Well, this trip was....different. UPDATE - 9/1!

[petals]

luvin the update. You broke the no pictures rule on cat in the hat but I'm glad you did because most of mine came out blurry on that

 

[shan23877]

What gorgeous colors at Seuss Landing! I think that area looks so amazing. Maddie and I love Dr. Seuss books too- I bet she'd love it there. Bryan and I haven't been to US since our honeymoon. We'll have to make getting back there a priority one of these days.

How have you been? I feel like I'm never on the DIS anymore. Makes me sad. Darn life getting in the way.

 

[fi46re129]

Great update. I also enjoyed Ed's update on the run!


I LOVE surprise trips! We never let Nicholas know we are going. We deny it for as long as manly possible ( even after we ride the monorail in the MCO airport) bahahaha. It definitely adds something to the trip. Although now that he is 8 and reading like a mad man pulling it off next year is going to be hard!

 

[pas130]

Love Dr. Seuss land Amanda!!

 

[hstrickland]

Hi there!

Since we're out of school this week, I finally had time to catch up! So glad you and Ed both conquered the runs! Good for y'all!!! Even though you didn't do as well as you had hoped, it's still an accomplishment...most people will never run a 5k and certainly not a 10 miler. Maybe Ed can do one of the Halfs at Disney (and secretly, that would get you back to Disney ) I wish I could run again but the knees won't allow it. Fortunately, DS11 is taking up the sport...he's running cross country at school.

Y'all really got some great shots! Love looking at the pictures!! MNSSHP is awesome, isn't it?! And I totally agree with you...the parade is the best! The music alone grabs your attention. Your costumes are perfect!! You've given me an idea for my family Bill would go for that without any complaints. I'm thinking Faith could be Tinkerbell.

Glad OKW didn't disappoint! I've always been skeptical, too. It seems so far removed from everything....however I know it's not....just my perception. If it's not 100 feet within the MK, I'm skeptical As my husband tells me..."You're RIDICULOUS". In all honesty, I have to stay there one day to complete my "I have stayed in every resort" list

So glad yall had a great time! Look forward to reading more!!
Heather

 

[afwdwfan]

I've never done anything other than walk through/past Seuss Landing. I guess that will all be changing in a couple of weeks. I've always thought it seemed to be a well themed area and I'm sure DS will love it.

Thanks for the heads up about the song on the One Fish, Two Fish ride.

 

[CandleontheWater]

I only vaugely remember Seuss landing from our one and only trip to IoA, so I'm really enjoying your photographic tour!

Looks like a super fun place for the kiddos! I'll be interested to see how the rest of your day went, we're toying with maybe going over for a day in April, since they are offering free tickets to military members, but I wasn't sure if there would be enough to do for DS to justify buying a ticket for me and Everett. Maybe I'll just send DH over for a morning, because I know he'd LOVE HP land. Decisions, decisions.

 

[marDgreen88]

I know next to nothing about Universal, but I've always been a major Dr. Seuss fan! Seuss Landing looks so cute! I wish Truffula trees were real!

 

[merbobear]

Oh! I am glad you went to Universal just so I could read all about it! My dd will be 5 in January and we have contemplated what is the "right" age to lose a couple Disney days in favor of checking out US & IOA. We have both been to Universal, dh has been to IOA but dd has been to neither. Looks like she would have plenty to amuse herself at her age right now!

 

[MEK]

Very nice that you are already planning for next october. I'll keep my fingers crossed that your timeshare to DVC switch comes through. If you do end up staying at the Boardwalk, you will love it for F&W access. Love that place!

Can't see pics right now. I didn't know you were going to IOA. Fun. Sounds like you are off to a good start for your morning. I shall return to see the pics!

 

[amandaw]

luvin the update. You broke the no pictures rule on cat in the hat but I'm glad you did because most of mine came out blurry on that

They didn't seem to mind that I was going to take pictures. They saw me setting up my camera's settings while we were sitting in the car ready to take off. I guess as long as I didn't use my flash they were ok with it.

What gorgeous colors at Seuss Landing! I think that area looks so amazing. Maddie and I love Dr. Seuss books too- I bet she'd love it there. Bryan and I haven't been to US since our honeymoon. We'll have to make getting back there a priority one of these days.

I love how vibrant Seuss Landing is! Maddie would probably enjoy that area. I don't know when we'll go back to either of the US parks. There are some things for Reid right now but it still isn't a full day park for him.

How have you been? I feel like I'm never on the DIS anymore. Makes me sad. Darn life getting in the way.

UGH - we have been so ridiculously busy. And there is just no end in sight. Well, maybe come January everything will slow down. I sure hope so at least. Everything is good just busy, busy busy. How about y'all?

I don't get on here every night or day like I used to. It makes me sad, too. Sometimes, I feel like I can barely keep up with my subscribed threads.

And I hate that I'm hardly on at the same times as you and Roni anymore. Miss all of chit-chatting!! Guess we really do need to schedule a girls trip so we can catch up!

Great update. I also enjoyed Ed's update on the run!

Thank you!!

I LOVE surprise trips! We never let Nicholas know we are going. We deny it for as long as manly possible ( even after we ride the monorail in the MCO airport) bahahaha. It definitely adds something to the trip. Although now that he is 8 and reading like a mad man pulling it off next year is going to be hard!

I hope I can do it! I can definitely see where the secret would be harder to keep as they get older. I just hope everything pans out like I'm thinking it will and that we'll get in an extra trip.

Love Dr. Seuss land Amanda!!

Thanks! That area is so fun, right?

Hi there!

Hi! So good to see you here!

Since we're out of school this week, I finally had time to catch up! So glad you and Ed both conquered the runs! Good for y'all!!! Even though you didn't do as well as you had hoped, it's still an accomplishment...most people will never run a 5k and certainly not a 10 miler. Maybe Ed can do one of the Halfs at Disney (and secretly, that would get you back to Disney ) I wish I could run again but the knees won't allow it. Fortunately, DS11 is taking up the sport...he's running cross country at school.

Thanks! I was definitely proud of us for completing our runs. Now, we just need to really get back into it. We've just been unbelievably busy.

That's great that he's taken up running! Such a good sport....especially if you can get into it when you're young.

Y'all really got some great shots! Love looking at the pictures!! MNSSHP is awesome, isn't it?! And I totally agree with you...the parade is the best! The music alone grabs your attention. Your costumes are perfect!! You've given me an idea for my family Bill would go for that without any complaints. I'm thinking Faith could be Tinkerbell.

Thanks! Glad I could help with ideas for your family! They really ended up being pretty easy and comfortable costumes for all of us.

MNSSHP is so fantastic! I really hope we do get to go back next October so that we can go to the party again.

Glad OKW didn't disappoint! I've always been skeptical, too. It seems so far removed from everything....however I know it's not....just my perception. If it's not 100 feet within the MK, I'm skeptical As my husband tells me..."You're RIDICULOUS". In all honesty, I have to stay there one day to complete my "I have stayed in every resort" list

It really wasn't bad with having our car. We drove pretty much everywhere because it ended up seeming quicker and easier than the buses. We only took 1 Disney bus the whole time. I would definitely stay there again. I'm not saying it'll ever be my favorite resort but it was nice. I actually preferred it over Beach Club.

So glad yall had a great time! Look forward to reading more!!
Heather

We really were having fun!

 

[amandaw]

I've never done anything other than walk through/past Seuss Landing. I guess that will all be changing in a couple of weeks. I've always thought it seemed to be a well themed area and I'm sure DS will love it.

Yep....that will definitely change for you. It takes all I have to get Reid out of there. Your DS is going to have so much fun in that area.

Thanks for the heads up about the song on the One Fish, Two Fish ride.

Make sure you pay attention....you don't want to look like the couple who rode with Ed and Reid. They were soaked!

I only vaugely remember Seuss landing from our one and only trip to IoA, so I'm really enjoying your photographic tour!

Thanks! It really is a fun area...especially for little ones!

Looks like a super fun place for the kiddos! I'll be interested to see how the rest of your day went, we're toying with maybe going over for a day in April, since they are offering free tickets to military members, but I wasn't sure if there would be enough to do for DS to justify buying a ticket for me and Everett. Maybe I'll just send DH over for a morning, because I know he'd LOVE HP land. Decisions, decisions.

If the tickets are free....I say go for it! We didn't spend a whole day there but still felt like we did all we wanted to do. Everett will love Seuss Landing. And he may enjoy getting to see the other areas. Does he like superheroes yet? They have lots of them out to meet. And your DH will love the theming of the HP area. They did a great job....just wish it was bigger.

I know next to nothing about Universal, but I've always been a major Dr. Seuss fan! Seuss Landing looks so cute! I wish Truffula trees were real!

I know! I want a Truffula tree! I just imagine how soft they must be.

Oh! I am glad you went to Universal just so I could read all about it! My dd will be 5 in January and we have contemplated what is the "right" age to lose a couple Disney days in favor of checking out US & IOA. We have both been to Universal, dh has been to IOA but dd has been to neither. Looks like she would have plenty to amuse herself at her age right now!

She'll definitely have plenty with Seuss Landing. She could also ride the Spiderman ride, though I don't know if she'd have any interest in that. Does she know anything about Harry Potter? That area is really well-themed and fun to explore. At this point, IoA is not a full day park for us with our son. We all have fun but there isn't enough to keep us there all day with him.

Very nice that you are already planning for next october. I'll keep my fingers crossed that your timeshare to DVC switch comes through. If you do end up staying at the Boardwalk, you will love it for F&W access. Love that place!

Yes...please keep your fingers and toes crossed for us! I would LOVE to get into Boardwalk but I'm afraid with it being during F&W, my chances are pretty slim. If I can't get in there, I'm hoping for BLT, then WLV and then AKV. If none of those pop up, I'll try to get us into OKW or SSR.

Can't see pics right now. I didn't know you were going to IOA. Fun. Sounds like you are off to a good start for your morning. I shall return to see the pics!

We were definitely getting a lot done that morning!

 

[KatMark]

I was exhausted just reading what you are all doing this weekend.

Love the update. We never did the Dr. Seuss' area...I think the kids outgrew it by the time we went to Universal last with them. The area looks absolutely adorable, and Reid looks so very happy to be there.

Happy Thanksgiving to you, Ed and Reid. Safe travels.

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

Hope your Thanksgiving was lovely... I always loved the Polar Express... how fun to be able to do the Train Ride...

An another Dis trip to look forward to... The Whole Halloween Season is def the time I want to go... The Parks are decorated, you have the party, Food and Wine, etc...

Seuss Landing looks like fun... the Dr. Seuss illustrations are larger than life in the books... I can imagine they make really fun settings in a park... your pictures prove that out...

(We're going to be there next summer... I definitely want to check that out...

 

[pas130]

Hope you, Ed and Reid had a wonderful weekend! I can't wait for the PTR for the surprise Halloween trip

 

[annmarieda]

We went to Seuss land once... What a fun area! I love your pics!


I hope your weekend is a good one! Sounds like a lot of fun

 

[amandaw]

I was exhausted just reading what you are all doing this weekend.

Love the update. We never did the Dr. Seuss' area...I think the kids outgrew it by the time we went to Universal last with them. The area looks absolutely adorable, and Reid looks so very happy to be there.

Happy Thanksgiving to you, Ed and Reid. Safe travels.

It was an exhausting but fun weekend for sure! I'm going to try do a little mini-TR about the resort we went to because it was great!

Thanks! We love Seuss Landing! It such a fun, lively place.

Thanks you! I hope y'all had a Happy Thanksgiving as well!

Hope your Thanksgiving was lovely... I always loved the Polar Express... how fun to be able to do the Train Ride...

An another Dis trip to look forward to... The Whole Halloween Season is def the time I want to go... The Parks are decorated, you have the party, Food and Wine, etc...

Seuss Landing looks like fun... the Dr. Seuss illustrations are larger than life in the books... I can imagine they make really fun settings in a park... your pictures prove that out...

(We're going to be there next summer... I definitely want to check that out...

We had so much fun this weekend. Reid enjoyed the train ride and he got to see Santa!

I'm really excited about the surprise trip for next fall. I hope everything works out for it.

Seuss Landing is definitely a lot of fun to check out. It's just so vibrant!

Hope you, Ed and Reid had a wonderful weekend! I can't wait for the PTR for the surprise Halloween trip

Thank you!! Hope y'all had a Happy Thanksgiving as well!

We went to Seuss land once... What a fun area! I love your pics!


I hope your weekend is a good one! Sounds like a lot of fun

Thank you! We really enjoy Suess Landing!

We had a fantastic weekend! I can't wait to share some of it with y'all. I will try to do a little update about it tonight.

 

[amandaw]

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving holiday. We had lunch with some family at my mom’s house on Thursday. Then we hit the road for a short weekend getaway with my sister, her husband and their 3 kids.

We traveled pretty much all night and headed to our destination: Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, Texas. The trip was so much fun that I thought I would do a little update to share with y’all.

The resort is really big and has a Wilderness Lodge vibe to it. There are regular rooms and then there are 3 different types of themed suites: The Wolf Den, The Kid Kabin and The Kid Kamp. We went with the Kid Kamp. The room was very spacious and so cute! You walk in and have your bathroom to one side and across from that is a vanity and then additional counter space with a microwave and a mini-fridge. Past that is the main bedroom area with a dresser, table, couch and full size bed. But, the best part of the room is the kid area. It is across from the vanity & kitchenette area. Here’s some pictures:















Looking out of our window, we could see the outdoor pool area:



In the lobby, they have a little animatronic show. It tells a story during the day and a bedtime story at night. We made it to a morning show.



There’s so much at this resort: a buffet, a cafe, a sweet shop, a Pizza Hut Express, a Starbucks and a souvenir shop. In addition to that there is an area for kids to make their own fuzzy friend (like build a bear) and an arcade. But, there were 2 things Reid loved the most.

First is a game at the resort called MagiQuest. You buy a wand for your kid (they can customize it) and you pay an initial fee for the game. Basically, you go on missions around the resort looking for things like magic chests, books, paintings, etc. When you point your wand at them, they do stuff. It was really fun. Reid already wants to go back to play more.





The other thing Reid really, really loved is the indoor water park. This space was fantastic and is included in the price of your stay there. It has a few water slides for older kids, a lazy river, a wave pool, a kids pool/splash area with 2 smaller slides and a large area you can explore and it has 2 medium slides (even Reid could do those).













Even though the resort was tons of fun, we did venture out a bit. The first night we went to the Gaylord Texan hotel to go see the Ice Sculpture exhibit. It was Madagascar themed and very cute. And very cold! Thankfully, they give you big huge coats to put on to go in there.









And there were slides set up like snow tubing. All of the boys did this for a little while and had lots of fun.



The other fun outing we had was riding on the North Pole Express. Now, I won’t lie, this is the only thing that was kind of a let down. It was okay but the experience was a bit lacking. But, Santa showed up on the train so that kind of saved the night!







Overall, it was a great holiday getaway. We had so much fun at Great Wolf Lodge and would highly recommend it to anyone. I’m sure we’ll be back in the future. The resort has the following locations:

Charlotte/Concord, NC
Cincinnati/Mason, OH
Grand Mound, WA
Grapevine, TX
Kansas City, KS
Niagara Falls, Ontario
Pocono Mountains, PA
Sandusky, OH
Traverse City, MI
Williamsburg, VA
Wisconsin Dells, WI

One more note about this resort that kind of relates to Disney. Upon check-in, everyone receives wrist bands. Reid’s band only allowed him entry to the waterpark. However, mine and Ed’s wristbands had RFID chips in them. So, they allowed us into the waterpark, unlocked our room door and allowed us to charge stuff to our room. I believe this is the system Disney is supposedly going to sometime soon.

Let me say that we loved it! It was so nice not having to carry anything with you. And after the first day, I hardly noticed it on my wrist. My only concern, when it comes to Disney, is how it will affect how we will gather FP’s for our family. Will the days of taking everyone’s tickets to go get FP’s for a ride while others do something else be gone? I guess only time will tell.

Anyway, I appreciate y’all allowing me to divert this TR from Disney to take y’all on a side trip. I will try to be back tomorrow night with an update to our Disney trip!

 

[jennyjinx3]

Wow, you know I have never thought of going to Great Wolf Lodge. We do have one near us (about 1 hour) and now I am thinking it looks great! What an amazing job on the kids part of your room! Reid looks like he had so much fun!

 

[KatMark]

We've been to the Great Wolf Lodge in Wisconsin (and part of reason WL at Disney holds no interest for me) and it was spectacular. You can certainly see that Reid is having a grand time....that smile of his is contagious.