We held the surprise, but can we bear the weather?

[dvczerfs]

great update jason!! nice pics as usual. im a non spin guy myself.now, my dd likes that other side but i like to keep the food i ate were it belongs and not in a small bag.

 

[jason4024]

When we left Epcot, we headed back to the resort for a relaxing night. Kaylee had some homework to finish (I know, I know...), and Kory actually wanted to get in the pool again. When we got back to POP, Kory decided against swimming. Leslie and I started packing our stuff for the trip home the next day. We did have our Ohana breakfast scheduled and then were just going to tour the Poly and head to DTD for some last minute shopping. We had to be back by 3:15 for our bus to the airport. We got most of our stuff packed and the kids had their baths, and they were sleeping by 9:00. We decided against an alarm for our last day. So, while we were finishing packing, Leslie walked up to Everything POP for an adult beverage, and she was going to stop at Petals for something for me, as well. She told me she was gonna do some shopping, so I figured it might take a while. I got my shower and laid down, apprarently falling asleep before she got back. I woke up the next day and my mixed drink was sitting up near the tv. Was not even going to try a Jack and Coke that had been sitting out all night, first thing in the morning. About 6:30, I heard the phone ringing, and then Leslies' alarm went off on her cell phone. I thought she had forgot to turn it off from the previous day. Kaylee rolled over and said, and I quote "I thought you said it was a NO alarm day". Leslie replied, "But then how were going to go back to the Magic Kingdom before breakfast." While she was out, she added another day to our park passes. We were going to the MK before and after breakfast, to avoid going back to DTD. She said, we would spend a lot less money doing the rides, than walking the shops all day. I agree! So we hustled to get the rest of our checked luggage and our carry-ons packed. We made our way to the bus stop with all our stuff, and got onto the MK bus. Even with the busy morning, we made it to RD!

Once into the MK, we headed right for TomorrowLand. We wanted to ride Space Mountain and get an early chance to defeat Zurg. So we got right onto BLSRS, where Leslie became a GALACTIC HERO! She scored her 999,999 before hitting the 4th area. When we came out into the gift shop area, the CM gave her and I'm Celebrating pin with the date on it.

The kids also wanted to ride the Astro Orbiter.

After TomorrowLand, we wer heading back out of the park for our breakfast at Ohana when we ran into the Fairy Godmother.

And then we decided to take the boat over to the Poly for our reservation.

When we arrived at the Poly, we had about a 25 minute wait before we were let into Ohana.

.

After breakfast we headed back over to MK, for some last few hours of fun before heading to the airport.

Stay tuned!

 

[dvczerfs]

hey jason!!! good to hear from you again!!! nice update, love the pics! leaving your jack and coke? im with your dw, you do spend alot less money over at the mk than ddt, thats a good idea!! love the pics at ohanas. we have been eating dinner over there lately. we did eat breakfast over there about 8 years or so ago. i remember they had tonga toast!!! glad you guys had a great time!! looks like your heading back to the airport but theres more comng. youll have to pm me and let me know what time you go to work in the am. we can meet up one morning! do you still have my cell? let me know, im in that town about once a week!!! glad to see the trip ticker!!!! you guys will have a blast just the two of you. i hope your plans worked out for you.

 

[jason4024]

hey jason!!! good to hear from you again!!! nice update, love the pics! leaving your jack and coke? im with your dw, you do spend alot less money over at the mk than ddt, thats a good idea!! love the pics at ohanas. we have been eating dinner over there lately. we did eat breakfast over there about 8 years or so ago. i remember they had tonga toast!!! glad you guys had a great time!! looks like your heading back to the airport but theres more comng. youll have to pm me and let me know what time you go to work in the am. we can meet up one morning! do you still have my cell? let me know, im in that town about once a week!!! glad to see the trip ticker!!!! you guys will have a blast just the two of you. i hope your plans worked out for you.

It is good to be back. Been lurking for a few days, just no time to work on the report. We are going to do Ohana for dinner on our anniversary trip in May. My kids are truly great. They rarely ask for souveniers in the parks, b/c there is so much else going on. We will have to get together one morning, but fair warning I do start at 7. I can not wait to play some golf in WDW. We decided to rent clubs instead of dragging them along with us. Have you ever been down the week before Memorial Day? Just trying to figure out some crowd levels.

 

[luckylady]

What a wonderful surprise from DW. Agree I'd take another park day with less money spent over DTD.

 

[dvczerfs]

It is good to be back. Been lurking for a few days, just no time to work on the report. We are going to do Ohana for dinner on our anniversary trip in May. My kids are truly great. They rarely ask for souveniers in the parks, b/c there is so much else going on. We will have to get together one morning, but fair warning I do start at 7. I can not wait to play some golf in WDW. We decided to rent clubs instead of dragging them along with us. Have you ever been down the week before Memorial Day? Just trying to figure out some crowd levels.

7am, heck thats lunch time for me!! i start at 4am. i have a good friend that lives behind the bank a few blocks up from were you work. glad to see your renting clubs. its just easier and probley cheaper if your flying. what course are you playing? the last time i was down in may was 2005. it was the second and third week of may and i didnt think it was any more crowded than what you found the last time you were down. you should be ok, your missing easter,spring break and mem.day. mays a nice time to go also. youll find with just the two of you, you will get on more things and its a little easier getting around. even with us, or dd is almost 18 and when we went by ourselfs last year, we got alot of the parks done faster than normal. and, we wernt rushing around. its just easier with less people for some reason.

 

[jason4024]

After breakfast we headed back to the MK for a last few hours of fun. We hopped on the monorail this time, to get back over. When we got back, we saw Pinocchio greeting guests, so Kaylee wanted to get in line.

Once we hit the end of Main St., we made our way around the castle to ride the carousel and see Philharmagic one last time.

It was starting to getting close to our time to leave. We made our way out of the park and back to the Pop bus terminal.

Once back at Pop, we hung out at Everything Pop, the kids used the points card for the arcade and spent some energy. At 3, we got out to the bus stop, and made our way onto the ME. It was sad to be leaving, but we had another amazing vacation. When we arrived at the airport, we found out we had a 2.5 hour delay home. We found applebees in the airport, had some dinner and went to our terminal. There was another family on our flight home, that lived in the LV area, and Kory and their son, made quick friends.

I will be doing a few more updates, with all the new rides we experienced, shows we saw and some of our videos.

On a parting note, here is the video of Guitar Dan singing Happy Birthday to Leslie - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnHbz_L0D-I

By the way, I think I might be starting our anniversary trip report real soon!

 

[Tinkermom76]

Great trip. The pictures at Akershus are included in the price of the meal like at CRT.

 

[dvczerfs]

great finish jason.

 

[luckylady]

Wonderful trip you had.

 

[jason4024]

I figured I would do some clean-up work on our report. I wanted to list all the rides/attractions/meals/characters we did/met for the first time. I am gonna list them by park.

Magic Kingdom
Main Street Trolley (All of Us)
Astro Orbiter (All of Us)
TomorrowLand Transit Authority (All of Us)
Dumbo (Kaylee and Kory)
Space Mountain (Kory)
Mickeys PhilharMagic (Kory)
Rapunzel & Flynn Play and Greet (All of Us)
Cosmic Ray's (Kaylee and Kory)
Casey's (All of Us)
Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party (All of Us)
Boat to the Polynesian (All of Us)

Characters:
Vidia
Fawn
Pinocchio
Jesse
Bullseye
The Dapper Dans
Prince Charming
Snow Prince
Tiana & Naveen
Rapunzel and Flynn Ryder
Frontier Donald
Lady Tremaine, Anastasia, and Drizella
White Rabbit
Terrence
Prince Phillip
The Seven Dwarfs
Abu

-----------------------------------------------------------

Epcot
Soarin' (All of Us)
Test Track (All of Us)
Spaceship Earth (Kory) - Kaylee rode on her first trip, but slept the whole time, so she remembers it for the first time...
Grand Fiesta Tour (Kaylee and Kory)
Maelstrom (Kaylee and Kory)
Journey in Imagination (Kory)
Kim Possible Missions (All of Us)
Living with the Land (Me, Kaylee and Kory)
Mission Space (Me, Kaylee and Kory)
American Adventure (Kaylee and Kory)
Akershus (All of Us - Dinner)
Fife and Drum Corp at the America Pavillion (All of Us)
Club Cool (All of Us)


Characters:
Marie
Duffy the Bear
Shaker
Big Al

-----------------------------------------------------------

Hollywood Studios
Beauty and the Beast Stage Show (All of Us)
Block Party Bash (All of Us)
Muppet Vision 3D (Kaylee and Kory)
Rock n' Roller Coaster (Me)
Tower of Terror (All of Us)
Voyage of the Little Mermaid (Kory)
Animation Academy (All of Us)
Pizz Planet (All of Us)
Disney Channel Rocks! (All of Us)
The Osbourne Lights (All of Us)

Characters:
Lotso Huggin' Bear
Darth Vader (YAY!!!!!!)
StormTroopers

-----------------------------------------------------------

Animal Kingdom
Expedition Everest (Kory)
Tusker House (All of Us)
Pangani Forest Trails (All of Us)
Maharajeh Jungle Trek (All of Us)
Boneyard (Kaylee and Kory)
Festival of the Lion King

Characters:
Baloo
King Louie
DeVine
Thumper and Miss Bunny
The Pratt Pack from Colorado!
-----------------------------------------------------------

Other Places...
1900 Park Fare (Breakfast)
The Grand Floridian (First time in the resort)
Rainforest Cafe at DTD

Characters:
Mad Hatter

 

[FreezinRafiki]

I feel too far behind, so I can't comment on everything, but just wanted to say it was an awesome TR! I loved the start of the video when everyone walking by had to look at your family and try to figure out if they were celebrities or something. My kids have had Guitar Dan sing to them twice - and loved every bit of both of them.

Thanks for sharing the TR. Can't wait to read your Cruise Report!

 

[afwdwfan]

Glad you posted on the DIS Dads Club about your TR. I kept up with your PTR, but somehow missed out on the TR. Time to do some catch up reading!

 

[jason4024]

Glad you posted on the DIS Dads Club about your TR. I kept up with your PTR, but somehow missed out on the TR. Time to do some catch up reading!

Thanks for stopping by.

 

[afwdwfan]

Well, I've read through... Just have to remember to take a look this evening when I get home so I can see the pictures. That meeting with Darth Vader sounds awesome. I've never seen him in the parks, but that is a character meet that I'd love to do!

 

[The Disney Fanatic]

We woke up Friday morning with a full day of Epcot ahead of us. We hoped to ride Soarin' and Test Track, while seeintg some characters along the way. The kids woke up at their normal 6:45 with an alarm clock, so they were ready to go. We began discussing breakfast, when I made a phone call to the Dining Line. We were looking for something at/near Epcot on the DDP. After some discussion, we were able to get into 1900 Park Fare at 10:30 that morning. SURPRISE #1 This was huge news for my DW, because we had been trying to get in there since our 180+10 window opened up. This was also our chance to see the Grand Floridian in all its holdiay grandure. So we got ready for the day, and made our way to the bus stop. We were able to get on the first bus out at 8am to Epcot. The morning was a little chilly, but we were good wth just our hoodies. Here is a pic of the kids and I at the Epcot RD, for the first time.

We were able to follow the mad rush to Soarin'. I did score some FP's for later in the day and then we got into the standby line. We had about a 15 minute wait before we were soarin over California. My DD was excited when she saw the hidden Mickey in the fireworks. I asked her if she saw the one on the golf ball too, but she didnt. After Soarin, we had a few minutes before we could get more fastpasses, so we headed over to our clam mobiles to ride Nemo. We came out of Nemo and went right to Test Track. I was able to get us FP's to use after our breakfast. We then made our way out of Epcot for our breakfast with Mary Poppins and Alice. We took the monorail to the TTC and we actually got on the Tron:Legacy one first. Then we transferred over to get on the MK loop to the Grand Floridian. Once we arrived, we had about a 5 minute wait before we were ushered over for our picture. We decided against this picture, because my DS was in a little bit of meltdown mode, because he hadn't eaten yet. While at breakfast we met these fine characters...

After breakfast, we walked around the GF for a while. I stopped to take a few pictures of the gingerbread house.

And then we did a family picture in front of the Christmas tree, which ended up being our Christmas card for this year.

After that we headed back over to the TTC, to get back to Epcot.

We went right toward Test Track, for our first time. Before riding, we grabbed another set of FP's for later. This ride was completely awesome. The kids both loved it. I took some video of if on my HDFlip, but havent uploaded those to YouTube yet. Once I upload our videos, I will create an update with all of them. Here are a few pics from the FP queue.

After Test Track, we made our way over to the World Showcase via the boat to Morroco.

While on the boat, we saw the Belle and the Beast were meeting in France. We also met Marie as well.

Continued in the next post...

I am really enjoying this Trip Report! I love to see Dads having fun with their families!

 

[The Disney Fanatic]

Sorry for the delay in between recent updates. It has been a hectic few days. Joining the gym, getting back there to work out, working, family visiting from out of town, some endulgence in some adult beverages, running ems calls, and oh yeah, back to work today, the updates have been slow to develop.

BACK TO THE REPORT!!!

So today was our unofficial sleep late day. We had been at the MVMCP last night, and did not really want to push the kids through another rope drop. They got up around 8ish, so we took our time getting ready, ate breakfast at Pop, and made our way back to Epcot for our last full day. This was going to be our last day in the parks, so we wanted to just relax.

We made our way into Epcot and headed over to grab some Soarin FP's. While I was over there, Leslie and the kids hung out near Spaceship Earth, and met Stitch and Daisy. Unfortunately, I had the camera, autograph books, and the PhotoPass card, so they just enjoyed the quick interaction. We then rode Spaceship Earth, which Kory had never ridden before. He did really enjoy it. After SE, we went over to Mission Space and Ellens Energy ride. We were about to get in line for Ellens, when i saw a sign that said it was a 45-minute ride, and I just knew the kids would NOT make it. So, we skipped it and headed over to Mission: Space. Both the kids LOVED it! We did the mellow side, because we didnt know how they would do with the spinning. This was also a first for Leslie and I.

After this, we decided to start touring the world, via the way of Canada. When we entered Canada, we took a few a pictures.

And ran, into the Country Bears.

We continued our way around the World and did some of the KP Mission. The kids loved doing these missions. Surprisingly, they weren't too bad for leslie and I either. They are a nice way to stop and see some of the small things, and places in Epcot, that you normally would not see. I used this time to just take some pictures also.

During this time, we also stopped and saw the American Adventure show, but just missed the singers. The kid enjoyed their naps, and for some reason, some details are a little sketchy to me as well from the show. While in Norway, I wanted to go grab some FP's for Test Track for after dinner. It was getting close to our reservation time at Akershaus. We had a dinner date with some princesses.

During diner, they brought our picture over to us, which we were probably not going to purchase, but then found out that it was gift from Belle. We never heard of this before. Is this a common occurence? After dinner we were making our way back to Test Track when Leslie and I decided it has gotten TOO cold to ride it tonight. We did not want to risk more chance of the kids getting sick before heading home the next day. After some thinking, we decided to make another family very happy with a four-pack of TT Fastpasses. And then we were off to Soarin'. The kids wanted to ride The Land also. So we did that, and then took flight again. After Soarin, we decided to head back to Pop for the night, because we wanted to try and pack for our trip home tomorrow. We did find it funny that Soarin' was our first and last ride of this trip.

Stay tuned, because there might be one more surprise coming up...

I have enjoyed your TR to the fullest!! It has me ready to make more plans to go back real soon!

 

[jason4024]

I have enjoyed your TR to the fullest!! It has me ready to make more plans to go back real soon!

Thanks for reading. I was beginning to think my TR was dead beacuse of no views, but you kept it kicking for a few more days. I am trying to figure out a way to spend a few nights in HHI at the Disney DVC, on our way to my cousins wedding. Keeping my hopes up!