TimandLesley's When the Boat's a Rockin' Don't .... Trip of a Lifetime TR 2/4/1 pg.33

[timandlesley]

So sorry for the delay in posting guys. For those of you who have followed us over the years you know I pride myself in timely updates. Working as a full time special education teacher, part time (but kinda full time) travel agent, and teaching courses for University of Phoenix online, OH and being a mother to two active children and wife to Tim has left me a little busy to say the least. Work has been EXTREMELY stressful and I haven't had a second but I'm headed to update now. Thanks as always for reading/posting, I truly hope you enjoy the TR even though it's taken more time than normal to write.
Lesley

 

[timandlesley]

So the next morning was Hollywood Studios morning. We pumped Luke full of Tylenol and headed down to the bus stop to get to the Studios for rope drop.

Luke, AKA Adam Lambert : )

We had one mission this morning, JEDI TRAINING ACADEMY.
At rope drop the kids and I literally RAN with the crowds to the sign ups that are located in the Sounds Dangerous Studio. Tim headed to Toy Story Mania to get us fast passes there. The kids and I, even though we sprinted and were there at rope drop didn’t make the first show but we did make the second which we were FINE with.

They took the kids names and gave them a ticket with the return time.

We called Tim with the good news and then we decided we had time to ride Star Tours one time before the kids had to report in. We enjoyed Star Tours together, such a fun ride

Then we took the kids back to Sounds Dangerous with their tickets and checked them in. Once they were safe with the CM in charge Tim and I headed over to the Jedi Training Academy stage to get a spot in the front for picture opportunities. I was SO proud of Lauren for doing this, as outgoing as she , the past few years she refuses to participate when picked by cast members for shows, etc. saying she is shy so when she said she wanted to fight Darth Vader I was a proud momma.
Before we knew it the kids were paraded in:

Time for some light saber training

Then it was BATTLE TIME:

Luke did great and then it was Lauren’s turn, my heart was beating so hard for her, I was so proud!!

After the kids battled Vader they each were given a certificate.

The kids were so excited about the experience. If you want to do this with your kids just be sure to get there at rope drop and go as fast as you can to Sounds Dangerous to sign them up.
Tim wanted to ride Great Movie Ride so we went over there and basically walked on:

Can’t ya just hear the theme music playing ?

CONTINUED IN THE NEXT POST

 

[timandlesley]

Then it was time for our Toy Story Mania fast passes Tim got for us earlier, we headed over to the always crowded Pixar Place:

Kids had fun in line as always:

The kids rode together and Tim and I rode together:

My score is on the left and Tim’s on the right, I was proud of my performance:

We were hungry at this point and we have never really found a counterservice place we love at Hollywood Studios so we decided to try Dockside Diner for a change:

It was actually quite good, we enjoyed our lunch. Lauren spotted American Idol and wanted to go to that show, so we headed over there after we were full:

As we were sitting there waiting for the show to start I spotted a hidden Mickey, do you see it??

We enjoyed the show, they were all very talented. It looked like rain was rolling in so we went to the bus stop and made it onto the bus before rain started, and it was a bad storm so we were very thankful to have stayed dry.

The kids were a little bummed we couldn’t swim but we hung out in the concierge lounge for a bit and got some treats and headed back to the room to chill for a bit.

That night we made a reservation for Boma using the credits refunded to us from Jiko the night before, we headed down to dinner after taking some time in the room to relax, take naps and showers and watch the ostriches get their dinner.

That night it was still drizzling a little bit so no one really wanted to go to the parks but I was kicking myself for not going to the photo booth at Hollywood Studios to have the kids Photopass pics fighting Vader onto our Photopass card so I wanted to go back to the park, Lauren decided she wanted to go with me. I left the camera in the room but I can tell you we had a delightful time just us girls. We danced in the rain through Hollywood Studios, enjoyed all of the gift shops, got the pictures loaded and decided to take the drawing class at Animation Studios. Lauren was excited to take the class but as the instruction started she began to panic and I looked over and she was silently crying and wiping tears away. At that moment I decided we would work together, I quickly handed her my outline and let her darken it in and finish it up which made her happy, I took out my cell phone to snap the picture of our masterpiece :

We had a wonderful night and headed back to the hotel and hung out with Tim, Luke, and Diane, Bryan and the boys in the concierge lounge. Every night they put out amazing African wines and I had fun enjoying those coupled with the wonderful cheeses they would put out nightly, YUM YUM double YUM!!!

 

[sharonW]

Lovin it and can't wait for more!!!! really makes me want to be at the studios like now!!!! Thanks for finding some spare time to post, you just go go go like that energizer bunny!!!

 

[Trentmom]

I am glad you found time to come back and update. Does sound you are on the go a lot

Glad Luke did okay next morning full of medicine. Great pics of kids fighting Darth Vader

Boy, does that eyeliner really stay on

Bummer on the rain, but sounds like a nice girls night

 

[CRSNDSNY]

Your reports are well worth the wait! Thanks for an update....I can relate to the no time thing.
Training academy looks fun....hope my kids want to do that in a couple years!

 

[cherbear]

awww, poor Luke and the eyeliner. LOL So did anyone give y'all any looks like "why is your son wearing eyeliner?" Did y'all ever see other boys with the eyeliner too?

So glad Lauren came back out of her shell!!!!! They both looked great fighting Vader!

boy oh boy, you sure had your fill of wine and cheese on this land & sea vacation, didn't you?!

(I am not going to lie...I envy you! )

 

[Native NYer]

Once the school year starts, it gets so busy. I understand not having much time for the DIS.

Great update! Jedi Training Academy looks like fun.

 

[TheThomsLuvDisney]

Glad to see you writing again, looking forward to more updates!

 

[disneyfan61]

That's great that Lauren participated in the Jedi Training and great that you both got a girls night out later. Good drawing!!

 

[pixidustmom]

Ok subbing and just read it all. I so enjoy seeing all the pictures and sharing in your trip.
Your kids are great kids. They seem so loving and fun. Lauren reminds me of my Katy. She is now 20 and a mama herself but still they had they same hair style. She had done the same half head braids and thick curly hair. It's made ms smile every time I see her.
Poor Luke did his best with not feeling so good. I could see it in his eyes he was not going to let this stop him from a good time.lol
I am going to have my step dad read your report. He very much wants to join us on our next trip there. I hope to do it next year for the holidays. Will see. I bet he will want to go even more reading this. They have never been. They can't stand the heat humidity so I think right after thanksgiving will be a great time.
Wish us luck.
Can't wait to read more.

 

[B&WMickey]

Great to hear from you guys again!!!!!! Always enjoy your TR's.

 

[Lovemy3babes]

Lauren was so brave! How amazing of her to get up there and fight Darth Vadar in front of everyone even while being shy. That's great! And how wonderful it was for you two to get some mom and daughter time. That's the special stuff you will always remember.

 

[jeremysdisneymom]

Glad Luke started feeling some better.

How great that Lauren and Luke both did the Jedi Training Academy!

I bet you and Lauren had so much fun. My DS Jeremy and I are leaving in 10 days for a Mother/Son Pre-Thanksgiving trip. We are both really looking forward to it.

 

[kittylady1972]

Just stumbled across your TR and admit I mostly read through the pages about the cruise which were AMAZING! We are doing our very first cruise on the Disney Dream in November of 2012 so I still have LOTS of time to wait but of course I'm already planning out the park and resorts for that timeframe as I'll book the resort stays via DVC next month! I had kinda already decided I didn't think I really wanted to get off the boat on our Bahamas day (it's just a 3-night cruise) and your report helped me feel good about my decision. I just want to enjoy the time on the boat, hanging out and Disney's private island for the one day we get there. Plus you gave me a great idea to bring some wine onboard to enjoy and to order room service...sounds fantastic! I may have to go back and read your animal kingdom resort days later too! I am sure concierge was nice and I'd love to try that sometime!

 

[ronnmel]

Character Flash Mob? Sounds intriguing and interesting...

 

[Aburns8]

The Jedi training looks awesome! The kids look like they had a ball. I am glad that the rain didn't ruin your evening too much!

 

[Trentmom]

Just giving you a bump.

Hope all is well

 

[timandlesley]

Lovin it and can't wait for more!!!! really makes me want to be at the studios like now!!!! Thanks for finding some spare time to post, you just go go go like that energizer bunny!!!

So sorry for the delay, yes I certainly do!

I am glad you found time to come back and update. Does sound you are on the go a lot

Glad Luke did okay next morning full of medicine. Great pics of kids fighting Darth Vader

Boy, does that eyeliner really stay on

Bummer on the rain, but sounds like a nice girls night

Happy you enjoyed the pics, yes the girls night was wonderful!

Your reports are well worth the wait! Thanks for an update....I can relate to the no time thing.
Training academy looks fun....hope my kids want to do that in a couple years!

Thanks so much, it's never taken me this long before so again I apologize.

awww, poor Luke and the eyeliner. LOL So did anyone give y'all any looks like "why is your son wearing eyeliner?" Did y'all ever see other boys with the eyeliner too?

So glad Lauren came back out of her shell!!!!! They both looked great fighting Vader!

boy oh boy, you sure had your fill of wine and cheese on this land & sea vacation, didn't you?!

(I am not going to lie...I envy you! )

We probably did get some looks but I didn't notice, yes I did notice it on a few other boys too. The vadar fights were such fun!!! Oh yes, wine and cheese and more wine and cheese only way to do it : )

Once the school year starts, it gets so busy. I understand not having much time for the DIS.

Great update! Jedi Training Academy looks like fun.

It sure does get busy, glad you enjoyed the academy pics, such fun!

Glad to see you writing again, looking forward to more updates!

Thanks, writing one tonight so sorry for the delays!

That's great that Lauren participated in the Jedi Training and great that you both got a girls night out later. Good drawing!!

Thanks!

Ok subbing and just read it all. I so enjoy seeing all the pictures and sharing in your trip.
Your kids are great kids. They seem so loving and fun. Lauren reminds me of my Katy. She is now 20 and a mama herself but still they had they same hair style. She had done the same half head braids and thick curly hair. It's made ms smile every time I see her.
Poor Luke did his best with not feeling so good. I could see it in his eyes he was not going to let this stop him from a good time.lol
I am going to have my step dad read your report. He very much wants to join us on our next trip there. I hope to do it next year for the holidays. Will see. I bet he will want to go even more reading this. They have never been. They can't stand the heat humidity so I think right after thanksgiving will be a great time.
Wish us luck.
Can't wait to read more.

I hope you convinced your step dad to go, more coming up so sorry for the delay!

Great to hear from you guys again!!!!!! Always enjoy your TR's.

Thanks!!

Lauren was so brave! How amazing of her to get up there and fight Darth Vadar in front of everyone even while being shy. That's great! And how wonderful it was for you two to get some mom and daughter time. That's the special stuff you will always remember.

I was so proud of her!!

Glad Luke started feeling some better.

How great that Lauren and Luke both did the Jedi Training Academy!

I bet you and Lauren had so much fun. My DS Jeremy and I are leaving in 10 days for a Mother/Son Pre-Thanksgiving trip. We are both really looking forward to it.

She did have so much fun. Hope you guys had a great trip!!

Just stumbled across your TR and admit I mostly read through the pages about the cruise which were AMAZING! We are doing our very first cruise on the Disney Dream in November of 2012 so I still have LOTS of time to wait but of course I'm already planning out the park and resorts for that timeframe as I'll book the resort stays via DVC next month! I had kinda already decided I didn't think I really wanted to get off the boat on our Bahamas day (it's just a 3-night cruise) and your report helped me feel good about my decision. I just want to enjoy the time on the boat, hanging out and Disney's private island for the one day we get there. Plus you gave me a great idea to bring some wine onboard to enjoy and to order room service...sounds fantastic! I may have to go back and read your animal kingdom resort days later too! I am sure concierge was nice and I'd love to try that sometime!

You are going to LOVE the Dream, we go back in February and I can't wait!!Yes, enjoy that time on the boat and on the private island, such fun!!Yes concierge spoiled us for sure.

Character Flash Mob? Sounds intriguing and interesting...

hahaha, you'll see ; )

The Jedi training looks awesome! The kids look like they had a ball. I am glad that the rain didn't ruin your evening too much!

Can't let rain ruin Disney fun : )

Just giving you a bump.

Hope all is well

This year has just been awful at work, I've been so stressed that I just collapse at night, updating tonight, Christmas break is on the horizon, YIPEE!!! Thanks for your patience!

 

[timandlesley]

We awoke bright and early ready to tackle our favorite park- EPCOT!
The Tylenol had done it’s job and Luke was feeling great, the kids were ready to go:

We went down to the crowded bus stop and it was there before we knew it:

The beautiful Epcot ball:

We split up and Tim headed to get us fast passes for Soarin’ and for a Kim Possible Mission for both kids for later and the kids and I went to Figment : )
On our way we ran into some of our favorite entertainers the Jammitors:

Then we were on our way to see our favorite purple friend

SURPRISE SURPRISE SURPRISE there was NO one in line:

I’m used to not waiting for Figment but we have never had the ENTIRE ride to ourselves before, this time we did:

Kids messing around on the Figment footprints on the wall:

Tim met us at the exit and the kids had fun playing around a bit:

I remember the kids playing on these over the years, almost makes me cry. I remember Luke on them as a 2 year old, then Lauren first toddling around on them, oh how those years have just FLOWN by!

After that we went to Club Cool for our favorite beverages from around the World:

Luke ended up buying these as a souvenier:

Then we headed over to the World Showcase and were thrilled to see the new Cars 2 topiary:

We had fun exploring an empty World Showcase:

Lauren made a Duffy Bear at the kidcot stop:

She was very proud of her creation:

She used it to guide us around like we were a part of her tour group:

CONTINUED IN NEXT POST!