Who knew choking each other would earn us fastpasses?

[Run4Disney]

Hi Lisa! I'm baaack! I dropped off the face of the earth last November I've been thinking about you and your family because I knew that your next WDW trip was earlier this summer. I've spent the last few days reading the rest of your 2009 trip report and I got teary eyed when it ended. I'm on page 15 of this report and trying to catch up. My goodness Hunter is growing like a weed and your hair has gotten longer. Glad that your Mom could join you on this trip but I'm really sad that Lacey couldn't come along this time.

Ok, got to get back to catching up

What is the name of the Pre Trip Report for this Trip? I want to read that too.

 

[lisafer05]

Finally caught up! I've been sitting in the same spot on my couch all evening. I absolutely adore your trip reports. They always make me want to take a trip with my family (or tag along with yours! ). I can't wait to read the rest.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Don't give up on using that code that came to your Mama using your email account. They let me use it this past trip with no problems. I receive pin codes all the time for my sister who has come along with us before and everything was under my email. After discussing this with CRO that i will never get my own pins because they have her name associated with my email, they conceded and let me use it with no problems. She also gets them to her email address at the same time that i get them. Go figure.

I think we're going to pass on it this time. I will be taking extra days off work for our Summer trip and I'd rather ask for those days off and not days off at Thanksgiving. Hopefully, Disney will see that Mama didn't use the pin and they'll keep sending more in order to entice her back.

It's good to know that there's a possibility that I can talk Disney into letting me use a pin that's in Mama's name using my email address.

Whew, I am way behind! I loooove the story of the tooth incident. I cracked up reading just now. I am all caught up and ready for more fun! I love mousegears also. It is such a great store.

Wasn't that the funniest thing ever? I can say that now but it sure wasn't funny at the time!

Glad to see ya back Lisa!! Great update!!! I too love the Mousegear store! They have so much stuff!!! That is so exciting about Lacey getting married! I wasn't aware that they had picked a date. Good Luck with that! Well, can't wait to read more!!! Hope you have a magical disney day!!!

Shopping at Mouse Gears is THE best. Lacey and Jesse haven't picked a date yet. They know they want to get married but they also know that they have to finish up college.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Hi Lisa! I'm back from my camping adventure and trying to get caught up on all my DIS buddies' reports....I started with you!

Great updates! Yay for Flik healing and setting off on his own. I'm not a big fan of the feathered friends, as you know, but I'm glad that your little adoptee made it!

A DIS meet, Gran Marnier slushie, Test Track, and shopping.....my idea of a great day!

John and I were talking about you guys this weekend. We were saying we wanted to go camping and I said Missy and her family are camping right now.

So far, our Epcot day is going great!

Hi Lisa! I'm baaack! I dropped off the face of the earth last November I've been thinking about you and your family because I knew that your next WDW trip was earlier this summer. I've spent the last few days reading the rest of your 2009 trip report and I got teary eyed when it ended. I'm on page 15 of this report and trying to catch up. My goodness Hunter is growing like a weed and your hair has gotten longer. Glad that your Mom could join you on this trip but I'm really sad that Lacey couldn't come along this time.

Ok, got to get back to catching up

What is the name of the Pre Trip Report for this Trip? I want to read that too.

Hello! Glad to see you have your feet back on Earth and are coming around again.

I've got to tell you that I got teary just writing the last installment of my 2009 trip. I knew that would probably be our last trip to Disney with Lacey and it made me sad.

Yes, Hunter is growing like a weed. He's as tall as I am now.

My hair is driving me nutso! I had somebody give me a pretty bad haircut with all sorts of lengths in it. So, I am letting it grow out so that when I do get it cut, I won't have to have my head shaved in order to make it look good.

I haven't started a pre-trip report yet but I will post when I do.

Finally caught up! I've been sitting in the same spot on my couch all evening. I absolutely adore your trip reports. They always make me want to take a trip with my family (or tag along with yours! ). I can't wait to read the rest.

Glad to hear that you've caught up with the report! I am amazed! You could absolutely go along with my family on a Disney trip. The more the merrier!

 

[jenseib]

I'm so jealous about the pin. I keep calling to check if Skip or I have one, and we don't. I want to arrive on the 8th of Dec (if we go) and the genreal one starts the 10th. I think if we go, we'll do one or 2 night of room only an then go from there.

I did put a depost down on a package, but still in the ari about going. With all the problems we're having at hime a decison won't be made for awhile, but at least I have the free dining secured if we go then.

 

[Run4Disney]

All caught up and ready for more!

Happy Graduation to Lacey!

We never get pins either. We're Annual Passholders and go several times a year so I guess that is why.

The tooth falling out story gets me every time.

Rhonda

 

[mickeystoontown]

Now that our shopping excursion at Mouse Gears was complete, we were ready to move on to other things.

Many years and many Disney trips ago, Lacey started collecting Disney pins. Over those years and over those trips, her collection grew to over 200 pins! Not all of them were bought on Disney property though. I found a fabulous seller on Ebay that had great prices and great pins (and other Disney stuff too).

A month or two before this trip, Hunter was in Lacey's room and saw one of her big corkboards full of Disney pins. He said that pin collecting might be something he'd want to get into. So, I bought three or four pins from my favorite Ebay seller. Problem was, when I started packing our stuff for the trip, I couldn't find where I had put them. Anybody else do that? You know, "I'll put these right here so I'll remember where I put them." Well I had one of those moments and couldn't find them. I did find a couple of pins that I had bought at the Disney Store waaaaaay back when it was still open so I packed those to see if they would be eligible for pin trading.

Since I couldn't find the stashed away pins, that meant that we'd have to buy Hunter some pins.

Gosh.....all that just to lead up to what we did next.

We walked out of Mouse Gears and started heading towards the pin trading station/store/thing-a-ma-bob/place. Once we got there, Hunter found a bunch that he liked but he wasn't really sure which ones he wanted to buy. While he was deciding, he traded the two Disney Store pins with the CMs who were wearing lanyards. There was no hesitation at all by the CMs so I guess it's okay to trade Disney Store pins.

Hunter eventually found two Star Wars pins that he liked. Mama bought one of them for him and we bought the other. Pin trading/buying done, we were good to go.

Go where? Good question, where would we go next? There really wasn't time to explore World Showcase. There was no way that I was putting Mama on Mission Space. They had already ridden Ellen's Universe of Energy. Hum? What to do? What to do? How 'bout the Imagination Pavilion? Sounded good to everybody so that's where we went. A couple of pictures I took while walking:

Here's a picture of John acting like a nut and "putting out the vibe" again:

Notice the Mickey socks he has on? Those are the socks that he bought when he and I shopped in the International Gateway store. He thought his foot felt like it was getting a sore spot on it so he put the socks on. He hated wearing socks with his Crocs but he said he would have hated having a blister more than wearing socks. Thus, he wore socks.

We really lucked up when we got to the pavilion as there was hardly anyone in the building. You know me, I had to take pictures:

And, then, we were seated in our vehicle and we were on our way to see Figment:

At least some of us saw Figment. John did this.......................................
















































































.................................................................................................:

I know ya'll had already guessed that it was either caught a little shuteye or got a phone call. You can tell it was hot outside 'cause John has a nice little "sheen" to his skin.

We let him sleep while we rode and I took pictures:

Just as the vehicle came to a stop, John woke up. We were all amazed how he just barely moved when we were sprayed with skunk smell and when it went dark and the train roared by. But, when the ride stopped, he woke up.

As we excited, I noticed that Honey I Shrunk The Audience was closed. Then, I remembered that it had closed so that they could open up Captain CEO (Is that what it's called? I can't remember.) in it's place. Well, we had done just about everything in Future World. The only thing we hadn't done was Innoventions.

Problem was, we didn't have a whole lot of time on our hands. We had a 7:05 ADR for Coral Reef and it was getting pretty close to that time.

So, do we go to Innoventions for a little while? Or do we just go on over to Coral Reef a little early? As you can see in the above picture, it was getting a bit cloudy. There were even darker clouds to the left of us (not showni n picture) Wouldn't bother us one bit if it started raining 'cause we figured it would make the temps drop.

Ultimately, we decided to just go ahead and check in at the Coral Reef. Even though it was still about 30 minutes before our ADR, the checked us in and we waited. At least there was room for us to have a seat in the lobby area. I made a much needed potty spot. When I came back out, Hunter had an entire family watching him doing his cup stacking. They were amazed at how fast he could do it. Time seemed to pass quickly and soon our buzzer was going off.

We were seated on the top tier of the restaurant but not up by the wall. We were about 1/3 of the way down so we had a good view of the aquarium. Our waiter came to the table and we were happy to see that it was the same waiter that we had last year. He gave us our menus and took our drink order.

While he wasw gone, we looked over the menus. John was upset that the blackened catfish had been taken off the menu. That's one of the things that he had been talking to Mama about and how good it was and that she just had to try it. Now, he had to decide what he would order. Eventually, Mama, John and I decided to order the steak and Hunter, of course, wanted the kids' pizza with a side order of fries.

We placed our order and people watched. People watched? Why would we watch people when there are sharks and rays and sea turtles swimming right before our eyes? Because these people were entertaining to say the least. They were a large party and took up three booth/tables and a table for the kids. I couldn't see one of the booths' tables but I could see the kids and the other two. There were at least a half dozen empty wine bottles on the tables (no, not on the kids' table). There was one guy who had to be the grandfather/leader of the group. He'd walk back and forth between the tables and taste of everybody's food. He'd have grandkids following him around. He was a hoot!

Our food came and I was all set to take pictures when..............when..............when...............nothing! My camera died! I couldn't believe it. Well, yes I could because I had taken quite a few pictures that day and I didn't charge the battery the night before. So, for those of you wanting pictures of the food and atmosphere at the Coral Reef, you're outta luck.

I've got to tell you, the food was awesome! We all raved at how good the steaks were and how good the side items were. Everything was so very tasty. After a few minutes, I turned the camera on to see if it would stay powered up. It did for just long enough to take this picture:

Our waiter had come by to make sure that everything was done to our satisfaction. That's who Mama is looking at in the picture. I'm getting hungry just thinking about that steak.

We people watched some more. The big family continued to entertain us as the wine continued to be brought out by their waiter. They weren't fall down drunk by any means but they were having a good time. I don't want ya'll to think that they were all over the place either or disruptive because they weren't.

Oh, we did watch the fish and rays and sharks too. I tried taking pictures but the camera didn't cooperate. It's power up and then power back down before I could click anything.

For desserts, Hunter got the chocolate wave. I ordered the creme brulee. Mama ordered the cheesecake and John ordered the almond gelatto. We had already planned to order different desserts so we could get a taste of it all. In no time at all, our desserts were brought out and it was all so yummy!

This was Mama's first table service meal on the dining plan and she said it certainly didn't disappoint. We wrote down (but I don't have my notes with me) how much the meal would have cost had we not been on the dining plan. While the dining plan may not be cost effective for everybody else, it is for our family. And, I like the convenience of having everything paid for prior to my arrival. We left a combined tip on the table and made our way out.

I can't remember the exact time but I think it was about 8:40 and we knew that there really was no way that we would get a decent place to view Illuminations since they were set to start at 9:00 p.m. We decided to just leave the park. We were scheduled to come back to Epcot again this trip so we'd have the opportunity to see Illuminations then.

We took our time walking to the front of the park. There were hardly any people leaving and we figured it was because everybody was staying for Illuminations. I made one last pit stop at the bathroom and then we continued on towards the bus stop. We were bus stop 10 and when we got there, there was only one family in front of us. About 10 minutes later, Illuminations began and we could see some of the fireworks from the bus stop.

The bus pulled up just a few minutes after that and we could tell that sucker was cold inside. How? Because there was condensation, literally, running down the windows. We boarded the bus along with about three other families. The driver got out and stood near the door. We all looked at each other and everybody was rubbing their arms and talking about how cold it was in the bus. I said something like "I sure hope the bus driver doesn't decide to wait on more people to come because I am freezing." Several other people agreed and I guess our driver heard us because he got on the bus and off we went.

It took us about 10 minutes to reach the resort. Thank goodness because I had goosebumps all over my arms and legs. It was sooooo cold on the bus! We walked from the Jamaica stop to our rooms. I dropped my bags in our room and walked over to Mama's to get Hunter's clothes out for our next day. Tomorrow would be my Mama's first visit to the Magic Kingdom in 10 years!

I hugged Hunter and have him strict instructions that he was to get up as soon as his Mamaw told him to in the morning. We had a kingdom to visit!

 

[jenseib]

Looks like such a fun day. I want to try that choclate wave someday. It sounds sooooo goood!

 

[3LittlePirates]

Great Update!! I think we must of had the same park schedule for our trips..LOL!!

 

[deedeew80]

Great update! I love Figment! I was sad when it was closed for a bit a while back. John sure can sleep through anything, huh?! I'm not real big on the pin trading thing. I do have some though! Don't you miss the Disney Store? I have four malls around my area and slowly each one closed their Disney Store! There is one left but they never have much. Everytime I go to the mall I go in the Disney Store! Usually don't buy anything, but I just have to go in! Isn't the Coral Reef great? I always stayed away from it because I am not a seafood eater! However, I finally tried it when we were on our Honeymoon in 2008. I loved it! I had the steak too & it is SO yummy!!!! Can't remember what DH had, I'm sure seafood! When I was planning our Honeymoon trip I learned here on the DIS that you could have the Coral Reef make up a personalized menu and/or have divers come swimming down holding up signs! So I looked into it. Couldn't get the divers because of the time of our ADR, but got them to make up a personalized menu! I just contacted the manager via email, she had me send some pictures & what my message should read. I did this as a surprise for DH. Sadly, they aren't doing this anymore as far as I know. It was great to see the look on DHs face. He couldn't understand how it happened! Here is a picture of what it looks like. We each got our own & were able to keep it of course!

Sorry it is a bit blurry that you can't really read what it says! But you get the idea!

Well, I guess this post is long enough! Sorry to be so long! Can't wait to read another update!!!

 

[Believeinfairytales]

Great end to your Epcot day! Your dinner sounded so yummy. I'm glad your mother was not disappointed with the dining plan. Hunter looks so handsome! Gonna be a heartbreaker, that one. Must take after his daddy. He looked quite the model showing off those new Mickey socks!!!!

 

[ScotsMinnie]

You packed quite a day in there!!!!! Sounds like you had a fantastic time and I can totally understand what you are saying about people watching. It can be very entertaining!

WE have always meant to try the Coral Reef but never done it so might try that one next time. Were you disappointed not to be next to the glass. Did it make any difference to the fish you could see?

 

[Bridora]

Wow! You sure got a lot done at Epcot that day!

We went to Coral Reef for the 1st time last year and enjoyed it! Did you guys see any divers swim past while you were there?

 

[Kathy Jetson]

Sounds like a great first day of your trip! We skipped innoventions last year and river wanted to go so bad so I promised that would be our first stop in Epcot this year. I got so excited when I saw Johns socks I want some Mickey ankle socks to wear at Disney this year somehow I've never found them

Glad to hear you added an extra day to your next trip. We started out with just 4 days in 2007 and I have been adding a day to each trip ever since. This year we will stay 8 nights and 9 days are longest trip ever

Glad to hear John got his brother/buddy back!

 

[DWGal210]

Phew!!!! I am done with all 36 pages.

Your family is so great!!! Mama is just a sweetie, looks like she's being a trooper!!

Thanks for a great way to pass the time this afternoon!!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Looks like such a fun day. I want to try that choclate wave someday. It sounds sooooo goood!

The chocolate wave was a little too chocolately for me but everybody else enjoyed it.

Great Update!! I think we must of had the same park schedule for our trips..LOL!!

I wondered if you were still around. I know with your three boys, you are probably as busy as a bee. There's a possibility that we may have a small Dis Meet in Monroe sometime this Fall. I'd love to have you join us.

Great update! I love Figment! I was sad when it was closed for a bit a while back. John sure can sleep through anything, huh?! I'm not real big on the pin trading thing. I do have some though! Don't you miss the Disney Store? I have four malls around my area and slowly each one closed their Disney Store! There is one left but they never have much. Everytime I go to the mall I go in the Disney Store! Usually don't buy anything, but I just have to go in! Isn't the Coral Reef great? I always stayed away from it because I am not a seafood eater! However, I finally tried it when we were on our Honeymoon in 2008. I loved it! I had the steak too & it is SO yummy!!!! Can't remember what DH had, I'm sure seafood! When I was planning our Honeymoon trip I learned here on the DIS that you could have the Coral Reef make up a personalized menu and/or have divers come swimming down holding up signs! So I looked into it. Couldn't get the divers because of the time of our ADR, but got them to make up a personalized menu! I just contacted the manager via email, she had me send some pictures & what my message should read. I did this as a surprise for DH. Sadly, they aren't doing this anymore as far as I know. It was great to see the look on DHs face. He couldn't understand how it happened! Here is a picture of what it looks like. We each got our own & were able to keep it of course!

Sorry it is a bit blurry that you can't really read what it says! But you get the idea!

Well, I guess this post is long enough! Sorry to be so long! Can't wait to read another update!!!

What a sweet memory of the Coral Reef! Do they still do the personalized menus there?

 

[FairyGodmotherJen]

Glad you enjoyed your dinner at Coral Reef! I haven't eaten there since 1992!

We did Figment for the first time this year. I really thought it was cute. I've heard lots of people talking about how they don't like it, but no one in our group was disappointed!

I laughed when I read about the freezing cold bus. We actually had two different buses during our stay that felt like the air conditioning was broken! It was sooooo hot! And I think it was worse because we were expecting that blast of cold air in our faces as we boarded. A bus with little/no air full of hot, sweaty people.... It was an experience!

 

[teedee]

You got a lot done at Epcot. I'm glad your mom is getting around so well! I'm also glad you had a good meal at Coral Reef. We are eating there on our September trip. It will be a first for all of us and I've been a little worried, hearing how much you liked it helps with that!

Can't wait for the next update!

Terri

 

[vamassey1]

Wonderful ending to your Epcot day. I've eaten at Coral Reef a few times and it's been hit or miss. I'm glad it was a hit for y'all especially since it was Mama's first TS.

 

[aprilisis]

What a great ending to your EPCOT day! I can't wait to try Coral Reef in October. Your last review made me want to go there.