These Kids Make Me Wish You Could Curse on the DISBoards (May '11 Trip) - DONE 9/14

[nilla]

I just had to click in seeing your title, and now I see we are practically neighbors.

Subbing now so I dont' lose this 'cuz it looks like it will be a good one!

AND our trips overlapped AND you realized you forgot something when you got to LVI...where do the similarities end?

Welcome! Hope you I don't let you down with this TR

 

[Moira222]

OMG do you drink a lot of coffee or cherry coke? Your TR has me cracking up and I am somehow picking up that you do things in almost fast forward motion. Love your TR & will try not to hog a whole page with comments!!

About an hour later, the phone rings, and it's Kristin. The doctors think she has a kidney stone, and she'll be getting a CAT scan shortly to find out. Oh, man. I heard some nightmares about that from a friend at work who was actually in the hospital for several days with one once, so I'm not my usually, optimistic self right now.

I take the kids outside to play after dinner, and right now, I'm basically bracing myself for the possibility that (1) we won't be going on our trip, or (2) she'll be laid out in bed with the same pain in the hotel room, while I either (a) feel guilty for taking the kids to the park, or (b) stay in the room because I know I'll feel guilty if we go to the park. After proof-reading that last sentence, maybe Kristin's onto something with the "I'm not that compassionate" accusations.

Anyway, you can probably guess that (1) didn't happen, or else you wouldn't be reading this trip report. We fortunately averted that, but when she returned home, she did say that if she doesn't pass it

before Wednesday, she could be having some bad days in WDW.

She takes it easy, and in an effort reminiscient of the 3-push and 2-push births of our kids, she gets that stone out Sunday night, and we are back in business. What a relief. I do try my best to tone down

my "I'm so happy we can still go to Disney World", since it's trumped pretty handily by her "I'm so happy I passed my kidney stone."


[POST=41162891](skip to next update)[/POST]

First, I am so glad that the stone is gone. whew. sounds awful
My DH has a tshirt from the days of Tim the Toolman Taylor that reads "Insensitive and Proud of it". need one?

Dylan comes home from school around 3:00, and he's excited. He starts a sentence with, "tomorrow, on Splash...", but I cut him off. Does he realize what he just said? On Splash. Tomorrow. Unbelievable. It's finally here! You can see now why I need to drink the day of the trip, because it's not a good scene if I don't!

Kristin's parents pick us up in separate cars around 4:30, and we all head out the 3 or so miles to Lehigh Valley International in Allentown, which finally started offering direct flights to MCO two summers ago. MUCH nicer than having to drive to either Philly or Newark. Kristin and the kids are riding with her Mom and the carry-on bags, while I'm with her Dad, the big luggage, and the stroller. We pull up to the curb at LVI...

Up next, the first leg of our voyage begins!

Wish I had thought about a drink earlier in the day. I was so freaking anxious and excited I thought that 5:40 would NEVER arrive.

I LOVE being so close to an airport with non stop to Disney! We left DD's back pack of things to keep her busy and happy at home so also had to have our friend run & get it and bring it back for us.

Dylan and I both wish they would start airing these again, and not the cut-up "Have a Laugh" clips they now show between regular programming. What could be more entertaining than watching a Mickey-build robot beat the crap out of a gorilla? When you think of something, let me know, because I can't think of anything.

my DD LOVES the blam cam! but we have DVD of Mickey shorts that are great.

Not too bad, actually. I walk over to check in on Kristin. She's a bit disappointed that we did not get the building she requested (Cabanas 8), and that we'd be staying in Casitas 3 instead. I remind her that she was also disappointed that we did not get Cabanas 9 last year, only to later fall in love with building 8.
.

I think we are going to have to return to CSR....even DD is requesting it.

Not that this replaces reading the entire TR, but here are links to the first and second time Emily got the sword out.

OMG these are great! I LOVE the look of shock!

So, I got a lot of positive feedback on my choice of titles for this TR, but by now, you're probably thinking, "what is he complaining about? Those kids don't seem that bad."

Well, they aren't. At this point. But they will be. Have faith

But first, it's off to Adventureland...

being a parent, I am thinking...HA you are only on day one, exhaustion and associated mood swings haven't hit yet. Plus the title is just funny

After Pooh, we ride the Jungle Cruise (At Night!), which is much more fun than the sunlight variety. I don't know what it is, but I suspect the guests are more fired up. That's interesting, since there is no alcohol inside the Magic Kingdom. Could these people NOT be drunk, and just having fun? I guess anything is possible in Walt Disney World!

LOL when we rode the Jungle Cruise at night we were just a little punch drunk from being out all day so we were giddy and flippant to the tour guide..which totally makes it more fun!

I didn't realize, until Kristin's parents got the kids a coloring book of it at a flea market, that this ride was based on a movie. And I don't feel ashamed, because I know none of you realized that, either. That's a movie that certainly isn't coming out of the Disney Vault anytime soon. Another one for the NetFlix queue.

oh I am I the only one with this movie in my VHS collection?


I stopped quoting after this - Iw as afraid I'd hog up your whole page. Your TR is great. I love all the fun pictures, and your kids are adorable. I notice that it took a few days for Emily to acquire her own pin trading lanyard (or was Mom wearing it) because she has one in her photo with Senor Donald for the first time.

LOL at your photos from DHS where the kids are running around the make a person thingee--the one little girl looked so much like my Katie I had to think about what date you were there and whether we were there before or after she had her hair cut. answer, it was not Katie but SO CLOSE!

BTW We are in Palmer Twp. LOVE your local references. We noticed a strangely large number of people from PA in WDW in May - our trip overlapped with yours on the last weekend.

 

[Moira222]

AND our trips overlapped AND you realized you forgot something when you got to LVI...where do the similarities end?

Welcome! Hope you I don't let you down with this TR

and we surf DISboards at the same time apparently!

 

[MEK]

Awesome pictures! Hey - I think Emily is going to be a drummer. She's really got the moves!!!!

 

[nilla]

...you'll find out in tonight's update!

Or not. I was going to update last night, but got caught up doing next to nothing. Let's just call it "lack of motivation"

I need to clear some things up about the timeline with Kristin, then will return with an update tonight.

 

[mmeb144]

ok

 

[splah]

I'm late to the party but caught up and along for the ride. I love your style of writing.

(I'm mostly a lurker with an addiction to trip reports. )

 

[nilla]

OMG do you drink a lot of coffee or cherry coke? Your TR has me cracking up and I am somehow picking up that you do things in almost fast forward motion. Love your TR & will try not to hog a whole page with comments!!

Kristin and I really only have one speed. Well, that's not entirely true - we do know how to relax, but when we have things to do, we don't mess around!

Wish I had thought about a drink earlier in the day. I was so freaking anxious and excited I thought that 5:40 would NEVER arrive.

That 5:40 flight is tough, especially when you work 1/2 a day. It's really tough to get anything done when you know you'll be falling asleep on Disney property that night. Lunch at the Brew Works was perfect, and I won't be surprised if we do it again next year.

being a parent, I am thinking...HA you are only on day one, exhaustion and associated mood swings haven't hit yet. Plus the title is just funny

No excuse! Don't ever show weakness, Private! I don't care if you are only 5!

I notice that it took a few days for Emily to acquire her own pin trading lanyard (or was Mom wearing it) because she has one in her photo with Senor Donald for the first time.

Emily had hers from last year, complete with "dud pins" that we got off eBay for trading, plus some of her faves from last year. It just sat in the backpack for the first few days because she didn't want to wear it. We'll carry it, Em - no problem. What's another 5 pounds in the backpack?

LOVE your local references. We noticed a strangely large number of people from PA in WDW in May - our trip overlapped with yours on the last weekend.

TONS of Phillies fans. Like disproportionate to other sports teams. Oh, and more international guests than we remembered in other years, particularly from the UK. Not sure if there's an explanation, but it certainly seemed that way.

and we surf DISboards at the same time apparently!

Yeah, just don't tell my boss, ok?

Awesome pictures! Hey - I think Emily is going to be a drummer. She's really got the moves!!!!

We have a kid's drum set in our basement, and yeah, she can jam on it! Most people think owning a kid's drum set would be painful and annoying, but I find it fun

I'm late to the party but caught up and along for the ride. I love your style of writing.

(I'm mostly a lurker with an addiction to trip reports. )

Welcome, and you're just in time! Another update is coming right...NOW

 

[nilla]

And we're back!

"Back where?"

Back in Epcot, silly! Haven't you been paying attention?

"Well, yes, I have, even though it's tough when you only update about once a week."

That was an exception, so cut me some slack, Jack! Come to think of it, why am I having a conversation with an alternate personality? We have a trip to report!


So here we are, Germany. I manage to locate a CD, "Oktoberfest Traditions", which I will test out the next time I brew something (NOTE: I DID, last Sunday. Irish Red Ale. I'll let you know how that turns out).

...

Are you done? Ok, thanks. Anyway, Kristin disappears while the kids and I hang out around Germany. Kristin finally returns...with no drink. Still dry, and it's almost 3:00! Does she realize we're in Epcot?

I get one last pic...

...and then it's off to Italy. This is where we met Seth, our #1 favorite Photopass photographer, last year, but we have yet to run into him this year. Instead, we grab some shots of our own:

I love pics with the Ball in the background. I also got a snap of the Leaning Tower of Piza:

Actually, as I found out later, that is NOT supposed to be the Leaning Tower of Piza, but rather is a replica of a lesser-known piece of Italian architecture, the Complete Vertical Tower of Jon Can't Hold a Camera Straight. You learn something new every day, I s'pose!

The kids do the Kidcot thing, and I get some more pictures...

...and then it's inside, to look for hats for this pavilion's token picture.

Hmmm...

Can't find any. Here are some masks, so the kids can stand in front of these:

BUT DON'T TOUCH!!! Seriously. I get scared in situations like this, so I have to walk away as Kristin and the kids shop. I get this picture:

I'm glad I did, because this means I learned TWO things that day. I also learned, this past Sunday, that Italian Mickey Mouse was named after Guido's uncle from Cars 2. He even borrowed the black and red color scheme from him. I never knew where Walt got his ideas, but now I do, and that makes THREE things I've learned today.

Well, it's actually two things I learned that day and one this past Sunday, but that doesn't change the fact that EPCOT IS EDUCATIONAL. That's why all the school groups come here. And stick to Test Track, Soarin', and Mission Space.

 

[nilla]

With Italy down, it's off the France, where Kristin decides she's thirsty. As in adult thisty.


"Who am I speaking to?"

"This is Mary Ellen from Delaware! I'm so excited I got through!"

"We're excited you did, too, Mary Ellen. You're caller number three, so if you can correctly answer the question of what drink Kristin started out with on this day, you'll win the tickets! So what's your answer?"

"A Gran Mariner Slushie?"



...


...


...


**DING DING DING DING DING** "A Gran Mariner Slushie is correct! I hope you don't have plans, Mary Ellen, because you've just won yourself a pair of tickets to see Disney's 'Dinosaur', which apparently way more people have seen that we would've thought. Congratulations! Now what do you have to say about that?"

----tagline alert-----

"People really win...on nilla's trip report!"


Now that was fun, wasn't it? You know what else is fun? Beer! I ask Kristin to order me a Biere Kronenbourg 1664, which is not only brewed in France, but is apparently the ONLY beer available in all of France (Epcot France AND European France)...




...




...



Oh, sorry about that. I was waiting for nodnol to point out that Biere Kronenbourg 1664 is actually brewed in Luxembourg, or somewhere else that is NOT France. So maybe I was actually right this time? There's a first time for everything!

So Kristin's enjoying her GMS while I throw back my beer...wait...where's my beer? Didn't you get me one?

"Sorry!"

Ok, ok, I'll get it myself. I really enjoy this beer, and along with the Casa Beer in Morocco, it's probably my favorite "drinking in the heat" beer here at Epcot. Drinks acquired, it's off to look for more Princesses for Dylan to wait in line for. Aurora is in the usual spot, and we're there now, too:

Wait, is that? Could it be?

"It's Aurora."

We know, that smart a.........but isn't that Miley Cyrus AS Aurora?

Sure looks like it to me! In a year gone by, Dylan got a kiss on the cheek from Aurora, and we got a great shot of it. He's not too happy about it now, but he should be. At any rate, he's done with Princesses and kissing for now.

After Aurora, it's over to meet Marie! Emily loves Marie, compounded by a cat-shaped bath towel she has that transforms her into "Marie", and Kristin and I into "Marie Mother" and "Marie Papa", respectively. Depending on her mood, she's either all in for this game or "never wants us to call her Marie again". But she's definitely excited to see her today:

As is the boy:

I get some random Epcot shots...

...Kristin gets some specific hat shots...

...and look at the time! It's almost time for our Le Chefs de France (or as I call it, for some reason, "Le Chefs DU France") ADRs, so let's go inside!

Very brief wait outside, during which about 20 quotes from the French Revolution segment in History of the World: Part 1 run through my head. "Nothing! I have absolutely nothing to sell!"

Dinner update later tonight!

 

[mmeb144]

Woot! You remembered to update!


People really do win on Nilla's trip report.

 

[nilla]

Inside LCdF we go, a family of first-timers, eager to see how we like this place. And how the boy will eat. Rather, IF the boy will eat.

We start with drinks, which means another Kronenbourg for me and some variety of white wine for Kristin. For apps, we both are big French Onion Soup fans, so the choice is obvious:

Delicious! I love Gruyere. The kids "ate" these, but I forget what they are, and AllEars isn't helping:

By "ate", I really meant "tasted". Kristin already knew what her entree would be before we got here, but I waffled between the duck, salmon, and what she got. Ultimately, we united under the flag of the beef short ribs, or "Plat de cote de boeuf au cabernet avee pates" as they call it here.

As we wait for our meal, I grab this pic of Emily and Kristin, with the former doing one of the classic Emily poses:

A waiter pushing a cart stops at our table and asks us if we'd like to meet the chef. Of course! He lifts the lid, and here he is:

LOVE IT!!! Totally unnecessary, but a really cool surprise. That pretty much sums up Disney, doesn't it? The meals arrive:

The kids got the breaded chicken strips, or "Blanc de Poulet aux Nouilles" as they call it here. I didn't get a picture before the meal, but I probably could've got one afterwards and seen the same thing. Well, ok, Emily at the pasta and some chicken, but Dylan didn't really seem interested. This is bugging Kristin, but I'm trying to enjoy my meal by not worrying about what he's doing.

Seeing that they are unable to crack through my defenses, the kids try "plan B", which is giggling and getting generally obnoxious, which ALWAYS involves Dylan doing the baby voice.

Now, the baby voice is ok in small doses, but really grinds Kristin's gears. Being somewhat juvenile in my own right, I can tolerate it, but it's not just the voice that's annoying. It's the fact that he's been told AGAIN and AGAIN about not doing that voice, and yet he keeps doing it. And I'm talking about the span of almost a year. "Dylan, every time you do that voice, you get in trouble, so why not just NOT do that voice?"

"I dunno."

So he does it, and we're not happy. We threaten "no swimming" when we get back to CSR, so he gets worried and stops. Momentarily. And that's it. No swimming. So now, the kids are really unhappy, but they've been goofing off for most of the meal, and nothing else was working. "All we ask is that you listen the first time."

"Can't I have another chance?"

Yes, that's Dylan's catchphrase. And the "another chance" usually doesn't matter, because he blows that one, too. So it's no swimming tonight. It was difficult to have to do that, since they were actually getting along for once. But more about the "no swimming" thing later, because it's time for our desserts! I got another beer and Kristin got another wine, but I also got this:

Creme Brulee, or "Creme Brulee" as they call it here. Vanilla Creme Brulee. Vanilla is my weakness; vanilla ice cream, Vanilla Coke, Vanilla Rally Cola (because nowhere around here stock Vanilla Coke anymore), vanilla vodka, vanilla creme brulee - I love it all, and this is no exception. Kristin, who is eating in a much brighter restaurant than the rest of us, gets this:

Profiterolles au Chocolat, which is basically cream puffs drenched in chocolate. And wonderful.

Dylan gets Huge Cookie:

And the fruit junkie gets the sorbet:

We finish up and head out into another beautiful Florida evening. It's hot, but who cares? And you know what else? My allergies are a NON ISSUE. I love Florida!

To sum up Le Chefs du France, it was very good, but certainly not an "every year" thing. I would definitely come back, but it's not quite at Biergarten/Kona status just yet. If you haven't been there, I would suggest it as a chance to try something new, though.

Outside, we get some more shots...

...including one of something that we WILL NOT tolerate:

With dinner down, it's time to decide what to drink - er, I mean, what to see next, so it's over the bridge toward the UK...

 

[nilla]

Once in the UK, our first stop was inside whatever shop it is that has Kidcot. There is no one there, but the CM at the register will gladly stamp and personalize the autograph books. She LOVES the kids' books, and proceeds to page through them, grilling Dylan on things such as what the name of Belle's prince and enlightening him on the history of Robin Hood, even as other customers line up behind us. That's fine; we love talking to CMs!

Oh, if you didn't know, Belle's prince was Prince Adam. Don't feel bad if you didn't know that, because apparently Belle didn't, either - BUT MORE ON THAT LATER.

Pics with the Pooh squad follow...

...and then it's outside to get a shot of this:

For those of you who have seen "Best in Show", this sign is HILARIOUS to us, thanks to a certain ventriloquist dummy and his inability to say the letter "F" in said movie. Off to the playground next, where we get even more pics:

As I mentioned earlier in this TR, even though we DO have playgrounds in Pennsylvania, the kids still love to hit them here. In the meantime, Kristin goes over to a place that I came up with a clever name for, but she doesn't want me to say it, so I'll respect her wishes.



So here we are, with FPs for both Test Track and at least another hour of daylight. So what should we do?

How about we go back to CSR and go swimming?

"Um, what?"

Ok, I'll admit it. I suck at discipline here at Disney. This is really bad, and we are really for picking a punishment and sticking with it, but how can I take things away from the kids when I really want them myself? It's tough, so we make up some nonsense of them being troopers and keeping up with us, which is admittedly a pretty valid assessment of these kids. While they can get whiny, we DO push them, and they've held up reasonably well. Hold on - who is - is that?

Are you kidding? Max?? As in Goofy's kid? Yep, it's Max, of all people (which, btw, is now our official name for him).

Now, I had heard legends of Max's existence from Flightless Duck, who supposedly met him when Family of the Day at MK (jealous!!), but I had never seen him with my own eyes. But now I have. And so have you:

On the way out, we pass Art of Disney, and I suggest we go inside. When Kristin asks why, I ask her if she wants to buy the Olszewski Castle she's wanted for at least two years now, as her Mother's Day gift. Or, if she doesn't want that, we can each get new Gallery of Light boxes. She's shocked, but decides on the second option, which I like better, too. Rather than get them here, however, she suggests we get them when we go to Downtown Disney later in the week. Good idea, since they should have a much better selection.

With that decided, we head out, grabbing this shot in the process:

and this:

I somehow failed to either take or upload a picture of the Lotso tope that accompanied this ball, but he was cool - and he smelled like strawberries.

But what about the FPs? Well, here comes a young couple, and they look nice, so Kristin offers them two of our TT FPs. They're surprised, but very happy and grateful. What a great feeling

I find another couple, but they're a bit more surly (probably because the guy was walking so fast, so I said "excuse me" to his girlfriend instead), but take the FPs anyway. Still happy to hook someone up, but it's not the same feeling...

As we approach the bus stop, Dylan sees a CSR bus and RUNS toward it. But he's a few seconds too short. Two guys who are also headed there commend him for his effort, though in vain. We do make it back to CSR in a relatively short time, and swimming is back on. We choose the Casitas 3 quiet pool, where Dylan meets a girl a year older than him he can swim with. Emily wants to try to swim to us, but insists we stand 6 inches away from her, so it's more "reaching" than actual "swimming". We hear (and partly see) Illuminations, swim some more, and then head back to the room.

Another GREAT Epcot day, even though it was more laid back and we didn't rack up the ride tallies we pulled off on other days. But that was the point, which is why I love Epcot - you can have two completely different experiences on two separate days, all in the same park. And we still get two more days in Epcot! But not tomorrow, because it's back to Magic Kingdom for this crew...

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[Lifelong_Dreamer]

How fun that you saw Max in the parks! The only place I ever see him is on the cruise ships.

 

[nodnol]

Oh, sorry about that. I was waiting for nodnol to point out that Biere Kronenbourg 1664 is actually brewed in Luxembourg, or somewhere else that is NOT France. So maybe I was actually right this time? There's a first time for everything!

I'm impressed that you know Luxembourg exists

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Wow!! Mega update!

You are right, that princess totally looks like Mikey Cyrus!

Glad Kristin finally got her drink (sorry she forgot yours )

I the onion soup at Chefs. So yummy. Too bad the kids' antics became annoying (i don't think I would last long with baby talk) but I wouldn't feel guilty about later lifting punishment for other good behavior (or more "selfish" reasons). In fact, my first thought was, "won't he want to go swimming??"

Cool you saw Goofy's son, although I have to confess to being a bit creeped out that he's a dad and wondering who the mom is.

 

[mimiecp]

Thanks for the long update! I laughed out loud at the baby voice story and the "one more chance." I venture a guess that most of us with young boys have heard more than our share of the baby voice which eventually results in punishment and the famous phrase begging for one more chance. But, I totally would have caved on the swimming too. It's a relaxing way to end the day for everyone. I liked the playground shots because although we also have playgrounds in North Carolina, I can guess that we are also going to hit every single one we see in Disney (and spend too much time on Tom Sawyer Island). As always, your updates are a great way to start the day...I just realized it's 7:20 and I'm going to be late for work if I don't log off the DIS boards...

 

[nilla]

How fun that you saw Max in the parks! The only place I ever see him is on the cruise ships.

As we were leaving, I heard this conversation between a Mom and 10 year old (looking) son:

Kid: "Can I get my picture with him?"

Mom: "Who is that?"

Kid: "I don't know."

I'm impressed that you know Luxembourg exists

What makes that even more impressive is that there isn't even a Luxembourg pavilion at Epcot. I failed a college Geography exam because I said that Mexico shared a border with Norway!

Cool you saw Goofy's son, although I have to confess to being a bit creeped out that he's a dad and wondering who the mom is.

I did research this once, and from what I found, the Mom can be seen briefly in one Goofy/Max short, but I don't recall which one. I also don't care enough to go research it again, but if it interests you, then by all means

I laughed out loud at the baby voice story and the "one more chance." I venture a guess that most of us with young boys have heard more than our share of the baby voice which eventually results in punishment and the famous phrase begging for one more chance. But, I totally would have caved on the swimming too. It's a relaxing way to end the day for everyone. I liked the playground shots because although we also have playgrounds in North Carolina, I can guess that we are also going to hit every single one we see in Disney (and spend too much time on Tom Sawyer Island).

THANK YOU for this post. Kristin seems to think Dylan is well below the rest of his age group in regard to maturity. Having helped out with his various activities and having lived as a 9 year old boy myself, I know this to be untrue!

I can take the goofiness, but when told to stop, STOP. I often tell Dylan that the only things he ever gets in trouble for are arguing and not listening the first time we tell him to do/not do something. If he refrains from those behaviors, he'd be fine

 

[vleeth]

I just felt the need to mention that every time I read an update on your tr I have an overwhelming urge to sing Ice Ice Baby.

 

[mimiecp]

THANK YOU for this post. Kristin seems to think Dylan is well below the rest of his age group in regard to maturity. Having helped out with his various activities and having lived as a 9 year old boy myself, I know this to be untrue!

I think Henry (who's 8 1/2) will find his baby voice funny until his voice finally changes; unfortunately WAY too many years in the future.