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Making Magical Christmas Memories with Mickey pre-trip report

061706 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:43:13 GMT

Cast of Characters:
Myself-Danae, dreamer of everything Disney. 3rd visit to Disney World. Knows and dances to the Hotdog dance numerous times a day.
DH-Micah. 6th visit to Disney. LOVES Disney. Watches the Disney planning dvd at least once a week.
DD-Gracie, will be 17mos when we visit. 1st timer to Disney World. A Mickey Mouse Clubhouse junkie!

MIL-Sandy, has been to Disney numerous times. Is a DTD shopaholic
FIL-Tom. Can�t wait to bring his granddaughter to her first Disney World visit. Also, knows the hotdog dance�for his granddaugher, of course. J
Dates: December 21-27th
Accommodations: Port Orleans Riverside Resort. Magnolia Bend
Mode of transportation: Diving. Undecided yet if taking one veh with all of us or two.
　
I first want to start out saying that I was never one to consider going to Disney World on Christmas. I have always been home for Christmas and spent it surrounded by tons of family. I have decided to make an exception this year.
My IL�s have given this trip to us as a Christmas present�as long as we go with them on Christmas. I at first said �no�. I was not going to take my daughter away from her home and family on Christmas. But, I started to really think about the option. I realized that DD would be 17mos old, too young to remember being away from home and family at Christmas. And�.it�s Disney, at Christmas, free trip. How could I not say yes.
Of course, breaking the news to my mom and dad was devastating. My mom still doesn�t want to talk about us not being home for Christmas. And to be honest, I do think that on Christmas day I may shed a few homesick tears. This will be my first Christmas away from my family in the 28yrs of my living.

That last time DH and I have visited has been almost 3yrs ago in Jan of 2007. We loaded up our pop-up camper and camped at Fort Wilderness. LLOOOVVEd it! Would like to take DD camping there sometime. So, this is our first time at Disney with a child. I cannot wait. I tear up just thinking of her seeing the castle for the first time. I know she is just going to go bananas over Mickey. She Loves him.
IL's just visited last January. They stayed at the Poly and as MIL says "treated as royalty". I would someday also like to stay there.
　
　
Ok, now onto the planning adventures.
We first decided to stay at The Wilderness Lodge. How amazing and at �home� we would feel(my mom and dad live in a log house, so to me that would feel like home). But, after punching numbers and knowing that my IL�s would be forking the bill for this, I did not want to take too much advantage of it. We decided on our most favorite resort; Port Orleans. MIL decided she would like us to stay in the mansion part of Resort. DH and I stayed at Riverside a few years back and I also stayed in Magnolia Bend with my parents on a previous trip. So, either were fine with me. So, there we had it..rooms at PO were booked.

As for Dining reservations we have the following planned:
Crystal Palace Dec 22 Breakfast
Chef Mickey�s Dec 24 Breakfast
Whispering Canyon Caf� Dec 25 Dinner
�OHana Dec 26 Breakfast.
We have kept our options open. We are not doing the Dining Plan, just eating wherever. DH is not a big restaurant eater, so we will do mostly CS. Although, we will be eating at ESPN club one night b/c it�s our favorite restaurant. We are also trying to get into Chef Mickey�s for supper instead of breakfast, but have had no luck. MIL is going to keep trying for cancellations.
　
So, there ya have it. Pretty much most of our plans. Our only undecided plan now is transportation. IL�s have decided they want to take their truck down(MIL is planning on bringing wayyy too much stuff and also taking wayyy too much stuff back). So, DH and I are trying to figure out if we want to ride with them. I can say that 16hr of being in the back of an extended cab truck, with a car seat in the middle, does not sound like the greatest idea. We could take my Escape, but not sure how it�s going to do driving from Indiana to Florida on 144,000+ miles. And there is no way we are taking DH�s truck down(DD hates riding in it and will probably have fit�s the whole way down). We could rent, but we really don�t want to pay $600 to when we have veh�s at home. So, pretty much our option is going to be taking my Escape down or renting(ugh). We will just have to take my Escape to the local delearship and have them do an inspection. Crossing fingers that nothing is wrong with it.

We are sooo very excited. Like I said before, I have never been to Disney World during Christmas time and from what I hear, it's beyond explanation how beautiful it it. Today marks a month from when we leave!

We're Creating New and Memorable Family Traditions TR

lukeandbrookesmom — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:53:54 GMT

Who: me (48), DH Keith (38), DS Luke (7) and DD Brooke (6)

When: November 20-22, 2009/December 18-21, 2009

Where: Beach Club Villas/Old Key West

Why: To create new traditions For the holiday season!

First, some background for those of you who do not know. We had a major life change on August 1, 2009 when I accepted a job promotion and we moved from MA to FL. While most of the adjustment has been fairly uneventful, there are some things that have been difficult for us all:(. Mainly, this time of year � coming into the holiday season.

Having been in MA most of my life, I have what seems to be a lifetime of family holiday traditions that simply will not fit into the FL lifestyle we are now enjoying.:no Many of them will, but some very memorable ones will not. Most of these were started when Luke was born so they are some of the most important and dear to me as a mom. Going to cut down our Christmas tree on the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend, our weekend ski trips leading up to Christmas, decorating the outside of the house and enjoying it all after a beautiful snowfall, hot chocolate in front of the fireplace while watching all our holiday DVDs or reading Christmas stories to each other to name a few. Obviously one of the main elements missing for us with all of these traditions is the snow and the cold weather which we all love! No seriously, I have a family that LOVES the snow, cold weather sports, sledding, making snowmen and just taking walks through the woods after a snowfall.

So, after the amazing support of my dear friends (you know who you are:love:!) we have decided it�s time to start some new traditions so we won�t feel as homesick during this magical and spiritual time of year.

The first new tradition will be heading to WDW the weekend before Thanksgiving each year to see the start of the holiday decorations. The second will be going for four days leading up to Christmas.

This year will be especially magical because neither Keith, Luke or Brooke have ever been to WDW during this time of the year! I can�t wait to see their faces when they experience the �snow� falling, the lights, the Gingerbread House and all WDW has to offer for the season! It�ll be like seeing their faces the first time they saw the castle!

So, tomorrow Keith and I will be picking the kids up at school and heading about 150 miles south to our happy place! I will update and post pics throughout the weekend and when we get back. I�ll continue during our December trip, too.

I hope everyone enjoys our journey to creating new family traditions, and if anyone has suggestions or advice as to what to do or see, please post them!
This is our itinerary for this weekend:

Friday: We�ll arrive around 5PM, check-in and head over for the 6:30PM showing of Fantasmic!, then catch the Osborne Lights.

Saturday: We have an 8AM ADR at Hollywood & Vine (Luke and Brooke chose this), and then back to EPCOT for the day; head back to the pool around 2PM and at 4PM there will be surprise guests arriving to see the kids � stay tuned! We will head back to HS at night to see more of the lights.

Sunday: We have a 7:55AM ADR at Captain�s Grille (we�ve never had breakfast here so it�s a first, this was Keith�s choice); head to HS for the day.

We have the dining plan so we�ll grab QS meals for lunch and dinner both days, and of course the occasional Mickey Bar. Our plans are very loose for the most part. We are truly blessed to have been able to visit WDW as much as we have (the kids have over a dozen trips under their belts!) so we can sort of fly by the seats of our pants now. It�s funny though, because even having been so many times there is a LOT we haven�t seen as a family due to seasonal closures, refurbs, the ages/heights of the kids and such so each trip we still manage to do or see something new as a group which is always exciting:D.

We will save the December trip for touring the resorts, MK and AK to see all the decorations.

The "Better Late Than Never -Mom's Dream Can Come True" PTR

islandgirl — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:03:18 GMT

So, I never did a TR last time (and I :love: reading trip reports!!), so this time I thought, " I gotta write a TR".....so here goes!

The title: "The Better Late than Never~Mom's Dream Can Come True" Trip Report.

Just a little info to get you familiar with our family:

WHO:
Me ~ (age 44) Third trip to WDW, second stay at a WDW resort (CSR last time). The planner for our group and biggest fan :thewave:( in our family ) of all things Disney!!
My dad (who by the way just doesn�t get the whole Disney Magic idea & thinks I'm nuts) keeps reminding me �It�s only make believe!") Hmm� that�s what he thinks, huh?!!!:p

DH ~ (age 47) Third trip to WDW, second stay at a WDW resort. Not interested in doing any of the planning (actually thinks I�m a little obsessed with planning) but really enjoys our �schedule of events� when we get there. (Isn�t it amazing how some /(most) men think it all just magically comes together?�.kind of like how everyone gets the perfect gift for Christmas & they do none of the planning/shopping for it??) :foreheadslap: But in all fairness, I must say DH does get excited when I tell him the plans I've made each day!

DS(21) ~ Second trip to WDW, first trip was �06, Senior Trip Grad Night!! (stayed at POP). So, this will be our first �family vacation in Disney�. Not fully convinced he really wants to commit to going (works away from home-travels a lot) but says he�s going, just doesn�t want to be bothered :nono: with planning or the details until we are on our way there. Will enjoy himself, he always does once he gets anywhere, just doesn�t like to plan. That�s okay��you got mom to take care of that!

DS(14) ~ Second trip to WDW, second stay at a WDW resort. Had an awesome first trip , excited to go back (especially with older brother this time!). :woot:

WHAT:
We have all been to WDW before, but never all together, so this is our:
�First Family Trip To Disney�

WHERE:
Can you believe it??? No resort booked yet? Oh yea, I forgot to mention�..I have trouble making decisions in a timely manner!!!
It has (THANKS to you guys) been narrowed down to POR or CBR.
Stay tuned�.the �Where� to be announced very soon!!

WHEN:
Jan 29-Feb 5, 2009
(taking advantage of the Stay 4/3 free deal!!)

WHY:
The kids are getting older, and we have always wanted to be able to go to WDW together as a family. I guess this is more my dream than theirs. I�m thankful to have this opportunity and so wish we could have gone when they were smaller, but as they say�better late than never-Mom's dream can come true! :yes:

So, there you have it: the who, when, what, where, & why of our trip!
Now, LET THE PLANNING BEGIN!!!!

Next post: the where��.I know, I know, I really need to book a resort ASAP!!!!!!:eek:

We're here and its awesome!!

floydfamily4 — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:06:08 GMT

Hi all. We are here at WDW at our long awaited vacation. I will do my best to do a full trip report when we return but I wanted to share a few things about our trip so far. I don't have any pics yet because I am using DH's laptop and not our home computer:(. We arrived on Saturday, early on Southwest. The kids did great on the plane and even during our layover in Birmingham. We were flying standby on friend passes so I was so excited we got here when we did. After picking up the mini-van and loading up we were off on our adventure! We first went to Pop Century to pick up a stroller that was waiting for us. After a little confusion we found it and were on our way. We are staying at Windsor Hills resort in a rental 3bdr./3bath townhouse. The house itself is very nice with a very comfy feel. I will share pics and more on WH when I write my report. So, on Sunday we went to Epcot. We had an 8:10am breakfast ressie with the princesses and arrived in just enough time to get across the park to check in. The breakfast was very nice. My DD almost burst when she saw Belle! Her face when she looked around the corner and said "Mommy there is a princess in there!!" was priceless. After breakfast we went to do Soarin' which had about a 20 min wait. That was the longest wait all day for us. The crowds were great! After Soarin' we did Nemo, Turtle Talk, Soarin' again, the protect the earth thing with Simba, and Living with the land. We went out and saw the Jamminators and then went to Innovations. We were only there a short time so that we could get our Disney Visa picture. Then (about 2pm) we went back to WH for a break. We went back to Epcot at 5pmish for dinner and Illuminations. My DH met a cast member and he sprinkled a little pixie dust on us. We were able to watch Illuminations from a great closed to the public location :D. It was awesome. Somewhere around 9:30 we dragged ourselves in to WH to get to bed. Truly a great 1st day at Disney!

November 6-13th - A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes.

TexasHeathers — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 03:18:34 GMT

First let me preface this trip report by telling you guys where I am now. The last night of our trip, I came down with a sore throat and after we had breakfast at Chef Mickey�s and got in the car to start our drive home, I got sicker by the minute and had to start looking for a doctor. I am now at a hotel in Apopka, FL with H1N1 flu. It hit me like a freight train. On Friday, we had to bring our trip home to a screeching abrupt halt because I got sick. This is our second night in Apopka and we will try to head home again in the morning. So, for now - we are still in Florida and not far from Disney. I was diagnosed at a clinic inside a Publix Grocery store here - how crazy is that?? I knew I was bad, bad sick so we had to stop and find a doctor and sure enough - H1N1. Sigh. I�m on the mend now - and the whole family is on Tamiflu - so hopefully tomorrow we can start our journey home. I have been in the bed in this hotel room for almost two full days - my mom and step dad postponed their flight to stay with us and help with the kids and up until this afternoon I could barely move, but it�s taking a turn for the better finally and I guess I will survive - although my son is going to miss more school than I�d originally planned as we will not be home on Sunday as I'd hoped.

But, now - on with the good stuff!!!
Oh wait - my disclaimer. I wrote much of this in the wee hours of the morning in a half awake/half asleep state. I tried to proofread but forgive me if it�s scattered. I have a hard time maintaining a complete thought on a good day.

A Dream is A Wish Your Heart Makes Trip Report
...so named because many of my own dreams came true on this trip thanks to my daughter and my boys. While we certainly didn't "see it all" - every dream and wish that was in my heart for them came true on this trip. I'm so thankful - and thus - the trip report is aptly named.

Everybody neat and pretty?? Let�s get ready for the show!!

Who?The Skeen�s - Me, Heather, DH - James, Hayden age 6, Marshall age 5 and Gracie age 2.
The Heaton�s - Matt and Cynde - my mom and step dad.

How?
We drove, and Matt and Cynde flew. We left on November 5th with plans to get to Pensacola that day and then on to Disney the next.

Where?
Port Orleans Riverside - with request for a ground floor room near the parking lot. Trundle beds and bed rails please!!
　
　
Day 1 - Our Journey - Thursday and Friday, November 5th and 6th
I took Hayden to school that morning as usual. We left early, because we had to stop and cash in his change he had been saving for spending money at Disney! While we were cashing in the change at the Coin Star I grabbed a pack of diapers and a bubble wrap envelope. Next, we picked up some kolaches and donuts and then he asked me �When you pick me up, what will the big hand be on?� I said - both the clock hands will be on the 10 when I pick you up! 10:50. He had to be at school until 10 am to be counted there, and I wanted to give myself some extra time in case we were late, which we always are - so 10:50 was the official pick up time. In my head, I hoped to be earlier - but knowing my family - it was doubtful!
Next stop, Crystal�s house. She had made Gracie a Minnie Mouse tutu and had ironed on some Disney crystal transfers for me that I had picked up on Etsy. They were absolutely gorgeous. Having her do the ironing for her was a God send because I was swamped with things to do and truthfully if she hadn�t done it - it might not have gotten done! After I kissed on her sweet little baby Claire, I raced home to get the van packed up.
Prior to this, I�d been packing for about 3 days. I should have started sooner. Packing for 5 people for a two day car trip is hard work. It�s complex. Complex is an understatement. Especially in my permanently frazzled state of mind. It�s exhausting. The house was a mess, because I can�t clean AND pack. I look around my house and frown, knowing how much I�m going to hate coming home to this disaster zone! But, no time for that now - �load the car, load the car, load the car� my internal voice is chanting.
James and I go out to start putting it in. This means, he puts it in and I supervise - which means I offer suggestions and criticism. James is much better at puzzles than I am - so my suggestions are few and far between. We had one of those plastic three stacked drawer thingies - and it just would not fit anywhere. Finally we found a place, but it wasn�t ideal because the only person who could access it was Hayden - and it was full of all of our �must haves� for the car ride. Snacks, meds, first aid kit, paper towels, garbage bags, etc etc� you get the picture. But, it will have to do. Then, three suitcases, a diaper bag, a bag full of activities, a computer bag, a laundry basket full of blankets, three pillows, one stuffed Minnie Mouse and one little pillow. Oh, and jackets thrown in at the last minute on top of the laundry basket. There. It all fit. Barely. Hayden still has an aisle so he doesn�t have to crawl over luggage to get out of the third row. Yay! The back end of the van seems a bit closer to the ground than before though �. Hmmm.
We walk back in the house with a feeling of triumph. Although, it�s short lived because then we spot the stroller. WE FORGOT THE STROLLER. The stroller is an orange Bumbleride monstrosity. Awesome for little girls to ride in comfort, but huge to pack in an already overstuffed van. Back out we go. James unloads everything and starts over. I finally give up on suggestions or criticism and just watch the Master at work as he shoves, pulls, wiggles and crams all the our stuff in place. It�s amazing. He is finally left with one small suitcase of shoes and he flips open one of the under storage compartments and throws it in there. Fabulous!!!!! We are set!
Next, get everyone ready and do a last minute cleaning of anything that could possibly smell when we get back. It�s 10 am by this point. 50 minutes until the deadline. We load up Marshall and Gracie. They patiently watched TV during the entire pack the car drama. Thank goodness. Are we set? Got the cameras? Chargers? Computers? Crabs?? Oh wait - Crabs. Oh crud. We were going to give the crabs to our neighbors to babysit and we forgot. I am tempted to leave them, but James goes and gets them. They�ll die when they run out of water. We�re going to be gone 10 days after all. No worries about the cat though, he disappeared about two months ago. We miss him. Well, actually the boys haven�t noticed. But, they will miss him once they figure it out. Or maybe they will just go on in their crazed little boy frenzy that they live in and never notice. Gracie probably notices. She�s a girl after all. But, she�s too little to ask where the cat is.
I call Crystal. �Remember when you said you would babysit the crabs?� She does. �Great, can I bring them over right now?� She says yes. Bless you Crystal. Here are the freaking crabs. Good luck. One just molted so it�s probably not a good idea to mess with it. Try not to kill them because all hell will break loose and I will have to buy new ones� which I won�t be able to afford because I�ll be broke from this vacation. The crabs stink. I�m thankful to have them out of my house for a little while - maybe it will give the carpet in Marshall�s room a chance to air out.
And, we pull into the school at 10:40. We made it. I go in and sign him out. Then, I�m sitting in the front office waiting for him to come. I�m trying to be discreet. I�m trying to not shout from the rooftops that we are going to DISNEY! Then, the assistant principal spot me. She has a job for me� I�m on a committee. This is what stay at home moms do - they join school committee�s ok? Especially stay at home mom�s with ulterior motives - like getting a job in this school district in a few years. That would be me. So, I put on my teacher/mom hat and talk it over. She asks me if Hayden is sick and I say no - but I don�t offer any more details. It�s not really a secret. I cleared all this with the attendance clerk and his teacher, but you know - pulling your kid out of school for six and a half days is wrong. It just is. I used to be a teacher, I know enough to be embarrassed - so I don�t offer up any truths.
While we are talking, in walks Hayden, followed by a staff member I don�t recognize. She�s laughing and they walk up to us. She says that Hayden was walking down the hall laughing and cheering to himself. She asked him what was up and he told her he was leaving to go to Disneyworld. She�s supremely loud and Hayden is grinning from ear to ear. I have to laugh. Yes, I say - I�m guilty - we are going to Disneyworld. We all make small talk about our trip, and then I usher him out the door. Free at last!!
One last stop and by Jenny�s house to drop of the addressed envelope and $20 so she can overnight me a package with all of Hayden�s school work next week. We hope we can get some of it done before we are home again.
Next thing I know we are on I-10 - Pensacola, FL is our destination and I am driving. We stop and grab some fast food for lunch in Beaumont, and then don�t stop again until a truck stop Lafayette. The kids are good and busy. They have the Nintendo�s, movies, activity bags and activity books. Hayden played with a little metal puzzle for two hours straight. Congratulations mom! You did it! Relatively stress free!
The drive was pretty easy. We stopped at T-Sue�s Bakery in Henderson. T-Sue�s is a place my step dad discovered on the way to New Orleans. We�ve stopped there before but it�s been a very long time. T-Sue�s was open, but the little red light that indicated hot French bread is ready wasn�t flashing. We all tromp inside and the kids press their noses to the glass to stare at all the sweets. Everyone can choose ONE THING. They have hot French bread after all. James walks over to get some butter at the grocery store next door and we all crawl back into the van. We sit in the parking lot and eat about � of the loaf of French bread and snack on the other various sweets. Yum. T-Sue�s French Bread is unlike anything else. It�s amazing and as much as I like HEB - it just doesn�t compare!
We drove over the Atchafalaya River Basin which was great fun. A few meltdowns are to be expected. We had dinner at some extremely overpriced seafood restaurant in Mississippi. It would have been a great place for a date, but for an exhausted family of 5 - it was not what we needed. They had live lobsters though, and our waiter was pretty nice. He even got one of the lobsters out for the kids to touch. Gracie ran crazily around the restaurant the entire time. Oh well, we are never coming back here right?
Just before we hit the Florida state line was a very long tunnel which kind of freaked me out. My personality is pretty high strung, so a tunnel at 10 pm in a dark, strange place is enough to freak me out. I made it though. 11:30 we finally arrive in Pensacola at the Fairfield Inn. Thank God. Beau Rivage it ain�t - but it will do. Of course it�s 12:30 Florida time. We haul in the suitcases and the kids, which of course wakes up Gracie. The boys go right to sleep but since she�s had a nap for the last 4 hours, she is wide awake!
It takes a while, but we all finally sleep. I set the alarm on my phone for 6:30 am. I forget that my phone is on CENTRAL time - so this means we are totally off schedule the next day. Driving I-10 to I-75 across Florida is LONG. It�s not only long, it�s BORING. I would think we had gone 100 miles and then check to see if I was right and we�d only gone 30. It almost killed me. The kids were ok. They were more restless than the day before, but not horrible. I was so happy when we finally made it to I-75. But, THEN when I checked how many miles were left I begin to sink into a depression. So, we stopped at lunch at a Cracker Barrell. It didn�t do much to help us get there quicker, but it did lift my spirits�. Cracker Barrell�s with their clean bathrooms tend to do this.
Meanwhile my mother has called. They are here. They flew right over us. They are laying in their rooms at Port Orleans Riverside. Ground floor rooms - oh and she checked - ours is ground floor too. YIPPEE! I was thrilled, but it killed me that they were there before me. Then a few hours later she texts me �We�re in Magic Kingdom!!!� and I don�t answer. I don�t want to talk about it. Hayden is starting to complain. �How much further?� is his constant refrain. Gracie blissfully watches The Wiggles. Marshall stares at the Nintendo DS. I worry it�s going to carve permanent etchings of Sonic the Hedgehog into his brain, but what can I do?? He�s the quietest of the bunch. Let sleeping dogs lie.
I have to interject a moment here to tell you about my husband and his Blackberry. We are techno-junkies. I admit it. Our car has a power strip that is plugged into the cigarette lighter so we can plug in like 6 things. The DVD player, the computer cords, the Nintendo chargers� plus we can hook the Blackberry to the computer and be online while we are driving. It�s insane. BUT. Those stupid maps that come on your phone are - IMNSHO - giant pains in the #%##. But, my DH does not agree. He is determined we are going to use Blackberry Maps or Google Maps or whatever to take us where we are going. (It never works.) He started at it for two days in the car. I mean seriously. The term crack berry is an understatement when it comes to him. He�s obsessed. It�s crazy. I want to throw the freaking thing out the window. I admit to being obsessed too - but this insistence to use these maps - is beyond me. Good lord - I-10 to I-75. 75 to 429 - 429 to Western Way. Done. I can find all that information out online in like 30 seconds flat. It too him HOURS thanks to the Crack Berry.
Finally we exit off onto 429 and then FINALLY onto Western Way!! My heart soars. �We�re almost there!� I crow with triumph. Everyone jumps to attention - and proceed to drive me nuts with �WHERE IS IT?� for the next 20 minutes. FINALLY we come to the DISNEYWORLD entrance. Drag out the video camera and James films our grand entrance. The boys are cheering, I�m so excited and we all have to pee. Gracie sleeps through the entire thing.
It�s dark when we pull up to Port Orleans Riverside Resort. Dark, and all lit up and beautiful . This is a new resort for me - I have never stayed here and I�m supremely excited. Maybe more so than anyone else in the car because I am the one with the Disney history. Past trips and memories of lost loved ones haunt me when I step onto Disney grounds� and I tried to act like a mature adult as I took the boys with me inside to check in while James and Gracie parked the car. The urge to run was overwhelming, but I managed to suppress it.

We checked in online - which worked out wonderfully! I am very glad we did - because the check in lines were LONG and the Online check in line was empty! The girl handed me my package without a lot of overkill on explaining it all�. And she gave Gracie a �1st Visit� pin - which she loved. And coloring books and some crayons for the kids. Fabulous!!!
Now, mind you, Magic Kingdom closes at 10 pm. We have 8 am breakfast reservations the next morning. It�s 7 pm when we check in. My oldest son is about to have a complete and utter meltdown to go ride something. So, we go to our room and the boys and James start unloading our things. I direct where everything goes to try to minimize on the disaster later. They unload the van in about 10 minutes flat and we all load back in to head to Magic Kingdom.
Can I add in here that we haven�t had dinner yet?
We hit the park. Overload of the senses. But no, we can�t enjoy it. Gotta ride a ride - now now now. I am exhausted. Gracie keeping us up the night before plus the agonizingly long drive was really catching up with me. I need a bench and a Xanax. Seriously. And I�m starving.
We meet up with my mom and step dad at Pirates of the Carribbean and ride it first. Gracie is shell shocked, the boys are in heaven. I am in the back of the boat and realize this is the first time I�ve relaxed in two days. I could have stayed on that ride forever. It was blissful. The Captain Jack Sparrow part is new to me so that gave the whole thing a little extra kick! It�s over just much too soon and it�s race to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. I spot Pecos Bills and head over, but they�ve already stopped serving for the night. Gracie is beginning to whine and I join in. I�m too tired to enjoy this and I�m starving. If I�m starving, then Gracie is starving and probably Marshall is starving. Hayden probably is too but he�s on an adrenaline high so he doesn�t notice. My mother is on Cloud 9. I would be too if I�d gotten a good nights sleep last night and then jetted across 4 states to get here, took a nap and then had a Bacon Double Cheeseburger at Pecos Bills.
Finally, we get to head back up Main Street where beloved Casey�s serves Hot Dogs until the park closes. Thank you Jesus for Casey�s Hot Dogs. I order a meal for me and corn dog nuggets for the kids. Within moments it�s gone - was it good? I have no clue because I think we all inhaled it.
By the time we got back to our room it was so late and we were so tired. The kids were all asleep in minutes. And so were the grown ups. Although, I had a lot of trouble sleeping and did seek some medicinal help to assist me in getting some rest.
All I can say about this day is thank heavens we made it. And, there is no way I�m EVER trying to do that drive in two days again!!

The Boys Big Birthday Bash Bonanza Blowout Live TR

valegirl5292 — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 03:53:46 GMT

Hello everyone reporting live from magical Walt Disney World, I am going to attempt to do a live TR and since I never did a PTR let me give you a little background info.

At the title states we are here celebrating my boys birthdays and since both words start with the letter B I figured I try to think of as many B words as possible for my title and I came up with The BOYS BIG BIRTHDAY BASH BONANZA BLOWOUT. if you can think of any more words let me know.

So I guess you would like to know who is celebrating at WDW, so let me introduce the birthday boys and the partiers.

Me (Valerie) 39, 7th time to Disney and a lover of all things Disney

Frank (DH) 42, 6th time to Disney, doesn't understand my obsession with Disney, that's why I love the PP boards, we get each other!

Frankie (DS) turns the BIG 10 on the 14th, 4th time to Disney

Christopher (DS) turns the BIG 5 on the 22nd. 3rd time to Disney

Linda (DM) has been to Disney a few times

Justin (DNephew) 9 2nd time to Disney

We are staying at the Poly for the first time ever and I must say so far I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!!! We will be here until the 20th and then we will move on over to the Nickelodeon Resort until the 24th.

Up next a summary of our first day:

I'm obsessed with what??? March 5 - 7, 2009

Peanut_mommy — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:39:22 GMT

I am working on my "Princesses and the Pea(nut)" trip report, I swear... and I never thought I'd be working on a PTR before that TR was done, but...

Dates:
March 5 - 7, 2010
Travelers:
Heather, me! Age 35
Godzilla, my racing partner, age 30
Destination:
The World! Port Orleans French Quarter
Why?
Well, it's the World... but having run the Tower of Terror 5k on our last trip, Godzilla and I became totally hooked... we're returning as a team for a long weekend to run in the Royal Family 5k during the Princess Half-Marathon Weekend.

Plus, this will be Godzilla's third trip to the World and the first time that Space Mountain will actually be open while he's there!!!! =)

Planning for our Dec 2009 Trip to celebrate 10 yr anniversary and our daughters first trip

mzozzietj — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:15:12 GMT

Hi Everyone,

I haven't posted up too much yet but our next trip is coming up soon so I figured I'd post up now. DH and I are both huge Disney fans and have been to either WDW in FL or DL in CA at least once a year over the past decade. For our 5 year anniversary I booked a savannah view room in the AKL and fell in love. So a couple years back we bought into DVC at the AKV. The goal was to stay in a one BR villa for a week for our 10 yr anniversary.

Well my work decided not to cooperate and planned a big software rollout for our anniversary weekend, lol... how dare they, right?

I decided we will celebrate our anniversary a little late and we will go in early December to enjoy the holiday lights and decorations. Since our daughter will be just under 9 months old at the time I figure the lights and music will be more appealing to her than rides anyhow.

Cast of characters:

12/5-11
ME (Stacey), 36, been to disney over a dozen times (I honestly can't remember how many times - can I blame mom-nesia?), we live in MA
DH, 42, grew up in SoCal so he practically lived in DL. His first trip to WDW was for our honeymoon in 99
DD, <1 (will be almost 9 months old). This will be her first trip anyplace more than an hour from home. I'm obviously very nervous about the flying and how she will do, etc

12/5-8
My BFF, also 36, been BF since high school. She even flew up to be here when my daughter was born. She lives in MD.
My BFF's Mom, ummm no idea her age, lol... She has MS and is restricted to a wheelchair. We figured since Mary, my DD will be in a stroller and limited to what rides she can go on, etc that Trudy, my BFF's mom, would feel more comfortable with the slower pace and enjoy the holiday decorations and lights as well. She has a tendency to be very self-conscious about being a "burden" on others. Her words, not mine. I would

So, i'm very excited about this trip. I was online at 6am the first day I could make dining reservations and still couldn't get many of the ones I wanted. :( but we have a lot of fun things booked.

This is our agenda, thus far:

Saturday: Check-in @ AKV - we have two separate rooms. I booked them an accessible studio in Jambo House and us the 1BR in the new Kidani Village.
Dinner at Cape May Cafe at the Beach Club. We've never been here before but my BFF and her mom both love seafood. Any experience here? Recommendations?

Sunday: Breakfast at the 1900 Park Fare in the Grand Floridian (Character Dining) then we can check out the Ginger Bread House and buy some cookies (These are my fav!)
Dinner at Whispering Canyon Cafe (I need to check if they have a ramp for her wheelchair)
Then off to MVMCP... I can't wait!!!

Monday: Day at the MK
Lunch with Pooh & Friends at Crystal Palace
Dinner @ O'hana's in the Polynesian - My BFF favorite

Tuesday:
BFF and her mom head home and DH, DD, and I head over to Chef Mickey's for a late breakfast. I've been trying to get reservations for this for the past 3 years and finally did. This will be my first time so I hope it's worth the wait.
Dinner @ Raglan Road, Downtown Disney

Wednesday: Day at Epcot
Lunch @ Le Cellier in Canada. this is DH's fav. The past few trips I could not get reservations and he was trying to convince them to let him order take out at the check-in area, LOL
Dinner @ Akershus Royal Banquet Hall. We've never been and know nothing about this but we like to try a few new things each trip so we will find out, hehe

Thursday: Day to catch our breath and/or shop
Lunch @ Fultons Crab House, Downtown Disney
Shop shop shop... Christmas is not that far off of course :)
Dinner @ Boma so we can relax back at the hotel and start packing

Friday: we head home

Luckily that gives me the weekend to catch up on cleaning, unpacking, etc. We are planning to pack less clothing, etc since the 1BR villa has the washer/dryer and I know with the baby I will be doing laundry a few times during the week.

So that's the plan.... for now, lol... I just don't know how the baby is going to hold up :)

Family Firsts Land and Sea TR 11/14-11/23

SOmommy — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:01:58 GMT

Who�s who:
Me � Sandra, 30-something, stay-at-home mother of two wild and crazy guys :crazy:
Dh � Louie, even more 30-something, works in insurance and puts up with me :king:
Ds1 � �EJ�, just turned 7, first-grader, has been to Disneyland and is super-excited about the trip :D
Ds2 � �Bubba�, not quite 3 �, has NEVER been to Disneyland and is happy he learned to use the potty so he can go see Mickey! :cool:

We are leaving lala land on 11/14 and have a 5 hour flight to MCO arriving at 6pm. We�ll be staying at POR for the first leg of our trip.
11/15 � Animal Kingdom and Downtown Disney with ADR at T-Rex
11/16 � Epcot take 1 with ADR at the Garden Grill
11/17 � Disney�s Hollywood Studios
11/18 � Magic Kingdom with ADR at the Crystal Palace
11/19 � Board the Disney Wonder and catch my first view of the Atlantic Ocean!
11/20 � Nassau
11/21 � Castaway Cay and Palo! :dine:
11/22 � Back to Orlando, now checking into CBR (possible Epcot take 2)
11/23 � Back to lala land, leaving MCO at 7pm (Epcot take 2 if not done the day before)

So the big trip idea started about 6 years ago when Dh and I were deciding what special thing we should do for our 5 year anniversary the following year. Then we looked around us and realized we had a baby and no money, so instead we decided we should forget the 5 year and instead plan something super spectacular for our 10 year anniversary. So we went out and got us a Disney Visa to rack up some rewards dollars and saved as much spare change as we could fit into our various �piggy banks�. Another baby and lots of scrimping later, here we are. One year ago I made it real by booking the trip, paying the deposit (thank you Disney Reward Dollars!), and buying my first of many WDW and DCL travel guides. I cannot believe that one year has already passed and here we are on the verge of our very FIRST cross country family vacation, FIRST time to the east coast, FIRST visit to WDW, FIRST time we�ll actually be out of the country (Bahamas), and very FIRST cruise! Now back to packing�

Thirty Magical Moments--The List

Beautiful Mother — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 04:34:03 GMT

Okay, I tried to paste this in, but my word processor is NOT cooperating, so I will have to re-type it as I can, so be patient. Here is my list, in it's entirety. Hopefully DH hasn't discovered the joy of Passporters YET or none of this will be a surprise! My other post is showing these ideas as they are discussed. I'll post the entire list: what they are what I'll do and the order I'll do them. Remember, I'm female and we all have the right to change our mind and our plans, but I'll let you know how it all comes out. If I get photos, I'll share them (if I figure it out)LOL--so here goes.

I'm including what I have, where I found it and the $$ (if any) as I look at this as informational for the rest of you. The romance part is mine--I may write a novel about it later, but don't hold your breath!!!

I found a box at Hallmark that is about 2x5x5 pre-wrapped and with a ribbon attached to tie it. This will hold just about everything I've got. Since I found the box FIRST (important) I was able to size everything to the box. It's a one-piece box and sturdy so it will sustain multiple trips into the parks without bending or breaking down. I decided that bags would start looking "old" after awhile and I wanted to be able to package "fast". I may not have much opportunity. Remember everything will be in the box.

Day 1: Arrival Day

The Rehearsal Dinner: I found a skirt and sweater that is very close to the skirt and sweater that I wore to our rehearsal dinner. Though a little larger than 30 years ago, that's the plan. Artist's Point. DH knows about this one.

I found a picture of our rehearsal dinner (it goes in the box along with one red rose--real if it will stand the flight down.) This has to do with our 10th anniversary. DH did something similar on our 10th on a much smaller scale, but when you have two toddlers and a much smaller budget it had a HUGE impact!!!! The note with the picture will explain what he's instore for... I'll have the CM bring it with dessert. Any sooner and there wouldn't be dessert!

1. The First Kiss--Turn Down Services Rose Petals and Chocolate Kisses on the Bed. Use your imagination. I pulled out our wedding cards and the cards DH has given me over the years. I'll pull out a few of these to leave on the pillows each night.

Day 2: DHS

2. Indy Jones and the Well--Still haven't gotten Indy taken care of. This one may have to get dropped but not yet....
3. Date Nights--we would meet downtown on Thursday evenings for stuffed baked potatoes and $2 movies. One of our first and favorite movies was Star Wars IV. Movie Tickets for future movie given at Sci Fi Dine-In I made a coupon book for tickets for the CM to bring with dessert.

4. Our son-Yoda--When our DS was born he looked like Yoda for the first 2 weeks of his life. HE DID!!! Small pic of son in frame mini photo book (I'll add more photos as week goes along) and dinner at Brown Derby. Found a picture of DS--not quite young enough to still look like Yoda, but there are still Yoda ears and smile! I've included DS's Eagle picture with DH. My favorite pic of the two of them besides the farm picture.

Day Three: Magic Kingdom

5. C-section cow at Toon Town Fair--I found a beanie baby cow, cut off the tags (I know--sinful to some) and stitched three HUGE silver staples in its side. Then stamped a small card stating C-Section $75.00 and tied it to the cow's neck.

6. Our Princess--our princess was born quickly in 10 minutes and daddy "caught" her. Pic of the princess and as she looked in her royal robes (she was crowned Honored Queen of her bethel) to add to the photo book at CRT. I have a picture of our princess in her first picture all in purple frills and then with DH's father with her cape and crown. It would be DH's favorite picture of that day!

Day 4: EPCOT

7. Our first video game--Pong @ WL Arcade--I got cheap here. I got a yellow ping-pong ball (I had one) and tied a ribbon around it. I've changed the venue however. Part of the package is 30 minutes at the arcade. We will be doing laundry one night of our trip. So I figured what a perfect place is right after DH beats me--which he will, he always does!

8. Hazels- Hailstones (rock candy) at the Land--I purchase a stick of rock candy at our local candy store-Incredible Bulk for $1 and broke the pieces off the stick. I put the pieces in a cellophane baggie and tied it with a ribbon with a note--Look Daddy Hazels!!

Day 5: Animal Kingdom

9. Summers at Grandpa's county fair--quarters @ dinoland to let kid's win a game
10. Bug plate @ animal kingdom
11.

Day 6: Ready for the Cruise

12. Bologna in the Omlette--the first time DH cooked for me was bologna in the omlette. I thought I let the wait staff at Whisper Canyon deal with this one???

In Need of Some QT with Mickey – A PTR (Nov. 27th-Dec. 5th)

shena_03 — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:22:35 GMT

My DH has been eagerly awaiting our trip, so as a way to keep him engaged in the planning, he volunteered to write the PTR for our trip, which also happens to be the first PTR we've posted on here. So, without further ado, here is my DH's wonderful PTR:

My DW (24) and I (26) are so excited to be getting our Mickey fix during the holidays!
This will be our sixth trip since 2005 and our third annual Christmas with Mickey. We are also on the hunt for Hidden Mickeys�my newest obsession!!!

We will be arriving at the House of the Mouse on Saturday November 28th via Southwest airlines. After picking up the rental car and checking in at the Caribbean Beach Resort we will head to the Epcot resort hotels to check the d�cor and then head to Rose and Crown and hope to be there for Illuminations.

Day 2 � Sunday November 29th
Get up early and get to Studios and hit up my DH favorite attraction right now, Toy Story Mania. I am sure we will ride it several times. Dinner is at Mama Melrose and then heading over to Osborne Lights and looking for HM in this years display. If anyone has hints let us know. Try and catch a Fantasmic performance, if not will make it up another day.

Day 3 � Monday November 30
Another early morning at AK. Hitting up Expedition Everest, Kilimanjaro Safari, and Festival of the Lion King. Doing picnic park in the park, then head to The Wave for dinner and hit up MK for EMH

We are hoping that they will add extra hours in the Month of December like they did in November so some plans may change.

Day 4 � Tuesday December 1
MVMCP is the only thing on the agenda. Morning is open, then head to MK resorts and check out the d�cor have dinner at Ohana then head to MVMCP. Late night. We were going to do Keys to the Kingdom that morning but they have blocked it out do to the taping of the parade :( and no other openings on the 29th or 30th.

Day 5 � Wednesday December 2
Head DTD to do some Mickey shopping
Dinner at Restaurant Marrakesh
Carriage ride and Fort Wilderness or Sleigh Ride at Wilderness Lodge (any thoughts)

Day 6 � Thursday December 3
Hit up MK in the morning then head to EPCOT in the afternoon and do �Behind the Seeds� tour.
Dinner at Teppan Edo
Maybe try and watch the Candle Light Processional if the line is not to astronomical.

Day 7 � Friday December 4
Spend some time at EPCOT listening to storytellers and looking for HM. Hitting up Soarin, Test Track, Living with the Land, and the Innovations plaza. Epcot has evening EMH.
Dinner at Le Cellier

Day 8 � Saturday December 5
This day is left open to do anything that we have not accomplished.
Miniature golf at Fantasia Gardens
Depart in the afternoon.:(
I am hoping that the best D2 football team makes the Semi-Finals (for the 5th year in a row) and will have the late game so we can get home in time to catch the second half. GO BEARCATS!!!

Pre-Trip Report - Critics Wanted!

rdlando — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:58:27 GMT

Hello, I'm the new guy around here (26 year old computer nerd). Planning (over planning) a trip in Jan 2010 to the world followed by a Carnival cruise to the Bahamas. I haven't been to the World since 2000, and therefore this is the first trip I've planned on my own. I'm looking for suggestions and critiquing of my plans, which I'll include below. I will be traveling with my girlfriend of 4 years. I realize our time at Disneyworld is short, but if it were up to "her" we would have only gone on the cruise. This is her first Disneyworld trip (obviously). Before I bore you with my way-too-detailed itinerary, note that all ADR's have been made, and the trip is paid for and spending money has been saved. I'm up for anyone's suggestions, as you guys are the pros! This board has significantly helped me plan this trip, I hope I did ya'all proud!

Vacation 2009 - Disney World/Carnival Cruise

Saturday, December 26th

Check-in to Disney's Port Orleans French Quarter Online

Monday, January 4th

2:50 PM: Arrive Orlando International (MCO)
Locate Disney's Magical Express for transportation to resort (Port Orleans French Quarter)
- Main Terminal Building, B side, Level 1.
5:00 PM: (or earlier if possible) Seek transportation to Hollywood Studios
- Park Calendar- Park hours: 9:00 AM to 11:00 PM (9:00 PM - 11:00 PM are Extra Magic Hours)
Suggested Attractions
- Star Tours
- Tower of Terror
- Rock 'n' Roller Coaster
- Toy Story Mania
Suggested Quick Service Meal Locations
- Backlot Express
Get fast pass for Toy Story Mania
6:00 PM: The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights
6:40 PM: Dinner at Sci-Fi Dine-in Theater (menu)
- Park closes at 11:00 PM, but if still not tired, head to the Boardwalk
Jellyrolls - Dueling Pianos

Tuesday, January 5th

7:00 AM: Seek transportation to Epcot
- Park Calendar - Park hours: 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM (8:00 AM - 9:00 AM are Extra Magic Hours)
Suggested Attractions:
- Test Track
- Maelstrom in Norway
- Mission Space
- Soarin'
Suggested Quick Service Meal Locations
- Sunshine Seasons - specifically the Blue-Plate line
Get fast pass for Test Track and Soarin'
Around The World? / Survival Guide
11:45 AM: Lunch at Le Cellier Steakhouse (menu)
7:30 PM: Begin searching for spot to watch Illuminations (per suggestions, due to the fact that viewing areas fill quickly)
9:00 PM: Illuminations: Reflections of Earth
9:00 PM: Downtown Disney
- DisneyQuest Indoor Interactive Theme Park
- Park Hours:11:30 AM to 10:00 PM
Our ticket includes a $15 meal voucher and Souvenir Keepsake at Planet Hollywood
Wolfgang Puck Cafe?

Wednesday, January 6th

Try to be at Magic Kingdom for opening ceremonies, its supposed to be pretty cool.
8:00 AM: Seek transportation to the Magic Kingdom
- Park Calendar - Park hours: 9:00am-8:00pm - No extra magic hours
Suggested Attractions
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Enchanted Tiki Room (try to find the "DoleWhip" snack when near here, its supposed to be awesome)
- The Haunted Mansion
- Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin
- Tomorrowland Indy Speedway
- Barnstormer in Mickey's Toontown Fair
Suggested Quick Service Meal Locations
- Pecos Bill's - build-your-own-burger bar
- Cosmic Ray's - Ribs, rotisserie chicken
9:40 AM: Cinderella Royal Table
12:00 PM: grab a quick snack take Monorail to Animal Kingdom
3:00 PM: Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade - At Magic Kingdom - We can only see this if we don't go to Animal Kingdom
1:00 PM: Arrive at Animal Kingdom
- Park Calendar - Park Hours: 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM (Extra Magic Hours 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM)
Suggested Attractions:
- Expedition Everest
- Safari
- Dinosaur
- Kali River Rapids
- Primeval Whirl
- Festival of The Lion King - Apparently one of the best shows, but I'm not particularly interested.
Suggested Quick Service Meal Locations
- Flame-Tree BBQ - dry-rub ribs
3:45 PM: Mickey's Jammin Jungle Parade
6:00 PM: Leave Animal Kingdom and use Monorail back to Magic Kingdom
7:00 PM: Spectro Magic Parade
8:00 PM: Wishes Nighttime Spectacular
After dinner, Bus back to hotel
Confirm transportation for January 7th
From Disney's Port Orleans French Quarter Resort to MCO (via Disney)
From MCO to Port Canaveral (via Carnival C.O. 3rd party company?)
Go to bed early, have 7:10 am breakfast next morning, need to be up around 5:30
If we forego the afore mentioned advice, head to Boardwalk
Jellyrolls - Dueling Pianos

Thursday, January 7th

5:30 AM: Checkout and check baggage with resort.
6:00 AM:Seek transportation to Disney's Contemporary Resort
7:10 AM: Breakfast at Chef Mickey's
Seek Transportation to Magic Kingdom
- Park Calendar - Park Hours: 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM (8:00 AM to 9:00 AM are Extra Magic Hours)
11:30 AM: Return to hotel
12:30 PM: Depart resort to MCO
1:30 PM: Depart MCO to Port Canaveral
4:00 PM: Depart Port Canaveral to Nassau Bahamas

Friday, January 8th

12:00 PM: Arrive Nassau Bahamas
12:30 PM - 3:30 PM: Atlantis Dolphin Cay Deep Water Swim - $199.95 - A one-of-a-kind dolphin experience awaits you in the Deep Water Swim at Dolphin Cay.
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM: Twilight Catamaran Cruise - $49.95 - After a long day of exploring and shopping in Nassau, join us for a relaxing cruise along the coast

Saturday, January 9th

6:00 AM: Depart Nassau Bahamas to Port Canaveral
Fun Day At Sea

Sunday, January 10th

7:00 AM: Arrive Port Canaveral
Options:
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER W/ AIRPORT TRANSFER - $89 - Visit Kennedy Space Center and experience the thrilling past, present and future of America's space program. (can only be purchased onboard)

1:00 PM: Seek transportation from Port Canaveral to MCO

Jan 14 - 22 Cruise/WDW PTR: A Disney Trip Full of Hope!

honeybee723 — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:31:40 GMT

Well, I�ve finally decided to do it. After reading countless PTRs and TRs on this board, I�ve decided to join the ranks and write one myself. Hopefully I can be as witty and interesting as most of the other writers on this board, but if not, at least I can say I tried my best. With almost 2 months to go, I thought this would be the perfect time to get this thing started, so climb aboard and enjoy the ride!

Last time I was in Disney World I was preggers with our daughter, and while there, my husband and I stalked every family with a small child hoping to figure out the perfect age to bring her with us :rofl2:. At that time we decided that 2 years old would be a good age, but then she arrived, and when I looked deep into those big blue eyes I just knew the baby needed an immediate trip to the World! My mom and I planned the details while I was still on maternity leave knowing my husband couldn�t say �no� to a newly hormonal mother, and voila, we�re going in January! :thewave:

Backing things up a bit�..

Right after Chad and I got engaged in 2003 I took him to Disney World�twice :eeek:. I had to get him use to it before we took the plunge on April 24, 2004. He was hooked, and I enjoyed showing him all of the magic I�ve come to love. In 2007 we decided to take our love of Disney to the next level, so we bought into the DVC, making Saratoga Springs our home resort. My parents also bought into DVC, so not only have we enjoyed several trips to Disney World, my mom and I have been on 2 Disney cruises as well.

Never thinking we would be blessed with children since my husband has multiple sclerosis, we were pleasantly surprised to find out a baby was on the way. To celebrate, we went to Disney World in December, and then my mom and I went on a Disney Cruise in January�I had to get it out of my system since the plan was to wait a while before we took our little bundle of joy to meet Mickey. Hope Isabella was born on May 14th, and like I said before, I knew she was destined for Disney World at an early age.

Now, we�ve had many naysayers out there :nono: about this wild and crazy idea of taking an infant to Disney World. She won�t remember the vacation, she�s going to hold you back, blah blah blah. Our response to all of this is:

1) Mommy and Daddy need a vacation
2) She�ll have a blast while she�s there and we�ll have a blast watching her
3) That�s why the make cameras :flash:

So now without further adu, let�s get this trip planning report started!

When/Where

January 14, 2010 � January 17, 2010: 3-night cruise on the Disney Wonder

January 17, 2010 � January 22, 2010: 1-bedroom at The Boardwalk Villas

Cast of Characters

Me (Melissa), 33, accountant/mommy :wave:
My very first trip to WDW was before I was even born. My mom was pregnant with me at the time, so I guess it became part of my DNA. My very first physical trip to WDW was at the age of 5. If you ask my husband how many times I�ve been to WDW he�d probably say 40, but I actually think it�s only been around 35!

Husband (Chad), 32, sales consultant/proud father/my soulmate :love:
As mentioned before, Chad took his first trip to Disney in May 2003. He is still learning his Disney movies and characters, but I�ve successfully turned him into a WDW fan.

Daughter (Hope), 6 months, happiest baby in the world/light of our life

My mom (Dorothy), 62, my Disney partner-in-crime/1st time grandmother

My dad (Mike), 61, my husband�s Disney partner-in-crime/1st time grandfather

Up Next: The Joys of Planning!

Ladies Walking Sedately, the PTR

Marybeth — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:45:01 GMT

So last week my friend Margo and I were talking prior to starting work. I don't really remember how we started talking about Disney,:confused: but she told me that she had NEVER been to WDW. She had been to Disneyland, but that had been 25 years ago.
I made the off statement that we should go, so she pulls out her calendar and that was that.:eek:
We decided to go in May, cause it is warm, yet not hot and school is not out yet, and settled on May 3-8, 2010. I came up with the name, because for the first time in a long time I will walk the enitre time. Margo has fibromyalgia, sp?, so a gung ho race is out of the question.

So far, here are our plans.

ACTORS: Beth, 4 previous trips to the world, lastly in 2008, and
Margo, several trips in the past to Disneyland but no trips to WDW.

LODGING: POP, as we are planning the trip on the cheap, and decided we really don't want to spend the extra $$ for a room we will just use to sleep and shower.

TRAVELING: Gonna try flying this time to save time. After pricing flights out of BTR and finding them unacceptably high, I think we are going to fly out of New Orleans or Jackson, MS. I am leaning toward Jackson, cause we can spend the night on Sunday and DS can take us to the airport and pick us up on return. It wil mean another 3 hour driving trip back to BTR afterwards, or we can drive to New Orleans and leave the car in long term parking.:confused:

HIGHLIGHTS: Margo wants to see LaNouba and the shows, and I want to ride the rollercoasters. She can't ride the rollercoasters as she has had a neck injury. She also can't ride the dark rides due to a vertigo problem, but this is ok. I will ride the rides, while she sees the shows. I think it is a win-win situation.:D

EATING: I would like Margo to try Le Cellier, Flame Tree BBQ, and Raglan Road. I am open to trying new restaurants this trip.

GOALS: Since I am OCD uber planner, :rolleyes:I am making a concerted effort to not overplan and just make suggestions.:eek:

So that is what we have so far. I know that we are going to have a blast!

The First Thanksgiving (some 400 years later) - PTR - UPDATED 11/18

mestitch — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:35:06 GMT

Okay, so I wasn't planning on doing a TR since I seem to be unable to finish them. That's why I didn't do one for the summer birthday trip. I just did live updates and a blog post here and there. I have to say, I missed doing a TR! It's fun to look back at them and "revisit" the trip. I mean, what else am I going to do at work when it's "I don't care Friday"? Actually work? :smirk: Please. And I do enjoy writing from time to time. Perhaps that's the librarian in me. And I guess I just like to hear myself talk. I guess that's the annoying in me. :p I kid kid.. :o Either way, if you're on board for another Bakelin adventure, them so am I!

I woke up this morning with a vivid DDD in my head. What's a DDD you ask? It's what I have ordained the "Disney Disaster Dream". They start occuring sometime in the 3 - 4 week period before an upcoming trip. And for me, they started last night. It's almost a reoccuring dream for me. The "main idea" is always the same. We're in the bubble, all is well and good, but for some reason we're only there for a couple of days and it's already our last day, and we've spent like zilch time in the parks. WTF? How could I possibly have wasted so much time in the bubble? Last night's DDD included the in-laws T&K who traveled with us back in Dec. 2007. While we didn't waste time with them with us then, for some reason they crept into my subconsciousness and ruined my trip.

Well once the DDD's start I figure it must be time to think about the PTR. I like to put it off as long as possible b/c it means I start thinking about the trip about a bajillion gazillion times a day as opposed to simply the gazillion times before.

So we begin with the details. Once we figure out the details, we can decide on the main idea. Oh wait...that was what I said fifty times yesterday to second and third graders. Sorry.

WHO: Me and DH Andy. I'm a ripe old 29 and he's a spring chicken at 28. We'll be celebrating our 6th wedding anniversary (by seeing flippin' Roger Daltrey from The Who in a little club in Charlotte! :woot:) the Sunday before we leave on Wedneday so we've planned a night at the Cali Grill to celebrate (a week late, but as Mike I. said on Top Chef "it's like, you know, whatevah whatevah"). Joining us as always will be the infamous Bakers. Brandi and Tom (aka Pom). We are of course uber excited to see our best friends again. It's been 4 months since we saw them last and we're having serious withdrawals. Pom wrote on my FB page a few weeks ago that he doesn't even know Loflins anymore. Sadness :( (Then again, Pom exaggerates).
WHERE: We'll be staying at our beloved moderate - POFQ. We scored an AP rate which surprised the socks off of me. I didn't think we would actually be able to get one over the holiday but we were.
WHEN: We'll be leaving Tuesday night after my 50 hour long professional development meeting here at school. We'll stop over at our home away from home, the Microtel in Brunswick, GA. Then Wed. morning the plan is to arrive at Epcot in time for opening. We'll see how that goes since I'm NOT a morning person. But then again, when Disney is involved, it's a whole 'nother Melissa. So our dates are Nov. 25-29.
WHY: This will be our first time actually being in the bubble on actual Thaknsgiving day. We've been the Sunday through Wed. before (honeymoon) and the weekend before (and then cruise) last year. SO we are uber excited about eating turkey and breaking bread with the Bakers and the mouse for Thanksgiving. And like I said while ago, we'll also be celebrating our 6th anniversary.

Coming up: I smell a photoshop in my future. One that explains the title to this TR. And more details. It's all in the details.

Walking in a Disney Wonderland, December 8-15, 2009 (Updates almost daily until we leave)

OhToodles! — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:02:28 GMT

Sunday will be our 30 day mark, so I need to get this started as I have a countdown everyday from then to share with everyone. So here�s the boring details for now (I promise to try and have more interesting things later).

Who:
Me � Kelly (29), 7th trip to the world
DH � Mike (29), 15+ trip to the world
(DH & I have gone every year since 2004)
DS � Dylan (turned 2, one month ago today), 3rd trip to the world
MiL � Vicki (I�m telling her age), 4th trip this year to the world
FiL � Terry (ditto), and ditto

What:
Going to WDW!!

Where:
Beach Club Villas, 1 bedroom

When:
Kelly, Mike & Dylan � Tuesday, December 8th to Tuesday, December 15th
Vicki & Terry � Wednesday, December 9th to Tuesday, December 15th

Why:
Mike & I originally wanted to go during Mousefest so that�s why we decided on these dates, then that got canceled I guess, but we didn�t change our plans. We invited Mike�s parents to come along because they love Disney just as much as we do, if not more, and they�ll help with Dylan while Mike & I might do some things on our own � like the meets!

Coming up next� our plans

PTR - Halloween 2009 The magic, the ghouls, and all the news!

KimbalovesDisney — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:51:58 GMT

Just back from our 6 days 5 nights, encompassing Halloween 2009 in the World. We were : Myself, Kimba, my fiancee Adam, and my two teenage sons 17 and 14 - Jordan and Chance. We were celebrating our engagement (date set for wedding Oct 30th 2010), and Adams first trip to the World. This was my oppertunity to turn him into a fellow disneyphobe! The boys and I had not been in four years.

Our location: POFQ and boy did it live up to all the great reviews. We had only ever stayed at Pop and Music and OP before. I still love POP, but POFQ lived up to all the wonderfull reviews. I found the room to be very nice, and yes the beds a bit small, but the room was larger than the value resorts, the fridge and coffee maker were a blessing, and totally wonderfull. My only negative - despite leaving a nice tip everyday in mousekeeping envelopes, we never got any towell animals made for us. I guess just because there were no young children in the room? But I am so a kid at heart!!

The weather was great, it only drizzled for about five mins one day, hit an unseasonal high of 91 on Friday, and pretty close to it on Sat.

One thing I would like to share, free water was no where to be found! We brought our drink mix packets with us, and at MGM, no matter what kiosk or quick serve we went to, they would not give us water. The kiosks said they had no cups, and the quick serves said they were sorry but could not give out water. I was very surprised. Honestly after being turned down several times at DHS as it is now called (sorry showing my age) we did not try at the other parks.

Two of the best meals we had were burgers at Cosmic Rays, and chicken parm at Pinnochio's! Lots of Characters at the Cape May breakfast, but they kept away from our table but stopped at every table with a child. I felt a bit foolish kinda going up and after them to get some photos' but as I mentioned, such a child at heart! The food was ok, but about the same as the food court at the resort I felt. We also ate at the Prime Time Cafe. DF Loved the fried chicken, but we didnt get in trouble for elbows on the table or told to finish our meal to get our desert. Was just a regular dining experience at a high price. Perhaps because we were not on the DDP? hmmmmmm

Not to sound negative, because we did love our trip, but also felt that Fantasmic seemed a bit..well, less. There didnt seem to be as many boats or fireworks. I was thinking this as we left, but kept my thoughts to myself, when my 14 DS mentioned it to me. Sign of the times I guess.

But the CM's were great, always friendly, helpfull and congradulating us. My 17yr DS was able to use his GAC and it made life much easier and stress free for him and therefore, us. Only at Fantasmic was there a small problem when they squeezed a last minute arrival on our bench (his wife was in a chair), and my son ended up standing up behind my chair for the show even though we arrived about an hour early. But it was all good, I got to watch the show with his arms around me, a rare treat!

Well maybe more later if anyone is interested... :confused: :D

Thanksgiving @ WDW 2009; Crazy and Lovin' it!

B.M. — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:43:31 GMT

Crazy and Loving It; Thanksgiving at Walt Disney World 2009

Cast of Characters:
Brandy- 2nd WDW trip, author of this trip report, mother to 5 great kids, college student, and substitute teacher.
Wesley(12)- 2nd WDW trip, aspiring chef, responsible older brother, and 6th grade student.
Dillon(10)- 2nd WDW trip, aspiring film maker, and 5th grade student.
Madilyn(8)- 2nd WDW trip, aspiring book store owner, only girl surrounded by 4 brothers, and 3rd grade student.

CONTINUED IN NEXT POST::

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The "What do you mean you're going AGAIN?!" PTR

unewillow — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:24:34 GMT

That's right! I just got back from WDW two weeks ago and now I will be back again in less than 30 days to take in my very first Disney @ Christmastime celebration. How is that possible you ask? Well...

It all started last August really when one of my coworkers went out on workers comp for shoulder surgery. Since that time myself, and the other PAs here have been not only working extra shifts to cover her time, but we haven't been able to use any of our holiday or vacation time since then. Which = tidy sums of extra money around the holidays when they pay us out for our unused holiday hours (woo!). Now that my coworker is back on the schedule I can not only take some vacation hours this month, it also means that I am not working as many days in a week...and in fact, I somehow ended up with the whole week AFTER Thanksgiving off. Not one to twidle my thumbs I said, well...let's see if anything is still available at WDW because I would love to see the decorations!

The place: November 30 - December 4th at All Star Sports (yay for AP room discounts!)

The characters: Just me! This will be my second solo trip to the world and as much as I love my friends/family sometimes it's nice to do what I want, when I want to do it.

The plot:
Monday: I am flying from Hartford to MCO on Southwest (I am stalking the website now for a credit!) and arriving around 6pm. Hopefully I will be in MK by 8pm and taking advantage of the EMH to 11pm that night.
Tuesday: My plan right now is to spend the day in AK and then head over to MK for the MVMCP that night.
Wednesday: Epcot day! I have an ADR @ Marakesh for 5pm with the Processional package at 8:15pm. I've never eaten here before, I am excited!
Thursday: DHS day with dinner @ H&V at 4:30pm with the Fantasmic Pkg. I bought into this because having done only standing room only a few weeks ago I honestly don't remember ANY of the show because I was miserable....so, this time it will be different!!
Friday: My flight isn't until 6pm, which means I have until 3pm before my DME pick up time. I will probably either head to MK or go to some of the other resorts to see their decorations.

Not a lot of ADRs this trip, I plan on eating QS when I get hungry this time around. And that's my plan! :D

The I am jamming everything into my first solo trip that I can PTR

mavisdavis — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:24:08 GMT

Howdy all!

I've been surfing the Pass Porter boards for a while now, but this is my first pre-trip report!

Characters: Just me! I made some plans for both my husband and I to visit for Christmas, but DH decided to stay home :cry: BUT I decided to press on and give going it alone a try for the first time! I travel for business a lot to NYC, LA�and usually alone. So I�m not really intimidated as much as not sure if it�s going to be fun or sad? I�m going to try to stay very busy so that I don�t have a chance to get lonely.

Setting: POP - my very first time not staying at Ft. Wilderness in the 30 years I�ve been going to WDW�I know! CRAZY! :crazy: I hear I should request a top level room? Any suggestions with regards to lake views (is it worth asking for?) What�s the best stuff to eat in the food court, I heard about tie-dye cheesecake already YUM.
I wanted to have a Christmas trip, but didn�t want to be there for the actual holiday�one because I want to be with my family on the real holiday and two I don�t want to deal with the crowds. I remember spending HOURS in line on Christmas Day when I was a kid and I can�t do that anymore. :no: So I am going to go 12/14-12/18, when my workload is light (I am self-employed) and hopefully the crowds are also.

Plot: This is also my first time flying to Orlando � I have always driven! But I figured on my own the flight was easier. Plus I got a little extra time to enjoy.

Monday night I am hoping to get to MK in time for the Spectromagic parade! I haven�t seen this parade since it was the Main Street Electrical Parade�I know bad right? I went through a phase where I skipped parades and fireworks in favor of space mountain. This time I am excited to see it. I have an ADR at Liberty Tree Tavern for late dinner (9pm) I have eaten there but it was ages ago so I am looking forward to it. In my heart of hearts I wanted to try The Crystal Palace or Tony�s Town Square but I had to take what I could get�I didn�t book early enough.

Tuesday - I am a breakfast person, so I am having real breakfast every day. I have an ADR for Boma at AKL since I am heading over to the Animal Kingdom on this day. I only got to see half of the attractions at AK when my husband and I went last October during the Food and Wine Fest�we were tired and it was hot. So I am excited to finish the park�this will only be my second time at this park. I do have a lunch ressie at Tusker House because I thought it would be nice to get reserved seating for Nemo. But I was thinking that the food will be too same same and also the meals too close together for me to really enjoy. So I will probably eliminate one or the other. I am planning to spend the evening at DTD�considering picking up a last minute obstructed view ticket for CDS, or checking out the new hot air balloon ride thing �Characters in Flight.� If I eat here, I am going to wing it a little�I do have a ressie for Raglan Road to fall back on because I figured it would be easy to blend in as a solo traveler. But I am also interested in all the newness down there that�s replaced the clubs at Pleasure Island so I am keeping an open mind. I read most places have an �eat in� bar and that works well for me.

Wednesday � I have ANOTHER breakfast ressie (self-proclaimed breakfast junkie) and I am checking out Kouzzina by Cat Cora at the Boardwalk. The menu looks delish. I�ll hang out at the Boardwalk for a bit, and then hit the world showcase when it opens�I am an Epcot pro, so I really just want to relax, hang out, eat and drink everything in sight, etc. I am not planning to ride anything in future world, but the test track single rider line may beckon me. I do however have firm plans for the Candlelight Processional, with a dinner package at Chefs de France where I have been carefully instructed not to order the lobster lest they take my firstborn as penance � I guess it aint part of the deal. ;) The nice thing about the package is that I additionally get Illuminations reserved viewing area � a special treat that I have never enjoyed � so I will let you know how that goes. I also greedily have a reservation at Marrakesh. I just want the chicken bastilla :yummy: and that�s all I am eating (paying OOP) I can�t help myself. I can�t get it anywhere else besides Epcot except at the Moon of Tunis in West Hollywood, and I won�t be there anytime soon. SO I am pigging out. I am probably heading back to the Boardwalk or over to the karaoke bar at the Dolphin to check out some nightlife afters.

Thursday � I have yet more breakfast � at the Wave this time - and a spa appointment :yes: at the Grand Floridian! Heading to Hollywood Studios for the afternoon mainly to see Fantasmic FINALLY � another one of those things you skip as a teenager and in your 20�s when you want to concentrate on rides. I tried to get an ADR with a Fantasmic package but no dice�so it will be the hour long wait in line for me. I have also never seen the American Idol thing�but I don�t know if I would enjoy it since I don�t watch the show�any thoughts? I�m the kind of gal that would rather watch the Muppet Movie or Star Tours ten times in a row. Also skipping any and all unrecognizable characters such as HS Musical thingys and Playhouse Disney whatevers. I am 32 and have no kids, who are these people? Indiana Jones here I come. I was thinking I�d try to beat the system and eat at the Tune In Lounge for lunch? Seems like it�s a doable plan. I did manage an ADR for the Sci Fi Diner for dinner right at closing time, so depending on whether or not I am hungry I will use it or skip.

Friday � check out day - I couldn�t get an ADR for Kona on any morning, which is fine because all of my dining credits will be long gone at this point. So I have a contingency plan for my Tonga Toast fix, which is to go get it at Captain Cook�s instead. Then I am heading over to MK for my last � day. I have a Keys to the Kindgom tour booked! Afters I will do as many rides as I can, and then head for home (boooo!:mad:)

OK that�s the plan for now, wish me luck it�s jammed packed�but on purpose really. This way I have no time to get lonely. And I also need to keep moving if I plan to burn off all these calories.

Eat, Play, Cluck

PrincessSharon — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:22:14 GMT

Eat, Play, Cluck
October 24 � 26, Beach Club

How�s that for a TR title? Since y�all probably don�t know what the heck I�m talking about (and if anyone does know, you can start my Fan Club :smirk:), I�ll explain. Well, you�ve probably figured out that the title is based on the book, Eat, Pray, Love, and unless you�re really slow, you can figure out the Eat and Play parts of the title, but Cluck? That�s just me being me. :D

It has to do with the Boo to You parade during MNSSHP. Here�s the explanation

Quote:

Originally Posted by PrincessSharon (Post 2357386)

And then, my absolute favorite�

Quote:

Originally Posted by PrincessSharon (Post 2357386)

If you�re reading this and scratching your head :question: and of course you are let me explain. I love the music from this parade. I have the CD and listen to it all the time. And this is my favorite part of it. It�s Clara Cluck singing (or more accurately, clucking) Ghost Riders in the Sky. I often wonder (just like the Lollipop Guild) what was going on here. :question: This is how I imagine it happened:

Imagineer 1: You know, we don�t use Clara Cluck very often. We should use her in something.
Imagineer 2: I know! We�ll put her in the Halloween parade! And she can sing Ghost Riders in the Sky! No, wait! She�ll cluck Ghost Riders in the Sky! It�ll be awesome!
Imagineer 1: � DUUUUUUUDE!! That rocks!!!!

:rofl2: I also wonder what those two were doing immediately before that conversation. ;) But I�m glad they had it, because I love me some clucked Ghost Riders in the Sky and I found myself clucking right along! :rofl: �Bawk bawk baaaaaawk, bawk bawk baaaaaawk, bawk bawk-bawk bawk bawk baw-aawk.�

Anyway, that�s why it�s called what it�s called. Because I�ve spent so much time in the parks this year, with this trip I could concentrate on the fall offerings. Namely the Food & Wine Festival and Mickey�s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. I wouldn't worry about other stuff, but anything else I did manage to fit in would be considered be a nice bonus. I knew I�d be spending a lot of time at Epcot, so I wanted to stay in the Epcot resort area. Unfortunately, by the time I decided on a date, all the DVC rooms were booked, so I booked a cash reservation at the Beach Club.

I was able to get great airfare on my preferred flights (first flight out on arrival, last flight out on departure), and I bought a ticket to MNSSHP (an e-ticket, which worked very well). I figured I�d do all my eating at the F&WF, so I didn�t make a single ADR.

Molly (wvugrrrl) and I had been communicating and making plans to hang out in World Showcase, so we planned to get together for a round of Drink Around the World (of course, I�d be doing more eating than drinking, but don�t tell the other Lush Club members ;)). I also saw that there would be a PPer meet during the parade at MNSSHP, so I planned to attend that. I made no other plans (other than eating, playing and clucking :smirk:). With all that taken care of, it was just a matter of waiting for my ticker to hit zero.

Up Next: Grumpy in France, Grumpy in Morocco

The "Its the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" PTR

KMB733 — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 20:56:11 GMT

With the trip less than a month away, I figured it was time to start my first PTR. So, let�s back up and see how this trip came about.

My last trip to the World was January 2007 with my sister and then future brother in law. We had a fabulous time, but I knew I wouldn�t be back until at least the following year, or so I thought. My best friend was getting married in September 2007, and I was the Maid of Honor.

With all the commitments I had for the wedding (not to mention the money I had to spend), I knew I would not be able to swing a trip. After the wedding, I began to save money and going in December 2008 would be perfect.

Well, that did not happen either. My sister announced that she was getting married in November 2008, and again I was to be her Maid of Honor.

Again, money and commitments would spoil my chance at another trip to Disney. Now with everyone I know being married and no weddings to interfere, I began to look at another holiday trip.

Now that you know the background story, here are the cast of characters:

Me (Kathy, 33, and my 11th trip to WDW)

Mom (Donna, 56 and 4th trip to WDW, first since the 1987!)

We really wanted my Dad to join us, but he is a big party pooper! That�s OK; we will bring him back something nice.
I don�t want to bore you all with too much, so I�ll be back with plans and all that good stuff a little later!

Up Next: There�s no Place like the World for the Holidays

Total Chaos, fried nerves, and can't believe it's happened trip report

hoosiermomma2 — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 04:17:37 GMT

OK--so we've been back more than a month and I apologize. Life has been crazy--with trying to catch up with school, sickness, and just life in general. Not to mention that quite honestly coming here makes me so homesick for Disney it's hard to read what's going on. Commercials about Disney make me want to cry and we will be going back--but it won't be until Dec 2010/Jan 2011.

So--on to the trip report which will take me a while to get through but I'll try to do it fairly quickly. On the trip were me Vicky (36), Mike -DH (39), Cassy (13 the day before we left), and James (6�has adhd and sensory processing disorder). The plan was to spend 9 days, 8 nights at AKL, savannah view�2 queen beds.

We left Friday afternoon September 18th. The kids both went to school in the morning--Cassy for normal Jr. High classes and Jamie for a field trip with his first grade class. Mike went with him and they left at lunch time. Meanwhile I spent the morning running around Wal-Mart, finishing schoolwork, fighting a migraine and dealing with a very upset stomach. It all had me a little worried. But some Excedrin migraine and Imodium and I made it through.

My father-in-law picked us up and dropped us off at the airport--where we waited for about 2 hours. Mike and the kid grabbed some lunch at McDonald's while I sipped a coke-not wanting to egg on my upset stomach any worse.

Jamie almost had a meltdown going through security--he was not happy about having to take off his shoes--and the security guard, instead of being at all compassionate (there was absolutely no lines) was rather brusque...not helping the situation. I tried to explain his sensory issues and such before he got up there...not because it would keep him from having to take them off--but because I was hoping she'd be more kid-friendly. It didn't work but we made it through.

The wait was long. Jamie and I wandered and bought some gummy worms at the candy store--some very expensive gummy worms...lol. And then we waited some more.
Jamie--quite happy the plane is here to pick us up!

Finally our plane got there; we got loaded and crammed into our seats. The trip was ok�though Mike got sick to his stomach�he has motion sickness�but we had no problems the last time we flew. I managed to get to my carryon and got his pills and things went better from there.

We landed in Orlando, made our calls to friends and family to let them know we had arrived safely, and went about finding DME. We followed signs, managed to get outside where we thought we were supposed to be and asked someone at a podium how we were supposed to get to DME. The guy was quite rude and very unfriendly about the whole thing. And then tried to play it off on how �old it gets to always be asked�. I let it go and decided that it was NOT an omen for our vacation.

Cassy and I on DME--Mike and Jamie are across the aisle...as we wait impatiently to GO.

We got to AKL�and I�m not uploading any of those pictures because Mike�s camera, while it takes wonderful pictures�they are very big..and cropping and resizing them takes away from the beauty somewhat. Anyway, I had done online check in and had called and asked for Arusha Rock overview on Zebra Trail�which we got. We had asked for a 2 queen room-not because I wanted my kids to share a bed (my kids don�t� like to sit next to each other on the couch) but because I didn�t want to spend another $40 a night for the bunks. I asked the gentleman who signed us in and all for 2 twin-sized sheets and blankets to try to help at least limit the struggle in the bed at night. Imagine our surprise when we walked into the room and found a queen and a set of bunk beds!!! Especially when the CM said nothing about it! The mousekeeper left us a mickey head on the bed made from towels...it was really cool.

So then we went to check out our view�and crossing our fingers for a decent one, we opened the curtains to find
WHat a cool greeting! (I know this isn't a very good picture---Mike's camera takes awesome pics--but having to resize is not showing how good the pictures really..hopefully they will show up better than I think they will.)

We then headed down to the lobby to check in for our reservations for Boma�and thinking we were on time. Only we weren�t�we were half an hour late because I wrote it down wrong!!! Thankfully they agreed to seat us anyway. While we waited, we decided to get a photopass picture taken since we preordered the cd. Only problem was�the photographer rather liked Mike�s camera�and she and another photographer decided to check it out instead�lol

They did actually take our picture �before they took each other�s�but they were using a Nikon D40 and he has a Nikon D90�so we had lots of jealousy all week long. LOL

More to come this evening...to finish out our day.

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A WDW/DCL Sammich with a Side of Mom PTR!

Lorelei528 — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:37:50 GMT

Ok, so I know you all must think I�m crazy! :rofl: Not for planning this early (actually the planning started awhile ago!) :p but for starting my PTR so early�especially when I have 2 TRs that I�m already working on and haven�t finished yet!
The thing is, I am going to need more help from my fellow PPers on this trip than I have since like my �03 trip I think�I guess it�s because of the cruise and the fact that it�s our first �real� DVC stay (the last one was only a brief 3-nighter) there might be some big lulls or gaps in the planning stages as I might not have anything happening for spaces of time, but I really need to keep everything all in one place, so I thought the best place to do that would be in a PTR!
WHO: Lori (me-42. This will be my 9th trip!), DH (32-this is DH�s 4th trip), my mom (84-this is at least her 6th trip, but mom has been to EPCOT more than that),
Tentatively, 2 more peeps for the last 5 days of the trip, but not confirmed yet.

WHERE: WDW and DCL (our first cruise EVER!)
WHEN: Sept. 25-Oct. 8, 2010

Ok, so rather than do a �WHY� or a �WHAT�, I figure I�d just get right down to it!

This trip came about because when we bought into DVC on our Disneymoon, the incentive we chose/got was a free 3 night cruise�:thewave:
We had to take the cruise before the end of 2010. I asked DH if we could go for my birthday and he agreed :yes: so we decided on the cruise that leaves Sept.30 and returns on Oct. 3rd. I knew we would most likely go to WDW for a few nights either before or after the cruise, but hadn�t decided until one day at our place when my mom was over�(now it's time for the Scooby Doo, wavy screen and sound effects) LOL

I wanted my mom to see the books on DVC so she could see how beautiful the properties were and where we could go around the world. I especially just wanted to share my excitement with her I guess (kind of like a kid looking for her parents approval maybe, I don�t know). Anyway, as my mom is flipping through the book and seeing the pics and layouts of BLT and then when she comes to WL exterior and lobby I think it was, she says something like �Ohhh�look at that!� And I tell her it�s Wilderness Lodge and as I start to say �Yeah, that�s where Artist Point is� my voice trails off because I realize then that my mom has never been to Artist Point! :cry: And while I�m thinking this somewhat sad thought, she says with a giggle ��oh, maybe I�ll go with you before I can�t go anymore!� (My mom is currently 84). And although it scares me to think about how old she is and to be honest, I don�t like to think about it at all, on the other hand, it is kind of a realistic thought�
Anyway, the funny thing was I had already said to DH that I wish we could take my mom back to WDW to stay with us on DVC points.
So, maybe like some of you, that was all I needed to hear and immediately start figuring out how to do this. I decided to go back to my mom and bounce it off her �for real�. And even though she thought it was my idea (she�s 84, she is not remembering all so well anymore), she seemed up for it.
This part of the trip (the �mom leg�) will be more about the restaurants we�re eating in and taking mom on Soarin� and taking things VERY slowly. I�m thinking the breakfasts will probably be on the later side, we won�t be rushing around the parks, we�ll probably head back to the resort to rest in the afternoons, and we (well, at least my mom) won�t be out until park close every night. (I have a feeling though, my mom might have more energy than expected as this has happened just this past year once at the zoo and then of course at WDW.) So, who knows? Maybe she�ll want to do EMH at MK�(Especially if there�s a nap that day!). Who knows? We might even take her to MNSSHP!
But really this trip is all about spending some quality time with my mom because really (although a somewhat morbid thought I guess), I have realized I need to really be thankful for the time we have left to spend together etc..

Ok, sorry...let's change the subject! :o

Ok, so after we decided on taking my mom, we knew we�d have to go to WDW first with her. She said she is ok about flying back by herself and knock on wood, everything will be fine next year and will go smoothly and she�ll still be able to. (I am thinking positively) :)
I don�t know how I decided on 5 nights, oh wait! LOL..yes I do! :rofl:One of the main reasons for bringing my mom was so she could have many nice dinners that she hasn�t experienced yet at WDW. So, I figured out there were 5 restaurants I wanted to take her to for dinner. Artist Point, BOMA (she has been to Jiko), 1900 Park Fare (because I know she would love it and she has not eaten there or at any GF restaurant. I don�t even think she�s been IN GF! ), Yachtsman Steakhouse and Narcoossee�s. This may change slightly, but I figured 5 nights would be good. That meant we would arrive on Saturday Sept. 25. Perfect.
Ok, so then I knew I would want to go back to WDW with DH after the cruise just the two of us, as there were going to be plenty of things we couldn�t do during the �mom leg�. My niece is getting married on the 10th, so I wanted to be home before that so we could rest up. (Resting up after vacation! Always makes me laugh!) :rofl2: Also, I had found out that my best friend from college (and roommate for 2 years-I was her MOH at her wedding many years ago) will be there during this time. And if we don�t go with my mom to MNSSHP, we simply HAVE to go during this second leg. Taking all that into consideration, we decided on 5 more nights! Hence, the official dates of the trip: Sept. 25-Oct. 8!
When it came time to decide what type of room, it was pretty easy. We would book BLT at our 11 month mark. We would hopefully get a Lake View as I was not entirely happy with the MK view considering the points you had to use. And since we were bringing my mom, I knew she�d enjoy the Bay Lake View. We also decided we would get a 2 BR villa. We could have gotten a 1BR to save points, but it would be not so convenient if my mom was sleeping in the LR�besides I want that bathtub thing with the sliding door, so we must have the BR! LOL. When I mentioned the 2 BR to my mom that�s what she said we should get because she didn�t want DH to feel awkward�(I don�t think he would, but it was a moot point).
So, a 2 BR it is! Whoo hoo! Ok, so then I had this thought�

I REALLY want my mom to experience staying at AKL. She has been there now twice to eat at Jiko but has never stayed there or seen the view from a Savannah View room. My mom is an animal lover like me and I KNOW she would think it was sooo cool. That means the plan would be to do a split stay. (Because I really want my mom to experience BLT and besides we stayed in CR on our very first trip as a family back in �77 and I think she�ll remember it and it will make her sentimental etc.) We are hoping to stay in AKV for the first 3 nights and BLT for the last 2.
As a runner up idea, I thought if we can�t get AKV, we could try for BWV or BCV just so she can experience a different resort. (Although she stayed at BWI for the wedding). But I�m REALLY HOPING for AKV!!! A 2 BR Savannah View. We want Jambo House and this is something I really, really want for me and my mom.

Now, depending on where we get the split stay, it would depend on where we stay the second leg. I figure again I�d book BLT at our 11 month mark. Then if we can get AKV, maybe try for BWV or BCV for the second leg. If we don�t get AKV, (but that�s not going to happen, right? ;)) then we�d try to stay there on the second leg because it really is our all-time fave resort. (It�s just very �us�. And yes, we should have bought into AKV and not BLT, but please don�t remind me�(but I do love owning at BLT).
Or if not, then maybe BWV or BCV, it all depends. We might just stick with BLT on the second leg�it�s all very up in the air right now�consequently I�m VERY confused.
We might be getting a 2 BR for the second leg, because I have offered to a friend a share of the 2 BR. Not to vacation together, but just to offer a great deal on accommodations to a couple that are �Disney freaks� as well. J This is not confirmed yet however and I might just book the 2 BR and then if they decide not to come, I�ll cancel in plenty of time and just get DH and I a studio anywhere.

So, a few things have happened already. I booked the �mom leg� of the trip and got the 2BR LV at BLT no problem and I will be calling on Tuesday to book the BLT for the second leg.
I have picked out some breakfast places to bring my mom as well. Akershus (she�s never been), BOMA (again, she�s never been), Crystal Palace (because it�s a tradition) and either Cape May Caf� or Chef Mickey�s. She hasn�t been to either and the Chef Mickey�s would be convenient for one of the mornings we�re staying at BLT and I figure we could do Cape May Caf� if we stay at BWV or BCV�
We will also take her to Kona Caf� for lunch one day. We both love this restaurant and mom has never been there. She hasn�t been in the Poly since like �97 when we went to the Luau and I know she�ll remember the resort as it was there on our first trip�

I am playing with the idea of taking her on the Wanyama Safari at AKL instead of going to Narcoosee�s. I know she would like it. We did this on a past trip and really enjoyed it! I would have loved to get a Club level room, but I don�t think we can do it point-wise, so we might just have to pay extra if we decide to do it.

I will have many, many questions and concerns about DCL I know, so I�m hoping you guys can help me out. I have bought the 2009 PP though and it�s great!

But I think that�s it for now! I just wanted to introduce this trip so when I start to have updates and or questions, I have this going already.

OH! And we�ll be up to meeting any PPers who will be either at WDW or on the cruise at the time!

Thanks for reading! Updates to come!

The Invasion-LIVE TR

CollinsFamily — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:04:05 GMT

Hello all! 16 hours until Disney! We will make the first leg of our journey tonight, a 3 and 1/2 hour drive to the MS Gulf Coast where we will spend the night in the Deluxe Accommodations of my parent's house :tongue: and get up VERY early tomorrow morning to catch our flight out of New Orleans to Orlando. I will be uploading pictures to Facebook as well, so anyone who wants to find me there, shoot me a PM, and we'll get it together. I will try (if I can figure out how) to add some pictures to the TR here.
Let me introduce us for those of you who didn't read my PTR:
Grumpy aka Paul-He has waited until today to pack anything at all for Disney, and is now, as I type at Wal-Mart buying clothes for the trip. He is also the reason we get to go-He's footing the bill! It's his 1st Disney trip.
Princess Vivian-DD4 will be turning 5 while we are in the World. She is the reason the trip was booked to begin with. She has had 6 major surgeries in the past 2 and 1/2 years and she deserves a little magic. It's her 1st Disney trip.
Ash aka "The TEENAGER!"-DS16. He turned 16 the beginning of this month, and there is a special surprise waiting for him not long after arrival. He is our "bonus" child, but as much ours as if we had given birth to him. We are blessed to have him in our lives. It's his 1st Disney trip.
Mike aka Figment Fan #1-My wonderful DH. We have been married 6 years as of October 10th, but have been best friends since we were 12 and 13 years old. I married my best friend, and it was the best move I ever made! Has had more Disney trips than I have, and loves it almost as I do.
And finally, there's me-Donna aka "The Good Queen Mommy"-It is good to be Queen. I am the planner of the group. Without me, they would have no ADRs at all, much less anything else booked. I love Disney, and let me take a moment to say that I am so glad I found these boards! You guys are the best!

That's it for now. I'll sign in tonight to let you know we made it through the first leg of the trip, and we'll see you soon!:toast:

LOWD: Nov. 6-9 F&WF PTR

AllisonG — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:04:46 GMT

Ladies Only Weekend in Disney is slowly creeping up on me. I have 8 more days to prepare. I thought I would write my PTR now before I get too busy.

Me and 5 of my girlfriends (Teri, Melissa, Karie, Davinia and Jennifer) are all leaving our husbands, children and lives just for a little bit so Mommy can have a break. A 2 bedroom villa in Kidani Village AKV will be our clubhouse for 3 nights.
Our plans are:
Friday check in about 1pm, lunch at Sanaa at 2pm. General touring of the AKL and AKV. Go swimming and whatnot. At 7pm we're having our "Welcome LOWD' cocktail party.
Saturday we'll be hitting the F&WF- HARD! All day till Illuminations.
Sunday we're doing AK. Try and do E:E as many times as we can. Lunch at Yak & Yeti. Stay till closing. At Jiko, our 'Farewell' Dinner.
Monday we'll tour WL after checkout and then have lunch at WCC.

I am so excited. I hope we can do this every year! Mommy needs a break and can recharge her batteries. We've been planning this since January and time has just flown by~~~
Will post TR with pictures when we get back!

Our Tragic Trip

Ransom — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:58:25 GMT

Our trip from Oct 11-24th was just tragedy after tragedy. Disney failed miserably!

First, we checked in to VWL and were given a HA room. There's practically no closet space in those rooms. Totally unacceptable! But the front desk said that was all they had, so we started our vacation on a sour note. Little did we know just how bad it would get!

(The truth is that they asked us if a HA room was OK, and I, not really knowing the difference other than that it had a "roll in" shower, said that was fine with me. Once we got there, we noticed that there was no closet space and very little drawer space. Since we're on-site for two weeks, that wouldn't do! We'd be living out of suitcases. A call to the front desk revealed they had no other rooms available at that time, but they offered to give us the first one that came along if we'd come back to the front desk. But I'd already called Bell Services to bring our bags to the room, so we had to wait a few minutes for them to arrive...at which time I doubled my usual tip and apologized to the bell services person for the unnecessary trip, since we would be changing rooms. He then offered to call the front desk, and luckily they found a room for us to get into immediately. So no tragedy at all; just an ignorant decision on my part whose consequences were handled smoothly by the cast members.)

That night, we tried to sleep. We'd only had a few hours' sleep the night before, so were really tired. But we couldn't go to sleep, because every ten minutes or so, the refrigerator would cycle and make a knocking noise! It sounded much like someone was knocking on the door, and took us a minute to figure out what it really was. Wouldn't you know we'd get the room with the broken refrigerator! And it took them three days to fix it! Totally unacceptable!

(Actually, we just lived with it until Wednesday morning, when we were going to the water park. Since those parks open at 10 AM, we felt we had plenty of time to call maintenance and see what they could do. After I called them, I walked over to Roaring Fork to get breakfast and bring it back to the room for DW and I to share. By the time I'd returned with that nice hot meal, two maintenance guys had come by, fixed it, and were already on their way down the hall!)

On the first Tuesday of our vacation, we ate breakfast at Crystal Palace, lunch at the Plaza, and dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern before going to MNSSHP. In all cases, I used the Tables in Wonderland card I'd purchased at the beginning of the trip last November 11th and had used throughout that two-week trip. I had no problem until we got to LTT. There, the server refused to honor the card! He said that it was expired, even though I bought it on November 11th of last year! What a crock. I was mortified to be called a cheater!

(Actually, the card did have an expiration date of November 11, 2008 marked on it...even though that was the day it was purchased! No one (including me) had ever bothered to look at the expiration date in the twenty or more times I'd used it since then. Of course a quick check with the manager at LTT let it slide. I then went back to the same window at MK's Guest Services where I purchased it and asked what could be done. Turns out the guy who made the keypunch error on my card last year is still working there, and his co-workers took pleasure in pointing the error out to him. He was embarrassed, so I just grinned and congratulated him on his clever joke and pointed out no one had noticed it in all this time. They reissued the card with the correct expiration date, we walked a few paces back to the turnstyle area and got our MNSSHP wrist bands, and we were back in action with minimal fuss.)

On the first Wednesday of our vacation, we went to Blizzard Beach. I bought tickets at the kiosk, but wasn't given a chance to get a DVC discount. They ripped me off!!

(Another dumb move on my part. I don't know why I was thinking you could get the discount at the kiosk. That makes no sense at all. Oh, well. I know it's only a few bucks, but hey, that's enough for a Mickey Treat! I did it right the next week at Typhoon Lagoon and went to the window to buy my ticket. Lesson learned.)

On the second Tuesday of our vacation, we were back at MK. In the afternoon, we were touring Tom Sawyer Island. As we left the escape tunnel at the fort, DW turned to take a picture, stepped in a depression in the path, twisted her ankle, and dropped the camera onto the hard concrete. I can't believe Disney doesn't keep their paths safe and level! The place is practically a death trap.

(Fortunately, DW's ankle was fine...but the camera was not. I put a little work into it at Aunt Polly's Dockside Diner, and was able to get the lens to move again, but the mode dial couldn't be brought back to life. After three years and four trips to WDW, it was time for a new camera. But that's not all bad. Having a newer camera will be good, next time. The only really sad thing is that DW loves taking pictures -- she took 1200 of them during the first week and a half of our trip -- and she couldn't take any for the rest of the trip. We considered getting a new camera overnighted to us (or even buying one of the ones sold at the camera centers), but ultimately decided against it given how few days we had left on our trip at that point (even "overnight" it would have arrived on Thursday since it was later in the day on Tuesday; and the ones in the camera center were overpriced and seemed to be last year's models). In the end, DW enjoyed seeing the park without a camera intervening, so it wasn't all bad after all.)

On Wednesday of our second week, we were at Typhoon Lagoon. After enjoying the slides in the morning, we had a nice lunch at Leaning Palms, then went to the wave pool to see what that was like. We waded out to about the 4' depth mark, and then a wave came. And it ripped DW's favorite scrunchie right out of her hair! We searched and searched for it, but were unable to find it. Needless to say, not one Disney employee lifted a finger to help us!

(It's all true, except we didn't ask for any help in finding it. Strangely, we found two other scrunchies, but not the one DW lost. We didn't realize the scrunchie could be ripped off by a wave when it hadn't even been budged by any of the rides or slides. We won't make that mistake again!)

In short, it was a terrible trip and I'm going to call Guest Relations, Member Satisfaction, and everyone else at WDW that I can think of and let them know about it!!

Quickie Trip Report (Oct 11-24)

Ransom — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:41:22 GMT

DW and I were at WDW from October 11 through 24, 2009. As usual, we stayed at our home resort -- VWL.

We had a great trip, overall. We were surprised at how easy it was to deal with the record heat at the start of our trip. 93 degrees with high humidity isn't quite as bad when there are so many places to go to cool off! There are not only the obvious air conditioned attractions and stores, but also surprising places like the Tomorrowland Terrace Noodle Station. Even though the restaurant wasn't open during our trip, the seating area was kept air conditioned. What a great thing! (But I don't want to even think about the energy needed to keep that open seating area cooled!)

VWL was great as always. Our room was 4560, and had a partial view of the service area and the laundry "dumpsters" or whatever. But, unlike our last room, it had a balcony and a coat closet, so we were pretty darned happy! Besides, looking straight out from within the room, the view was of trees, so it's not like the view was any sort of real problem. Not to mention how little time we spend in our room! We'd much rather roam the resort or the parks.

This trip had some firsts for us. We'd never been to either Disney water park (and DW had never been to a water park at all!), but we went to both this time. And we'd never been in October, so experienced MNSSHP for the first (and second) time. And it was also our first time being at WDW with American Idol Experience open for business.

We visited Blizzard Beach on Wed. the 14th. It was nice to be confused about where to go and what to do at WDW again! But once we figured the park out, we had a great time. We rode all the slides and bobbed in the pool. We particularly liked the toboggan slides. Summit Plummet was nice as well, but that's a lot of stairs to climb for such a short ride! (The chair lift wasn't working when we were there.) It's worth doing once or twice a visit, but it's not really something I'd want to do many times in a given day.

We visited Typhoon Lagoon on Wed. the 21st. We rode Crush 'n' Gusher four times right away (something we couldn't reasonably do with Summit Plummet's huge hike), then toured the park more generally. Our opinion of the park is that Crush 'n' Gusher and the wave pool are keepers, but the rest of the park could be bulldozed without us shedding a tear. The slides are pokey, and there are too few of them that use mats instead of inner tubes. Oh, we did like the sandy beach theme. It's nice to feel sand between your toes!

As for The American Idol Experience, it was just OK. A nice way to get out of the heat, but too noisy for sleeping. ;)

We also tried out The Sum of All Thrills. Since we'd been disappointed with Cyberspace Mountain in the past, we didn't have great hopes for this one. But, in fact, it was quite a fun little ride! I can't imagine what the lines are going to be like for this one once word gets out, but for now, it was well worth the short wait. My only complaint is that you don't get much time to configure your ride. I understand why that's the case, but it's still a bit disappointing. But the ride itself is fun and well worth doing if you're in the area.

We didn't visit any new restaurants this time, since it was during the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. We made our way around the Canada side of the World Showcase the first Monday evening, and then did the Mexico side the next Monday. The food was pretty much hit-or-miss for us. We're not big wine and dessert people, so it was pretty much entrees only for us. And many of them included ingredients we know we don't like, so that limited it even more. But that said, we did find easily a dozen good items on each side of the World Showcase. On the Mexico side, in particular, we found some really fantastic stuff...so much that we practically had to be rolled the rest of the way around the Showcase. ;)

For the record, the table service restaurants we visited and used the Tables in Wonderland card for this trip were: Crystal Palace (breakfast), Plaza (lunch), Liberty Tree Tavern (dinner), Tony's Town Square (lunch), Tusker House (lunch twice), 50s Prime Time (lunch), Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater (lunch), Chef Mickey's (breakfast), and Narcoossee's (dinner). We also visited a variety of counter service locations, but most frequently Roaring Fork, where I got breakfast to bring back to the room most mornings. Generally speaking, the food everywhere was what we would expect: great at Narcoossee's, good at most of the rest, and mediocre at Chef Mickey's.

The only real stand-out was the strawberry shortcake at Sunshine Seasons (fresh, ripe strawberries with whipped cream and a tiny bit of cake, all not overly sweet and highly flavorful). Oh, and the chicken wrap at Lottawatta Lodge was a pleasant surprise to DW. And the fresh mini-donuts at both water parks were quite good. It's great that you can order them without sugar sprinkled on them!

I should also mention that we tried La Cava del Tequila. The food was good, and the tequila was darned good. It's all pretty horribly overpriced, but at least it's good stuff!

Finally, there was Space Mountain. What a bummer not to be able to ride it this whole trip! But from the looks of it (and I'm sure you've all seen the pictures), they're doing a great job re-imagining the surrounding plaza and cleaning up the facades in the area. I think that when they reopen it, Space Mountain will need that long queue for more than just the Christmas to New Years week! :)

The only hint of the future that we got was when we went through Space Mountain on the TTA on our last day. As we traveled under the launch port of the space station, we noticed that the control panels in the control rooms were lighted up. Then the overhead lights in Space Mountain went out! Slowly the stars began appearing...and the space field effects on the TTA route were starting up as well. It seemed like they needed to warm up or something, because the star field moved pretty slowly. Or maybe that's the new normal? Anyway, it was pretty neat to see it, and to have our train come upon it with such perfect timing!

Once we rounded the corner where you can usually see the loading platform, the sky effects of Space Mountain proper came on. Again, they were moving slowly and there were no asteroids or anything -- just stars. So I don't know what mode they were running in. But it looked great! Clear and nice, even up close from the TTA.

The Nightmare Before our (canceled) Christmas Trip-TR Updated 11/17

Starla4436 — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:39:24 GMT

We are back and wow what a whirlwind of a weekend. It was great as usual and I am already ready to go back.
But with out any further ado

It's time to play the music
It's time to light the lights
It's time to get things started on Maria�s TR

***yes I did just do that***;)

Thursday October 22, 2009

The night before our Disney trip was super stressful. I knocked off of work at 5PM and Ben picked me up. The weather person in Orlando kept letting us know that it was going to be hot as Hades this weekend so I wanted to stop by Old Navy for a pair of shorts�no luck at Old Navy so we were off to Target�nope all the summer stuff was gone and only the fall stuff was out. I think it should be the law in Florida that shorts and bathing suits are sold year round:mad:. I did leave Target with a new pair of sunglasses. I has recently lost my awesome $3.00 pair from forever 21...and this is why I can�t get expensive sunglasses this is at least my 6th pair this year:o. So we made one more stop at the Avenue and I found a pair of bright orange capris on sale 75% off. Orange is my favorite color but I am not sure if I wanted stretched across my butt�but it looked OK in the dressing room and It was Halloween�SOLD! :DFinally at 7:30 PM we were on our way home. The rest of my evening went like this:

Eat extreme amount of lasagna
Biology Quiz Online
Pack.WashClothes.DryClothes.Pack.

At 11PM I was completely worn out and passed out with out any Disney jitters�I think I was to exhausted for that.

Friday October 23, 2009

I have always had a internal alarm it used to be at 8AM I would pop out of bed and be ready to start my day. My grandmother passed away this month and I seem to have inherited her internal alarm �so no matter how hard I try to sleep in at 6AM (or before) I am up and at em. :eek:

So at 6AM I was able to finish packing. I then took upon myself to drag everything down stairs and put it in the car (while Ben slept). I also cleaned the inside of the car �even though we only has a 35 minute trip to WDW I enjoy a clean and febreezed car for my travels. I returned upstairs and watched the weather:

HoT! HoT! HoT! Unseasonably Hot! Record Breaking Temperatures!

OH WELL�I�m going to Disney World!!!:D:p:D

At 7:30 AM I woke Ben up. He was ready to go by 8AM and we were off. Our first stop was Publix. I ran in and purchased:

2-6 packs of beer (Abita Satsuma and Sam Adams Oct. Fest)
2-bottles of Rioja (Bens favorite and they were buy one get one free)
1-bottle of pink wine (Its to hot for heavy red wine)
Tootsie rolls (impulse buy):rolleyes:
Mascara

Ben picked me up in the car and we stopped at the Dunkin Donuts in front of the Publix. We both ordered to glazed donuts and a coffee with milk and sugar.

Finally we were truly off. I got my I-trip to work and soon it was all about Madonna�s greatest hits in our car. My mom called and we talked about 15 minutes�which did not stop Ben from his Madonna sing along time.

�One is such a lonely number�
�Just like a prayer�
�I made up my mind I�m keeping my baby�

Finally my min and I said goodbye and I joined in the fun. There was no traffic on the road and in no time we were driving under the WDW gates. :applause::applause:

Next: Express Check-In and Fun in the Hot Hot Sun at EPCOT�oh and pictures!!!

I'll be home for Christmas - Pre Trip Report

Mauimouse — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:19:15 GMT

I picked this name for my title for a couple of reasons. Last year was my first year visiting Walt Disney World during the Christmas holidays. I did go in 2002 in the first part of January but they were in the process of taking down all the decorations. We had a fantastic time last December, but it was a very short trip. This trip will be longer and have more opportunity to really get into the Holiday mood.

Cast of Characters:
Myself � Mary � Disney freak, loves everything Walt Disney World, would go back in a heartbeat, and hopes to live in Orlando in the future.

Jim � friend � Also likes Disney but probably not as much as I do. Rather a shy guy who doesn�t talk much.

Various Friends - I'll be meeting up with some friends during this trip, my good friends who live in the Orlando area, and another couple visiting from AZ.

Dates: December 2 - 8, 2009
Resort: Disney's All-Star Music - first time at the All-Stars

How this trip came to come into being:

Jim & I went to Disney World back in April 2008, we had a good time and he approached me wondering if I would be interested in going back sometime this year. Jim was looking at December. I told him that I had a trip upcoming in June and would have to see what I could do. I knew that it was probably doable, but I would have to check first with my boss to get the time off and then of course come up with the cash.

I got a card in the mail with a code for Free Dining; it was for the time that we were going so that would be perfect for the 2 of us. I kept that card on hand so when the time came I could book that for us.

Jim wanted to go back and stay at the All-Stars this trip. We stayed at Pop Century last time, and while yes he liked the resort, he wanted to go back to All-Stars. He has stayed there I believe at least twice in the past. I was more than happy to stay at the All-Stars as I�ve only visited the resort once. This way I could wander around and check out the resorts a little further.

I came home from our June trip, which we had a fabulous time by the way, and finally got the chance to ask about taking some time off in December. My only issue would be if my boss would be going on vacation on those days. Good news he wasn�t so I was all set. We decided to go during Christmas time since Jim has never seen the decoration. Plus he's not a hot weather person. We are going from December 2nd to 8th.

In August I sent off an email to my travel agent with the dates provided with my free dining code and we are all set for 2 rooms at All-Star Music. We wouldn�t have to wait too long to make our dining reservations. We met at Arby�s for lunch to discuss where we would like to eat.

Up Next: Dining Reservations

random pics from the weekend

skateycat — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:45:59 GMT

Lots of us were at The World this past weekend....thought I'd share some random photos:

meeting outside splash mountain

flying on the carpets

pin trading for stephanie and stefanie

some of the mojito madness meet attendees

how's the weather in orlando? take a peek.....

skateycat — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:21:16 GMT

it is our very own ginger (belleandmaddysmom). and do you all notice the "fan"???? yep, a pocket page from passporter....who knew you could multi-purpose those things!

this was taken sunday when it was not quite as hot as it is today!

Starting Our Lives Together The Disney Way Pre-Trip Report!

guerns17 — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:41:46 GMT

Well, I am sure many of you do not know me that well so I will first take the time to introduce myself!

I am Britt or guerns17 and this will be my sixth Disney Trip ever! It will also be the the most special because it will be my DISNEYMOON!

The other character in this event will be my DH2B, Graham (the Turkey Leg Post prankster from a year ago..you may not remember but I have not forgotten)

We both have fallen in love with Disney together so going there for our honeymoon was a no-brainer.

Here are the plans thus far.

Wedding - Mackinac Island July 16, 2010

Drive to Detroit from Mackinac City - July 17, 2010 (4 hour drive..blahhh)
We will spend the night at the airport hotel here and just try to relax as much as possible!

Depart DTW on July 18, 2010 at 6:40 A.M

Arrive in Charlotte, NC at 8:10 A.M
Short Layover
Depart Charlotte, NC at 9:35 A.M

Arrive in Jamaica, Montego Bay at 11:30 A.M

So the first few days of our trip we will be at Sandal White House in Jamaica. DH2B has never been out of the country or even to the ocean so this will be wonderful for him to experience a new place even if it is just all inclusive! I have never been to Sandals, but its hard to mess up laying on a beach and drinking all day :rofl:

Jamaica will last from July 18 to July 22 and then we will be on our way to DISNEY!
:woot::woot::woot:

July 22 - Depart Jamaica 10:45 A.M
Arrive in MCO at 1:40 P.M

Of course we will have to clear customs and immigration which is always nuts, especially with a first time international traveler (DH2B)

*Side Note - DH2B and I went to Canada a few years ago before you needed a Passport to get in and he had never gone through the border before. Since he watches lots of movies he assumed the agent would ask you "business or pleasure" which the don't anymore...or they have not asked me this question.

Well when the woman asked him why we were entering Canada he goes "for pleasure"
:blushing: Oh my gosh was it funny when she asked "what kind of pleasure"...he was so flustered he kept stuttering and I had to help him out.

So I suppose I will have to coach him a little bit this time haha or maybe he learned is lesson :)

Okay! Moving on!

We will then quickly board the magical express on our way to the WL!

We have a woods view this time. Our previous trip was the courtyard view so I hope the woods view will be nice as well. If you have had the woods view before let me know how you liked it!

Here is our rough plan for the week.

Arrive at MCO � 1:40 P.M

Magic Kingdom
Thursday, July 22, 2010 � 9:00 � 11:00
Spectromagic� 9:00 and 11:00
Wishes � 10:00
Dinner � Quick Serivice

Animal Kingdom
Friday, July 23, 2010 - 9:00- 7:00
Lunch � Quick Service
Dinner � Boma � AKL
DTD

Epcot
Saturday, July 24, 2010 � 9:00 � 9:00
Illuminations � 9:00pm
Lunch � Quick Service
Dinner � Coral Reef

Magic Kingdom
Sunday, July 25, 2010 � 9:00 � 10:00 - EMH
Spectromagic � 9:00
Wishes � 10:00
Breakfast � Chef Mickey�s
Lunch � Quick Service
Dinner � Tony�s Town Square

HS
Monday, July 26, 2010 � 9:00 � 10:00
Fantasmic � 9:00 and 10:30
Lunch � Quick Service
Dinner � Sci-Fi Dine In

Epcot
Tuesday, July 27, 2010 � 9:00 � 9:00 � Evening EMH �
Lunch � Quick Service
Dinner � Le Cellier

Animal Kingdom
Wednesday, July 28, 2010 � 9:00 � 6:00
Lunch � Quick Service
Dinner � Whispering Canyon Caf�
DTD

HS
Thursday, July 29, 2010 � 9:00 � 10:00 � 3 Meals
Fantasmic � 10:30
Lunch � Quick Service
Dinner � 50�s Prime Time Cafe

MK
Friday, July 30, 2010 � 9:00 � 11:00 � Evening Extra Magic Hours
Spectromagic � 9:00pm
Wishes � 10:00 pm
Lunch � Quick Service
Dinner � Liberty Tree Tavern

Saturday, July 31, 2010
Depart MCO At � 9:00 A.M
Go Home 

Well, that is about it for now. Will write more later as our plans become more definite!

Until Then :bye:

We Came...We Ran...We Got Soaked!!

dsteiny23 — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 02:08:04 GMT

Thurs. 9/24:

So after a few months of planning and training, our EE5k trip was about to begin. I wasn�t as weepy at I thought I would be when Craig left to take Tyler to school and again when we dropped Jason at daycare. Okay, maybe just a little choked up. :cry: I guess I knew they�d be having a blast with their grandparents and would be headed back with us to Disney in just about a month.

After we dropped Jason, we headed to Newark to park and check-in for our flight. We had our e-tickets, but just needed to check bags. We were using DME, but decided to just pick our bags up when we got to MCO because we had so little time and didn�t want to wait. Once we dropped our bags at the counter, we both had the same feeling��are we forgetting something??� :confused: It felt so weird to not have to hold a little hand or call for one of the boys to come back closer to us. Don�t get me wrong�it felt nice�just weird.
We had time to sit and relax and have some breakfast while we waited to board. The flight down was fine and we were soon at MCO and feeling the Disney coming on. :D

Then it got strange. I got LOST going to DME. :eek: We were on the A side, which is like a mirror of the B side, so I headed where I thought we needed to go. Got all the way to the end and realized DME wasn�t where I thought it would be. Asked around and finally got someone who could point us in the right direction. How embarrassing, and Craig didn�t let me live that down. Of course I never claimed to be a DME/MCO expert. :smirk:

Well, DME didn�t stop the strange at that point. On our way to the bubble, we got pulled over!! Yes�pulled over! Seriously, it�s a bus full of families with children waiting to get to Disney. As far as I�m concerned there needed to be several moving violations and maybe some felonies involved before you should pull over those excited tikes�and not so tikes�on their way to the place that they�ve likely been waiting to get to for upwards of a year!! Pull the poor folks over who have just left Disney and aren�t in a hurry to get to the airport with the 3 hour early DME pick up. Okay, yes I might have jumped across the bus to take a photo of the trooper and our driver having a �discussion� :smirk: but out of fairness to the poor guy, I�m not going to post it here.

Well, we finally did get on our way and headed first to the AKL. I was so excited to be staying here. It has always been on my list, but not really on Craig�s, so when this race came with a big discount to stay here it worked out perfectly. Here�s Craig when we first got there.

While Craig waited in line for check in I walked around the lobby quickly and took a couple of pictures. This lobby is absolutely beautiful. I loved the bridge and the little fire pit and all of the little sitting areas set up throughout. I headed back to Craig and we checked in and found we�d been upgraded to a pool view. Now don�t get all excited yet�our pool view upgrade was not quite Princess Sharon�s upgrade at the Poly. Here�s our pool view�:smirk:

The first PPer to find the pool�gets a prize!

After check-in we decided to get changed and head right over to MK for a bit before our dinner ressies at Jiko. We hopped a bus and were over there pretty quickly. I love the feeling when you get to MK for the first time of the trip and I love to make it our first stop. :D

The first thing we did was head for Splash. My Fave!! And we got FPs. Then we checked out BTMRR and the wait was only 20 minutes. We really only waited about 10 because when we got to the split, the CM started sending people down the FP line and we made up a good 10 minutes there. Then we were off on the wildest ride in the wilderness. (did I get that right??)

After BTMRR we needed a snack and headed toward Fantasyland. I really wanted some corn dog nuggets, but we never did get there and ended up at Mrs. Potts for ice cream sundaes. It was so nice to sit in the shade, eat ice cream, people watch and not have to worry about anyone younger than 40 for a little while.

After our cool refreshments we walked into Tomorrowland and onto Buzz. Again not more than a 10 minute wait (which was to be a theme on this trip). My laser wasn�t working! Seriously, it wasn�t. :p I know, you�re thinking the same thing Craig was. But, he beat me for the first time. (he may not agree with that, but I do think it was the first time). After that we were going to try MLF but decided we didn�t think we�d have enough time to get to our FPs and then back to AKL if we did. So, we headed back to Frontierland by way of Adventureland (my favorite themed land) and stopped to see Johnny and the boys on POTC on our way. We grabbed a photopass pic on our way over and she took one with our camera as well.

We walked right down the walkway and onto a boat. Then it was on to Song of the South and all of the Briar patch boys with our FPs. This is my absolute favorite ride (I may have mentioned this before) It isn�t the wildest but it�s the best themed (I think) and a long ride. I just smile on it!

After Splash the crowds were starting to gather for the parade and we needed to get out and back to the AKL. So started weaving our through the crowds to head toward Main Street and out the gates. But, we had to stop for a picture of my FAVE view of the castle.

A short trip for now, but it put us both in the Disney frame of mind.

Up next�a new place for dinner and a sleeping giant.

Rockin Reunion Tour: 10 years Later: A Pre-Trip Report (November 5-11, 2009)

MickeyWatch — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:19:02 GMT

This is my first attempt at a pre-trip report. We are in the final two week countdown before we leave and I am just crazy with Disney World thoughts on my mind so here we go:

I am calling this a 10 year reunion tour because two of the cast of characters (see below) were last at WDW and on DCL 10 years ago, almost to the date. That was an even larger family reunion with 10 family members. The rest of the gang travels to WDW at least once a year and for my immediate family, usually twice a year.

Cast of Characters:

Patti (me): I've been a Disney Park fan since my first visit to Disneyland at age 7, in the mid-1960's with my grandparents. (you can do the math and figure out my age). I traveled back there a few times, then when WDW was built my parents took me to the Contemporary for my 16th birthday. That was in WDW's first full year of existance, when the only park to visit was the MK.

Tony, my husband, who started accompanying me to WDW about 20 years ago. He loves to go there almost as much as I do. He is a tennis player and enjoys playing with the pro at the GF while DD and I swim and nap in the afternoon.

Margaret, age 9, our DD. Her first Disney "trip" was when I was one month pregnant with her on the original reunion trip. I didn't know I was pregnant at the time and later worried about all those rides on Space Mountain and Rock n Roller Coaster that she experienced in utero. Luckily all it did was turn her into a thrill ride lover. Her next trip to WDW was at age 6 months when I carried her around in a front-pack for much of the trip. Now she knows her way around some of the parks better than I do!

Sister in law Cheri: DVC member (Boardwalk) and regular WDW visitor

Mother in law Jerry: Also a DVC member and regular visitor. She is 81 years old and can still put in a full day at the park. Well, our version of a full day which includes a swim and nap in the afternoon and back to the park for dinner.

Sister in law Shelli: She used to work for WDW in the 1970's (phone reservations) but hasn't returned since the last reunion trip 10 years ago.

Niece: Michelle, age 20. She was 10 on her last visit. She and her mom Shelli live in Arizona and we only see them once a year or so.

When we planned this trip back in March, it only included the first 5 of us in the cast. We picked the dates to coincide with DD's school conference dates since she is off school for those 2 days plus Veteran's day. About 7 weeks ago we decided to invite Shelli and Michelle to join us. Cheri and Jerry contributed DVC points for a room for them at Saratoga Springs and we paid for their park tickets and some meals.

Next up: Dining Plans and Room Changes