We're BAAAAAACK! WHEW!

[kelmac284]

mom, 1 granny and 2 kids hit the world

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

Well I will first introduce myself and say that I have been a part of the Dis boards for about 5 years now. I first came to these boards when planning my 2nd trip to the world in 2005.

My name is Kelly and I am 43 and married to Shane 37 and we have two daughters Katy 10 (11 in December) and Shelby 9. We live in Northern CA and are frequent visitors to the orig Dland park in SoCal. In fact I have been a Deluxe AP holder since 2006.

I took my first trip to Disneyland at the age of 8 and have since taken so many trips back that I don't even know how many there have been. And it was during the planning for one of those trips that we decided to venture to the "world". I had my two daughters in 1999 and 2001 and during that period we did not take any trips. Or I should say we took ONE trip when my daughter Katy was about 10 months old and right around that time I found out I was pg with my youngest and ended up going to DL while I was about 3 months pg. I had horrible morning sickness so it wasn't my best trip LOL.

After that we didn't take ANY trips again for awhile while the girls were babies until Katy was a little over 2 and Shelby was just about 1. We decided that they were finally old enough to venture back and it was at that time that I received a fax talking about a cheap trip to Disney World.

Upon further investigation I found that it was really a cleverly disguised ad for a timeshare but when we started to investigate we found really cheap airfare and my husband was in the military at the time so we were able to secure a room at Shades of Green and get discounted tickets through the military as well.

So we were off in May of 2002 for a week. It was our first ever trip and we were newbies but we had a wonderful time. Shades of Green, as it turned out, was under rehab so they switched us to the contemporary which we loved being that it was right on the monorail. We used Disney transportation and never left the property the entire time. We had a GREAT time and before we even left we vowed that we would be back in about 5 years or so when the kids were older and could go on more rides.

Well as luck would have it we were able to come back sooner and planned a trip for Oct/Nov of 2005. That is what brought me to this site and that was the first trip that I used the Dis boards to really ask questions and really plan things out. I honestly can't even remember if we had made priority seatings for the first trip or not but for the 2nd we planned everything to the T. We were going to be there 2 whole weeks and THIS time we were staying in my mom's timeshare. We were also planning a day at Universal, Cape Canaveral and a day to visit relatives in Tampa. So much more on our plates.

Then wouldn't you know it fate stepped in and Hurricane Wilma came calling. Talk about stress. Up until a few days before the trip we didn't know if it was even going to happen! We had mad alternate hotel reservations and considered moving our trip both up and back but in the end the airlines said they wouldn't cancel the flights until the actual hurricane hit and we decided to just take our chances. Luckily the day we flew it was fine although the storms were starting to come in and as we were landing in Orlando there were thunder clouds and we had to circle around for an extra 1/2 hour because of lightening. Then when we finally landed there was a mass exodus of people trying to get OUT and we were the only idiots trying to come IN!

Anyway we finally made it and the hurricane hit on Monday and we only lost part of one day. We had a WONDERFUL time with low crowds, GREAT weather and we got to try Universal, see Cape Canaveral and visit with family. It was a GREAT trip!!

Then our most recent trip was in November of 2008 when we went over Thanksgiving week. THIS was a bit more interesting in that we went at a VERY busy time. The pros were that we got to see a lot of the christmas decorations, got to go to the Mickey's Christmas party, see the Osborne lights and the Holidays around the world as well as the Candlight Procession but the Con's were that it was VERY crowded and luckily I had the trip well planned out because had I not called at exactly 180 days out for my ADR's I doubt we would have had ANY dinning ressies.

We truly enjoyed all the holiday offerings although I preferred the Candlight Procession in Disneyland to the one in Disney World and our Mickey's Christmas Party got rained out so that was a dissapointment but otherwise we had a really good time despite the crowds.

Now what has brought me to THIS particular trip...As I had mentioned after the last couple of trips we knew that we were def coming back in 3 years but after the 08 trip it was the first time we had NO immediate plans of coming back.

We KNEW we would be back eventually but we thought we would like to try some other trips to possibly Mexico, Hawaii or possibly even Europe. Unfortunately the economy being what it is that didn't happen. We have made a few trips to Disneyland and my husband and I went to New York City last summer but otherwise no real plans. Well then my mother found out that she had two weeks reserved on her timeshare that she had not booked but nonetheless she had to use them or she would lose them. We found this out over a year ago and have since been trying to figure out just what to do.

She wasn't really wanting to go back to Florida so soon and was thinking about exchanging it for a cruise or even going somewhere else but the airfare was astronomical to go most places so that was out of the question.

We have been hemming and hawing and there have been a lot of other stressful life events that have been going on that have made things hard to decide but FINALLY when I heard about the free dinning I told her that we should just go ahead and use it for that.

SOOOO that is where we are at.

About a month ago we booked a 6 night package that we are going to split up between the property and the time share.

Our plans are as follows:

We are going to leave our town approx 6 a.m. on Thursday November 11th and should arrive in Orlando around 4:30. We are staying at the Coronado Springs. We will be taking the Magical Express to the hotel and not too sure at this point what we will be doing that evening. We will probably either go to Downtown Disney and look around and eat or just hang out at our hotel and eat there.

Then on Friday the 12th we are going to MGM and since we have the free dinning we will most likely just have breakfast at the hotel, lunch at counter service somewhere in the park and our plans for dinner is Mama Melrose. Then we plan to stay for the Osborne Lights that evening.

Then on Saturday the 13th we will be going to the Magic Kingdom. Again breakfast at the hotel, counter service lunch and dinner this day will be at Tony's Town Square. We ate there last time and really enjoyed it. And yes we know that that is Italian 2 days in a row but there is really no other places at MGM that appeal to us and we really like Tony's and don't want to do Liberty Tree or Crystal Palace. SOOOO that just leaves Tony's.

Then on Sunday the 14th we will go to Epcot and do the first hour in Future World and then when World Showcase opens we will spend the entire day working our way around the "world" trying all the foods from the countries as it is the last day of the food and wine festival! I am REALLY excited about this!! We won't be using any vouchers that day as we will be just sampling the foods.

Then on Monday the 15th it is back to Magic Kingdom for the day and we will leave around 7:30 for an 8 p.m. ressie at Citrico's at Grand Floridian for our 1 sig meal. I am very anxious to try this as we have never been here!

On Tuesday the 16th we are going to Animal Kingdom and that evening will head to Animal Kingdom Lodge for our favorite place, Boma!!

And for our last day the 17th it is BACK to Epcot for Future World and most likely we will do 2 table service meals. Not sure where for lunch yet as we are still deciding but the food is SO good here we don't want to do counter service! But for dinner we are fairly certain we want to go back to Le Chefs de France! We haven't eaten there since our first trip in 02!

Then we will be checking out of the Coronado and into the timeshare that day and hopefully sometime during our stay we will have had time to swim in the pool, go to Downtown Disney and possibly check out some of the other resorts etc.

Then on Thurs the 18th we are going to Islands of Adventure to check out the new Harry Potter section and not sure again about meals that day.

Then on Friday our tentative plan is to go to Cape Canaveral again. My mom did not go with us in 05 when we went so hopefully it works out but that is up in the air at this point if we will do that.

And lastly on Saturday it is open. I am thinking we may do Downtown Disney and possibly Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique for the girls. We also would like to check out Ice at the Gaylord Palms but some of this stuff may not get firmed up till we actually get there.

Anyway those are my tentative plans for now.

For the time being I will share a few pics from our last trip for my friends who have never been.



This was at Islands of Adventure



Everest at Animal Kingdom



Tree of Life AK



Epcot



Magic Kingdom



Osborne Lights at MGM



Islands of Adventure



The British Invasion at Epcot (the "beatles")
__________________

 

[kelmac284]

This is the first time I have done a trip report on this board so I am not sure how to link to my pre-trip report and so I just copied my first post and I lost my pics from before but anyway I at least wanted my intro to start it off.

Anyway just to recap here is what our schedule ACTUALLY was since there were some changes from the orig itinerary:

On Thurs Nov 11th we left home and arrived around 4:30 EST and proceeded to our resort via Magical Express and then took the Disney Shuttle to DTD where we had dinner at Fulton's Crab House.

On Fri Nov 12th we went to DHS and had lunch at Pizza Planet via the dinning and dinner at Mama Melrose. We also saw the Osborne Lights this day.

Sat Nov 13th we went to Magic Kingdom, had lunch at Pecos Bills via dinning and left the park early and went back to our hotel. Swam in the pool and had dinner at Maya Grill via dinning.

Sun Nov 14th did Epcot all day and used snack credits to do FW and ended up having dinner at Biergarten.

Mon Nov 15th back to MK and lunch at Cosmic Rays via dinning and dinner at Narcosses.

Tues Nov 16th AK with lunch at Flame tree via dinning and dinner at Boma.

Wed Nov 17th checked out of CSR and into timeshare. Last day at Disney. Epcot today and lunch at Marakesh paid by us and dinner at Le Chefs de France via dinning.

Thurs Nov 18th IOA. Lunch at Mythos and dinner at Emmerils.

Fri Nov 19th BBB for girls lunch at Earl of Sandwhich Photo Shoot at Grand Floridian, tour of Poly and dinner at Flying Fish at Boardwalk.

Sat Nov 20th Blizzard Beach. Ate lunch there and then ICE at Gaylord Palms. Dinner at Mickey D's.

Sun Nov 21st fly home.

So that is how it actually went.

I am not one who likes to spend hours downloading pics so I will probably share a few but mostly I will just go day by day and tell what we did.

Anywho here we go...

 

[kelmac284]

DAY ONE

Thurs Nov 11th, 2010

Well the day had finally come and we got up at the butt crack of dawn as is usually required for us to get to Florida at a DECENT hour. Last time we left home at a decent hour (round noon I believe) but didn't arrive in Florida till after 11 at night and it made getting our rental car and getting to our hotel etc a real nightmare. So this was a much better plan. Never fun getting up this early BUT you can always sleep on the plane AND it is so nice to get there and actually be able to DO something and not have to go straight to bed!!

So we drug ourselves to the airport and got all checked in with Continental which was a new airline for us. Well let me tell you they have definitely cut back at THAT airline. The seats were extremely narrow and the leg room was ridiculous. Needless to say it was NOT a very comfortable flight and I was glad it was broken up!! We had an uneventful 3.5 hour flight to Houston where we got off and had a mediocre lunch and then re-boarded for our 2 hour flight to Orlando. We got off and were pleased to see the wonderful weather. It was just starting to get chilly at home so it was nice to be greeted with the high 70's lo 80's temps.

We used Magical Express for the first time and our first experience was getting to see one of the buses drive over the top of a cab who parked in the WRONG spot. Excitement already!!! After that bit of hoopla we were off and the video was started and our journey began. They dropped us at the Coronado and this was one of the hotels we had not seen before. Eventhough we had only ever stayed at the Contemporary and the Pop we had toured many of the other hotels, however we had never seen this one before and we were pleased with it. It is QUITE large however and it is quite the walk to wherever you have to go.

We got situated in our room and of course our bags had not arrived yet so we headed back out to the bus stop for Downtown Disney. We had a dinner reservation at Fulton's that we had to make so we were anxious to get going. We arrived and had some time so we stopped for the obligatory stop at World of Disney and did a bit of shopping and then made our way to Fulton's. We had seen it and mom had always wanted to try it but we had never managed to go so she was FINALLY getting her wish. We had a WONDERFUL meal of lobster and crab and we will definitely go again. We did a bit more shopping and finally were ready to call it a day.

[/IMG]

 

[kelmac284]

DAY TWO

Friday Nov 12th, 2010

Eventhough we have a 3 hour time difference I always seem to adapt very quickly and I was up right at six like I always am at home eventhough that was like 3 my time. I got up and got showered and dressed and then had to drag the rest of the crew up but we eventually made our way to the food court of the Coronado to see what the deal was. We were on the dinning plan and it does not include breakfast so we figured at least for the first day we would eat at the hotel and go from there. It turned out that it was easier to do this and we ended up eating there pretty much every day. Money wise and even food wise I probably would have preffered something else but this is where they get you kind of having you captive. That is one big difference between DW and DL. At DL you can simply walk out of your resort and have many options but here you are so spread out and the parks open a lot later so we were a captive audience LOL. None the less we tried it and it was ok. At CSR you go in and they have several stations and you take a card and they stamp it and you simply pay at the end.

The first day we tried some regular breakfast items but by the 2nd we just had some rolls and juice, trying to save cash. We did this the majority of the time with the exception of our last day when we had one quick service meal left that we used to eat with.

After partaking we headed towards the bus stop on our way to the studios. This is probably my least favorite park but it does have some of my favorite rides, that being Tower of Terror and Rockin Roller Coaster. We entered the park and proceeded with the masses back to Toy Story where we immediately went on the ride first thing having a minimal wait and then upon exiting were able to secure a fast pass. I recommend this method rather than getting a fast pass first because the line backs up quite a bit. The only drawback is by the time we were done the fast pass return time was around 1:30 and I had to wait 2 hours before being able to get my next fast pass however it didn't cause an issue because the other rides were pretty much walk ons. After Toy Story we made our way back towards ToT and stopped at the Great Movie Ride, one of our favorites. We also decided after doing THAT ride that rather than backtracking we would stop in the animation studio to see Lotso Bear. So we did that and finally made it to ToT. Mom sat that one out to make some phone calls and the girls and I rode. We then tried to go on RnRC but it was down. So the girls went on Tower again and by the time they were done RnRC was up again and we were able to go on it. They wanted to go again but I had had enough so we let them go it alone. In the meantime we tried lunch at Pizza Planet as we normally always have table service here but because of our dinning plan we are forced to have Quick Service. It was not bad and we enjoyed it. We also did the back lot tour and I have to say it was even less impressive then when I did it several years ago. Apparently they got ride of part of it when they put in the motor show and it is REALLY short and not worth it in my opinion. We had dinner at Mama Melrose which was also new to us and this too was also very good!!

After dinner it was time for the Osborne Lights. This is one of our favorites and we did this in 08. We really enjoy this and got some photos taken. After doing pretty much everthing we felt we could it was finally time to head back to the room.

We had yet another great day!

 

[heaven2dc]

Magical Express running over the top of a cab?!! That's almost funny (hope no one was hurt!). What a start to your vacation

 

[kelmac284]

Yeah it was quite the excitement. We were just getting on the bus and heard this big crunch! Apparently the cab driver had parked sideways right in the space where the bus was supposed to park and he couldn't see the cab and turned in and took the front off the cab. The driver was not in it and no one was hurt but it was a big mess that's for sure and excitement!!

 

[kelmac284]

DAY THREE

Saturday November 13, 2010

Once again I was the first one up and after rowsing everyone else we ventured to the food court and this time decided to just have rolls and juice to save on cash. We then headed out to the bus stop and made our way to Magic Kingdom.

I was a bit leary about going on a Saturday to this park but with all the Merry Christmas parties this was one of the few days we could go that the park didn't close early and not only did it not close early it was a magic evening day. I was afraid it would be quite crowded but we are good with our fast passes so we carried on.

We have been here 3 times before and to Disney LAND many times but I have YET to see opening at this park and had heard about the "ceremony" that they do and wanted to see it. So we forged in with the masses and I was finally able to see it. It was cute and I have to say I like it better than the way Disneyland opens their park. Much more festive and fun.

After they counted down we immediately headed to Splash and got on. This proved to be a bit of a mistake because before we even went DOWN a hill we got drenched going UP if you can believe that. On the first rise we got soaked by a boat coming DOWN the big hill. We were all absolutely soaked and we did NOT get that soaked on the big hill oursleves so had we not had that happen we probably would have been ok. After getting off I got a fastpass for later and we immediately did Thunder mountain. After this we ventured over to Haunted Mansion which is very different than the Disneyland version on the outside and somewhat different on the inside. Upon exiting the girls wanted to buy a few pins and I bought a few T-shirts and since we were right there I decided I wanted to see the Hall of Presidents. I don't know why we didn't go in 05 but it was down in 08 because of the election and I thought it would be a good thing for the girls to see. The girls were hesitant of course because it is "boring" but I think they actually enjoyed it and by the time we were done everyone was getting hungry. In the past we always enjoyed Pecos Bills and thus decided to try it again. It was OK but not as good as I had remembered and we ate outside but still were a bit wet from splash so were a little cold.

After this I am a bit fuzzy about what rides we went on but I know that we had wanted to ride on Space but we never did make it that day. I think we had fast passes but after lunch things seemed to go downhill. For some reason I remember I had a long wait in between fast pass wait times and so I thought we would let the girls see some characters but we never seem to have much luck in that area and I don't know if it was the fact that it was a saturday or what but I was getting more and more frustrated. One thing at Disneyland usually if you go up to see a character and they are about to leave they will tell you but you can wait and they usually come back within a few minutes. NOT true here. We went up to see Tiana and they said the line was closed and we had to come back in TWO hours! So we went on our way and tried to see Rapunzel and again the line was closed and it was going to be quite awhile before they would be available. So we went back RIGHT when they said we could see Tiana and the line was already closed AGAIN. I was absolutely disgusted by this point because the park was extremely crowded at this point and I couldn't get any fast passes, the lines for the rides were all incredibly long and we couldn't even see any characters. My mood was NOT very good and I told my mom why might as well just leave. The girls had been asking over and over if they could swim in our hotel pool so I figured this was as good a time as any since I didn't know how or when we were going to work that out since all our days were so planned out and busy. We DID have a reservation for dinner at Tony's but at this point I didn't care and was willing to eat at the food court at our hotel.

So we left. The ONLY bad part is that was probably our one and only chance to see the icicle lights and we never did get to see them this trip. Oh well I am glad I got to see them the last time. Anyway we got back to CSR and changed and walked the LONG way it seemed to our pool which I must say I was very impressed with. It is built like the Pyramid of the Sun and the girls were very impressed. Esp with the water slide!!

They headed for the pool and mom and I made a beeline for the spa and for a few margaritas!!

Eventhough I hated to miss out on valuable park time and dinner at Tony's it was a great chance to relax and the ONLY time we ever got to the pool.

We made an alternate ressie at the Maya Grill at our hotel and after a few hours at the pool we headed over. The kid's meals weren't all that hot but ours was good and we enjoyed it.

After dinner we were more than ready to hit the sack!

 

[kelmac284]

DAY FOUR

Sunday November 14, 2010

Today was a day I had been looking forward to for awhile. Epcot and the food and wine festival. We had done just a little bit of it in 05 when we were there but this time we REALLY wanted to try everything and had intended to pretty much spend the entire day "eating" around the world.

We also planned on using pretty much all of our snack credits on the food and had made NO reservations for lunch or dinner figuring we would fill up on all the food.

We got up as usual and ate a light breakfast at pepper market and headed to the world. Since Future world opens first the first ride we headed to was Spaceship Earth. Also one of our favs!! We did this and got our obligatory photos from the future. After that we headed to the food and wine plaza while the girls rode Mission Space. I rode this ride once and eventhough I did the green side it still made me a bit queasy so that is one ride I don't care to repeat. The girls love it and of course did the orange side while mom and I drooled over all the fun stuff in the food and wine pavillion. Mom purchased quite a few "gifts" for her clients and co-workers back home and I got a few pins and magnets myself. Then the girls were done riding and we headed over to JIYI. The girls love figment and Shelby had to purchase a mini version of him. By this time it was about time for WS to open and the girls wanted to do a Kim Possible Mission so we headed to Norway. They turned in their fast pass and we got our "kimunicator". It sent us to China and the girls did their first mission. It was lots of fun and they really enjoyed this and I highly recommend this to anyone wanting to have a little extra fun.

After we were done with their mission we back tracked to the beginning of WS and started our tastings. We did a few rides, Malestrom and La Grand Fiesta but otherwise the day was dedicated to food. We had many wonderful items and really enjoyed this. The only bad thing was we usually bought one or two items from each country and split it 4 ways which was tough because they don't give you much to begin with. I can't say that I had anything that was "bad" and I had a lot of really yummy things and hope to do this again in the future!! Unfortunately we weren't as "full" as we thought we were going to be and we ended up doing walk up to Biergarten. This is also one of our favorites and we have eaten here every time!! We had a great dinner and met some very nice folks that sat at our table and after dinner I believe we did a few more rides (malestrom and Mexico) and then the girls wanted to ride Test Track so while they did that mom and I went to MouseGears and did a bit of shopping. After that it was time to call it a night.

 

[kelmac284]

DAY FIVE

Monday November 15, 2010

Today was to be our 2nd day at Magic Kingdom and I was really looking forward to this day because we were going to be eating our fancy dinner this night at Narcooses!!

As usual we got up and headed to Pepper Market and had our obligatory breakfast and then headed out to the parks. We once again watched the opening ceremonies and then this time proceeded to Tomorrowland to make sure we got to ride on Space. We rode it and then got fast passes for later. I enjoy this ride but I have to admit I like the DL version better. Anyway after this the girls saw Chip and Dale and wanted their pictures with them. We did this and then proceeded to ride Buzz. We did Buzz and again we prefer the DL version. The guns are different here and we found it harder to shoot as well as the targets don't light up when you hit them like they do at DL or at least they didn't when we were there. Anyway we then did our favorite ride that we so miss at DL the TTA or as we know it at DL the "people mover". After that we did the Carrousel of Progress. This is a ride we don't have at Disneyland and we enjoy it. They used to have a ride similiar called America Sings. The only thing actually similar was the fact that the theater rotated but we enjoyed it and although I do like innoventions at DL I really like CP.

After doing everything we wanted to do in Tomorrowland we decided to venture to Fantasyland since we hadn't really been there yet. The lines were quite long by this time but we were able to ride Snow White. The girls were also able to finally see Rapunzel as well as Tiana. We were getting hungry and there aren't a whole lot of choices here for lunch like there are at DL so we went with Cosmic Rays. I don't remember the exact order of how we did rides after lunch but I know we did go on Pirates and we had a snack of smoothies in Adventureland as well as we watched the Tiki Birds. This is yet another show I prefer at DL. The girls wanted to go up into the Swiss Family Treehouse so mom and I took this opportunity to relax. We got a few nice photos with the castle and the christmas tree and it was finally about time to leave for our dinner ressie.

We wanted to ride the monorail so we did and finally arrived at the Grand Floridian. We have been there several times and have eaten at 1900 Park Faire but never at any of the other restaurants and we were really looking forward to Narcooses. This was where having the dinning plane was really awesome and mom and I both were able to have the surf and turf and it was wonderful. We also timed it so we were able to watch the fireworks from our table. It was a lovely evening! We were able to see the gingerbread house and later the christmas tree. Yet another great day!!

 

[kelmac284]

DAY SIX

Tuesday November 16, 2010

Finally it was time to go to Animal Kingdom. Eventhough there aren't a ton of rides here I really love this park. It is so beautiful and has lots of great photo ops and has one of my fav rides EE!!! So as usual we got up and did our normal morning routine at the food court and headed off. We entered the park and headed straight to KS with the rest of the heard! Eventhough mom and I remarked how we thought it was ironic how it seems the most popular rides ALWAYS seem to be the absolute FARTHEST away from the entrance thus requiring you to kill yourself running to get there!!! We got there and got into our jeep and with a JAMBA we were off. Saw lots of great animals minus one Lion and it was a great start to the day. We then hurriedly wandered over to EE stopping along the way to get a few photo ops with Turk and Flik. Mom didn't want to ride and the wait was only 10 mins so the girls and I rode and I obtained fast passes for later.

We came out in the gift shop and Katy had bought a little passport type book that was all about animals at the front entrance gift shop. It had a bunch of stickers with animal photos but what we didn't know was that you could go on a scavenger hunt so to speak and get extra stickers at several locations around the park. So this set in motion a crazy escapade the rest of the day. The hunt for the stickers!!! She got her first one, the yeti sticker at the EE gift shop and then we headed towards Dino Rama. We let the girls go on Primeval Whirl (not one of my favs) while we took a rest and then Katy was off on another hunt for yet another sticker and shelby and I looked for some pins.

We then headed towards dinnosaur which is always fun although once again I must say I prefer DL's version Indiana Jones better. At this point we were getting hungry for lunch and decided on Flame Tree. Thus we stopped and partook and then went on yet another hunt for more stickers. We had to go through several shops in both Africa and Asia as well as taking a detour to Planet Watch and Camp Mickey and Mini. We got a few character pics while we were at it but didn't take much time to do many rides.

One thing I did NOT want to miss was the Jingle Jungle parade as we had always missed it in the past. So we staked out a good spot and then watched the parade. It was cute and we enjoyed it but I've seen better at MK. I did enjoy it though. Anyway at this point the girls wanted to ride Kali rapids so we ventured that way stopping through the Pangani Trail on the way and seeing the gorillas which is always fun esp this time since they have a little one!! Then after the girls got off Kali we hurriedly went through Maharajeh Jungle Trek to see the Tigers and Bats. Always one of my favs. By this time we were pretty much done and the park was closing so it was time to head out. We had a dinner ressie at Boma and the girls had gotten absolutely soaked on Kali so we had to make a pit stop at the gift shop to buy them new T-shirts. We did this and then waited in line for the AK Lodge Bus. What a nightmare THAT was. This lodge is RIGHT next door and yet it was the very LAST bus to arrive and by that time the line was horrendous! Luckily I had made the ressie for later but we of course had to stand and we were packed in like sardines. Luckily we didn't have far to go but it was crazy! Anyway we were dropped off at the main lobby and checked in for our ressie.

We have eaten here almost every time and we really enjoy this place and love the whole atmosphere of this hotel. Love the decorations and the grounds and would like to maybe stay here one day.

We were seated and had a wonderful dinner as always. After dinner we headed back home and were more than ready to call it a night!

 

[kelmac284]

DAY SEVEN

Wednesday November 17, 2010

Today was our last day at CSR and technically our last Disney day in that it was our last "park" day. We were checking out of our resort and IN to our timeshare and it was the last day on our park tickets. So we all got up bright and early and since we had one quick service meal left we decided to use it for breakfast at Pepper Market. After having breakfast the girls and I got on the bus to Epcot and mom went back to the room to get the stuff together and have Bell Services stow our luggage while she arranged to go pick up our rental car. She also had to arrange to ship some of our items back home because A we had bought to much and B they were breakable and it was just easier than risking it getting broke on the long flight home.

So the girls and I took off and mom did her thing. We arrived at Epcot and decided to do SE once again. After taking our journey through time we decided we wanted to ride Test Track and so we ventured that direction and also got a fast pass. After we were done with that we thought we we do Ellen's Energy Adventure. We had never tried this before and finally had tried it on our last trip in 08 and really enjoyed it and so thought we would do it again. Ironically RIGHT as we were exiting mom called. Good timing!! So the next thing we wanted to do that we hadn't done was living with the land which we did and we always enjoy this as well.

By the time we were done with that it was about time for World Showcase to open and so we started out. We had lunch reservations for Marakesh so we decided to start on the Canada side. We viewed the Canada movie and then worked our way towards Morocco. We ended up in Morocco and checked in and had a lovely lunch and enjoyed the belly dancer!! The girls even got in on the act and had fun! We had eaten here in 05 and really enjoyed it and glad that we tried it again. After Morocco we worked our way around the "world" stopping at each country to shop and see what was there until we reached Germany. Then the girls decided to do another Kim Possible adventure. They had a lot of fun and we also stopped to have a little snack at the new Karmel Kuche shop. We then continued on doing Malestrom and La Grand Fiesta again however we had to back track again to France when it was time for our dinner reservation because we were eating at Le Chefs de France. This was one meal I was not particularly impressed with and we had heard that Remy came out but he never did and I was bummed about that.

After seeing all the countries one last time we stopped in Mousegears for some last minute items and then it was time to go.

We said goodbye to Epcot for another few years and we were off. It was yet another great day!

 

[heaven2dc]

Wow - you have really updated your TR since I last was here! Love your pics - the girls look so cute in front of Test Track. I think that will be our first ride when we arrive Sunday!

 

[nickjonasluvr]

joining in on your report!
must go back and catch up

 

[kelmac284]

Heaven yeah I like to get it done while I still remember LOL. I don't do real long winded reports like some people and I don't add tons of pics because it is such a pain on photobucket to have to download them and then go back and forth. I admire those people who can do that but I just can't LOL. Have a GREAT time at DW!!

Nick welcome and I hope you enjoy reading.

 

[KGGJT]

Great pictures.

 

[kelmac284]

DAY EIGHT

Thursday November 18, 2010

Today was a day I had been waiting for for a LOOONG time. I LOVE Disney don't get me wrong but ever since the LAST time we were there in 08 and I had heard that they were building a Harry Potter area in IOA I could not WAIT to come back and see it! My family loves the movies of course and we have all of them and I knew it would be amazing. They were in the process of building it the last time and we were so excited to see it. Every other trip we had taken we had made plans before even leaving to come back in 3 years but after leaving in 08, as I had stated earlier, we had no concrete plans so I was really bummed because I had NO idea when we would be back to see it. So this is one reason I was glad we were coming back so soon.

We were now in our timeshare and so we had breakfast at the unit and then headed out. We had driven there before but this was the first trip we didn't have the men folk with us to drive (namely my husband LOL) so mom was a bit nervous about finding the place. We plugged in the coordinates on the phone and found it no problem and soon were in the King Kong lot. It was a lot more brisk today then it had been but we were soon at the front gates and so excited to go in. As soon as they opened the gates we all raced back in a heard to HP. We immediately went to FJ just like everyone else but of course had to stop and stowe our gear in the lockers. This took a bit to figure out but luckily many others had to do the same and it was jam packed with people so it didn't cause too much of a delay. The only regret I had was that I have such a large camera and I had to stowe it because there was SO many neat things to see inside the castle that I was unable to photograph. Soon we were at the ride and I was SO excited. It took off and to be quite honest I only remember parts of it. It was so wild and crazy and I get motion sickness so there were several parts I had to literally close my eyes because I was starting to feel ill. Don't get me wrong I think it was the neatess ride I have EVER seen but it is definitely wild and if you get ill at ALL on wild rides then this may not be for you. I can't do rides like the Simpsons or Back to the Future either. I thought it was incredible though and think maybe I will take some dramamine next time because I would REALLY like to experience it again.

Anyway after FJ we thought about doing Olivanders but the line was already long and it never did get short so that is one thing I wanted to do that we never did.

We did however go into Honey Dukes and Zonkos as well as the outlet to Olivanders where the girls HAD to have a few souveniers. My older daughter bought a wand of course (Hermoines) and my younger one who LOVES stuffed animals wanted Hedwig the owl.

I couldn't believe how many people we saw walking around in the robes and with wands at the prices that these things cost but I guess they are popular! We also had to try butterbeer and I must say it was very tasty! The girls then wanted to go on Dueling Dragons or I should say Dragon Challenge as it is now known and they did this a few times in a row while mom and I took a break and bought some post cards to send home. They have cards that are from the area that you can have post marked from Hogsmeade. I have ridden Dragon Challenge several times in the past so sat it out this time. I also had a headache from FJ so I opted out of most of the wild rides that day.

We spent quite awhile just absorbing the sights and sounds of Hogsmeade and taking many photos before moving on. We then went to Seuse land and rode the Seause Trolley and Cat in the Hat as well as took a few photos and looked in some shops. By now we were getting hungry and decided to have lunch at Mythos. We had eaten here in 08 and enjoyed it so wanted to go again. We had a very nice lunch and then the girls were itching to go on Hulk. We did that and just in time it seemed because it then broke down! We worked our way around the marvel area with the girls riding Dr. Doom's Fear Fall and also getting a few more photos with some superheros and then we arrived at Toon Lagoon so they could do Dudley Do Right's. We had gone on this in 05 and gotten absolutely drenched so mom and I sat that one out as well. The girls didn't get too wet but then went on Popeye and got SOAKED! We walked around a bit more and took a few more photos and then headed towards Jurrasic Park. We were intending to ride the ride but the girls were already so wet I didn't want them getting ANY wetter and we have been on that ride SO many times and are going to Universal here in Hollywood next month so we opted not to ride. Instead we stopped for a snack break. We went BACK to Hogsmeade so the girls could ride the flight of the Hippogrif and Dragon Challenge a few more times and by then it was getting close to closing. We had decided on Emmerils for dinner in City Walk and so we made our way over there after stopping at the port of entry to do a bit of shopping.

Emmerils was good albeit a bit pricey and by the time we were done we were more than ready to head home.

 

[BillyFan]

Great TR, Kelly! You took some really nice photos!!!

 

[DizNee Luver]

Loved seeing more pics from your trip!! You really had some great ones!! The trip sounds wonderful......busy......but wonderful!! I also hate missing park time, but so glad we've started incorporating some pool time into our trips......it's a much needed break that recharges the system. That pool looked awesome!! (and the margarita's sounded delicous!)

 

[kelmac284]

Thanks I took 600 pics!! But I am not as good and patient as you LOL. This is as many as I have patience for. I will prob finish it up in the next few days.

 

[kelmac284]

DAY NINE

Friday November 19, 2010

Well our park days were done and today was kind of a relax day. The girls were very excited however because this was a day they had been waiting for for a LONG time. They had been asking and asking to do Bibbiddi Bobbiddi Boutique ever since they had heard about it and I had thought about doing it at Disneyland but it is relatively new there and whenever I had thought about it at Disney WORLD we never seemed to have the time and it is always packed. SOOO this was a perfect time.

They are older and so I didn't want to purchase the costumes and I doubt they would have fit in any of them anyway so I brought dresses from home for them to wear but I bought the coach package which included hair, makeup and nails. My oldest is VERY much into this right now as she is just about 11 and my younger one is more of a tomboy but she does like to dress up once in awhile. So as usual we got up and had our normal breakfast, got dressed and set out for downtown Disney.

We checked in at World of Disney and were told we could head back eventhough we were a bit early. The girls got all settled in and started in. They really had a good time and in preparation we even had pedicures just before we left home which was WONDERFUL and I definitely plan to do that again!!! The girls had a great time getting made up and looked adorable. They have photographers that take photos while they are being "made over" and then afterwards they have a photo area where you can get some photos taken. I was always under the impression that they had a studio with backdrops etc but apparently they don't or maybe if you don't get the large package they don't have that available. None the less we took them over and had some photos taken and I wanted some "nicer" shots so we had some lunch and did a bit of shopping but then decided to head to the Grand Floridian for a nicer photo shoot.

Usually you have to set these up ahead of time but I lucked out and was able to get the photographer to do it. You pay a set price for about 20 minutes of time and you can either pay 49 for a small package or 99 for a CD of all the pics. I bought the CD and it was WELL worth it. I got some wonderful photos of the girls.

After that we rode the monorail over to the poly and looked around and took a few more photos of our own and then headed to Boardwalk for our ressie for Flying Fish. We had eaten here on our last trip and very much enjoyed it.

We parked at the Yacht and Beach Club and were surprised to see that they had NO xmas decs whatsoever when most of the other resorts did. We didn't walk over to Beach club where they usually have the gingerbread decs and I guess I should of because they were probably there. Oh well. Anyway we had a nice boat ride across the lake to Boardwalk and a WONDERFUL meal as always. When we were finished we were more than ready to call it a night and it was a perfect relaxing fun day!