You've Got a Friend in Me:TINKGURL & XOKTENOX's Adventures in WDW~UPDATE: 6/9 p.74

[vamassey1]

When we drive the Florida part is what seems to take foreverrrrrr. We have to drive across the panhandle and then down.

I can just feel the excitement building as you're getting closer to WDW. I can't wait to see the little guys reaction once you're really there.

 

[tinkgurl]

Are you using Photobucket? If so, it's really easy. Just edit the picture, and then when you're in edit mode you have a few tabs across the top for different actions to perform. Select the "Distort" tab and you'll have a couple of options for how to make it illegible.

Thanks glennbo!

Joining in!

WELCOME!!

Just wanted to say hi, ladies! My sisters and I got back this morning so time to play catch up.

Hey girl. Can't wait to hear about your trip!

Tinkgurlfriend ~ I read my Disney info books outloud to family too, LOL! Most of the time though it's just me rambling on about something off the top of my head though. Most of them don't listen or care, you're so lucky to have a bunch of them with you on your trip and I can't wait to read mroe about it!

Can't wait for the next installment, girls!!

Okay, glad I'm not the only one who reads it out loud! Fiance actually loved it when I read this book to him when we drove down in March.

When we drive the Florida part is what seems to take foreverrrrrr. We have to drive across the panhandle and then down.

I can just feel the excitement building as you're getting closer to WDW. I can't wait to see the little guys reaction once you're really there.

Ew, you guys have an even longer drive in FL!

 

[tinkgurl]

Day 3: July 19, 2010

~tinkgurl’s day: Today is finally the day. The day where we get to WDW. The day where we get to see the little guy’s first reaction to it all. I have been dreaming of this day for so long. So naturally, I was up an hour before everyone else. I could hardly sleep. I kept waking up and checking the time to see if it was time to get up yet. Yeah, that’s the only time I’m happy getting out of bed. haha.

After everyone else was up and moving, we all packed up and loaded the car. Then, we went back into the lobby for the breakfast buffet they were serving. We figured it would be easier just to eat there than having to stop somewhere along the way. I think we all hurried that breakfast-we were ready to get to WDW!!!

When we got closer, we stopped at a visitor’s center for a restroom break. They had a really neat Mickey statue in the lobby area. They also had WDW brochures so, of course, I grabbed them all! Even though I didn’t need to look at them, I still have to get them for souvenir purposes. So as you can imagine..I have tons of brochures in every photo album from every trip. HA.

As we got even closer to WDW, I noticed that the Little Guy was starting to get sleepy. NO!!! You can’t fall asleep yet! We’re almost there! I kept him occupied with looking for WDW billboards. Sadly, there weren’t as many as I had remembered from years past. He saw the Shrek billboard and asked if Shrek was at WDW. Uhhh…no. haha.

Soon, we were driving by the DTD area and I knew that the WDW gates were coming up. As soon as we saw them, we started a countdown until we were going under them. As soon as we were under them, Little Guy and I started screaming “WE’RE HERE! WE’RE HERE!” I texted Kristen like 5 million texts the whole time we were getting to WDW grounds. She had to be laughing at how crazy excited I was. And wow, I felt like such a little kid again pointing everything in sight out to him- the first Disney bus we saw, the first monorail we saw, and so on. He kept asking “That’s at Disney World?” We’d say, “We are in Disney World! This is ALL Disney World!”

We even saw the TRON monorail going to Epcot:

Then, we saw THE gates. You know, the gates to my favorite park of them all: the MK.

Little Guy kept asking where the Castle was. See, I had prepared him all summer about WDW. He had remembered that the Castle was at the MK! I told him to keep on the lookout for the Castle and our hotel, which he had seen on the WDW movie I showed him. And within a few minutes, we made it around the corner and saw “our place” for the week:

My heart was starting to race. We went under the water way and as we made it out the other side, we could finally see the Castle. Me and Little Guy started dancing “We’re here. We’re here!” We pulled up to valet parking and jumped out of the car. I looked around at us all. I could not believe it. We were actually at WDW with Little Guy AND Grandma and Grandpa.

A CM came with luggage carts and started helping us unload the car. Of course, this was taking way too much time according to the Little Guy. So Fiancé and I worked to keep him occupied. He got on Fiancé’s shoulders and was checking out the Castle:

Then, I took him on a tour of the lobby while Grandma and Dad checked us in. It was so crazy to be back in the lobby and actually checking in there rather than just visiting. It definitely brought back memories from previous trips.

Little Guy thought that the escalators were so neat. I promised him that we would be taking trips up and down them many times. As we walked back towards Grandma and Dad, Dad let us know that our rooms were already ready! The CM checking us in saw that we were DVC members and upgraded us to the main tower! She also gave Fiancé and I “Just Engaged” buttons, the Little Guy got a “1st Visit” button, and Grandma and Grandpa got “Happy Anniversary” buttons. So, we informed the CM that had helped us with our luggage that our rooms were ready and we wouldn’t need our carts in storage. He said that he would meet us up at the rooms. So, after Dad and Uncle parked our cars-to the elevators we went!

Of course, I was freaking out that we were going to be in the 8th floor. Those of you who have read my TR’s before know that I am claustrophobic! But, Little Guy promised to hug me and hold me every time we had to ride the elevator. When we got to our floor, he would always say “We’re here! It’s okay now.”

As we got off onto our floor, we realized that we would be facing Bay Lake. Darn it. Oh well, we figured it would be a beautiful view of the sunrise-and boy were we right! We went our separate ways to check out our rooms. My group was in room 4415, Uncle and the boys were in 4412, which was joined with Grandma and Grandma’s room 4411. It worked out great for them. They just left the joining door open the whole time and Little Guy could go back and forth.

My group was especially excited to see what the rooms looked like because we could remember seeing them doing the remodeling on previous trips. We opened the door and our mouths dropped. It was SO much nicer than when we had stayed there when Sis and I were younger.

As you opened the door, there was a little hallway with cabinets and a fridge on the left and the door to the bathroom on the right:

The bathroom had two amazing sinks:

The shower was also nice. Then to the right in the bathroom was a little room, which was the toilet:

Then, as you came out of the hallway and into the room, there were two huge beds. Dad already had to call the front desk. Our message light was flashing-which became a theme for the rest of the week! They were reminding us to pick up our Luau tickets. After we listened to the message, they said they were going to delete the message, but they never did so our light kept flashing the whole trip! It was so annoying! haha.

The tv was a flat screen and the tiled area underneath it had a light you could turn on! It was so neat! The couch also turned into a bed, which is where Sis slept.:

Over along the wall, there was a glass desk and a dresser with drawers to store stuff. This ended up being my area to do my hair and make-up in the morning because it was out of the way of everyone.

After checking out the room, we had to run out on the balcony and check out the view. It was so nice! We could see the pool-which was good for when we went swimming and Grandma and Grandpa just wanted to stay in the room-they would sit on the balcony and wave at us. We could see WL, Epcot, the Swan and Dolphin, and even things at DTD!

It was also fun being able to watch the boats coming to and from the dock:

And, we had a great view of BLT. It was so neat to look at during the night.

We decided to head back in and turn on Stacey while we waited for our luggage. No longer than 2 minutes later did we hear a knock on the door! We practically threw our suitcases in the room and then headed down to Uncle’s room. As we knocked on the door, Little Guy yelled “Who is it?!” I said my name and he said “Okay, come in!” and opened the door. Of course, the latch was locked at the top of the door, so Uncle had to help him haha. We made sure they were all settled in, got sunscreen on, and headed to the elevator. We were going to the 4th floor because…we were going to get on Little Guy’s first monorail ride!!!

~Up next: Little Guy’s 1st time at the MK! What will the first ride be?

 

[Charleston Princess]

Ah, I love how excited you were to show Little Guy Walt Disney World!!! I am like a little kid when we drive onto Disney property, too!

The Contemporary rooms look so nice, but I was drooling over the D&B purse sitting on the bed!

 

[manntra]

Yayyyy!!! You're there!! Isn't driving under that sign and onto Disney property just the best!! And to be able to share it all with LG...just all the more special!
Love your room at CR....I say this all the time that BLT is beginning to grow on me and I know I will love it once I stay there!

Tracy

 

[vamassey1]

Yeah!! Your there! I love the little guy's excitement. The rooms do look very cool and what a treat that they were already ready.

It's park time.

 

[princess_momma]

I loved hearing all about your little man's excitement. There's just something about seeing it all with the eyes of a child, since it's all so much more real to them. I truly believe it can be magical for everyone, but it's such a different kind of magic for little kids!! And seeing him on your DF's shoulders just reminded me of my own little man on Dustin's shoulders on my trip. So cute.

I LOVE the Contemporary. And I love how your little man comforted you on the elevator-too cute. I can't wait to stay there one day. You have a great view...it may not be of a castle, but it sure beats most views!!

 

[Cat0727]

Yayy you made it to WDW! I could feel your and Little Guy's excitement from your update

BLT's rooms are amazing! I'd love to stay there one day.

 

[Dancegrl624]

Hooray!!! I stayed at the Contemporary when I was 10 years old, but we stayed in one of the Garden Wings (I think the one that is now BLT). I love what they've done with the rooms! Very sleek.

Love how exciting the little guy was...can't wait to see his reaction to everything!

 

[MarieTheCat24]

YAY!!! YOU'RE FINALLY AT DISNEY!!! I got so excited while reading this.

Of course, I was freaking out that we were going to be in the 8th floor. Those of you who have read my TR’s before know that I am claustrophobic! But, Little Guy promised to hug me and hold me every time we had to ride the elevator. When we got to our floor, he would always say “We’re here! It’s okay now.”

This made me smile. It's the most adorable thing ever. Little Guy is just too much.

The rooms at the Contemporary are GORGEOUS. I am in love with those sinks. I mean, I didn't know it was possible to love a sink as much as I love these. And I haven't even seen them in person! I really need to stay there sometime so that I can meet the sink loves of my life in the flesh...or porcelain?

Ugh, that's super annoying about the message light. Blinking for an entire week? That would drive me insane.

AH!! I CAN'T WAIT TO HEAR ABOUT THE MAGIC KINGDOM!!!

 

[glennbo123]

Great update tinkgurl! You're really building the excitement. I can't wait to hear what the little guy thinks of MK and what his first ride will be.

for a room upgrade! Those rooms at the Contemporary look really nice.

 

[tinkgurl]

Ah, I love how excited you were to show Little Guy Walt Disney World!!! I am like a little kid when we drive onto Disney property, too!

The Contemporary rooms look so nice, but I was drooling over the D&B purse sitting on the bed!

It was just so overwhelming and exciting to want to show him everything. I can't imagine how I'll be with my own kids. haha

HAHA, thanks! I love Sis for getting me that purse! I can't tell you how many people stopped me throughout the trip to ask where I got it.

Yayyyy!!! You're there!! Isn't driving under that sign and onto Disney property just the best!! And to be able to share it all with LG...just all the more special!
Love your room at CR....I say this all the time that BLT is beginning to grow on me and I know I will love it once I stay there!

Tracy

It is so great to finally be going under the gates.

We really are thinking about trying to get into BLT next year!

Yeah!! Your there! I love the little guy's excitement. The rooms do look very cool and what a treat that they were already ready.

It's park time.

It was SO nice to have the rooms all ready!

I loved hearing all about your little man's excitement. There's just something about seeing it all with the eyes of a child, since it's all so much more real to them. I truly believe it can be magical for everyone, but it's such a different kind of magic for little kids!! And seeing him on your DF's shoulders just reminded me of my own little man on Dustin's shoulders on my trip. So cute.

I LOVE the Contemporary. And I love how your little man comforted you on the elevator-too cute. I can't wait to stay there one day. You have a great view...it may not be of a castle, but it sure beats most views!!

You are so right. It was so cute to see everything in his eyes. I knew you'd understand my excitement for sure!

Oh my gosh, Little Guy on Fiance's shoulders was a theme for the whole trip. They were inseperable!

The Contemporary is really nice, especially after the remodeling! Yeah, we were just happy to be at WDW-we weren't THAT sad about not having a MK view.

Yayy you made it to WDW! I could feel your and Little Guy's excitement from your update

BLT's rooms are amazing! I'd love to stay there one day.

We just might be staying at BLT next year!!

Hooray!!! I stayed at the Contemporary when I was 10 years old, but we stayed in one of the Garden Wings (I think the one that is now BLT). I love what they've done with the rooms! Very sleek.

Love how exciting the little guy was...can't wait to see his reaction to everything!

We've stayed in the wing that's where BLT is too! We've actually stayed in both wings and the main tower before this trip. It was great to be back.

YAY!!! YOU'RE FINALLY AT DISNEY!!! I got so excited while reading this.

This made me smile. It's the most adorable thing ever. Little Guy is just too much.

The rooms at the Contemporary are GORGEOUS. I am in love with those sinks. I mean, I didn't know it was possible to love a sink as much as I love these. And I haven't even seen them in person! I really need to stay there sometime so that I can meet the sink loves of my life in the flesh...or porcelain?

Ugh, that's super annoying about the message light. Blinking for an entire week? That would drive me insane.

AH!! I CAN'T WAIT TO HEAR ABOUT THE MAGIC KINGDOM!!!

He is so cute. The things he says just crack me up! He's definitely growing up!

OMG the sinks were awesome. I can't even explain how the water came out. It was so neat!

The light drove us nuts! We called the next day and they said they'd fix it, but it never went off!

Great update tinkgurl! You're really building the excitement. I can't wait to hear what the little guy thinks of MK and what his first ride will be.

for a room upgrade! Those rooms at the Contemporary look really nice.

Thanks glennbo! It was so neat to be in the main tower.

 

[All7OfUs]

HI Tink!! Just a quick hello from my travels. Great post! so excited for your Contemp stay!

 

[mermaid764]

Your room at the contemporary looks AMAZING!

I love the sinks..they are a gorgeous design and your view is stunning.

Can't wait to hear how the little guy liked the MK

 

[xoktenox]

~Kristen's Day 3: July 19, 2010

We still haven't left so this will be short again! I was up early to get ready for my last day of work before we left for WDW! I checked us in for our flight at 7:35 and got us in group A Chris worked all day as well. I was FREAKING out all day at work, unable to concentrate because all I could think about was being at WDW in less than 24 hours AND finally getting to meet Tinkgurl. She was texting me a lot giving me the update on their progress. I was so excited for her and the Little Guy! Traffic on the way home from work prevented me from being able to get to the gym on time for the class at 6:15 so I just finished up my packing. Eventually I showered and put in the movie "Julie and Julia" to watch to help me try and fall asleep. No matter how good a movie is, I rarely make it through an entire one so I figured this was the way to get past the "I'm too excited to sleep" syndrome. Well, it worked temporarily. I think I finally fell asleep at midnight, was up at 2:30, was up again at 4:30 and then just stayed awake until 5 when I had my alarm set to get up and get ready to go to the airport!! I don't think Chris slept particularly well either, from what he told me!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Since my day 3 was so short, the next few updates will just be Tinkgurl finishing up her day 3. Stay tuned for that because they finally make it to a park!! After she finishes, day 4 will include both of us and that's when we finally meet

 

[jmskinner]

you made it! The room looks fantastic and the view is wonderful!

I get excited seeing people reactions to WDW for the first time. And I still get all giddy when I see that gate, actually I see a Mickey head power pole from the interstate and get all excited. That when I know we are there.

Looking forward to hearing about the reaction to the monorail and the Castle!

 

[wdwgirl03]

Woo hoo, you're there! I don't know where I have been because I didn't realize you were staying at the Contemporary until one of those live updates. I guess I thought you were at OKW again!

haha, I am the same way about the brochures/guide maps. It's not like we need them but it's always fun to pick them up from each trip. We have a whole stack of old ones which are funny to look at and see all the old attractions!

 

[SparKeLLy]

Your room was gorgeous! I would love to stay there someday. Can't wait to read more!

 

[Believeinfairytales]

Aw, I can just imagine your excitement as you showed the Little Guy all things Disney for the first time! I was practically bouncing up and down in my seat with you.

Your room is awesome and the view is awesome, too! I love how clean and modern everything looks. Can't wait to hear more.

 

[Megablocks]

Yay, you made it! I love that the little guy promised to make sure you were okay during the elevator rides and reassured you every time you made it down. So sweet! I can't wait to see what his first ride is and finally make it to MK

Kristen, I sleep like that too when I'm going somewhere, especially to Disney World...it stinks. I can't wait for the part where you guys finally get to meet!