This Trip Report is DONE! (And still doesn't have a catchy title)

[Vacation Lover]

Originally titled: "If I wait to think of a Catchy Title, this trip report will never get done!"
Then titled: "Who needs a Catchy Title, anyway? We've got free dining, Disney characters & FUN!"

How do y'all come up with these great title's? I thought about it all the way home and couldn't come up with anything. I had planned to do a pre-trip report, but never got around to it. Mostly because I couldn't think up a cute, catchy title. I'm just going to get right into the actual trip report and maybe a title will come to me. So, here goes...

Last year we took a trip to Orlando just before Thanksgiving. We stayed in a suite at the Sheraton Safari and DH and I really enjoyed having a living area so we could relax for a bit while the kids were sleeping. We had a kitchenette and brought food, microwaving spaghetti or making sandwiches for some of our meals. We did Magic Kingdom & Animal Kingdom, and also did the 2 Universal parks. This trip would be quite different since we'd be staying onsite at the Caribbean Beach Resort and would have the dining plan. Hooray for Free Dining!

Now that I know how to post pictures (see below, where I posted my very first picture), I'm going add one of us last year on our very first day at Disney:

The Cast:

Me: The Mom; Just turned 39 two days before our trip. I'm not particularly organized, but I hate not having a plan. I scoured this site and the Unofficial Guide before our trip and had a pretty detailed plan ready for each day. I'm a stay at home mom, formerly in advertising sales and marketing. I'm a part time scrapbooking/digital photo consultant, volunteer weekly in my kids' classrooms and on the PTO board. Which reminds me, I need to get moving on this Trip Report so I can start organizing our teacher luncheon for October.

DH: The Dad; also 39. We both love thrill rides and amusement parks. He's just along for the ride, pretty much goes along with my plan, knowing how much time I put into the trip preparation. We met in college and have been married for 15 years. He's an engineer and avid fan of the University of South Carolina Gamecocks. We go to every home game and had to switch dates for the Disney trip to ensure we would be gone on an away game date.

DS9: (DB for "Dancing Banana") In my siggy, he's the dancing banana and that pretty much sums him up. He is constantly on the go, always trying to make others laugh and marches to the beat of his own drum. He has an engineers mind and loves building things, skateboarding and thrill rides. He's extremely impulsive and a daredevil to the extent that we're just waiting for that trip to the hospital with a broken leg or worse. An example of his daredevil antics...One day he was playing in the tree fort his dad had build him; he used the platform to jump into the tree next to it and climbed so high, that when I saw him he was higher than the ROOF of our 2 story house! It was all I could do not to scream at him and risk startling him. Even though he's the oldest, he's the one we have to keep under control.

DD7: (Tink) She told me over the summer in no uncertain terms that she did NOT like any princesses because they were too babyish. The only exception is Mulan and maybe Jasmine. She does, however, adore fairies and their magic. She and her best friend often leave fairy food outside under a special tree (no, not DB's climbing tree) for the fairies. (In case you're wondering, fairy food consists of flower blossoms that have been shredded into tiny pieces, small leaves and nuts & berries.) One morning I used my fingernail to make it look like little bites had been taken out of the food, and left a tiny note thanking them for the treats. Tink was ecstatic when she found it and immediately called her BFF to share the news. She is SOO excited about the real Tink's connection to Disney and absolutely believes in her and her fairy friends.

DD2: (Minnie) Our 2 1/2 year old adores her big sister all of the time, and adores her big brother some of the time. She is just starting to like the princesses (Whew, lucky for me, because I'd feel pretty let down if we went to Disney and ONE of the kids wasn't enchanted by the princesses. Heh--probably by the time Minnie grows out of the princess stage, DB will be more than happy to pose for pictures with Jasmine!) Minnie was not interested in any part of our trip last November, but now she's into the characters, knows who they are and is old enough to enjoy some of the attractions. However she's terrified of the characters in costume. Over the summer we saw a large Build A Bear character at the mall and for MONTHS afterwards she would say, out of the blue, "Mom, remember that big Build A Bear?" From there the conversation would go something like this...
Me: Yes
Minnie:He was SCARY.
Me: Sissy liked that Build A Bear, didn't she?
Minnie: Yes
Me: Did Sissy give that Build A Bear a hug?
Minnie: Yes
Me: I thought he was a nice Build A Bear.
Minnie: (Pause.) Mom, remember that BIG Build A Bear?
And the conversation would go in a circle until I changed the subject. We prepared her for the characters by looking at the kids autograph book from the previous trip and she finally decided that, while she would NOT pose with Mickey or his friends, she would wave to them. Our first meal was to be Chef Mickey's. Tune in to find out how that went!

Going to try to post my very first picture:

Yay! It worked! That's us, with my MIL, who met us at Disney for a couple of days. She lives in Florida and we usually go to her house for Thanksgiving. But this trip served as our Thanksgiving trip because the Carolina-Clemson game is Thanksgiving weekend this year and we CAN'T miss that one!

Going to sign off now. Next up: First day at Chef Mickey's, DisneyQuest & Downtown Disney

 

[Vacation Lover]

Friday morning I woke up bright and early with lots to do until time to leave. We'd planned to get the kids out of school a little early and hit the road at 2:00 sharp. (Which meant we actually rolled out of the driveway at 2:45--the theme for the rest of the week.)

After I put the kids on the bus, I pulled out the suitcases. I'm a last minute packer, but I had my handy dandy packing list and the things just flew into the suitcase as I checked them off the list. I'm proud to say that I did not forget even one thing. Except for the actual packing list, which had a "what to bring to the parks" packing list on it and we managed without it.

I had prepared little goodie bags for the kids to open up every hour or 2 on the way down. Last time I did this, instead of hearing, "Are we there yet?" every 10 minutes, we heard "Is it time to open a present yet?" every 5 minutes. I anticipated that happening again and bought them timers from the dollar store so they could read the countdown. So instead we had our own running commentary and countdown: "Guess WHAT?!! There's 32 minutes left until we can open a present!" Finally it was time to open a present and after a few minutes of playing..."Mom, did you remember to set the timer again?" (Yes) And after checking to be sure it was indeed running, "Hey, guys...now we have 67 minutes until we get to open another present!"

But the goodie bags were a nice diversion and sometimes I bypassed the timer and let them go ahead and open something if they started getting antsy. Minnie slept for the first 3 hours or so and all in all, it was a pretty smooth ride. Incidently, the bags for the goodie bags came from Kroger's bag section. They have a pack of 25 colored paper lunch bags with Disney stickers included. I just stuck a gift in the sack and stapled it shut, so it didn't take a lot of preparation time.

So we arrived at CBR around 10:30 and everyone was wide awake and excited. Custom House, where you check in, was pretty much empty and I walked right up to the desk. They told us to leave our luggage in the car and gave us our room keys, etc. Meanwhile, Tink had stopped for a bathroom break and couldn't wait to show me how cool their bathroom was. She kept pulling my arm and whispering, "Mom, the bathroom is really neat!" (I never did figure out exactly what was so cool about that bathroom, I think it was just the fact that she was using a Disney bathroom after that long ride.)

I'd requested a room in Aruba 51 or Jamaica 45 so we'd be just across the bridge from Old Port Royale, the food court and main pool, but that didn't work out. We ended up with Aruba 56, still in Aruba, but the farthest from Old Port Royale. Not really a big deal, but in retrospect, I might have paid for the upgrade to be right next to OPR simply for convenience sake.

Here's a picture of Aruba. It was really quiet and we never heard another guest while we were in our room the whole week! The setting was very tropical--just beautiful. Unfortunately, we didn't spend a lot of time at the resort; I think next time I'd want to include a resort-only day, to enjoy the amenities.

So we park the car and head for the room as I realize I'd never requested a bellhop. Oh well, we didn't have all that much luggage anyway. We hauled it in and took a few minutes to wind down after that long drive. The kids were still up and so excited. I'm glad I didn't plan an early morning for Saturday! DB immediately pulled out his favorite car ride goodie--a "Tek Deck" skateboard. I'm not sure of the appeal of it, but he and his friend spend hours trying to make it do tricks. Here he is playing with it in the room.

Finally, we get unpacked and ready for bed. Incidentally, there is more than enough storage for our family of 5 at CBR. I found the rooms very well planned out--plenty of drawer space and a bench with more storage. There was no closet, which would take up more space, but there was a bar at the end of the sinks for hanging clothes. Also plenty of storage under the sinks for diapers and toiletries.

Did I mention that I felt a cold coming on? Ugh! Blame my DH because he had it the previous week. I'd been taking Echinacea and vitamins twice a day for the last few days and it was just barely keeping the cold at bay. NOOOOOOOO! After all this planning and anticipation I will NOT get a cold at Disney World! So I took an Advil Cold & Sinus and a half of an Ambien and headed off to bed. I only take Ambien when I travel and I was so glad I had it for this trip. We have a King bed at home and had decided to split up--girls in one double and boys in the other. That way we'd have a little more room. It worked out pretty well, but I don't know how quickly I'd have fallen asleep without the Ambien.

After a decent night's sleep, we were off to our first full day at Disney World! Next up: Chef Mickey's, DisneyQuest & Downtown Disney.

(Ha--I teased you with the last post, didn't I, where I promised a Chef Mickey's, DisneyQuest & Downtown Disney report in post #2! This time that report really is coming up next.)

 

[Sleeping*Beauty]

Can't wait to here about your trip.

 

[Vacation Lover]

We had reservations for Chef Mickey's at 9:00 so there was plenty of time to sleep in. As usual, though, I woke up around 6:30. I relaxed in bed for a few minutes, until I had to get up to blow my stinkin' nose. Wah! My head's stuffy! Off to take a HOT, steamy shower. Now some more Advil Cold & Sinus. Aaaah. Much better.

Did I mention that I LOVE the curtain that separates the beds from the sink/dressing area? Not only does it allow for privacy when getting ready, but it prevents the light from going into the bedroom area. I pulled a chair into the dressing area, closed the curtain, kicked my feet up and relaxed with a book while the rest of the family slept. Pure quiet, no interruptions...now THIS is a vacation. Everyone else starts to stir about 30 minutes later and relaxation time is over.

Time to head out to Chef Mickey's. Autograph books & pen--check. Camera--check. Key to the World Cards--check. Diapers--check. Yahoo, I remembered everything we needed! We started preparing Minnie for the Characters on the ride over. Parked and made it to breakfast only a few minutes late. We waited a few minutes and were taken to our table. I was a bit overwhelmed. All of the preparation in the world still doesn't compare to actually being there. Everything I'd read on the DIS flew out of my mind. We had placed the two older kids on the end of the table by pure chance, not because I remembered that suggestion from the boards. When were we supposed to get our breakfast? Should we wait for the characters come by? Luckily I calmed myself down and our server was helpful. Goofy was nearby, so she suggested we wait and meet him, then help ourselves to the buffet.

Minnie was scared out of her mind! She kept her eyes closed and refused to look at Goofy. I think she was pretending she was somewhere else--anywhere else but here! She sat on my lap the entire time. And CLUNG to me when we got up to get our breakfast.

As we were in line for the buffet, they started doing the swinging the napkin thing, which I totally didn't get. Must've missed something as I was checking out the eggs. Anyway, I acted really excited about whatever they were doing because, well, it just seemed like the thing to do. But I think the kids kind of felt the same way. You could almost hear them saying in their mind as they looked around the room, "Eh. Okay."

We got our Mickey waffles--something the kids were really excited about--and they didn't disappoint. There were no characters around at the moment so I set Minnie on her chair and we all chowed down. Except Minnie, who didn't eat a bite the entire time. Uh Oh, the REAL Minnie is on our aisle and heading our way.

It was pretty much like that as each character came by. Finally, just as we were getting ready to leave, Minnie got brave and waved goodbye to the characters. DB noticed the candy in the buffet area, but I thought it was just a topping bar that they used for ice cream at dinner. No, I REALLY thought that--I wasn't just making an excuse to keep him from candy at 10 in the morning. I didn't know that the candy was available at breakfast until I read it in someone's TR after I came home. Ah, just as well, he didn't need any candy anyway!

Now it's off to Downtown Disney. First stop: DisneyQuest.

 

[lindakmonty]

loving your TR so far!! Your dd covering her face... priceless!!!

 

[Vacation Lover]

And we're off to Downtown Disney. Minnie is much happier to be in a situation she's comfortable with...on Dad's shoulders.

We make it to Downtown Disney at 10:30. Half an hour to kill before DisneyQuest opens so we walk around and check out the sights. We promised the older kids $5 per day spending money and that was to cover everything they wanted, or they'd have to dip into their own money. We dole out the money and you can see the wheels turning in their heads as they consider where to spend it.

It starts to sprinkle and we notice that people are lining up at the door, so we go ahead and get in line too. DisneyQuest was made for kids like DB! With his engineers mind and his love of thrill rides, he was already planning our first stop. Of course that would be CyberSpace Mountain--the feature where you design your own roller coaster, then take it for a virtual ride. He was bouncing with anticipation by the time the doors opened at 11:00. We rode up the "cyberlator" (Fancy elevator with Aladdin's talking Genie playing onscreen). DH and the big kids went to design their coasters while Minnie and I checked out some other features in the "Create Zone."

When they were done with Cyberspace mountain we swapped and DB and I went back so he could show me how to build your own roller coaster. Boy, was this attraction right up his alley! He built a coaster with lots of upside down curves and big hills. When you go to ride the virtual coaster, the simulator actually turns upside down as the virtual coaster goes upside down, or leans you forward at an angle as you're going down a steep hill. It was really fun. The computer rated his coaster a 4 out of 5 in terms of scariness. He was satisfied with that, but I think he was really aiming for a 5.

Tink had gotten to design her own coaster, but was just a bit too short to take the ride, so she had stayed with Dad in the Create Zone. If CyberSpace Mountain was right up DBs alley, the Animation Academy was right up TINK's alley. The Animation Academy is sort of a quick class on drawing the Disney characters. A Cast Member sits up front and draws Mickey, step by step, as the image is projected onto a computer screen. The participants sit at a little desk and use a virtual pen to draw their own character. She learned Mickey and Donald, and would've stayed and learned every single one if she could have. Here's her picture of Donald, which she bought with her $5. She colored it in back at the room.

We wandered into the Explore Zone and there was no line at all for the Virtual Jungle Cruise--everyone was waiting for the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Minnie was too small to ride so DH and the older kids hopped on while she and I watched. In this attraction, you hop on a raft and use virtual paddles to get you through white water rapids. There's a big screen in front of you displaying your path and the raft moves as if it's really on the water, bouncing up and down over the rapids. Tink started feeling not so great while riding it and the CM noticed right away and asked her if she wanted to get off. She did, and the CM stopped the ride so she could get off, then DB and DH finished their journey. I thought it looked pretty fun, so DB rode again with me while the others checked out the area. Then DB and DH went on Pirates of the Caribbean while the girls and I went back to Animation Academy. Tink was a little scared to try another ride after the last one.

The boys came back and said we all HAD to go on Pirates together because it was really fun--even Minnie could do it. So we trekked back down and got in line. On Pirates you're in a little room shaped like a pirates ship. Each wall of the room had a screen which played a 3-D scene of the sea. The object is to take your pirate guns and shoot the other ships out at sea. Meanwhile, the platform you're standing on moves and vibrates as the ship is hit by cannons. Luckily Tink did not feel sick on this one and said it was her favorite activity of the day! Minnie did not wear her 3-D glasses, but didn't mind the booming of cannons or motion of the ship. It was a really cool attraction.

By this time it was 1:30 and we had reservations at 1:45 for Planet Hollywood so we headed out to lunch.

Next up...We should've done a counter service!

 

[pjstevens]

good trip report, can't wait to read more.

 

[Vacation Lover]

It's still sprinkling (or sprinkling again) when we leave DisneyQuest and Downtown Disney is getting more and more crowded on a Saturday afternoon. The exterior of Planet Hollywood was being painted and covered with a tarp, so it didn't look as exciting as I'd hoped. We'd seen the one at Myrtle Beach and the kids wanted to try it, so I thought this would be a good opportunity. Plus we had the $15 dining certificate that came with our package. My plan was to try to use the DDP for the kids meals and use the $15 toward mine and DHs. I'd read here that sometimes they'd let you combine the certificate with the DDP so I was crossing my fingers that this would be one of those times.

The kids check out all of the decorations and souvenier shop at Planet Hollywood as we wait for our table.

We get to our table and the restaurant is packed. Quick trip to the bathrooms to wash our hands. Whoa! Have you ever been in the bathrooms at Planet Hollywood? I'm just glad I was sober when I went in there because I couldn't imagine trying to navigate it drunk. When they decorated, they put the tile in slightly crooked so it felt like you were walking at an angle. The sink and stalls were also at wierd angles and the entire bathroom messed with your sense of depth perception. Very cool. As long as you didn't trip on the way out.

The waiter comes to our table and won't let us use the DDP in combination with the $15 certificate. My mind is trying to run the numbers really quickly--would it be better to pay OOP, using the $15 certificate, or should we use an adult credit, knowing we'd probably run out before our last Table Service? Once again, my brain goes on overload and I finally just pick one--pay OOP. Of course, the entire lunch I'm questioning myself about it and finally give myself a kick in the pants because, really--we're on vacation! Who cares if we don't do something exactly as I'd planned!

The waiter FINALLY arrives with our drinks and about this time I realize that poor Minnie has not eaten today! I run back to the stroller and grab her a snack to munch on while we're waiting. She dives into those yogurt raisins like she'd never seen one before in her life! I'm feeling a little guilty that I'm only just now remembering that she didn't eat any breakfast, but at least she's staying occupied with her yogurt raisins. Okay, Minnie's done with her snack. Lunch should be arriving soon, right? Right????

Warning: Meltdown in T minus 10 seconds...9..8..7....

I should explain that Minnie has never been a child who wants to be held or rocked when she's tired. When she gets tired, she doesn't want anyone touching her; she just wants to lay down and rest. She hasn't napped in a year, but she does need 15 or so minutes to decompress. Well, now that her tummy was nice and full, it was decompression time. Uh Oh. I tried holding her on my lap and she went limp in that way that toddlers do--you know, they turn into a strand of spaghetti and it is literally impossible to keep a hold on them. She then wiggles her way to the ground, gets up and plops herself right in the path between our table and the others. She lies down on her tummy and gets nice and comfy. First of all--gross! That floor! She was burrowing her cheek into it and it wasn't even carpeted. Secondly, well, she can't lay in the middle of everyone's path. I get up to get her, but they have those tables packed in so tightly that I have to go the long way around--around our table and another one to get to her. Pick her up, trek back to my chair and try to hold her on my lap. We break out the pacifier. Doesn't help. She still returns to her spot in the middle of the floor. We had an extra chair at our table, so DH and I try to put it together with her chair to make her a makeshift bed. She's having none of it and again returns to the middle of the floor. This goes on for 15 minutes or so. WHERE THE HECK IS OUR FOOD?!!

She finally agrees to lie down on those chairs we'd set up for her (Meanwhile we're getting a few glances from the other tables. The looks are split about 50/50: half pity "I've been there before" stares, half "don't these people know how to parent?" stares.) So we have a few minutes of peace and quiet while we WAIT FOR OUR FOOD. Thankfully, the big kids were behaving okay, but at this point I was at the short end of my rope, plus, my cold medicine had chosen this moment to quit working. Still waiting for our food...

DH and I start talking about our plans for the rest of the afternoon. I'd planned a day at Downtown Disney, maybe heading back to DisneyQuest for a bit--after all, we still had 2 more zones that we hadn't even visited yet. All DH wanted to do was find a TV and a beer and watch the USC Gamecocks play LSU. We finally decided to go back to the resort after lunch. If it ever got here. DH would watch the game for a while at the bar by the pool while the kids and I rested, then I'd drop Minnie off with him and the big kids and I would head back to Downtown Disney. Ah. We have a plan! And, guess what? Here comes our food! Things are starting to look up!

And, no surprise here: Minnie chooses this moment to want to sit on my lap instead of in her own chair(s). Lucky I'm so adept at eating one-handed.

I had the Potato Skins appetizer. They were pretty good. It's hard to mess up potato skins.

DH had the Steak Fajitas. He said they were okay.

Tink and Minnie shared a pizza. Tink said this was the best pizza of all the pizzas she had on our Disney trip--and she had quite a few.

DB had the spaghetti & meatballs. He was lovin' the size of those meatballs. He ended up eating all of the meatballs but not touching the spaghetti.

We finish up our lunch in record time because at this point we are all READY to get out of there. I take the kids outside and wait by the stroller while DH settles up the bill. Even that seemed to take forever. All in all, that lunch took almost 2 hours, but felt MUCH longer. Now we need to get on back to the resort before kickoff.

Next up: Watch out for the amoebas in the lake, and let's just not discuss the results of the football game, okay?

 

[Vacation Lover]

We head back to CBR and I drop DH off at Old Port Royale, where he double checks that he can watch the game. When we're sure he can, the kids and I go on to the room and rest for a few minutes. I take some more cold medicine and we decide to check out the beach area.

I immediately spot the hammocks and jump on. DB and Minnie plop down in the sand and start digging, while Tink checks out the birds that are wandering nearby. Wow, now THIS is the life. I close my eyes and feel I could fall asleep any second; too bad those pesky kids are here to keep me awake.

Tink is climbing on the rocks, trying to get a closer look at the ducks. They ignore her, for the most part, until she reaches her hand out toward them. Suddenly one notices her outstretched hand and it comes up and pecks her palm! I explain that it probably thought she had some food for it, but at this point she'd decided that she'd had enough of those ducks and stuck closer to me and the others.

DB asks me why there are signs posted prohibiting swimming and I tell him that it's probably because Disney doesn't want to be held liable if anyone drowns, but that he can dip his feet in the water. I close my eyes for another minute and the next thing I know, he and Minnie are soaking wet! They were sitting in the shallow end splashing and building castles with the wet sand. I should've known that would happen when I said they could put their feet in--DB never does anything halfway! I don't worry too much about it since they're staying in the shallow water and close my eyes again.

A few minutes later a lifeguard walks by and very nicely lets me know that we need to be sure to wash their hands really well if they're playing in the water. Having just awakened from a half nap, I look at him like, "Huh?" He explains that there are amoebas in the lake water, and that some people in Florida have died recently from swimming in the infected water! Now I'm REALLY looking at him like he has 2 heads and going "Huh?" He assured me that it wasn't on Disney property, but that the fresh water lakes on Disney property do, in fact, have amoebas in them. He said that most of the man-made lakes in Florida have this problem! I think this information made DB a little nervous, because we headed back to the room and he immediately jumped into the shower. After we get everybody fresh and clean and in dry clothes, we're ready to head back to Downtown Disney.

We drop Minnie off with DH at halftime (Gamecocks are losing and it's not looking good) and the older kids and I head straight to the Lego Store.

Next up: My second trip to Downtown Disney Marketplace and I STILL haven't seen the inside of another store besides Lego.

 

[Vacation Lover]

Lunch and our time at the resort had taken up a big chunk of our afternoon and I was ready to get back on task with my to do list. Since it was just me and the two older kids, I reasoned that there would be plenty of time for a little shopping and maybe we could even get back to DisneyQuest to try some other attractions there. (Note to self: HAHAHAHAHAHA Just how much time did you think you had?!)

We hit the Lego store and it's packed, or at least it appears packed to me. I'm sure it's much worse during the peak season.

We take our time looking at the Lego creations outside. DB is LOVIN' it and I can tell he's itching to get his hands on his own creation.

The windows on the side of the store look like little portholes where you can observe scenes from different countries, made entirely of Legos.

DB noticed that in each scene there's a skateboarder, as if the little lego man is skateboarding his way around the world. In this picture he's on top of the boat, by the Statue of Liberty.

We went inside and DB went directly to the bin where you could create your own Lego men. He was on a mission to get some cool guys for him and his friend to play with back at home. There were a lot to choose from, although this Lego People Shrine was a little misleading: they didn't have everything that was up on the wall available, plus if you look carefully, there are a lot of duplicates of the people.

Meanwhile, Tink went to the area where you could fill a small bucket with individual Legos and purchase.

She decided she wanted to make a face out of Legos and got to work on it. As she was halfway through, one of the employees told me that you're not supposed to be "playing" with the Legos in this area. I told him that she planned to purchase her creation and he (nicely) said that technically this area was supposed to be only for filling up the buckets. That didn't make sense to me because the point of having those individual bins was to purchase Legos so you could create your own thing. How are you supposed to get the right number/size if you don't try it out first? Anyway, at this point she was almost done and knew what she needed. We started putting the Legos in the smaller bucket. These "buckets" are pretty small--the large one ($12.95) is about the size of a SuperSize cup from McDonalds and the small ones ($6.95) about half that size. Uh Oh--It was completely overflowing. I knew she didn't want to pay for the larger size so we dumped it out and started re-filling the bucket. After painstakingly putting Legos in every nook and cranny, I'm proud to say that, not only did we get them all in there, but had room for a few more tiny Legos!

DB had found his Lego men and was ready to move on to the next thing on his "to do" list: making a lego car to race.

Outside they had bins of Legos (THIS is the area where you're allowed to play with the Legos.) You can make a car and then race it on a little "track" against the other kids.

They were nowhere near done making their Lego creations and I finally just sat down on the ground, leaning against the wall. Gotta get that rest in anywhere we can get it, right? (Hmmm--It just occured to me where Minnie gets her need to lie down in the middle of the floor in a restaurant when she's tired.)

No, I don't have a picture of myself sitting on the ground, but here's a picture of their Lego creations.

DH calls me. The football game is over (Please see previous post where we all agree not to discuss the outcome.) I tell him we're still at Lego and will check back with him later. He (the lucky dog) takes a nap with Minnie. Calls back when he wakes up. Guess where we are? Yep--we're STILL at Lego.

We're starting to get hungry and I consult my itinerary detail for dinner plans. (Who am I kidding, I don't need to consult my itinerary detail; I know exactly what I've planned for dinner for the next 5 nights.) I want to use a Counter Service credit at Wolfgang Puck Express.

By the way, did you know that "Counter Service" or CS, as we say here on the DIS, is actually "Quick Service" at Disney World? I kept telling them that I wanted to use a counter service credit and they kept getting confused. I finally realized on the last day that I'd been using the wrong term. Come on, DISers, you're supposed to be leading me in the right direction here!

Next up: Is it possible to drag the kids out of Lego, and how are we going to manage dinner when half of us are at the resort?

 

[pierresgirl]

Great start! I don't think we crossed paths, I remember faces. Your dd is too cute! LOL about not being drunk in PH!

 

[Vacation Lover]

DH and I try to figure out the logistics of dinner: should he load up Minnie, the diaper bag & stroller and take the bus to Downtown Disney, should we go pick him up in the car and drive back to the restaurant or should we skip Wolfgang Puck Express and just eat at the food court back at the resort? I'll tell you right now that we should've picked option #3, but instead went with option #2.

I round the kids up and tell them we're going to quickly (HA!) go back to the hotel, pick up Dad and Minnie and come back to Downtown Disney for dinner. They do one last race and we're off. Boy, that parking lot is looking a lot more crowded now that Saturday evening is here. I pull out of my primo spot and someone immediately snags it. Once we get out of the crowded parking lot, it only takes about 10 minutes to get back to CBR. Even so, I'm starting to feel a little grouchy because I realize it would've been much easier (on me, anyway) if DH and Minnie had taken the bus and met us there. I call DH on his cell to tell him we're out front, but he's changing a diaper so we go on into the room.

Everyone takes bathroom breaks and suddenly the TV is on and the kids are taking their time getting back out the door. Come On, people! Don't you know I'm on a schedule here? This is our only day at Downtown Disney and my shopping window of opportunity is closing fast.

We finally get everyone back in the car and back to Downtown Disney. I know exactly where the restaurant is and try to park near it. DH immediately questions the logic of trying to park in the smallest area because the area I'm heading for is, of course, full. I pull out of the full Marketplace parking lot and move over to the next section, trying to maneuver around the Saturday night crowds. DH again questions where I'm trying to go and steam starts blowing out of my ears. If you were so interested in the correct way to find a parking spot, you could've driven, or, better yet, saved my primo spot from before by TAKING THE BUS!

We finally find a spot and head over to the restaurant. DH looks at the map and sees where we're headed and says, "oh, we have to go all the way back THERE?!" At this point Monster Mom emerges and I am absolutely about to blow my top. YES we have to go ALL THE WAY BACK THERE. That's why I was trying to find a spot in the MARKETPLACE parking lot!

We pass by the Lego store and the kids want to go BACK in! Absolutely not! We get to Wolfgang Puck Express and it is PACKED. It is also starting to pour and the line is all the way out the door, past the covered shelter. We pull out the umbrellas (DH earns some points back, because he's the one who grabbed them.) So now I'm starving and trying to decide, do we go ahead and stand in line here or should we try somewhere else? We decide to stay put and get in line.

I should mention that DB has ADHD. He's getting better at controlling himself as he matures, but overstimulation always brings it out. In retrospect, I'm surprised that it didn't happen sooner, but then he had something to occupy his mind. Now we're just standing in line with nothing to do and DB's mind goes into overload. He literally starts bouncing off the walls, he's repeating nonsense over and over and over again, tormenting his sisters and driving everyone around him crazy. Minnie starts crying and has meldown # 2 of the day. I just want to curl up somewhere and pretend I don't know these people.

Luckily the lady in line in front of us was very nice and tried to engage DB and Minnie in conversation. They were having none of it, each for their own reasons: Minnie being a stubborn, cranky toddler, and DB unable to focus on any one thing for more than .5 seconds.

DH spots a table and grabs it, taking DB and Tink (who, as usual, is being very well-behaved. Thank God.) with him. Minnie is clinging to me and screaming anytime Dad tries to hold her so I hang on to her. Meanwhile I'm trying to figure out what everyone's getting and mentally calculate how many CS (QS?) credits we should use. DB does not like ANYTHING on the menu--he doesn't like pizza (!) and I decide to get the roasted chicken and share with him. Beers are definitely in order for the adults.

Here's the chicken. It was kind of mushy and just okay.

I tried to give the drumstick to DB but he wouldn't touch it. DH got a pizza:

Tink and Minnie shared a cheese pizza again but I didn't get a picture. Just imagine the above with nothing on it.

We finish dinner and I'm in a much better mood. Did I mention that I get really grouchy when I'm hungry?

DB was doing a little better after some decompression time away from the crowds so we decide to make a quick trip to Goofy's Candy Company to use some Snack Credits. I thought the kids would love the make-your-own-rice-krispy-treat thing, but they weren't all that interested. Instead they went straight for the fill-the-tube-with-pure-sugar section.

The footlong tube was $3.95 so it qualified as a snack. I said they could get it, but would have to save it for the next day. I got some peanut butter fudge and DH got some mint-chocolate fudge. The fudge was just okay, and neither of us finished our little blocks by the end of the trip.


Minnie had finally conked out

and I was finally feeling a bit more relaxed.

We trek back to the car and finally make it back to the resort, exhausted and ready for a good night's sleep before we tackle day #2. We start getting ready for bed and DH realizes his phone is missing! I call it in hopes that it's in the room somewhere. Nope. He searches the car for it, no luck. We call the hotel desk and tell them we think we lost our phone at Wolfgang Puck Express. They connect us to Guest Services at Downtown Disney and our phone's not there. They tell us to try back around noon tomorrow because the restaurants and stores usually find things when they're closing up and pass it on to the lost and found the next morning.

Next up: Will we be able to split up at MGM without a cell phone?

 

[Vacation Lover]

Can't wait to here about your trip.

Glad you're enjoying it--it's fun to re-live it as I write!

loving your TR so far!! Your dd covering her face... priceless!!!

I almost erased that shot, thinking it was a mess-up; I'm so glad I looked twice at it!

good trip report, can't wait to read more.

Thank you, and welcome!

Great start! I don't think we crossed paths, I remember faces. Your dd is too cute! LOL about not being drunk in PH!

Yeah, I looked at your pictures and didn't recognize your family either. Guess we weren't at the resort all that much! At PH, I kept going on about the bathrooms, saying, "wow, those bathrooms would really mess with you if you were drunk." Finally my husband goes, "Yeah, I think that's the point."

 

[Vacation Lover]

MGM opens at 9am today and I want to be there early to avoid the crowds. We grab a breakfast bar in the room and head to the park. The kids want to take the tram to the front gate, but DH doesn't want to wait for it, plus we parked pretty close to the entrance, so we hoof it to the gate. Get our bags checked and walk in just as the park opens. Yeah--right on time!

We make a beeline for Tower of Terror and DB and I get in line while DH grabs a child swap pass. (Gotta love those child swaps!) Tink chickened out and, when I saw the scenes while we were waiting in the hotel "lobby" I was glad she did. I knew she'd get a little scared. DB and I get strapped into our elevator seat and we're off. I mentioned that we are a thrill ride family and this one did not disappoint. All I can say is "WOW!" Love that feeling when we get dropped and my stomache is still 5 floors above me! Definately an A+ ride.

Tink has worked up her courage to ride TOT, and of course DB wants to go again, so they go with DH on his child swap. (I love how the child swap passes allow 2 more people to go with you so you don't have to go alone--plus the kids get to go again if they want to.) Minnie and I head to the Coaster Courtyard to pick up Playhouse Disney tickets.

A little disappointment creeps up as we walk past Rockin' Roller Coaster, closed for repairs this month. We all REALLY wanted to try that one out. We walk on past to the Playhouse Disney area and choose our time to see the Imagination Movers concert. I get tickets for the 11:15 show, and go to wait for the others to meet us in the Coaster Courtyard. Minnie plays with a little ball that they gave all of the toddlers and I snapped a few pictures.

Oops, the lens got foggy after going from the A/C in TOT to the hot Florida air!

Ah, that's better.

We wait and wait and I'm starting to get worried that we're waiting in the wrong place. Boy, I wish DH had his cell phone so I could check in with him. They finally get there and by then it's almost 10:00--time for the first Imagination Movers show. We decide to try to catch that one and get to the tent just in time. We find a spot on the floor and Minnie, once again, does the cover-my-face-and-pretend-I'm-not-here thing.

But after she starts hearing the music (she LOVES all things musical), she get's into it.

They played a song I recognized from the Disney Channel. It's the one about the kid who sleeps all night long in his own bed.

Toward the end, Minnie started enjoying it so much much that she even went up front and started dancing with her sister and the other kids.

It was a good concert and we had a lot of fun. Afterwards we decided to grab FastPasses for Star Tours and then take the Backlot Tour. We stop at a snack stand and everyone gets some ice cream and we're off. Get to Star Tours and FastPasses are not available. The sign says it's just a 5 minute wait, though so we decide to go in. Ask for our Child Swap passes but it turns out that, for this ride, you have to stand in line with your party and swap off after the first rider is done. Definitely a pain since Minnie is in a "Hold me!" mood, but, hey, 5 minutes--no big deal, right? The wait is more like 30 minutes, but at least it's air conditioned. DH and DB go first while I wait with Minnie and Tink, who, again, decided to wait this one out. My turn and Tink decides to give it a try with me and DB. It turns out to be her favorite attraction of the day. Very cool ride.

She's in a great mood after that fun ride!

The kids and I head to Backlot Tours while DH detours by Indiana Jones to grab FastPasses. We take our time getting there, as we have to stop by every CM we see to trade pins. DB has decided to collect the old fashioned Mickey pins with the white faces--very hard to find, and Tink is trading her previous Princess pin collection for, of course, Tinkerbell pins.

DH gets to Backlot tours about the same time we do, with no FastPasses in hand. Strange. FPs weren't available there either. We stand in line for the tour and DB has to go to the bathroom, which seems to happen every time we're in line for something, but this time he can't hold it. We run to find a restroom and get back to see the others waiting at the front of the line for us. We catch up just as the CM is pulling the rope for us to wait for the next tour but she knows they've been in line for a while and lets us go ahead. Yeah! It's a really neat tour and we enjoyed learning how the special effects work. Also enjoyed sitting down in the tram for part of the tour!

It's been sprinkling on and off all morning, and now it's really starting to come down. We find some shelter and decide what to do next. The kids really want to play on the Honey I Shrunk The Kids Playground, but I want to save that for later in the afternoon after we've stood in more lines and need a little break. We have reservations for Sci Fi Dine In at 12:30 and decide to head over there and see if they'll take us a little early.

Someone's getting cranky...will we have another meltdown like at yesterday's lunch?

Tune in to find out!

 

[Vacation Lover]

We get to Sci Fi and have just enough time to change a diaper before we're seated. They ask if we'd prefer a table with seats facing each other or a booth and, knowing Minnie's preference for lying down at meals, we choose the booth. They give us an entire car to ourselves.

But after we order we decide to move up so they can offer the back booth to someone else.

Notice that DB never looks at the camera. He is hypnotized by the movie screen. It's not often that he's silent and still. But he spent this ENTIRE meal quietly eating his food. Aaaaaah.

The girls start coloring, and love watching the big movie screen as we wait for our food.

Aaaaaaah. This is the most peaceful meal we've had, I think, EVER. Everyone is zoning out, watching the old movie clips and we're all feeling very relaxed. DH and I split a Table Service. He orders beer and I snag the milkshake. I get a little sugar buzz going and I'm feeling pretty good. A few sips of DHs beer doesn't hurt, either.

We're all enjoying the atmosphere of this old fashioned drive in.

I tried to capture the ambience of the place, but the pictures don't do it justice. Did manage to capture a pic of our waiter though. He was really good, and kind enough to take our picture a few times.

Our meal arrived and everyone quietly eats their food while watching the movies. It was just so relaxing--exactly what I needed at that moment.

I ordered the spinich artichoke dip. It was so cheesy that it was hard to dip into the spinich & artichokes, but it tasted good. Another one that's hard to mess up. Really, I could've been eating cardboard at that point and I would have been happy!

DH had a bacon cheese urger and said it was good and juicy.

The kids all had hot dogs and ate every bit, plus all of their carrots!

We all had sundaes for dessert and left full, relaxed and happy. I'd read so many bad reviews of Sci Fi that I was a little nervous about it, but I'm so glad we went there. It's definitely on our list to do again next time.

Tink and DB found a couple of CMs to trade pins with on the way out and we all left quite satisfied. No meltdowns whatsoever! Hooray!

Next up: Why is our stroller sopping wet?

 

[Vacation Lover]

The sky looks clear, but our stroller is soaking wet. Good thing I brought the camera inside with me. We dry the stroller off and head to Indiana Jones. Good timing--the shows starting soon and we find some good seats right in the middle. The show gets started and about 5 minutes into it the producor comes out and introduces himself to us. I keep waiting for the punchline and can't figure out why he's on stage until he says, "Unfortunately lightening has been reported and for safety reasons we have to cancel the show." Aw, man, that stinks!

We all herd out and the kids are again begging us to go to the Honey I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure. On the way there, DH comments that he couldn't imagine trying to navigate the parks without a plan! I keep the fact that we completely scrapped the schedule about 4 hours ago to myself and, instead, give myself a little pat on the back.

We make our way to the movie set (stopping at every CM with a lanyard on to trade pins--boy, the kids are really getting into this pin trading stuff!) The playground is wet from the rain, but we go in anyway.

The kids LOVE the playground. I just wish there was somewhere comfy for the adults to sit while the kids are running around. DB was jumping around and getting all of that pent up energy out.

Tink finds the sprinkler and she and DB get soaked.

Minnie wants to ride the giant ant.

We drag the kids out of there long before they're actually ready to leave, but DH and I are ready to move on. Now if they'd had those comfy chairs I wanted, we might've been willing to stay longer...

Anyway, we head toward the Sorcerer's hat to find out when they're doing the HSM show. Today is the first day that they're unveiling the new one and it's not even printed on the daily information sheet yet. We get to the big hat as the parade is coming by. Strangely enough, the kids aren't particularly interested in it so we move on.

We decide to try the new Narnia attraction. It's basically just one big preview for the next Narnia movie, but it looks like it's going to be a good one. As we leave, the bottom drops out of the sky and it starts pouring. Since it doesn't appear to be letting up anytime soon, we decide this is a good time to take a break back at the hotel.

Next up: If Fantasmic's at 8:00, can you make it to an 8:40 dinner reservation at Whispering Canyon?

 

[Vacation Lover]

We brave the rain and race for the car, a little disappointed that the rain is messing with our very first park visit of this vacation. But once we're sitting in the car, away from the crowds and attractions I realize that some quiet time is in order. We get back to the room and throw ourselves on the beds ready to chill out. The kids turn the TV to the channel with the old fashioned Disney cartoons while I call Downtown Disney Lost & Found about the cell phone. No luck. DH and I crack open our books and then next thing I know, we've spent 2 hours in the room. I'm still feeling pretty lazy and a little tired, and we can't decide what to do since it's been raining off and on all afternoon.

Part of me wants to remain in the room for the rest of the night and relax, but I hate to miss out on anything. We decide this is a good time to run to the CVS and pick up a prepaid cell phone. We find one for about $35, pick it up and head back to MGM. We had reservations for Whispering Canyon at 8:40 but really wanted to see Fantasmic. We have just enought time to do Tower of Terror once more. The kids didn't want to go again so I went by myself while DH took the kids to find seats at Fantasmic.

At this point, it's 7:45 so there's no line whatsoever. It's just me and a group of 4 kids and, while we're waiting in the "lobby" the youngest one goes, "I'm scared!" My maternal instincts start welling up, until one of the older kids says, "Quit playing--you know this is the FOURTH time you've been on this one!" We get strapped into the elevator as the storyteller says, "Five people stepped onto an elevator..." I look over at the kids and can see them mentally counting the number of people in our elevator: 1..2..3..4..5. "Hey, There are FIVE people in OUR elevator--spooky!" It WAS spooky, in a fun way. That is a FUN, FUN ride.

I get off the TOT and meet the family just in time to find some seats and get settled before the show. Wow! We are so glad we decided to see this show! We knew we'd most likely be late for our dinner reservation, but it was SO worth it. The way they use the water as movie screens--ingenius. There was definitely something for everyone. Minnie was in awe of the princesses floating by in their boats and DB proclaimed it the best part of the entire day.

No leaving early for us. We were staying until the very end of this awesome show! When it's over we race--well, walk quickly with the crowd, don't want to bowl anyone over--to the car. Make it to WCC by 9:00. Not bad, only 20 minutes late.

Next up: How do we rate the food/atmosphere of WCC?

 

[pierresgirl]

We get back to the room and throw ourselves on the beds ready to chill out. The kids turn the TV to the channel with the old fashioned Disney cartoons

At this point, it's 7:45 so there's no line whatsoever. It's just me and a group of 4 kids and, while we're waiting in the "lobby" the youngest one goes, "I'm scared!" My maternal instincts start welling up, until one of the older kids says, "Quit playing--you know this is the FOURTH time you've been on this one!" We get strapped into the elevator as the storyteller says, "Five people stepped onto an elevator..." I look over at the kids and can see them mentally counting the number of people in our elevator: 1..2..3..4..5. "Hey, There are FIVE people in OUR elevator--spooky!" It WAS spooky, in a fun way. That is a FUN, FUN ride.

Next up: How do we rate the food/atmosphere of WCC?

My kids watched that channel too while we were there! That is so funny about the kids counting how many We did WCC as well.

 

[Vacation Lover]

Even though we're 20 minutes late to Whispering Canyon, the CM is friendly and hands us a beeper, which goes off entirely too soon for the kids, who are thoroughly enjoying the Lincoln Log Table. I can tell that the busy day and the late dinner are hitting them because they don't even want to get up when they call for all kids to go up front. I had so been looking forward to this dinner because I really thought the kids would get into all of the antics I'd read about. Instead they sat at the table like it was any old restaurant. Until, that is, the table next to us asked for ketchup! It was late and I could tell by our waitresses raspy voice that it had been a long night. But the waitress at the table next to us put her all into it. I'm not kidding, she yelled so long and so loud! She must've called out for a solid minute or more before taking a breath! I looked over at DB and the tiredness floated away as a light bulb lit up over his head. He who had ordered Mac & Cheese for dinner NEEDED a bottle of ketchup!

Then they called for all kids to bring one crayon to another table and my kids realized that this was not just any old restaurant. Tink the artist was hard pressed to part with any of the crayons she was using, but settled for giving away the orange. Because in our house Orange means Clemson. We're a Gamecock family, remember?

The kids joined in with a parade around the room and Tink lost her napkin. I could see the wheels turning in her head when she politely asked the waitress for another napkin. I had to explain to her when she was given just one napkin, that the idea of giving other tables their ketchup or crayons is limited to ketchup and crayons. Besides, she didn't want someone else's dirty napkin, did she?

When our food arrived, nobody at our table (for the first time EVER, I think) needed ketchup. That didn't stop DB and he searched out a server to request ketchup. Meanwhile DH, for some reason, did NOT want all of that ketchup on our table. He kept saying, "DB do not order ketchup! We don't have enough room on our table for it!" The ketchup parade commenced and look how proud DB is of it...and how annoyed DH is!

I though I'd read somewhere that something funny happens if you tell the waitress that your straw isn't long enough and told DB to try it. That was a bust, though, as 2 different servers just looked at him like he was crazy when he said this. Of course, DB, being the engineer minded person that he is, decided to engineer his OWN long straw with the extra straws on our table. Check out his and Tinks drinks in this picture. I made him quit at 2 extra straws, but he really wanted to build a straw long enough that he could drink from a cup on the floor!

We obviously LOVED the atmosphere of WCC. Unfortunately, the food does not get as good ratings. DH and I split a table service. We got the chicken wings for the appetizer. I'm not a wing eater, but DH loves wings and says that they were okay at best. (Sorry for the blurry pic.)

We split the prime rib and I was so looking forward to some good, rare meat! We had waited quite a while for our dinner--long enough for the waitress to come and tell us "Sorry it's taking so long" a couple of times. Maybe it was the late hour, but it was very obvious that the prime rib had been sitting around and was served lukewarm. Normally we'd send it back, but we were just too tired and hungry so we went ahead and ate it. It tasted very smoky, which I thought was interesting at first, but by the 3rd bite it was just too smoky. Maybe if the meat had been piping hot the smoky flavor would have been more enjoyable, but DH and I both agreed that it wasn't very good.

I didn't get photos of the kids meals; they were too keyed up to eat much anyway. When ketchup was called for, they excitedly grabbed a couple of bottles and delivered them. A parade ensued as kids from the tables around us also helped deliver our ketchup. Much to DH's relief, the ketchup was quickly cleared from our table.

Everyone was exhausted by the time we finished dinner so we got our desserts to go. Day 2 completed with no major meltdowns from the little one and no major attitude from the big ones. Yay!

Next up: Quit messing with my plans, people! Three months ago, you tell me you want to go on waterslides, but now you're saying you want the wave pool!

 

[Vacation Lover]

My kids watched that channel too while we were there!

Yeah, we figured out by the end of the trip that it was about an hour's worth of shows playing over and over again. I think we saw every one!