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

[mom2mek]

How early are you able to get in the park with an early ressie? We have an 8:05 at CRT. What time should we get there?? Thanks...this is the maiden voyage for my DH, DD3 and I.

Well, our ADR was at 8:10, and we went through the entrance about 7:50 (our first pic from that morning right at the front of the park is timed at that). I'm not sure of the absolute earliest you could get in, but definitely by 7:40/7:45 ish will give you time to get some lovely empty MK pics before your breakfast in the castle! I bet your daughter is gonna love it! We ate in the castle in 2006 and I would love to go back someday.

We are from the same neck of the woods - I'm about an hour and a half south of you in the Hampton Roads area!

Have a great first trip!

Sara

 

[Harters2WDW]

Well, our ADR was at 8:10, and we went through the entrance about 7:50 (our first pic from that morning right at the front of the park is timed at that). I'm not sure of the absolute earliest you could get in, but definitely by 7:40/7:45 ish will give you time to get some lovely empty MK pics before your breakfast in the castle! I bet your daughter is gonna love it! We ate in the castle in 2006 and I would love to go back someday.

We are from the same neck of the woods - I'm about an hour and a half south of you in the Hampton Roads area!

Have a great first trip!

Sara

Thanks so much!! I've been planning this all like crazy and details like this make me feel calmer. Ha! Any rides that are must do for the young, girl set? My DD is really small, so that limits us? Any good snacks to recommend in AK and DHS? I have blanks in that part of my planning right now!

I have really enjoyed your trip report...esp. with your young daughters! Never even noticed we were in the same neck of the woods! We're making the drive though....have you ever driven it? We are stopping near Savannah both times.

Thanks again for your work on the report and your prompt reply!

 

[mom2mek]

Thanks so much!! I've been planning this all like crazy and details like this make me feel calmer. Ha! Any rides that are must do for the young, girl set? My DD is really small, so that limits us? Any good snacks to recommend in AK and DHS? I have blanks in that part of my planning right now!

I have really enjoyed your trip report...esp. with your young daughters! Never even noticed we were in the same neck of the woods! We're making the drive though....have you ever driven it? We are stopping near Savannah both times.

Thanks again for your work on the report and your prompt reply!

Yes, we drove it last year on our big family reunion Thanksgiving trip! It wasn't too bad. We also stopped in the Savannah area - somewhere off I-95- I think it was technically Port Wentworth, GA. Right off the interstate, it worked out great!

Hmmm...snacks in the Studios and at AK? Are you on the Dining Plan? If so, there is a thread right here that has a whole bunch of what is considered a snack in all of the parks....pretty thorough!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2067447

My kids love Mickey bars, Itzakadoozie (giant popsicles) and Popcorn - which you can get at all the parks. The Studios have these giant sweet pretzels or cheese-stuffed pretzels that are supposed to be very good, and I have heard great things about the muffins at Starring Rolls. The AK has some good stuff at Dino Bites in Dinoland (over near the Boneyard area) - they have the big chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches like they have in the MK, and really good Rootbeer Floats.

You'll be amazed at how many things your daughter can go on at her age - especially at the MK. The whole entire Fantasyland section will be fabulous, in Toontown she might be big enough for Barnstormer (35" is the min), but lots of characters over there. If she isn't frightened (I like to call it "Scooby-doo" like scary to my kids) she could go on Haunted Mansion. Over in FL, she might enjoy exploring Tom Sawyer Island and in AL, the Jungle Cruise and the Magic Carpets are big hits with my kids. TL has Buzz Lightyear, and Monsters Inc, and I'm sure she would love the TTA!!! It's one of my girls' favorite rides!! At AK, Triceratop Spin is just like Dumbo, the Safari is great and all the trails where she can see animals are a lot of fun! There is a little train that will bring you over to a petting zoo type thing that also has animal exhibits and occasionally you can catch the CMs doing procedures on the animals if she is at all interested in that kind of stuff. I prefer not to go to petting zoos, but that's just me.

The Studios has Toy Story Mania!!!! Oh how fun that ride is!! They have the Playhouse Disney show and the Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast shows - a lot of shows basically! That park has a lot of character spots though, so if she enjoys that, make sure to pick up a times guide when you enter and see when/where her favorites might be coming out. But get there early for TSM if you want to ride it more than once!!

Which leaves Epcot. For a 3 year old, I would definitely do Figment, Finding Nemo, Turtle Talk with Crush, there is Living with the Land right near Soarin if one of you wanted to ride that, the other could take her over to ride Living with the Land, and then you could switch (because Soarin is fabulous - make sure not to miss it!). In the World Showcase, there are the two boat rides - Maelstrom (Norway) and Gran Fiesta Trio (Mexico) which my girls like. They have the Kidcot stations at each country too, so make sure and check those out. The CMs there are usually very interesting.

Have a great trip!! Let me know if you have any questions - I love to try and answer stuff! (And a lot of my readers are way more knowledgeable than I am, so speak up trip report readers if you have any suggestions...especially on the snacks...)

Oh, I just thought of my absolute favorite snack...the make-your-own-treat at Goofy's Candy Co in Downtown Disney. Slow to make, but really delicious!

Sara

 

[Harters2WDW]

Yes, we drove it last year on our big family reunion Thanksgiving trip! It wasn't too bad. We also stopped in the Savannah area - somewhere off I-95- I think it was technically Port Wentworth, GA. Right off the interstate, it worked out great!

Hmmm...snacks in the Studios and at AK? Are you on the Dining Plan? If so, there is a thread right here that has a whole bunch of what is considered a snack in all of the parks....pretty thorough!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2067447

My kids love Mickey bars, Itzakadoozie (giant popsicles) and Popcorn - which you can get at all the parks. The Studios have these giant sweet pretzels or cheese-stuffed pretzels that are supposed to be very good, and I have heard great things about the muffins at Starring Rolls. The AK has some good stuff at Dino Bites in Dinoland (over near the Boneyard area) - they have the big chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches like they have in the MK, and really good Rootbeer Floats.

You'll be amazed at how many things your daughter can go on at her age - especially at the MK. The whole entire Fantasyland section will be fabulous, in Toontown she might be big enough for Barnstormer (35" is the min), but lots of characters over there. If she isn't frightened (I like to call it "Scooby-doo" like scary to my kids) she could go on Haunted Mansion. Over in FL, she might enjoy exploring Tom Sawyer Island and in AL, the Jungle Cruise and the Magic Carpets are big hits with my kids. TL has Buzz Lightyear, and Monsters Inc, and I'm sure she would love the TTA!!! It's one of my girls' favorite rides!! At AK, Triceratop Spin is just like Dumbo, the Safari is great and all the trails where she can see animals are a lot of fun! There is a little train that will bring you over to a petting zoo type thing that also has animal exhibits and occasionally you can catch the CMs doing procedures on the animals if she is at all interested in that kind of stuff. I prefer not to go to petting zoos, but that's just me.

The Studios has Toy Story Mania!!!! Oh how fun that ride is!! They have the Playhouse Disney show and the Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast shows - a lot of shows basically! That park has a lot of character spots though, so if she enjoys that, make sure to pick up a times guide when you enter and see when/where her favorites might be coming out. But get there early for TSM if you want to ride it more than once!!

Which leaves Epcot. For a 3 year old, I would definitely do Figment, Finding Nemo, Turtle Talk with Crush, there is Living with the Land right near Soarin if one of you wanted to ride that, the other could take her over to ride Living with the Land, and then you could switch (because Soarin is fabulous - make sure not to miss it!). In the World Showcase, there are the two boat rides - Maelstrom (Norway) and Gran Fiesta Trio (Mexico) which my girls like. They have the Kidcot stations at each country too, so make sure and check those out. The CMs there are usually very interesting.

Have a great trip!! Let me know if you have any questions - I love to try and answer stuff! (And a lot of my readers are way more knowledgeable than I am, so speak up trip report readers if you have any suggestions...especially on the snacks...)

Oh, I just thought of my absolute favorite snack...the make-your-own-treat at Goofy's Candy Co in Downtown Disney. Slow to make, but really delicious!

Sara

OMG...this is all awesome!! That all helps me a lot. We are much better off when we have a plan. Although I have been working on it since August, I am feeling the crunch and the pressure now! You might get some more messages from me!

And I am already planning to hit Goofy's Candy Co. our first day!! And then again on our way out if we have snack credits to use up!!

Thanks again. This helped me a lot. I was needing to fill in the shows in our planning and had not done that yet. I know she is going to love those!

 

[Paparazzimama]

Wow!!!! Just got all caught up on your report - you rock woman!!!! There's so much that I wanted to comment on while reading, but now I'm having trouble recalling it all . . .
1. We stayed in the condos at Windsor Hills in '06 and LOVED it there! The 0 entry pool was so awesome that the kids would have opted for a pool day over the parks if we had given them a choice!
2. The girls' outfits during your trip were SO CUTE!!! Mad props to the Mommy Planner!
3. I LOVE all of the park scenery pics - hoping to get a few of those myself on this next trip.

And I know that there are tons of other comments, but they are eluding me at the moment - I'll get back with you as they come to me.

 

[mom2mek]

Wow!!!! Just got all caught up on your report - you rock woman!!!! There's so much that I wanted to comment on while reading, but now I'm having trouble recalling it all . . .
1. We stayed in the condos at Windsor Hills in '06 and LOVED it there! The 0 entry pool was so awesome that the kids would have opted for a pool day over the parks if we had given them a choice!
2. The girls' outfits during your trip were SO CUTE!!! Mad props to the Mommy Planner!
3. I LOVE all of the park scenery pics - hoping to get a few of those myself on this next trip.

And I know that there are tons of other comments, but they are eluding me at the moment - I'll get back with you as they come to me.

Hi Melonie! Thanks for popping over! You are so close to your grown ups trip! How exciting!

Sara

 

[mom2mek]

Day 6- Magic Kingdom
Part 3 - Breakfast with Pooh and the Gang (that just doesn't sound right...)


Unfortunately, all the outside picture-taking had to stop because the CMs at the Crystal Palace had called out our name to be seated! Yippee!

I have to say, and I know this is not comparing apples to apples, but boy getting in this morning was a heck of a lot of easier than at our lunch ADR over last November trip (2007). We had a lunch ADR at 11:30 for 16 (yes, 16! ) and it was a mad-house at the CP right then due to the breakfast-to-lunch transition. Normally, I would definitely recommend the 11:30 time as you beat a lot of the lunch crowd going in to eat, and you also are back out in the park riding rides while a whole slew of people are trying to then go eat lunch.

HOWEVER….being that this is a TS BUFFET restaurant, and with 11:30 being the transition time between breakfast and lunch....11:30 was not the best time. 11:45 would have been much better. I think. Just for reference, here is a picture of part of our crew waiting near the CP entrance around 11:30 last November:

But I digress....back to 2008....


Needless to say, with a much smaller crowd hanging out to be seated for our early morning ADR, it was a lot easier to hear our name. We made it inside and were seated to the right side of the restaurant at a big round table. Hardly anyone was seated yet, but Pooh was already out and making his rounds. So before doing anything else, we got some pictures with the great Winnie The Pooh!

As you can see, no one was even seated around us yet.


Our waiter came out and got our drink orders and we jumped in line for the buffet. I helped Emily with her food selection, Mom helped Katie with hers, and the rest managed on their own. So when I got back with Emily’s food, I went back up for mine. When I returned, I had missed Eeyore, but luckily the kids had all been there. Pop Pop picked up the video camera to take video instead of the still camera and on top of that, he flipped the video camera as if he was taking a still picture and wanted it to be portrait instead of landscape! Too funny! So we don’t have any pictures of Eeyore, only lop-sided video! Oh well.


We all started eating, and when the waiter came back by, I gave him my TIW card and asked if we could go ahead and get the bill. Hey, I’m no dummy – that getting the bill thing sometimes takes AS long as it does to eat and I didn’t want that to eat up any of our prime MK touring time! I didn’t want to rush anyone, but I have to admit, I was a bit nervous what with it being a Monday and with it being a holiday (Columbus Day). I wasn’t sure of the crowd levels and didn’t want to take any chances.

It’s a buffet, you already know what our total is going to be, just go ahead and tally it up buddy-boy!


As Piglet neared our table, the kids got really giggly and funny about all the bacon and sausage on their plates (my kids will eat some serious pork products in the morning, LOL) so Michael shoved as much sausage in his mouth as he could so as not to offend Piglet with having it on his plate! The girls propped their drinks in front of their plates to block their bacon!

(Michael's mouth is stuffed full)

The breakfast food here was stellar! I absolutely loved it and made at least 2 trips to the buffet! The lunch buffet was one of my Mom’s favorite meals here last November, but the breakfast is just as good! I know I had the Puffed French Toast, some Mickey waffles, and a whole bunch of other stuff! Everything was tasty and fresh!

I think at some point the kids did participate in the Pooh-rade like they did last year. It didn’t loop around very far, and before we knew it, they were back at the table and eating again. Um, okay? Didn’t even get any pictures of it! Maybe we got video...I can't remember...

As we were finishing up, Tigger was finally making his way around to our table. There was a big group of mostly grown-ups (I think they may have had a baby or two with them) seated behind us and they were hilarious!

They had Tigger bouncing up and down, and then they all started bouncing up and down, they were just having a grand old time and had the whole place looking over at them! You can see in these pics, behind Michael there was a bride and groom sitting there and they were watching…pretty much everyone was…it was lots of fun and it reminded me of being there last year with our big crowd of people that we had! (We had a lot of fun, despite the “herding cats” stigma that was attached to that trip)!

Time was ticking away though....and that table was taking A LOT of time with Tigger. I kept thinking he was going to have to go on a "break" before he saw our group and then we would never see him! Ugh! Deep breaths Sara, deep breaths. Ok, here he comes. Phew.

When he came over to our table, he pointed to the girls pants and to his fur and did a thumbs up! He thought it was cute that the girls matched him! Before long, he was posing with the kids and then having them jump up and down. He was very funny and lively and really got the kids moving that morning!

We had paid the bill and were gathering our stuff to leave right at 9:00, when my MIL said she was going to go to the bathroom and then meet up with us outside. I quickly remembered how teeny-tiny those bathrooms in the CP were and mentioned to her that if it was busy in there, the bathrooms outside the CP (we had used them the night of the party…figured she would remember where I was talking about) were really large and usually totally empty. She nodded and went about her way towards the CP restrooms.

My step-dad decided to use the bathroom as well so I mentioned the same thing to him.

He headed outside.

My Mom, Shawn, and I retrieved the stroller and wheeled it over to the area in between Casey’s and the CP to wait for the bathroom visitors. Pop Pop emerged, but still no Grammy.

By this time, a lot more people were headed up Main St, not a huge amount, but enough to make me sigh a little at our not-so-long-ago stroll up Main St and our empty castle.

Shawn took it upon himself to go on ahead of us and grab FPs for Space (3 of them) and FPs for Buzz (5 of them) for later on that day, and said he would call us afterwards to see where we were to meet up. Okey dokey. Thanks 'hon!

Grammy finally emerged from the Crystal Palace! Guess what? They only had 2 or 3 stalls in there and she had to wait because they were both occupied. Can you believe it? Yeah, I know.


Anyway….I had talked to the kids on the way in this morning about whether or not they wanted to do Dumbo or the Speedway first thing and they all agreed on the Speedway. (I knew getting Dumbo out of the way at the party was gonna help me out on this day…really took that morning “pressure” off you know?)

Off to the Speedway we went.


Sara

 

[Paparazzimama]

Great update!!! Too funny about Granny in the CP bathroom - gotta love 'em right? I can't wait to see how the rest of your day goes - sounds like you were off to a good start with those FPs.

 

[faerieprincess]

Breakfast sounds like it was tasty and a lot of fun - i can't believe there's no pics of Eeyore though!

Can't wait to hear about the rest of your day!

 

[KathyRN137]

Gee that CP Bathroom scenerio sounds familiar!!

Never again!!!

I'm glad you got a really bouncy Tigger...of all the characters, it's most important for Tigger to be "on."


Kathy

 

[whogirl'smom]

Yay, so glad you got out of there at a decent time! We went twice, on the Sun. I mentioned, and then again on the next Saturday (because I couldn't get an adr at 1900 Park Fare). The Saturday was horrible, crowded with a hundred people outside waiting at 8:00 a.m.; I swear I'm not joking. It was 9:50 when we got out of there. That left a bad taste in my mouth all day that even a Mickey waffle couldn't fix! We would have left earlier since we'd seen the characters Sunday, but we were trying to get a postcard signed for dd's friend who was getting her tonsils out that week. (Yeah, I didn't have that bright idea until half way through our trip! )

 

[kaysmommie]

Great CP update! I love the pics of the kids with the characters. Funny about Pop Pop and the video camera , that is something my mom would do. I feel your "the park is getting busier" anxiety just reading this. At least Shawn is willing to be a FP runner . Good for you getting Dumbo out of the way so you can get right on the Speedway that morning. Of course Thomas wants to do both , how stressful will that be?? Looking forward to hearing the rest about your Monday at MK.

 

[mom2mek]

Great update!!! Too funny about Granny in the CP bathroom - gotta love 'em right? I can't wait to see how the rest of your day goes - sounds like you were off to a good start with those FPs.

Yes, Grammy apparently missed the whole part about IF the bathrooms inside were crowded....blah blah blah.... It was ok though...just early morning MK anxiety for the tour group leader, yours truly!

Breakfast sounds like it was tasty and a lot of fun - i can't believe there's no pics of Eeyore though!

Can't wait to hear about the rest of your day!

I know! If I could figure out how to upload the dang video you could see some really cute video of my favorite downer.... ...you would just have to hold your head to the side to be able to see it!

Gee that CP Bathroom scenerio sounds familiar!!

Never again!!!

I'm glad you got a really bouncy Tigger...of all the characters, it's most important for Tigger to be "on."


Kathy

Well, my MIL is not very old (like 54) so I can't even use the "getting old is hard" reasoning with her! Just must not have been listening to me I guess!

Yes, Tigger definitely had had his coffee that morning! It was great!

Yay, so glad you got out of there at a decent time! We went twice, on the Sun. I mentioned, and then again on the next Saturday (because I couldn't get an adr at 1900 Park Fare). The Saturday was horrible, crowded with a hundred people outside waiting at 8:00 a.m.; I swear I'm not joking. It was 9:50 when we got out of there. That left a bad taste in my mouth all day that even a Mickey waffle couldn't fix! We would have left earlier since we'd seen the characters Sunday, but we were trying to get a postcard signed for dd's friend who was getting her tonsils out that week. (Yeah, I didn't have that bright idea until half way through our trip! )

Oh man! 9:50???? I would have been - did you have a lot of early morning touring on your plan that day? I hope not! I'm sure it put you behind if you had big plans for a lot of rides.

Great CP update! I love the pics of the kids with the characters. Funny about Pop Pop and the video camera , that is something my mom would do. I feel your "the park is getting busier" anxiety just reading this. At least Shawn is willing to be a FP runner . Good for you getting Dumbo out of the way so you can get right on the Speedway that morning. Of course Thomas wants to do both , how stressful will that be?? Looking forward to hearing the rest about your Monday at MK.

Yes, we should all be thankful for our loyal FPVs!!!

I'm thinking if he wants to do both, Dumbo should be first, then Indy. Something about that slow-moving Dumbo line that drives me a bit more batty than the Speedway one. You're a pro - you'll be fine!


Sara

 

[Poohtigeey]

Great update. Reminded me of the time we went and when I went to get a piece of sausage it flew across the buffet and hit the chef. The guy next to me was highly entertained and I was highly embarassed. The chef goes, "Did you just hit me with a sausage?!!" Good times. Anyways...

The look on Michael's face always makes me giggle. Like he's trying to be cool and not to smile too much, but he really can't not smile. The best tip for anyone are those Casey's bathrooms. Totally empty. We also love breakfast at CP. Never miss it when we go.

 

[jillyb]

Great update. Reminded me of the time we went and when I went to get a piece of sausage it flew across the buffet and hit the chef. The guy next to me was highly entertained and I was highly embarassed. The chef goes, "Did you just hit me with a sausage?!!" Good times. Anyways...

The look on Michael's face always makes me giggle. Like he's trying to be cool and not to smile too much, but he really can't not smile. The best tip for anyone are those Casey's bathrooms. Totally empty. We also love breakfast at CP. Never miss it when we go.

This has struck my funny bone and I'm now trying not to laugh too loud since I'm at work and I have tears running doewn my face, I can just picture the look of surprise on his face and hear the incredulity in his voice. Oh God! Make it stop!

 

[joleen76]

My boys when they were little loved the Crystal Palace. Now not so much... they are to "old" for it.

 

[mom_of_3_70737]

Great update! Don't you just love CP! It is one of our favs and I am kinda sad that it isn't in the works for our upcoming trip. Isn't it crazy about the crowds in the Nov 2007 pic! We were there at the same time (except for breakfast) and it was just as bad.

Keep the updates coming, I can't wait to hear more! Our countdown is at 1 week today! I absolutely can not wait

 

[mom2mek]

Great update. Reminded me of the time we went and when I went to get a piece of sausage it flew across the buffet and hit the chef. The guy next to me was highly entertained and I was highly embarassed. The chef goes, "Did you just hit me with a sausage?!!" Good times. Anyways...

The look on Michael's face always makes me giggle. Like he's trying to be cool and not to smile too much, but he really can't not smile. The best tip for anyone are those Casey's bathrooms. Totally empty. We also love breakfast at CP. Never miss it when we go.

OMG Monica! I remember that story from your trip report and it is such a funny visual! I think we might have had some slippery hard-boiled eggs we were trying to not lose to the floor, but luckily no chef-hitting sausage! (You really made Michael laugh with that story, BTW...)

This has struck my funny bone and I'm now trying not to laugh too loud since I'm at work and I have tears running doewn my face, I can just picture the look of surprise on his face and hear the incredulity in his voice. Oh God! Make it stop!

Jill, have you recovered?

My boys when they were little loved the Crystal Palace. Now not so much... they are to "old" for it.

Awww....well, maybe you could sell it to them on the good food factor!

Great update! Don't you just love CP! It is one of our favs and I am kinda sad that it isn't in the works for our upcoming trip. Isn't it crazy about the crowds in the Nov 2007 pic! We were there at the same time (except for breakfast) and it was just as bad.

Keep the updates coming, I can't wait to hear more! Our countdown is at 1 week today! I absolutely can not wait

Awww...the adults aren't going to dine with Pooh and the Gang? Shame on you.... Hehe! The check-in system was definitely better this trip than in November 2007...

Woo-hoo! 1 week!!!

Sara

 

[Poohtigeey]

This has struck my funny bone and I'm now trying not to laugh too loud since I'm at work and I have tears running doewn my face, I can just picture the look of surprise on his face and hear the incredulity in his voice. Oh God! Make it stop!

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.

 

[jillyb]

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.

I don't know how to do multiple quotes so I'm just going to answer you and Sara! LOL

Sara: I was recovered until Monica posted more!