We Took The Princess To See Her Castle! *Updated 9/23*

[dizney chick]

Now that I have been home a little more then a week I am finally sitting down to start my trip report. If you didn’t follow my pre trip report here’s a link.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2751653

So here goes …. August 31st

I would love to say that I woke up to this day fully packed and ready to go, but I’ll be honest and admit that I hadn’t fully packed and had several things still to do on my to do list. The moment the alarm went off at 5:30 I was off and running. DH didn’t want to jump up and go. But DH being the supportive hubby he is got up with me at 5:30 on his first day off of work. It’s not like vacations are for sleeping. DH took the van to get it vacuumed out and washed. I didn’t want to load up my dirty van for the drive to the airport. Thankfully DH knows me well and didn’t fight me. I got the boys up and ready for school. Once we had the boys off to school, we took off on our errands. I still had to mail the 35 welcome to Sunday School cards that I had made the day before (might be the reason my packing wasn’t finished).

I also had to swing by church and hang the 30 some cubby tags I had hand made. I thought hanging the tags would take like ten minutes. Well the forces were not with me. It took more like 30 minutes since the cubbies had been painted with some kind of paint that tape wouldn’t adhere to. Thankfully another teacher offered up some Velcro and we were on our way.

We headed out to Sams to pick up a few things. While we were there we picked up some lunch. By the time we got back home it was 1:00. That gave me 2 hours to finish up packing before the boys would be home from school. Nothing like cutting it close. I ran around like a mad woman packing and DSMIL and DFIL showed up right on time at 3:00. DH had gone to pick up the boys and we waited FOREVER for him to come back. Ok I am completely exatrating but it felt like it. You know how it feels when your waiting to start your vacation.

Once the boys were home we headed to Raleigh for the evening. A few minutes into our car ride I realized that I neglected to give DD a nap. Whoops! I threw her a blanket and crossed my fingers. Here’s a few shots of the kiddos on the van ride.

Once in Raleigh we made a pit stop at our Credit Union for the boys to get their change counted. You may be wondering why we traveled over an hour before stopping at the bank. Well the funny thing is that it’s the closest branch. DH used to work in Raleigh and when he got a new job in Greensboro, we never bothered to change banks. With direct deposit, we really don’t need to go to the bank. Here they are getting ready to get there money counted.

They left with a grand total of 132.00 each. I couldn’t believe they had saved the same amount . Weird!!
With that piece of business done we headed to the mall to do some shopping at the Disney Store. I still had 70.00 of free gift cards to spend from the Sams gift card deal.. We found the mall no problem. The boys insited we take a quick peek in the lego store. About two seconds after we entered the Disney Store DD started falling apart. Man, if only I had remembered that oh so important nap. After a few minutes I realized that their was no consoling DD I took her for a walk around the mall.

DH ended up buying all the kiddos metal water bottles, a little mermaid doll, and a coffee mug for himself. We still have about 40.00 left in cards..
Next up on our itenary was to eat dinner in the food court. I figure why not eat cheap one meal at least. DS10 got some good old Chinese Food, DS6 and DD had Happy Meals, wow, exciting I know. DH and I settled for some good old Moes. We found a seat with DSMIL and DFIL to scarf down our meals. Once DD had some food in her she was all smile again. Thank goodness. After DSMIL bought everyone a cookie we were off to the hotel for a good night sleep.

We arrived at our hotel at about 8:15. This was my first experience staying at a Hyatt Place Hotel. But let me tell you it won’t be my last. We had scored 2 rooms for 73.00 each with tax on hotwire and it was a bargin for the rooms we got. The room had 2 queen beds, wet bar, desk area and an awesome sectional sofa. If only Disney rooms were so spacious. Here are a few pics sorry they aren’t the greatest.

I pulled out the suitcase I had packed just for this night and within an hour we were all tucked in for the night. Well at least we were. DSMIL and DFIL are night owls and had a hard time going to bed early. Believe it or not, DD was asleep within 10 minutes of this picture.

The things I learned from the day for the future were.

1. Don’t forget DD’s nap
2. I really like having a separate overnight bag so we don’t have to touch our trip luggage.

Highlight of the day :
Watching the boys get their money counted at the bank. It was so neat watching their hard work pay off. DS10 has already started saving for our next trip.

Up next, we finally make it to "home".

 

[GinnyBear's_mom]

I'm in for the TR We're leaving in just a few weeks for our first MNSSHP with DD1 (3 yrs) and DD2 (3 months). Can't wait to see how your trip went as I'm sure we'll be taking our little princess to the same places you took yours!

 

[RooRach0906]

I think I am first Wooohoooo!!! Well, second good enough. Looking forward to reading more.

 

[teekathepony]

I'm in! Your boys must have been very disciplined to save that much! I've been saving change for a year and only managed $30!
Looks like a great start!

 

[okw19]

I'm glad you found the time to start writing! It's so funny to read about Greensboro and Raleigh's Crabtree Mall. I keep forgetting that we live in the same city! I think I'm going to take DD's piggy bank to our credit union and get the coins counted before our trip. Great idea!

 

[lbuzz52]

nice start! your kids are so cute! I love that you mentioned the things you "learned" that day.

 

[dizney chick]

I'm in for the TR We're leaving in just a few weeks for our first MNSSHP with DD1 (3 yrs) and DD2 (3 months). Can't wait to see how your trip went as I'm sure we'll be taking our little princess to the same places you took yours!

I am so excited for you I think DD liked it more than I could have have ever imagined. She was in total love with the princesses. I had so much fun just watching her

I think I am first Wooohoooo!!! Well, second good enough. Looking forward to reading more.

Welcome So glad your here.

I'm in! Your boys must have been very disciplined to save that much! I've been saving change for a year and only managed $30!
Looks like a great start!

Thanks for joining in! My kids did alot of chores over the past year for that cash(a quarter at a time) and their Nana chipped in $20 a piece too! DS10 came straight home and wanted to start saving again. He really enjoyed watching his stash grow.

I'm glad you found the time to start writing! It's so funny to read about Greensboro and Raleigh's Crabtree Mall. I keep forgetting that we live in the same city! I think I'm going to take DD's piggy bank to our credit union and get the coins counted before our trip. Great idea!

It is really neat to find somebody who lives so close by on the Dis. Maybe we could meet up for a playdate someday

nice start! your kids are so cute! I love that you mentioned the things you "learned" that day.

Thanks so much for joining along One thing I know for sure is that I never stop learning

 

[dizney chick]

I slept really well with dreams of Mickey and Dole whips dancing around in my head. I slept so well that I got up at 4 am with ease (totally not me). I tipped toed around our barely lit room and got ready. At 4:15 am I woke up DS10 and gave him his morning meds. It was only an hour earlier than his normal wake up time so it was no biggie. It was important for me to wake him up 30 minutes before the other kids so that his meds had a chance to kick in. He can’t handle any interactions without meds. He also has verbal ticks that disappear when the meds kick in. Because of this I had to cross my fingers that he didn’t wake anyone up. Our normal routine in hotels is for him to sit and play his DSi in the bathroom. Unfortunately DH was already taking a shower in the only bathroom. But DS10 did great. In no time he was asking for his clothes to change into (his morning signal that his meds are working). Once DS10 was dressing I woke up the DS6 and DD. Everyone changed and we were in the hotel lobby by 5:00am. Our shuttle wasn’t scheduled to leave till 5:30am. I handed the kids their really well balanced breakfast of Poptarts lol, in which they scarfed down.

DH retrieved our luggage from the van. After many trips of under packing, I think I actually over packed this time. This is also the first trip we didn’t forget one thing. Last time I left DH’s glasses on the nightstand. Whoops! Thank God my sister over-nighted them to us. Anyways, we ended up with 1 large suitcase, 4 carryon bags, 1 weekender duffel, 4 backpacks, my Disney tote, a stroller and a messenger bag. We had planned on checking 2 bags, 3 tops . But upon seeing our mountain of stuff I started panicking about getting the kids and all this stuff through security (we also had 2 laptops that would have to be taken out). Not to mention we were going have to lug all the stuff around. I started to worry about one of the kids forgetting their bag at the gate or something. I love to worry. After a few minutes I decided to check 4 bags and the stroller too. Did I mention DD does not like to hold hands? But, I knew if we checked the stroller I wouldn’t have to fold it up and send it through the x-ray machine. I had enough to deal with. Thankfully we have a stroller bag to keep our stroller clean. Last trip, I gate checked our red McClaren stroller and it got filthy (lesson learned last trip: always carry a stroller bag). I HATE to pay for checking bags but at least you can check the stroller for free.

The shuttle arrived at 5:10am and quickly started loading up the luggage. We were on our way to the airport by 5:20am. I love, love, LOVE running on time. After a quick stop at the sky cap we were off to security.

At RDU you never know how long it’s going to take, unlike at our local airport, PTI. At PTI we have never waited more than five minutes, ten minutes max. My DH has flown from there hundreds of times. But in exchange for the easy airport the tickets are more expensive and there are almost no direct flights. With our family we’ll just be patient at RDU.

This morning, there was hardly a line. It took about ten minutes for it to be our turn.

DH and I work really well together. DH opened the computers and put his stuff in trays while the kids took off their shoes and put them in a tray. I always put them in crocs so they can slip them off easily. But I also made sure they had on socks, stylish I know, but I can’t bare thinking of them walking barefoot on that nasty floor. After DH went through I sent the kiddos through while I worked like a machine to get our backpacks and remaining carry-ons through the x-ray. The kiddos did great and it went quickly without a hitch. But for poor DSMIL it didn’t go so easily. First off she got selected for the full body scan which she handled like a champ. But I forgot to tell her to take her computer out of her bag. So security snatched it, made sure it turned on, an resent it through the x-ray. I felt bad for DSMIL but she was in an awesome mood and nothing was going to ruin that.

After security we quickly found our gate and settled in. We had a good 30 minutes before we could board.

I bought myself a soda and DD some juice (ok sports drink, so it wouldn’t need to stay cold) for her sippy cup. Everyone took turns going to the potty and I decided it was time to break out the Mickey Ears and lanyards. Of course DD wanted a pair, which of course she didn’t have yet. I offered DS6 his but he didn’t want to wear his. So Tada!! A pair for DD to wear.

Like life is ever that easy. When DS6 saw DD had his ears he demanded them back. Well DD refused which led him to try to forcibly remove them. This all happened while I was explaining to DS10 that he was going to have to sit with a stranger on the plane. He was not happy and demanded to sit with me. By the time we lined up to board, all three kiddos were unhappy and on their way to the happiest place on earth. (On a side note, at least it was fair because everyone was unhappy, so I did do my job)

Thankfully by the time we boarded everyone had forgotten they were upset. All the kids (and big kids aka DSMIL) got a pair of wings and they were thrilled. So glad it doesn’t take much.

DD sat with DH, DSMIL and DFIL sat across from them, DS6 sat with me and DS10 sat across from me.

Once the door closed, DS10 realized the seat next to him was empty. He happily slid over to the window seat so he could look out the window.

I handed out lollipops to control any pain from air pressure. Another lesson learned from past trips. DD did great. I think she really enjoyed her time with DH.

 

[dizney chick]

DS6 did his daily reading. I didn’t say he was thrilled about it, but at least it was out of the way for the day. Then he got out his “Guide To The Magic” book and happily started journaling his trip. (More about the book later).

DS10 played on his DSI and worked a little on his sticker book.

Before I knew it we landed. The pilot announced that we had arrived 30 minutes early. That made me smile. In a few short minutes we were on our way to the magical express.

So far that day I learned:

• That sometimes there is no way to make the kids happy and they have to suck it up.
• That getting everyone up that early really wasn’t that hard

My highlights so far :

• Listening to DH and DD talk to each other from the seats behind me so cute.
• Listening to DS6 “plan” what he wanted to do at Magic Kingdom on the plane.

Next up ,will our room be ready?

 

[okw19]

Yay for departure morning! I love being on time too, and I spy DD's pink suitcase.
I know what you mean about PTI. Tickets are way too expensive there. We always fly out of RDU when going somewhere. Although have you seen the Allegiant Air deals out of PTI? They fly to Sanford, FL which I think is only about 30 minutes from Orlando. You can get ridiculously cheap flights through them but they only fly out two or three days a week and normally pretty early. But for $30 one-way I would try it!
DS6's book looks cool! Can't wait to hear more about it.
The pics of MCO remind me of how pretty and nice it is compared to PTI and RDU.
Great update!

 

[dizney chick]

Yay for departure morning! I love being on time too, and I spy DD's pink suitcase.
I know what you mean about PTI. Tickets are way too expensive there. We always fly out of RDU when going somewhere. Although have you seen the Allegiant Air deals out of PTI? They fly to Sanford, FL which I think is only about 30 minutes from Orlando. You can get ridiculously cheap flights through them but they only fly out two or three days a week and normally pretty early. But for $30 one-way I would try it!
DS6's book looks cool! Can't wait to hear more about it.
The pics of MCO remind me of how pretty and nice it is compared to PTI and RDU.
Great update!

Ha Ha! DD"s suitcase is pretty hard to miss.

I have looked looked into flying Allegiant Air. But they can kill you in fees. We would have to rent a car. And lastly if a flight is canceled you may be SOL. But with the cheap prices we have considered it. Man, what I won't do to say a buck

 

[dizney chick]

When I left off, we were getting ready to get on the magical express.

We were boarded on the Magical Express quite quickly. Although once we boarded it was almost 30 minutes before we headed off.

I got chills, as I always do, when I saw the “Walt Disney World” sign. Our first stop was the Carribean Beach Resort followed by Jambo House and finally Kindaini Village. I must admit the stops at the other resorts were done quickly. By the time we were at the checkin desk, it was almost 11:00am. Not bad considering we were in NC at 7:00am that morning. DH and DFIL went to check in (we did do online checkin) and to see if our rooms were ready.

While the men were busy, the kids and I checked out the lobby. A very nice Cast Member gave DD a TON of stickers, a coloring book, and crayons.

The boys got right to work pen trading with a DVC sales person. Pin trading would become a much bigger part of our trip then I had ever imagined. The guys finally came and found us. It turns out that the side by side rooms that we had been assigned we not ready. Oh well, but wait, they had two rooms that were a couple of rooms apart that were ready to go. I held my breath waiting to hear their location, Fifth floor right by the elevator that leads to the lobby. Major score, with DSMIL’s MS I had feared a long walk to the bus stop every day. Especially after reading a few trip reports with stories of distant rooms. We were put in room 7901 first room off the elevator. And DSMIL and DFIL were just a couple of doors down. Yay, we would be able to get good use of the refillable cups. It was 11:30 am when we got up to our room. Here are a few pictures.

I had been concerned about having enough room for the pack n play to be set up. So the first thing we did was set it up. It fit perfectly in front of the adjoining room door, another yay! I was really feeling the magic. I tend to stress over the smallest of details.

We were all starved. The grown-ups had skipped breakfast and the cookies on the plane weren’t cutting it. We had lunch ADR’s for Crystal Palace but they weren’t till 1:00. Normally I can be patient and wait to eat, but not that day. There was no way I wanted to wait an hour and a half to eat. So we set off to Jambo House to try Mara. When we went to the lobby we were told to wait out front for a shuttle to take us to Jambo House. Within five minutes a van showed up to take us to Jambo.

Up next, lunch at Mara.

 

[melmar136]

Following you over from our TR. DD was yelling, "hey, there's our room!" while reading. It really WAS a good location!

Can't wait to read more.

 

[cgerdon02]

Enjoyed your PTR and now your TR!! Looking forward to more!

 

[MelMel11]

Count me in!!! Cant wait to hear more..

 

[dizney chick]

When I last left off we were headed to lunch at Mara’s.

Once inside the beautiful Jambo House it didn’t take very long to find Mara’s. DH selected the Chicken Flatbread (8.79)

It was ok but nothing special. The crust was tough and for the price he would not order it again. On a good note, the corn on the flatbread was a nice touch. I ordered an Angus Burger with fries (8.79)to share with DD.

All I can say is it was a burger and it lived up to that. I am sure it’s the same burger being sold everywhere is Disney. DD and I did enjoy it. I really liked the fixing bar since I like the condiments more than the burger itself.

The boys ordered their usual Mac and Cheese (10.98 for 2)

The boys seemed to enjoy their food although they were more into the TV in the corner of the room. That was fine with me because they for the time being were entertained. We bought two refillable mugs (28.98 for 2) and that brought our total to 56.91. My overall opinion on Mara’s is it was OK but they didn’t have very many choices.

With our bellies full, the kids took a few minutes to play the drums outside of Boma’s.

When we went back to the front to get a ride back to Kidiani we found a line waiting. Knowing that it would take a couple trips for us all to get back, DH, the kids and I decided to walk. We left DSMIL and DFIL to take the van. The walk we not bad at all, we actually enjoyed it. Upon returning to Kidiani we found DFIL and DSMIL stuffing animal feeders. So of course the kids joined right in. When they finished they were offered everyone a little charm that went on a hemp cord. You get one for every activity you do and after 5 activities you can a special one for the end of the cord.

Once the feeders were done I took DD back to the room for a nap and boys went for a swim. Thankfully I had packed all the swimsuits in our carryon luggage. When I laid DD in the pack in play I noticed a problem. DD has gone through a growth spurt and no longer could lay out straight. DD didn’t care and after screaming for 5 minutes, she went fast asleep. Around 3:30 pm our luggage arrived. I got it in without waking DD and started unpacking. The boys got back from the pool a little after 4:00. Everyone got dressed for dinner and met up with DSMIL and DFIL for dinner. I had walked into DSMIL’s room to talk for a second, when I came back around the corner DH and DD were in the hall waiting for me. But there was no stroller in sight. When I inquired about its where about DH told me that DD didn’t want it. We were planning on going to DTD after dinner. Remember I mentioned DD doesn’t like to hold hands. I informed DH that I really didn’t care what my 2 year old wanted. He went back to retrieve the stroller. DH is a great dad but when it comes to DD he melts. He is putty in her hands. In the past few weeks he has gotten a little better about being firm with her.

We arrived at 4:55 for our 5:00 ADR for Boma’s. After getting a pager, DSMIL informed us that although she didn’t mind eating with us she wasn’t actually hungry. I wasn’t actually hungry either. I asked DH if he was really hungry. He said no but he could eat anyway. I decided not to waste our money and skipped dinner. We handed in our pager as they were getting ready to seat us. I felt bad, but why waste the money? And a lot of money at that.
We hopped the next bus to DTD.

Up next Downtown Disney and is that rain I feel?

 

[dizney chick]

Following you over from our TR. DD was yelling, "hey, there's our room!" while reading. It really WAS a good location!

Can't wait to read more.

Welcome and to answer your question from your thread, no we didn't notice any TV problems. Not that we watched much

Enjoyed your PTR and now your TR!! Looking forward to more!

Thank you and Welcome.

Count me in!!! Cant wait to hear more..

Thanks for joining in

 

[lbuzz52]

your airport waiting area sounds exactly like my house... no kid wants something until another one has it.
we also found out on our last trip that ds had to sleep diagonally in the pack n play.
can't wait to hear what you do at DTD