Up, down and all around...a trip we will NEVER forget - COMPLETE 1/19

[brookelizabeth]

Quite sometime ago I decided I would write this trip report and call it “Baby Swappin’, Coffee Drinkin’, and the Big Diet Blow-Out!”; however, even on our first day at Disney World, I realized this title would not be fitting to the way the week was shaping. My carefully laid plans from 9 months of research, list making, PTR writing and advice taking, were discarded approximately 3 hours after arrival.

Alternate titles entered my mind throughout the week:

“Yes, my baby does smell like vomit.”
“Me and Pepto-Bismol: Best Friends Forever”
“Drinking the Pink at the Wilderness Lodge”
“Learning the bathrooms at the World”
“Going $700 over your trip budget doesn’t count, right?”
“I hate Northwest Airlines.”

While this trip did have it’s very interesting moments that will be forever etched into our brains, moments that were both up and down-and ALL around!, overall, we did have a wonderful time and are planning our return.

Now for the necessaries, here is where my Table of Contents will go for those of you who are just popping in and want to skip the chitter chatter:


Day One - Saturday, November 8, 2008
Davis, the Flight Attendant of the Year.
Pop, Pop, Pop!
Sayonara Plans! Part One
Sayonara Plans! Part Two
Sayonara Plans! Part Three
Sayonara Plans! Part Four
Henry defies human nature. Part One
Henry defies human nature. Part Two.
Henry defies human nature. Part Three.

Day Two - Sunday, November 9, 2008
Momma almost looses it. Part One.
Momma almost looses it. Part Two.
Momma almost losses it. Part Three.

A break from the TR action - I have a confession to make

Let's eat! Or maybe not? Part One.
Let's eat! Or maybe not? Part Two.
Let's eat! Or maybe not? Part Three.
Let's eat! Or maybe not? Part Four.
Let's eat! Or maybe not? Part Five.
The Great 'Ohana Debacle. Part One.
The Great 'Ohana Debacle. Part Two.
The Great 'Ohana Debacle. Part Three.

Day Three - Monday, November 10, 2008
RD? DHS TSM FP?
Mom Loves You! Part One.
Mom Loves You! Part Two.
The newest member of our family
Exhaustion sets in
The great, long awaited Fantasmic!
Spreading the Disney magic
It's a small world after all

Day Four - Tuesday, November 11, 2008
I know where every bathroom at AK is. Part One.
I know where every bathroom at AK is. Part Two.
I know where every bathroom at AK is. Part Three.
I know where every bathroom at AK is. Part Four.
I know where every bathroom at AK is. Part Five.
Yum! Yum! Yum!
A late night snack we didn't enjoy!

Day Five - Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Boma Breakfast Baby! Part One.
Boma Breakfast Baby! Part Two
Could we call this "Home"? Part One.
Could we call this "Home"? Part Two.
Going $700 over your trip budget doesn't count, right? Part One.
Going $700 over your trip budget doesn't count, right? Part Two.
Our Dreams
We love Mickey, oh yes we do!
"KEEEEEE-TCHUP!" Part One.
"KEEEEEE-TCHUP!" Part Two.

Day Six - Thursday, November 13, 2008
A cookie, a Castle and a spin in a teacup. Part One.
A cookie, a Castle and a spin in a teacup. Part Two.

Photopass pictures have arrived! Part One.
Photopass pictures have arrived! Part Two.

Another dorky picture of me
A visit to the Main Street Barbershop
Shoeless and behind bars!
This one is for Bob
385 pictures in 1 hour. Part One.
385 pictures in 1 hour. Part Two.
385 pictures in 1 hour. Part Three.
385 pictures in 1 hour. Part Four.

Day Seven - Friday, November 14, 2008
Duuuuuuuuuuude
I don't recall this in the plans...
Henry's personal photo shoot. Part One.
Henry's personal photo shoot. Part Two.
Henry's personal photo shoot. Part Three.
Two (not so) Hidden Mickeys. Part One.
Two (not so) Hidden Mickeys. Part Two.

Day Eight - Saturday, November 15, 2008
We aren't in Disney World anymore, are we? Part One.
We aren't in Disney World anymore, are we? Part Two.
We aren't in Disney World anymore, are we? Part Three.
I hate Northwest Airlines

Boo-boos and Souvies!



And here is our little cast of chracters, in case you did not read my PTR:

Me-Brook, age 29, second trip to WDW.
DH-Joe, age 30, second trip to WDW.
DS-Henry, age 1, first trip to WDW!!

We took over 2,000 pictures, so you’ll get to see our mugs soon (and often).

Up next: Davis, the Flight Attendant of the Year.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

I'm here! I'm here!! And I can't wait. Although those alternate TR titles sound ominous! And you discarded the original after 3 hours? Oy vey. Isn't it funny how all of our obsessive planning goes out of the window so quickly?? Good thing that obsessive planning is so fun! Looking forward to more!

 

[MindyLuvsMickey]

Stopping in to see how your trip was. We are staying at WL for the first time in January, so I'm looking for some tips.

If I were to vote for naming your TR, I'd pick "Yes, my baby does smell like vomit" LOL It has a great ring to it!!

 

[CJsMom]

Welcome back Brookelizabeth - can't wait to hear all about it!!

 

[Flossbolna]

I am really looking forward to your TR and the 2000 pictures! I love the new titlem but I am sorry that you had some bad moments in your trip!

 

[tiggrbaby]

Hooray, you started! I can't wait to read more!

 

[kschafer]

I'm here for chitter chatter and all!!

(And yes, I thought that was you waving from that plane!)

 

[thewesterberg]

ooo, ooo, ooo I'm here! I'm here!

And am craving to know the low-down after all those teasers! Sounds like it was quite a trip... and the pepto/bathroom references make me think that it was not a digestive friendly trip! Eek!

Looking forward to it all - the good, the bad, and potentially ugly!! But at least you got that cutie pie Henry to make up for that last one!

 

[Charleston Princess]

I'm here for all the ups, downs, and all arounds!!!

 

[John's Mom]

Count me in!

 

[Mocharilla]

I'm here!!!

Can't wait.

Sounds quite interesting already!

 

[brookelizabeth]

I had planned on the whole family going to bed fairly early on Friday night, knowing we would be up very early to catch the 6:30 am flight out of Minneapolis. Well, that didn’t exactly happen. Henry did get to bed on time (8:30 pm); however, Joe and I were up until about 11:00 pm. When we finally laid down, neither one of us slept very well, half out of excitement and half out of fear of missing the alarm.

When the alarm finally did ring at 3:00 am, we both had gotten about two fitful hours.

31.7 degrees outside. Brrr.

Needless to say, I stumbled around the house and finally found my bearings as I smelled the lovely aroma of the coffee that was already brewing for me. Gotta love a programmable coffee pot!

Yum.

Despite having most everything set and ready to go, in our sleepless stupor we took over an hour to get out the door. We buzzed down to Minneapolis a bit nervous about time. We found our Park & Fly without any problem and the service was SUPERB! The bus picked us up directly at our car. The WARM bus might I add. There was snow on the ground in Minnesota, yet Joe and I insisted on wearing shorts on the flight.

We made our way though security-it was a bit of a hassle considering the sheer amount of STUFF we had with.

A baby. A stroller. A sippy of milk that must be examined separately. A laptop. A diaper bag. A back pack. A blankie. A camera bag. A backpack. 3 pairs of shoes.

Ugh.

987 bins later…

And naturally, since we were running late we not only were in line behind an elderly gentleman that took an additional 5 minutes to make his way though security, but the security staff also had their staff change.

We buzzed down to our gate and stepped right in line. No time to change Henry (which he needed), no time to grab a coffee (which I needed!), no time for Joe to eat breakfast (which he needed).

Thankfully, all these issues quickly vanished due to the pure loveliness of Continental Airlines.

After take off, Henry was quickly and painlessly changed. I opted for a soda over airline coffee, which hit the spot. And….THEY SERVED BREAKFAST.

No joke!

Cereal and milk. Yum!

Aside from the food, which ruled, our flight from MSP to Houston was eh. Henry was antsy and a bit fussy, but just could not fall asleep. We tried all the tricks in the book, but no dice, the kid would not nap.

Trying to entertain fussy baby on the flight. Please disregard my horrid hair.

This is nerd entertainment...a pretty neat view from our window.

We had a very quick layover in Houston and it was onto Orlando!

Our flight from Houston to MCO was awesome! Much thanks to Davis, the Flight Attendant of the Year. Seriously, this dude was fantastic. He was so very polite to every passenger and gave some extra special attention to Henry. Henry took right to him. He would chat with him and make sure to say hello to him each time he went by the seats. Henry went from the semi-fussy baby to a very happy camper.

Davis. You rock. I should have gotten my picture with him.

Oh, and they also served LUNCH! A yummy turkey sandwich, chips and M&Ms. Henry not only got his own meal, but he also got a bonus pack of M&Ms from his buddy Davis.

And the best part…Henry finally napped. Konked right out after his chat with Davis.

I love you Continental Airlines.

We landed at MCO and gleefully went on our first ride…on the airport monorail!

Up next: Pop, Pop, Pop!

 

[brookelizabeth]

I'm here! I'm here!! And I can't wait. Although those alternate TR titles sound ominous! And you discarded the original after 3 hours? Oy vey. Isn't it funny how all of our obsessive planning goes out of the window so quickly?? Good thing that obsessive planning is so fun! Looking forward to more!

Yes, despite the plans being discarded so quickly, I loved each minute of all the planning-and already have started the next trip in my head!

Stopping in to see how your trip was. We are staying at WL for the first time in January, so I'm looking for some tips.

If I were to vote for naming your TR, I'd pick "Yes, my baby does smell like vomit" LOL It has a great ring to it!!

WL was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!! We took a freakish amount of pictures of the details (okay-DH didn't take that many, it was mostly me, and several were for "research purposes" of others that would be staying there). Those pictures will be up very soon. I will try to think of some tips as well, feel free to ask any questions you might have too. WL is so beautiful, I loved every second of being there!

I thought the baby/vomit TR title just might not appeal to the squeamish. Though, I don't think my TR will either...I might have to place warnings above a few of these entries!

Welcome back Brookelizabeth - can't wait to hear all about it!!

Thank you! It's going to be a blast re-living it all!

I am really looking forward to your TR and the 2000 pictures! I love the new titlem but I am sorry that you had some bad moments in your trip!

Thankfully, the bad moments are all laughable, even IN the moment for most of them. The trip still had it's magic, that is for sure!

Hooray, you started! I can't wait to read more!

I just posted a new update to get us into Orlando. The good stuff is just around the corner!

I'm here for chitter chatter and all!!

(And yes, I thought that was you waving from that plane!)

Oh good, you saw me!

ooo, ooo, ooo I'm here! I'm here!

And am craving to know the low-down after all those teasers! Sounds like it was quite a trip... and the pepto/bathroom references make me think that it was not a digestive friendly trip! Eek!

Looking forward to it all - the good, the bad, and potentially ugly!! But at least you got that cutie pie Henry to make up for that last one!

It was quite a trip-Joe and I made several "We'll never forget this trip." comments to each other throughout the week. You are very right about the non-digestive friendly trip...I'll be getting to all of that very soon!

I'm here for all the ups, downs, and all arounds!!!

Count me in!

I'm here!!!

Can't wait.

Sounds quite interesting already!

Hey ya'll! Thanks for joining up!!

 

[Charleston Princess]

So glad that Henry konked out after his visit with Davis and the extra M&Ms! I wish all flight attendents could be as wonderful as he was!

Let's get to Pop!

 

[Flossbolna]

Yes, despite the plans being discarded so quickly, I loved each minute of all the planning-and already have started the next trip in my head!

I totally agree: planning is a lot of fun itself - you just need to stay prepared for the umplannable (I guess, that's not a real English word...). I am looking forward to your next PTR

WL was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!! We took a freakish amount of pictures of the details (okay-DH didn't take that many, it was mostly me, and several were for "research purposes" of others that would be staying there). Those pictures will be up very soon. I will try to think of some tips as well, feel free to ask any questions you might have too. WL is so beautiful, I loved every second of being there!

That sounds fantastic! WL and CR are the only other deluxe resorts (besides AKL of course) which I could imagine to stay at. So I am really looking forward to all the pictures. I love pictures that show interesting features of the resort - I still remember the picture of you and the AKL letter box from your honneymoon, because it showed something of AKL that I had not seen before!

 

[MindyLuvsMickey]

Wait a second!! You mean there are some airlines that still serve food??



Off to a great start! I can't wait to see all of your pictures.

 

[DisneyBride'03]

Loving this so far !!!!

 

[ILuvCrush]

Hey Brook!!!

OMG I didn't get here til the 2nd page!!! I REALLY need to increase my DIS time to 6hrs a day...at least... I just can't keep up!!!

I'm am intrigued at your possible TR titles.... and more than a little frightened

Can't wait to hear all the good stuff AND see all the PICS!!!!

Paula

 

[thewesterberg]

They still serve food on airlines?! The trip was this year and not 10 years ago, right?! That just totally surprised me! And a helpful, friendly flight attendant... sounds like Continental is the way to go!!

What an early morning! Glad you made it on time, despite the slowdowns. Isn't that always the case when you're in a hurry? I bet you hit all red lights too!

 

[CJsMom]

Great start so far! Henry looks so cute on the flight - I don't believe for a minute that he was "ansy and a bit fussy"! And wow, Continental serves meals? Who knew?

I can't wait till you get there!