the horizon” thing, which, uh, is hard when they keep changing the picture! But she didn’t puke and she laughed that I flinched at the golf ball.

By the time we got off, the guys had about five minutes left on their FP, so they handed over Cranky Pants and ran away. I think it was more because of Mr. I Need A Nap, not the time. We decided not to go back to the room for naps, so I had brought my Moby wrap. BIG mistake. It’s the most comfy wrap at home, but only because he wants to be clingy and snuggled up to me. When he’s arching away from me and screaming his head off, it’s not quite as useful. CB waited for the guys while I walked around and around the outside of the Land with Russ. He got tired eyes but didn’t sleep.

After everyone has joined up again, we walked toward the World Showcase, hoping that walking will lull him to sleep. It didn’t. At the UK, we strapped him into the stroller and used the wrap to block out all light and distractions. He hated that, of course. It took the entire walk to France, and several jaunts around the square while GB and I got pastries, to get him to sleep. He finally gave up at 3:30. We had 4:30 reservations for dinner. I can see where this could be fun!

 

[akrake]

This was my first trip to SoG and I was surprised at how very, very nice it was. I would compare it to ANY of the deluxes, although my parents stayed in the older section and the rooms were smaller. Heck, our bedroom was pretty much half the size of our house! I pretty much stayed at the Poly growing up and I thought SoG was awesome.

I've stayed at sog 5 times...4 of them were in the new section...really awesome, wonderful, great...the last time...the old section...not so great AT ALL.

it is a great price but i can understand the "it's not disney" thing....my older kids say it all the time....

akrake

ps. i was pleased last december to find out they had starbucks coffee (not a real starbucks...just serves the coffee...think barnes & noble but low key)... just wish they had soy milk.

 

[katerkat]

But What About Admiral Adama?
We spent the next hour walking around the countries, as far as Germany, then back to Marrakesh for dinner. We did the Candlelight Processional package, hence the early time. Luckily, that restaurant is pretty much empty, so they let us bring in the stroller. GB and I had the shish kabobs (after ordering the same meal the day before, too!) and DH and CB had the sampler platter. I tried the soup as my appetizer – eh. The bread and kebobs were good, though. Everyone else really liked their food, and DH liked his beer. (DH has a weird thing from his pilot training days – he won’t drink American beer. If it’s cheap, or say, included in your dinner package, he won’t drink it.) Russ woke up about halfway through and nibbled on some bread. He didn’t get enough sleep and was slightly cranky. Thank goodness for belly dancing! That had his full attention the whole five minutes she was out.

After dinner, we had just over an hour before our CP, so instead of getting in line like a good DISer, we ran down to Norway and rode the Maelstrom. Russ thought it was fun, but he likes trolls. Especially the big giant one on the way out. By the time we got back to the American Adventure, they were already letting in the stand-by line. We hurried over to our side and…got distracted.

This requires a slight amount of background. DH and I went in Dec. 2003 and saw Edward James Olmos do the CP. For anyone who’s a geek, you’ll note that Dec. 2003 is also when the Battlestar Galactica miniseries came out. Since we are geeks, we watch the series as well. (Who am I kidding? That’s the best show on television. If you’re not watching, geek or not, you’re missing out. Seriously.) So ever since we planned on coming back in December, DH has been bugging me about seeing Admiral Adama again. I had to keep patiently explaining that the Admiral wasn’t even doing it that year, much less while we’re there.

DH saw the sign with all the narrators listed – and listed for Dec. 20-21 or so, was Admiral Adama. I tried to explain that it was a sticker with his name, so obviously the change had been made in, like, the last day (since Mario Lopez and Marie Osmond were NOT stickers and I knew that had only been changed for about a week) and there’s no way were could have planned our trip around the possibility of Adama doing it a few days before Christmas. DH still thought it was my fault – which is silly, because I, personally, would have flown down on the 20th to see Adama! (Ahem, geek!)

Anyway, we found decent enough seats on the side. And, bonus, we didn’t have to wait in the cold nor sit in the cold for too long! CB and I immediately take off our shoes because it’s been a long day of walking…to and from the Land. At this point, Russ was getting hyper, but still entertainable with various toys we had with us. He spent the first half or so sitting on the ground untying our shoes. The CP is wonderful, as always, but sadly, Slater didn’t do very good.

Well, he was OK, but c’mon, Admiral Adama! They’re just not in the same league. By the end, Russ was fully bored, but luckily, so was the kid in front of us, so they had fun playing peek-a-boo. I bet his parents were thrilled they paid for the CP package for him to ignore the show.

When it ended, we hurried out, because it was starting to get COLD and the wind was picking up. Time to get my tired boy home. We made it to the bridge in France when DH suddenly stopped. He left his hat. In the CP theater. And it’s his favorite hat (Guiness, of course). He immediately became a total male and grouched about how he won’t go back because they’ll never find it, etc, etc. *sigh* I grabbed CB and ran back, sending the boys on their forward march, assuming they can find their way to the front of the park. (They can’t. Got lost around the Land. Seriously, like we hadn’t walked around that tiny strip of real estate all morning!) CB and I set a record for making it back to the theater, and lo and behold – of course they found the hat and had it in the Lost and Found bin already. This is Disney World, after all, not some Mickey Mouse operation. Uh… Anyway, we got the hat and headed back to the front of the park and the guys.

I mentioned riding Spaceship Earth before we left, but DH spotted the monorail starting its swing around the geodesic sphere and decided it would be more fun to try to outrun it. (Psst, it’s not!) We did win the race, barely, though I didn’t get the hot chocolate I wanted. DH seemed to think that getting OUT of the wind would get us warmer faster than me drinking hot chocolate. And the brisk jog was supposed to help too, apparently.

An hour or so later, after we transferred to the resort monorail and walked from the Poly, we got back to the room. DH and GB immediately popped open Bud Lights. (BTW, I gave DH a lecture on drinking crap beer in the room when he could have had crap beer with dinner, already included in the price, instead of $15 worth of beer NOT included in the price.) CB and I broke into a bottle of wine. Oh, and we put Russ to bed. Without any alcohol.

 

[katerkat]

I've stayed at sog 5 times...4 of them were in the new section...really awesome, wonderful, great...the last time...the old section...not so great AT ALL.

it is a great price but i can understand the "it's not disney" thing....my older kids say it all the time....

akrake

ps. i was pleased last december to find out they had starbucks coffee (not a real starbucks...just serves the coffee...think barnes & noble but low key)... just wish they had soy milk.

Yeah, my parents couldn't figure out why we were raving about our room until they visited and said, "This is twice the size of our room!" We didn't know, so didn't request anything but connecting, but next time we'll probably ask for the new wing. Although my parents were closer to the pools.

The Starbucks rocked - I was there every morning!

 

[katerkat]

What Happened to the Back Side of Water? (Tuesday Day, December 5)
Today, DH said his parents wanted time with the toddler, so I dressed him and sent them on their merry way. Time without the toddler? You don’t have to ask twice. The MK can wait!! I went down and savored my daily Starbucks fix (ha ha, Nescafe!) and the boy drove the ships near the gazebo.

Of course, it was after ten before we got everyone ready to head to the park. We walked again to the Poly and rode the monorail in. Once there, of course, GB was hungry and wanted to wait on the 20 minute line at the bakery. So we watched sports clips at the little movie theater behind Casey’s. Just as he arrived with his coffee and pastries, CB decided to go buy a shirt for her nephew. So we waited outside of Casey’s so Russ could watch the birds try to steal pastries. By the time they were ready to ride some rides, it was close to noon and the toddler is CRANKY. Yeeha! We got to Pirates and I immediately strapped the boy into the Mei Tai. The slow rocking movement of the line helped a bit, but he didn’t manage to fall asleep. Of course. He did enjoy the ride, though, especially the part with fire. Personally, I like the addition of Jack Sparrow and other elements from the movie.

After Pirates, we grabbed FPs to the Jungle Cruise and went to get lunch. DH decided he wanted pizza, though, and there’s no where in Adventureland for that. There’s probably somewhere that serves it, but I couldn’t recall anywhere off the top of my head and I wasn’t about to go trekking around the park. We tried the Pirate and Parrot (whatever the Spanish name is) but they were closed, so around the bend we went to Frontierland and Pecos Bill. DH and GB ate; the rest of us weren’t hungry. CB took Russ down the ways to watch some cowboy show – probably in front of the Diamond Horseshoe. When they got back, Russ snitched some fries. I’m so glad I can talk about how wonderful I was to breastfeed him for 13 months, because his food selection now is so healthy.

By the time we finished eating, our FPs were about up, so we walked back to the Jungle Cruise. “About up” and “up” are not the same, though, so we wasted time and money driving the little boats around. I spent the entire time trying to find my boat – always locate BEFORE putting your money in the thing. We finally got on the Jungle Cruise and we had a GREAT skipper. She had the entire boat cracking up, which is something I rarely see. And she even had a bunch of new jokes I hadn’t heard! Though she didn’t say O2H, just the back side of water.

After the Jungle Cruise, we decided to head over to the Haunted Mansion. Against my better judgment, I let Russ ride with his grandparents. He did well, though – only a minor jump when the heads pop out in the cemetery. This was the kid that was afraid of Winnie the Pooh in Disneyland! From there, up to Fantasyland and It’s a Small World; as always, Russ’s favorite ride. We looked around Fantasyland and everything had lines over 40 minutes at that point, so we decided to head on out. (Nap time, of course!) The best route out, of course, is all the way through Fantasyland and Tomorrowland – if you want a smoothie, that is.

On the way home, I called my parents to get an ETA. They were visiting my grandfather and drove around Clermont for a while, looking for a winter home. They arrived about twenty minutes after we got back and put Russ down for a nap. I got them checked in and then headed back for my own nap! We had dinner reservations for the Hoop Dee Do, so it was going to be a long night.

We debated going back to the MK before dinner to see the fireworks, but it became a moot point after everyone napped until after five. At that point, we had to get ready and head to Pioneer Hall for our grub.

 

[dsneygirl]

Loved your report so far!! I'm looking forward to the drunk part and the special appearances by me and wdwpluto

 

[meandtheguys2]

What a cutie! Love the report thus far. I agree, never travel with people who don't think like you. We lied to my sister and her husband about what time we needed to start out in the morning. Because they are always 1/2 an hour late.

My youngest is a water baby too. Well, was...he's a 7 year old water boy, now! Twice he went under the water, and forgot that he needed to come up to breathe!

 

[katerkat]

Indian Scout Abercrombie (Tuesday Evening, December 5)
(Hmm, Abercrombie is actually in the Word Dictionary. Weird.)

We got up and got everyone ready to go, the usual slow process. Since Dad and I were the only ones who claimed they knew where they were going, Dad, Mom and DH got into their rental and I went with GB, CB and Russ in theirs. But knowing where you’re going and actually turning at the correct place are two different things. Thank goodness for cell phones and traffic lights. Of course, we couldn’t remember how to get from the parking lot to Pioneer Hall (here’s a hint – you shouldn’t try to walk.) Eventually we managed to get on the right bus and got checked in at Pioneer Hall. Since we had a good 20 minutes to wait, we went over to the play area. I took advantage of the benches while Grandma played with the munchkin.

Grandmas are smart. She started yelling, “He said ‘Grandpa!’” and both grandfathers went running over to the slide. And Grandma left them with the boy and sat down with us.

Finally it was dinner time, and we got seated at our table – an excellent table, right in the middle behind the clear space for a solo. Russ was grumpy at being forced off the playground, and then seated a table without any food immediately in front of him. Luckily this is a place where banging your spoon on your plate is somewhat encouraged. Our waitress brought out our cornbread really quickly. DH apparently listened to my lecture (a first!) and dutifully ordered the “free” Bud Light. The waitress brought him a pitcher.

Russ loved the show. In fact, he got grouchy when they stopped singing so we could eat. He quite enjoyed the beans, though. Fun fun for his mommy. He was thrilled when the girl and guy came to sing their solo right in front of him. He kept trying to touch the girl’s dress.

DH kept filling his glass and my father’s.

Time for audience participation! Russ definitely caught the pretty lady’s eye, because she came right over to our table and chose DH to help in the show. Right as we got dessert. DH protested.

Yes, this is my husband – Indian Scout Abercrombie.

He made an excellent Indian to help Davey Crockett – of course, he is part Cherokee. Not enough to get college scholarships or casino money, but enough to look ridiculous on stage. And the Bud Light helped.

The Bud Light helped a lot at the end. Apparently he was supposed to tell Davey Crockett not to die and “be dramatic.” I wish I had a video of this, because he dropped to the floor, wailing, “Don’t die, Davey, don’t!!” I don’t think I’ve ever laughed this hard at – er, I mean WITH – him. Everyone loved it – even the actors could barely contain themselves. This is what just the right amount of beer does to a guy.

And finally, DH got back to the table and got his strawberry shortcake. Notice the nearly empty pitcher.

After the show, we walked down to the marina to watch the fireworks. And played the fun game of “keep Russ out of the water.” He did love the fireworks. We taught him to say “wow!”

The fireworks weren’t as great without the music (try explaining the ‘show’ to people who have never seen it.) But we did get an extra show – right at the end of the fireworks, the Electric Water Parade came to the marina. CB really enjoyed that, and complimented me on my planning skills to have us there for that. (I had no idea it was coming!)

After that, it was time to get the boy back to the hotel for bedtime!

 

[katerkat]

Loved your report so far!! I'm looking forward to the drunk part and the special appearances by me and wdwpluto

I know, I'm slowly getting there!!

What a cutie! Love the report thus far. I agree, never travel with people who don't think like you. We lied to my sister and her husband about what time we needed to start out in the morning. Because they are always 1/2 an hour late.

My youngest is a water baby too. Well, was...he's a 7 year old water boy, now! Twice he went under the water, and forgot that he needed to come up to breathe!

I really love my ILs and I enjoyed being there with them, but man, we'd be better off taking them on a beach vacation or something next time. I'm just so used to doing Disney a certain way and they like to relax on vacation.

Russ, well, he's a total water boy. He was flinging himself off the side of the pool without even checking to see if anyone would catch him. Nut!

 

[wdwpluto]

Loved your report so far!! I'm looking forward to the drunk part and the special appearances by me and wdwpluto

Amen to that!

 

[ElleBelle]

GREAT report so far! Just subbing and patiently awaiting more!

 

[wdwpluto]

Ahem! Paging Kater, paging Kater...

 

[katerkat]

OK, I had writer's block on my other project, so here's another day...!

No parks, new people (Wednesday, December 6)
Finally, an off day! And somehow, we were out and about even earlier than the days in the parks! We had 8:40 reservations at Cape May Buffet for the character breakfast, so we needed to be ready to go by 8 am. After several complaints from both sets of grandparents, I called and tried to make later reservations, but there were none available. So I dragged all the whiners out of bed and crammed them into one car and got them to the Beach Club. (Hey, did anyone notice, whenever they give you directions for parking at the gate, it’s actually how to go to valet parking. Sneaky, Disney, but you can’t fool us! We parked in self parking and walked!)

We checked in, barely sat down, got crayons out for Russ, and we were called to be seated. Yay! We settled down and took shifts getting stuff from the buffet. Russ was free – they apparently don’t know he has a hollow leg. I think he ate every grape off the buffet and worked his way through a couple Mickey waffles.

Woohoo – crayons and fruit!

He was a little unsure of the characters

He was pretty sure Goofy was there to steal his food, so he used the paper on the table to cover his plate

He did get Minnie to look up

Oh, and that shirt he’s wearing? Same one he wore in September 2005 in Disneyland. Skinny kid! And yes, I convinced everyone to wear Santa Mickey ears and hats. I have that effect on people.

After breakfast, we decided to wander around the Yacht and Beach Club for a while. I still want to stay there and use the pool! We checked it out and Russ tried to climb over the fence to get to the pool, and ran across the beach to the lake. Good thing it was an off day and we were actually going to the pool later! Eventually we had to head back so my ILs could pack up – they were heading to south Florida to visit GB’s parents. We planned on keeping their room for my sister, who was arriving that night, so they just went to the front desk and paid up till that day and left the keys for my sister. That worked great – I was nervous about losing our connecting room but they never even questioned it.

While the ILs packed, we popped the boy into his swim suit and walked him down to the pool. SoG has two pools – one “plain” one and one Mickey shaped. We agreed to meet my parents at the Mickey one, but got slightly lost on our way there and ended up at the regular pool. Parents weren’t there, of course. So we walked over to the Mickey pool. No parents there, either, but we stuck our feet in and discovered Mickey was NOT heated. Eek! So I left DH and Russ there while I attempted to find my parents. They weren’t at their room, so I went to the regular pool. Mom was there but Dad was apparently on his way to the Mickey pool, looking for us. I tested the regular pool – ah, heated! – and walked BACK to the Mickey pool to get the rest of the family. And found only DH and Russ there. Why on earth they didn’t go back to the regular pool with my dad, I don’t know. Finally we all ended up at the regular pool, and Russ jumps right in. Without waiting for an adult to be there to catch him. That’s pretty much how he spent his time at the pool – he watched how the older kids were swimming and pushing off the stairs, and he flung himself out there. No fear.

GB came out to the pool to say goodbye – CB isn’t good with goodbyes and prefers not to do them at all. After a little while, we went back to the hotel room, gave the boy a light snack and put everyone down for the daily nap.

After nap, my parents, Russ and I headed to the monorail to see the holiday decorations. DH was cranky so we left him to nap (more) in the hotel, with the promise that he would get up eventually and meet us for dinner. Right, really, he would! First stop was a wander around the Poly lobby, searching for that gingerbread house Raven had promised on TV. It wasn’t there. (Reports on the DIS were that the pastry chef had “no time” this year. Well, then quit filming holiday specials promising elaborate decorations!) There were a LOT of poinsettias, though. It was pretty, but it’s hard to make the Poly really “holiday” – it’s like trying to make it snow on Main Street. (Oh, uh…)

From there, we hopped the monorail to the Contemporary. Russ loves the monorail. Russ loves trying to push out the windows of the monorail. Russ loves jumping on the seats of the monorail. Russ loves trying to climb into the back of the monorail. Russ gets bored with Mommy and Grandma shopping in the Contemporary. But I got a couple new antenna toppers and an outfit for my older sister’s new baby. (She couldn’t come because she was having a baby instead.) And I looked longingly at the accessories to the monorail that goes around our Christmas tree, but our suitcases just weren’t that big. I still want all that stuff though.

I thought the Contemporary’s holiday display was nice, though it took us forever to find it. Figures it’d be in the lobby and not the main place where all the people passing through can see it. We found five of the seven hidden Mickeys, and we’re good at stuff like that, so kudos to those who found all seven. Forgot to take pictures of the ones we did find, of course.

After that, it was time for the only place that was really decked out for the holidays – the GF, of course. DH called on our way over and ended up on the monorail right behind us from the Poly. See, I told you he’d wake up! Russ was so thrilled to see him get off the monorail, you’d think his daddy was Sleeping Beauty and he hadn’t been seen in a hundred years or something. Russ was entranced by the GF lobby stairs as Dad went to find out how long the wait was at the Grand Floridian Café. Apparently, since our last, extremely memorable due to extremely badly behaved children (not my own), they changed the Café from a little burger joint to an expensive steak place that you need ADRs for. And I said I did research for this trip!!

So, Dad ran over to 1900 Park Faire and they, of course, didn’t have any open ADRs, even at 4 p.m. (Darn you, Dining Plan!!) So even though we just made DH drag himself over from SoG, we decided to head back there for dinner. DH complained; we dragged him back anyway. We ended up walking all the way to the back of SoG to Evergreen’s. The meal was OK, not especially great but not especially bad. Russ said his first full phrase – “no, let go!” (Mean old grandma wouldn’t let him run around the restaurant.)

After dinner, it was time to do the best, most special thing of the whole trip. In some people’s minds. We headed to the airport to pick up my little sister. Nothing thrilling in that, drive there, baggage claim, drive back. Russ was thrilled to see her and had a wide discussion on the buttons in the car. We came home and pretty much went to bed after unwinding for a bit.