Nala and pride + 1 "You only live once" trip report- "Here come the Power Rangers" - UPDATED 11/7 About This Page:

[Nala]

I must admit that I have given serious thought about not writing a TR about this trip. The thoughts that bounced around in my head ranged from “No one in their right mind would want to read your babblings about another trip to WDW” to “I really don’t have the time to invest in another TR” to “Do I really have it in me to write yet another TR?”.

I got the bright idea that since I will be seeing a fellow Passporter, who writes fabulous trip reports, I could settle for just making a guest appearance in hers, with a little commentary of my own added to it. Imagine my dismay when she told me she was NOT writing one and it was all up to me. My brilliant plan was shot down.

Well, all that being said, perhaps there is a tiny, little bit left in me and I can pull out a good TR that even those who are in their right minds would enjoy reading. The jury is still out on that one.

Whatever your state of mind, please join me in the “Nala and pride “You only live once” trip report.

Every trip report has the basic four “W”s in it. Where, when, why and who. That being said, allow me to start with “Where”.

Of course the “Where” is Walt Disney World. But to be more specific, the where is also the Beach Club. The Beach Club found its way into our hearts after our first visit there in May of ‘07, and we have decided that since that trip, and after experiencing a few stays elsewhere on property, the Beach Club has our hearts. And home is where the heart is. Deciding where to stay was the easy part.

With the “where” decided upon, the question of “when” came to mind. Sooner is always better than later when it comes to a trip to WDW, but the funds required to pay for this trip played a big factor in the “when”. In the late spring of last year, the company that Grumpy works for announced a program for an annual bonus to managers. This was a year end bonus, but the problem was it would not be paid out until mid April of the following year. When I calculated forty five days forward (basing the date off of when a package would have to be paid in full) and added a week or two for wiggle room, I came up with the dates of June 6th through the 13th.

Thinking of a trip in June while booking it in the middle of December seemed a horribly long time to wait to get our fix of the magic. But, it was what we had to do. The wait time was actually the least of my concerns. Which brings me to the “Why”.

You see, as I get older and I hope wiser, and spend too much time watching CNN, the threat of the crashing economy was weighing heavy on me. When Grumpy told me the amount of his bonus, for the first time in my life, the thought of taking a Disney trip was not the even on the list of things to do with the money. Reason took over my brain and I wanted to pay off his car and squirrel the rest away in case “something happened”. Grumpy on the other hand, had already planned out what his bonus was going to be used for. A trip to our happy place.

Grumpy informed me (in a gentle and joking way) that he was using his bonus to go to WDW with Kiara, and I was welcome to join them if I wanted. He actually even threatened to plan the entire trip, but after a few nights of trying to pull it all together, decided it was too much work and he was in over his head.

I knew I was out numbered on the home front and turned to bouncing the idea off a good friend and fellow PP peep, disneydani. Although she is younger, she is clearly much wiser and offered some words of wisdom that rang true in my head. “You only live once”.

I knew she was right and no sooner than I conceded to the idea, I began to plan (since Grumpy had thrown in the towel on that). It took a mere nanosecond for me to throw my cautions to the wind and wallow in the joy of putting a trip together. Adding to that joy was the fact that disneydani informed me that she and her family were going to be in “the World” at the same time. I was tickled pink that I would get to see her and her family again.

So the “Why” for this trip is that life is too short, we need a fix of our magic and the memories we will make, I am sure will be priceless.

Anyone who has read a previous TR of mine will know who the “who” are.

Of course it will be none other than my darling DH, AKA, Grumpy, my adorable DD, AKA, Kiara and myself. And for the third time, we are adding another member. None other than my Dnephew, AKA, Peter Pan.

For the introductions of the parties of interest in this TR, I have decided to steal, I mean borrow, the idea of providing a few little known facts about all of us, along with those that are already well known.

Grumpy

Facts known: devoted father, devoted husband, former hater of all things Disney until wife showed him the way, lover of the great outdoors, outgoing personality and someone who will strike up a conversation with anyone, forty two years young and making trip number twelve to WDW.

Little known facts:

Grumpy’s dream job would be one of two things: A) meteorologist or B) Bass Pro.

While the man has an obsession for severe weather, or for that matter, any weather, (seriously, DO NOT ask him a weather question unless you want to sit through a half hour explanation that would make Jim Cantore proud ) his first choice of career would be to “fish for a living”.



This man would love to wake up everyday and cast his line in a lake and would do it if it would pay the bills. He also has a collection of shirts with every known “catch” fishing phrase on them ranging from, but not limited to, “Fish fear me, Women love me” and “Kiss my Bass”.

And for the record, I have witnessed Grumpy kissing his catch, (a tradition I didn’t know existed until I met him) and he even kissed my catch from Bay Lake when I refused to do so. So, I guess I can say that Grumpy has officially kissed my Bass.

Just to be sure I was correct about what Grumpy’s dream job would be, I asked him a few days ago. His response was “A meteorologist on the Bass Pro circuit”.

Kiara

Facts known: Total princess, girly girl, making her eleventh trip to WDW, eleven going on four mentally, EXTREMELY sensitive to loud noises (aka fireworks) and dark places or rides, lover of all things Disney, but especially HSM and Tink, loves Hello Kitty and a total FREAK for water.

Actually, saying that Kiara is a FREAK for water is an understatement. Since she was old enough to be mobile, Kiara was crazy for water. Any form of water. Swimming pools, rain puddles, bathtubs, showers, drinking fountains, sinks and yes, even toilets..................................









Let that picture be a lesson for any parent of a toddler. If they are out of sight and get quiet for more than three seconds, something is up. Or going down.

Little known facts:

Kiara has an amazing memory. She is great with remembering the names of people and how to get to places when riding in a car. When I am on auto pilot when taking her to school and get in the lane I would take to go to work, she is quick to correct me and point me in the right direction. She also can tell us which way to turn when going to Grandma’s house. All 110 miles of the way. She also knows the exact location of every sharp turn or large bump along the way and as we approach them will scream “Hold on to the ‘OH POOP” bar, Mom!”

Kiara looks more like my sister than she does me. When we are together and run into old friends of the family we haven’t seen in years, they are certain Kiara is her child.

Peter Pan

Facts known: my darling fourteen (soon to be fifteen) year old nephew, whose love for all things Disney has grown thanks to me, making sixth trip to WDW, third with us, loving cousin to Kiara and apple of her eye, and a young man who has an amazing effect on all of us. On our last trip to WDW, Peter Pan gave Kiara the gift of courage to face a deep, dark fear, caused Grumpy to act like a teenaged boy, and showed me that he had much of myself in him. While his personality is much like my sister’s (calm, quiet and reserved) his spirit and heart are much the same as mine.

Little known facts:

Peter Pan is a hockey player and a very good one at that. He found his way onto skates shortly after he could walk and has been defending his goal ever since.



OK, so here I was thinking I was this way cool aunt only to discover I couldn't find ONE picture of my darling nephew playing the sport he dearly loves. Pictures of the few seasons of T ball and soccer he played, I have. The years of playing hockey, nada. But, I guess that is OK, since as a goalie, his face is always covered by a mask and in these old photos, those beatiful eyes and adorable smile can be seen.

He has a bearded dragon named Mr. Peterson. Don’t ask me why, as I don’t know, but I think that has to be one of the funniest names for a pet reptile, EVER.


Nala (aka me)

Facts known: obsessed lover of all things Disney, obsessive planner, lover of floral and fauna, crazed scrapbooker, overprotective momma, crazy for Dole Whips and Grey Goose lemonade slush, hanging on to my forty-sixth year and making trip number thirty nine to WDW.

Little known facts:

I spent over twenty years of my life in a dance studio, both as a student and a teacher. Tap, ballet, jazz and tumbling. All those years of facing three year olds and sticking out my left foot and saying “right foot” (have to teach the little ones in mirror image) has led to a lifetime of confusion between my right and left. I cannot tell you the amount of times in my life I have had the phrase “No, your other right” said to me. If walking with me or riding in a car I am driving, it is best to point as well as say the direction you want me to go.



For those of you not around in the 70's, red tights were all the rage. At least that is what my mother and dance teacher told me.

As my dance “career” was coming to an end, I took up Tae Kwon Do and acquired a first degree brown belt. I gave the art up about a month before I tested for my black belt. I wish I had more time and energy as I would love to study another martial art. However, at this point in my life, I think something like Tai Chi would be more my speed.


On to the plans.

This trip is yet again a mix of our old favorites with some new things thrown in.

The eats:

When discussing with Grumpy where to dine, two favorites were on the top of his list. Boma and the California Grill. I was thrilled with his selections as they are also two of my favorites and I knew that Peter Pan had enjoyed Boma in the past. I also knew that he would love the CG and I can’t wait for him to see that amazing view. While I did enjoy the food at CG, it is that top of the world view that I am looking forward to seeing again.

Cape May for breakfast was another must do. While not new for us, it is new for Peter Pan and it is our favorite breakfast buffet at WDW. In three words, asparagus for breakfast. Plus, it is in our backyard which is always a bonus for an early morning ADR.

I had to throw in something new and Tusker House was the clear winner. I know it is much like Boma, but that is fine with us. A mid day break in my favorite park, with a bounty of food and in the air conditioning, is something I am very much looking forward to.

Originally, I had booked the SOA Luau for our arrival evening, but after much consideration, decided against it. Having to get up before the birds to catch our flight and trying to keep Kiara and Grumpy awake through the late show was a bit of a stretch. Not doing the luau gives us a free night to try a place that has been on our list for some time, Beaches and Cream. I know the boys and Kiara are looking forward to tackling the Kitchen Sink. While I am sure the boys will miss seeing the hula girls, the Kitchen Sink should provide a sugar high so intense, they will forget all about them. At least that is my plan.

I rounded out our ADRs with a trip to ‘Ohana for dinner and 50’s Prime Time for lunch. ‘Ohana was a favorite of Peter Pan’s and 50’s is a place I think he will enjoy. Hopefully, he will be well behaved and not told to go stand in the corner. On second thought, hopefully he won’t be well behaved. At any rate, I hope our meal there is as memorable as the last one we had, as we had a BLAST with the CMs.

Non food related plans:

Another thing that Grumpy wanted to do was play a round of golf with Peter Pan. I checked out the prices and no offense to golfers, but I couldn’t see forking out that amount of money for them to smack a little, white ball around on the grass. Grumpy’s logic of “It’s not just any golf course, there is a Mickey head sand trap” fell on deaf ears. (and I am a girl who loves me some Mickey heads in strange places) For that kind of money, in my mind, it should include Mickey himself as a caddy. Then, and only then, it may be worth the money. Plus, I had to consider the fact that since neither Peter Pan or Grumpy are avid golfers and not what I would call stellar at the game, eighteen holes would probably take them eighteen hours to complete. Since this was only a seven night/eight day trip, I didn’t feel we had that much time to burn.

I then turned to researching tours that the four of us could do together. The problem was that Kiara’s age, interest levels and abilities, limited us to what we could do. The Family Magic Tour at the MK was a possibility until I found out more about it. While it would be great for Kiara and I (who really don’t have a problem acting silly in public) I didn’t think it was a good fit for my “cool” teenage nephew and my somewhat reserved husband. I considered doing the tour with just Kiara and finding something else for the boys to do, but figured it wouldn’t be as much fun with just the two of us, so I gave up on the idea. At least for a while..............

I researched other options for the two of them and when checking out the tours, I found one I knew they both would love. Dolphins in Depth. Peter Pan loves animals and has always wanted to swim with the dolphins when on vacations with his Mom. I know this is not quite the same experience, but still one I hope he will enjoy. I know Grumpy will enjoy it as it is educational and he will feel like he is living in an episode of something on the Discovery Channel.

This is a surprise for Peter Pan and I haven’t decided when I am going to tell him about it.

Back to the Family Magic Tour. As I said, I had given up on the idea until I was cruising the boards one day and saw a post from my friend disneydani requesting information about the FMT. I responded to her post with the information I had gained in my search and in the back of my mind was thinking “I wonder if……” .

Before I could send an email to her, she sent one to me asking if Kiara and I would like to do the tour with her and her DD, Izzy. I wasted no time responding and was so happy she asked us to join them. I was sure the four of us would have a blast crawling through Cosmic Ray’s or quacking like ducks through Fantasyland or whatever else they may have us do on our quest to save the MK.

What would have been a “two hour tour, a two hour tour”, (I know, I know, any real Gilligan’s Island fan knows it was a “three hour tour”, but I couldn’t resist) soon morphed into a entire morning of plans for “Girls only” fun. (all you children of the 70’s now have the theme song from Gilligan’s Island running through your head, don’t ya?)

Since the tour didn’t start until 10 AM, there was plenty of time for a trip to BBB. And once again, an email from disneydani came suggesting the very thing I was thinking about. Great minds think alike. So we booked a princess makeover for the girls. When the June hours were posted and we discovered that there was EMH on the morning of that day, we decided we should take advantage of that too. So, our two hour tour turned into enjoying a bit of EMH, a trip to BBB, and then skipping, crawling, hopping, and I bet, rolling with laughter, through the MK.

Both Kiara and I are so excited about this morning. And on more than one occasion over the past 2-½ months, I have resorted to holding said trip to BBB with Izzy over Kiara’s head to straighten out her behavior when it was going south. That probably won’t get me “Mother of the Year”, but sometimes as a parent, you have to do what you have to do. This “Girl’s Only” adventure has become a huge deal to her, as it has me.

So, I guess that is pretty much it. Five and ½ months of planning the perfect trip for the beloved members of my pride are now about to be put into action. However, it seems that up until the last minute, we always make changes and a few minor ones are brewing right now. But, I know that regardless of how true to the original plan we stay, magic will find us.

All I know is that I am looking forward to great food, great fun, seeing and spending time with great friends, and after one year, two weeks and four days, finally getting back to our happy place.

Stay tuned...................

[DrDolphin]

Nala!! Yeah - a Nala TR!!! I am SOOOO Glad you are writing a TR!! Yeah (ig happy smile on this face!)

[Grammy Grumpy]

Oh Nala, how could you ever think we would NOT enjoy one of your TRs? And, now that it includes Disneydani and her fam we know it will be exceptional!!

[disneydani]

Originally Posted by Nala

I got the bright idea that since I will be seeing a fellow Passporter, who writes fabulous trip reports, I could settle for just making a guest appearance in hers, with a little commentary of my own added to it. Imagine my dismay when she told me she was NOT writing one and it was all up to me. My brilliant plan was shot down.

Hands down, your TR are superb which is why I get to guest star in yours!

I knew I was out numbered on the home front and turned to bouncing the idea off a good friend and fellow PP peep, disneydani. Although she is younger, she is clearly much wiser and offered some words of wisdom that rang true in my head. “You only live once”.

I have been told I am quite gifted with Disney Math, Logic, and Reasoning!

Heard the stories but couldn't quite picture these...until now!

I was sure the four of us would have a blast crawling through Cosmic Ray’s or quacking like ducks through Fantasyland or whatever else they may have us do on our quest to save the MK.

For the sake of the TR, these images need to be captured on film. ~sigh~ I suppose I can take a hit for the team and be the official photog while you three crawl and quack about...

All I know is that I am looking forward to great food, great fun, seeing and spending time with great friends, and after one year, two weeks and four days, finally getting back to our happy place.

Ain't that the truth? I know you guys are going to have a blast and we can't wait to see you all!

danielle

[travismom]

Yeah - a Nala TR!!
I've always enjoyed reading about you and your families adventures at WDW.
Great start and wonderful introductions!

[mcc0313]

How could you think that we wouldn't want a Nala TR...so I am so glad that you decided to write one. I have enjoyed your others so much I loved the intro pictures - they are great. Kiara's is priceless...(and I do think your red tights are the in thing, I can say this becuase I had a pair too - when I look back at some of my recital outfits I still cannot I wore half of them).

Your plans sound great...especially the girls morning with Dani and Izzy, sounds like it will be a great time.

[Nala]

Originally Posted by disneydani

For the sake of the TR, these images need to be captured on film. ~sigh~ I suppose I can take a hit for the team and be the official photog while you three crawl and quack about...
danielle

I just looked up the rules for the FMT on the Disney website and it flat out says that the oldest person in a touring group is responsible for taking all pictures during the tour.

I SWEAR it says that. I would no more make that up than I would wear red tights.

[rlb38]

I am glad you are doing another trip report. I have only read your last one and it was terrific . So glad that Peter Pan will be joining you again. Can't wait to hear all about the MK tour. Have fun.

[chezp]

Great start - and I am so glad that you are writing a TR for this trip!

[ilovedisney247]

Yeah Nala! I'm so glad to see a PTR, I hope we'll get to see you in our travels!

[CRCrazy]

Fabulous report - I'm hooked already - and you haven't even gotten there yet!

Love the 70's red tights - I had me a pair of them too!!!

Your plans sound perfect - and I can't wait to hear how it all turns out. This trip was worth waiting for - especially with good friends in the mix.

[patclairesmom]

Great Start! I'm looking forward to reading more.

[lauren-roxy]

I can't tell you how excited I am that you are writing a trip report!!! I just love reading all about your magical trips!! I love your introductions and those photos had me laughing so hard our dog came running to see what was up!! Can't wait to read more, your plans so far sound really wonderful!!

[Colexis Mom]

What a great start Nala!! Love the pictures!! Can't wait to hear all about it!!

[nursemom]

Great start! Thanks for taking the time to create a great TR. We are starting to plan for next June!