We're here! Probably not a trip report

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Just caught up - sounds like you are having a fab time - looking forward to more

 

[dixonsontour]

Glad you are enjoying ddp.

This October will be our 3rd time with it. I know it's not for everyone but we find it really adds to the holiday - DD also enjoys all the different types of restaurants.

We've only come across south american tour groups on one trip fortunately.

 

[Disneynutinlondon]

another wonderful day ... thanks for the report. Teppan Edo is one of our absolute favourites and a total "must do" EVERY trip

 

[Fantasia Sam]

Awww I am so glad that you are posting - it's really interesting reading.

Yayy for Teppan Edo and yayy for enjoying the regiment that is the Dining Plan. LOL we don't even have the Dining Plan because we can't find one to suit us but I still try and be as regimented although Cinderfella is fighting me on this for our next trip so we shall see.

Oh no! No coiffing of champers such a shame

You will be back and I am like the sound of EMH late nights. The girls are doing well hope DW's headache subsided.

Please post more if and when you can

 

[alibeau]

After lunch we got far too hot, so hot we didn't make it to Paris for Champagne which is a 10 year first I have to say.

I don't drink a great deal these days but every trip I really fancy a glass of champers in Paris but never seem to get round to it....

I will have a glass for you in August

Ali

 

[london75]

Since this does now appear to be daily, here's day 3.

It was an easy day of sorts but I suppose it ended up being quite busy after all. Because we have two reservations at double TS meals (had 1 at CRT on Saturday) and 1 in a few days, we'd left some holes in the calendar where we didn't particularly need to go anywhere but as I mentioned before, I find it next to impossible to just sit around like we would at home. We've been trapped in the house for months due to the British rain so no way am I doing it here, especially as we've not even had afternoon rain except one day at the moment.

We decided the Lego shop at DTD was calling, the prices are already better than the UK anyway but with our annual pass discount they got even better and we're a lego family, particularly DW. We head there and blow a dollar or two in the shop, drop the very large bag back in the car and decide to use a QS credit at Cookes of Dublin. The girls all had fish and chips and I had battered burger which was tremendous. It had much more of a fast food joint air to it than Wolfgang Puck Express and they forgot to bring my ice cream not that I could manage it so didn't feel the need to leave a tip. WPE we did though as food was great and service good.

We had a wander around eying up future purchases in the Disney shops, the kids are on a strict $5 a day routine rather than us buying them all the junk they want. It was blown a bit when their Grandma went and gave them $150 each! How do you treat kids these days the value of money when it just gets thrown at them? I can't deny we've done quite well work wise in the last few years and previous trips have just been want this, want that etc. It's working quite well and the $5 a day lets us up it to $10 if they behave nicely and stop it if they're rotten which they're definitely getting the hang of.

The girls had a look round Little Miss Matched and saw a few things they'd like. They have some lovely multi-colour leather footballs for $9 which Daisy liked the look of, her class at school is made up of 18 boys and 4 girls so it's unavoidable even if we can't stand football.

After getting far too hot and the kids getting bored of shopping we head back to the villa to try a different pool for a swim (after a brief lego build that is!). We're in building 46 and the nearest pool is South Point which is nice and quiet. The girls made a friend and due to years of Dora had a better American accent than her I think. They played for a good 45 minutes on the playground before we sensed (falsely) an incoming storm. You know the way the wind picks up out of nowhere and half the sky is bright blue and half dark grey. It never landed on us but someone got soaked somewhere.

Came back to the villa and had been mulling over the EMH at Hollywood Studios but started looking at actual current and forecast standby times and was shocked. It looked like there was no chance of getting on Toy Story Mania without serious queueing so decided on Magic Kingdom again. It's nigh on impossible to spend too much time in MK by our family's book. We went on the Disney buses again as it seems best for MK, although we'll have to park up and go on the ferry one day for old time's sake. It was pretty busy but the kids fell asleep moments after getting there despite having been full of beans earlier. We pretty much always take pushchairs even though Daisy is 6, they just get so tired all of a sudden and the ability to have a 30 minute sleep then carry on is great rather than write off the whole evening. Did fast passes for Mickey, road the train and went on Pooh Bear and the Carrousel for Poppy who is having a real aversion to any rides this year (she's 4 and hates the dark and noises and fast turns etc etc). Got the bus home just as fireworks were starting as no-one was bothered about watching them tonight although I could happily sit there and watch every night!

Wifi was beginning to show signs of rubbishness last night being very tricky to connect and again this morning I had a lot of trouble getting the T&C page up to accept to allow me to continue. I persevered and once accepted all is fine so I wonder if a simple error in the serving up of the T&C page to accept which enables the service is what causes most people the issues.

Today is Sci-Fi Dine in at HS which we'd planned to get to for opening for TSM but kids are still asleep and don't want to wake them just for a ride.

How could I forget, Jo and I had a Pecos Bill 1/3 pound burger while the kids slept and it was tremendous, if it hadn't been so noisy in there we could have had an adult conversation but it was nice to just sit and not have to answer a stream of kid questions.

 

[dixonsontour]

Sounds like you got alot done for a day 'off'.

We tried cookes for the first time in May and enjoyed it. Thanks for the updates.

 

[jennyjinx3]

I am sort of stalking your trip report...and I love it!! I saw your mention of a job in Canada...hope it works out for you! Nice job on the trip report...I love your girls names!

 

[alibeau]

How could I forget, Jo and I had a Pecos Bill 1/3 pound burger while the kids slept and it was tremendous, if it hadn't been so noisy in there we could have had an adult conversation but it was nice to just sit and not have to answer a stream of kid questions.

Ahhhhh questions, just to let you know it doesn't get any easier, our two are now 8 & 6 and the questions don't stop My questions at bedtime last night (from our 8 year old!!!) were and I quote....

'How do you get a boyfriend Mum?'
'How did you get Daddy'?
'I know you need a seed in your tummy to have a baby Mum, but how does the seed get there?'

Loved the use of the word 'get'!!!! Not heard these 'types' of questions before so it looks like I am going to have to brace myself

Look forward to your next report!

Ali

 

[wayneg]

We used to try take easy days, rarely works. I come back to work to take it easy

 

[london75]

I am sort of stalking your trip report...and I love it!! I saw your mention of a job in Canada...hope it works out for you! Nice job on the trip report...I love your girls names!

Thanks, not sure if anything is going to happen but someone I worked years ago now lives near Toronto and works at York University and suggested me to someone there. It was all giddy excitement and exchanging details and resumes and now been quiet for 4 weeks as the person in charge decided I'd be bored at that job and so is trying to create a brand new one just for me! That's great but also means it's a long wait as she's got to approve the headcount, advertise for 3 months, prove no one any good applied, start the visa process etc etc.

So we got all excited at the opportunity and it's probably going to be 6-12 months especially with the recent freezes on skilled worker visas etc.

Our surname is Button so the girls names get even cutesier but we gave them posh middle names in case they become Heart Surgeons or Barristers. I'm not sure Judge Daisy Button will be taken seriously.

 

[Fantasia Sam]

Our surname is Button so the girls names get even cutesier but we gave them posh middle names in case they become Heart Surgeons or Barristers. I'm not sure Judge Daisy Button will be taken seriously.

Awww I bet they are just as cute as a .....

Sorry I couldn't resist but I too love their names!

 

[london75]

They are pretty cute which is why they get away with so much!!

Day 4 - Hollywood Studios
Yesterday was an odd one, we meant to get up early so that we could finally get on Toy Story Mania but the kids were so tired we let them sleep and pottered around in the villa, finally getting into the car at around 10am. We headed for TSM to see what the fast pass situation was and to our surprise they were for 4pm and that was at 10:45 which surprised me. One thing I did notice was you couldn't get the passes yourself, a CM did it for you. Whether some people have ways of getting extra ones and they are testing ways to prevent exploitation I don't know but it seemed to be working.

Sorry to harp on but tour groups were an issue again, you couldn't go anywhere near the big hat near to parade time as they'd all set up camp there in neatly regimented sections, I think the CMs had decided that at least they were all in one place. Parade was good but very short, I'm not sure we've seen it before so don't know if it's been cut or always short.

DW found someone's iPhone in a ladies restroom so we took it down to lost and found who gave us 4 fast passes for the trouble, valid until the 15th as well so maybe we'll have a late HS one day and still ride TSM. On a related note, someone actually rang the phone and I answered but I don't know what it is about my pretty much accent less Oxford with a hint of Manc accent but she didn't understand a word, hopefully "lost and found" made it through!

As the afternoon went on Jo started feeling worse and worse, she's been tired since we got here and had a headache on and off for a couple of days but we all get 'plane colds normally. We stop at Super Target on US192 for old time's sake but she chose to stay in the car. By the time we get back she says she's absolutely freezing and sits outside on the balcony but can't warm up. After 30 mins in full sun and still feeling cold I pack her off to bed as it must be more flu-like than we thought. She's just got up now so 14 hours sleep!

We were going to do the campfire and poolside film at OKW as it was Tangled last night but will have to try again next week. She's feeling a little better now so hopefully a gentle AK today won't be too bad.

Lunch yesterday was Sci Fi Dine in which was nice atmosphere, I had the All American Burger which I'd say was just OK, not brilliant. It's obvious why it is dark in there but I found this and the fact you can't easily talk to the rest of the family enough to probably put me off going again. Dinner was courtesy of Publix frozen pizza and buffalo wings! I think I'm going to find we're stacking up Quick Service Credits. Better get eating.

Animal Kingdom and Yak and Yeti today, maybe some Mall at Millennia this afternoon.

 

[disneyholic family]

sorry Jo wasn't feeling well, i hope she's better now!!

how nice they gave you FPs for turning in the phone!!!
what a nice surprise!!!

 

[dixonsontour]

Hope your wife feels better soon

We didn't do the OKW campfire last time, on this years to do list.

 

[RDP]

Loving the TR so far. Great to hear the weather is good. Sounds like you have done lots already! Have a great holiday.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[Cyrano]

so i was just reading the info about using wifi in disney hotels and it seems that unless you have an american carrier, you can't use the wifi in the room.

this is what i found:
To connect to the network using a wireless-enabled device (e.g. laptop, cell phone, etc.), look for the network option labeled "Guest – Access (unsecured)". Once you click on that option, you'll be taken to a screen that prompts you to accept the terms and conditions. After accepting the terms and conditions, you'll have Wi-Fi access free of charge. For cell phone users, cellular carriers covered for the free Wi-Fi are AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile and MetroPCS. If you have trouble connecting to the complimentary Wi-Fi, contact Walt Disney World Telecom at 407-827-2732.

so i guess that means that DD won't be able to use wifi on her iphone? i am now officially confused!!

I managed to use wifi at OKW on iPhone which is with UK carrier and on wifi only iPad so no carrier

 

[disneyholic family]

I managed to use wifi at OKW on iPhone which is with UK carrier and on wifi only iPad so no carrier

Thanks!

 

[london75]

Day 5

We've got real issues with the wifi this morning so it's probably going to be brief even though we had another really busy day yesterday.

Jo was feeling a fair bit better but the girls wanted a lie in again so we headed out to Animal Kingdom for our Yak and Yeti reservation with only minutes to spare! It was odd not to head straight for the safari which is the usual routine, we ran through the park not even looking at the surroundings and made it to Asia. Lunch was tremendous, I made the error of ordering an appetiser as well as a large entree and dessert so was stuffed by the time we finished. We shared the dim sum selection which was tasty but quite plain and I had the ribs for a main which was very tasty, followed up by the fried wonton dessert which was very nice. All in all a lovely meal and there were at least 4 other things I'd have liked to try so think we'll be back there some time.

While we were eating I could see the outside world getting darker and darker and as I was expecting rain anyway (for iPhone users with data I highly recommend Weatherbug as it has excellent radar maps that really do let you predict when rain is due!). I also remembered we'd left the pushchairs exposed so when we got out they were sodden, we wouldn't need them until later when the girls got tired but there was no way they'd dry in the humidity. The girls got their Hello Kitty macs I got from Sainsbury's for £11 a couple of weeks ago (which I highly recommend as they cover their bottoms and shorts so they can sit down on wet seats without getting soggy) and they started running around and splashing about while we sheltered for a minute.

When the rain cleared we headed to Dino land for a few rides and persuaded Poppy to go on the dumbo like ride (forget the name) and got fast passes for Primeval Whirl as I wanted to persuade Daisy she'd love it which she did. They wanted a go on the games again this year but we got lucky last year and they just played each other at whack a mole and the nice CM gave them both a toy as they were both rubbish (sorry girls), this year it was heaving and there was no chance they'd win anything and the CM looked mean!

From there we went to the Bone Yard playground and despite all of the ridiculous odds we bumped into 2 of Daisy's friends from her class at school (twins) and their Mum and Dad who we know. It's their first time and yesterday was their first day, they are doing all the parks in a fortnight and only doing each one once so the chance of meeting in AK is bonkers slim! It was a bit awkward as difficult to move on until the small talk had dried up but weatherbug saying the rain was 5 mins away did the trick and we went in opposite directions, and boy did the rain come, only lasted 15 minutes but you could barely see a couple of meters. The girls played out in it again, God bless Kitty rain macs and crocs!

After that it was pretty soggy everywhere and Poppy was doing her current trick of refusing to go on anything so we decided to got to Florida Mall for a look at the princess dresses in the Disney Store as they are frequently different to the DTD Disney shops. Had a look in the Apple store, fell in love with the top of the range Macbook Pro Retina but no way can I justify $2600 when I couldn't even really work on it, still want one but will have to wait until I can sell some old kit on ebay. Forgot to get a couple of Apple TVs which are only £60 over here. I've got a Netflix subscription for 5.99 per month and once I've got enough Apple TVs around the house I'm binning Virgin Media as no one watches it anymore so it's saving money really! Seriously though the VM bill is over £85 a month and there's nothing we watch so aside from internet, such a waste of money. Much prefer the on demand nature of Netflix and it has loads of kids stuff on.

I digress. On the way back from shopping, I start fishing for what the kids want for dinner, I'm conscious we aren't using our Quick Service credits well and paying for the second meal of the day even if it's just a Publix trip. Daisy wants macaroni cheese and Poppy wants a hot dog. This appears to be an impossible combination on the dining plan unless you head to a park so I decide to head to DTD to get food to takeaway from Wolfgang Puck. It takes a long time to get there and a long time to park so not sure I can recommend it as an option but the food was lovely again and the trip home was quick so it was still hot. All the better for being free on the DDP!

By then it was 8pm and as AK had been a washout and I didn't want the day to descend into trying to get the kids to bed and sleep, I took them out on my own to MK to give Jo a rest (I'd loaded some Dinner Ladies to the bedroom telly so she was comfy). Had a great time and saw the parade, did a few rides and got lucky with buses both there and back almost like they were waiting just for us! I love MK at night but it was tricky having two kids to myself when one wanted to ride every ride and one doesn't. We did Pooh Bear, Small World and Carousel of Progress which wasn't bad. Kids went straight to bed and sleep when we got back, woohoo.

Today is MK again but specifically Kona Cafe for lunch.

 

[disneyholic family]

yak & yeti is one of our favorites!!!! wonderful food and service!

ok...about this apple tv thing....can they be used outside of the US?
do they plug into the computer, or do you have to plug them into an electrical outlet and use a converter?