The Jolly Holiday With Noonie Trip Report - COMPLETED 11/15 About This Page:

[Starla4436]

WE returned from OUR trip on Monday Oct 29...we had a wonderfully magical time!

To link to my PTR with all the click below....

The Jolly Holiday w/ Noonie PTR 10/24-10/29 - UPDATED 10/23

Here is a time line to our departure...

Tuesday 2 PM

I try desperately to fall asleep …two Tylenol PM’s later I get in a 3 hour nap.

Tuesday 3 PM

DH returns from work and goes to sleep next to me.

Tuesday 5 PM

I run to the store to get a bag of ice for the ice chest and some cat food for our cat Sydney.

Tuesday 6 PM

I return home and pack the trunk with all of our luggage…its really chilly outside in Louisiana tonight.

Tuesday 7 PM

I lay down on the couch trying to sleep for another hour or so…but at…

Tuesday 7:15 PM

My mom and DN Kaia return from church and now I am wide awake

Tuesday 7:30 PM

I am watching the Singing Bee and decide to wake DH up…even though we are not supposed to hit the road until Wed. 12 AM.

Tuesday 8:00 PM

Dancing With The Stars…we all watch this as a family except for my little sister she is to cool for this show but at …

Tuesday 8:30 PM

My little sister Mallory was up and watching Dancing with the Stars with us

Tuesday 8:45 PM

I start persuading DH to leave a little earlier b/c I was wide awake and willing to drive the first half of the trip (6 hours)

Tuesday 8:47 PM

DH makes fun of me because we will be leaving at the same time that Law and Order begins (Clung Clung) he predicted this a month ago.

Tuesday 8:50 PM

He agrees…yippy!!!!

Tuesday 9:15 PM

We are on the road!!!

As soon as we pulled out the drive way everyone was so excited.
As soon as we pulled out the street my DN Kaia declared that she was going to stay up the whole 12 hour trip …her determination only lasted for about 10 minutes and then she was asleep…(thank goodness ).

The first 6 hours of the road trip where pretty uneventful…everyone slept most of the time and I listened to music on our Ipod-Itrip…and sang along…I got super excited when I went through the Mobile tunnel at around 1:30 AM…not sure why but it’s a landmark on my drives to WDW…at 3: 15 AM we where running low on gas so we stopped at a gas station about 2 hours into Florida…DH fueled up …Mallory (DS) jumped out for a restroom break DN-Kaia was still asleep….DH and I switched places.


Mallory at 3 AM in the middle of Florida



Ben warning me not to use flash at 3 AM

I tried to sleep but only got about an hour off and on….I WAS TO EXCITED TO SLEEP!

As we crossed over into the Eastern Time Zone we changed our car clock and I started counting down the hours to Sunrise.

At about 7:15 PM the sun was coming up and Mallory, Ben and I were wide awake…but Kaia was still fast asleep. We were getting a little hungry so I made us all Bagels with cream cheese from our packed food we enjoyed the bagels as we got closer and closer to WDW.


At 9:15 AM we were about to burst as we bypassed Sea World and Universal and the worlds Largest McDonald's and drove towards the WDW area...
Kaia was up and hungry but did not want a bagel instead she opted for Goldfish crackers...not super healthy but i am her aunt i am supposed to let her eat unhealthy things for breakfast (more of this to come as the trip goes on)


Mallory and Kaia waiting for the gates

We are getting antsy!!!

Almost Mallory!

Finally we had arrived we all could hardly contain ourselves as we drove under the precious gates…everyone let out a yahoo!!!



And in 5 minutes we were in the parking lot of the Pop Century….

To be continued….How Star Tours Saved Our Trip?!?

[Lemap760]

Great start. I love the excited faces at 3am.

[Starla4436]

Originally Posted by Lemap760

Great start. I love the excited faces at 3am.

LOL...I know we are insane!

[mcc0313]

Amazing start....I have been loving this story since the start and am looking so forward to hearing about all your adventures...

[jpod523]

there is something about going to walt disney world that keeps me up at 3 am too!!! glad you got there. can't wait for more!!

[BelmontBelle]

Great start! Those darn Tylenol PM's didn't work for me either. I'm glad at least Kaia got some sleep. Hurry back!

[Starla4436]

We arrived at the Pop Century at 9:15 ish as we drove closer and closer Kaia’s eye started to get wider and wider…the colors and vibrancy of the hotel had already won her over.

We were all hoping that our room would be ready so we could properly freshen up and change.

No such luck…Our room was assigned and it was in the section I requested …(The 1950’s facing the Bowling Pin Pool) We were on the Tramp side facing Lady. We got the card to call back after 3 PM to get our exact room #.

Kaia was excited there was no question…but she could hardly contain herself when she saw there was a gift shop in our hotel…Kaia my dear niece is what you would call a Shop-A-Holic! I diverted her from the store and into the restroom for some freshening up…we all agreed to head to MGM for a couple of Hours and then to return to the hotel to shower and change before Fantasmic.

Before we hopped on the MGM bus we headed to the car to get the camera and for Mallory to put a little make up on …(what can I say she’s 14). We headed over to the MGM bus and encountered our first wait but after 15 minutes we were on a packed bus standing heading the MGM.



As soon as we arrived at MGM all the over 7 year olds adrenaline started rushing and we wanted to ride RNRC…we tried to convince Kaia but she said she had a bad feeling about that ride b/c on the upside down car on the track as you enter the RNRC area ( can you blame her)…the wait was 40 minutes so Mallory got 4 fast passes and we headed across the street to Beauty and the Beast.
Beauty and the Beast was great…Kaia really liked.




After Beauty and the Beast we decided to get a bite to eat…
We wanted to stay close to RNRC b/c our fast passes where almost due…so we ate at Rosie’s All American Café…

Ben ordered the Double Cheeseburger with fries and carrot cake for desert. Mallory and I split Chicken Strips with fries and Chocolate Fudge Cake for desert…I was all OK nothing spectacular except for the yummy deserts…Kaia loved the fact that her chicken nuggets where served in a Mickey mouse plate!



not sure why Ben's making that face?


As we finished eating Mallory and I left Ben and Kaia to clean up the lunch mess and we headed to ride RNRC…WOW what a ride and faster than I remember it from last year on my Honeymoon…I was glad we had not started Kaia out on this one. After we finished we met Ben and Kaia in the gift shop where she was pressuring Ben to get her a tattoo outside he looked relived when he saw me and we switched…Ben and Mallory head off to ride RNRC wit the other set of FP’s and Kaia and I hung out outside…I convinced her to take a picture in from the giant guitar and then she started on me about getting a tattoo….I told her maybe next time we come to MGM but not today…she pouted a bit but got over it.


After Mallory and Ben finished RNRC Mallory headed over to the TOT to get FP’s for later.

We headed toward Voyage of the Little Mermaid (my little sister Mallory is a huge Little Mermaid fan or should I say she thinks she is the Little Mermaid!)…we walked right in to the waiting area and went right into the show…I always did love this show my DH not so much …but it was fun seeing all the shows through Kaia’s eyes…she loved it…but she is a critical thinker/inventor so she had an explanation for how all the tricks where done…like how Ariel changes from having fins to feet so fast and so on….I was not bothered by this… but my little sister was annoyed with Kaia’s lack of imagination.

When we exited VOTLM it began to drizzle which gave Mallory and excuse to shop for Little Mermaid stuff in the gift shop…she bought super cute purse (picture of it later) and I was able to get Kaia out of the shop without buying anything.

Next we were heading to Star Tours…but we stopped in to catch the Great Movie Ride first…we waited about 15 minutes to board our tram.
I warned Kaia about the Alien part and told her she could hide her eyes at that part…she agreed to ride. Unfortunately we went through the gangster story line and during the shooting she ducked under the seat the whole time ( that’s what you get when you bring a child from the mean streets on New Orleans to Disney World) …she was OK after the shoot out and loved riding through the Wizard of Oz set and hid her eyes as planned for the Alien part. She also really loved the Indian Jones set with all the snakes…apparently she loves snakes!

After the Great Movie Ride…Ben headed toward the Tune In Lounge next to the 50’s Prime time Café…he gets sick on Star Tours…so Mallory , Kaia and I headed over. The wait was 10 minutes but was really a walk on…which was great b/c it didn’t give Kaia much time to rethink this. We had talked outside RNRC and agreed for every new thrill ride she tried she would get a pin…so she was now more willing to give things a try.

We boarded Star Tours…and Kaia LOVED It…she Woo Hooed all the way through it and as soon as we exited she wanted to ride again…Mallory called Ben on the cell and told him we would be riding one more time…he said to take our time as he had just ordered a beer.
We got in line and in 5 minutes or less where riding again this time Kaia had her hands up the whole time…it was so cute.

Mallory calling Ben to tell him we were ring ST's again...

After Star tours we headed over to the lounge where Ben was but not before Kaia took a picture with the snakes in front of Indian Jones…Mallory jumped in too


We met Ben at the lounge and he agreed to take Kaia while Mallory and I rode ToT. So while Ben and Kaia sipped beers and cherry cokes Mallory and I rode Tot twice with the two set of FP’s. Mallory was a little apprehensive through out the whole line…even though she had rode this ride in past trips dozens of time…she kept saying “I don’t want to sit in the front row” and of course we were put in the front row…we had a blast especially since Mallory was so scared and kept saying prayers under her breath. The next ride was not as bad for her except for the scary cast member in the Library…he was a tall man with a scary stare and he really was messing with Mallory…she was not impressed and kept squeezing my hand until we were out of the library.

After ToT…we headed to the end of Sunset Blvd. to meet Ben and Kaia…he was of course in store with Kaia where she had found exactly what she wanted to buy with her souvenir money……

More to come on Confession of a 7 year old ShopAHolic…

[Colexis Mom]

Great start to your report More please

[DyanKJ130]

Sounds like a wonderful day at the Studios! Can't wait to hear Kaia's confessions!

[Brettchief]

Excellent start! Love the pics! Can't wait to read more!

[Starla4436]

Mallory and I met Kaia and Ben at the corner of Hollywood and Sunset Blvd…where Kaia was dead set on pulling me into Mickey's of Hollywood to show me what she MUST have. I looked at Ben and he gave me the look that let me know it was expensive and silly…so I told her we really needed to get back to the hotel and that we would look at it later tonight when we go to MGM for Fantasmic…she was actually find with it…so we headed for the bus.

I called on the way to get our hotel room # it was 3208. As soon as we got back we trucked all of out luggage from the car to the room not the easiest task but I still have not figured out where to get a luggage cart at the Pop Century and it seems like a lot of families have the same issue b/c they where truck there luggage to and from rooms as well.

We arrived in our room and I immediately unpacked all of Ben and I’ stuff and hung up our dress clothes…I gave Kaia a drawer and told her to unpack all of her stuff into it. I tired to get Mallory to put her stuff in a drawer but instead she dumped her clothes on the side of the bed closest to the wall and said that was her drawer ..C'est la vie…not going to have a fight if she wants to live like a little piggy for 5 days as long as it stays on the side of the bed and between the wall I will pretend I don’t see it.

Mallory was off to take a shower and Kaia and I were still unpacking when we heard a knock on the door…a lady on a Segway delivered Kaia’s Halloween surprise I had ordered her from Disney Florist (to which Ben responded “isn’t the trip her surprise”). The pumpkin with Princess Minnie in it was so cute…it had all kinds of treats and stickers. Before Mallory got out of the shower Kaia made a pile of candy from her pumpkin to give to Mallory…which I thought was really sweet. I was as excited as Kaia about the surprise…I also was having one sent to my nephew who was arriving on Friday.




After I jumped in the shower and changed myself and Kaia we headed over to the food court while Ben stayed back and got dressed and showered.

We walked over to the food court and stopped along the way for some pictures.




We arrived at the food court and I gave Mallory the money my mom gave me to buy Mallory and Kaia refillable mugs…she got in line and bought them and I bought Ben and I’s right behind her. After this we scoped out a place to sit and dumped our stuff there while we decided on what to eat. I took care of Mallory first she got the Asian chicken salad with a chocolate chip cookie…and then i took care Kaia who got Stir Fry with pudding. I checked them out with the Dining Plan. Ben showed up as Mallory and Kaia sat down to eat so he and I went back to decide on our meal I ended up getting Veggie Lasagna and a fruit cup and Ben had Chicken Penne Alfredo w/Breadstick and a sugar cookie. Finally I could sit down…and I thought to myself being a mom must be rough.

My food was really good ….I love veggie lasagna and the fruit was really fresh in my fruit cup Mallory didn’t really like her salad but she loved Ben's meal and kept taking small bites from his plate. Kaia loved her stir fry and only complaint was that the frozen coke machine was down.

After dinner we cleaned out our mugs and headed to MGM for Fantasmic it was around 6:15 PM and fantastic started at 7:30 PM.

Not really sure what they are doing in the picture

There was no line for the bus which was nice and we were there at 6:35 PM. I rushed everyone down Hollywood Blvd. so we could get a good seat for the show and we really did. We in the middle section 6 seats from the bottom. We had about 40 minutes to wait for the show and of course Kaia was getting tired. Ben went upstairs and got him and I a beer and Mallory a coke to share with Kaia. Mallory bought a cotton candy and we all shared it. Between the cotton candy, coke, and the wave (which Kaia had never experienced)…Kaia was able to stay up until show time.




We all loved Fantasmic its such a great show and it was nice to be so close. After Fantasmic Mallory battled the crowds and went to the restroom while Kaia, Ben and I waited for the crowds to thin out and made our way up where I called Mallory on her cell phone and we met up.
On the way out Kaia started talking about this souvenir she wanted again…the same on from earlier. I distracted her for a bit by getting a picture of Ben, Mallory and her in front of tot…


But then she was back to this souvenir .I decided to go and look at the souvenir with her while Ben and Mallory looked at some of the stores on Sunset Blvd.

Kaia and I headed into Mickey's of Hollywood and she showed me what she had been wanting so bad since she saw it earlier in the day…it was a baby Mickey mouse dressed in blue wrapped in a blue blanket…to me it wasn’t cute at all compared to all the little cutie plush toys ect….but to Kaia this plush was the ONE…so I checked the price right around 18$ …I doubled check with her and she told me she was certain this was what she wanted…so off to the register we went. I paid for it and she carried it out of the store.
***picture coming soon of baby Mickey

Ben and Mallory were so wanting to make fun of her purchase but I gave them the mean eyes and told them to think back at being 7 years old and the things they wanted…that shut them up about it for awhile.

We had an uneventful bus ride home and we dragged ourselves to our room…Ben went to the car to get a couple of things out of the ice chest.

At this point we were all super tired and what do most children do when there tired…have a break down is right…Kaia started crying and saying she missed her mom and dad…and wished they could be here with here…to which I started to cry b/c I was super tired….after our mini breakdowns we all climbed into bed and Ben returned and we all fell asleep…ready for our next day at EPCOT!

PS
If you sense and rivalry between Kaia and Mallory …you are right see Mallory was the baby before Kaia came into the picture…but most of the time they put that aside and we have good times!

Coming up A Little Magic Never Hurt No One....

[Colexis Mom]

Sorry your day ended kind of rough Pixies that tomorrow is a better day

[jpod523]

mallory is right to love the chicken penne alfredo. just thinking about that meal makes me want to fly down there right now and get some. mmmmm

[Starla4436]

Originally Posted by Colexis Mom

Great start to your report More please

Thanks! More is coming soon I usually get obsessed with my TR and post every couple of hour until they are finished!

[Starla4436]

Originally Posted by DyanKJ130

Sounds like a wonderful day at the Studios! Can't wait to hear Kaia's confessions!

We did have a great day at MGM. And stick around Kaia's shopping confession make many appearances during this trip.