Ohana Means Family (Vacation) - COMPLETE REPORT!! About This Page:

[zacksmom_1993]

I enjoyed your Disneyland trip report so much; I'm thrilled to see a new WDW report! You seem like such a wonderful aunt. I hope those kids know how good they have it! Can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip.

Karen

[Colexis Mom]

Great start Sharon Glad you all made it there and were able to have dinner together!

More please

[DrDolphin]

Great start!!! Can't wait to read more

[SHEANA1226]

Great update Sharon!!! More please!!![img]http://smileys.*************.com/cat/23/23_31_4.gif[/img]

[PrincessSharon]

The Stars of the Show!
Day Two – Sunday, October 9

I was still asleep when the phone rang at 7:00, which is unusual. The Stitch wakeup call is cute, but I wish you could get a random call each day. Anyway, I got up and showered and dressed, then got the girls going.

Surprisingly, the girls were easy to get going today and we were out the door by 8:30. We walked to the bus stop and waited about 5 minutes for the Animal Kingdom bus. It was pretty empty when it arrived and we all got seats.

We arrived at AK just after opening and I phoned DM to check on their status. They were still getting ready. Normally, we would just go in and meet up with them later, but we needed DB2 to get the girls Florida Resident APs (which would be the first time they’d be getting those passes).

I decided that we would eat at Rainforest Café rather than just sit and wait for them. I hadn’t been too impressed with my previous visit, but I was willing to give it another chance. I told the girls to put our names in and hoped we wouldn’t be waiting long for a table. It turned out that we could be seated right away.







We were seated at the exact same table I'd been at on my last visit. I had the girls pose for a photo ...


They always get along like this!

I got a waffle, which was cute so I had to take a picture.



Once we’d finished eating, we were waiting for the check (service was slow, but our server was very sweet). I had no cell service in the restaurant, so I told Brooke to go outside and watch for the family while I waited for the check. While Erica and I were waiting, Erica knocked over her Sprite and it spilled all over the table. She was so embarrassed she ran outside! I was laughing at the poor kid. It did the trick and our server finally showed up with the check and to clean up the spill. My experience at RFC this time was similar to my previous experience, which makes me say I won’t be eating there again any time soon (honestly, I wouldn’t have eaten there if we could’ve gone into the park). The girls liked it well enough.

Once the bill was paid, I stepped outside to discover the rest of the family just coming in through the bag checks. Perfect timing! DM and DB2 went and bought the girls APs. As much as we go, it hadn’t occurred to us to get them the seasonal APs before now. DM convinced DB2 to come into the park with us for the day, so he bought a one day one park ticket!

DSIL1 got the stroller rental for 4 days and then we headed in. DB1 was impressed by the Tree of Life (which is not easy to do – I think he came in ready to be unimpressed). He was an art major in college and said that working on the TOL would’ve been a dream job for him! We got a picture of the ten of us in front of the TOL and a couple of pictures of the boys on the Photopass. I will try to add the pictures in later. I forgot to ask the Photopass CM to take a picture of us using my camera.

I did take another picture of the TOL with my camera.



We headed over to Kilimanjaro Safaris where we discovered a 50 minute standby, but the FP return time was only 65 minutes away, so we grabbed FPs for everyone and headed in to the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail.

It was hot as blazes so I wasn’t sure if we’d see much, but we did see a few animals.





There was one hippo sitting in the middle of the pool just staring back at everyone, but I didn’t think to take a picture of him. Noah loved it, though. At first he was afraid to get too close, but then I explained that he couldn’t get us and he went right up to the glass. I guess he never thought hippos were so big!

There weren’t many gorillas out either, but I managed to get a picture of one.



I also got a cute picture of all my nieces and nephews for my desk.



By the time we finished PFET, we still had a bit to go for our KS FPs, so we took bathroom breaks and got sodas. When our FP window opened, we got in the long FP line. Not that I’m complaining, but the KS FP line doesn’t really make your wait much shorter, except when the line is really long. You still end up waiting a good while before boarding the ride vehicle.

I got a few good pictures on the safari, including a really close-up view of a giraffe.













The latecomers were hungry now, so we decided to hit Tusker House for lunch. I have to say that the most frustrating thing about touring with a group this size is that everyone was hungry at a different time so we ended up stopping to eat at least twice for each meal.

Animal Kingdom doesn’t have a table service restaurant, so the DDE card can be used at the counter service places. I didn’t eat, but my family used the card for their food and saved about $9 between them.

While they were eating, I noticed that the acrobats were performing right outside, so I stepped outside to watch the show. It’s a very fun show and I really recommend you stop to watch them.

Finally, everyone was finished eating, so we were ready to head over to catch Festival of the Lion King. But before we walked over to Camp Minnie-Mickey, we had to stop for bathroom breaks. While we were sitting there outside Tusker House, another show started. This one required audience participation, and before I knew what was happening, DB1 was pulled in to the show!

I ran around to get a good spot for pictures and soon discovered that DB2 and both DNis were also starring in the show today! They were all good sports and got into the performance.




DB1 Ed is in the Knicks jersey on the left, Erica in the red top, DB2 Eric to her left, and Brooke to his left





Ed did so well, they pulled him out for a special dance!


DB1 gets to shine!

What a magical moment that was! We all laughed ourselves silly and really enjoyed their performance!

Once autographs were handed out (), we headed over to catch FOLK. On the way, a few people decided to get ice cream, so we made another stop. When we made it to the theater, the CM wouldn’t let us on line with ice cream, so we had to wait while DB1 and DM scarfed down their ice creams.

We ended up with seats in the middle of the lion section, which is my favorite. Noah was seated next to me and thought it was hilarious that I made the lion sounds. We really enjoyed the show and I got a few good pics.











After the show, we headed over to check out the wait times for Kali River Rapids. Now I wanted ice cream, so I stopped and got a chipwich and DSIL got popcorn. We discovered that the standby for KRR was 60 minutes and there were no more FPs, so we decided to check again later.

We stopped to watch the antics of the monkeys up in the ruins.





Then we went on the Maharajah Jungle Trek. It was even hotter than it had been in the morning, but we found some animals.









After MJT, the standby for KRR was up to 70 minutes! We thought about doing the standby, but figured we could always come back later in the week. Also, it was late enough in the day that had we waited on that line, we wouldn’t have had time to do much else that day before closing.

I wanted to check out how Expedition Everest was coming along, so we took that way over to Dinoland. I really can’t wait to ride this and the girls are looking forward to it as well. We’re hoping for a soft opening during our December trip!



The standby for Dinosaur was only 20 minutes and I explained what the ride was like and asked Noah if he wanted to try it. He decided he wanted to go with us, so only DM and D stayed on the bench and the rest of us got in line. He did pretty well on the ride and said he liked it, but that he didn’t want to go on again! I made a really scared face when I knew the picture was being taken. The ride photo of the group turned out great and DB1 bought a poster of it.

While they were waiting for the poster, DB1, DSIL1 and DB2 decided to ride again. DM and DF took the boys to ride Triceratop Spin and the girls and I headed to catch It’s Tough to Be a Bug.

ITTBAB was a walk on and the girls and I enjoyed it as usual. When we came out, the rest of the group was coming up the path, so I sent the girls back to POR on the bus to pack up their stuff (I couldn’t believe how much stuff they had – and I don’t pack light myself!) DM had gotten the boys ice cream so they sat on a bench and the rest of us went into ITTBAB, which turned out to be the final show of the day.

When we came out, DB2 discovered that the girls were gone and had a mini freak out. Now Erica will be 18 in February, Brooke is 14 and both of them are smart and reliable. I didn’t think it was a big deal to send them on the bus on their own and they assured me before they went that they’d be fine on their own. It really surprised me that he’s so overprotective. DM agreed with me, but we didn’t say anything. We just left the park feeling guilty (and for no reason, I think). DM said to me “How’s he going to act when she goes to college next fall?” Maybe he’ll go with her!

We had plans to see off DB2 and the girls and then hit Disney-MGM Studios for a bit, and I could enjoy Extra Magic Hour. The rest of the family went back to the Palms and I headed for the bus stop. A POR bus came within 10 minutes and I made it back to the resort in no time. I told Erica she should’ve told me her dad doesn’t let them go anywhere alone. She was like “I know, he treats us like we’re 2. Is he really mad?” He wasn’t really, and I told her that. They were all packed up by the time I made it back, so we just waited to get a call. I knew the cell phone reception inside the room was bad, so I sat outside on a bench and waited for a call.

Now Eric had dropped us off the night before and was sure he remembered how to get to POR. I’d also printed out directions from the Palms to POR, but they decided not to use them. Well, I’m sure you can guess what happened. They got lost! And they kept calling back and I would give them directions and they would get lost again! I asked where were the printed directions – oh we left them at the resort. Why wouldn’t you bring them? I love my family, but sometimes they drive me crazy! I’m sure most of you know what I mean! And if you don’t, your family members do because you’re the one who drives everyone crazy! Also, DB1 is the last person you’d want to get lost with, he just makes everything worse. He makes you want to put tape over his mouth!

Anyway, they finally made it to Port Orleans, but instead of Riverside (I can’t tell you how many times I stressed Riverside), they ended up at the French Quarter. DM calls to say we are waiting for you near the bus stops. I am sitting outside and don’t see them. I ask is everything green wrought iron? That’s French Quarter, go back out and take the next right! As bad as this was, this is not at all unusual for my DF. His ability to get lost is legendary!

They’d been riding around a good hour and by this time, everyone was really stressed out, so we decided to just relax for the evening and scrap our plans for MGM. Eric and the girls headed back to Tampa, and the rest of us decided to hit the food court for dinner. Eddie and his family got a pizza, DF had a veggie burger and DM and I split the meatloaf, which was pretty good.

After our dinner, everyone headed back to the Palms and I decided not to go to MGM on my own for EMH, figuring I had all week to ride TOT! I made it an early night and watched television for a bit before going to bed. We planned to hit Epcot in the morning, and I wanted to be there for EMH, so I set a wakeup call for 6:30 and went to bed.

Up Next: Our Funniest Character Meet

[DawnDenise]

Another wonderful update!! Love the pictures of the members from your family dancing!! My experience with Rainforest Cafe was the same as well. Looking forward to the next update!

[HueyDeweyandLouiesMom]

Great Update!

The dancing at AK photos are priceless! They really look like they are having a good time too.

We did Rainforest Cafe for lunch last year and it was ok, the waitress was great...but it isn't on our list of places we have to return to!

[Colexis Mom]

Another great update Sharon [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/zwavin.gif[/img] Love the pictures [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[SHEANA1226]

Looking forward to the next update!! Love the AK photos!

[TroianRae]

Awesome update!! It sounds like you had an excellent day!!

[lauren-roxy]

Another great update and awesome pictures!!!!

[krisk11]

Great update, I can't wait to read more. It must be interesting traveling with so many people.

[PrincessSharon]

Day Three – Monday, October 10
Our Funniest Character Meet

I woke up on my own at 6:00 and just relaxed in bed until my wakeup call at 6:30. There was something wrong today because I got nothing – no Stitch, no Mickey, just silence. I said “hello” about 10 times before just giving up. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

I got ready in no time and was out the door at 7:20. I headed for the bus stop and was on an Epcot bus by 7:30. The bus was full but no one had to stand. We arrived at Epcot and I found long lines at the turnstiles/security area. I got on the shortest looking line and waited for opening. The CMs were checking for KTTW cards for EMH.

Once the park opened, it was funny to see half the crowd dash off to Test Track and the other half, myself included, head for Soarin’. I wasn’t near the front of the pack, so by the time I made it, the standby time was already 20 minutes. I grabbed a FP, which I’d be able to use at 8:40, and then got in the standby line.

It only took about 10 minutes in the standby line. I was seated all the way at the edge of the theater, which wasn’t as bad a seat as I’d thought it would be. You just weren’t surrounded by the film the way you are in the middle. After the ride, I got right back in the standby line, which was still listed as 20 minutes but ended up only being about 15.

The second time, I was closer to the middle, but in the second row. I managed to ignore the dangling feet and really enjoyed it! After my second ride, my FP window was open. I considered getting another FP, but wanted to see what my family was doing, so I just got in the Fastpass line. By now the standby line was up to 40 minutes. Total walk-on with a FP! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif[/img]

This time I had a perfect seat, front row, right in the center. Soarin’ rocks! While we were flying over California, my cellphone started vibrating like crazy. I was tempted to answer it, just so I could brag about being on Soarin’, but that would’ve spoiled the ride for me (and everyone near me).

When I got off the ride, I called DM. Everyone had decided that since our MGM plans last night had been aborted, we should do MGM today. OK! I figured since they hadn’t even left for the day I could get in a ride on Test Track and then head over to meet them in front of the hat.

I walked over to Test Track only to discover that it was temporarily down. FPs were still being distributed, but I was heading out of the park, so I would have to try again another day.

I tried to figure out if it would be shorter to head out the International Gateway and catch a boat to MGM or walk to the bus stop and get a bus. In the end, I decided that a bus was a little closer, and I wasn’t sure if I’d even be let in World Showcase in that direction at the early hour.

On the way out, I saw a pumpkin hat with Mickey ears that was so cute. I wasn’t going to be wearing a costume for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, but I figured that the hat would be a festive touch. I bought it and had it shipped to the resort so I wouldn’t have to carry it all day.

I know Spaceship Earth usually has a line first thing, but I was surprised at how long it was. It was about a 10 minute wait, which isn’t bad, but really, you can come back in the afternoon and walk right on!

I was surprised to see a long line for the bus to the Studios and it still took about 10 minutes before the bus finally pulled up. I ended up having to stand, but the trip didn’t take long.

By this time, it was about 9:30, but the lines for the turnstiles were still long. Everyone having to do the finger scan really slows everything down. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] I made it through and then headed right for my favorite ride – TOT! There was a 20 minute standby, so I got in line, but not before grabbing a FP for later.

I enjoyed the ride and found a great t-shirt in the gift shop so I bought it and had it shipped to the room, too. I was feeling a bit hungry and figured my family would be catching up with me soon, so I went into Starring Rolls and got a cherry danish that was [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/yuma.gif[/img].

I sat down on a bench in front of the hat to watch for my family and enjoyed my breakfast. There were a bunch of characters signing autographs, but they all had long lines.

I finished my danish and was about to call the family when I saw them walking towards me! When we got together, we decided to head for the Voyage of the Little Mermaid. The standby line was showing a 30 minute wait, but the FP return time was only 30 minutes(?) so we all got FPs for VOLM and then headed in to the Magic of Disney Animation.

This was cute and the boys enjoyed it, but the best part for me was the family next to us. They had a little girl who was about 2 and wasn’t really into the film and the mom was trying to keep her quiet. Next thing you know, the kid is running down the aisle toward the stage and her mom was in hot pursuit! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/rofl2.gif[/img] I have a weird sense of humor, I know, but I thought that was hilarious. The mom managed to catch her before she could get very far and I doubt anyone else even noticed it.

After that, we headed for the interactive exhibits. As we got into the big room, we could see Chicken Little and Abby Mallard doing a character meet. Let me back up and explain this so you’ll get the joke. My nephews love Disney movies and Noah’s favorite character is the Beast. I showed him a picture of me and the Beast (that is my favorite character pic of myself ever). Anyway, Noah saw this and saw how big the Beast was and insisted that he didn’t want to see the Beast! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/eek.gif[/img] As the months went on and he got used to the idea, he said he didn’t want to hug the Beast, but he would just say hello. D is Noah’s biggest fan and will do whatever his big brother does. Knowing this, I didn’t book any character meals with them and hoped they’d warm up as the week went on.

So we see Chicken Little and Abby Mallard and D is grinning his little head off. He says “I like them! I want to go see them!” Luckily the line was pretty short so DSIL and D get on line. Noah “doesn’t want to hug him,” but can’t be outdone by little bro so he gets on line too. When their turn comes, D totally changes his mind! Noah doesn’t move from his spot at the front of the line! Jackie is carrying D, so she walks over to try to get a picture. D is covering his face while DM and I are cracking up! This is how the picture turned out. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/roflmao.gif[/img]



OK, so maybe they need a little more time to warm up to the characters! As it turned out, they never did warm up and anytime we would see one, Noah would ask if they were going to hug him! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/roflmao.gif[/img]

This probably makes me a bad Aunt, but I can’t wait for the day when I can show that picture to Danny’s girlfriend! Heh! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] Just writing about it again has totally given me a case of the giggles!

After this, the boys were laughing too, so they weren’t scarred for life or anything. We spent some time coloring in the characters, which they both loved doing. I really wanted to do the animation class because I’d enjoyed it so much during my February trip, but they are on the half hour and we’d just missed one. The CM told me if I wanted to come just to the class, I could enter through the shop that is at the exit of the attraction.

It was time to return to VOTLM, so we walked over. Noah also loves the Little Mermaid (he’s a big fan of the villains and Ursula is one of his favorites). Even though we were at the end of our FP window (these FPs are only like 15 minutes long – which is something that I didn’t pay attention to until I almost missed the FP window once), we still had about 10 minutes until the show started.

The boys loved the show, but D didn’t particularly like getting wet! After the show, the rest of the group was hungry, [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif[/img] so they decided to get something near TOT and RNRC. There were 7 of us, but only a few of us would ride everything so we got 3 TOT FPs and 4 RNRC FPs. Then the rest of the family had food while I used my TOT FP that I’d gotten earlier.

After my drop down the elevator shaft, I met back up with the group. They wanted to catch the Beauty & the Beast show. I’ve seen the show on Broadway a few times and this version just seems cheap in comparison, so I figured I’d let them check it out and I’d get something to eat ([img]/ubb/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img] [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif[/img]) and meet them after the show.

I grabbed a burger and fries and after eating, decided to use the extra TOT FP we had (we’d gotten 3, 2 for me and 1 for DB). When I came out, DB had gone in without me [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif[/img], so I headed in for another ride! By the way, Noah loved the B&TB show, and DB loved TOT.

DSIL was afraid to ride the Tower of Terror, but she decided to give RNRC a try. So DB, DSIL and DF joined me and we all headed for RNRC. DSIL warned me that she’s a screamer, so I let them sit in front of us! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/rofl2.gif[/img]

After the ride, DSIL said she felt a tiny bit sick, but would be willing to ride again on another day! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif[/img]

After RNRC, DB decides that he wants a turkey leg (I told you we made multiple stops for each meal [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif[/img]). So since we were stopping anyway and it was so hot, I got a frozen banana. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/yuma.gif[/img]

DB loved the turkey legs, but I think they are . After our third lunch break, we headed over to Star Tours. Noah decided he wanted to try this. Side note: we are a tall family, and Noah is 5 years old and 51” tall! He was tall enough to pretty much ride everything, though he only rode a few thrill rides.

DSIL is a Star Wars fan and was really looking forward to this. DM and D sat outside and waited for us (DM doesn’t do thrill rides so this made it easy for everyone to get to do what they wanted). I thought Noah might be scared, but he was totally fine! He liked the ride, and the rest of us did as well. He’s into aliens and gross creatures now, so he liked all the Star Wars aliens. He really cracked up at the Ewoks or whatever they are (sorry, I’m so not a SW fan) in the preshow safety film!

Next up was Muppet Vision 3-D. We all could enjoy this attraction as a family, so we parked the stroller and got on line, which was extending out of the building, but we got right in to the next show. We were able to watch the entire preshow, which is hilarious! This was the first 3-D movie for the boys, and they were surprised when stuff started coming out of the screen, but they liked the movie. Noah kept his glasses on the whole time and D most of the time. D didn’t like getting wet again, but he loved the bubbles! When Sweetums came out, Noah asked if he was going to hug us! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/roflmao.gif[/img]

Our plans called for an evening at the Magic Kingdom (at last!), but the family wanted to see the Indy show. For me, Indy is "been there, done that," so I headed for the bus stop while the rest of the group went to the Indiana Jones Stunt Show.

Up Next: "Is He Gonna Hug Us?"

[lauren-roxy]

Great update!! Sounds like you are having a great, but busy time!! Can't wait for more!!!

[debsta922]

Great report so far... I love your picture of Everest and you are an evil auntie for wanting to show that picture to D's future girlfriends! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]