Tim and Lesley Year of Million Compromises/TONS pics- 8/5 help me pg. 164!!!

[tiggrbaby]

Scroll down to the pic that has the film frame, then click to enjoy! She is a cutie!!

So we continued on our way to Pizza planet for lunch, on our way there we ran into Jojo and Goliath:

Then next to their trailer was the Little Einstein trailer and Quincy was standing there, there was absolutely NO line for him so I asked the CM “did you stop the line?” and he said “no, there isn’t one” that doesn’t say much for Little Einsteins fame but heck I didn’t want to wait in line anyway, the kids were happy to see him!

So we were finally on our way to Pizza Planet and we were hungry.
Luke happy at the restaurant:

As usual, I did my run for the food :

Tim took silly pics of the kids as they waited:

For the record, this is by FAR the best counter service deal for kids around, they don’t distinguish kids and adult meals so the pizza deal the adults get is the same for the kids, if I were smart I would have saved 2 credits and split the food, it was wayyyyy to much and it went to waste. EACH of us got a personal pizza, a salad a drink and a desert, so keep that in mind when you go there – great place to save a counter service credit for later.

Gotta take a pic of these guys (Claw is our master. . .):

Here is the yummy pizza:

This is always a hard meal to get the kids to eat because they want to hurry and finish so they can play, all the more reason I should have saved those counter service credits, oh well, ya live and you learn and you pass it on so you guys can learn from my mistake.
So. . .we made it downstairs for playtime:

Lauren had a BLAST on the dance dance revolution machine, SHE LOVES THOSE THINGS!!!!

O.K., so I decided the pictures just don’t do it justice here she is working it
(now, bear in mind the machine isn’t even on, you can hear Tim cheering her on in the background as he is shooting):

After lunch we headed towards the Beauty and the Beast show, I just LOVE this show. On our way there we spotted an act in the street, this show was HALARIOUS.

We ended up sitting on the bench and watching the entire show. These actors and actresses are SOOOO talented. It was the lady pictured and two guys who had formed a music group and are “friends forever” and then you watch them disintegrate and break up and get back together all in the show, it was absolutely hysterical. At one point she came behind Tim and cried on his shoulder, I tried to snap a pic with Tim in it while she was behind him, this is what I got:

Anyway, if you are walking around MGM and see these guys, take a seat, it is a funny funny show, the kids even thought so.
We made it to Beauty and the Beast. The warm up act, 4 for a dollar had us in awe, they are GREAT!!! They didn’t do that last year when I saw the show so that was a pleasant surprise as we were waiting for the show to start. I took these pretty pictures of the show, WHAT A GREAT SHOW, if you haven’t seen it, definitely do!

Lauren just LOVED the show!!!

We had reservations for Mama Melrose this night and our original plan was to stay at MGM all day, at this point it was around 2:00 and it was hot and all of a sudden I realized staying in the park all day wasn’t in our best interest, we made a quick decision to take the afternoon off and swim, the kids were ESTATIC!!! So we headed to the exit. The kids thought it was funny to pretend to sell the fake cokes by the exit:

Coming up an afternoon at the pool, tons of pool pics and more POFQ pics, Mama Melrose dinner, run in with a Diser at dinner, Fantasmic drama and wheelchair madness!!!!! Stay tuned!!!!
Lesley

 

[sharonW]

Scroll down to the pic that has the film frame, then click to enjoy! She is a cutie!!

oh thanks so much..its very cute!!

 

[mom2jcc]

Enjoying your TR as usual!!!

And, yes, you make me want to go back right now!!! I have to wait it out a little longer until the twins are 3 so we can stay in the parks longer, etc. You are helping me get my fix for now

 

[Gina35]

Thanks, tiggrbaby. I read Lesley's post when she sent it but didn't realize you could click on the frame to see the video!! That's what happens when one is not techno-savvy!!! Sooooooooo adorable, Lesley. It's so funny b/c you have to remind yourself that the machine isn't even on!

 

[littleelvis]

Lesley I am waiting by my computer today! I can't wait I read your last TR too, loved both of them of course! I would buy your book in a min, the first reason being I love your style of writing (many other reasons too, your cute family, and of course great advice). My family and I go off season but we still use your lessons. Can't wait till tonight for my TR

 

[tink25]

Once again, another great installment!

 

[Tanya90210]

How cool for you to get to meet the rats from Ratatoullie... Looks like a really cute move....

I love the video of Lauren doing the DDR at Pizza Planet.... how cute she is!!

Tanya

 

[timandlesley]

Day 8 continued
O.K., so when I left you we had decided not to stay all day at MGM and we needed a break and were headed back to POFQ. We went back and we decided since it was so hot and the kids were begging to get more pool time in we would go swimming. When we got back to the room I was VERY depressed to find this already on our door (man, it came early this year and it shocked me):

I got over that shock and then we headed down to the pool, I also took this opportunity to take a few more pictures.
As we headed down I wanted to take a pic of the lobby area of the resort, it is just such a pretty resort. So we went down our stairs at building two, took a few steps and I snapped this shot (this is how close we were to everything, soooo glad we changed buildings)

O.K., let’s try that picture again without crazy Tim jumping in : )

Then we took a stroll to the pool:

Here are Tim and Luke posing by the huge Jester, I just love the theming of this pool/resort:

Lauren headed immediately for the baby pool:

Then Tim decided he wanted a drink so he headed over to the bar area. Meanwhile the kids were begging to go in the hottub so we headed over there. I like how the hot tub area at this resort is totally separate from the pool, it really is pretty. Here are the kids playing with the showers by the hot tub, you can see the ivy all around, it is a really pretty area by the hot tub:

Tim showed up with his beer and he had gotten a pina colada for me. We sat there sipping on drinks as the kids sat and soaked in the hot tub, I was glad we decided to come back to the resort and chill out, should make for a much more relaxing evening.
We headed back up to the room, got showered and changed and headed to the bus stop around 5:00 to catch a bus back to MGM for our Mama Melrose Reservations and Fantasmic (I couldn’t WAIT for Fantasmic, my all time favorite show at Disney!!!)
Here is Lauren at the bus stop:

We got to MGM just in time for our 5:40 Mama Melrose reservations. As we sat down and were starting to order a lady approached our table. She said her name was Jill from Mason, I remembered her posting on this thread and was happy to meet her, funny that she lives right by us and we had to go all the way to Disney to meet her. We talked about her stay at the Beach Club, she met Tim and the kids and then went back to her table. So cool meeting Disers at the World this year (one more yet to come) As they left the restaurant later during our meal I said to Tim I wish I would have gotten her pic for this thread, oh well.
So we ordered our food, I was disappointed to see that the bread with dipping sauce that used to come with the meal and the salads were no longer included in the meals, that was one of my favorite parts of our meals here before. OH WELL. I ordered the Bruschettaappetizer, YUM!!!

Tim had the calamari and he liked that:

The kids meals here were the same as everywhere else so the kids got the mickey ears plates and their “appetizers” were really side dishes since you can only get the main entrée, pick one thing to fill and ear and then if you want a desert later, which of course my kids did you leave an ear empty and get no appetizer, I just can’t stand these new kids meals. So. . .they were QUITE bored waiting for the meal:

Lauren started out fine:

But the longer it took for our meals to get there the more I kept hearing “where is my foooooooooodddddddddd?” and it became apparent she didn’t nap today:

Should have napped!!!! Oh well! Come on food!!!!!
While we continued waiting for our food, Tim was now done with his appetizer and getting antsy so he began playing with the new options on our camera:

FINALLY (this is the longest we’d waited in between courses at Mama’s) the food came and Lauren was a happy girl (so was her mommy ; )

 

[timandlesley]

I ordered the Penne Alla Vodka (oh my gosh this is gooood)

Tim ordered the chicken parmesan:

Lauren enjoyed her pasta tremendously!!!

We had a great meal! Then it was desert time. Kids both got the sundaes, they don’t even have the make your own here, BUMMER!

I ordered the Warm Chocolate Truffle Cake, it was gone like 2 seconds after I took this picture, YUMMY!!!!!!!!

Tim had the tiramisu, he said it was really good:

After dinner we still had our Rockin’ Roller Coaster Fast passes from that morning and I REALLY wanted to ride it again so I went on it again, this time I asked to sit up front and got to, YEAH!!!!!!!! I just loooooooooovvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeeee this ride, what a rush!
I came out and we all hit the potty’s, didn’t know if they had restrooms inside the Fantasmic arena or not (learned that they do indeed have them by the way) so then we headed inside by 8:00 for the 9:00 show, it was PACKED. On our way in, we put our stroller with the sea of stroller and Tim was his usual self, such fun to travel with Tim and see him interact with the CM’s. There was a CM there named Stacey taking all of the stroller and Tim said “Hey Stacey, give it up. . . HIGH FIVE STACEY!” and she did and it instantly brought a smile to her face.
We then made our way into the area, we had wanted to sit in the Mickey section (best seats in the house) but it was already full so we sat in the section next to it, Malificent section- good too. I’m tellin’ ya, get seats early, it was completely full by like 8:20 on this night.
The kids sat down with Tim and I headed up to the LOOOOOOOONG line for snacks, I know, I know, we just finished dinner but I knew my kids had to sit there for an hour and would be hungry and with the lines so long I wanted to get it now. I got a few boxes of popcorn and some soda for us. Here are some pics of us waiting for the show to begin:

Again, Tim playing with the camera settings:

Yeah, it’s getting darker!!!

So then it is 9:00, the place is going nuts doing the wave, etc. I was so thrilled that we were about to see the show I’d waited over a year to see again. The show starts up and then all of a sudden the sound cuts off, like someone stopped the tape. There was a moment of silence and then the announcement came on saying “TONIGHTS PERFORMANCE OF FANTASMIC HAS BEEN TEMPORARILY STOPPED, WE WILL UPDATE YOU ON THE STATUS AS SOON AS WE CAN” WHAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTT??? I was so upset, here was my reaction as we sat there for the next 20 minutes waiting for an announcement:

Then the announcement came on again and I was sooooo worried they were going to say it was cancelled, but LUCKILY they said “Ladies and gentleman, I am happy to report that tonights show Fantasmic will begin immediately” then the show began. YES!!!
I can never get good pics of this show, but here are a few:

I just LOVE how Steamboat Willie Mickey is driving the boat at the end, gives me chills every time:

All the characters on the boat at the end of the show:

As soon as the show ended we literally sprinted as fast as we could to the bus stop, we learned our lesson last night at Epcot, we weren’t going to be in that situation again.By the time we got there it wasn’t too bad, about a bus full in front of us. There was this poor lady in a scooter though in the middle of the line (I’d say probably in her early 40’s), her mother comes up who is OBNOXIOUS and is yelling and screaming at her to get up in front of the line by the bus or they’ll wait there all night, I felt so sorry for this lady, her mom was causing QUITE a scene, and honestly there were tons of us waiting there, the line now extended WAY back beyond us (about 5 bus loads full of people) and I appreciated the lady on the scooter making the effort to wait in the line like everyone else and not cut everyone off and jump to the front of the line. So, after her mom continued to yell and scream she ended up going in front and getting on. As all of us sat there, we began talking to others about the scooter debate because she got off and walked no problem up the steps, and her scooter took up a seat and her and her mom took up a seat, I know she obviously had some medical issues so I wasn’t complaining about her, but the mother was ridiculous. What was frustrating is what came next. Two more families, and I mean LARGE families of about 10-12 people came out of no where from the back of the line with one individual in a wheelchair to each family, they got to bypass the entire line, get their loved one in the wheelchair on the bus and they all get to cut in front of all of us waiting and take seats on the bus, so now everyone who accompanied the wheelchairs were sitting and didn’t have to wait in line at all, they literally took up the entire bus minus 4-5 seats. Everyone in the line was now getting visibly frustrated, us along with them because it was getting quite ridiculous. We had now waited about 25 minutes for a bus and would now be standing. We loaded on and luckily someone got up when they saw me carrying my sleepy Lauren so Lauren sat on my lap, thank goodness! Tim found a Yankees fan on the bus and talked sports the entire way back to the resort, only in Disney can you have a full conversation with complete strangers in darkness in a bus. Lauren fell sound asleep in my lap on the bus. We grabbed snacks at the Food court and headed back to the room, got back to the room about 10:45. I then realized we had the Mickey Magical Milestones Tour in the morning and we would be pushed for time so I headed back out to use the rest of our snack credits to grab a box of Entemans for us to eat in the morning and some O.J.
Coming up tomorrow, Mickey’s Magical Milestones Tour at MK, find out why we end up with a refund and two fast passes, Splash mtn. killed my cell phone, Dis lurker finds us, and the nap that never ends. Our FINAL night in the World, SOOOO SAD!!!!!
Stay tuned. . . .
Lesley

 

[Sooze]

Nooo.... noooo... FINAL NIGHT??... Say it isn't so!!!

How frustrating to read about your wheelchair/scooter incidents. It just amazes me how people completely disregard others. I'm not bashing the folks in the wheelchairs, but, like you said, their family members just get so obnoxious and take complete advantage of the situation.

Maybe it's just me, but if my mom was on vacation with 10 of us, and she needed to get on the bus with her wheelchair, and we were all going to the same hotel, I'd send her with one or two other people ahead... if she REALLY couldn't just sit in line like the rest of the folks..

 

[tinkgurl]

Oh man...the slap back to reality! The dreadful thing on the door! But...You guys did do the same thing that we are going to be doing! We will be eating at Mama Melrose and doing the Fantasmic Package! And....you ordered everything I want to order! I love bruschetta and penna alla vodka! Yum!

 

[disneynewbeemom]

Once again, another awesome installment! I can't wait to read your book! Were the snacks inside Fantasmic included in the dining plan?

 

[dlpcarden]

I know it was a bummer to see the Magical Express envelope waiting for you on your door.

Where your seats for the show close to the bottom? The pictures from Fantasmic were great looking... Our pictures did not turn out too good. What type of camera do you guys use?

I can't believe your report is almost over.... I get my Disney fix from reading your reports....

 

[punkin413]

i'm sure you already realize this, but i can see you taking the pic in the reflection of tim's glasses.....how funny!

i'm so glad fantasmic wasn't cancelled! i would have cried!!!!!

last day? say it ain't so! what a great vacation you guys have had so far though!!!

 

[arizonacolbys]

Another great installment - the ME envelope is always such a sad sight.

I totally hear you on the scooter abuse - I think one family member should be allowed to accompany the person in the scooter/wheelchair. It just gets so frustrating when they have 10-20 people with them!! I totally understand that many people need them, but it gets pretty frustrating for everyone else that has to wait for 3-4 buses to get on after that.

I've never really thought we wanted to stay at POFQ, but your pictures are really great & it makes me want to consider it some day.

 

[sharonW]

No, No..this can't be ending!
Lesley, how about going to diz twice a year??
like summer and christmas!! Nah, sorry
I can't dish out the $$$$ for ya
It will be so hard to see this TR end! Really, I
have totally enjoyed it and will definitely stayed
tuned for THE END

 

[2angelsinheaven]

As always, awesome job Lesley. Love the photos, the all the details and the funny stories about the parks and the kiddos. I'm so excited that your considering publishing a book, can I be the photographer? =o)

 

[TAEMom]

. As we sat down and were starting to order a lady approached our table. She said her name was Jill from Mason, I remembered her posting on this thread and was happy to meet her, funny that she lives right by us and we had to go all the way to Disney to meet her. We talked about her stay at the Beach Club, she met Tim and the kids and then went back to her table. So cool meeting Disers at the World this year (one more yet to come) As they left the restaurant later during our meal I said to Tim I wish I would have gotten her pic for this thread, oh

Hey, then I could be famous too!

Didn't mean to sneak out of there that night, BTW. Accompanied my daughter to the restroom, and as we were returning, DH and the boys had paid the check and were leaving! Next year when DS is at the Heights though, I'll pop in to your classroom to say "hi" whenever I'm there volunteering! (And yes, I'll be PMing you for teacher info next year!)

To all Lesley's readers - don't believe her when she said you could tell Lauren didn't nap! I couldn't - she was an angel! And Lauren and Luke were both so friendly!

 

[Tanya90210]

Ok, I am in now way ready for you to have your last night already!!!

I loved these last few chapters.... you sure do have a silly hubby jumping into pictures and gettnig silly w/ the kids Mine does sometimes but not quite as freely

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Hey Lesley,

Another great update! I love Mama Melrose as well, very yummy. How neat that you were able to meet up with somebody from the Dis. I did not see anybody the whole week I was there sporting the LGMH.

How cool that you got to ride in the front of Rock n Roller Coaster. I loved that ride. My favourite thrill ride at Disney!

Fantasmic cancelled, say it isn't so! I can imagine your anxiety waiting to find out if the show would go on, lucky for you it did. I think your shots of Fantasmic are great. I tried taking pictures but they really didn't come out so I just took some video clips instead

So sad that it is your last night but you still have the tour in the morning which I can't wait to hear about!