Yes, we went back again!! A trip report with tons of pics!!

[kimwim8]

Our third trip in 12 months…are we CRAZY? Yes, crazy about the mouse and his World! December 2005 we went down over my birthday to enjoy the holiday season at WDW. It was beautiful, magical and such a great way to get in the holiday mood. Then DH’s cousin won a state pageant, so we decided (along with 24 other family members) to head on down to Orlando to support her in the National pageant. During that trip we stayed outside the resort (oh, the horror!) and it was a nice trip….but not our typical 24 hours/day magic-filled trips that we love! SO…..we decided to head on back down in November during part of *gasp* Jersey week and Super Soap Weekend. We had purchased AP’s during our December trip, knowing that we’d get our money’s worth just by visiting again in August…so this trip was a bonus on those AP’s!!!

Cast:

Me – 32 year old Disney NUT. (why else would I be on the DIS?) I had made a pretty drastic physical and mental transformation between the December and August trips thanks to the help from both a local nutritionist and the great peeps over on the DIS WISH board!!

DH – 38 year old Goofy. He’s the one that introduced me to the total Disney experience. Before meeting him I’d never stayed in the resort. It’s completely his fault that I am addicted to anything and everything Disney! (love ya, hun!) He also introduced me to the DIS – now isn’t that the sweetest thing a hubby can do?

DD7.5 - The princess of the house. At home she’s too “grown up” for a Disney Princess bedroom, but at WDW….she’s all over them! Just recently hit 48 inches tall.

DS5 - Our very own WDW expert! This is his 5th trip to the World in his short little lifetime and he has retained almost every experience and character meeting in his head. He will tell anyone and everyone all about his adventures and his favorite attractions…and that when he’s 10 he’s totally riding RnRC!! He’s 41 inches tall.

Supporting Cast:

MIL & FIL – We co-own DVC with DH’s parents, and therefore have vacationed many times with them to the World. They have their own routine in WDW, so they aren’t always with us, but you’ll see & hear about them in parts of this report.


So, as I stated before, we chose part of Jersey week for our trip to WDW. When making our airline reservations we found out that it would be a LOT more reasonable to fly on weekdays, so we went for Tuesday, November 7th through Wednesday, November 15th. Shortly afterwards we realized that we would be in the World during Super Soap Weekend too – my goodness….what have we done? The crowds are going to be HORRIBLE!! Wait a second….we were just in WDW in August….summer crowds – we can handle this!!

(pictures will follow in the rest of the installments)
(I will keep the whole trip in this thread for easier reading)

 

[kimwim8]

Day 1 – Tuesday, November 7th.

The kids went to school, and DH and I went in for a very short day at work. With taking a full 2 weeks off this year just for WDW alone, my vacation time wasn’t too plentiful – so every hour helped. DH and I met up at home around noon and then loaded up the van & went to pick up the kids at school. We picked up DD first and she was just bouncing off the walls. She was elected class president of her 2nd grade classroom!! She was SO excited and we were SO proud of her! Next we went to pick up DS at his kindergarten. He was on the playground for recess already and was nice and dirty. Haha

We made our way to the Atlantic City airport and our flight took off as scheduled at 3:25. The flight was uneventful and we landed safe & sound at MCO at 5:30. We made our way to the DME counter, checked in with no line and were sent to the line to wait for the Wilderness Lodge bus. We walked through the que, were the first ones in line, and were immediately sent to the bus. Granted it was a Disney Cruise Line bus…but it worked. It delivered us safely to the Wilderness Lodge for our first ever stay at our home resort! (well, for 3 nights anyway)

DS absolutely loves Stacy from the top 7 WDW countdown. So his first task was to turn on the tv and see his “girlfriend”.

And because I’m a DIS-er, I had to do this: Heres a picture of a pillow at VWL:

And a closeup of the same pillow:

YEAH! Hidden Mickeys!!

We met up with the IL’s and ate at Roaring Forks then walked around the resort for a little while. We thought about going over to MK, but it was drizzling out and we decided to go back to our room and see if the luggage had arrived yet instead. Turns out that because of the rain, the DME luggage service was backed up. Our suitcases arrived around 9:30….most of them soaked through from the rain.

Up next…..Day 2 – Animal Kingdom - our first full day in WDW!

 

[Blueeyes101817]

LOVE the report so far..keep it coming!

 

[kimwim8]

Day 2 – Wednesday, November 8th (first full day at WDW)

First, I’d like to say, Happy Birthday to my mom on this day! It was hard to be so far away from her on her birthday. I don’t think I’ve ever missed one of her birthdays.

We arrived at Animal Kingdom just in time to watch the opening show by the Tree of Life (gotta love that shortcut through the Rain Forest Café!) We went right to Dinoland for DS to ride his favorite ride, Triceratop Spin.

(DS rode with me, so here’s a pic of DD and DH)

DS wanted to measure himself to see how close he was getting to being able to ride Primevil Whirl (this would be an ongoing theme with him….any ride he wasn’t tall enough, he had to keep checking to see if he’d grown) We then went to Expedition Everest and did child swap. This was DD’s first time ever riding this (she wasn’t too sure about it in August). She rode with DH first, then with me. It was SO great to ride with her. Here’s a pic of her afterwards:

….and a pic of DS and how he felt about not being tall enough to ride:

We met up with the IL’s and went to see The Festival of the Lion King. Am I the only one that cries every time at that show?? Man, that one gets to me. After that, we went and ate at Flame Tree Barbeque (GREAT meal). We then made our way to the newly remodeled Theatre in the Wild to catch Finding Nemo, the Musical preview. We lined up about an hour before, and made it in!! The show was AWESOME! The director was there as well as many of the imagineers that created the show. The director introduced himself and warned us that there may be times when they needed to stop the show, since it’s still in testing….but it went off without a hitch (at least we didn’t notice any) and the show is just wonderful. I highly recommend it!!

From there we went to Kilaminjaro Safaris

Then we went over to Camp Minnie Micky and saw Goofy and Donald, then the Pocahontas show.

We went over onto the bridge into Africa, had some mickey bars and watched the parade. It was our first time seeing that one, and it was pretty good. Not my favorite, but a good one nonetheless.

From there we saw Lilo & Stitch, Flik, Pooh, Eeyore, Tigger and Mickey.

We did a little shopping and then went back to VWL since it was getting a little too chilly. We didn’t feel like eating at Roaring Forks again, so we walked up to WCC and put our name on the list. The wait was 60-75 minutes, but after 30, we were seated at a table. Our server Candi was GREAT! DD asked for ketchup…

And then Candi thought that I needed to get in on the action….

We laughed so hard! It was a great time.

Up next…our first day at Magic Kingdom – and a HUGE change in the air for DD!!

 

[Minniespal]

Excellent ~ Thanx for sharing.

 

[toystoryduo]

Hi Kim,

I am loving your trip report and your pictures! A wonderful start! I can't wait to read the rest....

By the way, you're not the only who cries at the Festival of the Lion King... I do too! I cry at Festival of the Lion King, Illuminations, WISHes, Christmas Wishes, the parade on Main Street, SpectroMagic, Carousel of Progress, my last day of my vacation...... ETC, ETC, ETC

Looking forward to your next installments!

 

[kimwim8]

Thanks Jen, Florence and Tracy for stopping by!

Tracy - I cry a LOT while at WDW! But good cries!

Stick with me, guys. I have a lot more to tell! Unfortunately my pictures aren't working from here at work, so it'll be later tonight. But I'll get more days written now, and then just post them tonight!

Thanks again! It's so nice that a few people want to share in our experiences!

 

[Blaynexox]

Ahh im already HOOKED to your trip report!! I love all the pictures and your kids are SOO cute!! I love the picture of your son sitting on the rock waiting for your DD and DH to get off EE. SOO CUTE! Cant wait for the next part!

 

[kaysmommie]

Hi Kim,
I remember reading your get healthy journal. Oyur trip report title got me as I was trying to convince DH to go again before Christmas but it didn't work. Love your pictures! You even got the baby elephant on the safari. We weren't that lucky and we had a lousy driver. How did you like WL? Anyway can't wait to read the rest.

 

[daisy_77]

I am enjoying your TR and I look forward to reading more!

 

[kimwim8]

Hi Kim,
I remember reading your get healthy journal. Oyur trip report title got me as I was trying to convince DH to go again before Christmas but it didn't work. Love your pictures! You even got the baby elephant on the safari. We weren't that lucky and we had a lousy driver. How did you like WL? Anyway can't wait to read the rest.

Hello again! We absolutely LOVED the WL. It was just beautiful and cozy and yet spacious (if that makes any sense). No matter where you are, you're close to the action if you want to be in it. It's definitely my favorite DVC resort now!

Thanks also to Blayne and Daisy_77 for reading! I'll definitely be posting more tonight.

 

[jakenjess]

Great start to your report! You're definitely not alone -- I always cry at Festival of the Lion King, too. My DH thinks I'm crazy. We also love the VWL. Looking forward to reading more!

 

[fynook12]

Very cute family!!! Can't wait to read more

 

[Blueeyes101817]

I want more kim..WRITE MORE !

 

[Avivasmom]

Great report especially love the pics....you are not alone in this year alone we will be going 5 times.

We left the day you arrive and then will be back in 6 days!!!!

 

[kimwim8]

Day 3 – Thursday, November 9th (Magic Kingdom!!!)

After eating a healthy and nutritious breakfast of donuts and poptarts in the room again, we headed towards the boat launch for Magic Kingdom. Once we arrived at the dock at VWL, the line for the MK boat was super long, so we took the boat to the Contemporary and then walked over to the MK. We arrived at 8:10am (was EMH) and headed directly to Fantasyland. We made GREAT time and went on Peter Pan, Pooh (while DH ran for FP’s to Buzz), Snow White and Small World.

We then went over to Tom Sawyer’s Island for the kids’ first time looking for paint brushes (came up empty though, since we were on the 3rd raft of people over).

Great view of BTMRR from Tom’s Island.

**side note…after exiting the Snow White ride, we were looking around the gift shop. A CM asked DS if he’d like to help her out. He says “no thanks”. So she asks DD if she’d like to help out. Of course she jumps at that chance! She was sent on a scavenger hunt through the store looking for the giant and for some other characters that most people wouldn’t notice right away. She did great and was given a Magical Moments certificate! I explained to DS that when a CM wants their “help”, they usually want to play with them. He seriously thought she was going to put him to work!

Once we left the island and made it safely back onto the mainland, we met up with the IL’s and got FP’s for Splash Mountain. We headed over to Buzz and then ate lunch at Cosmic Rays (our favorite counter service in MK!). Once our bellies were full, we went back over to the mountains. Splash and Big Thunder Mountain that is. We rode Splash Mountain, and DH ran for FP’s for BTMRR. We then walked over to Pirates of the Caribbean and then back to BTMRR for our ride.

At this point, DD is overly excited and can’t wait anymore. You see, she wants to get her hair cut in the WORST WAY at Disney World. She’s been growing it long and has decided to donate it to Locks of Love. So why not do both at the same time!! We split up, and the IL’s, DD and I went up to the Main St. Barber Shop, and DH took DS for another ride on BTMRR. There were only 3 children in front of us, so the wait wasn’t too long. Here are some pictures of DD’s haircut:

We are SO proud of her!! She came up with the idea all on her own!

DH met up with us just in time and was able to capture this huge event for DD on video. DS sat on the curb and watched the 3 o’clock parade…so we were all happy!! I had brought the envelope with us to send the hair directly out, and we did that from City Hall.

Both of the kids wanted desperately to swim in the pool and try out the water slide, so we left the MK and took the boat back for a quick swim.

But before we hit the pool, here are the kids doing some crazy jumps in the room, waiting for daddy to get dressed!

We all went swimming (gotta say, it was pretty darn chilly!) and the kids LOVED the water slide. After about an hour, we all got cleaned up and went back to the MK. We ate dinner at the Columbia Harbour House and then saw some of Spectromagic, while the kids fell asleep in the stroller. We went to the boat dock and got on the 2nd boat heading to VWL. We were able to see Wishes from the Boat. It was really beautiful!

Up next – EPCOT , interaction with a crazy turtle – and moving resorts to OKW!

 

[kimwim8]

Day 4 – Friday, November 10th (EPCOT!!)

Being the committed WISHer that I am (*cough*most of the time*cough*), I promised myself that I wouldn’t completely let myself go on this trip. I would bring my running gear, and get out there! Once I realized how close the fitness center was to our room, there was just no other excuse I could make. (I was actually afraid to venture outside for a run, because my sense of direction is HORRIBLE, and I was afraid I’d get lost – ). Anyway, I did make it to the fitness center at 6:15 and ran on the treadmill for 25 minutes, then took a nice, cooling short walk outside.

Once we were all up and ready to go, we went to WCC for breakfast. (IL’s were supposed to join us, but FIL wasn’t feeling well). Breakfast wasn’t nearly as exciting and rowdy as dinner was a few days before, but it was a good, filling meal – and I was glad to not be eating poptarts for at least that day!

We went back to our room and waited for Bell Services to come pick up our bags to transfer them over to OKW. We really wanted to stay at VWL for our whole trip, but there wasn’t availability. We figured 3 days were better than none, and decided to split our trip.

We made it over to EPCOT around 10am and the crowds weren’t bad at all! DH ran & got us FP’s for Soarin, and then all 4 of us rode Test Track. It was DS’s first time riding and he was a little nervous. During the fast lap outside he was screaming – and I had to look over at him to see if it was a happy scream or an upset scream – thank God it was a happy one! Walking off he was SO thrilled and proud of himself for going on! We asked if he wanted to go again and he said NO! :rofl: He loved it, but once was enough for this trip! We made our way to the new and improved Living Seas or The Seas with Nemo and friends as I think it’s called now. The line for the new Nemo clamshell ride was out the door! The CM said it was a 45 minute wait. A lot of people got out of line at that, and it actually ended up being a 20 minute wait. VERY cute ride! My kids absolutely LOVED it, and DH and I enjoyed it. We jumped in the que for Turtle Talk with Crush immediately afterwards and waited maybe 20 minutes for that. While waiting, I told my kids to prepare a question for Crush, just in case he wanted to talk to them. And wouldn’t you know it, they called on DS! Crush asked his name, and then continued to call him Jammin’ Jacob! DS asked Crush “How do turtles get big?” Crush replied that turtles eat a lot, dude! Then he asked DS how do humans get big? DS says “We have BIRTHDAYS!” The whole place erupted in laughter. It was so funny!

We walked around The Seas, and saw the divers go in and feed the fish. The kids played in Bruce’s play area for a while.

We went over to Soarin, and were able to get in the middle section, front row! Perfect seats!! We went on Living with the Land (5 minute wait) and then picked up lunch at Sunshine Seasons for the kids, and DH and I bought lunch at the Electric Umbrella – and we all ate outside. It was a beautiful, sunny day! Here’s a picture that shows that they actually do love each other sometimes:

After lunch we went into Innoventions East, then Character Connection. We love this spot! It’s such a great place for the kids to see a bunch of characters and we’ve never encountered any lines here!

We went on the Figment ride (as we know it) and then made our way to start around the World Showcase. The kids started to make guitars, I mean masks at the kidcot fun stops.

It was getting late and chilly, so we picked up some food for the kids at Liberty Inn and for us at La Cantina and then went to OKW to check in.

When we arrived at OKW, it was around 9pm. We were informed that there were no more non-smoking rooms left for us. WHAT?? How can that happen? I can see if you request a room location, and that’s not available. But how can they give out the non-smoking rooms? Basically we had no other options, so we had to stay in a smoking room for the night. Let me just say that going to a bar, the smoke doesn’t bother me or DH. But when we have to actually sleep with the smoke smell, it got to both of us right away. DH’s eyes started watering immediately. I called the front desk and they said that they could send Mousekeeping up to deodorize, but we would have to leave the room for 2 hours!! Our kids were asleep on the bed, so that wasn’t an option. About an hour later, Mousekeeping was at our door and the VERY nice woman sprayed some flowery-smelling stuff on the carpet. It definitely helped! I did call the front desk and let them know that we wanted to switch rooms the next day.

Up next – Keys to the Kingdom Tour – and will we ever get a non-smoking room?

 

[kimwim8]

Day 5 – Saturday, November 11th

We awoke and there was a message on our phone from the front desk to call & confirm that we wanted to still switch rooms. Um, yeah! So I called & set that up. Bell Services was going to come around 10:30 and store our bags for us. Sounds good!

The plan for today was that DH and I had reservations for the Keys to the Kingdom Tour at MK.

**a little background information – I had mentioned to DH that I wanted to go to WDW with just him in 2007 for our 10th wedding anniversary to eat in some fancy restaurants and to do some behind-the-scenes stuff that we can’t do with the kids. I think I had him convinced to do it, until our August trip. In August, every time the kids felt the magic, he looked at me and said “I can’t come here without them”. I do think we’ll make it to WDW without the kids eventually, just not in the near future because my DH is a big softy! He did arrange with the IL’s to keep the kids for us so we could do a tour on this trip, so I was a happy girl!

The IL’s came to our room at 8am, and we were off! DH and I made it to the MK by 8:45 for our 9am tour. We were able to watch the mass of people enter the park at 9am and see people running down the street. It was truly magical to see all of those excited people feeling the magic of the mouse! Our tour guide was James, otherwise known as Tiny. He was GREAT! What an awesome tour! I wasn’t sure if knowing some of the behind-the-scenes information would take away some of the magic for me, but it really didn’t. It made me appreciate even more all that Disney does for their visitors! They really do pay attention to the little details! I won’t share too much info here, but if you want to do a tour, this one is just wonderful! It included lunch at the Columbia Harbor House and the tour took 5 hours.

The IL’s waited at OKW with the kids until Bell Services picked up our bags, and then took them over to CBR (where they were staying) to have lunch. They then headed over to the MK to ride the TTA and then met up with us at 2pm near City Hall where our tour ended.

DH got FP’s for BTMRR and we all went on the Jungle Cruise. We rode on Aladdin’s Magic Carpet Ride next, and you can see that the kids LOVED when they could ride on the rides together and not with DH or I.

We saw the Country Bear Jamboree next, and the kids were a little disappointed that it wasn’t the Christmas version, since they prefer that one. I love it no matter what! We rode BTMRR and then went to the Liberty Tree Tavern for dinner. What a GREAT meal! This was our first time eating there and the food was awesome! It was just what FIL needed to settle his stomach (some regular, home-style food).

The crowds at MK were really bad this day. I mean, heat of the summer bad. Spring Break/Easter bad. It was time for us to head on out!

We went to re-check in to OKW (with our fingers crossed). Luckily we were put in a non-smoking room and in building 26, which was in a GREAT location, right near the Hospitality House and pool! We all went over to the laundry room and I sat & read a magazine while I did a load of wash and DH took the kids to the game room. We all went to bed by 9pm and it was sleep that we all desperately needed!

Up next – MGM on Super Soap Weekend, are we nuts??

 

[tinawv]

Can't wait to read more. Your kids are adorable, and your daughter was so brave and caring to donate her hair to Locks of Love.

 

[hjd0411]

This is great. Love all the pics, too. Your kids are adorable! And what a beautiful gesture by your DD. She is obviously a very caring little soul.
Look forward to hearing more. I'm interested in the weather/crowds, too, because I will be there this time next year, and I need to get an idea of how it could be!!!

Thanks for your time doing your report.

Heather