A Season of Favorites - A December 2013 Trip Report Updates 4/9 Page 2 and 3
- Thread starter TinkyCheeks
- Start date
TinkyCheeks
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 10, 2007
I can't believe so much time has passed since my last update! Wow. Life has been crazy. I was busy taking some classes to make a career change, and that has pretty much consumed my life. But I'm back, and I have no intention of leaving this TR hanging!
But first, future trip news! We now have not one, not two, but three future trips on the radar! I'm not sure how it happened, but somehow we decided on a kids-free long weekend this September for DH's birthday, a trip next May, and a cruise/possible WDW time next August. What? For the first time ever, we're going to be APers. I'm very curious to see how this all plays out, which trips actually happen
and whether we're Disney'ed out by the end. Of course, it all depends on where I get hired on. If I get my number one choice, all of this will become a reality. If not, we'll just have to see.
Enough of that. On with the TR!
But first, future trip news! We now have not one, not two, but three future trips on the radar! I'm not sure how it happened, but somehow we decided on a kids-free long weekend this September for DH's birthday, a trip next May, and a cruise/possible WDW time next August. What? For the first time ever, we're going to be APers. I'm very curious to see how this all plays out, which trips actually happen
and whether we're Disney'ed out by the end. Of course, it all depends on where I get hired on. If I get my number one choice, all of this will become a reality. If not, we'll just have to see. Enough of that. On with the TR!
TinkyCheeks
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 10, 2007
When I last left you, we had just finished up visiting with Mickey and Pals and were on our way to guest services. It was a beautiful day, nearly 80, and despite it being a Saturday, Epcot didnt seem that crowded.
Visiting with Mickey wore Gigi out, so she fell asleep almost instantly when we put her back in the stroller.
As we walked up to Guest Services, there was a huge line. Huge. Standing in line, we could hear a lot of people complaining about Magic Bands. Oh, boy.
As we waited, I received a text from my mom, saying that they were in the park. I told her where we were, and within just a few minutes they found us. The boys were really excited to see my parents. Theyd left Ohio on Thursday morning and driven to Daytona Beach for a couple of nights. Theyd checked in at POR and were waiting for the text saying that their room was ready.
My mom took the boys to the bathroom while we stood in line. To be perfectly honest, I wasnt really sure why we were waiting. If all that was wrong was that we couldnt charge things to the room, I thought it could wait until we got back to the hotel. But Shawn was more worried about the dining plan. And honestly, he was just frustrated. Before our trip, there were a lot of problems. Our tickets disappeared. Our kids were erased off the vacation. Four of our MVMCP tickets were mailed to us, which was great, except wed purchased five. Disneys Magical Express only said Cody was supposed to arrive and couldnt get the dates right. There was more that I cant recall, but it just seemed like one problem after another. So Shawn had kind of had it and just wanted to get everything settled.
After about 30 minutes or so of waiting, a CM came to ask us what the problem was. Shawn explained, and then we had to wait another five minutes for him to get an open computer. Once he did, he told us about our Magic Bands being reversed, which we had already learned that morning. The CM in the morning told us it was no biggie. The Epcot CM, however, felt that it was a huge deal. He wanted us to leave the park, go back to POR and have our reservations completely canceled. He said wed need to rebook our entire trip. He wasnt sure how that would affect our free dining or anything else. He did say that our having the wrong info on our bands could be seen as fraud. Seriously? Fraud? Okay.
At this point, I thought Shawn was going to lose it. The guy quickly wrote out some fast passes for us (which we never used) and sent us on our way. Shawn then muttered the dreaded words a Disney fan never wants to hear
We are never coming back.
EMERGENCY! Nooooooo!
I tried to calm him down. I reminded him that the CM that morning said there was no big deal about his and my bands being reversed. Wed talk to them again. The CM at Guest Relations seemed really overwhelmed, and really, who could blame him? It was crazy there! I love Disney, but the Magic Bands/MDE seemed to be released way before it was ready.
He wasnt buying it, but he did seem to calm down a little bit. We were all getting a bit hungry, so we decided to go ahead and grab some lunch. We decided to try somewhere wed never eaten before: La Cantina de San Angel. It was pretty busy, but there was plenty of seating available inside.
My mom and I both got Tacos de Pollo. AllEars.net: Tacos de Pollo - grilled chicken served on fresh handmade corn tortillas with Pico de Gallo, lime and corn tortilla chips $10.99. This was pretty tasty.
Cody got the Torta de Pollo. AllEars.net: Torta de Pollo - traditional Mexican sandwich with battered chicken tenders, black beans, guacamole and sour cream $11.99. He thought it was good, but he was far more interested in the popsicle he got for dessert. Shawn finished it up for him and thought it was great.
Shawn got the Tacos de Carne. Tacos de Carne - smoked beef brisket tacos served on fresh handmade corn tortillas with Pico de Gallo, lime and corn tortilla chips $11.99. He seemed happy with them.
My dad got the nachos and loved them. They looked so good! AllEars.net: Nachos - corn tortilla chips with ground beef, nacho cheese, fresh tomatoes, jalapenos, black beans, and sour cream $9.99. He really enjoyed them.
Kyle and Pierson both ordered Empanadas de Queso. Empanadas de Queso (Cheese Empanada) served with tortilla chips and nacho cheese $7.99. Kyle loved this. Pierson didnt. He and my mom traded some of their food.
For dessert, all the adults got churros, and all the kids ate them very quickly.
A very satisfied boy!
While eating, I had my first Diser sighting. Ive read lots of TRs over the years, mostly as a lurker. I cant get enough of them. Well, I look over and who do I spy? Only Emmysmommy and her daughter! They were a couple of tables over from us and seemed to be having a great time. I told Shawn, and he said I should go say hello. I almost did, but then I chickened out. I still wish I would have said hello. They seem like such sweeties!
We were all ready to hit some rides. Luckily, our Mission Space FPPs were ready. The timing couldnt have been better. This is Shawns favorite ride ever. My parents had never ridden this. Shawn, my dad, Cody, Kyle and Pierson took the first shift. My dads fast pass didnt work (this would be a recurring theme -- none of his FPP worked all week). As they flew to Mars or wherever, my mom and I sat and chatted while Gigi played in the stroller. We were just enjoying being in the sunshine!
They rode the intense side. We rode the intense one last time and loved it. This time, though, I could tell that it affected Shawn. My dad said he really liked it, but he looked a little gray.
My mom and I rode the less intense side, thank you very much. I was cracking up. My mom was freaking out over having a job to do. She was so nervous she was going to mess up. When it was her turn, she didnt press the buttons, so when the ride was over, I told her it was her fault wed had such a rough landing.
Next, we headed over to Test Track. Our FPP were just about ready. This time, Shawn and I rode with the boys while my mom and dad waited with Gigi. This was our first time since the rehab. I thought it was okay, but I really preferred the old version. The boys loved building their cars, though, and thought the changes were really great. Shawn seemed to really enjoy it, as well.
We walked through the gift shop, and Pierson found a car he thought he wanted. He didnt have much spending money, and we told him to wait on buying it because wed be back. Hed already mentioned wanting several things, so we didnt know he was going to set his heart on this car. Well, he did. He talked about this car all week. When we returned on Friday, it was sold out. He was so upset with us.
We went back outside and met with my parents. My mom mentioned she couldnt find Giannas sippy cup. We tried to remember the last time wed seen it, and we figured it must have been at the restaurant. So Shawn and the boys made the trek back to Mexico while my parents rode Test Track.
Before long, Shawn returned with the sippy cup, and my parents were done with the ride. We had one more FP+ for the day for Soarin. My parents had received a text that their room was ready but that they would need to return to the front desk for their room number. So we decided we would head on Soarin and then go back to the hotel for a little bit.
My parents, Cody and Kyle rode Soarin while Shawn, Pierson, Gianna and I went on Living with the Land. Does anyone else just love this little boat ride? I dont know what it is about it that makes me so happy, but I really enjoy it. Gianna got a little scared during the beginning when it was dark, but once she found the dog on the porch, she was happy and spent the rest of the ride barking in joy. So much of this trip really was just watching her reactions to everything. Dont get me wrong, I loved seeing the boys reactions to things, as well, but theres just something so neat about watching a little one take it all in for the first time. It really did make us see everything through new eyes.
I loved all the Christmas touches.
The rest of the group was still on Soarin when we finished up, so Shawn sat and waited while Gigi, Pierson and I went to that little gift shop near the exit. I was looking at the Mickey wind chime, which Im still kicking myself for not buying. So stinking cute. I just love wind chimes. And a Mickey one? Why didnt I buy it? Ugh. Anyway, as we walked away, Pierson asked me, Mom, did you buy her that? I looked to where he was pointed, and Gigi was carrying a stuffed Mickey, hugging it tightly. Ooops. Im glad he noticed before we got too far.
When we were walking back, the rest of the group was exiting the ride. It was our turn! We told my parents about Living with the Land, so they took Gianna, Kyle and Cody over while the rest of us went on Soarin.
I love this ride so much! Yes, the film desperately needs updating. Yep, there are spots and whatever. I dont care. I dont even notice them when Im riding. I just enjoy every second. The poor man riding next to me, however, didnt feel the same way. He was terrified, and as soon as we were back on the ground, he announced very firmly that he did NOT like this ride and would NOT be riding again. Poor guy. His wife wasnt loving it, either. I just wanted to give them big hugs! Im pretty sure they wouldnt have appreciated it, though, especially since I told them it wasnt scary at all while we were waiting. They were both giving me some not-so-nice looks after it was over.
All of our FP+ used up for the day, we decided it was definitely time to get back to POR.
Next up: Chef Mickeys and Illuminations.
Visiting with Mickey wore Gigi out, so she fell asleep almost instantly when we put her back in the stroller.
As we walked up to Guest Services, there was a huge line. Huge. Standing in line, we could hear a lot of people complaining about Magic Bands. Oh, boy.
As we waited, I received a text from my mom, saying that they were in the park. I told her where we were, and within just a few minutes they found us. The boys were really excited to see my parents. Theyd left Ohio on Thursday morning and driven to Daytona Beach for a couple of nights. Theyd checked in at POR and were waiting for the text saying that their room was ready.
My mom took the boys to the bathroom while we stood in line. To be perfectly honest, I wasnt really sure why we were waiting. If all that was wrong was that we couldnt charge things to the room, I thought it could wait until we got back to the hotel. But Shawn was more worried about the dining plan. And honestly, he was just frustrated. Before our trip, there were a lot of problems. Our tickets disappeared. Our kids were erased off the vacation. Four of our MVMCP tickets were mailed to us, which was great, except wed purchased five. Disneys Magical Express only said Cody was supposed to arrive and couldnt get the dates right. There was more that I cant recall, but it just seemed like one problem after another. So Shawn had kind of had it and just wanted to get everything settled.
After about 30 minutes or so of waiting, a CM came to ask us what the problem was. Shawn explained, and then we had to wait another five minutes for him to get an open computer. Once he did, he told us about our Magic Bands being reversed, which we had already learned that morning. The CM in the morning told us it was no biggie. The Epcot CM, however, felt that it was a huge deal. He wanted us to leave the park, go back to POR and have our reservations completely canceled. He said wed need to rebook our entire trip. He wasnt sure how that would affect our free dining or anything else. He did say that our having the wrong info on our bands could be seen as fraud. Seriously? Fraud? Okay.
At this point, I thought Shawn was going to lose it. The guy quickly wrote out some fast passes for us (which we never used) and sent us on our way. Shawn then muttered the dreaded words a Disney fan never wants to hear
We are never coming back.
EMERGENCY! Nooooooo!
I tried to calm him down. I reminded him that the CM that morning said there was no big deal about his and my bands being reversed. Wed talk to them again. The CM at Guest Relations seemed really overwhelmed, and really, who could blame him? It was crazy there! I love Disney, but the Magic Bands/MDE seemed to be released way before it was ready.
He wasnt buying it, but he did seem to calm down a little bit. We were all getting a bit hungry, so we decided to go ahead and grab some lunch. We decided to try somewhere wed never eaten before: La Cantina de San Angel. It was pretty busy, but there was plenty of seating available inside.
My mom and I both got Tacos de Pollo. AllEars.net: Tacos de Pollo - grilled chicken served on fresh handmade corn tortillas with Pico de Gallo, lime and corn tortilla chips $10.99. This was pretty tasty.
Cody got the Torta de Pollo. AllEars.net: Torta de Pollo - traditional Mexican sandwich with battered chicken tenders, black beans, guacamole and sour cream $11.99. He thought it was good, but he was far more interested in the popsicle he got for dessert. Shawn finished it up for him and thought it was great.
Shawn got the Tacos de Carne. Tacos de Carne - smoked beef brisket tacos served on fresh handmade corn tortillas with Pico de Gallo, lime and corn tortilla chips $11.99. He seemed happy with them.
My dad got the nachos and loved them. They looked so good! AllEars.net: Nachos - corn tortilla chips with ground beef, nacho cheese, fresh tomatoes, jalapenos, black beans, and sour cream $9.99. He really enjoyed them.
Kyle and Pierson both ordered Empanadas de Queso. Empanadas de Queso (Cheese Empanada) served with tortilla chips and nacho cheese $7.99. Kyle loved this. Pierson didnt. He and my mom traded some of their food.
For dessert, all the adults got churros, and all the kids ate them very quickly.
A very satisfied boy!
While eating, I had my first Diser sighting. Ive read lots of TRs over the years, mostly as a lurker. I cant get enough of them. Well, I look over and who do I spy? Only Emmysmommy and her daughter! They were a couple of tables over from us and seemed to be having a great time. I told Shawn, and he said I should go say hello. I almost did, but then I chickened out. I still wish I would have said hello. They seem like such sweeties!
We were all ready to hit some rides. Luckily, our Mission Space FPPs were ready. The timing couldnt have been better. This is Shawns favorite ride ever. My parents had never ridden this. Shawn, my dad, Cody, Kyle and Pierson took the first shift. My dads fast pass didnt work (this would be a recurring theme -- none of his FPP worked all week). As they flew to Mars or wherever, my mom and I sat and chatted while Gigi played in the stroller. We were just enjoying being in the sunshine!
They rode the intense side. We rode the intense one last time and loved it. This time, though, I could tell that it affected Shawn. My dad said he really liked it, but he looked a little gray.
My mom and I rode the less intense side, thank you very much. I was cracking up. My mom was freaking out over having a job to do. She was so nervous she was going to mess up. When it was her turn, she didnt press the buttons, so when the ride was over, I told her it was her fault wed had such a rough landing.
Next, we headed over to Test Track. Our FPP were just about ready. This time, Shawn and I rode with the boys while my mom and dad waited with Gigi. This was our first time since the rehab. I thought it was okay, but I really preferred the old version. The boys loved building their cars, though, and thought the changes were really great. Shawn seemed to really enjoy it, as well.
We walked through the gift shop, and Pierson found a car he thought he wanted. He didnt have much spending money, and we told him to wait on buying it because wed be back. Hed already mentioned wanting several things, so we didnt know he was going to set his heart on this car. Well, he did. He talked about this car all week. When we returned on Friday, it was sold out. He was so upset with us.
We went back outside and met with my parents. My mom mentioned she couldnt find Giannas sippy cup. We tried to remember the last time wed seen it, and we figured it must have been at the restaurant. So Shawn and the boys made the trek back to Mexico while my parents rode Test Track.
Before long, Shawn returned with the sippy cup, and my parents were done with the ride. We had one more FP+ for the day for Soarin. My parents had received a text that their room was ready but that they would need to return to the front desk for their room number. So we decided we would head on Soarin and then go back to the hotel for a little bit.
My parents, Cody and Kyle rode Soarin while Shawn, Pierson, Gianna and I went on Living with the Land. Does anyone else just love this little boat ride? I dont know what it is about it that makes me so happy, but I really enjoy it. Gianna got a little scared during the beginning when it was dark, but once she found the dog on the porch, she was happy and spent the rest of the ride barking in joy. So much of this trip really was just watching her reactions to everything. Dont get me wrong, I loved seeing the boys reactions to things, as well, but theres just something so neat about watching a little one take it all in for the first time. It really did make us see everything through new eyes.
I loved all the Christmas touches.
The rest of the group was still on Soarin when we finished up, so Shawn sat and waited while Gigi, Pierson and I went to that little gift shop near the exit. I was looking at the Mickey wind chime, which Im still kicking myself for not buying. So stinking cute. I just love wind chimes. And a Mickey one? Why didnt I buy it? Ugh. Anyway, as we walked away, Pierson asked me, Mom, did you buy her that? I looked to where he was pointed, and Gigi was carrying a stuffed Mickey, hugging it tightly. Ooops. Im glad he noticed before we got too far.
When we were walking back, the rest of the group was exiting the ride. It was our turn! We told my parents about Living with the Land, so they took Gianna, Kyle and Cody over while the rest of us went on Soarin.
I love this ride so much! Yes, the film desperately needs updating. Yep, there are spots and whatever. I dont care. I dont even notice them when Im riding. I just enjoy every second. The poor man riding next to me, however, didnt feel the same way. He was terrified, and as soon as we were back on the ground, he announced very firmly that he did NOT like this ride and would NOT be riding again. Poor guy. His wife wasnt loving it, either. I just wanted to give them big hugs! Im pretty sure they wouldnt have appreciated it, though, especially since I told them it wasnt scary at all while we were waiting. They were both giving me some not-so-nice looks after it was over.
All of our FP+ used up for the day, we decided it was definitely time to get back to POR.
Next up: Chef Mickeys and Illuminations.
TinkyCheeks
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 10, 2007
When making our plans for the trip, Shawn and I had discussed it and decided our game plan would be to hit rope drop most days, return to the hotel for naps, have dinner, and then go back to the park for the evenings. Day one, wed missed rope drop, though just barely. It was around 3:00 before we started toward the bus stops, and we had a reservation at CM for 6:30. I was still holding out some hope for the boys to get in a little nap, but Shawn laughed at me.
My parents needed to stop by the front desk to get their room number. Theyd been told that morning that theyd just text them the number, but instead the text asked them to come to the front desk. Shawn needed to stick with them to go to their SUV, as theyd brought down a case of Mountain Dew for him. Also, we needed to stop at the front desk to try to figure out, one, why we couldnt charge to our room and, two, did we really need to rebook our entire trip. By the time we got to the front desk, it was a little after 4:00. Yeah, the naps were not going to happen!
Shawn and I spoke with a CM, who acted like we were nuts. He said there was no big deal with our bands being reversed. He reset our PIN (for the third time now) and said we should be fine to charge to our room. He explained that while we had agreed to be able to charge to our room, our charging limit had been set to something crazy like 10 cents. Um, I love Disney but there is nothing you can buy there for 10 cents. He raised the limit, made sure the PIN worked and sent us on our way.
My parents were in the building next to ours, so we walked to the rooms together. Now, I cant say that POR is my ideal resort. If Im being completely honest, I find the rooms a little boring. The Royal Rooms look great, though. And despite them supposedly being for a family of 5, there is just not enough storage for even a smaller family. However, I find the grounds so peaceful. In 2009 we stayed at CBR in the Pirate Rooms, and while we thought they were fun, I just didnt enjoy the walk like I do at POR. I dont know what it is, but I just really like it. Im also a huge fan of the boat ride to Downtown Disney. I cant even explain that one. Maybe it has something to do with the busses not being that great for DD. Or maybe I just like boats. Who knows? Regardless, that little boat ride makes me extremely happy and relaxed.
Anyway
Shawn and Pierson went off to my parents room to help carry their luggage and grab his case of pop. The rest of the kids and I went back to our room to clean up and get ready for dinner. Shawn returned, got cleaned up, and I texted my mom to have them meet us at the bus stop. They said they were almost ready. Our reservation was for 6:30, and I want to say that we were at the bus stop by 5:15.
We hopped on the first bus to the Magic Kingdom and discussed how to get to the Contemporary. I wanted to just walk, but the kids were excited for their first monorail ride, so thats what we agreed upon. On the way there, the skies just opened up, and it began furiously pouring. I happily patted our ponchos, as this was the first trip wed actually remembered to bring them. It was a nasty, angry rain that was over before it really began. In fact, by the time we pulled up to the Magic Kingdom, it wasnt even sprinkling a little bit.
Oh, my goodness. I may be a mother in my 30s, but once the bus began playing the Mickey Mouse March, I swear at least 20 years melted away. I got that little tingle in my stomach and began grinning like a fool. I couldnt wait to step onto Main Street and look up at the castle. I hated that our schedule was such that it just didnt work out for us to get to MK until Monday. It was only Saturday. This was our first trip with the MK not being our first park, and weve agreed since that it just didnt feel right.
We got on a very crowded monorail, and I plastered myself to the window. Again, I was feeling like a kid as I waited for the castle to come into view. Weve had several wintertime Disney trips that didnt pan out for one reason or another, and Id been dying to see the castle all decorated for Christmas for years. And suddenly there it was. My mom was chatting away about something, and I just interrupted her. I was totally in awe and told her to look.
The pictures of the castle are stunning. From being a major lurker on the Dis, Id seen hundreds of fantastic photos of this castle. But nothing, not even the most professional of pictures, could possibly capture it. I mean, magic, pixie dust, beauty, breathtaking. Am I going overboard? Perhaps. I dont know. I just know that it was stunning and took my breath away.
But I was on the monorail, so it wasnt as though I could stand there and stare for hours. Before I knew it, we were unloading and searching for the elevators so we could go eat with Mickey and Pals.
We parked the stroller, stashed sweatshirts and stuff in the storage basket, and walked up to check in. There was no line, and we were whisked over to get our family photo taken. My parents opted out of this picture.
Then we went over to wait for our buzzer to go off. Im pretty sure we all werent even seated before the buzzer lit up. Yay for no waits! We were seated in the back room behind the desserts at a large round table.
I sat with Gianna while the rest of my crew went up to get their food. Shawn came back disappointed. He said everything looked old and gross. Ive never been a huge fan of CM, but Im less of a fan of waiting in line to meet characters, so Im cool with it. But I really dont care for the food. However, Shawn has usually really enjoyed the food, so I was surprised to hear he was disappointed. I went to get my plate and just kind of thought everything looked the same as it always did. I did have some salmon that was pretty tasty, which surprised me. And Im kind of a sucker for a buffet salad.
Regardless, we werent at CM for the food. We were there for Mickey, Minnie, and the gang! Well, some of us were. Gianna was fine eating until one of the characters walked in the room. Then she would freeze until they finally approached us. Shed fuss until they left, and then go back to eating as though nothing happened.
Uh, whats that?
Are you kidding me, Mom?
Kyles in there behind Cody, I promise.
Poor Gigi.
The Main Mouse!
Could Minnie possibly be any cuter? I just love her!
Shawn finally caught onto the fact that Gianna wasnt exactly enjoying herself.
By 7:30, wed seen all the characters, had eaten dessert, and were ready for our check. Well, apparently the server was not ready, as we didnt get our check for a good 15 minutes after asking for it. I had written down that Illuminations was to be at 9:00, and it was beginning to look as though we werent going to make it.
But eventually we got on the monorail, switched monorails at the TTC, and headed to Epcot. Shawn got a kick out of this. In all of our trips, weve never ridden the monorail to or from Epcot, and he just thought it was so neat to riding through Epcot. I just was happy to be on the monorail, period.
Im pretty sure the tree wasnt this fuzzy in person.
We rushed to Norway to find a spot for Illuminations, leaving my parents and Kyle far behind. (They had told us to go ahead and theyd catch up. We werent totally being rude. Just kind of.) We found a great spot and couldnt believe how many open spots there were. Hmm, perhaps thats because, oh, Illuminations wasnt starting until 9:30. Whoops. Oh, well. We were there, had a great spot, and everything was good.
Norway happens to be near America, which just happens to have the very best Disney snack. (In fairness, Ive never had a Dole Whip. Sounds yummy. Just havent had one yet. Also havent had School Bread or any of the yummy caramels from Germany.) The jalepeno cheese pretzel. Yum. Yum. Yum.
Im a fairly healthy eater. Not perfect, but I used to have a terrible relationship with food. AKA it was my best friend. So I try very hard to be careful about what I eat now.
But this pretzel
So we bought three. Shawn loves these, too, and we figured between all of us, three would be enough. Well, wed forgotten one thing: wed just left CM. And while it wasnt gourmet or even anywhere close to being delicious, it did the job and filled our stomachs. Between the eight of us, we didnt even finish one pretzel.
But those two bites were divine. Yes, I did just use the word divine to describe a pretzel.
While waiting for Illuminations, Shawn and the man next to us started up a conversation. The guy started telling us about the special ending for the holiday season. He said we were going to be so glad we saw it.
My mom and dad found somewhere to sit down, and Kyle went with them. He was their shadow this entire trip. I didnt think they were going to be able to see well from where they were, and I was right. Shortly after Illuminations began, they were back.
I don't know what I was thinking. Last summer, we went to baseball games with fireworks. We went to the Pixar symphony concert, which had fireworks. We went to fireworks for the 4th of July. Gianna had enjoyed them each time. So it never occurred to me that she would be terrified at Disney. But terrified she was.
I felt terrible. I felt like I was torturing my poor daughter. In realty, shed been having a great time so far other than with the characters and now the fireworks. And it was 9:30, which is usually around the time she falls asleep anyway. It had been a long day without a great nap, just catnaps in the stroller. But as she cried during Illuminations, I felt like a horrible parent for dragging her to Disney and then forcing her to stay out too late.
But you know what? The noises ended, people started filing out, and my happy, cheerful girl was back.
We walked slowly out of the World Showcase, taking our time and enjoying the lack of crowds. By the time we got to the busses, the line was pretty much gone and we were able to get right on the next bus. Woo hoo for sitting after a long day! I love the Disney bubble, and one of Shawns favorite things is that he doesnt have to drive while were there, but I hate, hate, hate standing on the bus. Its not like I feel like Im too good for it or anything. Im just super clumsy and have almost ended up on many laps during some of those rides. Also, Im short and somehow always get stuck with my nose in some sweaty armpit. So we have no problem waiting for a bus if it means we can sit.
The bus ride was quiet, and I was surprised that none of my kids were nodding off during the ride. I sure wanted to. It was a fairly quick ride, and once off the bus, we made plans to meet my parents the next morning at 8:15 at the bus stop and split up. After some showers and cleaning up, we were snuggled in bed and sound asleep.
My parents needed to stop by the front desk to get their room number. Theyd been told that morning that theyd just text them the number, but instead the text asked them to come to the front desk. Shawn needed to stick with them to go to their SUV, as theyd brought down a case of Mountain Dew for him. Also, we needed to stop at the front desk to try to figure out, one, why we couldnt charge to our room and, two, did we really need to rebook our entire trip. By the time we got to the front desk, it was a little after 4:00. Yeah, the naps were not going to happen!
Shawn and I spoke with a CM, who acted like we were nuts. He said there was no big deal with our bands being reversed. He reset our PIN (for the third time now) and said we should be fine to charge to our room. He explained that while we had agreed to be able to charge to our room, our charging limit had been set to something crazy like 10 cents. Um, I love Disney but there is nothing you can buy there for 10 cents. He raised the limit, made sure the PIN worked and sent us on our way.
My parents were in the building next to ours, so we walked to the rooms together. Now, I cant say that POR is my ideal resort. If Im being completely honest, I find the rooms a little boring. The Royal Rooms look great, though. And despite them supposedly being for a family of 5, there is just not enough storage for even a smaller family. However, I find the grounds so peaceful. In 2009 we stayed at CBR in the Pirate Rooms, and while we thought they were fun, I just didnt enjoy the walk like I do at POR. I dont know what it is, but I just really like it. Im also a huge fan of the boat ride to Downtown Disney. I cant even explain that one. Maybe it has something to do with the busses not being that great for DD. Or maybe I just like boats. Who knows? Regardless, that little boat ride makes me extremely happy and relaxed.
Anyway
Shawn and Pierson went off to my parents room to help carry their luggage and grab his case of pop. The rest of the kids and I went back to our room to clean up and get ready for dinner. Shawn returned, got cleaned up, and I texted my mom to have them meet us at the bus stop. They said they were almost ready. Our reservation was for 6:30, and I want to say that we were at the bus stop by 5:15.
We hopped on the first bus to the Magic Kingdom and discussed how to get to the Contemporary. I wanted to just walk, but the kids were excited for their first monorail ride, so thats what we agreed upon. On the way there, the skies just opened up, and it began furiously pouring. I happily patted our ponchos, as this was the first trip wed actually remembered to bring them. It was a nasty, angry rain that was over before it really began. In fact, by the time we pulled up to the Magic Kingdom, it wasnt even sprinkling a little bit.
Oh, my goodness. I may be a mother in my 30s, but once the bus began playing the Mickey Mouse March, I swear at least 20 years melted away. I got that little tingle in my stomach and began grinning like a fool. I couldnt wait to step onto Main Street and look up at the castle. I hated that our schedule was such that it just didnt work out for us to get to MK until Monday. It was only Saturday. This was our first trip with the MK not being our first park, and weve agreed since that it just didnt feel right.
We got on a very crowded monorail, and I plastered myself to the window. Again, I was feeling like a kid as I waited for the castle to come into view. Weve had several wintertime Disney trips that didnt pan out for one reason or another, and Id been dying to see the castle all decorated for Christmas for years. And suddenly there it was. My mom was chatting away about something, and I just interrupted her. I was totally in awe and told her to look.
The pictures of the castle are stunning. From being a major lurker on the Dis, Id seen hundreds of fantastic photos of this castle. But nothing, not even the most professional of pictures, could possibly capture it. I mean, magic, pixie dust, beauty, breathtaking. Am I going overboard? Perhaps. I dont know. I just know that it was stunning and took my breath away.
But I was on the monorail, so it wasnt as though I could stand there and stare for hours. Before I knew it, we were unloading and searching for the elevators so we could go eat with Mickey and Pals.
We parked the stroller, stashed sweatshirts and stuff in the storage basket, and walked up to check in. There was no line, and we were whisked over to get our family photo taken. My parents opted out of this picture.
Then we went over to wait for our buzzer to go off. Im pretty sure we all werent even seated before the buzzer lit up. Yay for no waits! We were seated in the back room behind the desserts at a large round table.
I sat with Gianna while the rest of my crew went up to get their food. Shawn came back disappointed. He said everything looked old and gross. Ive never been a huge fan of CM, but Im less of a fan of waiting in line to meet characters, so Im cool with it. But I really dont care for the food. However, Shawn has usually really enjoyed the food, so I was surprised to hear he was disappointed. I went to get my plate and just kind of thought everything looked the same as it always did. I did have some salmon that was pretty tasty, which surprised me. And Im kind of a sucker for a buffet salad.
Regardless, we werent at CM for the food. We were there for Mickey, Minnie, and the gang! Well, some of us were. Gianna was fine eating until one of the characters walked in the room. Then she would freeze until they finally approached us. Shed fuss until they left, and then go back to eating as though nothing happened.
Uh, whats that?
Are you kidding me, Mom?
Kyles in there behind Cody, I promise.
Poor Gigi.
The Main Mouse!
Could Minnie possibly be any cuter? I just love her!
Shawn finally caught onto the fact that Gianna wasnt exactly enjoying herself.
By 7:30, wed seen all the characters, had eaten dessert, and were ready for our check. Well, apparently the server was not ready, as we didnt get our check for a good 15 minutes after asking for it. I had written down that Illuminations was to be at 9:00, and it was beginning to look as though we werent going to make it.
But eventually we got on the monorail, switched monorails at the TTC, and headed to Epcot. Shawn got a kick out of this. In all of our trips, weve never ridden the monorail to or from Epcot, and he just thought it was so neat to riding through Epcot. I just was happy to be on the monorail, period.
Im pretty sure the tree wasnt this fuzzy in person.
We rushed to Norway to find a spot for Illuminations, leaving my parents and Kyle far behind. (They had told us to go ahead and theyd catch up. We werent totally being rude. Just kind of.) We found a great spot and couldnt believe how many open spots there were. Hmm, perhaps thats because, oh, Illuminations wasnt starting until 9:30. Whoops. Oh, well. We were there, had a great spot, and everything was good.
Norway happens to be near America, which just happens to have the very best Disney snack. (In fairness, Ive never had a Dole Whip. Sounds yummy. Just havent had one yet. Also havent had School Bread or any of the yummy caramels from Germany.) The jalepeno cheese pretzel. Yum. Yum. Yum.
Im a fairly healthy eater. Not perfect, but I used to have a terrible relationship with food. AKA it was my best friend. So I try very hard to be careful about what I eat now.
But this pretzel
So we bought three. Shawn loves these, too, and we figured between all of us, three would be enough. Well, wed forgotten one thing: wed just left CM. And while it wasnt gourmet or even anywhere close to being delicious, it did the job and filled our stomachs. Between the eight of us, we didnt even finish one pretzel.
But those two bites were divine. Yes, I did just use the word divine to describe a pretzel.
While waiting for Illuminations, Shawn and the man next to us started up a conversation. The guy started telling us about the special ending for the holiday season. He said we were going to be so glad we saw it.
My mom and dad found somewhere to sit down, and Kyle went with them. He was their shadow this entire trip. I didnt think they were going to be able to see well from where they were, and I was right. Shortly after Illuminations began, they were back.
I don't know what I was thinking. Last summer, we went to baseball games with fireworks. We went to the Pixar symphony concert, which had fireworks. We went to fireworks for the 4th of July. Gianna had enjoyed them each time. So it never occurred to me that she would be terrified at Disney. But terrified she was.
I felt terrible. I felt like I was torturing my poor daughter. In realty, shed been having a great time so far other than with the characters and now the fireworks. And it was 9:30, which is usually around the time she falls asleep anyway. It had been a long day without a great nap, just catnaps in the stroller. But as she cried during Illuminations, I felt like a horrible parent for dragging her to Disney and then forcing her to stay out too late.
But you know what? The noises ended, people started filing out, and my happy, cheerful girl was back.
We walked slowly out of the World Showcase, taking our time and enjoying the lack of crowds. By the time we got to the busses, the line was pretty much gone and we were able to get right on the next bus. Woo hoo for sitting after a long day! I love the Disney bubble, and one of Shawns favorite things is that he doesnt have to drive while were there, but I hate, hate, hate standing on the bus. Its not like I feel like Im too good for it or anything. Im just super clumsy and have almost ended up on many laps during some of those rides. Also, Im short and somehow always get stuck with my nose in some sweaty armpit. So we have no problem waiting for a bus if it means we can sit.
The bus ride was quiet, and I was surprised that none of my kids were nodding off during the ride. I sure wanted to. It was a fairly quick ride, and once off the bus, we made plans to meet my parents the next morning at 8:15 at the bus stop and split up. After some showers and cleaning up, we were snuggled in bed and sound asleep.
jessica.irishrose
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Mar 24, 2009
My family is from northeast Ohio also. We go to Cedar Point often and we are really into the thrill coasters, but there is just something magical about Disney!! I am really happy to read your trip report because we are planning to surprise our kids with a trip in December of 2014. We are a family of five and will be staying at POR too. If we can convince another family to go then we will be trying the royal rooms, I think they look so awesome.
You have a beautiful family. So sad that your daughter was frightened of the characters. Other than that, it seems like a pretty fun vacation. We went when my daughter was a year old and she was scared of them. I'm hoping that she does better
this time. She will be 4 also. Super excited!!!
You have a beautiful family. So sad that your daughter was frightened of the characters. Other than that, it seems like a pretty fun vacation. We went when my daughter was a year old and she was scared of them. I'm hoping that she does better
this time. She will be 4 also. Super excited!!!
TinkyCheeks
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 10, 2007
Thanks so much for joining in! Where in Northeast Ohio are you? We're in the Akron Canton area. It looks like Spring is finally really here! Cedar Point is great, but it's no Disney. 
I really like POR and think it's a great option for families of five. That'd be great if you could stay in the Royal Rooms. They look amazing! Definitely let me know how the surprise goes. So fun!
Thanks for the compliment on my family. I'm pretty fond of them! Gianna got a lot better with the characters and actually liked them a few days later at 1900 Park Fare.
I hope you stick around!
TinkyCheeks
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 10, 2007
The alarm went off at 6:30, and once again, waking up seemed to be no problem for anyone. I knew this would not last, so I figured Id just enjoy it while I could. Shawn and the kids ate Pop Tarts for breakfast while I had a protein bar, and then Shawn, Cody, Pierson and Gigi ran down to fill up our mugs while Kyle and I cleaned up the room and finished getting ready.
We met up with my parents right at 8:15 and didnt have to wait long for a bus at all. We were heading to DHS for the day!
Im not going to lie. DHS just isnt my favorite park. I mean, I enjoy it just fine and havent ever skipped it, but of the four, its probably my least favorite. TOT is super fun once Im on it, and the theming is incredible. RnRC is great, as well, and I do really like Star Tours. The street performers are hilarious. Fantasmic is pretty cool. So its not like I hate the park. Its good, just not my favorite.
Notice I didnt mention TSMM.
Please dont hate me. Its fine. Its a cute ride. But to me, its on the level of Finding Nemo at Epcot. Cute. Thats about it.
But today, I was so excited to be there. In case I havent mentioned it a million times yet, Im insane for Christmas. And DHS just happens to have the most amazing Christmas lights ever. Osbourne Lights!
We made it just before rope drop and discussed the plan while we stood in line. One of the great points of FP+ was not needing to rush to TSMM for fast passes. Instead, we were going to the sound stage (is that right? I don't know.) to sign the boys up for Jedi Training Academy. This was something they were so looking forward to. Theyd never done it before, and thanks to Lego Star Wars, they now considered themselves huge Star Wars fans. Not that any of us have seen the movies. Someday.
Wed heard that even if you go straight to the sign ups, you still can have a late show, so Shawn rushed ahead with the boys while my parents, Gianna and I took our time.
The forecast said it was supposed to be 76 that day, and being from Ohio and wanting to enjoy every second of being in Florida in December, we were all wearing short sleeves and shorts. It was extremely windy and chilly, and it looked as though it was going to begin pouring any minute. It never did rain, but it also never got much warmer. I was really looking forward to our midday break at the hotel so we could change into some warmer clothes.
My mom, Gigi and I went over to look at hats and stuff while we waited. I really wish my mom would have gotten these ears. She looked adorable.
It was so windy that hats were flying everywhere. My mom was cracking me up, trying to chase all them down as the CM just sort of stood there like, eh, happens all the time.
Shawn came out to find us waiting and told us the boys would be in the first show and that we should head over to the stage now. We walked on over and waited. It wasnt long before my guys came over.
If you are debating doing this, I highly recommend it. Like I said, weve never seen Star Wars. Yet I thought it was the cutest thing. It lasted longer than Id expected. Every kid there was clearly having a blast. It was pretty funny, too. There was a PP photographer there making sure she got shots of each child, and she passed out cards to all the parents when it was over.
Watching the boys and seeing what a great time they were having just warmed our hearts! Kyle in particular had the widest grin on his face the whole time.
This one cracks me up. He was so into it.
Warning off Darth Vader, or as Cody used to call him, Dark Razor.
Darth Vader left his posse behind. Oops.
They were pretty darn pleased with themselves!
Someone else enjoyed it, too, clearly.
Continued
We met up with my parents right at 8:15 and didnt have to wait long for a bus at all. We were heading to DHS for the day!
Im not going to lie. DHS just isnt my favorite park. I mean, I enjoy it just fine and havent ever skipped it, but of the four, its probably my least favorite. TOT is super fun once Im on it, and the theming is incredible. RnRC is great, as well, and I do really like Star Tours. The street performers are hilarious. Fantasmic is pretty cool. So its not like I hate the park. Its good, just not my favorite.
Notice I didnt mention TSMM.
Please dont hate me. Its fine. Its a cute ride. But to me, its on the level of Finding Nemo at Epcot. Cute. Thats about it.
But today, I was so excited to be there. In case I havent mentioned it a million times yet, Im insane for Christmas. And DHS just happens to have the most amazing Christmas lights ever. Osbourne Lights!
We made it just before rope drop and discussed the plan while we stood in line. One of the great points of FP+ was not needing to rush to TSMM for fast passes. Instead, we were going to the sound stage (is that right? I don't know.) to sign the boys up for Jedi Training Academy. This was something they were so looking forward to. Theyd never done it before, and thanks to Lego Star Wars, they now considered themselves huge Star Wars fans. Not that any of us have seen the movies. Someday.
Wed heard that even if you go straight to the sign ups, you still can have a late show, so Shawn rushed ahead with the boys while my parents, Gianna and I took our time.
The forecast said it was supposed to be 76 that day, and being from Ohio and wanting to enjoy every second of being in Florida in December, we were all wearing short sleeves and shorts. It was extremely windy and chilly, and it looked as though it was going to begin pouring any minute. It never did rain, but it also never got much warmer. I was really looking forward to our midday break at the hotel so we could change into some warmer clothes.
My mom, Gigi and I went over to look at hats and stuff while we waited. I really wish my mom would have gotten these ears. She looked adorable.
It was so windy that hats were flying everywhere. My mom was cracking me up, trying to chase all them down as the CM just sort of stood there like, eh, happens all the time.
Shawn came out to find us waiting and told us the boys would be in the first show and that we should head over to the stage now. We walked on over and waited. It wasnt long before my guys came over.
If you are debating doing this, I highly recommend it. Like I said, weve never seen Star Wars. Yet I thought it was the cutest thing. It lasted longer than Id expected. Every kid there was clearly having a blast. It was pretty funny, too. There was a PP photographer there making sure she got shots of each child, and she passed out cards to all the parents when it was over.
Watching the boys and seeing what a great time they were having just warmed our hearts! Kyle in particular had the widest grin on his face the whole time.
This one cracks me up. He was so into it.
Warning off Darth Vader, or as Cody used to call him, Dark Razor.
Darth Vader left his posse behind. Oops.
They were pretty darn pleased with themselves!
Someone else enjoyed it, too, clearly.
Continued
TinkyCheeks
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 10, 2007
By the time they were finished with their Jedi training, our FP+ were ready for TOT.
My parents offered to watch Gianna while we all rode and then would ride when we were done. It didnt look like wed make it in time for them to ride, so we grabbed a baby swap and headed in.
The boys first rode TOT in 2011. Kyle and Cody loved it. Pierson HATED it. He cried when the ride was over. He told me over and over (and over) again that he was never riding it again. But now that we were there, he swore it was his favorite ride. I told him, no, it wasnt, but he was insistent. He was riding. Okay. Go for it, buddy!
We had about a 20 minute wait, even with the FP, which was weird to me as the park seemed fairly empty. But waiting at TOT isnt painful at all. The theming is excellent! I could spent much more time just taking in all the details.
You know, I dont understand why when my light fixtures look like this, it doesnt seem quite as magical.
Look scared!
I was glad to have things to look at, as well, as the anticipations of the drops always makes me nervous. I always have a great time on the ride, but the anticipation just about kills me. For some reason, I always get myself convinced that I hate the drops. And then they start, I love them, and I cant wait to ride again.
We had a great ride. Well, most of us had a great ride. Pierson did not. Go figure. LOL!
We sat in the warm sunshine while my parents went on the ride. I was really anxious to see how theyd like it. My mom is not into thrill rides at all. My dad used to love them, but he has a lot of back problems now and I just didnt know if it was going to be too much for them. Imagine my surprise when they rejoined us with huge smiles on their faces! My dad said it was possibly the best ride hed ever ridden, and my mom agreed. I think the theme of the ride really helped her.
I love their picture. They look like theyre having so much fun!
It was now time for our RnRC fast passes, so we strolled on over. Kyle was so excited; last trip, he wasnt tall enough! This was going to be his first ever upside down coaster, and he could not wait! Pierson didnt know if he wanted to ride or not. He didnt like it last time because he thought it was too bumpy. He wasnt about to let his little brother show him up, though, so he chose to ride. Luckily, he loved it this time. And so did Kyle! He proclaimed it awesome.
We swapped Gigi with my parents so they could ride. The boys decorated some CDs while we waited.
Once again, my parents came off the ride grinning and laughing. My dad said he took bad his earlier statement; RnRC was definitely the best ride hed ever been on. I just loved hearing that. It was so great to see them so happy!
Continued...
My parents offered to watch Gianna while we all rode and then would ride when we were done. It didnt look like wed make it in time for them to ride, so we grabbed a baby swap and headed in.
The boys first rode TOT in 2011. Kyle and Cody loved it. Pierson HATED it. He cried when the ride was over. He told me over and over (and over) again that he was never riding it again. But now that we were there, he swore it was his favorite ride. I told him, no, it wasnt, but he was insistent. He was riding. Okay. Go for it, buddy!
We had about a 20 minute wait, even with the FP, which was weird to me as the park seemed fairly empty. But waiting at TOT isnt painful at all. The theming is excellent! I could spent much more time just taking in all the details.
You know, I dont understand why when my light fixtures look like this, it doesnt seem quite as magical.
Look scared!
I was glad to have things to look at, as well, as the anticipations of the drops always makes me nervous. I always have a great time on the ride, but the anticipation just about kills me. For some reason, I always get myself convinced that I hate the drops. And then they start, I love them, and I cant wait to ride again.
We had a great ride. Well, most of us had a great ride. Pierson did not. Go figure. LOL!
We sat in the warm sunshine while my parents went on the ride. I was really anxious to see how theyd like it. My mom is not into thrill rides at all. My dad used to love them, but he has a lot of back problems now and I just didnt know if it was going to be too much for them. Imagine my surprise when they rejoined us with huge smiles on their faces! My dad said it was possibly the best ride hed ever ridden, and my mom agreed. I think the theme of the ride really helped her.
I love their picture. They look like theyre having so much fun!
It was now time for our RnRC fast passes, so we strolled on over. Kyle was so excited; last trip, he wasnt tall enough! This was going to be his first ever upside down coaster, and he could not wait! Pierson didnt know if he wanted to ride or not. He didnt like it last time because he thought it was too bumpy. He wasnt about to let his little brother show him up, though, so he chose to ride. Luckily, he loved it this time. And so did Kyle! He proclaimed it awesome.
We swapped Gigi with my parents so they could ride. The boys decorated some CDs while we waited.
Once again, my parents came off the ride grinning and laughing. My dad said he took bad his earlier statement; RnRC was definitely the best ride hed ever been on. I just loved hearing that. It was so great to see them so happy!
Continued...
TinkyCheeks
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 10, 2007
I have to say, I really love writing this TR. It's a lot more work than I expected, but it's so much fun getting to relive the trip.
I'm also working on planning our adults-only trip for September. Why the laughing smiley? Oh, only because it's no so adults-only anymore. Apparently we will be joined by a little girl who is just entering her terrible twos. See, we're taking the boys on a trip next summer that she can't go on. It's going to be a blast: whitewater rafting, horseback riding, ziplining, etc. But nothing she can do. So somehow it was decided she'd get to go along on the trip, too. The boys are totally fine with it and have decided that it will be more fun without her on their weekend without the parents. They're right, though.
That said, we aren't really changing any of our plans. Since we're taking the only child who we've ever had to walk out of a restaurant (or grocery store, or toy store...), it's clearly a great idea that we'll be doing the deluxe dining plan. We're crazy smart, right?
Our plans so far:
Friday: Our flight will get there around 9:55, I think. We'll go to the hotel (to be determined!), check in and head to Downtown Disney. We need to order a couple of personalized ornaments (it's coming later in the TR, but this is actually what set this whole trip in motion), and I of course need to stock up on some goodies from Basin. It's an addiction, and I'm not going to quit. Then lunch at EOS. (Gotta make the best use of those dining credits, right? ) We'll probably head to MK then. Dinner will be our very first signature, Jiko. I really want to try it, but I'm thinking of changing it. It's at 7:30, and we were hoping to get somewhere to see fireworks that night.
Saturday: Shawn's birthday! In honor of his big day, we'll be having breakfast at 8:05 at Akershus. Dinner that night is Artist Point, this time at 6:00. Again, both of these restaurants are new to us.
Sunday: Kona breakfast! I can't wait for this one. I need those pancakes. Dinner is Via Napoli, I believe. However, we may switch this for a signature and just pay for EOS out of pocket. It just seems like a better idea.
Monday: Shawn's favorite breakfast, 1900 Park Fare. Our flight leaves around 6:00, so we'll definitely be able to get some park fun in before the Tragical Depress drags us away.
We are so excited. Other than 1900 Park Fare, all the restaurants are new to us. We'd considered doing the Halloween Party but so far have decided against it. However, as we'll have APs, we'll have park-hopping privileges for the very first time! I can't wait. I feel terrible about leaving the boys behind, but we will more than make up for it next year!
I'm also working on planning our adults-only
trip for September. Why the laughing smiley? Oh, only because it's no so adults-only anymore. Apparently we will be joined by a little girl who is just entering her terrible twos. See, we're taking the boys on a trip next summer that she can't go on. It's going to be a blast: whitewater rafting, horseback riding, ziplining, etc. But nothing she can do. So somehow it was decided she'd get to go along on the trip, too. The boys are totally fine with it and have decided that it will be more fun without her on their weekend without the parents. They're right, though. That said, we aren't really changing any of our plans. Since we're taking the only child who we've ever had to walk out of a restaurant (or grocery store, or toy store...), it's clearly a great idea that we'll be doing the deluxe dining plan. We're crazy smart, right?
Our plans so far:
Friday: Our flight will get there around 9:55, I think. We'll go to the hotel (to be determined!), check in and head to Downtown Disney. We need to order a couple of personalized ornaments (it's coming later in the TR, but this is actually what set this whole trip in motion), and I of course need to stock up on some goodies from Basin. It's an addiction, and I'm not going to quit. Then lunch at EOS. (Gotta make the best use of those dining credits, right?
) We'll probably head to MK then. Dinner will be our very first signature, Jiko. I really want to try it, but I'm thinking of changing it. It's at 7:30, and we were hoping to get somewhere to see fireworks that night. Saturday: Shawn's birthday! In honor of his big day, we'll be having breakfast at 8:05 at Akershus. Dinner that night is Artist Point, this time at 6:00. Again, both of these restaurants are new to us.
Sunday: Kona breakfast! I can't wait for this one. I need those pancakes. Dinner is Via Napoli, I believe. However, we may switch this for a signature and just pay for EOS out of pocket. It just seems like a better idea.
Monday: Shawn's favorite breakfast, 1900 Park Fare. Our flight leaves around 6:00, so we'll definitely be able to get some park fun in before the Tragical Depress drags us away.
We are so excited. Other than 1900 Park Fare, all the restaurants are new to us. We'd considered doing the Halloween Party but so far have decided against it. However, as we'll have APs, we'll have park-hopping privileges for the very first time! I can't wait. I feel terrible about leaving the boys behind, but we will more than make up for it next year!
TheMaxRebo
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2008
Joining - sounds like a fun trip!
So age 11 is the "mouthy" stage? Gets me a bit worried with seeing how DD is now at age 5
I love how sometimes getting all the planning done for a trip to Disney sounds as complicated as a land war in Russia, but hey, Disney math let you have an extra day there and an extra set of magic bands, so that is all good. Good luck with finishing the work on the house and bummer about losing that contract.
That's a good point about how the surprise of leaving a day early meant they got a good night's sleep rather than bouncing with excitement all night
Sorry to hear about Pierson's issues on the flight - definitely sad
Glad things worked out with the room change - I am sure that made a big difference by the end of the week
Gianna's face on the boat is great!
Glad your lens showed up! I understand you being a bit bummed about not doing more that first evening, but with the travel and Pierson's flight issues, and then the high you were on at DTD and then the low of having thought you lost the camera lens, etc. sounds like a bit of an emotional rollercoaster so an early night probably wasn't the worst thing ever
I have similar feelings about Figment - it apparently was one of my favorites as a little kid and I know I had a stuffed Figment so I like taking my kids on it ... but I think they enjoyed the play area more than the actual ride (though, to be fair, this is a different version of the ride than what was there when I was a kid)
Oh gosh - that does sounds like a lot of issues, just with even the planning and things going missing and wrong number of tickets showing up etc. I get that there are going to be some roll-out issues with MB, but some of the things you described should not have happened. Also, when CMs are not on the same page (i.e., varying from "no big deal" to "you need to return to resort immediately and cancel/re-book your trip") is not good
Oh now, that's so sad about the car being sold out that Pierson wanted!
Wouldn't it be cool if you could buy tons of stuff at Disney for 10 cents though?!?!?!
Glad your parents loved TOT and RnRC ... that is always my biggest worry traveling with other people that they won't like things that I recommend
The (sort of) Adults only trip sounds fun! And cool that you are getting to try so many new restaurants!
So age 11 is the "mouthy" stage? Gets me a bit worried with seeing how DD is now at age 5
I love how sometimes getting all the planning done for a trip to Disney sounds as complicated as a land war in Russia, but hey, Disney math let you have an extra day there and an extra set of magic bands, so that is all good. Good luck with finishing the work on the house and bummer about losing that contract.
That's a good point about how the surprise of leaving a day early meant they got a good night's sleep rather than bouncing with excitement all night
Sorry to hear about Pierson's issues on the flight - definitely sad
Glad things worked out with the room change - I am sure that made a big difference by the end of the week
Gianna's face on the boat is great!
Glad your lens showed up! I understand you being a bit bummed about not doing more that first evening, but with the travel and Pierson's flight issues, and then the high you were on at DTD and then the low of having thought you lost the camera lens, etc. sounds like a bit of an emotional rollercoaster so an early night probably wasn't the worst thing ever
I have similar feelings about Figment - it apparently was one of my favorites as a little kid and I know I had a stuffed Figment so I like taking my kids on it ... but I think they enjoyed the play area more than the actual ride (though, to be fair, this is a different version of the ride than what was there when I was a kid)
Oh gosh - that does sounds like a lot of issues, just with even the planning and things going missing and wrong number of tickets showing up etc. I get that there are going to be some roll-out issues with MB, but some of the things you described should not have happened. Also, when CMs are not on the same page (i.e., varying from "no big deal" to "you need to return to resort immediately and cancel/re-book your trip") is not good
Oh now, that's so sad about the car being sold out that Pierson wanted!
Wouldn't it be cool if you could buy tons of stuff at Disney for 10 cents though?!?!?!
Glad your parents loved TOT and RnRC ... that is always my biggest worry traveling with other people that they won't like things that I recommend
The (sort of) Adults only trip sounds fun! And cool that you are getting to try so many new restaurants!
disfanforlife
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2006
Enjoying your report. We are planning to go the same week you were there so I was really interested in how the weather and the crowds were. We normally go in November but since our daughters are now in college - they can't go then. We are actually talking about doing an adults only trip too, but not sure if we will pull it off or not. This past year - we went in November just with our son and then went again in March - with our two DD's. We much prefer traveling with all of our kids together - so that is why we are going to try December! You have a beautiful family and its nice that your parents went with you. Mine are also going with us for a few days on our next trip!
TinkyCheeks
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 10, 2007
It was now about 11:40, and we had a 1:00 reservation at Sanaa. We decided to head out now and hopefully make it there a little early so that we could explore Kidani a bit. I was really excited for my parents to see Animal Kingdom Lodge and the savannahs. Okay, I was excited to see them again for myself, as well!
On the way out, we got sidetracked watching the street show. It was the dating game. It was hilarious, and we all got a kick out of it. During one of the “breaks”, the host announced my dad as the Monopoly man. Cute!
When the show was over, we started to walk away. We’d gone maybe five steps when Pierson grabbed my hand. He started yelling at me in the middle of the street that we’d left him. He was visibly shaking and before I knew it, he was crying.
I know I mentioned this before, but he really struggles with anxiety, and while we weren’t even five feet from where we’d been standing, to him it may as well have been 100. He wouldn’t let go of my hand and didn’t stop crying until we got on a bus. His fear turned to anger, and he decided he was mad at me. He cuddled up with my mom on the bus, all the while shooting daggers at me.
At this point, Shawn started getting cranky. When Pierson’s mood shifts like this, it’s hard to get it to stop. If history served as any indication, we were heading into breakdown mode quickly.
I hope I don’t sound insensitive. I love Pierson so, so much, and it kills me that he has to deal with this. But we have three other children. Unfortunately, it doesn’t just affect Pierson. Our last trip to Disney in many ways was a disaster due his breakdowns. If this trip was a repeat of the last, it would be our last family vacation to Disney. But for the six months prior to the trip, he’d been doing anywhere from well to excellent, and we were very hopeful about this vacation.
But I could tell Shawn was losing hope. He was becoming frustrated, not necessarily with Pierson but just mostly with the fact that it was only Sunday, and we would be there until Saturday. That’s a long time when things aren’t going well.
Spirits were a little low by the time we reached Kidani. Since we’d stopped to watch the dating show at DHS, we didn’t really have time to look around, though we did get to check out the savanna for a few minutes before our table was ready.
We’d eaten at Sanaa for dinner during our trip in 2011. While it wasn’t our favorite meal, the restaurant was so beautiful and different that we couldn’t help wanting to take my parents there. Sadly, they didn’t seem as impressed by the atmosphere as we did. I was a little disappointed but what can you do?
Shawn, Cody and my dad all ordered the same thing. They chose (courtesy of AllEars.net) Grilled Angus Chuck Burger - Signature Sandwiches From the Tandoor Ovens - With goat cheese and spiced mustard sauce. Served open-faced on Naan Bread with Minted Greens, Tomato, Onion, and Cucumber Raita $13.99. Shawn and my dad really, really enjoyed their food, and Shawn said he was so glad we decided to try it again. I didn’t try it, but it smelled amazing. Cody thought it was okay, though he had really wanted the turkey sandwich. They were out of turkey, though. Honestly, I don’t think he’s quite ready for some of the adult menus.
My mom chose(courtesy of AllEars.net) Tandoori Chicken - Signature Sandwiches From the Tandoor Ovens - Served open-faced on Naan Bread with Minted Greens, Tomato, Onion, and Cucumber Raita $15.99. She said it was excellent.
I got the(courtesy of AllEars.net) Today's Sustainable Fish - African Cooking with Indian Flavors - served with seasonal vegetables and a mild curry. This was perfect. It wasn’t too heavy, the flavors were perfect, and the vegetables were great. Gianna and I both loved it.
Pierson and Kyle both ordered from the kids’ menu, but I cannot remember at all what they had.
All in all, it was a great meal and somewhere we will definitely return!
During the meal, the kids suddenly forgot all their table manners.
They were acting as though they’d never been in a restaurant before. I was completely shocked. Okay, I’m not one of those parents who believes my children can do no wrong. Believe me. But I have never once had an issue with any of them in a restaurant. I’m talking yelling, throwing things, climbing under the tables, getting up to go to the restroom without saying anything, etc. Gianna was feeding off the boys’ behavior, and I ended up having to leave the restaurant with her during dessert. I’m guessing it had something to do with being stuck sitting so much. Sitting in the stroller, sitting on the bus, sitting at the restaurant. She needed to move. I’m not sure what the boys’ issue was.
Now Shawn’s mood had gone from cranky to straight out annoyed. All I knew was that we were in desperate need of a break. But first we wanted to walk over to Animal Kingdom Lodge and check it out, especially the tree.
Seriously, what is it about the light fixtures at Disney?
This ended up replacing our break, which could have been a terrible move. No one wanted to go back to POR, so we just sort of relaxed at AKL. Apparently I was the only one cold and who wanted to change clothes.
Continued...
On the way out, we got sidetracked watching the street show. It was the dating game. It was hilarious, and we all got a kick out of it. During one of the “breaks”, the host announced my dad as the Monopoly man. Cute!
When the show was over, we started to walk away. We’d gone maybe five steps when Pierson grabbed my hand. He started yelling at me in the middle of the street that we’d left him. He was visibly shaking and before I knew it, he was crying.
I know I mentioned this before, but he really struggles with anxiety, and while we weren’t even five feet from where we’d been standing, to him it may as well have been 100. He wouldn’t let go of my hand and didn’t stop crying until we got on a bus. His fear turned to anger, and he decided he was mad at me. He cuddled up with my mom on the bus, all the while shooting daggers at me.
At this point, Shawn started getting cranky. When Pierson’s mood shifts like this, it’s hard to get it to stop. If history served as any indication, we were heading into breakdown mode quickly.
I hope I don’t sound insensitive. I love Pierson so, so much, and it kills me that he has to deal with this. But we have three other children. Unfortunately, it doesn’t just affect Pierson. Our last trip to Disney in many ways was a disaster due his breakdowns. If this trip was a repeat of the last, it would be our last family vacation to Disney. But for the six months prior to the trip, he’d been doing anywhere from well to excellent, and we were very hopeful about this vacation.
But I could tell Shawn was losing hope. He was becoming frustrated, not necessarily with Pierson but just mostly with the fact that it was only Sunday, and we would be there until Saturday. That’s a long time when things aren’t going well.
Spirits were a little low by the time we reached Kidani. Since we’d stopped to watch the dating show at DHS, we didn’t really have time to look around, though we did get to check out the savanna for a few minutes before our table was ready.
We’d eaten at Sanaa for dinner during our trip in 2011. While it wasn’t our favorite meal, the restaurant was so beautiful and different that we couldn’t help wanting to take my parents there. Sadly, they didn’t seem as impressed by the atmosphere as we did. I was a little disappointed but what can you do?
Shawn, Cody and my dad all ordered the same thing. They chose (courtesy of AllEars.net) Grilled Angus Chuck Burger - Signature Sandwiches From the Tandoor Ovens - With goat cheese and spiced mustard sauce. Served open-faced on Naan Bread with Minted Greens, Tomato, Onion, and Cucumber Raita $13.99. Shawn and my dad really, really enjoyed their food, and Shawn said he was so glad we decided to try it again. I didn’t try it, but it smelled amazing. Cody thought it was okay, though he had really wanted the turkey sandwich. They were out of turkey, though. Honestly, I don’t think he’s quite ready for some of the adult menus.
My mom chose(courtesy of AllEars.net) Tandoori Chicken - Signature Sandwiches From the Tandoor Ovens - Served open-faced on Naan Bread with Minted Greens, Tomato, Onion, and Cucumber Raita $15.99. She said it was excellent.
I got the(courtesy of AllEars.net) Today's Sustainable Fish - African Cooking with Indian Flavors - served with seasonal vegetables and a mild curry. This was perfect. It wasn’t too heavy, the flavors were perfect, and the vegetables were great. Gianna and I both loved it.
Pierson and Kyle both ordered from the kids’ menu, but I cannot remember at all what they had.
All in all, it was a great meal and somewhere we will definitely return!
During the meal, the kids suddenly forgot all their table manners.
They were acting as though they’d never been in a restaurant before. I was completely shocked. Okay, I’m not one of those parents who believes my children can do no wrong. Believe me. But I have never once had an issue with any of them in a restaurant. I’m talking yelling, throwing things, climbing under the tables, getting up to go to the restroom without saying anything, etc. Gianna was feeding off the boys’ behavior, and I ended up having to leave the restaurant with her during dessert. I’m guessing it had something to do with being stuck sitting so much. Sitting in the stroller, sitting on the bus, sitting at the restaurant. She needed to move. I’m not sure what the boys’ issue was. Now Shawn’s mood had gone from cranky to straight out annoyed. All I knew was that we were in desperate need of a break. But first we wanted to walk over to Animal Kingdom Lodge and check it out, especially the tree.
Seriously, what is it about the light fixtures at Disney?
This ended up replacing our break, which could have been a terrible move. No one wanted to go back to POR, so we just sort of relaxed at AKL. Apparently I was the only one cold and who wanted to change clothes.
Continued...
TinkyCheeks
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 10, 2007
Shawn and Pierson went onto a viewing area and sat in some rocking chairs, just the two of us, while the rest of use hung out inside. They probably sat there for about 20 minutes before we joined them, and it did both of them a world of good.
While the rest of us were inside, Cody saw a little girl playing with a Small World doll. He rushed over to show me and insisted we buy one for Gianna immediately. She neeeeeeds it, Mom. I got my mom to go ask them where they found it. The father told us theyd bought it at the Emporium at MK, and we put that on our list for the next day.
We joined the guys out on the viewing area for a few minutes. Wow, AKL is just so amazing. If I was staying there, Id definitely need more downtime built into the trip. I mean, just wow. Its gorgeous. Seeing it decorated for Christmas was definitely the icing on the cake. Its definitely my dream resort. If youre looking at my ticker right now, you can probably see was the original for this fall. Actually, its not going to be AKL, but Im too lazy to change it now.
Everyone a little (okay, much) happier, we stopped for some PP pics.
These pictures kill me. Ive lost a bit of weight since then, and this doesnt even look like me anymore.
My dad asked if we could check out the gift shop as we were leaving, and we all agreed it was a good idea. I think AKL has the best gift shop of all the resort gift shops, at least the ones Ive visited. We spent another good 20 or 30 minutes in there.
Finally it was time to return to DHS. I want to say it was about 3:30 by the time we got back on the bus. Just taking that time at AKL to relax did all of us a world of good. Everyone was happy, Pierson was calmer, and the boys were all behaving.
We stopped at a kiosk outside of DHSs entrance to buy a Santa Minnie doll for Gigi. Wed given the boys souvenir money and theyd done work to earn money as well, not to mention my parents had given them each 20. We decided my parents 20 would go for Gigis Minnie doll, wed buy her the Small World doll, and shed be set for souvenirs.
That Minnie went over so well. She didnt want to put it down for anything.
The atmosphere at DHS is so fun.
Our FP+ for TSMM wouldnt be ready for another hour and a half, so we decided to check out Disney Junior Live. Shawn felt bad that Gianna had sat everything out so far that day, and he thought shed enjoy this. Well, she couldnt have cared less. The boys, however, really liked it. I was cracking up at how excited they got over the balloons, snow and gold doubloons. Goofballs. It really was a cute show, though.
I checked the Lines app and saw the line for Star Tours was only about 10 minutes, so we decided to head over there. On our way, we remembered (or someone may have reminded us, ahem) that wed promised to buy the boys Glow with the Show ears, and we wanted them before Fantasmic that evening. We stopped at the store under the hat to ask where we could purchase them.
Im not into pin trading, but this one is pretty great. O-H!
The CM told us that they werent usually put out until right before the show, but that she was pretty sure Villains in Vogue sold them all the time. We decided that since wed have to split up for Star Tours anyway, my parents, Cody, Kyle and I would go get in line while Shawn, Pierson and Gianna went to buy the ears.
I think we only waited in line about 15 minutes, maybe 10. Star Tours is so much fun! My parents seemed to really like it, as well.
While the rest of us were inside, Cody saw a little girl playing with a Small World doll. He rushed over to show me and insisted we buy one for Gianna immediately. She neeeeeeds it, Mom. I got my mom to go ask them where they found it. The father told us theyd bought it at the Emporium at MK, and we put that on our list for the next day.
We joined the guys out on the viewing area for a few minutes. Wow, AKL is just so amazing. If I was staying there, Id definitely need more downtime built into the trip. I mean, just wow. Its gorgeous. Seeing it decorated for Christmas was definitely the icing on the cake. Its definitely my dream resort. If youre looking at my ticker right now, you can probably see was the original for this fall. Actually, its not going to be AKL, but Im too lazy to change it now.
Everyone a little (okay, much) happier, we stopped for some PP pics.
These pictures kill me. Ive lost a bit of weight since then, and this doesnt even look like me anymore.
My dad asked if we could check out the gift shop as we were leaving, and we all agreed it was a good idea. I think AKL has the best gift shop of all the resort gift shops, at least the ones Ive visited. We spent another good 20 or 30 minutes in there.
Finally it was time to return to DHS. I want to say it was about 3:30 by the time we got back on the bus. Just taking that time at AKL to relax did all of us a world of good. Everyone was happy, Pierson was calmer, and the boys were all behaving.
We stopped at a kiosk outside of DHSs entrance to buy a Santa Minnie doll for Gigi. Wed given the boys souvenir money and theyd done work to earn money as well, not to mention my parents had given them each 20. We decided my parents 20 would go for Gigis Minnie doll, wed buy her the Small World doll, and shed be set for souvenirs.
That Minnie went over so well. She didnt want to put it down for anything.
The atmosphere at DHS is so fun.
Our FP+ for TSMM wouldnt be ready for another hour and a half, so we decided to check out Disney Junior Live. Shawn felt bad that Gianna had sat everything out so far that day, and he thought shed enjoy this. Well, she couldnt have cared less. The boys, however, really liked it. I was cracking up at how excited they got over the balloons, snow and gold doubloons. Goofballs. It really was a cute show, though.
I checked the Lines app and saw the line for Star Tours was only about 10 minutes, so we decided to head over there. On our way, we remembered (or someone may have reminded us, ahem) that wed promised to buy the boys Glow with the Show ears, and we wanted them before Fantasmic that evening. We stopped at the store under the hat to ask where we could purchase them.
Im not into pin trading, but this one is pretty great. O-H!
The CM told us that they werent usually put out until right before the show, but that she was pretty sure Villains in Vogue sold them all the time. We decided that since wed have to split up for Star Tours anyway, my parents, Cody, Kyle and I would go get in line while Shawn, Pierson and Gianna went to buy the ears.
I think we only waited in line about 15 minutes, maybe 10. Star Tours is so much fun! My parents seemed to really like it, as well.
TinkyCheeks
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 10, 2007
By the time we were done, Shawn, Pierson and Gigi were waiting for us. Shawn had a weird look on his face. He asked me where Giannas extra outfit was. Her diaper had a major leak, and she was soaked. I pulled out the bag, and it wasnt there. Man, I was killing this parenting thing. Id completely forgotten to pack extra clothes. Shawn offered to go back to the room to get clothes, but we realized that would take a long time. She was soaked, it was getting chillier by the minute, so we decided Id go find some pants to buy while he and Pierson rode Star Tours.
The rest of headed back to the shops. I never thought it would be such a production. There were clothes for older kids. There were clothes for newborns. But for an 18 month old? Nope. Not even pajamas. We finally found a sweat suit at some store back near Disney Junior. It was a 2T and way too big for her, but she was dry and warm, and thats all that really mattered.
Shawn and Pierson found us as we were buying the outfit, and we realized it was time for our TSMM FP+. Sometime while waiting in line Gianna fell asleep. Im not sure how we ended up sitting, but somehow I ended up with Shawn. He kicked my butt, despite holding a sleeping baby, which apparently gave him bragging rights. Hmph.
The closest thing I got to a TSMM picture.
Shawn decided to pull out the map and see what we wanted to do next. He pointed out that the kids had never seen the Indiana Jones, so it seemed the perfect choice. Weve done LMA, but that was something we dont really feel the need to redo. Its a good show, but kind of a one-and-done deal for us.
We stopped for some PP pics on the way. I love these GWTS ears. Such a cute idea!
Somehow my mom got stuck with Giannas new Minnie.
The kids got a kick out of Indiana Jones. Gigi seemed to really like it, as well. I thought the best part was when the heat from the fire would reach us. Did I mention I was freezing?
Sadly, DJ Tanner did not join us. Does anyone else wish that a girl would stand up in the middle of show and yell, Steve, no!!! I mean, thats classic and should just be a part of Indiana Jones now.
My mom mentioned that they might leave to go back to the hotel after the show, and I begged her not to. I knew that they would regret not seeing Osbourne Lights. (Man, that sounds bossy. But I was right, and they later thanked me for making them stay.)
The boys were complaining of being hungry, so once the show let out, we went to look for a counter service restaurant. The first place we came across was Backlot Express. I cant remember what we ordered, but I do remember being less than impressed. Half of the drink dispensers werent working, the food tasted old, etc. But really, it was no big deal. I dont think any of the adults were that hungry, anyway, and the kids were okay with what they got.
We were just sitting around, taking our time, when Shawn looked at the time. He asked what time Fantasmic started, and I told him it started at 8:00. He let me know that it was 7:50.
Seriously? Okay, Im going to go off on a tangent here. How on earth does time go so stinking fast in Disney? I mean, we hadnt done much since getting back from lunch. It didnt feel like wed really wasted a whole lot of time. Yet here it was, ten minutes until 8:00, and we were about to miss Fantasmic. Grr.
We packed up and booked it out of there, apologizing to my parents but asking them to hurry. This was our only day we were planning on DHS. I knew they would love the show, and Id really hoped they would get to see it. We rushed over there, and though we missed quite a bit of the show, we still saw enough to enjoy it. My parents did end up really liking it. This is Shawns favorite Disney show, so I was happy we were able to see at least half of it. I didnt get any good pictures, unfortunately, but it was great to see!
Gianna ended up falling asleep during the show. When Fantasmic was over, we put her back in the stroller and she didnt wake up until the following morning. Poor thing was exhausted!
I love how different all the parks feel when its dark. Its just incredible.
They were playing some fun 80s music. I do love 80s music! I wanted to stop and listen, but we had places to go!
The rest of headed back to the shops. I never thought it would be such a production. There were clothes for older kids. There were clothes for newborns. But for an 18 month old? Nope. Not even pajamas. We finally found a sweat suit at some store back near Disney Junior. It was a 2T and way too big for her, but she was dry and warm, and thats all that really mattered.
Shawn and Pierson found us as we were buying the outfit, and we realized it was time for our TSMM FP+. Sometime while waiting in line Gianna fell asleep. Im not sure how we ended up sitting, but somehow I ended up with Shawn. He kicked my butt, despite holding a sleeping baby, which apparently gave him bragging rights. Hmph.
The closest thing I got to a TSMM picture.
Shawn decided to pull out the map and see what we wanted to do next. He pointed out that the kids had never seen the Indiana Jones, so it seemed the perfect choice. Weve done LMA, but that was something we dont really feel the need to redo. Its a good show, but kind of a one-and-done deal for us.
We stopped for some PP pics on the way. I love these GWTS ears. Such a cute idea!
Somehow my mom got stuck with Giannas new Minnie.
The kids got a kick out of Indiana Jones. Gigi seemed to really like it, as well. I thought the best part was when the heat from the fire would reach us. Did I mention I was freezing?
Sadly, DJ Tanner did not join us. Does anyone else wish that a girl would stand up in the middle of show and yell, Steve, no!!! I mean, thats classic and should just be a part of Indiana Jones now.
My mom mentioned that they might leave to go back to the hotel after the show, and I begged her not to. I knew that they would regret not seeing Osbourne Lights. (Man, that sounds bossy. But I was right, and they later thanked me for making them stay.)
The boys were complaining of being hungry, so once the show let out, we went to look for a counter service restaurant. The first place we came across was Backlot Express. I cant remember what we ordered, but I do remember being less than impressed. Half of the drink dispensers werent working, the food tasted old, etc. But really, it was no big deal. I dont think any of the adults were that hungry, anyway, and the kids were okay with what they got.
We were just sitting around, taking our time, when Shawn looked at the time. He asked what time Fantasmic started, and I told him it started at 8:00. He let me know that it was 7:50.
Seriously? Okay, Im going to go off on a tangent here. How on earth does time go so stinking fast in Disney? I mean, we hadnt done much since getting back from lunch. It didnt feel like wed really wasted a whole lot of time. Yet here it was, ten minutes until 8:00, and we were about to miss Fantasmic. Grr.
We packed up and booked it out of there, apologizing to my parents but asking them to hurry. This was our only day we were planning on DHS. I knew they would love the show, and Id really hoped they would get to see it. We rushed over there, and though we missed quite a bit of the show, we still saw enough to enjoy it. My parents did end up really liking it. This is Shawns favorite Disney show, so I was happy we were able to see at least half of it. I didnt get any good pictures, unfortunately, but it was great to see!
Gianna ended up falling asleep during the show. When Fantasmic was over, we put her back in the stroller and she didnt wake up until the following morning. Poor thing was exhausted!
I love how different all the parks feel when its dark. Its just incredible.
They were playing some fun 80s music. I do love 80s music! I wanted to stop and listen, but we had places to go!
TinkyCheeks
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 10, 2007
I promised my mom and dad that once they saw this one last thing, they were free to go. Wed wanted to wait until after Fantasmic to check out the Osbourne Lights, as this was an EMH night. We turned the corner, saw the lights, and there was a collective gasp from our crew.
Oh, my word. These lights. There are no words to describe.
We were tired and cold and ready to go back to the hotel until we saw those lights. Suddenly, all energy was renewed as we took it all in. Like the castle before, pictures and videos just couldnt do it justice. It was perfect, and we were all so thankful for the opportunity to get to see them at least once in our lifetimes.
Snow is so much more magical when its not in Ohio.
It was crowded, but it didnt matter. No one was paying attention to the crowds.
There were hidden Mickeys everywhere.
My parents stayed for about a half an hour watching the lights and taking photos. My mom kept saying how she couldn't believe it was real. I had to agree with her. It was just wonderful.
Oh, my word. These lights. There are no words to describe.
We were tired and cold and ready to go back to the hotel until we saw those lights. Suddenly, all energy was renewed as we took it all in. Like the castle before, pictures and videos just couldnt do it justice. It was perfect, and we were all so thankful for the opportunity to get to see them at least once in our lifetimes.
Snow is so much more magical when its not in Ohio.
It was crowded, but it didnt matter. No one was paying attention to the crowds.
There were hidden Mickeys everywhere.
My parents stayed for about a half an hour watching the lights and taking photos. My mom kept saying how she couldn't believe it was real. I had to agree with her. It was just wonderful.
TinkyCheeks
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 10, 2007
Once they were gone, the crowds really seemed to thin out. We took our time walking around, looking for hidden Mickeys in the lights and dancing to the music. Shawn videoed it practically nonstop.
Im a person who loves words. I love to the write, and I love to read. Yet I have no words to describe this evening.
While Shawn was videoing, the boys and I sat on an empty curb and sang along with the music. Im pretty sure all of us wore huge grins. We were having such a great time. Suddenly it wasnt me being uptight and reserved, as I tend to be. It wasnt Cody being too cool for us all. It wasnt Pierson fighting anxiety or Kyle dealing with his stuff. It was just us being a family, overwhelmed with the Christmas spirit and having a marvelous time.
Later in the week, a CM told us that hed heard a rumor that they were going to get rid these lights for Star Wars and possibly Cars Land. Im all for change but I truly, truly hope they do not ever discontinue Osbourne Lights. Regardless, this evening will forever live in my heart.
That to me is what a Disney trip is all about. Its not the rides or the characters. Its not the resorts. Its that feeling that is just so unique to Disney. Its that happiness and wonder and excitement. And yes, its partially that feeling of parents and kids all being on a level playing field. Its just Disney.
And I held onto that feeling. For EMH, the park was open until 10:00. At about 9:45 we decided to head out but stopped by Star Tours for one last ride. It said the wait was about 5 minutes. I sent the guys in and went over to some nearby tables. I started to make trip notes on my phone and changed my mind. It was quiet and cozy, and I enjoyed the peace and happiness. I had fun people watching. When they came out, they tried to talk me into riding, but I was so content and pleased I was perfectly happy to just leave.
We all fell asleep very quickly that night, though I didnt sleep well. I couldnt shake the cold feeling. Everyone else said it was fine, but I just felt like my body was made of ice. Brrrr ..
Im a person who loves words. I love to the write, and I love to read. Yet I have no words to describe this evening.
While Shawn was videoing, the boys and I sat on an empty curb and sang along with the music. Im pretty sure all of us wore huge grins. We were having such a great time. Suddenly it wasnt me being uptight and reserved, as I tend to be. It wasnt Cody being too cool for us all. It wasnt Pierson fighting anxiety or Kyle dealing with his stuff. It was just us being a family, overwhelmed with the Christmas spirit and having a marvelous time.
Later in the week, a CM told us that hed heard a rumor that they were going to get rid these lights for Star Wars and possibly Cars Land. Im all for change but I truly, truly hope they do not ever discontinue Osbourne Lights. Regardless, this evening will forever live in my heart.
That to me is what a Disney trip is all about. Its not the rides or the characters. Its not the resorts. Its that feeling that is just so unique to Disney. Its that happiness and wonder and excitement. And yes, its partially that feeling of parents and kids all being on a level playing field. Its just Disney.
And I held onto that feeling. For EMH, the park was open until 10:00. At about 9:45 we decided to head out but stopped by Star Tours for one last ride. It said the wait was about 5 minutes. I sent the guys in and went over to some nearby tables. I started to make trip notes on my phone and changed my mind. It was quiet and cozy, and I enjoyed the peace and happiness. I had fun people watching. When they came out, they tried to talk me into riding, but I was so content and pleased I was perfectly happy to just leave.
We all fell asleep very quickly that night, though I didnt sleep well. I couldnt shake the cold feeling. Everyone else said it was fine, but I just felt like my body was made of ice. Brrrr ..
TinkyCheeks
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 10, 2007
Joining - sounds like a fun trip!
So age 11 is the "mouthy" stage? Gets me a bit worried with seeing how DD is now at age 5
Welcome!!!!!
In defense of the age 11, it may just Cody. He's exceptional in the ways of mouthiness, let me tell you.
It actually worked out that I lost the contact. Not financially at the time, but in the long run, I'm much, much happier with the path I'm on! We're having fun fixing up the house.
It worked out so well! It seemed kind of silly having a surprise over just one day, but the kids ended up loving it.
Broke my heart.
It sure did!
Gianna's face on the boat is great!
Cracked me up!
You're absolutely right! It was disappointing at the time, but an early night was definitely in order.
I'm glad you have a happy memory with Figment, too. I heard they're getting rid of it. I'm not happy about this and hope it's just a rumor.
It was definitely frustrating. Every time we thought one thing was figured out, another issue popped up. It was still an amazing trip, and to be fair, in the end Disney did try to make it right.
Oh my gosh, we felt so bad! He ended up picking out another car that he now loves, but we will definitely be trying to find that car in September. Poor kiddo earned it!
YES!!!
Ah, me too!! I felt like half the trip I was holding my breath, hoping they'd be happy. I was pleasantly surprised, for the most part.
Ha ha! With four kids, I think going with only one of them is as close to adults only as we're going to get. I'm psyched to try new places. Shawn likes to stick with things he likes, so I didn't ask his opinions this time and just made the ADRs myself. He'll live.
TinkyCheeks
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 10, 2007
Thanks so much for reading!
It was a fantastic week to go. You'll read my whining about being cold, but that's because I'm always, always cold. It was in the upper 60s and lower 70s all week except the first and last days, when it hit upper 70s and 80s. It was gorgeous, and it only rained one time for about 5 minutes. The crowds were great, too. I think you're really going to enjoy it!
I can definitely understand preferring to travel with all the kids. I'm already having major guilt over this upcoming trip. We're a pretty close family and spend a lot of time together, and it feels weird to even think about it. I can't even imagine when they're older and it's harder to coordinate schedules.
Thanks for the compliments on my family! It ended up being very nice with my parents there! That's great that yours will be joining you, as well! You're going to make some wonderful memories!
disfanforlife
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2006
I was going to take my parents to dinner at BOMA - but maybe we will try Sanaa instead. It sounds very nice. I think I will be planning to pack warm clothes for December.....
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