Will I be Herding Cats Again?* **** COMPLETED *****

[mom2mek]

LOL!! Thanks. I'm glad I could give a giggle at work. It was very funny and I was so glad that my husband didn't see me. I'd never hear the end of it! You know in "Pretty Woman" when her oyster goes flying across the restaurant and she says, "Slippery little suckers!" It was kind of like that. (Except I'm not a hooker, and I'm no Julia Roberts). I was laughing so hard I almost dropped my plate.

Sara, did your big group eat lunch at CP? Did you like it? I've always heard that their breakfast is the best and lunch and dinner is just OK. I can't remember from your report though.

LOL Monica! You so could totally rock the Pretty Woman look at Disney! You should try it next time!

Yes, we ate lunch at the CP back in November 07. It was my mom's favorite of the whole trip! It was very good food!


Here is what I said about it in my old report:

[Anyways, the CP was lovely! We loved the food, and our server was excellent. She was from London (I can't remember her name now) and was very charming. We sat way to the left after you walk in and in a little corner which was perfect!

The characters that day were a little lackluster in their antics, but that was ok. Our kids are pretty much about getting an autograph and a picture and don't really carry on with the characters all that much.

We loved the food (in fact this was my Mom's favorite food of the trip)! We especially liked the steak, the salmon, the fire roasted corn spoon bread (I think that's what it was called anyway) and the desserts were fantastic - loved the bread pudding and the lemon bars; kids loved the ice cream and the brownies.

I still think that with small children, buffets are all BUT relaxing. You're constantly up and down to help them that you barely have time for your own stuff, you know? I really do prefer family style and normal menu type offerings where we don't have to get up and down as much. In addition, the character element adds another sense of urgency to the meal. As soon as you get up to get something for someone, a character is coming by so you don't want to miss them! We still love doing character meals mind you, we just preferred the family style ones better (PSB and Garden Grill). But we really loved this food! Yum!]

 

[mom2mek]

Day 6 - Magic Kingdom
Part 4 - A blissful morning continues....


I gathered the 3 grandparents AND the 3 kids and began herding them across a still very un-crowded Main St (don’t know why I was worrying) and over to the bridge in between Tomorrowland and the Castle. What a pretty walk that is.

We met up with Shawn, our faithful Fastpass Volunteer, and scooted on down to the Speedway. I was expecting the line to have started to build up, but alas….there wasn’t one!

We hopped in line and I so smoothly managed to get Katie to ride with Grammy! If any of you read my November report, you might remember the whiplash I got from Katie’s “driving”! LOL!

This trip, I managed to get on board with Emily as my driver! I’ll let you know right now….wasn’t a whole lot better! I guess I deserved that, huh? Michael and Shawn rode together and my parents shared a sweet little romantic trip around the speedway in their own car!

Here we are loading up…notice the totally non-existent line! Woo-hoo!

First up was Shawn and Michael, then Grandmommy and Pop Pop, then me and Emily, and bringing up the rear…Grammy and Katie!

Pictures from Michael’s car:

Don’t you just love how the pictures from this ride make it look like the cars are going really fast! Ha! Meanwhile, a 3 year old carrying a backpack full of rocks, could walk leisurely past these very slow-moving cars!


And the oh- so- lovely loose steering that makes the kids inevitably hit the metal bar that sticks up from the road to keep you on the track – over and over again - yeah, that’s fantastic!

But this ride is a big hit with my kids….I mean BIG HIT! They love it, and honestly, I don’t know any kid who wouldn’t have fun driving their own race car!

(I think part of the way they make you feel like you might actually go fast, or at least look like you will, is that steep embankment…LOL)

(that would be my Mom attempting to turn and take video of the rest of us)

Only teeny tiny problem with this ride this morning, was the fact that we had just eaten and all the fumes plus all the turning around to see the other cars in our group and/or taking pictures or video of us driving, made us all feel a little queasy! So make sure you remember that if you are planning on hitting this ride right after breakfast….diesel fumes, turning around in your car, stop and go action combined with left and right whiplash driving….kind of makes you feel like you just ate a big chili dog with sauerkraut followed up by a vodka martini and a spin on the Teacups! Cause that’s kind of how we felt!

(Poor Grammy...she looks so relaxed...LOL)

(Grammy looks a little bit better now that she and Katie have STOPPED!!)

After the Speedway, no one felt much like doing the Teacups (I can’t imagine why) and that was fine with me, because I wanted to get the Pooh/Pan duo completed before Fantasyland got mobbed.

Up next....how was Fantasyland...had the Columbus Day crowds descended upon us? Who wants to stop and shop? (Not really that hard to guess on that one...)

Sara

 

[faerieprincess]

YaY great update Sara!

i have to say i didn't have much better of a time on the Speedway - and i was driving my own car! The fumes, the noise... definitely not my favourite ride in Tomorrowland.

Your kids, though, look like they are having an awesome time, and that's the whole idea, right?

 

[KathyRN137]

Sounds like somebody's a TGMer!!! Am I right? Bravo on your excellent planning. The first line says it all: another blissful morning!

The kids look like they're really enjoying themselves! I've never had the pleasure of riding on the speedway; Ed took Billy a few times when he was younger. Now we're more a Test Track family!

You'll get there all too soon!

I really admire how so many people can tour together so smoothly; your family must really get along well. I will have to go back and read the Herding Cats report one of these days so I can put this one in perspective!

Looking forward to more,

Kathy

 

[mom2mek]

YaY great update Sara!

i have to say i didn't have much better of a time on the Speedway - and i was driving my own car! The fumes, the noise... definitely not my favourite ride in Tomorrowland.

Your kids, though, look like they are having an awesome time, and that's the whole idea, right?

Yep - they did have an awesome time! But even Michael remembers the queasy feeling we all had...he was next to me as I was writing about this and that's the first thing he mentioned...

Sounds like somebody's a TGMer!!! Am I right? Bravo on your excellent planning. The first line says it all: another blissful morning!

The kids look like they're really enjoying themselves! I've never had the pleasure of riding on the speedway; Ed took Billy a few times when he was younger. Now we're more a Test Track family!

You'll get there all too soon!

I really admire how so many people can tour together so smoothly; your family must really get along well. I will have to go back and read the Herding Cats report one of these days so I can put this one in perspective!

Looking forward to more,

Kathy

Oh yes Kathy - I love TGM! Fantastic site...so helpful, especially with my large groups I always seem to be leading around! I would never go without it again!

We love Test Track too....I'm always surprised that Michael, at almost 8, still begs to do the Speedway though...he rides all the thrill rides now, so I really thought this would have no interest to him anymore...I WAS WRONG!!!

Oh my! That's funny about the family - we do indeed get along really well, but I must warn you if you go back and read the old one....there were some bumpy parts! Being the ONLY planner and leading around a group of 16 for the bulk of the time...who many of them didn't really like to split up much...uh, yeah...it was indeed herding cats, and at sometimes, a lot like dragging a herd of elephants through the park. I had some moments of and and and and

I have yet to go to Disney with just my own family...in 2002 it was 10 of us, in 2006 it was 12 of us, in 2007 it was 16, and this group was just 8! Phew! (You can imagine what going on a girls weekend in December was like for me, right? And Shawn and I going just the two of us in May is going to be a whole new world as well! )

(But if you're ever bored and want to give it a look, here is the link...my first report and I didn't know how to do links....but the actual report starts on page 15...really, you don't need to read it...it was brutal at times, but overall a fun and fantastic trip...my sister just doesn't "do" Disney like I do (or the rest of us planners, LOL!)
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1583307&page=1

Sara

 

[jillyb]

Those Speedway pics of your MIL are hilarious! I successfully talked DD(11) out of riding those when we were there in June. LOL I can't remember what we'd just done but she pointed to them and said "Let's ride that!". I said "They're nowhere near as fun as they look. Look how slow they are! Just stand watch for a while and see how boring they are." She watched for a little bit and said "Yeah...you're right. They do look boring." SCORE!!! DD(6) never even looked at them. LOL

 

[mom2mek]

Those Speedway pics of your MIL are hilarious! I successfully talked DD(11) out of riding those when we were there in June. LOL I can't remember what we'd just done but she pointed to them and said "Let's ride that!". I said "They're nowhere near as fun as they look. Look how slow they are! Just stand watch for a while and see how boring they are." She watched for a little bit and said "Yeah...you're right. They do look boring." SCORE!!! DD(6) never even looked at them. LOL

Way to go Jill! I'm hoping that tactic might work as my kids get older, but for now, they still think they are a hoot!

Poor Grammy, right? She does look like they are driving at warp speed! It was probably way worse for her than Mission Space Orange!

Sara

 

[jillyb]

Way to go Jill! I'm hoping that tactic might work as my kids get older, but for now, they still think they are a hoot!

Poor Grammy, right? She does look like they are driving at warp speed! It was probably way worse for her than Mission Space Orange!

Sara

We did Mission Space Green because I'd heard too many horror stories about the Orange side. DD(11) wanted to do the Orange side and I was OK with DH and DD(11) doing orange while DD(6) and I did green but DH told her we were all riding the same side together. That caused a nice pout for a while. LOL But we all enjoyed the green side so it was all good.

 

[mom2mek]

Day 6 - Magic Kingdom
Part 5 - A Fun Fantasyland

So with the teacups being a non-issue, off to our honeypots we hopped!

We waited MAYBE 5 minutes, loaded into 2 honey pots and were off to our blustery day adventure!!

It was in the Heffalump room that Mom and I realized with the black lighting you could see straight through our shirts! Nice.

As expected, everyone loved it once again. We hopped off and exited through another strategically placed gift shop, which apparently are just as enticing to my MIL as they are to my children. Only difference was....I was able to keep the kids moving with the promise of a ride on Peter Pan with no line, IF we didn’t stop to shop, but I totally missed the part where Grammy had stopped.

She needed another ride pin.

Ahhhh!!! It’s our last day, Sara…..breathe, breathe….

Next we were off to fly to Neverland. Did I mention how gorgeous it was this morning?

(Still very empty this morning)

I believe Shawn and his Mom sat this one out…don’t know why…it was a walk-on still (maybe 5 minutes) and when we exited we were off to ride Shawn and Michael’s “favorite” ride….It’s A Small World After All! Actually, this is one of Shawn’s mom’s favorite rides and it was a “Can’t Miss” for her on this trip. We skipped it on party night, so today was the day!

I love it too…I mean, come on, it’s a Walt Disney Classic! Yes, it’s simple…but it is charming, and really…quite beautiful now that they have renovated it. It’s very bright and cheerful and I will always sneak a ride on it if I’m in the Magic Kingdom! Shawn and Michael feel very differently….ugh….boys….

There was no line for it…we walked all the way down the ramp and straight onto a boat.

Here is my attempt at a group shot…not a very good outcome, but cute nonetheless…especially of my MIL…basking in her Small World glory in her very own row of seats!

(I’m such a great photographer, no?)

(we were headed down the happiest cruise that ever sailed…)

This was about 9:55 by now and I was pleasantly surprised at the emptiness of Fantasyland. We had done the longer-than-a-normal-ride Speedway, Winnie the Pooh, shopping, Peter Pan, and Small World by 10:00 and were headed to Toon Town. We did stop and take one more spin on the Carousel before heading over, as it was mostly empty. My Mom took Katie with her to find a horse and Emily and I spied a pretty little horse with a golden ribbon on her tail. I didn’t mention anything to Emily about it being Cinderella’s horse, for fear that someone else would walk to it quicker and then she would be disappointed, so after I got her up on it, I told her!

Woo-hoo! She got to ride on Cinderella’s horse. I think I was more excited than she was.

After our spin, we were off to Toon Town a few minutes after 10! We headed straight for Barnstormer and waited a few minutes before getting on! Katie got to be really cute this trip because on every ride, she would ask if she was big enough, and if there was a height checker there, she made sure to get underneath it!

Michael sat up front by himself, Shawn and Emily rode together, and Katie and I enjoyed this ride with one another! What a fun ride…wish it were longer.

(yeah, she was a little close…)

Next up…the house of a mouse, a slew of characters….and what was that noise?



Sara

 

[whogirl'smom]

Great updates! Ugh, the fumes from the speedway will get you every time! Your pictures are just fabulous--the ones just of the side/front of the car and the road and the ones of Small World. No matter what setting I used, I could not get a good picture in IASW without a flash.

 

[mkluvsmickey]

Oh man! I got behind again - but all caught up now! Sorry Sara my friend!

I am really enjoying all of the pictures. You always have such great ones. Love the one of the castle over the roof of Small World.

We've never been to CP but I really want to try it. I know both you and Monica rave about that place - not sure why we've never made it there. And an extra bonus to go early and have Main Street almost to yourself - awesome!

Love the girls outfits too! Funny that tigger made a big deal about matching.

I was laughing at the kids trying to hide their bacon and sausage from Piglet!

Sounds like a productive morning so far! I love the speedway and the fumes!

Feel free to proceed.......

 

[mom_of_3_70737]

Great update! I love all of the pics from MK so far! It is really making me ready to go! I hope we have it as empty as y'all did!

 

[DisneyJo]

I love all the PP photos on an empty Main Street that's something I must do next trip!

How funny that it's the Grandma's that are the problem with toilet and shopping stops

 

[KathyRN137]

Ahhhh!!! It’s our last day, Sara…..breathe, breathe….


LOL!! What would Mike say?!


Woo-hoo! She got to ride on Cinderella’s horse. I think I was more excited than she was.

We get so excited when we know from our planning how "special" certain things are! You're right, she probably didn't even notice! (Makes for good TR fodder, though!)

Can' t wait to see the kids (and the Grandmas!) at Mickey & Minnie's houses!

Kathy

 

[OhioTony]

Oh Sara just wait....Brandon still drives like there should be a metal thingy in the middle to keep him on the road!!
I have to admit that Small world is one of my faves too! Good work on acing out the other kids for Cindy's horse!

 

[kaysmommie]

Hi Sara,
great update as usual. I love the TL speedway pics. The ones with your MIL are funny, sure stick her the bad driver . My kids love this ride, though I can't stand it . I also like the picture of Emily on Kaylee's favorite horse . Luckily you finished Fantasyland before any crowds showed up. Looking forward to your next update!

 

[faerieprincess]

Great update Sara, you took awesome pics on IASW!

Yay for riding Cinderella's horse!

 

[micandminforever]

Great pictures, they make be wish I was in MK right this min.

 

[OhioDisneyLover]

I really enjoyed the update and pictures. I can never seem to take decent pictures on Pooh or it's a small world. I keep telling myself to be "bad" and use the flash just once....but I just can't do it.

 

[mom2mek]

Great updates! Ugh, the fumes from the speedway will get you every time! Your pictures are just fabulous--the ones just of the side/front of the car and the road and the ones of Small World. No matter what setting I used, I could not get a good picture in IASW without a flash.

If it's a good picture that means it was probably Shawn....my pics of Small World all looked like this:

Oh man! I got behind again - but all caught up now! Sorry Sara my friend!

I am really enjoying all of the pictures. You always have such great ones. Love the one of the castle over the roof of Small World.

We've never been to CP but I really want to try it. I know both you and Monica rave about that place - not sure why we've never made it there. And an extra bonus to go early and have Main Street almost to yourself - awesome!

Love the girls outfits too! Funny that tigger made a big deal about matching.

I was laughing at the kids trying to hide their bacon and sausage from Piglet!

Sounds like a productive morning so far! I love the speedway and the fumes!

Feel free to proceed.......

I actually don't usually mind the fumes from the Speedway either...but this morning, after puffed french toast, and lots of sausage....

You should definitely do an early before park opening CP breakfast! It's fabulous!

Great update! I love all of the pics from MK so far! It is really making me ready to go! I hope we have it as empty as y'all did!

I hope you do too! It really is wonderful, isn't it?

I love all the PP photos on an empty Main Street that's something I must do next trip!

How funny that it's the Grandma's that are the problem with toilet and shopping stops

Um, not Grandma'S (plural)...just the one! My mom was totally in sync with me! My MIL was new to this....

We get so excited when we know from our planning how "special" certain things are! You're right, she probably didn't even notice! (Makes for good TR fodder, though!)

Can' t wait to see the kids (and the Grandmas!) at Mickey & Minnie's houses!


Kathy

So true, isn't it? That's why I make sure NOT to tell them about the things I know about...at least it's only ME that gets disappointed when something doesn't work out...the kids are none the wiser!

Oh Sara just wait....Brandon still drives like there should be a metal thingy in the middle to keep him on the road!!
I have to admit that Small world is one of my faves too! Good work on acing out the other kids for Cindy's horse!

Thanks Lynn! I wish they did have a little training area for the 15/16 year old crowd to learn with the metal thingy....you might be on to something! Yeah, I totally knocked down like 5 other kids to get her to that horse!

Hi Sara,
great update as usual. I love the TL speedway pics. The ones with your MIL are funny, sure stick her the bad driver . My kids love this ride, though I can't stand it . I also like the picture of Emily on Kaylee's favorite horse . Luckily you finished Fantasyland before any crowds showed up. Looking forward to your next update!

Thanks Nichole! I know...I felt a little guilty sticking her with Katie, but it was fine....Emily was just as bad.

Great update Sara, you took awesome pics on IASW!

Yay for riding Cinderella's horse!

Thanks Sare! Shawn did get some good ones on Small World....the camera comes into play later though....stay tuned...

Great pictures, they make be wish I was in MK right this min.

Me too!

I really enjoyed the update and pictures. I can never seem to take decent pictures on Pooh or it's a small world. I keep telling myself to be "bad" and use the flash just once....but I just can't do it.

Shawn did pretty good with his ride photos and his fireworks photos this trip! I'm hoping he will get some really great ones on our adults only trip in May!
Sara