WL Flag Family Of The Day pics added! - Birthday Magic and Disney Diva Hair.

[DisneyTiger]

Ok, let me back up a little. On our way to Destin, we stopped in Biloxi, MS to eat at The Shed. This place was featured on BBQ Paradise on the Travel Channel and Diner, Drive Ins, and Dives on the Food Network. I had eaten there before on a girl's trip with my sisters and I wanted to take Jason. Here is a pic of the wall that Guy Fietti signed.

Also, here is a pic of my signature in the woman's bathroom from my previous trip. LOL. I left my mark!

When we got to Destin, we stopped to eat on the beach. Here is our first beach pic of the trip...

My two sisters and their kids were already there and came over to our condo for dinner that night. After we ate, we went down in the the village and got a great pic of the kids in the oversized beach chair. I love this...

The next day, we met up with them at the beach. Here's a cute shot of Brendan...

And another. I'm sorry. I couldn't resist. This will be used for blackmale one day.

Here are the kids with one of their cousins...

And I got Aubrey to work it like a Sports Illustrated model in the waves. LOLOLOL!

Here's a pic of Aubrey checking out the hot dudes on the beach from their balcony. Thought it was cute...

Later that night...

I love this next one. Look at this place. It's amazing. That's our condo in the background. Right in the middle of everything!

Ok, I'll stop boring you now with my vacay pics. I just love this place and I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a unique beach vacation!

Up next, from the roof!!!

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Hi!

I do not know how I missed your trip report until it was on page 21?

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

Oh that place in Florida looks soooooo fun!!!!!!!!

Was that a dead armadillo in the other update?

What lens do you guys use for those pics?

 

[vamassey1]

Ok, do y'all go to Mercy? My sister is a teacher there I could have sworn that she has mentioned she knew somebody that worked at Lamadeline?! Maybe I'm just losing it

No we go to St Jean Vianney.

 

[coteau_chick]

What is the name of the condo you stayed at. I want to go next summer. I loved the vacay update. The kids are so dark. I agree that is a beautiful picture of Aubrey. It looks like you had a fun trip.

 

[*Meagan*]

We actually were going to buy in when they were selling at SSR but backed out at the last minute. There were a few other times after that that we wanted to buy but chickened out. Then we found out that they were selling AKV. We were sold right there on the spot and have not looked back since. We LOVE that resort. We make a point to visit it on every trip if we're not staying there. I don't know. I just love the feel there, the music, and Boma... YUM!!! All the animals are amazing and it's just such a comfortable and warm place. People say that it's far out but I never notice that. It seems that you can get anywhere in the world via bus in less than 15 minutes or so so it doesn't bother us. Plus, I kind of like the secluded feeling. It's great and I highly recommend it. If you don't get in there, at least try to go visit. Eat at Boma if you can. It's so good!!! BCV is our second choice. The two are just so different it's hard to pick one over the other but our heart belongs to AKV. We try to stay at BCV when it's warm enough to use that amazing pool! Nothing like SAB!!!!! I want to be buried there

We definitely have an ADR at Boma already! Im excited!!!
OUr wait lists are for AKL and BLT! They said we would have the best chance getting into AKL so Im hoping hoping hoping it pulls through! I do love SSR, its a great property and has a great feel to me and I love DTD! But I have stayed there before.. and I really want to stay at AKL! ...pixie dust...

still loving your posts!!!

 

[my2disneyboys]

I just LOVE your beach vacation pictures!! Those two kids are so adorable!!!!! It looked like such a fun trip!!

 

[DisneyTiger]

Hi!

I do not know how I missed your trip report until it was on page 21?

Weird! Well, I'm glad you're here now!!!

Oh that place in Florida looks soooooo fun!!!!!!!!

Was that a dead armadillo in the other update?

What lens do you guys use for those pics?

Um, yeah. That was an armadillo but it was very much ALIVE! Just chillin on the sidewalk. Again, ewwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

The lense that I use is 250mm. I heart it.

No we go to St Jean Vianney.

Ok, because that would have just been too weird!

What is the name of the condo you stayed at. I want to go next summer. I loved the vacay update. The kids are so dark. I agree that is a beautiful picture of Aubrey. It looks like you had a fun trip.

It's called The Baytowne Wharf www.baytownewharf.com and it's awesome! The only thing is it's not on the beach. There are condos available on the beach side but we like staying in the village. The kids just get so tired of the beach so quickly we figured we'd save the money and stay on the other side while we can.

Yes, we are all very dark. I'm actually turning orange. We live at our neighborhood pool. Getting ready to go there now actually. I love having a tan but it will fade soon We had a great trip! Let me know if you want anymore info on BW. We rent our condo through www.vrbo.com It's great for anywhere in the country!

We definitely have an ADR at Boma already! Im excited!!!
OUr wait lists are for AKL and BLT! They said we would have the best chance getting into AKL so Im hoping hoping hoping it pulls through! I do love SSR, its a great property and has a great feel to me and I love DTD! But I have stayed there before.. and I really want to stay at AKL! ...pixie dust...

still loving your posts!!!

I like BLT becuase of the location but I feel like the atmosphere is a bit cold. I love the feel of AKL. I really could live there. Boma is amazing!!!!! Hope you get what you want!

I just LOVE your beach vacation pictures!! Those two kids are so adorable!!!!! It looked like such a fun trip!!

We had a great time. Thanks, I think they're pretty cute too

 

[poohbearluver]

Glad that you enjoyed TSM! That's one of my favs.
Oh my goodness, that armadillo would've freaked me out! I would have screamed.
Love your beach trip photos. I'd like to go there sometime. It looks like your kids had a lot of fun!

Can't wait to see the caricature! My friend got one once, and she looked cross eyed in it.

 

[DisneyTiger]

Glad that you enjoyed TSM! That's one of my favs.
Oh my goodness, that armadillo would've freaked me out! I would have screamed.
Love your beach trip photos. I'd like to go there sometime. It looks like your kids had a lot of fun!

Can't wait to see the caricature! My friend got one once, and she looked cross eyed in it.

That ride was awesome! I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one grossed out by armadillos! I am uploading the caricature now. It's worth the wait. Promise.

 

[DisneyTiger]

I'm glad you all enjoyed my beach pics. I hope I didn't bore you too much. Here's one more for you. It's the characature. Ummmmm, pretty sure I don't need to caption it...

The man successfully turned my baby into the child of The Little Mermaid and Chuckey

This for $25!!! Scary. Really, really scary.

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

Oh I'm sorry but that is HIDEOUS! Your little angel looks like she is about to devour Flounder!

 

[DisneyTiger]

Alright, so here goes my fav post. When I last left, we were heading back up to the room, only after playing with the road kill, and packing for home. We got everything taken care of and went to bed. We woke up early and headed down to the front desk. That is where we were supposed to meet the Ranger. Oh, here is a copy of the letter that was under our door...

It was a foggy morning so I was worried about not being able to see much but I was still excited because I had no idea what to expect! We made it downstairs which is where we met Ranger Joe! He was SO nice and explained to us everything that was going to happen. In addition to being able to help raise the flags, we would also have access to the food on the concierge level I was so excited to see how things worked up there. I've heard about it but have never been behind the closed doors The concierge level is located on the top floor of the hotel so that's where we had to go first. It was too cool. I can definitely see myself splurging for this one day. So, we get off the elevator and Ranger Joe shows us around a bit. He gives us a little history of the hotel as we walk around and tells me to take a picture of the lobby. He said this is the highest "most" guests get to go in the hotel. Here's a shot from concierge level...

He then points to a little landing one story up and says that's where we're heading. We go up a back staircase and come out here overlooking the lobby. An even higher view

So, I am not a fan of heights but I am still enjoying this at this point. Then Ranger Joe points to a tiny staircase that leads to the roof. Up, up, and up we went!

We finally get outside and there is yet another set of stairs that we have to climb to get to the tippy top! I was getting a bit nervous at this point and so were the kids, but we kept going. What we were about to see was totally worth the climb!

It was a bit foggy but Ranger Joe was so great and he pointed out every little thing to us. Here we go. First up, The Grand Floridian. It seems so far away when you're at the resort. Everything does. WL feels like an oasis but when you're seeing things from this vantage point, you realize that everything is much closer than it feels. Disney does such a great job at making it feel far apart...

I turn around and there we see The Contemporary and Space Mountain. Ranger Joe made sure to tell me to wait for the monorail to take the picture. Very cool shot!

Ok, these next few are very foggy but you can definitely make out what it is. The Swan and Dolphin and Tower of Terror all the way to the right...

Turn a little, and there is Spaceship Earth!!! The flat top building to the left of it is Test Track...

Then, much to my suprise, Ranger Joe told us that we could even see Animal Kingdom! Look right in the middle of the pic. That's Expedition Everest!

Here is a shot of SE and The Swan and Dolphin...

Can I tell you, I was just in awe of what I was seeing. This place that I love so dearly, all there, right in front of my eyes everywhere I turn! It really almost brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it. It was truly an honor.

So now it was time to raise the flags. First up, The American Flag. Ranger Joe was so good with the kids. He explained to them that they had to be very careful to not let it touch the ground...

Before he raised it, he asked if we wanted a pic. Uh, YEAH!

I LOVE this pic. It is going to be a hard choice to make for our Christmas card. This one or the tubular one! LOL

Once it was up, he asked if we would say the pledge with him. I almost fell off the roof when Aubrey said the entire thing I had no idea she knew it and was so proud! Ranger Joe was impressed

Up next was the Florida State Flag. We had a good time with this one since we're die hard LSU fans. We said that we would help raise it only because there was nothing on there about the Florida Gators (Tiger Bait!!!)

Then it was time to raise one of the two Wilderness Lodge flags. This one was really cool. Got a great shot with Ranger Joe...

Up next was another Wilderness Lodge flag. You had to climb down a small flight of stairs to get to this one. Aubrey helped. Brendan didn't want to go down the stairs...

And last but certainly not least was the Disney flag. I didn't even know this existed but of course Ranger Joe filled us in on the history. This flag flies over each Disney resort around the world and all of the parks. He told us a story about someone who worked for Disney. The man was in Hollywood on one of those star home tours. When they came upon a large home, the CM touruide that that must be Michael Eisner's house. The tourguide was suprised that the CM knew this information and asked how he knew. The CM told him that he saw the Disney flag flying above it. He knew how special the flag was and that the home had to belong to him. I know I'm butchering that story but that was it more or less. Very cool. We got yet another great family shot...

I just love Aubrey's pose in this one. Sassy mama!

And here they are raising it up!

After they were all up and flying, we took a moment to admire our work...

Too freaking cool!

cont'd to next post...

 

[DisneyTiger]

Here's one other shot of the pool area of WL...

Then Ranger Joe offered to take our picture in front of the castle and BTM. He said this is his favorite shot. Unfortunately, it was really glary outside so it was hard to get the kids to look...

He then moved us over to get the back of the Lodge behind us. The sun wasn't in our eyes as bad on this one...

And with that picture, our time on the roof came to an end. We went back inside, down, down, down all the stairs and Ranger Joe presented us with a certificate and some stickers for the kids...

Here is a cute shot of him and Aubrey. Too bad his eyes were closed. Brendan was not in the mood for picture taking. Oh well...

And here's the certificate...

 

[DisneyTiger]

Oh I'm sorry but that is HIDEOUS! Your little angel looks like she is about to devour Flounder!

Ok, that is hysterical and So true! LOLOLOL!

 

[SRUAlmn]

WOW! Incredible!!!! What an amazing opportunity that very few people will ever experience! I really loved the Disney flag and the story that went with it. I've stayed at many Disney resorts and I can't believe I've never noticed it. Now I'll have to really pay attention

 

[DisneyTiger]

Ok, I couldn't resist. I started my PTR. I expect to see each and everyone over there and subbed!!! Here's the link

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=37333536#post37333536

I'll add it to my siggy in a bit. For now, I have to run. I'm off to dinner.

 

[DisneyTiger]

WOW! Incredible!!!! What an amazing opportunity that very few people will ever experience! I really loved the Disney flag and the story that went with it. I've stayed at many Disney resorts and I can't believe I've never noticed it. Now I'll have to really pay attention

It truly was the most amazing experience that I've had thus far on any trip to WDW. We just felt so honored and special to be up there! I hope that everyone who stays at WL will get a chance to do this!

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Wow! I LOVE your photos from the flag ceremony!

I knew about the ceremony, and have seen a few pictures from it, but I've never heard the whole story about what all it entails. Thank you for sharing it with us all!

 

[DisneyTiger]

Well, I can't even begin to put into words how I felt after this experience. It was absolutely amazing and we are just so lucky to have had the chance to do it! But, it sure did work up an appetite! Good thing we had the CL food to fill our tummies. Now, this was not over the top or anything. Just some cereal, bagles, pastries, juice, coffee... Good food to get you started on your day. There was a TV outside the food are with cartoons playing. Here are the kids enjoying their CL food!

After we were done eating, it was time to say goodbye and head back to our sad little villa. Ok, insert sarcasm there When we got back, there was another birthday card "waiting" for Brendan. Ok, actually we found it in my backpack when we were getting things together. We had forgotten to give it to him on his birthday.

Then I wanted to get a pic of them all out on the balcony. The fact that we were about to leave was starting to set in for the kids. Aubrey was NOT happy. This was the best I could get. LOL

And then there came the balloon conversation. Remember that lovely $10 balloon that I said I was never going to buy that I bought in a weak moment on Main Street? Well, it was now time to tell it goodbye. Aubrey did NOT understand this and was NOT a fan of the idea.

We tried to tell her that we could not bring it on the plane. It was not allowed. She kept asking me to put it in her suitcase. Not once, not twice, but like 400 times. I kept trying to explain why that wouldn't work but nothing was getting through to her. Through the tears, we gathered up all of our stuff and headed down to check in at DME. Here is my little pack mule...

That pic cracks me up. We got all checked in at DME and then headed over to the QS area to get some lunch. It was such a beautiful day so we decided to eat outside on a little deck just outside the lobby. It was absolutely beautiful here.

This was our view...

We had a little visitor!

Shake your tail feather!

I was taking so many pictures. Trying to document every inch of the place. Then Brendan got the bright idea to put his sunglasses on the camera...

And here is Aubrey being silly...

While we were eating, Jason went inside of the lobby to "take care of" the balloon. Aubrey had asked one more time to put the balloon in her suitcase. I finally just gave up and said ok. So that's what Jason was doing. He was putting her balloon in her suitcase. In reality, he found a little girl that was just checking in with her family and handed the balloon over to her. He said her face lit up! It was nice to be able to share a little pixie dust with some newcomers. That made me happy. Aubrey, never asked for the balloon again. Thank you Jesus!

And with that, our stay at the Wilderness Lodge had come to an end. Here are some pics that I took around the villas...

The villa lobby area...

One of the many sitting areas...

Another fireplace...

Large sitting room with games and fireplace and rocking chairs...

Aparantly, I didn't take pictures of our actual room so I googled it and got some random pictures for y'all to see. They all look the same. Here's the studio...

And the bathroom...

And the kitchen area...

And that's about it!

We loaded the DME bus and had an uneventful ride back to the airport.

Up, next our very eventful flight home and my official goodbye