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

[nilla]

No, seriously, could your family take more Disney trips so that I could enjoy more TRs?

We're taking a collection. And thanks

I love your CSR pictures. Kathy will have a hard time competing with you because she's not staying there this year.

Not a chance. No one can compete with her.

I would love to get back there with my new camera!

Ok, maybe you.

I swear your family also wins the award for park commandos! I know I couldn't keep up with you. I am far too lazy!

It's sort of silly when we try to communicate it to other people. They can't understand it, but for us and who we are, it makes perfect sense!

Hope you post your final thoughts and next years plans. Will you keep going in May? Is it getting hard to take Dylan out of school?

Wait and see!

I could look at pictures of the Coronado all day - in fact, I may just return to your trip report many times today just to look at the pictures again. What's work when faced with the fact that I'll be at the Coronado in....12 DAYS!!!!

It's the best. We agreed early in this year's trip that there was no way we were staying anywhere else in '12.

The resort really looks beautiful...but very big. Sounds like your room was in a great location. As you said, bet next year you'll be in the "desert" section so Dylan can find the droids (love the reference ) and you guys can fall in love with another part of the resort.

When I walk through the ranchos, I feel like I should have a cheap putter and a purple golf ball. But yes, I'd probably fall in love with it all the same!

Enjoyed your TR! CBR is a beautiful resort - glad you had so many pics of it so I could get a feel for it. May have to stay there sometime.

Do it!

Thanks for the tour. I could feel the heat, not the sweat rolling down my back. Nice! AND Fountain Porn, that just makes my day.

Whose day does it not?

Okay, Jon; now you have gone and done it. I am sitting here with tears in my eyes because I'm not going to be at the CSR in nine days.
I know that I will love AKL and OKW, but it just isn't home.

You will! And you'll have a great trip. And it's in 9 days

Your pictures are absolutely wonderful. You captured the beauty of the CSR with all of your pictures.

Now I have a HUGE favor to ask you. When I get back from our trip, I am going to have to update the CSR "unofficial" thread and would like to use some new pictures. Do I have permission to borrow some of yours for this purpose?

THANKS! And absolutely! I can even upload in a bigger size, if you'd prefer (they're 800x600 in this TR). Just let me know.

Ok I just started reading but I love your title, I think just about any parent can say that at times! Looking forward to reading all the report, I am 10 days away and am desperately looking for complete TR's to pass the time.

You can read this multiple times! Problem solved

And now, let's slowly bring this to a close...

 

[nilla]

It's almost time to get out of here, but we haven't had lunch yet. Just like last year, we're going to hit the Pepper Market before we ship out. I like this place a lot, but actually had more fun at the pool bar this year. I mean, how can even a wide selection of meals made before your very eyes stack up to fast food junkie birds and squirrels? It's not even a contest.

But the food's great here! Check this out:

Looks good, huh? Well, have a go at this:

That was good! My steak burrito was loaded with meat, and Kristin's chicken quesadillas were loaded, too. Really good, and I love Mexican "fast food". Kristin hates Taco Bell...so when she works late or goes out with her friends, I usually get about $12 worth of tacos and watch a ridiculous horror movie (which she also hates). But she likes the Pepper Market. A lot actually. Alright, I guess it's pretty obvious that the Pepper Market is WORLDS better than Taco Bell. I don't even know why I even brought up Taco Bell.

Ok, rewind! Our meals were great. We really like this place a lot, though the "am I quick service, or am I full service?" identity crisis is a bit odd. The kids go boring and get the Mac and Cheese:

Whatever these dessert were, they were delicious, too:

Emily's thinking of something orange. Something oraaange...

Give up?

It's an orange.

We're getting to the point where we need to start moving, and out we go. The woman in front of me at the cashier has NO clue how this all works.

...

Finally, we're on our way. We walk out to the bus stop, glancing back at what we consider our true "home". Goodbye, Coronado Springs! See you next year.

 

[nilla]

On the way back to the airport, we somehow completely miss the Nickelodeon AGAIN, and I'm thinking we must've gone a different way. It was pretty noticeable last year. I like the Nick stuff, but it's a step down from the Disney stuff. I am a big fan of Nickelodeon Universe at the Mall of America in Minnesota, though. No space? That's fine - we can just build RIDICULOUS smaller rides!

We're off the bus, and into the airport:

It's sad when we pass the Magical Express counter, but cool to see the people just arriving. I can only imagine how their trip will be. Or if I've read their trip report.

There's a Universal Studios store here, so we get to check out the Harry Potter merch without the 3 hour wait. We'd LOVE to see the HP stuff there, but it's tough finding a day to not do something on Disney property. And there's more - we don't rent a car, so we'd take a cab, and I would feel ashamed to get into it in front of CSR. I'm serious. I'd feel like a traitor. As outrageous as that sounds, I know myself, and it's undeniable! Kristin checks out the wands:

Great collection. They had EVERYONE'S. Pretty much. Love the mini-dragons in the purple packaging:

Crookshanks! Buckbeak! That pink thing! I really need to read those books again

Wow, they're selling everything!

Do they have a box for the giant spider I'm hiding?

Yuck - I feel dirty know. I need to re-Disney, ASAP.

That's better. I've decided that Goofy's pretty much a disaster. I'm amazed that Mickey and the gang still put up with him. I guess there's just no upsetting this guy:

Bye, Mickey! We'll see you next year!

 

[nilla]

With our plane not set to leave for another hour, Emily starts working on her trip report:

The plane arrives, our zone is called, we ascend. Once in the "you can use personal electronics again" zone, I fire up the DS and boot up Pokemon Black. I'm going to beat that Pokemon league. I choose to go after Caitlin first, the gym leader who DESTROYS my guys every time. BOOM. Her Pokemon are down for the count. Grimsley's next - no problem. Shauntal falls. Marshal's the final obstacle....DONE. Beat it. Finally!

Dylan: "I beat that 5 times already, and you just beat it!"

Yeah. Thanks for taking my moment from me, kid.

I'm in the back row with Emily, and all is well until we start to hit turbulence when he enter PA. I don't think I've never had a worse flight. I really thought I might lose my steak burrito, but I held on. This was FAR worse than Mission: Space!

We landed in Allentown, Kristin's parents pick us up, and we're home. Vacation over. Reset the countdown.

 

[nilla]

But that's not it! Well, that's it for the story, but I'm not done spouting off just yet. Of course, I'm going to stretch it out with gimmicks like top tens and "firsts" lists just like last year, but it's take a little bit more to sum up this experience. I'll give it a shot.


Wow. What AMAZING trip. I've never had so much fun in Disney. We truly maximized the vacation, and I'll remember it for a long time. Coronado Springs. Emily on Space Mountain. Magic, Memories and You. All the unusual characters. Riding the Haunted Mansion by myself. The light crowds. The Fast Pass luck. And skill. We beat this place down, and I don't feel like we missed out on anything.

About this trip report...there were some questions about the title, but I assure you, it was accurate. I didn't paint the kids in a really bad light when writing this trip report. True, I did mention annoying things they did, but it wasn't just that. It was the frequency of these things occurring. And the duration. There were times when the complaining and fighting got so bad that we would discuss, in front of them, our trip next year without them. Which would never happen, but...

But they're good kids. They mean well, but can get stubborn at times. VERY stubborn.

But they're mostly good. Great, even. They share our love for Disney, and can be a ton of fun when they're in good moods. They have unique, sometimes wacky personalities that really impress me. And we love them


It'll be 11 more months until we return, but we can find ways to pass the time. For me, there are 3 seasons: Summer, football, and preparing for Disney. We're in the second one right now, but we're getting closer and closer to "wake up at the crack of dawn to get ADRs" day, and soon enough, we'll be back in the World.

Back home.



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[2xcited2sleep]

Isn't it funny how pictures of the airport are so hopeful and happy on arrival yet gloomy and sad upon departure...or maybe that is just me.

The Harry Potter merchandise looks cool but I agree with you it is difficult to find the time or energy to leave Disney property once you're there.

LOVE Emily's TR!! . So cute!!!

3 seasons... I like that! So 11 months...that means you are going in August next year?

Love your summary. Sounds like it was an extra-magical vacation with tons of great memories! . Feel free to use all the gimmicks you can think of to draw this out!

 

[ExcitedDisMama]

and soon enough, we'll be back in the World.

Back home.

Okay, coming out of lurkdom...I've been following your trip report for a while now. We leave in 8 days, getting to the World in 9 days, and this ^^ made me cry. Thanks, Nilla .

Really, though, the whole post just caught my whole sentiment of how I feel about my kids in general, love them to pieces, but man they drive me bonkers sometime! But Disney truly is our happy place, and we can't wait to take them back there .

Can't wait to read your wrap-up!

 

[Mombits]

Awesome trip report!!

 

[feyrerm]

Cant believe its over!! What a great trip you had!!

I will, however have to inform Monica to skip the Resort Pictures for fear that she will break something. You see she is very passionate in her hate of Duffy. I think she wants to start a rebellion.... Something like the Anti Duffy League or something. She is truly offended by that fluffy bear for some reason...

I am sure there will be more on that during mt TR from out trip. Which I need to start soon.

 

[phineasfan100]

Bell Services arrives in their little mini-tram thing, and since we've been to Wildwood, NJ many times, we know to watch it (please).

I was just in Wildwood and that spiel gets annoying unlike the Monorail spiel

 

[petals]

Boo to end of trip report

Btw the pink thing is called a pygmy puff!

 

[Candlz]

Great Trip Report!

 

[nilla]

Isn't it funny how pictures of the airport are so hopeful and happy on arrival yet gloomy and sad upon departure...or maybe that is just me.

It's funny, because when you arrive, it's all so surreal, but when you're leaving, it's like, "ok, let's just get on the plane already".

LOVE Emily's TR!! . So cute!!!

That's one of my favorite souvenirs from the trip

So 11 months...that means you are going in August next year?

No, May again. I meant 11 months from when we left.

Okay, coming out of lurkdom...I've been following your trip report for a while now. We leave in 8 days, getting to the World in 9 days, and this ^^ made me cry. Thanks, Nilla .

Wow, 8 days! I'm in the 200s! Have an awesome time!

Really, though, the whole post just caught my whole sentiment of how I feel about my kids in general, love them to pieces, but man they drive me bonkers sometime! But Disney truly is our happy place, and we can't wait to take them back there .

If they only realized how wrapped we'd be around their fingers if they just played along with our whole "authority" act a bit more!

Awesome trip report!!

Thanks!

I will, however have to inform Monica to skip the Resort Pictures for fear that she will break something. You see she is very passionate in her hate of Duffy. I think she wants to start a rebellion.... Something like the Anti Duffy League or something. She is truly offended by that fluffy bear for some reason...

I don't quite understand the hate! What's not to love about Duffy???

I am sure there will be more on that during mt TR from out trip. Which I need to start soon.

Yes, you do! Get on that!

I was just in Wildwood and that spiel gets annoying unlike the Monorail spiel

It really does. It's funny for a while, then gets old. Especially when you realize that the Tram Car WILL kill you if you don't get out of the way. It's not about to slow down.

Btw the pink thing is called a pygmy puff!

Yes, that's it! That was from Fred & George's shop, right? Ginny got one?

See, I DO remember some things!

Great Trip Report!

That's a lot of "thumbs ups"! I appreciate every one of them

And now, it all ends...

 

[nilla]

As you may remember from my first Trip Report (if you've read it), our fifth trip as a family had a lot of "firsts". This one? Not so much. But there were some, and here they are:

- First...um...

Ok, I've got nothing. Well, I've got some things, but they all fit in the categories below:

Restaurants:

- Cinderella's Royal Table

The food was good. Oh, and it's in the Castle. And their are Princesses. So that pretty much makes it a hit. I wouldn't say I'd want to do it again for two Dining Plan credits, since the food was certainly not stellar and the character interactions were extremely rushed. We're planning on returning to Akershus again next year.

- Le Chefs du France

Good wine and beer, great food, and we loved Chef Remy! This place is not a personal favorite, but I could definitely see returning one day.

- Yorkshire Country Fish Shop

This small fish & chips stand in Epcot's UK pavilion was enjoyed by all. All, that is, except for the one who took a bee's backside to the eye. Emily really loved it, though, so I think we'll be back. Next time, I'LL look for an open table, while Kristin shields her face.

- Wolfgang Puck's Express (Downtown Disney)

Not a fan. The food was alright, but it was really nothing special. And when I'm in WDW, I want special.


Shows:

- Main Street Electrical Parade

Fun, but no Spectromagic. Nice for the nostalgia factor. This was completely new for the kids.

- Magic, Memories, and You

I was VERY impressed by this. And you should be, too. It's really imaginative, and done extremely well. I had very low expectations going into this, but came out of it a big fan.


Attractions:

Really none. We've truly done so much here over the years that there's nothing really new for Kristin, Dylan, and me.

Emily, on the other hand...she rode Expedition Everest, Kali River Rapids, Space Mountain, Stitch's Great Escape, and Mission: Space for the first time. And loved most of them. It's really nice getting to ride everything as a family; especially Mission: Space.

Oh, and I rode Haunted Mansion by myself for the first time, which really was a highlight of this trip. I thank my kids for being so stuck to their Mom, and Kristin for taking both of them!

Let's not forget the Animation Academy, either. This was a blast for all of us, and we're sure to do it again next year.

Some other small things were new, too, like the Storm thing in Innoventions and the gimmicked queues for Haunted Mansion and Winnie the Pooh.

There also was a "last", I'm sad to say, as we bid farewell to Snow White's Scary Adventures once and for all. Certainly not an E-Ticket attraction, but for what it was, we liked it.


Characters:

- Soooo many here, I hope I can remember them all. Here goes:

Rapunzel, Flynn Rider, Pocahontas, Jiminy Cricket, Lotso, Carl, Russell, (dog), Turk, Flik, King Louie, Mike and Sully from Monsters Inc., Mr. and Mrs. Incredible, Prince Eric, Duffy, and probably one or two I'm forgetting. This was a huge year for characters for us, and we've got the $70 (a piece) autograph books to prove it!

Speaking of the autograph books, they turned out AWESOME, and I'll post a few pics here in a few days.



So, even though I said we didn't do a lot of new things, we sort of did...and there's still a lot more we haven't done. Gosh, I love Walt Disney World!

 

[nilla]

Here's where we stand on the parks:

1T. Epcot (adults)/Magic Kingdom (kids)
3. Animal Kingdom
4. Hollywood Studios

I've finally conceded that Epcot is my favorite park, though I still love Magic Kingdom. It's very close for me. AK, a park we once didn't much care for, has really grown on us a lot the last two years. We found more to do at HS this year than last, but it still doesn't stack up to the others, in our opinion.

 

[nilla]

Here are our post trip top tens for attractions. The number in parentheses is the ranking from last year (if different)

Jon

1. Haunted Mansion
2. Splash Mountain
3. Expedition Everest
4. Dinosaur
5. Test Track (8)
6. Toy Story Mania (5)
7. Soarin'
8. Tower of Terror (9)
9. Rock 'n Roller Coaster (not ranked)
10. It's a Small World (not ranked)

Kristin

1. Tower of Terror
2. Splash Mountain (3)
3. Expedition Everest (2)
4. Test Track (5)
5. Haunted Mansion (not ranked)
6. It's a Small World (8)
7. Pirates of the Carribean
8. Dinosaur (not ranked)
9. Kilimanjaro Safaris (not ranked)
10. Spaceship Earth

Dylan

1. Splash Mountain
2. Rock 'n Roller Coaster
3. Space Mountain
4. Tower of Terror (5)
5. Expedition Everest (4)
6. Test Track (8)
7. Soarin' (10)
8. Mission: Space - Orange Team (7)
9. Tomorrowland People Mover (not ranked)
10. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (6)

Emily

1. Test Track
2. Soarin' (4)
3. It's a Small World (2)
4. Expedition Everest (didn't ride last year)
5. Splash Mountain (didn't like last year)
6. Toy Story Mania (7)
7. Winnie the Pooh (3)
8. Prince Charming's Regal Carousel (not ranked)
9. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (4)
10. Carousel of Progress

Family Average

1. Splash Mountain
2. Expedition Everest
3. Test Track
4. Tower of Terror (5)
5. Soarin' (4)
6. It's a Small World
7. Haunted Mansion (9)
8. Rock 'n Roller Coaster (10)
9. Toy Story Mania (7)
10. Dinosaur (not ranked)


Pretty interesting how similar these were to last year's, especially when you consider that I polled everyone without looking at last year's list!

 

[nilla]

Here are our post trip top fives for full service restaurants:

Jon

1. Biergarten
2. Kona Café (3)
3. Le Cellier (2)
4. Cape May Clambake (not ranked)
5. Coral Reef

Kristin

1. Cape May Clambake (3)
2. Le Cellier (1)
3. Kona Café (2)
4. Biergarten
5. Coral Reef (not ranked)

Dylan

1. Chef Mickey's
2. Biergarten (not ranked)
3. Le Cellier
4. Kona Café (5)
5. Coral Reef (2)

Emily

1. Cinderella's Royal Table (first time there)
2. Biergarten (4)
3. Chef Mickey's (1)
4. Askersus Storybook Dining (2)
5. Coral Reef

Family Average

1. Biergarten (4)
2. Le Cellier
3. Kona Café
4. Coral Reef (5)
5. Chef Mickey's (1)
2. Le Cellier


Biergarten is really growing on the kids. And yes, Kristin and I are starting to cool on Chef Mickey's. Kristin especially. The kids love the characters (and the make-your-own sundaes), but we see those characters SO MANY other times throughout the trip that it's hardly necessary. We may decide to bag this one next year, but finding a replace in or around the Magic Kingdom isn't as easy for us as it may sound. We are open to suggestions, however!

 

[nilla]

Here are our post trip top fives for counter service restaurants:

Jon

1. Flame Tree Barbecue (2)
2. Sunshine Seasons (1)
3. Cosmic Rays
4. Columbia Harbour House
5. Pepper Market (not ranked)

Kristin

1. Sunshine Seasons
2. Flame Tree Barbecue
3. Columbia Harbour House
4. Pepper Market (5)
5. Tangierine House (4)

Dylan

1. Sunshine Seasons
2. Cosmic Ray's (not ranked)
3. Flame Tree Barbecue (not ranked)
4. Columbia Harbour House (not ranked)
5. Pepper Market (not ranked)

Emily

1. Yorkshire Country Fish Shop (first time there)
2. Flame Tree Barbecue (not ranked)
3. Pepper Market (not ranked)
4. Sunshine Seasons (1)
5. Cosmic Ray's (not ranked)

Family Average

1. Sunshine Seasons
2. Flame Tree Barbecue
3. Cosmic Ray's (5)
4. Columbia Harbour House (3)
5. Pepper Market (not ranked)


Emily is basically a fish & chips junkie, so her #1 was a no-brainer. The others are pretty much what we consider to be the "elites", and I don't see much else topping them. Again, I invite all of you to try to convince me otherwise, since we're always in the market for something new!

 

[nilla]

Next year's trip is tentatively scheduled for either late April or early May again, depending on standardized testing schedules. It's the last year we can really pull Dylan out mid-year, so we'll enjoy it while we can. Fortunately, up until now, his performance in school has made it pretty easy to take off those days (and for as long as we do) without too much of a hassle. Of course, if there were a hassle, I already have a plan in place where we threaten to coach him to tank on the standardized tests, since they really are assessing the school, and not the individuals. This is serious business - don't mess with us!


Ok, ok, so that's an exaggeration. But it's certainly not the first in this outlandish story I've been telling you over the last 3 months. And it won't be the last, since I plan to continue writing these silly things as long as all of you silly people out there keep reading them!

And on that note, I want to thank EVERYONE who has taken even a moment to read this Trip Report, and want to thank even more those of you who read the entire thing. The positive feedback throughout really made it worthwhile, too, and I thank everyone who commented at various times during this TR. I would name some names, but there are so many that I'd probably forget a few and turn everyone against me.

And hey, lurkers - don't feel bad! You played an important role in this, too, but continuously incrementing the "view" count on this TR and reminding me that I'm not just writing this for my own entertainment. It really means a lot to me that people actually enjoy what I write, since I certainly have a great time writing it. This TR got almost four times the views as my last one, and the updates and comments spanned twice as many pages. With all of your help, who knows how far we can take this next year?

I'll leave you one more thing before I shut the doors on this for good - our proposed dining choices for next year. PLEASE critique, criticize, suggest, insult, flame, mock, praise, or whatever you want to do, because it's pretty obvious that some of you know what you're talking about when it comes to this stuff! So here goes:

Kona Cafe
Ohana
Biergarten
La Hacienda
Cape May Clambake
Maya Grille
Akershus Storybook Dinner

That leaves us with three that are wide open. We've discussed Italy, Chef Mickey's, Le Cellier, and others, but we're really not settled. So feedback, please!

Once again, a big THANKS to all of you out there. I hope I was able to amuse you

Now I'm off to try to catch up on some of your trip reports...

 

[nilla]

HOLD ON! I've got one more thing.

I'm starting a crusade.

A crusade to bring back the Lime Green Mickeys.

"Where did they go?", you might ask. Well, I asked the same thing. I saw ZERO on our trip. Not a single one. I also got ZERO comments or questions on mine. I was perplexed.

So let's bring them back, ok? Show your pride! I'm even changing the tagline on my avatar to support this case. The lime green rubber bracelets are on backorder, but you can still do your part by sportin' the Mickey head!

C'mon, don't leave me hanging AGAIN!