Visiting Every Potty and Trash Can in the World...First Trip Home to BLT, Dec 4-11th!

[exwdwcm]

Oh and a quick plug, i have started my OCTOBER 2011 pre trip report if anyone wants to subscribe!

MICHELLE's OCTOBER 2011 PTR

 

[khertz]

Ok, I fell WAY behind, but Paxton sat quietly on my lap last night & let me catch up on the reading.

The Top of the World Lounge looks amazing! I love that picture of the lit wreath on the side of the Contemporary. I tried SO hard to get a decent picture of it from the monorail in 2009, but it was just impossible. From the pictures, it looks like the fireworks show must have been amazing from there. Is it similar to staying CL where they have food & drinks available there?

That Butterfinger cupcake looks INCREDIBLE! We already have it on our list of things to try in November because DH had read about it and wanted to try one, but I had never seen a picture of one. Is it as good as it looks? He wanted us to each get our own, but I kept telling him that would be too much cupcake for one person. Once he sees it, I know he will agree with me. That thing looks huge!

What a crazy experience at Le Cellier. I know sort of how you feel though. For Katrina, I was in school in north Louisiana, so all my family evacuated there so they could be away from the storm and close to me. After the storm, our cell phone service was totally spotty, so it was hard to get in touch with each other, but one night my aunt managed to call me to see if I wanted to come spend the evening at the hotel with them and eat some pizza. She called the place next to campus so I could pick up the pizzas on the way. So I get there and I tell them her name...no order for her. So I tell them my uncle's name, my OTHER uncle's name, my grandma's name, pretty much everyone that is with them but they keep telling me they have no orders under any of the names and meanwhile I can't get in touch with her to find out whose name she put them under. Finally after 15 minutes I get in touch with her, and she had put them under MY NAME! I sure felt like an idiot after that! Glad it all worked out for you though.

Seeing Jodi Benson for the CP sounds amazing. Did she sound just like Ariel?? I would love to see that show again sometime, but probably not until Paxton is a bit older. Although for now, he is really good in church, so who knows?

And it looks like you had a great time at MVMCP. Too bad it was so cold though! We had a similar experience at ours...it was a sold out night, but we got on everything with no problems. I think the people who complain most about sold out nights are the ones going for only the rare characters and hanging out on Main Street for hours for the parade & fireworks.

WHEW! All caught up, and now heading over to your PTR!

 

[Tinkermom76]

Great update!!!

I agree about the measuring. We have a theme park near us called Canada's Wonderland and there is a spot on either side of the main fountain that they measure the kids and give them a wristband that says the height on it. It makes it easier when we are there and the kids just show their wristbands to the ride attendants

 

[exwdwcm]

Ok, I fell WAY behind, but Paxton sat quietly on my lap last night & let me catch up on the reading.

The Top of the World Lounge looks amazing! I love that picture of the lit wreath on the side of the Contemporary. I tried SO hard to get a decent picture of it from the monorail in 2009, but it was just impossible. From the pictures, it looks like the fireworks show must have been amazing from there. Is it similar to staying CL where they have food & drinks available there?

That Butterfinger cupcake looks INCREDIBLE! We already have it on our list of things to try in November because DH had read about it and wanted to try one, but I had never seen a picture of one. Is it as good as it looks? He wanted us to each get our own, but I kept telling him that would be too much cupcake for one person. Once he sees it, I know he will agree with me. That thing looks huge!

What a crazy experience at Le Cellier. I know sort of how you feel though. For Katrina, I was in school in north Louisiana, so all my family evacuated there so they could be away from the storm and close to me. After the storm, our cell phone service was totally spotty, so it was hard to get in touch with each other, but one night my aunt managed to call me to see if I wanted to come spend the evening at the hotel with them and eat some pizza. She called the place next to campus so I could pick up the pizzas on the way. So I get there and I tell them her name...no order for her. So I tell them my uncle's name, my OTHER uncle's name, my grandma's name, pretty much everyone that is with them but they keep telling me they have no orders under any of the names and meanwhile I can't get in touch with her to find out whose name she put them under. Finally after 15 minutes I get in touch with her, and she had put them under MY NAME! I sure felt like an idiot after that! Glad it all worked out for you though.

Seeing Jodi Benson for the CP sounds amazing. Did she sound just like Ariel?? I would love to see that show again sometime, but probably not until Paxton is a bit older. Although for now, he is really good in church, so who knows?

And it looks like you had a great time at MVMCP. Too bad it was so cold though! We had a similar experience at ours...it was a sold out night, but we got on everything with no problems. I think the people who complain most about sold out nights are the ones going for only the rare characters and hanging out on Main Street for hours for the parade & fireworks.

WHEW! All caught up, and now heading over to your PTR!

I've never stayed CL, but i know in CL, the food is all free. The TOW is just like a bar, so there is a huge bar and then some lounge seating, couches and bar height tables too- it isn't that big. You can order drinks and there is a small appetizer menu, but you have to order and pay for it all. The balcony outside is HUGE! it was way too cold to stay outside though, but it must be amazing in nice weather. the fireworks were to die for from up there! I've seen them from the Poly, from CG and other places and this was my favorite view.

definitely share the butterfinger cupcake, it is HUGE! and so rich, there is like a chocolate ganache inside of it too. it was way too sweet for just me to eat and I love my sweets and chocolate.

lol at your pizza incident! that is how i felt at Le Cellier!

Jodi was great, she didn't sing at all, which disappointed me, but she was very into it and very 'animated'. She had a very sweet voice and was reading it almost like you would read a story to a child, with lots of energy. She was on the DIS unplugged podcast cruise that weekend after and i hear she did a private concert for those on board with the DIS and that she was amazing.

Yeah, MVMCP was fine for us- like you said, we weren't character hunting or doing the shows. Those do get crowded even on NOT sold out nights, so i can only imagine how crowded they were on our night. Dh isn't a big 'show' person, so we avoid most and Will is still too young to sit through one and really get it. we might be doing more character hunting next trip- he seems to really like the characters now. He has never been a TV kid. I couldn't get him to watch more than 5 minutes of tV, much less a full disney movie. He is just always wanting to play instead, which is good, I guess. But at the same time, i've wanted him to experience all my favorite disney movies and know the characters when we go. He knows Pooh and Mickey and friends and Toy Story, but not much else. But after the trip, he is more into movies now. We have a playroom/loft upstairs with his toys and a tv up there where he can watch movies and it is totally his thing the last few weeks. Of course he wants to watch Barney and Dora more than anything, but at least he is watching more. He seems to like Peter Pan and CARS too. We also watched Cinderella, since i had sung him 'Sing Sweet Nightinggale' and Bibbidi Bobbodi Boo and so he likes that. So we just might have to find more characters next time since he will know them!

Great update!!!

I agree about the measuring. We have a theme park near us called Canada's Wonderland and there is a spot on either side of the main fountain that they measure the kids and give them a wristband that says the height on it. It makes it easier when we are there and the kids just show their wristbands to the ride attendants

that's great to know other parks do it that way and it works. like i said, wristbands, stamps, whatever, people will find a way to cheat the system, but they cheat the system now too. Plus, they use wristbands for MVMCP and other parties and used to use them for EMH, so they must think they work for that? right?

 

[exwdwcm]

It's been a crazy last two weeks here. First, hit by the terrible snow/ice storm last week- schools and business closed from tuesday-friday. Plus our big annual sales meeting on mon-wed that i was involved in. Work has just been so busy- trying to get some copy written for a new web site plus tons of other stuff going on. Found termites in our home and Alan is working to repair some damage (and still trying to find the right vendor to do the treatment) and last night, the heat (gas) starts acting up- the sensors must be off- it won't stay on- it either just runs continuously, making it super hot upstairs where Will sleeps (up to 86 last night!) or it just shuts off completely and it gets cold. Last night was our coldest night in decades- at 11degrees! This morning- my car was sitting on a solid sheet of ice, since i did not drive it yesterday. Since we had more bad weather yesterday (and schools were closed), Alan drove me into work in the 4x4 truck. We didn't want to risk the caddy getting hit. Of course this morning- i go to leave and let off the clutch a bit and hit the gas and the wheels spin. So i try going backwards.......just give a little gas and boom, the car slides backwards on the ice, right into our brick mailbox. UGH! Now i have a headache (think it jarred me a bit) and am stressed out about getting it fixed. We have a few scratches and a small dent in the back corner.

So it's been a lovely few weeks here. I am so ready for the snow/ice to go away. It always happens in threes they say, right? Termites, heat acting up and now the car. So I am done? Right? I hope so!

Okay, so enough venting and back to the happy report!


Friday, Dec 10 PART I


Well this is it, that awful last full day. BUMMER! Isn’t it sad how when you only have a few days left of the vacation, you already start getting depressed. By the last full day, you are totally bummed out. So that was today. Our last full day. You plan for a year in advance, for a week of vacation- plan every single detail and then the week comes and half way through you are already getting sad that it is halfway over! Anyone else do that? At least now, I can always have another trip planned- thank you to DH for DVC!!!!! It has been a great 10th anniv wedding present! Our 10thst this year, but he bought it early for me! wedding anniv is actually May 1

As we walk out, I stare back at our beautiful new home, which I am really loving now- it does feel like home and I wasn’t sure it would. I was afraid it would feel too ‘cold’ – I mean the WL is so woodsy and homey and I loved it there, I just wasn’t sure BLT would feel the same to me, but by the end, it was great and I really love it.

By the way, I also took some pics of the artwork in our room too- don’t you love it?

So here we go- last full day. We slept in a little after our late night (11:30pm) at the MK. Of course Will is an early riser and most of us were stirring around 8:30am or so. At WDW, we are usually up no later than 7, unless we have a ‘sleep in’ day planned. So 8:30 was late to me. Heck, I barely get to sleep past 8am at home on the weekend- really Sunday is my only sleep in day. I am fortunate that I don’t have to be up for work until about 6:45-7am most days since I work so close to home (arrive by 8am). ON Saturdays, I do step aerobics and have to be out the door by 8:10am or so for that, so I am usually up by 7:30am on Saturdays. So Sunday is my only day to sleep in a little- and I am lucky if Will lets me sleep until 8am. So 8:30 was a real luxury! And this is coming from a woman that LOVES her sleep.

So of course I am a little panicked too- well-rested, but panicked, since it is so late already! And my MIL once again takes forever to get ready. I love her to death, but I am so looking forward to our October trip with just the three of us, where we can get up and go and not wait on anyone. It will be so much easier! So we finally all grab some breakfast in the room, trying to eat up what is left in the fridge, although we know we will leave a lot behind.

We finally head out the door at 10am………blasphemy, I know! Who on earth arrives at a park at 10am? Surely not me! That’s just downright crazy! LOL……but we headed over to the MK- taking that nice short walk that I so love! As we walk past the drop off area, near the bus stops, we see the cops and a guy with his hands behind his back being searched. Don’t know what that is about, but didn’t look good.

We head in and since we are already late, I don’t rush around to do anything, besides we’ve done almost everything here anyways, so we can go slow and just enjoy the atmosphere. I love when you get to that point in your trip, where you have done all the biggies and can just sort of take it slow and enjoy the scenery. Heck, I need to do that early in the trip too- especially now knowing we have lots of trips for years to come- I am going to force myself to do that instead of rushing around like a crazy woman. I think with just the three of us in October, it will be easier to do too- this trip, I was rushing around, trying to make sure MIL and Lindsey saw everything, or as much as possible, since who knows when or if they will ever come back. I wanted it to be perfect and give them the ultimate experience. But sometimes I push too hard and my family (mom and sisters and I) realized that on our last trip last December- when I think we just went too fast and hard for my great Aunt. She was so tired and beat (okay, and a little homesick, since she had just gotten married and left her new hubby at home)- that she took an early flight home midway through the trip and cut her trip short. If that’s not a sign to slow down, I don’t know what is!

So we make our way in, taking in all the sights and wonderful sounds that are main st. Today’s first goal- get a cinnamon roll on main st. We had ate some in the room already, but I knew I wanted a cinnamon roll! So into the bakery we go- there is a long line, but so what. We get in line and I am actually wearing my pin lanyard today- I have some pretty cool pins on there- from 2000. Not sure why I have so many 2000 pins, I guess that is one trip where pin trading was big for us and I bought or traded a lot. I have some of the old Disney store pins (remember the numbered ones?). I even have a cool Las Vegas Disney store toga mickey. I have no idea how much these would bring me on ebay, not enough to make it worth the hassle of selling them, so I just keep them and wear them on occasion. One day I might put them all in a nice shadow box. I have a nice collection with one from each park- MK, AK, Epcot and HS, plus a monorail one I love. So I am wearing my pins, more to show- since I won’t trade them. I have one or two I’ll trade. So while in line, this really loud, obnoxious guy that I can sort of tell is a local or at least pretty regular visitor (he is talking to the CMs like he knows them)- asks to see my pins and I see him get a twinkle in his eye…….he asks if I will trade any and I say no and the twinkle quickly disappears. LOL!

So we move through the line and finally get our cinnamon rolls and alan got a turkey/cheese croissant thing.

We got some chocolate milk for Will and find a seat outside of the ice cream shop, which a great view of all that is going on. We enjoy a nice little late breakfast, watching people stroll in. I love doing this----I am sure many are starting their vacation or ending it- I love trying to guess. Today is a little warmer too- in the 50s and slowly warming up- it is the first day other than our arrival that we can actually sit outside without shaking from chills!

We enjoy the sun starting to peak out and so we decide to do it- yep, brave Splash Mountain, one of my very favorite rides. We hadn’t hit it all week since it was way too cold. There was never a line all week due to the cold. But since it is warming up a bit, we decide to try it. There is no line, it says 5 minute wait. WE go up and Will measures up…………again. Take that BTMRR!!!!! LOL MIL decides to sit out- she doesn’t want to get wet. So the four of us head in. We have a ball riding, although it breaks down and stops at least twice on the ride. It did that last year too- in fact one ride, the audio was out half the time. No wonder they need to do a refurb. I know they have now added lap bars too. I wonder if all the times we have been stopped was due to people standing or trying to exit the ride while it is moving- so if that is the case, I am hoping the lapbars will prevent all the stoppages. We have a great ride and Will does great. None of us get too wet either. I did notice the jumping fountains in the frog scene are not working either. We also notice lots of people wearing ponchos on the ride and even a cart near the line selling them!

We get off and decide to ride BTMRR……….will Will make the height……..YEP. So let’s see, on this trip, we rode a variety of rides requiring the 40” measurement…. TT 2x, Soarin 1x, BTMRR 3x, Splash 2x and he made all of them except that one BTMRR CM……odd? I think so. Inconsistent? For sure.

BTMRR shows 20 minutes, but the wait is more like 10 minutes. Not sure why it isn’t busier at the MK on a Friday at like 11? Maybe because it is the morning after a MVMCP, plus it is another MVMCP day (so most non hopper ticket holders won’t come here today). Who knows, I wasn’t complaining.

Lindsey wants to ride Splash again, so we do. This time MIL braves it, but not before donning our dollar store poncho! She has a ball. I get a little wet this time, but not too bad. By now it is about 12:30pm. We decide it is time for a snack---we head to Adventureland and have my only Dole Whip of the trip. I don’t know what it is with the last few trips, but the last 3x, I have had my dole whip on the last day! So we all get something- I love the vanilla/pineapple swirl dole whip float.

Will gets some pineapple ice cream and Alan gets something too. I think MIL and Lindsey share one. We all sit in that little rocky area/alcove across from it and enjoy. Again, nice time just sitting, relaxing and taking it all in, no rushing around.

I eat the whole thing- it was so good! Next, Will says he wants to go back and see Mickey’s trash cans……….go figure. Alan says sure, since we know they won’t be here next year. Toontown will be no longer after next week to make room for the next Fantasyland expansion. So we decide to take Will back to Toontown. MIL and Lindsey decide to stay and watch the castle stage show going on.

I know, I don’t get it either, but Will loves trash cans. There are at least 3 in the garage at Mickey’s house. Bet you never noticed- in the garage. Well it was the first thing Will noticed and pointed out. See how excited he is? And this is after seeing them twice last night!

Mickey and Minnie’s houses are packed. So this is where everyone is? We barely make it through there. So after a visit to Mickey’s garage again, we head back towards the castle to meet up with MIL and Lindsey, but we spot the snowman popcorn buckets and stop and get one- I think they were like $10 or more? But Will loves it and promptly spills it all over the concrete. He cries. But he keeps eating. This makes a cute little decoration now at Christmas! Lindsey and MIL see ours and decide they want one too!

Next, time for a break- we decided to head back to the room and eat leftovers and sandwiches for lunch. We still have a lot of food left (remember my $100 garden grocer order?). We have drank almost all our waters and drinks (coke zero, DP 6pack and apple juice boxes). But we still have some apple sauce, yogurt and lunch meat left, so we make a dent in it best we can, plus leftover lasagna!

 

[exwdwcm]

Giving you a two for one!

Friday, December 10th, PART II
So we get Will down for a nap and we all rest and I start packing. It is like tetris trying to fit everything including all the junk we have just purchased!!! We end up breaking in the room only about an hour.

I knew the DVC Merry Member Mixer was today from 3pm-5pm. It was about 4pm now. I wanted to stop by and check it out, since we are new to DVC and wanted to experience the perks! Fortunately for us, the mixer was being held at the Contemporary in one of the ballrooms, so it was perfect. We simply loaded up the stroller and stuff for the night and headed across the walkway from BLT to CR and found the ballroom. I saw tons of people walking back to BLT that had obviously just been to the mixer, they were carrying special DVC 2011 calendars and an ornament and rice krispy treats.

So we headed in and I saw all sorts of stuff going on- a dance floor with characters and contests for kids.

Stations for rice krispies, station for drinks (tea etc.). Plus a huge line- I didn’t know what it was for though- but I found out it was for purchasing merchandise, they have sort of a little store with 2011 specific merchandise and of course special pins I guess you can only purchase there? Anyhow- we didn’t need to buy anything, so we avoided that line. I tried to get rice krispies, but they were out- the CM said they were bringing out more in a bit. I waited. I know, silly, all for a rice krispy I could pay $3 for, but hey, I spent a lot of $$ on DVC, I want my free rice krispies damn it! I got one for each of us. I heard they were all out of the calendars, bummer. I saw they were giving these cute DVC gingerbread ornaments out as you left the ballroom. It was in a cute red velvet bag. I was worried they run out of those too. So I was trying to rush us along.

But Lindsey spied the dance floor and they were doing a hula hoop contest, and she wanted to join in, so she did. She made it to the final 3 girls and then got beat. Bummer! But she had a ball being the center of attention for a bit and dancing with Goofy!

Once the contest was over, we headed out, but in groups, first I went out with just Will and was given an ornament. I gave it to Will to hold…………..bad idea, bad Mommy. Of course, I never saw it again. He must have dropped it along the way. Total bummer. I have found the ornaments on ebay, but they are $20. While it is a nice memory of our first year as DVC, not sure it is worth $20 to me now.

Lindsey, Alan and MIL headed out next and they were also given an ornament (one for the 3 of them). So Lindsey was able to keep hers, which was nice. I didn’t even think about losing the ornament until the night, and I was like, crap, what did I do with it and I remembered I had given it to Will to hold. Totally bummed!

So we left the CR ballroom and then headed up to the monorail platform to take the monorail over to Epcot for the night. It was just about 4:30pm now. We had 7:45pm ADRs for Via Napoli and it was an EMH night (12:30am) for Epcot.

So we headed in Epcot and I made a mad dash for Italy……..i had a goal, to see my old roomie perform in Italy at 5pm. She is part of the new act, the ZITI Sisters- you might see them in red dresses, performing sort of in front of the fountain. It was her last show of the day and I had not gotten to see her yet this trip, so I couldn’t wait to say hi!

Here is what Disney says about them:
On Oct. 3, the Ziti Sisters debuted at the Italy pavilion at Epcot. On a mission "to make life beautiful," the Ziti Sisters offer a comedic, interactive atmosphere performance ensemble that utilizes music and artistic behaviors to create a unique entertainment experience.
The Ziti Sisters replace the existing World Showcase Players at Italy. Their show can be seen daily at noon, 1, 3, 4 and 5 p.m. Performance times may vary weekly.

So we are almost running to try and make it in time. We make it over just as they are out and there is already a small crowd forming- we find some spots to take a seat on the concrete and she sees me and winks! Their act was so cute. She has always been quite the personality and is a great actress and singer. While this gig is only for a little while, it really fits her. She most recently was doing contract work for Kodak at the Journey into Imagination pavilion, right as you exit the ride (wearing lab coat, doing the big camera little show). Of course we all know that is closed now as Kodak pulled their sponsorship. So she was let go. Luckily she auditioned for this and made it. She’s worked in Disney entertainment since our college program 15 years ago. And no, she never finished college. LOL Entertainment is totally her thing though, she does a lot of community theatre in Orlando too. She is so good at it!

That’s her on the far left.

So we get our spots and enjoy her show. Alan is selected to participate in a wedding scene. They basically use their red dresses and scarves to do different little skits and scenes. They were doing a wedding, using their scarves as a veil for the bride, as a handkerchief to wipe tears etc. Alan was a guest at the wedding. Then at the end, they bring out this Italian ‘painting’ and want to recreate it with live people. Alan helps hold the painting with another guy. It is pretty cute, they bring out all these people to pose like those in the painting, of course there is one guy with simply a fig leaf in front of him……..and yep, they give him a fig leaf to hold. Pretty funny.

Here is Alan ‘crying’ at the wedding

she’s on the right

After the show, she came and gave us a quick hug and said hi. They can’t hang out and socialize though, she had to go backstage again and I got a text from her later that night- we never got to really chat, since she was working, but at least I got to see her.

Hopefully in October we can do dinner or something with her.

So now that is done and the only other time we have to hit is dinner. It is about 5:30, so we have 2 hours until dinner. So we decide to head back to do the pick a pearl again. Since I got a pearl larger than 8mm, it won’t fit in my carriage cage necklace, so I gave the necklace to my MIL and she wants to get another pearl for it for her sister. So we go back and let her pick another pearl. More fun- for sure! I highly recommend this to anyone. She gets a 7mm one that will fit. Perfect!

We looked around the store some more too and MIL was buying a shirt as a gift for someone. Will was acting up some, so we took him outside for a bit.

After that, we headed to Germany, since had skipped it the other night we did WS. We stopped in the new Karmel Kuche bakery. The line was long, but we didn’t care. We waited a good 15 minutes or more. It smelled delicious!

I got a caramel turtle and a free small bag of caramel corn since I am an AP holder- it was a special they were doing. Alan got two pieces of caramel dipped in dark chocolate. MIL got a few goodies too. We really enjoyed the caramel corn- delicious! We saved the other treats to take home back to Dallas. It was definitely worth waiting in line to experience it.

We were nearing our ADR time now, and we didn’t really have much time to do anything else, so we headed to Via Napoli to check in a little early for our ADR. The restaurant is at the very back of the pavilion. We went in and there were huge crowds. I heard them tell one guy in front of me that if he didn’t have a reservation, they couldn’t get him in, they were booked solid. So the guy stands off to the side. Not sure if he was hoping her answer would change or what? But I went up, checked in and we were seated about 5 minutes later and that guy gave me a dirty look. Make reservations dude!!!!! A little planning goes a long way! The WS was totally swamped that night too- forgot to mention that- due to the Candlelight processional so you can imagine people had booked meals here for that package too.

So we are seated and it is not my first preference- we are at the community/family table where you sit with others. It is high up too- you sit in bar stools and I hate that with a toddler. But we managed. I would have preferred our own table. The atmosphere is amazing- very open, somewhat loud, but we liked it. The pizza ovens are incredible!

We order some drinks and then pizza- we wanted the sausage pizza, but they were out of sausage, go figure, on a busy Friday night no less. So we go with the pepperoni instead. I also order the arinci for an appetizer, this was very good too!

The service was good and our pizza was one of the best I have had in a while, but then I don’t eat a ton of brick oven restaurant style pizza at home either. I stuffed myself silly, but we couldn’t finish it. We got a to-go box and Alan ended up eating it the next day!

Lindsey and Will had kids pizzas and enjoyed them. Of course we were paying OOP for this, using our 20% off with Tables in Wonderland.

It was a great meal and we will definitely be back! We did not have dessert, we typically just don’t have room (another reason the dining plan is a bust for us- too much food!).

So after dinner, we head out and make the round through the World Showcase, it is about 9pm. We head to China where we look in the store and get Will’s stamp on his kidcot Duffy craft. MIL isn’t feeling so well and runs to the bathroom, so we wait outside. The food at the QS place smells good here, we will have to try it sometime! We finish up China and keep walking, as we hear Illuminations starting and see folks lined up along the lagoon. Since we saw it our first night, we don’t care to see it now.

We check the line for TT, but it is super long, since it is EMH tonight. We do however, stop at Spaceship Earth on the way out for a ride since there is no line. I love this ride, it is a classic to me. I miss Jeremy Irons voice though. We all enjoy the ride, but Will is being a little troublemaker in the area where you play afterwards, he keeps running off. He is so tired, so I take him outside and we wait. The rest of the group takes forever in there. They are having a good time. I am sorry I missed it, but Will was not behaving and I know it was because he was so tired.

So finally they are ready and we head out, we simply couldn’t handle the late hours of EMH after our busy day. So really, most of the nights we did EMH, we didn’t stay long enough to really make it worth it. So I’ll be reconsidering that on our October trip. Will just gets tired and fussy and acts up, so no one has a good time then and it isn’t fair to him either. So we will shoot for more morning EMHs in October, since we do well in the am and skip most of the evening EMHs.

So we say good bye to Epcot and head out for the night. Back to BLT for sweet dreams (and a little more packing). Tonight is our last night. Boo hoo!!!!!
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[disneybarbie]

lovely update!
so sad your trip (and TR) is nearly over!

I've wondered what the DVC 'meet and mingle' things are like so it was nice to see your photos & thoughts about it!

How great you got to see your CM friend performing in Epcot too!



Emma x

 

[hardingk]

Great update!

I think we have an extra DVC ornament. We went to the member mixer this past year and got one and we also got one at the DVC Doorway to Dreams store that is in our mall. I have to check our Christmas ornament boxes but I will look for you!

 

[DisneyRed95]

Oh, you have had a couple of rough weeks! I'm so sorry about the termites, heat and your poor car! At least it's almost the weekend, so hopefully things will get better and you can relax a little.

Great trip updates! I love the Dole Whip pictures. I'm glad you had a great experience at Via Napoli. I definitely need to check that place out. Everyone seems to be giving in great reviews.

 

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

Wow!! I just read like 4 updates!!!

Sorry for the issues at BTMR I could have sworn or put money on it that if you went to GR that you can have an official measurement taken?!

I for sure would have asked for a manager. In my MK training (even though I wasn't attratctions) they told us that people..mostly non Engish speaking, would just say that he/she just rode when they really didn't. Also, sadly, the person outside of the ride might have been talking with other guests and didn't see you entering the line to do a measurment, that's why they would do another one before the ride. The front of the line obviously can't communicate with the ride loader. Sad but true but I would have stopped at GR or asked for a manager just to see what they suggest so that the issue with the particular CM could be fixed so he knows how to do an official height check. I worked rides for 2 summers at a local amusement park and while I loved it, it was tough dealing with the height issues

I loved all the MVMCP pics! You went the first night we arrived! We thought about going on the 10th but decided on the 12th which was still super busy too!! I had no idea that the 9th sold out!!

I can't wait to do Pick a Pearl. My CM friend that I sent the necklace to, picked her pearl this week and got a 7mm so hers fit great she said!

Sorry about the car!! We are finally seeing some warmer temps this weekend and next week! I'm hoping to be able to take my kids outside on Monday since it will be in the upper 40s! I think they said it will be in the 50s by Wed!!

 

[exwdwcm]

lovely update!
so sad your trip (and TR) is nearly over!

I've wondered what the DVC 'meet and mingle' things are like so it was nice to see your photos & thoughts about it!

How great you got to see your CM friend performing in Epcot too!



Emma x

Thanks for reading along Emma! The mingle was fun, i would do the Christmas one again for sure. I haven't done the usual weekly one they do at Atlantic Dance, but if the schedule allows, we might try it next trip just to check it out.

Great update!

I think we have an extra DVC ornament. We went to the member mixer this past year and got one and we also got one at the DVC Doorway to Dreams store that is in our mall. I have to check our Christmas ornament boxes but I will look for you!

Oh you are awesome! That would be so sweet! I was such a goof that I didn't even realize it was gone until hours later.

Oh, you have had a couple of rough weeks! I'm so sorry about the termites, heat and your poor car! At least it's almost the weekend, so hopefully things will get better and you can relax a little.

Great trip updates! I love the Dole Whip pictures. I'm glad you had a great experience at Via Napoli. I definitely need to check that place out. Everyone seems to be giving in great reviews.

well hopefully all the 'bad' things are done with for now! You will love Via Napoli, the food was so delicious. we are already planning to go back in october! I hear they are now also offering it by the slice at a little pizza window too for QS?

Wow!! I just read like 4 updates!!!

Sorry for the issues at BTMR I could have sworn or put money on it that if you went to GR that you can have an official measurement taken?!

I for sure would have asked for a manager. In my MK training (even though I wasn't attratctions) they told us that people..mostly non Engish speaking, would just say that he/she just rode when they really didn't. Also, sadly, the person outside of the ride might have been talking with other guests and didn't see you entering the line to do a measurment, that's why they would do another one before the ride. The front of the line obviously can't communicate with the ride loader. Sad but true but I would have stopped at GR or asked for a manager just to see what they suggest so that the issue with the particular CM could be fixed so he knows how to do an official height check. I worked rides for 2 summers at a local amusement park and while I loved it, it was tough dealing with the height issues

I loved all the MVMCP pics! You went the first night we arrived! We thought about going on the 10th but decided on the 12th which was still super busy too!! I had no idea that the 9th sold out!!

I can't wait to do Pick a Pearl. My CM friend that I sent the necklace to, picked her pearl this week and got a 7mm so hers fit great she said!

Sorry about the car!! We are finally seeing some warmer temps this weekend and next week! I'm hoping to be able to take my kids outside on Monday since it will be in the upper 40s! I think they said it will be in the 50s by Wed!!

Thanks for the info on the measurements. I just didn't even think about going to GR, i am just not one to complain, besides, the moment was ruined at that point and there not getting it back (his excitement to ride right then), plus we didn't want to have to stop our day to go complain. I didn't realize you could do an official height measurement at GR- do they give you something that shows what it is that you show the CM? interesting!

i can't wait to see what kind of pearl you get- hopefully it fits and maybe you get one of those pretty blue ones or something!

so glad the weather is warming up for you too. we are supposed to be 60-70s next week. still thawing out some ice around- our parking lot at work is still pretty slippery. I am so ready for no more ice or snow! No way could i love any further north than north texas! you guys that brave it all winter are champs!

 

[khertz]

Oh, I just hate the end of the trip! I get like that too, get sad in the middle because I know it is almost over. Heck, the end of the first day I am usually bummed that the time is going by so fast. Time seems to fly by on vacation, especially a Disney vacation!

I am excited to check out the caramel store in Germany, and we really want to eat at Via Napoli this trip as well. DH & I love pizza! Hopefully we can get a reservation. We will have to check out the performance in Italy to check out your friend! We have never timed our WS touring to see the performers, and I'd like to do that this time at least for a few of them. I think Paxton would enjoy stuff like that!

 

[*tinker*bell*]

sucks that your TR is almost over your last full day was pretty eventful but looked like fun!

I shall tag along (probably mostly lurk like usual ) over at your PTR in a bit!

 

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

Thanks for the info on the measurements. I just didn't even think about going to GR, i am just not one to complain, besides, the moment was ruined at that point and there not getting it back (his excitement to ride right then), plus we didn't want to have to stop our day to go complain. I didn't realize you could do an official height measurement at GR- do they give you something that shows what it is that you show the CM? interesting!

i can't wait to see what kind of pearl you get- hopefully it fits and maybe you get one of those pretty blue ones or something!

so glad the weather is warming up for you too. we are supposed to be 60-70s next week. still thawing out some ice around- our parking lot at work is still pretty slippery. I am so ready for no more ice or snow! No way could i love any further north than north texas! you guys that brave it all winter are champs!

I just looked it up and I guess there isn't a central area for measuring. I could have sworn there was but I guess not. They had it at the park I worked at and the park that we live by now but not at WDW. Someone posted and said they tried it once but wrist bands were getting transfered so I guess other people ruined it

I probably would have gotten the CMs name and said something at GR. That would have been passed along to his manager. I'm sure the people who pull the 'HE WAS JUST ON 5 MINS AGO', don't put up a fight with a manager bc they know their child is not tall enough (and didn't just ride 5 mins ago!)

In your case, I wish they had some sort of measuring system. At the park by our house, you have to have the wrist band and a stamp as a height check. The stamps seem pretty solid and if it would come off, you could always restamp it but the ones they give you when you leave the park/come back are pretty strong and take a few days to rub off!

 

[exwdwcm]

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY DIS FRIENDS!!!

hope you get lots of chocolate, wine, flowers, hugs and kisses today!

We took my parents out to dinner for their 41st anniversary at a really nice steakhouse in Dallas called Nick & Sam's. Food was good as usual, but service was beyond lacking to say the least. We got some free champagne though after complaining to two different managers. It was pretty unacceptable service. I guess I have to remember it's not disney, right?

sucks that your TR is almost over your last full day was pretty eventful but looked like fun!

I shall tag along (probably mostly lurk like usual ) over at your PTR in a bit!

I know, such a bummer isn't it?

yeah for joining my PTR- thanks!

I just looked it up and I guess there isn't a central area for measuring. I could have sworn there was but I guess not. They had it at the park I worked at and the park that we live by now but not at WDW. Someone posted and said they tried it once but wrist bands were getting transfered so I guess other people ruined it

I probably would have gotten the CMs name and said something at GR. That would have been passed along to his manager. I'm sure the people who pull the 'HE WAS JUST ON 5 MINS AGO', don't put up a fight with a manager bc they know their child is not tall enough (and didn't just ride 5 mins ago!)

In your case, I wish they had some sort of measuring system. At the park by our house, you have to have the wrist band and a stamp as a height check. The stamps seem pretty solid and if it would come off, you could always restamp it but the ones they give you when you leave the park/come back are pretty strong and take a few days to rub off!

yeah, i totally understand why they do the second measurement and all- i know how people try and beat the system. but in our case, he was measuring up to the top, so not sure why the CM was saying he wasn't. i even had him standing up straight and he was fine. oh well. like you said, i should have gotten his name and told GR, just so they know. they can't fix the problem when we don't tell them about it. I am not a very good 'complainer' though. i rarely send back food etc. I've gotten better about speaking my mind.

 

[stephielela]

I am finally caught up! I have been really bad lately, but my goal is to have my TR finished in the next week... but realistically by March. I noticed that the height measurements didn't seem consistent. Sometimes Jack looked like he was really close, other times he looked really short! Wierd. He'd better measure to 40 in September! (otherwise he's be shrinking!) I agree, the last full day is a bit of a let down.

 

[exwdwcm]

I am finally caught up! I have been really bad lately, but my goal is to have my TR finished in the next week... but realistically by March. I noticed that the height measurements didn't seem consistent. Sometimes Jack looked like he was really close, other times he looked really short! Wierd. He'd better measure to 40 in September! (otherwise he's be shrinking!) I agree, the last full day is a bit of a let down.

well and I know CMs struggle with it too- it's hard to get a 3/4yo to stand up straight and they don't always realize it is the difference between riding or not. hopefully he will be a solid 40 by September! just try him in all shoes too- i noticed Will seemed shorter in his crocs vs his tennis shoes. Of course since it was freezing, he didn't wear flip flops or sandals.

 

[stephielela]

well and I know CMs struggle with it too- it's hard to get a 3/4yo to stand up straight and they don't always realize it is the difference between riding or not. hopefully he will be a solid 40 by September! just try him in all shoes too- i noticed Will seemed shorter in his crocs vs his tennis shoes. Of course since it was freezing, he didn't wear flip flops or sandals.

I will keep that in mind when buying sandals this spring. For tennis shoes he wears Converse, and I know those don't help at all. I am going to start coaching him about standing tall before the trip! I was originally thinking BTMRR would be too much for Jack, but maybe not... it would be fun for him to be able to ride a "grown up" roller coaster!

 

[exwdwcm]

I will keep that in mind when buying sandals this spring. For tennis shoes he wears Converse, and I know those don't help at all. I am going to start coaching him about standing tall before the trip! I was originally thinking BTMRR would be too much for Jack, but maybe not... it would be fun for him to be able to ride a "grown up" roller coaster!

Will's first ride on BTMRR was at night too- and he managed okay. the second time was during the day and he seemed to enjoy that more. He might just love it!

 

[exwdwcm]

Saturday, December 11th

Our LAST DAY!!! Boo hoo again.

Typically we don’t book our trips where we have almost a half day or ¾ day before catching our flight. We either book a very early flight or late morning flight, so on our departure day, we typically have no time for anything, other than leaving! We usually do the early flight, since we typically leave on a Sunday and we all want to have time to unpack, do laundry and relax before heading back to work Monday.

But this time, since we were flying home on a Saturday, instead of a Sunday, I decided to book a later flight- 6:30pm. So we really had until about 3:30-4pm to play that day. It was a first for me since we don’t usually do it that way.

I had booked Chef Mickey’s breakfast for us at 10:05am. So we were in no rush to get up this am, we slept in a bit, but of course, that meant I was up by 8 with Will anyhow. Almost everyone else was up by 8 too, doing the final packing. We tried to cram what food/drinks we could take with us into our carry ons or the stroller to use that day. We still had some juice boxes, a few cokes (water all gone!), some applesauce and crackers etc. We ended up leaving some food behind, but not too much at least.

We enjoyed a leisurely morning, but it was darkened by the knowledge we would be leaving. We did the final check of our room to make sure we didn’t leave anything behind. Then we attempted to take all of our bags downstairs ourselves. Big mistake, but I wasn’t sure how long baggage services would take on a Saturday. Good thing I didn’t call either……….because we waited for an elevator down for about 15 minutes. At least 4 elevators opened, but all were full with people checking in or checking out. It was insane. I had never seen the hotel this busy. I am not sure how we managed all our bags, but we somehow got them all in the elevator finally. We were checking 5 bags. Alan and I were only checking 2, but MIL was checking 3. We still had all our carry ons and stroller/car seat upstairs to grab, this was only our first load!

We went down to use the baggage services and get our boarding pass and check our checked bags. There was a line, just what I feared. It was getting close to our ADR time, but we managed okay in the end. The line moved fairly quickly but I was amazed at how these CMs kept it all organized. There were just bags stacked everywhere, I had no clue how they could possibly keep track. But I guess they did, because our bags made it home just fine. I had called and paid the checked bag fees by phone like they tell you, it was super easy to do. We got our boarding passes and were ready to go. It probably took us about 20 minutes to do it all. The place was a madhouse though. I even peeked in the lobby and it was crazy in there too- tons of people sitting in the lobby waiting on rooms I guess or waiting to check out.

So everyone heads back to the room while I go get the car and move it to a closer parking space, so it is easier to load up our carry on items in the car. We all grab the last of our stuff and say good bye to our home for a week. We will miss you BLT!!!

I even take a pic of the DVC sign- I mean I just had to!

Then we load up the car- much easier leaving, since we don’t have all the checked bags to try and cram in. We put everything in and then head back inside, to the CR and up the escalator to Chef Mickey’s.

We check in, right on time. We are given a buzzer and sit and wait about 10 minutes.

Finally we are called back- we bypass the little picture since we know we won’t buy it. We are seated to the left, table on the outside, pretty close to the buffet. It was a good spot. Last year for dinner, we were seated in the very back room by the window and it was awful!

So happy with our spots, we start grabbing some food, since the characters won’t make it over to us just yet. The buffet is okay, they have part of it in the middle closed off since someone spilled a bunch of stuff on the floor. It is your typical breakfast buffet, but I have to say, I still feel CP is better quality and better selection. Lindsey got the waffles as usual. I got some eggs, potatoes, bacon, fruit and more. Will enjoyed a waffle too! Our last mickey waffle!

We had a great time with characters at this meal. We saw Goofy, Mickey (twice), Minnie, Donald (twice)

Funny enough, we saw a hidden mickey swirling in Lindsey’s chocolate milk!

Overall breakfast was good, not as good as CP, but good. The character interaction was the biggest hit and that’s why we went there, not for the food. William had a great time and was wearing his Mickey hat we got last year on his first trip.

So after breakfast, we had no real plan, other than a park, but which one? Lindsey was asking for HS, but I think it was maybe EMH or something and I had sort of nixed that and AK as options. I said let’s go to Epcot or MK. She voted Epcot. So we did. Of course by the time we arrive, it is like almost noon. We have to leave for the airport by about 3 or 3:30pm, so we have a few hours to kill and no ‘home’ anymore since we are checked out.

So we get into Epcot

And it is crazy busy here. We look around a bit and need, yep, another potty break. So MIL and Lindsey go into the potty and we wait outside a little ways from the bathroom area. We keep watching and never see them come out. Finally, it is going on 15 minutes. Alan says, let’s just go on TT or get a FP for it, since the line said 30 minutes now. I say, no, just wait, surely they will be out soon. I know MIL has some stomach issues sometimes, especially after eating, so didn’t know if they were just taking longer and didn’t want to rush her. So after 20 minutes, we give up and just go to TT. By now, the line says 45 minutes. But everything is super busy (we checked the board when we came in). So we say, well, we only have a few hours, might as well. So for one of the very rare times in my life, we get in a line more than 20-30 minutes. We almost NEVER will wait for anything more than 30 minutes, typically not more than 20. So this was new to us. We waited and waited and then his mom finally calls, they are way ahead of us in line. Somehow we totally missed them coming out of the bathroom. Who knew? They had just gotten in line, figuring we had already gone. So now we are way behind them in line, I can’t even see them.

We wait and wait and wait………this is NOT 45 minutes. We wait well over an hour. I am fuming. Will is a mess, so tired and not doing well waiting in line for an hour. I keep holding him, but he is heavy! There are two ladies with 4 kids in front of us. I think it was a mom and her adult daughter with like 2 young girls and boys- they were probably anywhere from 8-13yo. They are behaving pretty well.

Then, the mom breaks out a back of pistachios and they start eating them. But they don’t keep the shells, they throw them on the floor like we are in some backwoods bar with peanut shells on the floor. They absolutely had no respect for the world. I was getting mad, since it was making a mess and we were having to step over it or in it, further cracking shells and making more of a mess. I kept giving them looks, but I am not the aggressive type that likes confrontation. DH likes to pretend he is, but when it comes down to it, he won’t confront either, unless it is something really big. I kept trying to slowly shuffle the shells over to the sides at least with my feet, making it clear this was not acceptable and trying to clear a path for those behind me.

Well the people behind us………they had NO problem with confrontation. They were from the NE, from what I could tell of their accent, sounded almost like a Boston accent, but I couldn’t be sure- you never can know or judge a book by its cover. But it was two families with kids – probably 8 or so of them all together. The one dad speaks up and says how rude that is that they are throwing their trash on the floor. Then he calls the lady out and says something to the effect of “hey, where I come from, throwing your trash on the ground is not cool and not acceptable.”……………..she just looks at him and smirks. And then she starts whispering to her mom and they give him the evil eye and keep talking about him, all the while, still throwing the shells on the ground. I could see their kids looking too- they knew mom/grandma had been called out. They didn’t seem to know what to do. Mom didn’t instruct the kids to stop throwing trash on the ground, but I noticed they didn’t do it as much, but still did it, as did the mom and grandma. The man kept talking to them and about them and how disrespectful that was in a public place like this, but a place that works so hard to be clean.

I couldn’t help but smile, if I don’t have the cajones to speak up, I am glad someone else did.

By this time, we were finally nearing the front, where they put you into the area just before the preshow. We finally get in and it has been at least an hour and 15 minutes. I am so mad. This totally ruined the last day for me- waiting in such a long line. We never do that.

We are the first in the preshow and head towards the door, so we are the first out. Soon enough we are riding our car and Will enjoys it more in the daylight. (and yes, he was measured and tall enough!)

So after our TT ride, we find MIL and Lindsey finally. We decide to do Mission Space, since it shows like a 10 minute wait for both sides. I sit out with Will while they ride the less intense version. I am a fan of the more intense- I don’t get motion sickness or anything (although mom and sisters did after riding it last time!). Alan can’t do the motion thing either, so less intense is all they do. I wait outside with Will and we grab a pretzel and drink and just people watch. Today is finally a nice day- I don’t have to wear my coat for once! In fact, I can almost take off my hoodie. Go figure, our last day and finally the freezing temps go away.

Finally they are done and by now, it is almost 2:30. We go check spaceship earth, but it has a super long line too (and no way will I wait more than 10 minutes for it, since you can usually walk on certain times of the day). So we just go check out the Art of Disney store and look around to kill some time. Then we decide at 3pm to just head out. It was just too crowded for us to really enjoy ourselves and since we arrived so late, we didn’t have FP or anything. This is why I hate getting there late, I love arriving at RD or right after. I feel like we get so much more done that early. Those early hours are precious to me and it is just not our touring style to sleep in and roll into the parks at 11am. But I guess it works for some.

So we take a good look around and we say good bye.

We get a cute pic of Lindsey holding SE!

So we head back out to the car, since we had driven over to Epcot today. We load in and head to the airport. Will falls asleep! He is leaning over, and so tired. So cute! And then it happens, our one and only potty accident of the trip…..Will must have peed his pants in his sleep in his booster seat. He had been good the whole trip, especially considering he had only gone pee pee for the first time in the potty Nov 20th and this was only a few weeks into going potty. He had made the whole week, going long hours each day without an accident! Of course it meant we stopped early and often for the potty (hence the title), but he waited until the last few hours of the trip to have an accident. Go Will! We make it to the airport no problem and return the rental car. I love that National moved to the first floor now. We unload and get into the terminal. This time we are only carrying our carry ons, but we have two for each person, since we have all the items we purchased in the parks! At least we aren’t having to deal with our checked bags though. Can I say again how much I love the resort airline check in? So we have boarding passes in hand, bags checked already. This perk for on site guests saves so much time. I checked out the line for boarding passes for AA and it was super long too. So glad we didn’t have to do that. There were even lines for the self service machines (which we usually use).

So we get in and head straight to the bathroom so I can change Will’s underwear and pants. Thankfully I always have an extra outfit on hand in the backpack. We get him changed and head into security. The line really isn’t too long either. I’d say maybe 8 deep. Which for MCO standards on a Saturday, is pretty good. We unload all our crap, fold up the stroller, unload the laptop etc. I am pretty good at getting through security, since I’ve done it a lot for business travel in the past 10 years, but travelling with a toddler makes it a whole different story and it can be a little stressful. I finally get shoes back on, holding Will’s hand, get the stroller back open, get the laptop stuffed back in the bag etc. We finally make it out of security and to the gate. We are flying American- the flight leaves at 6:20pm and we get home at 8:30pm.

We find a nice spot to sit down and unload and then we all go a few at a time to get something to eat for dinner or a snack. Alan and I take Will to burger king and get a few burgers, fries and cokes. Of course we stop for the potty again. We sit and eat our food near the gate. We only have to wait about 30-45 minutes before we start boarding. I really hate this part of the trip, you are so sad, going home and then you see all the people that are just arriving, full of hope and anticipation for what awaits them in Orlando. I love being that person when it’s my turn, but I hate watching when I am leaving. So we do a little people watching and then board.

Now this is Will’s third flight. I flew with him by myself when he was 4 months old to go to South Carolina as my grandpa was on his death bed. We had lost my grandmother years earlier. Because fertility treatments can be so expensive and most insurance does not cover in vitro, my grandpa kindly gave us over $10k to use in order to do it. Mind you, he probably didn’t even really know what it was, he was pretty old school, lived in the country etc. and wasn’t a big fan of technology, so growing a embryo in a petri dish wasn’t something I talked to him at length about, but he knew what we were using it for. It was so kind of him. And thankfully for us, it worked and we had our little William because of him. We named William after my grandma in honor of him- his middle name is Reed, which was my grandmother’s middle name and is my dad’s middle name. So my grandpa had a huge role in William coming to be and I just had to get out there and let him meet William before he passed. He had been ill for about a month or two and it had come on suddenly.

I flew out by myself and William was an angel, of course in his car carrier the whole time (there were plenty of extra seats) and I held him most of the time. He was an angel. We arrived, headed straight for the hospital and saw my grandpa. He was in a lot of pain, but so happy to finally meet William. An hour later, he was non responsive, still breathing, but not responsive at all- not talking, not making eye contact etc. He passed away that evening, just hours after we arrived- we all held hands surrounding his bed as he passed with little William in his stroller sleeping off to the side. It was sad, but a lovely way to go, surrounded by family and friends. I know, so OFF topic, but I had to share that sweet story.

So that was William’s first flight and he was perfect- even passengers on the plane commented how good he was, never cried.

Our second flight was last December with the entire family of 14, so family sat in front of us, so kicking the seat wasn’t an issue- it was just grandma’s seat. Lol. But he was pretty good on this flight too.

But this third flight……….NIGHTMARE! He was fairly good on the way in, but the ride home was tortuous. He was overtired and I guess his ears were hurting him and I didn’t have any children’s Tylenol and had not given him anything else. I tried having him drink and eat, but no luck. I had my phone with games on it that he usually loves, no go. Coloring books, no go. Toys, no go. The kid was not happy. He kept trying to kick the seat, we had to hold his feet down. He just started wailing. And this is from a toddler that doesn’t really cry that often. He was screaming. I was so embarrassed, but what can you do? I mean, I am trying every method I know to man, entertaining him, feeding him, taking him to the bathroom for a time out. Nothing was working. I kept getting very ugly looks from a man about 2 rows up on the other side of the plane. Obviously on business, in a suit. I just shot him a glare back. I mean, really dude, you think I want the kid screaming in my ear? I am doing everything I can to stop him. He even got a little spanking from Alan to no avail. The man continued to glare, I continued to glare back. I’ve been in shoes, on a business flight with a screaming, annoying kid. But I’ve always felt bad for the parents, even before I was a parent. In most cases they are doing everything they can (only in one instance did I see a woman who did absolutely nothing to try and console or entertain the child). So I get what he was feeling, but let it go dude. Nothing I can do about it, other than what I have tried.

The flight was awful. I was trying to get Will to be quiet the whole time it felt like. I think it was a good 45 minutes where he acted up like that. He finally calmed down a bit, but never slept. The flight was a LONG 2.5 hours. We finally touch down at DFW airport and wait for our bags. We hired a town car service to take us home, so he met us at baggage claim (so fun to see someone holding the sign “Peters”!). We got all of our bags, out to the SUV and somehow managed to fit it all.

And now the short 20 minute drive home. We get home probably about 9:45pm or so. We all then crash- we are BEAT!!! The next morning, we sleep in some and then have some breakfast. My MIL and Lindsey pack up everything and head out- they have about a 2.5 hour drive north to where they live in Oklahoma (Wynnewood and Tishamingo). We help her load up, give big hugs, knowing we will see them at Christmas time- only about 2 weeks away!

Although I usually love staying at WDW as long as humanly possible, I was thankful we came home Saturday night, instead of Sunday. I had all day Sunday to do laundry, put away our new toys and even wrapped some of the Christmas gifts I bought at Disney. It was nice to catch up on that stuff and relax a little before heading back to work on Monday. This was the first time we booked a trip this way, we usually come home on Sunday and then only have a few hours to relax before back to work, or I just take Monday off, which in this case, I had no extra time off to spare.

So after saying good bye to MIL and Lindsey, we cleaned up, relaxed and enjoyed our Sunday. What was even nicer is that we only had to go to work the week of the 13th, then just 2 days the following week and I was off a few days for Christmas!

So we had made it home safe and sound…………….and SAD. The good news is, this was the first trip where I didn’t have to fight the Disney depression. In the past, we only would go to WDW every 2-3 years max. So I always come home really bummed and I even sort of ignore all things Disney, including the boards for a while, because I would be so sad about not going back soon.

But I’ve been so blessed these last 2 years. I was able to do the May 2009 podcast cruise with my parents and cousin, great fun. Then just 6 months later, we did our big family trip for 10 nights at WL with my parents, sisters, their spouses and kids and my cousin and an aunt. So I had two trips that year, a first for me! Then in 2010, I did a girls only trip to Disneyland with my 2 sisters, cousin and Mom in September for my birthday. And then 3 months later, this trip. So again, 2 trips in a year. I was so lucky and blessed. I haven’t had to fight the Disney depression for a while. Plus, now that we bought DVC (February 2010), I know we have many more trips to come and I can come home and start planning the next trip! It is so nice to know there isn’t a true end to it all!

So that’s our trip folks. I’ll do another post to wrap up the highlights, my favorite things, things I was sad we missed and a few pics of other things we bought (I do love to shop!). Thanks for reading a long and stay tuned for the wrap up!