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

[Vacation Lover]

We sure are glad to have our umbrellas right about now. Well, I'm glad, and Minnie's glad. DH and the older kids are already soaked, but DB and Tink still insist on using their umbrellas. What is it with kids and umbrellas anyway? Or is it just my bunch that loves to hold umbrellas. A favorite activity of my kids in the summertime is to spray each other with the hose while holding umbrellas!

Anyway, we dry off and head to the food court at CBR. We have a 4:30 dinner reservation at 'Ohana so we're just having a light lunch. I just have a tiny slice of Tink's pizza because I don't want to spoil my appetite. No, not my appetite for 'Ohana; I'm sure I'll be hungry again by then. I mean my special treat that's waiting for me back at the room. Surely you didn't think that I was right there at OPR when we went swimming yesterday and didn't drop by to stock up on those cupcakes! Mmmmmmmm.

Back at the room we relax a bit and when the sun comes back out DH and the kids head to the pool. They're gone for about 5 minutes when they return--the pool's closed due to thunder. Huh? It is clear as can be outside. Oh well. We relax for a while and you know what I've figured out? It is SOOO hard to get going again after these breaks in the middle of the day. Once we're back at the room it's just so hard for me to rally the troops when it's time to get moving. We finally get going and make it to our dinner reservation...all together now...you guessed it...20 minutes late.

After a nice, tropical drink we're seated. Here's a picture of the open fire where everything is cooked.

We start out with the fried wontons with dipping sauce. I really liked these and ate them throughout the entire dinner. I think I was the only one, though; the kids tried one bite and didn't like them and DH thought they were okay. Next came the shrimp and chicken wings. DH enjoyed the wings and I thought the shrimp was pretty good. The kids are 0 for 3 on the food at this point.

We were seated way off in a corner, so it was hard to see anything that they were doing in the middle of the restaurant. I noticed that a hula dancer was calling the kids to the front so Tink went up. DB did not want anything to do with the hula dancing until he heard someone say "candy" in the microphone. Unfortunately for him, they were not handing out candy--don't know what they were saying--but it got him up there. Minnie, DH and I joined in on the fun too.

Then they had a mother-son/father-daughter dance so DB and I danced together and DH danced with Minnie and Tink. That was fun, and we all got pretty yellow leis. When we got back to the table the main course was coming around. Then next thing I knew, our plates were piled with steak, pork, turkey and sausage. I would have been very disappointed in the food had I been paying for it. It was average at best. The steak was alright--nothing special, the pork had little taste at all, the turkey was also bland and the sausage was awful. I stuck to the wontons and the kids hardly ate a thing. The dessert was pretty good. I'd much rather have had one of those cupcakes thate were waiting for me back at the room though! DH and I agreed that you're paying for the atmosphere at Disney restaurants. The food has been average at most places.

Here we are eating our dinner.

After dessert we hopped on the monorail to MK. We only had a couple of hours before the end of the vacation and I hoped to make the most of it!

Next up: Magic Kindgom & Wishes

 

[pierresgirl]

Ohana's looks like so much fun! The picture of all the family at the table came out great!

 

[Vacation Lover]

Wow, that monorail ride from the Poly to MK is quick and easy! We've decided that we really want to stay at a Deluxe next time we go. Those little extra perks really make the vacation and I have no complaints about being pampered on vacation! Unfortunately, the next time we go Minnie will be over 3 and we'll have to spring for a 5 person room. That's going to add almost $100 a night on the 4-person Deluxe rate! Why doesn't Disney offer some Deluxe rooms with a trundle, like POFQ does? POFQ is the same rate as the other Moderates but will sleep 5 people. It sure would be nice if there were a few rooms like this in the Deluxe hotels too. Disney is not nearly as accomadating for a 5-person family as they are for a 4 person family!

Okay, off my soapbox now. We get to MK and have a couple of hours until Wishes and a long list of things we want to do! Since we've scrapped the itinerary I've decided to go with the flow and go where ever the fam agrees to go. We hit the castle as the "Dream Along with Mickey" show is playing.

We stop and watch the show, enjoying the princesses and Mickey & friends. (From afar.) Tink is enchanted. As she watches from a safe distance.

After the show we decide to hit Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Trek over there to find out that it's closed due to lightening. (I guess it was the same invisible/silent storm from the earlier pool visit.) We had passed a popcorn stand on the way there and DB was dying for some so we head back to the stand. Bathrooms are nearby so half of the group realizes they need a pitstop. I swear, my family has the smallest bladders! But we are not on an itinerary, so I smile sweetly and get the popcorn while DH & DB do their business.

We know exactly what we want to hit next--Tom Sawyer Island. This was a big favorite on our last trip and it was one of DHs favorites as a kid too. The kids loved running around the island and checking out the caves, towers, etc. before and were excited to do it again. We get to the dock and Tom Sawyer island is closing in 15 minutes and the last raft has already left. Bummer. We're 0 for 2 on attractions at this point.

Time's a wastin' so we book it over to the Haunted Mansion. DH and the kids are excited to do this one again; they remember it from last year. Minnie and I sat out last time but we were all going to go this time around. Tink and DH ride together and Minnie, DB and I hop in the next car. Minnie is a little scared of the dark and I hold her on my lap and tell her to just close her eyes. She squeezes her eyes shut and keeps them closed as we begin moving. A minute later I glance down at her and she's sleeping peacefully in my arms. So sweet! What a contrast to the hauntings that are going on around us. The ride was fun and the effects were good. It was just scary enough to be fun for the kids.

When we get back to the stroller we gently ease Minnie in and she stays sound asleep. I'm glad she's getting some sleep, but a little disappointed that she'll miss Wishes. We head over to the Main Street bridge to stake out our spot. I'd spied the Tink wire earlier and knew exactly where we needed to go to get a good view of her. We find a great spot and DH goes to get us some smoothies while we wait for the show to begin.

Here's the castle just before Wishes.

Up next: Our very last Disney event--Wishes. How will it end?

 

[Vacation Lover]

What a great report so far...love the picture of the 3 kids in bed...always need a picture of sleeping kids.

Sounds like you had a busy but fun trip....Loved Minnie and how she warmed up to the characters.

Minnie loves looking at the pictures now and talking about the princesses. In her mind, she was never even afraid of them!

Isnt it fun when everyone wants to do something different.

And this is the reason for the itinerary! People tease me for having such a detailed agenda, but when we stray from it we piddle around and nobody's happy.

Ohana's looks like so much fun! The picture of all the family at the table came out great!

Thanks. We did enjoy Ohana. I have to say, the atmosphere at Disney's restaurants were always A+. Definitely an experience!

 

[whogirl'smom]

Good report! My DD6 really got into her pin trading, too,this trip. She also was given one of the Tink sets to share and was able to give one pin to her best friend who was at MGM the same day we were!

I agree with you, there's nothing like a good margarita from the Mexico stand!

Can't wait to see how Wishes turned out for you!

 

[Vacation Lover]

We're waiting for Wishes to begin, sitting in our prime location just below the Tink wire. DB the climber finds a little perch on the fence rail and makes himself comfortable as he waits.

I park the stoller with a sleeping Minnie off to the side, thinking about how much she loved the fireworks at Fourth of July. I'm a little disappointed that she'll miss out. Just as I was thinking this, she wakes up! And not in a grumpy I-didn't-get-enough-sleep mood! She's perfectly happy after her little catnap and ready and raring to go.

DH gets back with our smoothies and I'm feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. It's the end to a crazy week--fun filled and stress filled all at the same time. It's all culminating in this moment, where the kids are getting along well, they're happy and excited. Vacation is not yet over.

A few minutes before the show, this guy and his friends find a spot right next to us. He's obviously SOOO excited for Wishes to begin and starts talking about how he needs to be right in this exact spot so he can see Tink fly by. I have never seen anyone so excited about Disney and the whole Disney magic. His enthusiasm was contagious! It was really fun to watch his excitement as we got closer and closer to the beginning of the show.

He was obviously someone who knew his Dinsey stuff and I asked him about seeing Tink. He said this was the very best spot to see her. I told my Tink and we were both very excited to be in the elite Tink viewing area. As he did a little dance of excitement, I thought I heard his friends joke that he'd been a CM for too long, but I never got a chance to ask because he and the kids were bonding over their excitement.

Tink showed him all of her newly accumulated Tink pins and he told her about his huge collection of Tink pins, which he'd left at home so he wouldn't have to trade them. DB popped over and showed him his collection of old fashioned Mickey pins and they all had a really good time talking Disney stuff and sharing about their trip. The music began playing and we knew Wishes was about to begin. The excitement in the air was magical.

The show was just as great as I thought it would be--much better in the park, than when we saw it from Narcoossee's. The kids were mesmerized.

Minnie was so excited every time she saw a new firework go off. You can see a little bit of our new friend sitting next to her. He was enjoying it as much, if not more, than she was.

The fireworks were beautiful. Definite warm fuzzies all around.

When Tinkerbell flew over there was a collective "wow!" from the crowd, especially from our new friend, who I though was going to have a heart attack from the excitement. Tink, not one to be fooled by trickery, told me that she had seen the wire earlier and knew that this had not been the real Tink. Then she leaned over and whispered, "When everyone else was watching the pretend Tinkerbell, I looked up at the castle and I was the ONLY ONE to see the REAL Tink flying around the top!" She looked at me, waiting for me to say something like, "No, the real Tink just flew overhead--I saw her." But I'm no fool and I've been a mom for a long time now. I know when someone's trying to trick me into telling them something they don't really want to hear. So I looked at her and said, "Wow! I was so busy watching that other Tink that I didn't even think to look at the castle! What was she like?" With that, my little Tinkerbell straightened her shoulders up high and proudly said, "I think she was waving to me!" Ah, the magic!

When it was over, Minnie cheered and our new friend proclaimed her "The best Wishes partner EVER!"

Then our Disney friend gave each of the kids one of his pins. They tried to trade with him, but he just wanted to spread a little pixie dust and let them each choose a pin. We said our goodbyes and made our way to the exit feeling completely fulfilled.

We've got a long drive home tomorrow, but we're going to relax and enjoy the last few hours of vacation when we get up in the morning. More to come!

 

[pierresgirl]

That's so cool about the guy! It sure does boost the enthusiasm when someone like that is around an ends the trip VERY nicely! What spot were you in?

 

[Vacation Lover]

The next morning DB and I woke up bright and early but the others still wanted to sleep. So we got dressed and decided to take a little walk around the resort. Other than the first day, when we lounged on the beach, this was the first time we'd taken a leisurely stroll around the resort. It was nice to have some time alone with DB. It seems he's always in competition for attention (either postitive or negative!) when he's around his sisters. He's so much more easy going when he's in a one on one situation. Of course, he was still his usual self, wanting to climb and jump over everything he could. "Mom, take a picture of me jumping to the other side of this ledge!"

The grounds were beautiful and, for once, we weren't in a hurry so we just took our time and enjoyed.

We crossed over the bridge and decided to grab breakfast at the food court. You know I used a couple of snack credits to stock up on cupcakes while I was there. After a relaxing breakfast we took some more pictures of the resort.

And we found some secluded little spots for relaxing.

I thoroughly enjoyed this mother/son time and felt so relaxed and at ease as we made our way back to the room. When we got there the others were just waking up. They were hungry so we went BACK to OPR (this time by car) while they had breakfast. We had 2 kids Table Service credits left from when we went to Narcoossee's without the kids. Since it was the free dining period, Disney allowed us to use the TS credits for counter services + our choice of a snack or a pin lanyard. DB chose an extra snack--caramel corn for the ride home, and Tink chose the pin lanyard--Donald Duck pin on a blue lanyard. They liked getting this extra surprise on the last day.

After breakfast it was time to load up the car, but first we needed to clean it out--yuck!! Almost time for our magical trip to end, but first we're going to head to Downtown Disney for a few things.

Our first stop was the Christmas Store. I wanted to start a new tradition that a friend of mine does. We'll let the kids pick an ornament out as a souvenier on each family vacation. It will be a fun memory each Christmas of our vacations together, then when the kids have families of their own, I'll give them the ornament collection that they chose.

Minnie chose a princess ornament.

Tink chose a Tinkerbell ornament, of course.

And DB chose a Mickey shaped ornament with the icons of each park.

Each ornament really does reflect our children's tastes and personalities at these ages. I'm so excited about this new tradition!

While the kids and I were getting the ornaments, DH went to the lost and found on the slim chance that his phone was there. No luck. Then, on a whim, he went to Wolfgang Puck Express since that was the last place he'd been with the phone when he lost it. Sure enough, they'd had it sitting at the cash register, waiting to be claimed the whole time! At least we got it back!

Then we went to Goofy's Candy Company to use up the last of our snack credits. They had some yummy looking cupcakes there, but I had 3 packed in the cooler so I opted for a caramel apple instead. Should've gone for that last cupcake. I finished them off in a couple of days and ended up throwing the caramel apple away a week or so later!

Now we had one last thing to do--lunch. We had 2 more CS credits left so I went to get carry out from Earl of Sandwich while DH got the kids settled into the car with a movie and some Lunchables & fruit (which I'd brought from home and kept in the fridge.) The line was huge since it was right at noon, but it moved fairly smoothly. I got the Frenchy--hot ham & brie and DH got the Club--turkey, bacon & swiss. Both sandwiches were served hot on sourdough bread. They were really good and, as we ate our sandwiches on the way out of town, DH and I agreed that it was one of the tastiest meals of the week!

We had a nice, uneventful drive back. Everyone was so tired that we only needed to make one stop and my awesome DH drove the entire 7 hours. The trip is officially over, but I'll be back to wrap some things up--I'll share some best & worst's and we'll see how we did budget-wise with the free dining.

 

[Vacation Lover]

Here's how we came out budget-wise on the dining plan.

Day 1
Breakfast
Chef Mickey's--Would have cost $75

Lunch
Planet Hollywood--Did not use DDP
Paid OOP $50

Dinner
Wolfgang Puck Express--Would have cost $41
Paid OOP $9

Day 2
Breakfast
Breakfast bars/cereal in hotel room

Lunch
Sci Fi Dine In--Would have cost $54
Paid OOP $18

Dinner
Whispering Canyon--Would have cost $62
Paid OOP $16

Day 3
Breakfast
Food Court--Would have cost $34
Paid OOP $4

Lunch
Blizzard Beach--Would have cost $28

Dinner
Food Court (kids + grandma)--Would have cost $33
Narcoossee's--Would have cost $187
Paid OOP $18

Day 4
Breakfast
Breakfast bars/cereal in Room

Lunch
Akershus--Would have cost $98
Paid OOP (for grandma & friend) $62

Dinner
Mexico Counter Service--Would have cost $30
Paid OOP $38

Day 5
Breakfast
Breakfast bars/cereal in Room

Lunch
Food Court--Would have cost $25

Dinner
Ohana--Would have cost $95
Paid OOP $20

Day 6
Breakfast
Food Court--Would have cost $15
Paid OOP $5

Lunch
Earl of Sandwich--Would have cost $20

Snacks throughout the week
Would have cost $85
Paid OOP for snacks: $16

The DDP would have cost us $600 had we purchased it
We ate $890 worth of food on the plan
We paid out of pocket: $257


Our hotel for 6 nights cost $1,245
This included 1 day base tickets for the family. We already had non expiring tickets for the other days.

Other expenses:
Ticket upgrade to Water Parks & More: $200
We gave the kids $5 per day to buy what they wanted...$50
Pins from e-bay & Locking pin backs...$30
Christmas ornaments...$40
We paid for 1 night of grandma's room...$75
Groceries...$25
Autograph Books...$5
Gas & Fast Food...$100
Dog sitter...$30

Total cost for the vacation:
Around $2,050

 

[Vacation Lover]

I'll finish the report with a list of our favorite activities.

Downtown Disney/DisneyQuest
My favorite: riding CyberSpace Mountain
DH: Pirates of the Carribbean
DB: building & riding CyberSpace Mountain
Tink: toss up between Pirates of the Carribbean & Animation Station

MGM
My favorite: Tower of Terror
DH: Fantasmic
DB: Fantasmic
Tink: Fantasmic

Typhoon Lagoon
My favorite: Crush 'n Gusher
DH: Humunga Kowabunga
DB: Wave pool
Tink: Crush 'n Gusher

Epcot
My favorite: Soarin'
DH: Mission Space
DB: Mission Space & Illuminations
Tink: Test Track

Magic Kingdom
My favorite: Mickey's Philharmagic
DH: Buzz Lightyear
DB: Space Mountain
Tink: Toon Town

Best Evening Show
(Unanimous) Fantasmic

Best meal
My favorite: Narcoossee's
DH: Narcoossee's
DB: Whispering Canyon & Sci Fi
Tink: Whispering Canyon & Chef Mickey's

Thanks for reading and letting me re-live our vacation!

 

[Vacation Lover]

Good report! My DD6 really got into her pin trading, too,this trip. She also was given one of the Tink sets to share and was able to give one pin to her best friend who was at MGM the same day we were!

I agree with you, there's nothing like a good margarita from the Mexico stand!

Can't wait to see how Wishes turned out for you!

Those Tink pins really are nice! I'm so glad that a friend had clued me in to the pin trading craze before our trip. I got some on e-bay and the kids had them ready to go when we got there.

That's so cool about the guy! It sure does boost the enthusiasm when someone like that is around an ends the trip VERY nicely! What spot were you in?

We were on the bridge toward Tomorrowland, near the Castle. See you on the Community Board!