Trip Report 9/25-9/30

[mom2febgirls]

Cast:
Grandma - 56
Nephew -14
Neice - 9
Sister - 32
Nephew - 7
Nephew - 4
Dh - 36
Me - 33
Dd - 9
Dd - 4
Dd - 1

9/25 - Arrival Day
Families from California and Utah arrived at 6am. Room was ready so after checkin they took a nap. Our flight landed at 12:20, we took ME to the BWI and were checked in at 2pm. We went to the pool until 4 then got ready for dinner at Spoodles (yummy). After dinner Dh and I took the 14, 9 and 7 year olds to MGM (EMH) and watched Fantasmic!

9/26 - EPCOT am / MK pm
Rode all rides at EPCOT by 2pm then headed over to MK. Ate dinner at Tony's. The kids were exhausted and we realized we had to build naps/rests into our schedule. Dh took the older kids off to ride some more rides while Grandma and I took the little ones back to the room. We watched Spectro from a tree outside of Tony's.

9/27 - MGM am / EPCOT pm
Although it was EMH at MGM, the boats were off schedule and we just missed the boat from BWI and the next one didn't come for an hour. So we didn't get started until 9 anyway. Took a midday break before heading to EPCOT for dinner. We watched the chinese acrobat show and then let Grandma take the baby and sightsee through world showcase while Sis and I took the 4 yr olds and Dh took the older kids through future world.

9/28 - MK all day
Spent the morning at MK then went to the room for a rest. Grandma and Dd9 stayed behind to swim while the rest of us headed back. We met up at 'Ohana for dinner. Despite the attempt at napping (the 4 yr olds wouldn't nap) we had meltdowns at dinner. So, once again, it was back to the room.

9/29 - AK am / EPCOT pm
I was really only interested in the safari and Kali River Rapids so after those rides (multiple Kali rides) Dh stayed behind with the older kids again to ride Dinoland while the rest of us went back to the resort. We made early reservations for Akershus to see the princesses with the girls while Grandma and Sis took the boys to France. Once again Dh got stuck doing EMH with the older kids (minus 14 yr old...thank heaven since dd4/dd1 fell asleep on the way to the boat).

9/30 - departure day
I got up early to take my 4 and 1 yr old to Fantasyland. We rode everything 2x (except Winnie the Pooh it was down ) by the time everyone else had checked out and made it to the park. We spent some time in Toontown and got some souveneirs then headed to Frontierland for one last splash down the mountain before heading to EPCOT for a late lunch at Le Cellier at 1:10. After lunch it was back to BWI for our family (the rest of them stayed until 6pm...their flight left at 9pm).

At the airport we had some drama before leaving. We got there plenty early. While I was grabbing something to eat about an hour before our flight someone came up and asked if I hd ever gotten my DVD player. Turns out Dd had left it at checkin and hadn't even realized it. Thank heaven this woman saw me and said something. So I ran (and I mean ran!) back to the check in area and they had taken it to Lost & Found (clear across the airport) When I got to security with 20 minutes to go until my plane was to leave the line was long and the woman wouldn't let me in. I found someone else and he took pity on me and let me line jump to the belts. Then I got on the wrong Tram (ARGH). Amazingly I got to the gate before they had finished the preboarding (thank heaven the plane was late). Lesson...don't leave a sitting area without making sure everything is accounted for. I don't know who that woman was, but I am so lucky she happened to have checked in after us and was having a snack the same time as me.

We had a great time and rode every ride multiple times (poor Dh got blisters) since I made him hang with the older kids...lol

 

[NerdDad]

And since DW doesn't have lots of pretty pictures to wow onlookers, I'll try to jazz this up with running commentary, bound to get me slapped since she is peeking over here.

Dh - 36

DH, it should be emphasized, has a chronic condition known as "wimpy feet" and is just nursing off a blister he got from a recent convention. Mom2FebGirls fears the worst.

We went to the pool until 4 then got ready for dinner at Spoodles (yummy). After dinner Dh and I took the 14, 9 and 7 year olds to MGM (EMH) and watched Fantasmic!

And DH doesn't get to ride on tower of terror because one of the kids wimps out after seeing the creepy intro.

Fantasmic - not a fan. The projecting lights on a fan of water thing is cool, but then, AFAIAC, it's just a muddled mishmash of all the disney movies you already know. May as well sleep until they light the lake on fire... the little fire tornadoes are neat. Then sleep till the end.

9/26 - EPCOT am / MK pm
Rode all rides at EPCOT by 2pm then headed over to MK. Ate dinner at Tony's. The kids were exhausted and we realized we had to build naps/rests into our schedule. Dh took the older kids off to ride some more rides while Grandma and I took the little ones back to the room. We watched Spectro from a tree outside of Tony's.

DH feet pain status: rising.

DD9 gets to ride test track, her favorite from last time. I meet mission space, my new favorite. DW meets Soarin', her new favorite. Eat at the land, it's a bit of a hair pulling experience with the kids.

PM. Lots of space moutain with the older kids (once they decide to open it). Fun fun.

9/27 - MGM am / EPCOT pm
Although it was EMH at MGM, the boats were off schedule and we just missed the boat from BWI and the next one didn't come for an hour. So we didn't get started until 9 anyway. Took a midday break before heading to EPCOT for dinner. We watched the chinese acrobat show and then let Grandma take the baby and sightsee through world showcase while Sis and I took the 4 yr olds and Dh took the older kids through future world.

DH feet pain status: in full swing, but a dip in the spa helps out.

MGM am was fun for the girls, with playhouse disney and voyage of the little mermaid.

Grandma wanted to shop, and I had to herd the group on to China in time for the last acrobat show to start. At first I felt like I was being a meanie, but everyone thought the acrobat show was cool. I have some pictures of the acrobats, I'll have to post.

9/28 - MK all day

Actually, this is the morning we did AK.

AK is not my favorite, but my dd4 got a real kick out of kali river rapids. (nephew4, who hates getting wet, did not have a good time). The kids (and adult kids) who enjoyed it took advantage of the short rides and rider swaps to ride the durn thing like a dozen times.

DW, SiL, & young kids go back to hotel, leaving me with older kids and MiL. Rode dinosaur once, lines too long to bother a second time.

Made the mistake of giving into my daughter's begging to go into the boneyard, not realizing that it wasn't a ride with finite length when I let the kids go in. MiL and I get to herd the kids out of there. and on to dinner.

We met up at 'Ohana for dinner. Despite the attempt at napping (the 4 yr olds wouldn't nap) we had meltdowns at dinner. So, once again, it was back to the room.

Feet status: better
Patience with children status: worse

The kids didn't want to stop playing when the hula contest stopped, which was a real problem for dd4, who went into full swing crying fit later when I refuse to take her into the women's bathroom that mommy had taken her into earlier.

But we got some cute pictures from the event. (Some already posted in the restraunts thread).

9/29 - AK am / EPCOT pm

Actually, MGM/MK/Epcot. 3 parks in one day. Don't recommend it.

We went to MGM, spend the morning with the girls (Ariel and Playhouse disney) and find out that MiL is confused about our location and headed to MK. We go to meet them at MK, meet them for rush, hit Frontierland real hard, rush out of there and barely make our Akershus reservations in time.

We made early reservations for Akershus to see the princesses with the girls while Grandma and Sis took the boys to France. Once again Dh got stuck doing EMH with the older kids (minus 14 yr old...thank heaven since dd4/dd1 fell asleep on the way to the boat).

This much is true of that day.

Epcot PM, finally got a little of my Mission Space fix in.

9/30 - departure day
I got up early to take my 4 and 1 yr old to Fantasyland. We rode everything 2x (except Winnie the Pooh it was down ) by the time everyone else had checked out and made it to the park. We spent some time in Toontown and got some souveneirs then headed to Frontierland for one last splash down the mountain before heading to EPCOT for a late lunch at Le Cellier at 1:10. After lunch it was back to BWI for our family (the rest of them stayed until 6pm...their flight left at 9pm).

Feet status: better. Sleeping in a bit helps.

Meeting with DW was a task, because DW took one stroller ticket, and SiL is burdened with a little one. We take the train, only to get told that toontown will be closed until 10, making the train trip largely a waste. I have to walk around to tomorrowland and almost make it to DW at FantasyLand before I have a v8 moment and realize that all SiL (who has a backpack full of everything... Dora would be jealous) needs to do is stuff a nametag in a stroller at the toontown train stop to claim it. Oh, well. I'm obviously getting tired. The kids relax a bit at the playgrounds in toontown once they open, DW's gambit pays off and the girls get to ride most of the rides in FantasyLand before the crowds hit.

I sort of like Haunted Mansion. DD9 didn't think it was scary. I just thought the effects (are those holograms?) were cool.

We RUSH over to Epcot to have lunch at LeCellier, and as mentioned in the restraunts thread, the service is excellent, and the food is pretty good.

At the airport we had some drama before leaving. We got there plenty early. While I was grabbing something to eat about an hour before our flight someone came up and asked if I hd ever gotten my DVD player. Turns out Dd had left it at checkin and hadn't even realized it. Thank heaven this woman saw me and said something. So I ran (and I mean ran!) back to the check in area and they had taken it to Lost & Found (clear across the airport) When I got to security with 20 minutes to go until my plane was to leave the line was long and the woman wouldn't let me in. I found someone else and he took pity on me and let me line jump to the belts. Then I got on the wrong Tram (ARGH). Amazingly I got to the gate before they had finished the preboarding (thank heaven the plane was late). Lesson...don't leave a sitting area without making sure everything is accounted for. I don't know who that woman was, but I am so lucky she happened to have checked in after us and was having a snack the same time as me.

This whole incident would have been nixed if Magical Express was worth a durn on the way back to the airport, which it is not if you are not flying a "participating airline". We get to lug all our luggage from the bottom corner of one building to the opposite top corner. Ug! A taxi dropping you off at curbside checkin would have been better.

All in all, it was fun. I was especially happy that dd4 seemed to have SO much fun.

Highlights:

Around day 2 or 3, dd4 starts here little "I not Stefanie, I LILO!" response any time we call her name. By the time we buy here a Cinderella outfit, it changes to "I not Stefanie/Lilo, I PRINCESS."

dd9 and neice9 get stitch ears. They become a conversation peice for cast members and fellow tourists throughout the park, which only fuels dd9's stitch craze.

Mission Space.

Beauty & the Beast is a great stage show and I was happy to see it again.

Tower of Terror. Alas, I only got to ride it once due to the sensitivities of some of the older kids.

 

[Viki]

Great reports - running parallel! Cool. Thanks.

 

[NerdDad]

Now that I have cataloged a lot of the pictures, thought I would throw some up.

dd and her cousin, like two peas in a pod, relax with their game boys the first eve at the resort (BWI)

The girls do some food artistry with the make your own sundaes at Spoodles.

The MGM boat from BWI

Some shots from the Fantasmic show the first night at MGM

 

[NerdDad]

First full day, Epcot AM. The kids enjoy playing with the Totem Heads at Canada:

The three 9ish cousins hold up the Epcot sphere in an extraordinary feat of strength

The little ones enjoy the Imaginarium. Here, they stomp of images that trigger sounds;

pm at MK. Gearing up for the not-so-scary halloween party, there are mickey pumpkins at the gate:

We make it in the park in time to view Cinderellabrations:

dd9 and cousin pose on a racecar at Indy Speedway

At Tony's, dd1 gives cousin 9ish a kiss

 

[NerdDad]

I loved the Beauty and the Beast stage show when I saw it 2 years ago. I think my pictures from then were better, but here are a few decent shots.

"Be our guest!"

"There's something there that wasn't there before."

Beast makeover, before:

Beast makeover, during:

Beast makeover, after. In your face, Oprah!

The happy couple:

 

[tinkerbellsmommy]

Great report. We were there at the same time...9/24-9/29.

I think we may have sat behind you at Fantasmic. Did Grandma wear a Hershey Park T-shirt?

 

[NerdDad]

Great report. We were there at the same time...9/24-9/29.

I think we may have sat behind you at Fantasmic. Did Grandma wear a Hershey Park T-shirt?

Alas, despite dw's best efforts, MiL never got to see Fantasmic.

We were there with the older kids. We were in the third row on the front, in the rightmost non-reserved row, sunday night @9:30 (as in, a week ago today). Me and Nephew14 were wearing black 50th aniversary hats, and the older girls had the stitch ears, which seems to be the thing that everyone (Cast Members and fellow tourists alike) commented on.

 

[NerdDad]

Some more pics:

Indiana Jones stunt spectacular. Alas, the lighting wasn't as good here, and my poor little camera isn't up to the task of capturuing things at that distance. Here's one shot of the volunteer extras from the audince. SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER the "extra" on the far right is a rigner, and is really a stuntman, and makes for the funniest part of the show.

dw and the kids pose with Aladdin at Morocco

 

[NerdDad]

Acrobats, part I

When we went two years ago, we caught the acrobats at the China pavillion by accident, and I was suitably impressed. Since we were in Epcot and the only thing that seemed like it was in our immediate future was browsing, I decided to spur the group on to go catch the last Acrobat show of the day. The girls got front row seats (and we got SEATS), and they were all suitably impresses. dd9 is the one in front with the fan (fairly inexpensive and beautiful buy at the China pavillion.)

The acrobats introduce themselves

The first acrobat is my favorite. She rides a unicycle and kicks bowls onto her head with her foot, stacking them. I was impressed:

She even adds a spoon.

 

[NerdDad]

Acrobats, part 2

These two ladies, well, just look at the pics:

 

[NerdDad]

Acrobats, part 3

Finally, this lady's specialty is balancing a tray full of small glasses on her face, and stacking more on.