Still LuvMyBoys Even After a WDW Vacation!

[LuvMyBoys]

Background story:

After visiting WDW for years always in the spring and always staying offsite, we decided (or I should say I decided, since I made ALL of the plans and booked it all) to brave the September weather and try out the infamous FREE DDP.

Honestly, with 6 people to feed on vacation (and a 11 year old boy who eats like an adult, an extremely hungry adult who doesn't like to go more than 1/2 hour without eating something!!:popcorn: ) food is one of our biggest expenses so the free DDP was a real incentive to us.

So back in April, the day the free ddp became available to the public, I sat on the phone for over an hour to book the package. We decided on 4 nights at a value in 2 rooms. Originally we got All Star Sports b/c that was all that was available. However, I was later able to change it to All Star Movies :cooldance:

We were very excited about that as the Herbie buildings were where we would likely end up and my DS3 is a HUGE Herbie fan. Herbie Fully Loaded is his favorite movie, he loves Maggie.....I hope that doesn't say something about the kind of girls he will like in the future :confused:

So after months of constant planning, hours on the disboards and travel sites, a plane fare surprise that made flying a reality, and a change in our ENTIRE schedule and ADR's based on the flight dates, our vacation finally became finalized and here's what we had........

9/17-9/22 First 2 nights off site in 2 bedroom suite
Remainder of trip at All Star Movies
1 Day at Magic Kingdom, 1 day at Animal Kingdom
ADRs: Crystal Palace - Lunch, 'Ohana-Breakfast, Turf Club - Dinner, and WCC - Dinner

It seemed like the vacation we had all been hoping for, our first time staying on site, our first character meals, the boys first flight........:love:

Was it magical or maniacal??? A little of both...to be continued

[Hedy]

Your title is making me lol.

[LuvMyBoys]

Your title is making me lol.

Honestly I wanted to title it "LuvMyBoys.....but not so much on a WDW vacation"!!

But I figured that was way too harsh! :rotfl:

[linanglab]

I am really ready to read your report. I am in the middle of mine, and it is so fun reliving it and also to hear it through someone else's trip. Cant wait to hear some of your boy stories!

[LuvMyBoys]

A little about me, my family, and vacation styles........

I am a Disney-lovin’ mom who likes to have a good time on vacation but likes to accomplish a lot too. I like a good bargain, but I like nice stuff too. My main goal on vacation is to have a wonderful time while staying positive and not blowing extra money. My mantra: you don’t have to spend money foolishly to have a good time on vacation, appreciate the vacation itself!! :angel:

My goals don’t mesh well with the vacation goals of my husband and sons.

Their goals: blow cash (the more the merrier), buy ridiculous items that have little to no use, and most importantly: insist that you get to buy whatever you want, eat whatever you want, and do whatever you want when you want to or throw a hissy fit until it happens. That’s what vacation is all about for them. :p

Now do you see why I like to travel with my mom and sisters instead??

I do love my husband and sons though (some more than others, jk) so I decided that I would do my best this vacation to put up with their nonsense, I mean our vacation differences, and have a good time.

My goals were greatly helped by SR and all of you who offered advice and help to me over the past 6 months! SR helped me earn over $300 since I joined in March for our vacation!! Never when I joined did I think that would happen. Originally, my goal was to earn $150 by our vacation………who knew!! So my SR gift cards came in handy when the pleas for souvenirs started. Boy did it feel good to use those cards and not have to part with my cash for items that are soon to be broken or forgotten. :thanks:

Up next, Detroit Metro with 4 kids, 2 adults, 10 carry on bags, a stroller, and 1 damn guitar that my husband will NEVER leave home without………..:headache:

[Hedy]

What's your boys' age spread? I know two are 11 and 8, but what are the other ones' ages?

[LuvMyBoys]

What's your boys' age spread? I know two are 11 and 8, but what are the other ones' ages?

Our baby is 3 and then we have a 4 year old (he will be 5 in 2 months). The funny thing is we thought that the two older ones would be such a big help and they were the biggest pains of all! :confused:

My oldest son is starting to get moody and irrational, so traveling with him now is just tons of fun!

[Hedy]

Our baby is 3 and then we have a 4 year old (he will be 5 in 2 months). The funny thing is we thought that the two older ones would be such a big help and they were the biggest pains of all! :confused:

My oldest son is starting to get moody and irrational, so traveling with him now is just tons of fun!

The term I use for my 11 year old nephew is "suffering from the I'm 11ses." Of course, I don't live with him, so it's amusing.

[linanglab]

I have an almost 13 year old. If he keeps rolling his eyes as much as he has been, they are going to roll right out of his head. I also love the MOOOOOOMMMM (please, slide your voice up, then down, then back up again) and the stomping upstairs (of course he says he is not stomping since he gets in trouble for doing that - he is just walking harder than usual because his legs are SOOOO tired).

Your DH sounds like me. I am FRUGAL!!!! He says "Hey, we are on vacation. IF the kids want to eat breakfast at the food court, that is fine" So....I brought all the granola bars, pop tarts, etc. for nothing???? Plus, eating at the food court cuts time into my day. I have planned it well, and he likes to mess with my planning. Making mommy a bit stressed.

[wilsonfamily4]

More more! Why does everyone feel like they can take a break from writing these trip reports! I mean really do you NEED to work, eat, sleep? It is off to a good start and I will anxiously await the rest. :)

[LuvMyBoys]

I could complain a lot about the policies of Spirit. You only get one carry-on per person (and one personal bag too, unless some crazy man at MCO tells you that isn’t the policy in Orlando??:confused: ), all checked baggage costs money, the computer system is a disaster (printed out all our boarding passes ahead of time only to be told they wouldn’t work), never able to get the system to allow me to pre-purchase baggage, the fees for drinks and snacks, and the self check in kiosks in MCO that cause longer lines than the Office on free pretzel day…...

BUT…….we did get AMAZING airfare and it was non-stop so I won’t complain too much. Plus at DTW, the Spirit staff was excellent and there were no big lines at all. The lady checking us in and printing us new boarding passes put the stroller and guitar through as gate check items (free, yeah!!:) ) and gave us all the info we needed to board early, pick up the gate check items, etc.

We managed to get through security rather quickly, except for DS11 who we had picked up from school. He had change in his pockets, little pencil stubs, all kinds of crap. Of course on the 45 minute ride there we had talked numerous times about emptying pockets, etc. Who would have thought that you should actual do those things before you got in the security line?? :confused:

After that little glitch, getting all our shoes back on, gathering 10 bags, 1 stroller, a large car seat, 4 kids, the darn guitar…….we finally headed to the gate and eventually boarded. The kids were very excited about their first plane ride and I was excited because we made the flight with plenty of time to spare and I managed to schlep my bags and the car seat all the way through the plane without hitting anyone in the head!!

Take off was exciting for the kids, they loved it and none of them were scared. We had a nice flight with no turbulence or problems. I bought them all a drink and then passed out fruit snacks, handi snacks, granola bars that I had brought with me. All was right.

Then it started….

DS11: “Mom, can I get a thing of Pringles?”
Me: “No, I brought snacks and I’m not paying $2 for a mini can of Pringles”
DS11: “I ate all my snacks but I still want Pringles”
Me: “Buy them with your money then, I just spent $7 on drinks”
DS11: “They only take credit cards and I really NEED Pringles”
Me: “Have some crackers or fruit snacks instead”
DS11: “But I only want Pringles, this is vacation!”

I think you all know how this goes……I did not give in. So I had a pouting son sitting behind me for the rest of the flight because I did not go to the back of the plane, try to find the stewardess and buy a $2 can of Pringles with my Visa.

Great way to start the vacation. :headache:

[LuvMyBoys]

I have an almost 13 year old. If he keeps rolling his eyes as much as he has been, they are going to roll right out of his head. I also love the MOOOOOOMMMM (please, slide your voice up, then down, then back up again) and the stomping upstairs (of course he says he is not stomping since he gets in trouble for doing that - he is just walking harder than usual because his legs are SOOOO tired).

Your DH sounds like me. I am FRUGAL!!!! He says "Hey, we are on vacation. IF the kids want to eat breakfast at the food court, that is fine" So....I brought all the granola bars, pop tarts, etc. for nothing???? Plus, eating at the food court cuts time into my day. I have planned it well, and he likes to mess with my planning. Making mommy a bit stressed.

I remember before I had kids and everyone was all "oh, boys are hard when they are younger b/c they are so active but at least they are not moody and mouthy like girls when they are older"............and I believed that. :rotfl:

My DH is the king of "But it's vacation!!", he is also king of give him $20 and it will be gone within 30 minutes and he will have nothing to show for it and no idea how he spent it!!

Can I tell you how much it helped this trip to have the ddp and the lower (although not buy much!) crowd levels at the parks??

I actually planned in a stop to the Main Street Bakery this time and we all sat and ate......first thing, without going on any rides or doing anything else first. It didn't hurt as much as I thought it would :rotfl:

[LuvMyBoys]

More more! Why does everyone feel like they can take a break from writing these trip reports! I mean really do you NEED to work, eat, sleep? It is off to a good start and I will anxiously await the rest. :)

Thanks for reading and commenting! :)

I promise, I will finish the TR by Monday at the latest. :angel:

[wilsonfamily4]

I promise, I will finish the TR by Monday at the latest. :angel:

yeah, yeah, I have heard that before. :) I so enjoy trip reports. My husband thinks I am silly but I LOVE THEM!

I have one boy and I have also heard the he will be so easy when he is older. I guess I shouldn't hold my breath. I KNOW my daughter will be moody though, she already is at 5. :)

[LuvMyBoys]

So we landed in sunny Orlando where it was 8pm and still 70 plus degrees and HUMID!! We grabbed the wealth of bags, found the stroller and guitar, and headed off to find the Alamo rental counter. We found it downstairs and I headed to the kiosk and checked us in. Went out to the muggy garage and picked out an Uplander and loaded all the stuff in and took off.

First thing we noticed was that the streets were deserted. I can’t believe how much more enjoyable it is traveling around Orlando at this time of year. It was like we were the only ones there! :)

We found the Celebrity Resorts and I checked us in. I got a good deal on a 2 bdrm on hotelkingdom.com and we found it adequate. Could have done without the 3 requests for us to attend the timeshare presentation, or the $15 upgrade cost if we wanted a room in the new section (especially since they were empty!!), and definitely could have done with a newer room with better furniture, paint, and carpeting…….but overall it was a good value. Plus it had a full kitchen and washer and dryer which were nice to have for the first few days.

The next morning we woke up to a sunny, muggy day and the boys and I headed off to Super Target to do some shopping. We bought all of the essentials and some food, there were literally like 10 other cars in the lot!! It was great. You know I love me some Target and Super Target is even better!:love:

So after about 100 “Stop that or you’re not going swimming today” and another rousing round of super pouting by DS11 after I wouldn’t let him get a “special edition” Star Wars action figure, we were done at Target and headed back to the hotel to cook breakfast and go swimming.

The day was pretty uneventful. It rained for about 30 minutes but was nice (always hot and humid though) for the remainder of the day. We ventured out to the Character’s Warehouse to see if there were any good souvenirs but were disappointed with the selection. They just don’t seem to have much good stuff like they used to.:(

Dinner that night was take-out from Cheesecake Factory. I swear the only thing in all of Orlando that was super busy was the Millennium Mall. You couldn’t even get parking without stalking the lots. :confused:

Cheesecake Factory was good. Some things were better than others. We loved the sandwiches and the mini-sliders (burgers), we weren’t overly fond of the fish tacos (they had a sweeter sauce and the fish was like flakes of fish), but we loved the chocolate tower cake. We ended up getting 1 app, 3 entrees, and 1 dessert and we STILL had leftovers. Overall, we liked it and thought the quality and quantity were excellent.

Early to bed that night because the next morning was checking into Disney and heading off to Magic Kingdom as early as possible. Forecast was only 40% chance of rain and sunny skies the rest of the day…………….but guess what happened overnight?

[Kycha]

Oh no! It's a cliffhanger! lol.

I love the reference to The Office. Too funny.

[SunshineGirl]

Loving the TR!!

[LuvMyBoys]

Oh no! It's a cliffhanger! lol.

I love the reference to The Office. Too funny.

Glad to see someone caught it! :coffee:

[LuvMyBoys]

Loving the TR!!

Thanks for reading! SR helped to make the trip even better so I figure posting a TR is the least I can do! :angel:

[LuvMyBoys]

I can never sleep on the night before a park. It’s like when I was a little kid on Christmas Eve. I fall asleep but I keep waking up every few hours to see if it is time to get up yet! Yet another reason I love travelling to WDW with my little sister, she is exactly the same way! :) My husband and kids, not so much....:snore:

So that night I woke up around 1:30am, went back to sleep. Woke up around 3am, heard soft rain falling and went back to sleep. Woke up again around 5:30am and still heard rain falling, but I figured it rains everyday for a little bit so it will clear up by morning.

WRONG!! I woke up for good at 6:45 to dark skies and a big surprise on the news report. A tropical storm had formed overnight right over central Florida! Forecast: heavy winds and heavy rain ALL DAY! :cry:

My heart sank as I looked outside at the wind and rain and clouds. Today was supposed to be our Magic Kingdom day, I couldn’t cancel it. We would lose our ADR for Crystal Palace, be stuck inside the hotel room all day, and then we would have to do back to back park days (my family isn’t that strong!!).

So after my DH finally woke up at 7 and found me sitting in front of the tv pondering our vacation fate, an important decision was made…we would do Magic Kingdom in the pouring rain!! It would be an adventure, we had never done the park in the rain before and besides that would mean even less people would be there, right? (Or so one would think!!)

My DH headed off to get the kids ready and shower and I headed off to buy ponchos and an umbrella for over the stroller. 6 Mickey ponchos, 1 umbrella, and 4 overly excited kids later, we headed off to Disney and All Star Movies Resort to be quickly followed (or so we thought) by the Magic Kingdom!! :love:

[LuvMyBoys]

So as usual we were not on schedule…..honestly, I’m not even sure why I even think about a schedule when I’m on vacation with my family, sticking to it is not something that ever happens anyway. Still it’s nice to dream, right?? It is the year of a million dreams after all!! :angel:

So we raced through check out and headed off to Disney!! We all cheered as we passed under the Disney signs and headed off to Movies. Check in was a zoo!!! I couldn’t believe the lines of people all over! :confused:

The check in process took way longer than I anticipated. Even though we didn’t wait long in line, the process took forever. The lady told me they were almost sold out! We were assigned to the Herbie Building (yeah!!) We are probably the only people who are actually really excited about that. :)

We finally get all of our cards, directions on coming back to find out our room assignment, peel the kids off the windows and benches and head out to Magic Kingdom!

We soar through the roads to Magic Kingdom, no lines and no waiting at the parking fee booths. We were feeling pretty darn good about this September thing, even with the rain! We pull into a parking spot and grab the gear, throw on the ponchos and head for the tram! At this point it was around 9:15am, so not too shabby.

No lines at the tram, can you believe it?? And then again no lines at the Monorail, just hopped right on!! Usually we don’t even ride the monorail, always the ferry, because of the lines. The boys are lovin’ it!!

I was feeling pretty smug at that point, even with the rain it was going to be so worth it if the lines at Magic Kingdom were like this, we would be able to accomplish so much more than we usually do!!

So we get to the most magical of all kingdoms, I walk right through the bag check – no line!! We walk through the ticket takers – no wait!!

We walk onto Main Street USA and stop…….OMG, I have never seen Main Street decorated for Halloween before and even in the rain and heat it is BEAUTIFUL ! :love:

The tears well up and I turn to see if DH and the boys are struck by it too. Nope, they are heading to the bathroom. Already. Amateurs.

Next up, my DH gets his wish…..a leisurely breakfast at Main Street Bakery without me breathing down his neck about the schedule and all the rides we are missing!

[bbangel]

You are very good at keeping the suspense going.

I actually have that music in my head when I finish a post

duh, duh, duh, duhhhh.

[LuvMyBoys]

After the bathroom break, we headed up Main Street to the famous Main Street Bakery. At this point the crowds were picking up a bit, but it was still not crowded like it usually is in March.:cooldance:

The Main Street Bakery has been a source of trouble many times over the course of our family trips to WDW. My DH always wants to stop there first thing as we finally enter WDW. After standing in lines to get into the darn park, the last thing I want to do is stop right after we finally get in!!! :headache:

My DH doesn’t get that. All he cares about is getting a cinnamon roll and stopping to “absorb the feel of Main Street”. Cripes. That’s all I can say on that one.

So this time since we were on free ddp, we were facing low crowd levels and little wait time on rides, and I had been reading SO much about the awesome CS breakfast at the bakery, I actually planned for us to stop there. :angel:

The line was long. Everyone had on wet ponchos and stood very close together. Yuck. The inside was crowded, but DH and baby (yes, I know he’s 3 but he’s MY baby!!) went over and found some seats near the wall. I agreed to stand in line with the other 3 boys and order. For someone with 20 years of formal education, I am remarkably dumb sometimes!:giggle:

The 3 boys spent our entire 15 minutes in line arguing, pretend fighting, and managing to brush their drippy ponchos onto other people’s legs. Good times.

Finally it was our turn to order. I tell the girl that we are using the DDP and we want to use it for CS. Then she told me some weird thing about how I could get 3 items instead of 2 unless one of the items was a sandwich?? I was like, right, ok….but I did as she told me and ended up with:

2 giant and gooey cinnamon rolls, 1 ham/egg/cheese croissant sandwich, 1 chocolate croissant, 1 french toast loaf, and 2 drinks.

Then at the register the guy told me I had one to many items. Crud. I explained to him what happened and he said not to worry about it, he would take care of it. And so he did, he rang it up as 2 CS and told me to have a magical day.

The cinnamon rolls didn’t last long, I think I got maybe one small bite. I ate half of the egg/ham sandwich and part of the chocolate croissant. All very good and really a great value for CS. We only used 2 CS and fed all of us! Of course we had bottles of water too so that helped stretch it out. Still we ended up throwing away about ¼ of the chocolate croissant that no one could eat so it was more than enough food.

Ok, enough time wasted absorbing the feel of Main Street!! It was time to move on the rides. And no waits, right??

[bbangel]

Still we ended up throwing away about ¼ of the chocolate croissant that no one could eat so it was more than enough food.



Okay I actually let out a gasp. You threw away chocolate!!!!! That's why you should always keep baggies handy!

[Hedy]

How was the french toast loaf?

[wilsonfamily4]

Okay I actually let out a gasp. You threw away chocolate!!!!! That's why you should always keep baggies handy!

That is what I was thinking! I woudl have pushed that down my throat. Or ate that instead of something else. :)

Can't wait to read the rest

[linanglab]

The tears well up and I turn to see if DH and the boys are struck by it too. Nope, they are heading to the bathroom. Already. Amateurs.

!


Okay....LOL!!! That cracked me up! That is SOOOO me. I mean honestly! How can you think about a bathroom at a time like this! And as I have been known to say to my kids "can't you just hold it! We have things to do!" So maybe I won't get mother of the year....but it is WDW!

[LuvMyBoys]

That is what I was thinking! I woudl have pushed that down my throat. Or ate that instead of something else.

Can't wait to read the rest

Sorry bbangel and wilsonfamily4, even I the queen of not ordering something for myself just so I can clean up the leftovers of my children, could not choke it down :confused: It was disney dining plan overload, and it was only the first day!! :sorry:

Okay....LOL!!! That cracked me up! That is SOOOO me. I mean honestly! How can you think about a bathroom at a time like this! And as I have been known to say to my kids "can't you just hold it! We have things to do!" So maybe I won't get mother of the year....but it is WDW!

Angela, I do that too!! But only when my husband's not with me ;) Otherwise I might get a lecture about how someone's bladder could explode, or the physical or mental trauma that could occur from holding it, etc. :rolleyes:

[LuvMyBoys]

So after our bakery time, we finally headed back out into the Kingdom. It was raining quite hard by then so we pulled on the ponchos and headed off to Adventureland. The first thing I noticed was NO wait on the Flying Carpets. Not exactly the most exciting ride, but the kids were dying to go on ANY ride at this point. Apparently they don’t enjoy “soaking up ambiance” either on vacation, they prefer DOING things. Good kids. :angel:

So I grabbed the kids and we walked onto the flying carpets. It was fun. We got off and walked back on again. Because we could.

Then we grabbed DH and headed off to Pirates. This was our first time on since the renovation so we were all very excited. The boys LOVED it! And I certainly enjoyed seeing the lifelike Captain Jack popping up all over too. Made the ride much more enjoyable for all of us. :love:

We were all humming “A Pirate’s Life for Me” as we exited, until we hit the dump shop then it was quickly replaced by cries of “I want that gun”, “Mom, can I buy this rifle?”, “Can I get a sword??”

Try explaining to your kids that even though you said they could buy whatever they wanted with their money, they could not buy a large rifle replica. Because, you know, I don’t think the TSA would smile upon that thing entering the plane as a carry on. But what do I know??

So I left the ride with a small band of angry pirates who were steps away from a mutiny. Luckily I was saved by Splash Mountain. There was a 5 minute wait on Splash Mountain! Talk about unprecedented! The boys and I rushed through the line queues and headed right up to the front! We got the first and second rows of the car and headed off. I was a little concerned that my DS4 would be scared, but he LOVED it! After our ride we headed back out and the boys grabbed DH and went through the ride again! We were lovin’ the September crowds!

We headed off to BTMR and it was only a 10 minute wait! The boys and DH hopped on while I visited the bathroom with DS3. Then it was off to the Haunted Mansion, which we all loved (even though my older son used to refuse to ride it b/c it was too scary) and had only a 10 minute wait. It’s so wonderful to ride a ride with the boys that I remember loving as a child. It was such a nice family moment.:love:

After that we headed over to Crystal Palace to check in. I did not want to be late for our ADR. We got there about 15 minutes early and there was quite the line. We were seated at our ADR time and the kids loved seeing the characters walking around the restaurant. We ended up getting Pooh, Piglet, and Eeyore at our table, of course my DS3 wanted to see Tigger the most but he never made it over to our side of the room. Oh well.

We liked the food pretty well. There was a nice variety but unfortunately I was disappointed in the salmon as it had a sweet glaze on it (I don’t care for sweet stuff on main courses, just grosses me out) and the flank steak was very bland. But overall we thought it was a nice experience and very fun for the kids.

After lunch we managed to hit a lot of rides, even though the crowds were growing. We went to Philharmagic, Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor (which we all enjoyed and thought was fun even though some people have given it bad reviews), Buzz Lightyear, COP (can’t miss this one, it’s our tradition…even DS4 was asking “When are we going on Beautiful Tomorrow?), the carousel, Goofy’s Barnstormer (2 times as DS3 LOVED this), Space Mountain (although it had to be fast pass b/c the wait was 30 minutes), Stitch’s escape, IASW, Winnie the Pooh, and even the Tomorrowland Indy Speedway, which we never go on b/c the line is always way too long.

Dumbo and Peter Pan were the only rides with 40+ wait times so we skipped those.

So we accomplished a lot for us, and I even managed to make them stay the whole day without going back to the hotel for breaks!! But the rain actually made it a bit better for us because there was no blaring sun or intense heat to deal with. But the crowds were more than we expected for a rainy September Wednesday. We were very glad that we started early and did a lot of rides early in the day.

By 7pm everyone was getting pretty tired. So we tried CHH for dinner but it was already closed. DARN!! So we ended up at Pinnochio’s, which was okay. The chicken tenders and fries were good, the sandwiches were just average. But everyone was glad to sit down and take a rest.

However, the family could not rest until DS11 got a churro. For some reason the kid has this thing with churros. He cannot rest if he knows that they are attainable. So we drug the whole family all over looking for the one darn cart that sells churros. We finally found it in Adventureland and he rushes up with his card and orders the coveted churro. Then the girl told him her card reader was down…..Cripes. So luckily I had cash and the quest for the churro was over. The churro was over in about 30 seconds. Glad we all schlepped all over for 20 minutes so he could have his 30 seconds of joy.

The day ended with my DH trying to convince me to leave before the fireworks, because his feet were tired and he wanted to leave before everyone else. I told him no way was that happening. So he could just forget about it. Of course then I had to hear about it every 5 minutes (were you wondering where DS11 gets it??). So I sent him off to the bakery for a chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich. It was good, the cookies were harder than I would have preferred though. Of course none of the kids wanted any until it was dripping all over and I was ready to throw it away. Then they all wanted to try some.

So we stayed for about 10 minutes of Wishes, which wasn't as good as the smoke hung in the humid air for too long. We left Wishes early and headed out with the masses to the ferry and tram.

DS3 would not allow me to carry him while DS4 rode in "his" stroller, so I carried DS4 all the way back to the van, and then into the hotel. Then the kids did their annual “Magic Kingdom Day Pass Out” on the beds…..despite all of the challenges of the rain and larger crowds then we expected, the whining, the churro search, and all the other little things, it was still a GREAT day!

[SunshineGirl]

I have to admit, I am the same way with the churros. LOL! Except we don't have to roam the park because I know EXACTLY where they are. :rotfl:

I am getting so anxious as I read your TR because I just can't wait to go!!!

[LuvMyBoys]

I have to admit, I am the same way with the churros. LOL! Except we don't have to roam the park because I know EXACTLY where they are. :rotfl:

I am getting so anxious as I read your TR because I just can't wait to go!!!

Of all the things to seek out??!!!:confused:

I would understand if it were a Dole Whip or school bread.......but a churro??? :rotfl:

[linanglab]

I have never had a churro. Is that the long cinnamony looking thing at the pretzel stand by Winnie the Pooh area?

[LuvMyBoys]

The next day was scheduled to be our Downtown Disney/Resort day. Sleeping in late was not an option however, as we had 8am reservations at ‘Ohana. I was very much looking forward to this breakfast as I had heard rave reviews about it from my sister and her family. Plus the Poly is so beautiful; I couldn’t wait for my boys to see it. I knew that they would love it.

I wanted to make our reservation on time so we managed to get everyone up and moving and out the door by 7:35. We rented a minivan this trip, even though it cost a couple extra hundred dollars, it was well worth it to avoid the buses. When my mom and sisters and I went in May, it seemed like we could NEVER get to our ADR’s on time no matter how early we left on the buses. This was a short trip so we wanted to spend the least amount of time commuting as possible.

So after driving over and parking, we arrived five minutes late for our ADR’s (yes, even without riding the buses we were late!). We skipped the picture as we weren’t planning on spending $30 for a photo where most of us looked like we had just rolled out of bed.

We were seated after about a ten minute wait at a large round table right by the window. It was perfect for us, gave us enough room and put the kids on the edge of the restaurant where they could watch the action and join in if they chose to. This was good b/c we could see the whole restaurant and later when my DS3 got separated from my older son after the parade and it made it much easier to find him.:)

So our “cousin” seated us and gave us the pineapple bread (yum, I loved this with my coffee!!) and cinnamon roll. I didn’t eat the cinnamon roll, the boys and DH polished those off quickly. DH and I were the only ones who like the pineapple bread though, so I had plenty to munch on! :cooldance:

We all really enjoyed the juice blend that they serve with breakfast. The kids thought it was very different and special. They managed to finish off 2 carafes before the meal ended!

I was also happy to get the little fresh fruit platter with pineapple, melon, and grapes. DS3 and I mostly ate this as we are cold breakfast type people. DH and my other three sons are into the hot breakfast scene so they were VERY happy to see the big platter arrive with sausage, bacon, potatoes, biscuits, and eggs. We ended up having to get a second small platter…..yeah, they enjoyed it.:eat:

The food at ‘Ohana was honestly better than I expected. It was very fresh and good tasting. The characters were also great. Mickey, Pluto, Stitch, and Lilo all managed to make it to our table and were great with the kids.

The little parade with the maracas was a nice touch too, helped to keep the little ones busy for a few minutes while DH stuffed even more food down……LOL, seriously, though that man is the biggest breakfast pig EVER! Only breakfast though, so at least I don’t have to deal with every meal!

We looked around the Poly a little after breakfast and decided that both DH and I need to work harder in the future so that we can stay at the Poly. I’m not sure how realistic that is with 6 people, but we’ll get there someday!!

Overall, we LOVED the ‘Ohana breakfast and will definitely visit it again on our next trip.

Up next……….what do you mean you ate so much at ‘Ohana that you don’t want to eat or move for the rest of the day???:headache:

[wilsonfamily4]

I have never had a churro. Is that the long cinnamony looking thing at the pretzel stand by Winnie the Pooh area?

YES and they are so yummy!

[LuvMyBoys]

I have never had a churro. Is that the long cinnamony looking thing at the pretzel stand by Winnie the Pooh area?

You have never had a churro yet you know where to find them.....we could have used you on our trip!! :rotfl:

Yeah, it is basically just some fried dough rolled in cinnamon sugar. They're good but I don't think they're something to seek out.

DS11 couldn't disagree more though, he had to have one every time we saw them!

[Hedy]

That's classic...

[JillyFish]

This TR is crackin' me up! :rotfl:
Keep it comin'!!!!!

[linanglab]

You have never had a churro yet you know where to find them.....we could have used you on our trip!! :rotfl:

Yeah, it is basically just some fried dough rolled in cinnamon sugar. They're good but I don't think they're something to seek out.

DS11 couldn't disagree more though, he had to have one every time we saw them!

No, but on this past trip, DS INSISTED on a pretzel while we were waiting for the evening parade. So DH had to hunt these down. We were like you. We searched EVERYWHERE for a stinking pretzel. At least a churro sounds a bit more luxurious. DS just wanted dough with salt.....

We would have made a good team by looking for the pretzel and churro!

[coastalgirl]

We were at O'hana one time and my middle boy went on and on about how good the Pineapple bread was, that before we left our server brought him a to go box full of the bread. It was the only thing he ate that day. This past trip we did not eat there and needless to say he was very disappointed :( !

My guys love the pretzels. Usually, me, ds(9), and DD(2) will share one with the cheese sauce!!

[linanglab]

Waiting for your report! You leave us in suspense!!!! WHO doesn't want to eat anymore? What are you going to do? Where do you go??? So many questions.....

[LuvMyBoys]

Waiting for your report! You leave us in suspense!!!! WHO doesn't want to eat anymore? What are you going to do? Where do you go??? So many questions.....

So as usual, life gets in the way of a TR! Unfortunately, this time that "life" was an urgent trip to the dentist for a root canal :(

YUCK! So today there will only be one installment as I "relax" at home with the boys. :)

[LuvMyBoys]

So we returned to the room after the feasting at ‘Ohana. Showers were taken, kids were sunblocked and suited up. My DH laid on the bed groaning about how much he had eaten. The kids bounced all over the room asking “When are we going swimming?” “Are we going to the pool now?” “You said we would go swimming after breakfast”…….about 100 times. DH just laid there like a beached whale.:sick:

Finally, after about thirty minutes of nonstop pleading from the kids, he rolled off the bed and got into his suit. We proceeded down to the Fantasia pool and took the kids swimming. It was a pretty hot day, partly cloudy and a few love bugs were hanging around the pool. There weren’t too many love bugs, so it was kind of cool to actually see them and know what they were. There were tons of British people at the pool. You can take that anyway you want………all I’m saying is that skimpy bathing suits, big jewelry, and lots of body hair were everywhere. It makes for fun people watching.:angel:

I loved that the Disney pools provide free life vests for the kids. I thought that was a very nice touch for families. My DS3 and DS4 really appreciated them and it made the swimming excursion more relaxing for me too. The kids LOVED the Fantasia pool. They thought it was so fun to swim up by the cascading water.

After swimming we headed off to DTD. At this point a few hours had passed since breakfast so DS11 was “starving”. No one else even wanted to think about eating yet. DH said he still felt like he should lay down and rest. He said he didn’t want to eat for the rest of the day, much less eat lunch. Then I reminded him that Goofy’s Candy Counter was at DTD.:clap:

We left for DTD post haste, DH leading the way. Apparently it is a little known fact that an overly full stomach can be cured by consuming chocolate dipped rice krispie treats. :rolleyes:

So we did a little shopping at the Lego store, World of Disney, and a few other stops. The boys and DH made spectacles of themselves at Goofy’s running excitedly around the store like ……..well, like a bunch of kids in a candy store. Kids in a candy store with snack credits to spend willy-nilly. This is vacation!! That was probably their favorite part…….sad, really.

Anyway, after loading up 5 different boxes of rice krispie treats drenched in milk chocolate and covered in masses of different candies, make your own pixie sticks (to which my DS3 excitedly responded “I want to drink sugar!!”), and other goodies we headed out of Goofy’s and over to Wolfgang Puck Express.

DH still wasn’t eating. Except for bites off the rice krispie creations, but those don’t count. So I ordered the boys some of the chicken fingers and herbed fries, very good. Excellent quality and one adult meal was enough for two boys. Except of course for DS11, he had to have his own order. And he finished it, down to the last fry. I ordered the bbq chicken quesadilla which I had been wanting to try. The bbq sauce was pretty sweet for me, but overall it was pretty good. I loved the unsweetened mango ice tea and the crème brulee for dessert. We also ordered the rosemary chicken with the mashed potatoes, OMG!!! That is so wonderfully rich and delicious! It is definitely large enough for two adults to split. WGPE was excellent, we will definitely be back again next year.

So we headed back to the hotel for an afternoon rest. When we returned to the room I noticed that it was already getting close to 3pm. Unfortunately, we had reservations for dinner at Yacht Club Galley at 5:50pm. I knew that there was no way anyone would want to eat again that soon. Except maybe DS11.

So I called Disney ADR and tried to see if we could get anything later. After about 20 minutes of trying, we finally secured an 8:00pm reservation at Turf Club at SSR. We were fine with that as it was very similar to YGC and it gave us more time to digest all the food we had already eaten.

So we had a few hours of quiet time and rested up for dinner that night. The one dinner that would actually be a nice 3 course meal (not buffet or family style), the one nice dinner that Mom wanted to enjoy……..

[linanglab]

Thanks for taking the time to post, even after root canals. I have had one. OUCH!

I will PATIENTLY wait until your family feels better to continue your report!

I also LOVED the candy store. I really wanted one of those yummy looking caramel type apples. Talk about looking good....I never did get one....:(

[nolacindy]

my DS3 excitedly responded “I want to drink sugar!!

Only on vacation can you say this and actually be able to do it!
I'm determined in December to get one of the marshmallow creations! yummy.

[coastalgirl]

We too just love the candy store. I love the rice krispy treat mickey heads:)
And my darling little boy also loves to drink sugar!

[pbhall13]

enjoying every detail of your report! Especially when you end with "Good Times"...........which my cousin Val and I use as our mantra when we are with the kids and they are, how shall I say it, okay I'll be polite, not at their best.....

Looking forward to more

Pamela

[LuvMyBoys]

Originally posted by Linanglab > Thanks for taking the time to post, even after root canals. I have had one. OUCH!

I will PATIENTLY wait until your family feels better to continue your report!

I also LOVED the candy store. I really wanted one of those yummy looking caramel type apples. Talk about looking good....I never did get one....

Thank you for waiting patiently. :) I will post another installment today, of course things have been crazy around here, as usual! I'm not much of a caramel apple person (too messy to eat) but the ones at Goofy's do look so beautiful! Goofy's was a major highlight of the trip, the boys can't wait to go back and try new creations!

Originally posted by nolacindy > Only on vacation can you say this and actually be able to do it!
I'm determined in December to get one of the marshmallow creations! yummy.

Yes, my DS3 was so overwhelmed with joy at the thought of drinking a big plastic stick full of sugar! :rotfl: We had the marshmallows dipped in chocolate too, they are yummy! The kids especially like the ones on the swirly mickey straws!


Originally posted by coastalgirl > We too just love the candy store. I love the rice krispy treat mickey heads
And my darling little boy also loves to drink sugar!

I'm glad I'm not the only one who has children that like to drink sugar!! Sometimes I wonder where they get it from as I am always complaining that things are too sweet.....then I look over and see my DH pouring sugar on frosted flakes! :rotfl:

The rice krispie treats are my favorite thing at Goofy's! I love them dipped in chocolate and smothered in peanut butter cups!! YUM!!

Originally posted by pbhall13 > enjoying every detail of your report! Especially when you end with "Good Times"...........which my cousin Val and I use as our mantra when we are with the kids and they are, how shall I say it, okay I'll be polite, not at their best.....

Looking forward to more

Pamela

Thanks Pamela, I'm so glad you are enjoying the report! It makes it more fun to write it when you know that people actually enjoy reading it. We always say "Good Times" too, I don't really remember where we got that from??....

Anyway, thank you guys all so much for reading and posting!

[LuvMyBoys]

So after our venture into Goofy’s and DTD, we returned to the room and everyone took a break. Except for my two older sons……they kept begging to go swimming again. As the afternoon turned into evening and our dinner ADR approached, my DH began to hint at the fact that he didn’t want to go to dinner. He wasn’t hungry, the kids weren’t hungry (most of them anyway), they were already getting tired of eating out so much…WHAT??!!

This is what I call Disney Dining Plan burnout. It happened to me in May. By the time we got to the last meal of the trip I felt like I didn’t want to eat anything or even look at a menu. If you knew me you would know how strange that is. I love eating out and trying new things. However, when you can have anything you want and there’s lots of it…well, I hate to say it but there is such a thing as too much of a good thing…….unless you are DS11 and we’re talking churros! LOL

So my DH asked the forbidden question…..”Can’t we just cancel the reservation and forget about the TS credits?”

WHAT??!!! How dare you, sir?? I mean honestly, how in the world did I marry someone who would ask such a question?? It defies comprehension.:confused:

I told him that there was no way in heck we were cancelling those reservations and giving up TS credits, not happening! So we changed into nicer clothes, combed the boys’ hair, gathered our umbrellas and headed out into the pouring rain for our ADR at Turf Club.

I was really excited about this one. This was the one meal that I was looking forward to. Not a buffet, not family style, a diverse menu with some good grown up choices…….ahhh, you had to know it would end up a disaster. Even I felt the impending sense of doom as we drove down the deserted Disney streets….you know when something it's just for Mom, when Mom actually steps up to the plate and schedules something that SHE would like to do….well in my family that means that something WILL go wrong. There’s no avoiding it. It’s like running up to Aloha Isle all ready for a Dole Whip and then being told that the machine is out of service….you know you deserve it, it’s right there within your grasp, but alas, it’s not meant to be.:(

So we get all the way to the Turf Club, run the kids inside in the pouring rain, and wait. We wait for our buzzer to go off, then DS8 starts complaining about how tired he is. I tell him that he'll be fine and besides this restaurant has mussels and I will order them and share. He perks right up at that.

Finally we get seated and get the menus. Things were looking up! There were a few new choices on the menu that weren’t listed on allears. Things like ahi tuna and lamb chops! Yum! Our waiter noted that we had a lot of kids with us and time was quickly passing by, so he took our whole order at once. The kids were a little bummed b/c they couldn’t get shakes, but I ordered one for DS8 and took his sprite, problem solved. Here’s the rundown of what we ordered:
DS11: calamari, sirloin steak, cheesecake
DH: crab cakes, prime rib, lava cake
Me: mussels, ahi tuna, lava cake
Boys: cheeseburgers, chicken soup, and ice cream

So we get the apps and our drinks and everything is going fine. The mussels were great, DS8 ate most of them and loved them. The crab cakes were very good and the calamari was good too, a bit too spicy for DS11 though.

So we wait for our entrees. Then DS4 announces he has to go to the bathroom. So he attempts to hop down from the booth seat alongside the wall and his croc catches on the vinyl. He falls FLAT on his face. He gets up crying with a gushing bloody nose.:eek:

End of meal. DH takes him to the bathroom to clean him up and help him settle down. Then they go straight to the car to wait for us. The waiter says he can box our meals but no desserts as the cakes take 20 minutes to prepare. :cry: We get some chocolate chip cookies instead. Finally after 15 minutes of waiting for the boxes and the bills we head out to the van and back to the hotel. What a disappointment. Oh well, that’s part of having kids right??

We didn’t want DS4 to feel bad about it so we tried to make the best of it at the hotel. The food was pretty cooled down by then and not the greatest. Really the only thing out of all of it that was really good was the ahi tuna – that was great. Really good quality and prepared well. So at least there was that……I'm sure we'll go back someday and try again.

Up next, our adventures at Animal Kingdom….

[coastalgirl]

How awful. :( I hope little man was ok! Hate to hear your dinner did not go well. It always happens when it is something the mom wants :confused: I don't understand it, but it always happens here too.
Can't wait to read more!! Thanks for sharing!!

[linanglab]

So so sorry about the "MOM thing" not working out. Why is it we give and give and give, and when we finally take something, it becomes TOO much of a hastle.

And on our trips, our kids want to swim and swim and swim. Like they never swim at home! COME ONE!!! We are WDW and you want to SWIM!!!! Sorry for the screaming. I feel better now.

Awaiting the rest. Hope you child was fine. Did he have any bruises???

[LuvMyBoys]

How awful. :( I hope little man was ok! Hate to hear your dinner did not go well. It always happens when it is something the mom wants :confused: I don't understand it, but it always happens here too.
Can't wait to read more!! Thanks for sharing!!

Boy, I'm so glad to hear that I'm not the only one that this happens to!! It makes me feel better...and leads to me to believe that we moms need to go on more vacations alone or with other moms!! :)

Yes, DS4 was fine. He did hit his nose pretty hard but it stopped bleeding and he was okay. My kids freak out when they bleed though so it took him awhile to calm down. :(

[LuvMyBoys]

So so sorry about the "MOM thing" not working out. Why is it we give and give and give, and when we finally take something, it becomes TOO much of a hastle.

And on our trips, our kids want to swim and swim and swim. Like they never swim at home! COME ONE!!! We are WDW and you want to SWIM!!!! Sorry for the screaming. I feel better now.

Awaiting the rest. Hope you child was fine. Did he have any bruises???


Your screaming makes me feel better too!! :rotfl: It's nice to know that there are other moms out there who have these same things happen to them, and that I'm not a bad person for being disappointed about it. :)

The swimming thing just kills me. I may start booking a local hotel for a few days and letting my kids do nothing but swim....as long as it has a good breakfast buffet and churros available, then they will all be happy. Then I can use the money I save to go to WDW with DS3 by myself!! :cooldance:

DS4 was fine, his nose was sore but it didn't bruise (at least we couldn't see one). He was freaked out by the blood, but after it stopped and he realized that he really wasn't going to die, he settled down. BOYS!! :giggle:

[coastalgirl]

Mine do the swimming thing too! What is crazy is we have a pool here that we swim in everyday :confused: , we just don't have the hordes of other kids swimming in our pool at home!

[LuvMyBoys]

So let’s just say when Thursday morning rolled around, I was less than bright and cheery. We had been on “vacation” since Monday night and all of the stresses of the whining, complaining, second guessing my decisions, etc. was starting to wear on me. :headache:

But I still managed to rise extra early, it was to be a park day after all (no sleeping in even if I wanted to!) and I wanted to have some alone time to think about whether or not DH and a few of the boys should be allowed to go to Animal Kingdom at all. Strike that, what I mean is whether I should be gracious enough to offer them the option of relaxing at the hotel all day while I took DS4 and DS8 to AK. :angel: Yeah, they had pushed me that far.

So while DH and the other boys snoozed away, DS4 (early riser, ALWAYS!!) and I headed down to the cafeteria to get something for breakfast. It was very neat to be out early and see all of the work that goes on behind the scenes to get the resort ready for the day. And honestly, after walking over to the pool/eating area every day of the trip, I could not for the life of me understand how people could complain about the walk from the Herbie buildings?? It was like 5 minutes!!?? Have we really grown that lazy?

And don’t even get me started on all of the complaining about the bed size and the way the toilets flush. Trust me, if you are staying with DH and my four boys and have the DDP, the turbo flush toilets are a VERY good thing!!;)

Anyway, enough ranting…..so even though no one was particularly hungry anymore, ddp burnout, we tried to order something for breakfast to use up some of those remaining CS credits. DS4 ordered the children’s waffle/side of grapes/chocolate milk. He was very happy with that, loved the option of getting grapes. I asked the check out person if there was some kind of CS continental breakfast I could do. She said I could get a bakery item, piece of fruit, and two drinks. So that’s what I did. It was a nice light breakfast that I ended up sharing with all of the slackers who were just waking up when I returned to the room.

Did I say that no one was hungry? I should have qualified that, of course DS11 was hungry!! What were you thinking?? :confused:

He went down to the cafeteria on his own and got waffles and bacon and two bottles of some fancy green tea that he loves. I really like that on the ddp you can get the bottled beverages at the hotel, not just fountain drinks, the kids LOVED that. And I also love that at Disney hotels I don’t have to worry about DS11 going down to the cafeteria alone, it’s a nice perk of staying onsite.

Anyway, discussions were had, accusations of laziness were made, people’s physical and mental stamina was questioned (won’t tell you who)……but eventually it was decided that all of us would venture to Animal Kingdom.

I was actually glad because I like doing everything together as a family on vacation. I am a glutton for punishment. I am a mom.

Anyway, people didn’t move as quickly as I would like and it took awhile for me to get the 4 boys ready……..but not as long as it took DH to get just himself ready. As usual.

But we made it out the door and were at the AK parking lot by 15 minutes after opening. Up next, the line for the tram starts HERE!!

[dreamer13079]

I love your trip reports! I can just imagine you and Max sitting down for breakfast together and then Tony needing to run down for breakfast before starting the day. Love it. :)

[Hedy]

I can't wait to hear how you did at AK.

[linanglab]

So glad you continued. I enjoy reading your TR SOOO much. It makes me want to go back, even though we dealt with some of the um.....issues....that you dealt with. Laziness??? Grow up! (even though they are kids, well...except DH) Tired? Suck it up! Want to swim? TOO bad! You want to eat NOW? Grrrrr.....

And with all of that, it is still SOOO enjoyable to read this! We should all go to WDW together and we could go to breakfast together, leaving the family in the rooms, and complain and vent until we feel better. I think we all need a venting WDW friend while vacationing.

Please....continue....

[LuvMyBoys]

So glad you continued. I enjoy reading your TR SOOO much. It makes me want to go back, even though we dealt with some of the um.....issues....that you dealt with. Laziness??? Grow up! (even though they are kids, well...except DH) Tired? Suck it up! Want to swim? TOO bad! You want to eat NOW? Grrrrr.....

And with all of that, it is still SOOO enjoyable to read this! We should all go to WDW together and we could go to breakfast together, leaving the family in the rooms, and complain and vent until we feel better. I think we all need a venting WDW friend while vacationing.

Please....continue....

I'm so glad that you enjoy reading it! I feel like maybe I'm being too much of a downer sometimes when I'm writing it, complaining too much, etc. But it's the true version of the trip, not the fairy tale version :)

I agree, I would love to meet with fellow Disney-Commando Moms while at WDW and have a nice early breakfast. Complaining and venting with you guys (instead of at my DH or holding it in) would probably make the rest of the day more enjoyable for my family too!! :rotfl:

[wilsonfamily4]

I'm so glad that you enjoy reading it! I feel like maybe I'm being too much of a downer sometimes when I'm writing it, complaining too much, etc. But it's the true version of the trip, not the fairy tale version :)

I agree, I would love to meet with fellow Disney-Commando Moms while at WDW and have a nice early breakfast. Complaining and venting with you guys (instead of at my DH or holding it in) would probably make the rest of the day more enjoyable for my family too!! :rotfl:

I would love to join you for breakfast! Can we also add that us moms can go to a rope drop. We did not make one our last trip because "we are on vacation time!" Pretty soon I may just say can I leave my family home and go to WDW with just the moms. :) haha.

[LuvMyBoys]

The line for the tram starts HERE. Boy, that seems like it would be easy to understand doesn’t it? I guess it would be if you were actually paying attention to where you were going and what was posted right IN FRONT OF YOU!!

Ok, so I’m still a little bitter about our experience boarding the tram to Animal Kingdom. DH and I walked up with the kids (didn’t run like total Disney nerds), get the stroller folded up, and stand in line in the first row. You know, where the sign clearly states that the line for the tram starts. Yeah, so then the tram drives up and lo and behold if some little Susie Impatient Pants doesn’t come dashing up and try to board right in front of us on the other side of the THE LINE FOR THE TRAM STARTS HERE sign. SIGH!!! And as she’s trying to push past us and board the tram, I helpfully pointed out for her that we were in the first row, you know, the row that has the sign stating that the line for the tram started there. Yeah. Then she shot me a look like I was the world’s biggest witch. Except without the “w” part. Good times.

And you know I wouldn’t even have let it bother me, but she was like 40 years old and traveling alone, COME ON!! I wouldn’t even let my kids behave like that and here is a grown woman doing it!! Okay, vent over. :angel:

So we get up to Animal Kingdom and notice two things right away that seem to always happen when we visit AK: 1) It is blazing hot already and it is still well before noon; and 2) apparently the whole world decided to come to AK that day.

AK is always so darn hot and crowded!! But we love it anyway. Why? Because DH and all of my boys are crazy about animals. We would have a freakin’ zoo at home if they had it their way. Instead we have one cat and four crazy boys. Luckily, the boys have a nice uncle who buys them things like bearded dragons, fish, and geckos….and then keeps them at his house. We have a strict “no reptiles/no amphibians” rule at our house. Yeah, I’m mean like that.

So anyway, we all knew that today we had a very important mission: get to Expedition Everest!!! DS11 is a huge Yeti freak. It’s so embarrassing to admit that you have had several heated debates with your son over the existence of Yeti/Bigfoot but alas it is true. The kid simply won’t listen to reason. So he was overjoyed when we started hearing about Expedition Everest. Simply could not wait to ride it. I couldn’t wait either, it looked like a great thrill ride.

So we hustled (along with everyone else in the park) over to Asia to check out the wait and grab fast passes. We arrive in Asia and see a huge line at EE. That’s okay we tell ourselves, let’s just grab the FP and move on. So at the FP line I ask the CM how long he thinks the wait is b/c the sign isn’t showing anything. Well just at that moment the line starts to move!! He told me that the ride is just opening and from there the wait should be like 15 minutes!!! YES!!! Yeti comes through for DS11! :cooldance:

So DH and DS11 and DS8 take off for the lines while I hang out with DS3 and an irate DS4 who discovers that he is too short for EE (which we had told him while planning the trip, but I guess it just really hit him when he was standing right there staring down Everest). So I take them over to the gift shop and we hang out in the air conditioning and look at the different Yeti statutes and wait.

DH and the boys are back within 20 minutes absolutely raving about the ride. They loved it! I am so happy for them and think maybe I could jump on with the boys since the wait is still 15 minutes but DS4 is having NONE of it. He wants a ride and he wants it NOW!! So I swallow my wishes and we head over to DinoLand. DS11 and DS8 crab about wanting to get on EE again and why can’t they hop on, and this is their vacation too, and why does DS4 always get his way, etc. Once again, good times.

We head over to DinoLand and get the little ones on the Triceratops Spin while the 2 older boys go on Primeval Whirl…..no wait for either, nice! So then we go again. I swear the two little ones would sit on those rides all day and never get sick of it! They just love being on rides.

So after that we went to the digging place and let the kids play for a bit. I went in alone with DS3 and the CM (an older gentleman) says “What a nice big sister taking you in to play for awhile!” to DS3. I chuckled, he must need some serious glasses. DH didn’t find it funny though. He’s always concerned that while he is aging quickly (he’s 33), I keep getting younger looking. I tell him that’s what I get for marrying an old man.

Anyway, after a brief stop in digging land we head off for a snack. We still had a lot of snack credits left so we stopped for ice cream shakes and churros. Big surprise, huh?

After that we hit Dinosaur which DS4 was tall enough to ride so that was great. There was like a 15 minute wait, not bad at all. The kids all enjoyed it and even though DS4 was attached to me the whole ride, he claimed it wasn’t scary and he would do it again. Just not right then.

So we headed back over to EE to use the fastpasses. DS4 granted me his permission to ride the ride with my two older sons. It was great!! The waiting area is so beautiful, very nicely done. The ride is a lot of fun, I just wish it were a bit longer. Then DH took the 2 older boys again! So they got to ride it 3 times total, they were very happy about that.

After EE we headed over to ride Kali River Rapids since DS4 wanted to pick a ride. Even DS3 was tall enough to ride (surprised me) and so we got in line and waited about 20 minutes. It was scorching and we knew we would get wet, but didn’t mind. So DS3 gets this little band because he is supposed to sit in a special seat for little ones. Of course I decided I would sit right by him because that must mean those seats got less wet, right? No, we all got drenched. Even little DS3, but he didn’t mind too much. It was fun, not sure if we would do it again though without ponchos. The boys thought it was awesome.

After Kali we did the Trek so the boys could see the Komodo dragon. It basically just laid there and didn’t move. The kids thought it was cool to see it though. The giant fruit bats were also awesome in their opinions. They really liked seeing the animals “up close” and learning a bit about them.

After the Trek we decided it was time for lunch. But alas, our favorite CS had closed. Yes, Disney in its quest to make its dining options healthier, has done away with the ONLY CS location in Animal Kingdom where you could get something other than McDonald’s, pizza, or bbq. Tusker House – I miss you and AK will never be the same for me. Sorry two rants in one installment…….:)

Next up, braving the lines at Pizzafari…………

[LuvMyBoys]

I would love to join you for breakfast! Can we also add that us moms can go to a rope drop. We did not make one our last trip because "we are on vacation time!" Pretty soon I may just say can I leave my family home and go to WDW with just the moms. :) haha.

I never saw a rope drop until I went without my husband. Enough said! :rotfl:

[linanglab]

wilson and luvmyboys - I see a trip in our future! Rope drops, no bathroom stops RIGHT when we arrive at a park, no whining, swimming is fine but NOT every stinking moment we are there, and the ability to ride the rides WE want to ride WHEN we want to ride them! LOL

[LuvMyBoys]

wilson and luvmyboys - I see a trip in our future! Rope drops, no bathroom stops RIGHT when we arrive at a park, no whining, swimming is fine but NOT every stinking moment we are there, and the ability to ride the rides WE want to ride WHEN we want to ride them! LOL

I don't know I might miss the whining for churros or the temper tantrums in front of Expedition Everest too much!! :rotfl:

Seriously, I went down in May with my mom and my two sisters and we had a WONDERFUL time!! It was our first "girls only" vacation and it was great! No one to look after but myself, could sleep in if I wanted to, and lots of nice dinners with no accidents/spills/etc. It was truly a vacation!! I even read a book and relaxed by the pool...........:love:

I can't wait to do it again this year!! This time we are shooting for the Poly!

[LuvMyBoys]

So after our very busy morning, we decided that everyone was ready to take a break and eat lunch. We miss Tusker House. Did I already mention that?:angel:

So we decided to eat at Pizzafari because it has indoor seating and I am not a big fan of bbq or McDonald’s food. Plus by this point of the trip all I wanted was salad and water and I knew that Pizzafari had both.

We pull the stroller in and park it, ask each of the kids what they want, and I send DS11 and DH off to order while I take the rest of the boys to find a table. The place was BUSY!! The lines were almost to the back of the room, but I figured with 5 cash registers it shouldn’t take too long for them to get through. So the boys and I found a table all the way back in the back dining room, but at least it sat 6 people and it was in the air conditioning. Then we waited……and waited…….and waited some more.

Finally after 20 minutes of the boys complaining about how hungry they were, running around the table, climbing on the table, and doing other very annoying behaviors, I decided to get up and leave the table and find out what exactly had happened to DH and DS11.

Had they been confused by all of the different dining rooms and were now wandering around aimlessly with full trays?? Had they dropped their trays and had to go get back in line? Had they been abducted by Yeti?:confused:

At that point anything seemed possible! But what didn’t seem possible was that they would still be standing in line waiting to order……but there they were. Talk about slow lines!! Cripes!! And of course you know that when we went back into the back dining room someone else had our table. So we had to sit in the last little room, the one with no air conditioning. Oh well.:(

Another ten minutes later, DH and DS11 finally arrived with the food. The kids enjoyed the pizza. I enjoyed the option to get bottled waters instead of a bunch of fountain drinks. I had the chicken ceasar salad, it was average. I ate about ½ and then DS11 finished off the rest. We ended up throwing out 2 of the minute maid frozen lemonade’s because no one really wanted THAT much frozen lemonade. So overall, Pizzafari was pretty good. Not wonderful, but probably the best CS option for us at AK now since some nimrod at Disney decided to change Tusker House….I’m not bitter about it though.:computer:

After lunch DH put his sore foot down. It was freakin’ hot, freakin’ crowded, and his feet were tired (thank you shoebuy for having such slow shipping on athletic shoes!!) and he wanted to know what we had to accomplish before we left AK. So I gave him the rundown: It’s Tough To Be a Bug, Nemo, and the Safari. We had our mission and we got straight to it!

ITTBAB didn’t have too long of a wait, about 10 minutes!! Yeah! We all love this show, especially the stink bugs (of course my boys love anything that is a joke about farting) and the roaches. We thought it might be a bit too scary for DS3 but he just took off his glasses if it got too intensive and that worked fine. We all love that show, is that dorky?

After that we headed over to the Nemo show. We got there about 25 minutes before the show began and got our seats. They really fill that place up!! It was full by the time the show started. DS3 of course fell asleep as soon as it started, as did DH. I thought it was a really good show though, very pretty and with great singers.

Last stop was the Safari, which we had fastpassed on our way to lunch. The Safari had 40-50 minute waits all day so it was a good thing that we had our fastpasses. We still ended up waiting about 15 minutes but that’s not too shabby. The boys loved the safari and seeing all the animals. I had the digital camera and they kept telling me to “Take a picture of that!” “Did you get that animal?” of course the animals were way to far away or the vehicle would bounce really hard right then and the picture came out terrible. Plus there’s the other small fact that no one would let me sit on the outside of the vehicle to take pictures but those sitting on the outside didn’t want to be bothered with the camera!

After we exited the safari we were very ready to exit the park. We have never actually stayed for the parade. A day at AK always wipes us out, that park just doesn’t handle heat or crowds well. Which is surprising considering that it’s their newest park. Oh well, the day was a success despite all of the difficulties.

Up next, LuvMyBoys Party of 6 at WCC………..what do you mean party of 5????

[Hedy]

Sounds like fun.

[LuvMyBoys]

Sounds like fun.

AK was fun, just always so hot and crowded!! I really wonder when the best time is to go there. :confused:

[coastalgirl]

We always feel the same way at AK. And we have done it all and never been there for the parade. For it to be the smallest park, it seems to take the most out of ya! Go figure???:confused:
Of course we are very sad about Tusker House also! :(

[LuvMyBoys]

We always feel the same way at AK. And we have done it all and never been there for the parade. For it to be the smallest park, it seems to take the most out of ya! Go figure???:confused:
Of course we are very sad about Tusker House also! :(

I'm glad to see that we aren't the only ones who don't stick around for the parade :) I'm sure that's heresy to some, but by the end of the day we are just so ready to get out of the crowds and heat!!

I still remember the first time we went to Tusker House and they had the food display outside in the case and DH asked me how I thought they managed to keep the food from melting/dripping in the hot sun all day! :rotfl:

[linanglab]

We have gone to AK several times, and have also never seen the parade. It definitely is the hottest park. We really have never explored all the animal habitats either. The middle of summer is just SO hot to stay too long.

[pbhall13]

On our upcoming Nov. trip I am going to make myself explore the areas we never bother with........we do all of the main things and sort of puts around (but we don't typically start our day at AK until after 12 pm)........we do catch the parade and I have to say it is one of my favorites........we don't purposely try to see it, but every trip it works out in our favor (right place right time.....and no planning involved).

Also.........I love your cliffhangers!!!!!!!!

[chipndale]

I totally agree that the AK is the newest park but yet it always seems soooo crowded. I am sure it is not really as crowded as what it feels. Maybe all the trees and not having the far line of sight add to the crowded feeling. The AK is a must for my family but yet I am always ready to leave. Some how we never plan to see the parade, but we always see it and then head for the last safari ride. The parade is OK in my opinion but the last safari trip is usually fantastic. The animals are up and moving because they know that it is close to feeding time.

[LuvMyBoys]

We have gone to AK several times, and have also never seen the parade. It definitely is the hottest park. We really have never explored all the animal habitats either. The middle of summer is just SO hot to stay too long.

I can't imagine going there in the middle of the summer! It must be unbearable! It's too hot for me at AK in March and in September too! It was worth it this time though for EE! :)

[LuvMyBoys]

On our upcoming Nov. trip I am going to make myself explore the areas we never bother with........we do all of the main things and sort of puts around (but we don't typically start our day at AK until after 12 pm)........we do catch the parade and I have to say it is one of my favorites........we don't purposely try to see it, but every trip it works out in our favor (right place right time.....and no planning involved).

Also.........I love your cliffhangers!!!!!!!!

Have to keep you guys interested, right?? :rotfl:

My family is very anti-parade, the boys and DH feel that parades are a waste of time. I actually don't think we have EVER sat through a whole parade in all of our trips!!

I'm sure we will next year though when we go to MNSSHP, my sister said that is the best parade EVER! :)

[LuvMyBoys]

I totally agree that the AK is the newest park but yet it always seems soooo crowded. I am sure it is not really as crowded as what it feels. Maybe all the trees and not having the far line of sight add to the crowded feeling. The AK is a must for my family but yet I am always ready to leave. Some how we never plan to see the parade, but we always see it and then head for the last safari ride. The parade is OK in my opinion but the last safari trip is usually fantastic. The animals are up and moving because they know that it is close to feeding time.

I thought they stopped the safari rides right before the parade? I didn't realize that they kept doing them, sounds like something we should look into for next time!:)

AK is always a must for DH and the boys too, me not so much. Next time we are doing Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios (aka MGM). It will be the first trip in years where we are skipping AK......can't say I'm too sad about that! :rotfl:

[chipndale]

I thought they stopped the safari rides right before the parade? I didn't realize that they kept doing them, sounds like something we should look into for next time!:)

AK is always a must for DH and the boys too, me not so much. Next time we are doing Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios (aka MGM). It will be the first trip in years where we are skipping AK......can't say I'm too sad about that! :rotfl:

We go as soon as the parade is over. Everyone is trying to get out of the park and we are like fish swimming up stream. A cast member told that the animals tend to be the most active for the first hour in the morning and of course right before the park closes because they want to eat.

[Weluvdisny]

I am anxiously awaiting your next installment!! You are a very entertaining writer. And you are keeping it real. I've read too many TRs where the family is perfect. And we all know that isn't the way it is ALL the time. Kids can only be kids, right? Great job so far!!

[LuvMyBoys]

I am anxiously awaiting your next installment!! You are a very entertaining writer. And you are keeping it real. I've read too many TRs where the family is perfect. And we all know that isn't the way it is ALL the time. Kids can only be kids, right? Great job so far!!

Thank you so much!!:) It's so nice to have the encouragement! SR is the best audience, everyone is so nice and appreciative! :sunshine:

I should have the final two installments up on Monday. Thanks for reading!

[LuvMyBoys]

When we last left off we were dragging our tired, sorry selves out of AK and back to All Star Movies. Tonight was a big night, our dinner at Whispering Canyon Café!! The boys were very excited for this meal and couldn’t wait to try out all of the “tricks” from the disboards.

So we got back to the hotel rooms with two hours until our ADR time. I switched into high gear, pushing all the kids through the shower, getting them dressed, showering and changing my clothes. At this point I was VERY happy that we had two rooms with two showers, I don’t know how we would have done it otherwise! So I’m hopping all over getting everyone ready and DH is lying on the bed. Yeah, big help. His feet were still hurting, he was tired, hot, etc. Cripes.:headache:

So finally as it was approaching 30 minutes until go time, I asked him if he was going to get ready or not. He starts complaining about not wanting to eat out again, being too tired to go, etc. At this point I was really wishing he would have stayed home and I would have brought my younger sister instead. How mean is that? But can you blame me?? Honestly?? :blush:

Ok, so what is a girl to do? The boys were really looking forward to WCC, I mean REALLY looking forward to it. But 4 boys, ages 3, 4, 8, and 11……..all by myself at a TS restaurant??? Dare I attempt it?:eek:

[linanglab]

You had to stop THERE!!!! Come on!!!! You little stinker! LOL

[Hedy]

You had to stop THERE!!!! Come on!!!! You little stinker! LOL

Seriously.
As this TR stumbles along, I'm wondering which boy you're referring to in your title. :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

[LuvMyBoys]

Okay you guys know me better than that! There was no way in heck that I was going to have my boss miss out on WCC. No way, no how!!

So I loaded up all four of them and left DH lying in the room complaining about how he was so tired and he still had to do laundry because he didn’t pack enough underwear or shirts. Umm……wasn’t he the only one that he had to pack for?? :confused:

Anyway, the boys got the “you better all behave or we will leave immediately” lecture from me on the way over to WCC. As we drove the road leading out of the Movies complex a big black snake was crossing the road in front of us! YIKES!! I hate snakes and the thought that they were just over in the bushes from our hotel totally freaked me out! The boys thought it was cool though.

So we headed up to the Magic Kingdom entrance and saw the giant light up pumpkins and signs for the MNSSHP. It was so cute!! The boys and I were a little sad that I didn’t know enough about it to plan it for this year, but we definitely won’t miss it next year!

Luckily, by the time we pulled into the Wilderness Lodge’s parking lot, it was not raining at all. I unloaded the boys and after seeing the hill and the schlep up to the Lodge, I grabbed the stroller for DS3 and we headed up.

We entered the Lodge and the boys thought it was beautiful, so did I. Very outdoorsy, rugged, and fun looking. We checked into WCC for our ADR:

Me: Hi, our last name is LuvMyBoys and we have an ADR for 7:00.
Hostess: Yes, I see you hear, party of 6?
Me: No, actually there are just 5 of us. We had one cancel.
Hostess: Oh, so one of the children didn’t make it then?
Me: No, actually just me and the 4 boys.
Hostess: OH! Wow, you must be really brave. :confused:
Me: Thanks.

Yeah, I felt pretty brave. Until the boys started running through the rocking chairs by the fire, looking out the windows and yelling to each other, etc. :headache:

But I did keep them under control (mostly) and soon our buzzer lit up and we headed in!:cheers:

Up next, dining disaster or dining delight??

[pbhall13]

I need to know what happened next?????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

[Hedy]

:popcorn: :popcorn:

[wilsonfamily4]

:popcorn: :popcorn:

Too funny!

[LuvMyBoys]

We entered the restaurant and were led to a round table near the middle of the main room. Now as a mom dining alone with my four boys, my instinct was to ask for a table in the back, in a booth, preferably in a dark corner away from the view of other diners.

But instead we took the table that they offered. The boys were very excited as they glanced around at all the western stuff. It really is a cute restaurant. The boys loved being near the fireplace, the banging food trays, the cowboy lanterns, etc. It was a boisterous, rowdy atmosphere and they all loved it.

Our server approached and asked them “What do you want?” They all laughed and thought she was great, especially when she threw the napkins and straws at them. It was their kind of service!!

Our server was wonderful!! She really made a huge difference in making our dinner a success. She was very candid with me and offered great suggestions, she played the part with the boys but not over the top, and she was timely and attentive. I really appreciated her and so did the boys.

She told us the boys could get shakes if they wanted, of course they wanted to! And of course they ordered awful flavors that made my stomach turn like bubble gum and cotton candy- YIKES!! But they thought they were cool.

DS11 wanted to test out the root beer and warned our waitress that he loved root beer and would want to drink a lot. Of course this was his carefully laid ploy to get her to bring him the jumbo jar, which she did. The boys thought this was the coolest ever and we got some good pics with it.

Our server also recommended that DS11 and I order a meal off the menu and then get the kids the skillet. That way we would get two appetizers and we could eat whatever we wanted off the skillet and she would bring more. This advice was much appreciated as the boys were getting hungry and some appetizers were definitely needed to keep them under control!:eat:

Here’s what we ordered:

Kids: watermelon, skillet, apples
DS11: chips and con queso dips, meatloaf, chocolate shake
Me: sausage and cheese plate, shrimp, cinnamon banana bowl dessert

All of the food was good. The kids loved the chips and con queso so much that they devoured it without DS3 or I getting one bite! DS3 and I enjoyed the sausage and cheese, just basic cubes of cheddar, water crackers, a dill pickle, and sliced and grilled pieces of smoked sausage. Simple and good, as was pretty much everything else there! :cheers:

The boys enjoyed most of the skillet, the corn and bbq pork were the big winners. I really liked the shrimp as it was nicely spiced and better than the shrimp on the skillet. DS11 of course ordered the meatloaf so he could ask for ketchup. They loved doing the ketchup call and loved even more when we had to carry it to another table.

The highlight of the night was when DS8 got to ride the stick horse around the café singing happy birthday to himself (his birthday was a few days prior). Of course he wasn’t loud enough and DS11 told the waitress he should have to ride around the lobby – so instead our waitress made DS11 ride it around the lobby!! LOL it was so funny seeing this 5’2” big kid riding around the lobby on the stick horse. Of course his brothers thought that was just great.

Anyway, by the time desserts came out the little boys were getting pretty antsy and it was time to get going. Unfortunately, as we left the lodge my DS11 somehow got up too far ahead and I couldn’t find him for 10 minutes, so we freaked out a bit but eventually we found him just outside the entrance – crisis averted!:)

So WCC lived up to our hopes, it was a wonderfully loud place with lots of rambunctious fun just right for four boys and their mom. Honestly, it ended up being our favorite meal of the trip and I was exhausted but SO glad that I went ahead and took them. So yeah, WCC alone with the 4 boys was a dining delight and one night that we won’t soon forget. :love:

[linanglab]

I am SOOO glad you had a good time. Too bad your DH didn't want to go. Sounds like he missed out on a great memory! But what memories for a Mom and her boys!

We have never gone there, but maybe next time. I never really wanted to, but after your report, I am thinking it would be fun. We like goofy, silly things, so maybe it is right up our alley!

[Hedy]

Sounds like a great time! (Wow, DS11 is tall).

[LuvMyBoys]

I am SOOO glad you had a good time. Too bad your DH didn't want to go. Sounds like he missed out on a great memory! But what memories for a Mom and her boys!

We have never gone there, but maybe next time. I never really wanted to, but after your report, I am thinking it would be fun. We like goofy, silly things, so maybe it is right up our alley!

It really was a lot of fun and my boys are really into western stuff so it worked out great. We will probably go for breakfast next time and give that a try.

Unfortunately, it seems like a lot of the experience is dependent on whether or not you get a decent server. My sister went last week and she had a terrible server and so not such a good time.:(

Anyway, if you guys like loud/silly/corny then it might be a good place to try! :)

[LuvMyBoys]

Sounds like a great time! (Wow, DS11 is tall).

It was a really good time, the boys still talk about and can't wait to go back next year!

DS11 is already 5'2", the same height as me!!! And he already wears a size 10 in mens shoes!!

DH is only 5'6", so DS11 should be passing him in the next few years too! Must be all the churros! :rotfl:

[LuvMyBoys]

So after our wonderful experience at WCC, we headed back to the hotel to finish packing up. DH had done a load of laundry which cost him $6 to do, which didn’t manage to dry quite all the way, and which all had to be re-washed when we got home. Good times.

We generously shared our WCC take home with DH and told him what a wonderful time we had. He was disappointed that he missed it. Served him right. Just kidding. Maybe.

Anyway, we had an 8am flight the next morning. Ouch. But it was the only flight we could get so we went to bed by 10pm to prepare for a 5am wake up.

5am came way too early and DH and I got up to get everything in the van and start getting the kids ready. We managed to leave the hotel by 6am. Checked out and headed out of WDW by 6:15am.

Ok, guess what? NEVER try to get gas on the way to MCO from WDW. Apparently there are no gas stations before the airport unless you get off of the toll road and onto the local streets. Which we didn’t know and which you probably wouldn’t do if you were thinking about how close your flight time was.:headache:

And, make sure you have the correct change for the tolls. There is one that is like 50cents and must have correct change ONLY. So yeah, we were digging for change in the early morning hours and sweating about our flight.

So we make it to MCO at 6:45, with only ½ tank of gas in the rental. I was basically almost in tears at this point. That meant 10 gallons of gas at $8.50 a gallon. Ouch!! Usually I always pre-purchase the full tank but didn’t this time because I knew we wouldn’t use a whole tank. See where my cheapness got me??:(

So anyway, we hauled the 10 bags, 4 kids, 1 stroller, 1 big ole’ carseat and 1 darn guitar out of the rental and headed inside. At the counter I turned in the keys and tears welled up as the attendant told me how much the gas charge would be. In what was a small miracle, the attendant took pity on me and changed the charges so that I only had to pay $45 extra. Nice lady.:angel:

So one small crisis averted, one huge crisis looming. It was 7am and we had to make our flight. We flew up the stairs dragging all or crap behind us and raced down to the Spirit gates only to be greeted with………..lines at check in as long as the line at McDonald’s on free coffee day and moving twice as slow!! :confused:

[LuvMyBoys]

So we got into line and waited…….and waited. The line was not moving. Spirit has installed new “self check in” kiosks in most airports, what a joke!! No one knew what in the world they were doing and Spirit had only 2 people staffing the area!!

Why were we not better prepared you ask? Well we did try, however, the online boarding passes for Spirit that I had printed out were not acceptable. Spirit had recently changed computer systems so nothing from their site was working. And we had the matter of the two gate check items so there was that too.

What to do?? It was 7:10 and at this point we were really starting to contemplate the fact that we were going to miss our flight. Six tickets down the drain and trying to figure out a new way to get home, ARRGHH!!:(

Luckily, my husband heard the people behind us say “Let’s just go outside and check in and pay the $2 a bag”. So he went outside to check it out. He came in and grabbed us and all of our stuff and we went outside to check in. No lines there!! The attendant allowed us to check in and printed our boarding passes for us even though we actually didn’t have any checked bags (hence no $2/bag fee). I’m not sure if he was supposed to allow that or not, but can I tell you how grateful I was that he did??

So boarding passes in hand and gate check items tagged, we went back inside and hustled down to the boarding gates. Only to find that the security at MCO was a nightmare!!! The lines were ridiculously long and took FOREVER to get through.

So we finally get up to the screening area and load all of the bags and crap up onto the belt and start working our way through one at a time. We made it through and I pulled off to the side to get the kids shoes and grab all of them.

Where is DH? We were ready to hop on the shuttle thing to the gates but DH was no where to be found. Guess who left a bottle of rubbing alcohol in his carry on? And then guess who had DS11’s bag which DS11 had put 2 drink pouches in? And guess who was trying to wrestle with his guitar and 3 bags? Yup, DH.:headache:

We literally almost left him there at security to fend for himself (would have served him right after the WCC thing….kidding!) but finally he bounded over to the tram thing and we all got on board and headed to our gate. With only 20 minutes left to get to our gate before our flight left!!!:confused:

We ran all the way to our gate and did make it on time, though and were the last people to board the plane. Which meant we got to troop through the full plane with all of our crap and lugging the car seat. It was fun, quite the spectacle for everyone on board to enjoy. But we made it!!! That was the closest I have ever been to missing a flight and I never want to get that close again!

So we all breathed a little easier as we snapped our seatbelts and prepared for the ride home. The flight home was very smooth and passed quickly. The kids were all good but of course they didn’t sleep at all, big surprise. We came home to a beautiful fall day. It was truly the only time that we have ever left Florida weather and arrived home to better weather. It was a nice change and it definitely made it a little bit easier to come home. :)

Up next, concluding thoughts and lessons learned.

[Kycha]

Curbside check in is great isn't it? We do it all the time and have never had more than 2 people in line ahead of us. It is well worth the tip, just to avoid that line inside.

And MCO's security gate is the worst I have ever seen. It doesn't matter what time of the day we go through there, it is always backed up with people. I would love to know why.

[mjjmbnmm]

I've been to mco at least a dozen times and have never had trouble at the security gate, I don't think it's ever taken more then 5 min., but we usally fly out late., don't know if that makes a difference.

[linanglab]

It was a really good time, the boys still talk about and can't wait to go back next year!

DS11 is already 5'2", the same height as me!!! And he already wears a size 10 in mens shoes!!

DH is only 5'6", so DS11 should be passing him in the next few years too! Must be all the churros! :rotfl:

I should fee my boys churos! My almost 13 year old is only 4'9", I think. I am a little over 5 foot and DH is about 5'9". They won't be tall, but it would be nice if they were at least as tall as DH! My oldest is by far the shortest in his class. You should have seen him on the Jr. High football team. He was so tiny! I feel bad for him as his goal in life is to be an NBA star.....I just tell him work hard, work hard.

[bbangel]

My dad was the shortest kid in his class all through high school. He ended up being 6 foot 3!

[linanglab]

My dad was the shortest kid in his class all through high school. He ended up being 6 foot 3!


I will share that with my DS. He will appreciate that. Give him some hope!

[LuvMyBoys]

Okay, so I know I finished my trip report months ago but I did promise to post the lessons we learned. Plus I miss writing about the trip and reliving the memories.

So here it goes:

1 - If coffee is important to you – bring your own coffee pot and supplies!! We simply do not function without coffee. And the coffee at Disney is notoriously bad and for good reason. We bought a desperation cup while at MK and only drank about 1/3 of it before we had to pitch it, it’s just gross.

My advice for those staying at values without coffee pots– go to Target (or the mass merchandiser of your choice) in Orlando and pick up a cheap coffee pot for $10. We bought the pot, filters, coffee, and creamer and our total cost was about $17. We used it all week and probably spent less than if we had bought coffees every day and it tasted MUCH better. The expense was SO worth it for us and made the trip much more enjoyable. If you were a true “super saver” you would buy the cheap coffee pot for $5 on Black Friday and then use it for Disney – you would be the envy of budgeteers and have my eternal admiration!! :p

I was planning on just leaving the coffee pot in the room, figuring housekeeping could keep it or trash it – but something cool happened which I will talk about later.

2- Really consider whether skipping the cost of a rental car is the best option. I can totally see how a rental car is unnecessary for people staying 7-10 days and not venturing offsite much. But in our experience it makes things cheaper and less stressful to actually have the rental car. We got a great deal off the DIS transportation board so it didn’t cost a whole lot and it just made the trip SO much better for us.

There are a couple of reasons for this – 1) I don’t like riding the buses. I don’t like the “people watching”, the close quarters, the smells, and above all I don’t like all of the vacation time that it wastes. I want to go when we are ready and go directly to where I want to be. 2) I like to be able to go offsite and shop at Target for essentials that I don’t want to pack (namely diapers, wipes) and for bottled water, juice boxes, snacks, etc. 3) I also enjoy the ability to go to other places in Orlando if we would like to (Character Warehouse, Sweet Tomatoes, and other places we don’t have at home). 4) I like being able to get to the airport on my timetable, not Magical Express’s timetable. I don’t particularly care for sitting in the airport for hours with the kids. Although I know you are all rolling your eyes thinking “And who almost missed their plane??” LOL :rotfl:

3 – You can take family members and have a good time. WHAT??? What family members? That wasn’t in the report??

Surprise!! My parents were actually on the trip with us. But that wasn’t in the report, why?? Because they did their own separate trip while staying with us. That’s right, no TS meals together, no parks together, no babysitting for us while we went out. We just saw each other each night when we got back in, discussed our days, swam in the pools, enjoyed some time together at DTD.

And you know what?? It worked out GREAT!!
My parents didn’t feel like they “had” to offer to watch the kids for us or to go to a park – instead they just relaxed and enjoyed Orlando and had lots of great TS dinners.

It worked out great for us too as the kids were better behaved with their grandparents around and it was great fun for them to go swimming with Grandpa or down to the food court with Grandma. So yes, Virginia, taking your family members with you to Disney can be a good experience!

4 – Buy bottled water and bring flavor packets for the kids. Saves money and whining – enough said.

5- Don’t believe everything you read. Opinions are like……. Okay, you know how it goes. ;) And not everyone is going to have the same experience, even in the same place. So are value rooms too small, with tiny beds, loud toilets, and with buildings miles away from the main building/food court??? Should I really avoid them like the plague?

Honestly we liked All Stars Movies for what it is - a value resort with a nice pool and great theming. The rooms aren’t huge but they are very clean and cute. The beds are completely fine for those of us who sleep on full size beds. The toilets have nice flushing power, is that a bad thing? The showers also have great water pressure which is certainly a good thing. And we stayed in the last Herbie building and our walk to the food court was maybe 5 minutes at the most and a very pleasant walk at that. So your results may vary, but that’s our experience.

6- Enjoy the unexpected magic moments of Disney. There were little magic moments that happened when we least expected them. Like when DS3 saw the actual Herbie car for the first time, he ran up and gave it a hug. He “finally found Herbie”. Or when DS4 conquered Splash Mountain, he was so incredibly proud of himself. Or when DS4 burst into tears at Space Mountain because he missed the height requirement by ½ an inch, and the CM made his day by giving him a special “space certificate” for when we go next time and promised that they would take him right to the front of the line! Or when DS4 whipped us all at Buzz’s Spin, he still talks about that!! “Hey Mom, can you believe I beat everyone at Buzz Lightyear’s?” Those are the little things that made the trip memorable and magical for us. The things that keep us going back for more.

Now for another “magic moment” that happened after we left. We ended up having to leave a day earlier than my parents b/c of our flight schedule. So after we left I felt pretty bad about the dozen or so water bottles, coffee and pot, juice boxes, and snacks that were going to be tossed. I really hate to waste stuff and I mentioned that to my Mom when they got home.

“Don’t worry none of it went to waste” she replied. What?? Okay what did she do, cram it all into her checked baggage?? Nope. My dad is a talker, a real people person. He’s just like DS11, they can start up a conversation with anyone and find out the person’s life story in 20 minutes!!

So on the last night at the hotel my Dad was down by the food court to get a refill in his mug, but it was closed. A couple of guys were there too and asked him if he knew anywhere else they could get something to drink. They had just spent the day driving in and they needed some water/juice for their kids and wives. The guys were really down because they had not anticipated how much everything was going to cost at Disney and they were wondering how they were going to make it through the vacation with the prices on food and drinks.

My Dad told them not to worry about buying drinks, he had a bunch left in the room that they were going to be tossing. So the guys gave them their room number (6 people in one room, Yikes!!) and my Dad brought them the water bottles, coffee pot and coffee, juice boxes, soda, snacks, and ½ a bottle of Jack’s and ½ a bottle of Bailey’s (those were my parents, my Dad doesn’t have a vacation without a Jack and Coke).

The men and their families were completely overwhelmed that someone would just give strangers all of that stuff. They were very, very thankful and thanked my Dad numerous times and said he helped to save their vacation.

Insert “Do You Believe in Magic?” song here. :wizard:

Again thanks to all of you guys for reading and commenting, it made the TR much more fun.

[SunshineGirl]

So on the last night at the hotel my Dad was down by the food court to get a refill in his mug, but it was closed. A couple of guys were there too and asked him if he knew anywhere else they could get something to drink. They had just spent the day driving in and they needed some water/juice for their kids and wives. The guys were really down because they had not anticipated how much everything was going to cost at Disney and they were wondering how they were going to make it through the vacation with the prices on food and drinks.

My Dad told them not to worry about buying drinks, he had a bunch left in the room that they were going to be tossing. So the guys gave them their room number (6 people in one room, Yikes!!) and my Dad brought them the water bottles, coffee pot and coffee, juice boxes, soda, snacks, and ½ a bottle of Jack’s and ½ a bottle of Bailey’s (those were my parents, my Dad doesn’t have a vacation without a Jack and Coke).


This part just made me cry!!!!! It is so perfect!!

[LuvMyBoys]

This part just made me cry!!!!! It is so perfect!!

It was the perfect ending, I was so happy when my Mom told me about it! I got all teary-eyed too! :)

There is nothing better than helping people who actually need help and are appreciative of it!

[linanglab]

Thanks for completing your report - not that it wasn't complete before. It is so nice to go back and relive a bit of the magic. I sure missed reading your report. You need to go back to WDW so I can read another report! It was so good!

[bbangel]

Glad that he managed to find people who could really appreciate it. :sunshine2: Although you know what some would say about having 6 people in a room! :rotfl:

[LuvMyBoys]

Thanks for completing your report - not that it wasn't complete before. It is so nice to go back and relive a bit of the magic. I sure missed reading your report. You need to go back to WDW so I can read another report! It was so good!


I want to go back too!! :angel: However, I don't see a trip in our future until at least January, 2009 :(

So I just have to live vicariously through other trip reports :)

[LuvMyBoys]

Glad that he managed to find people who could really appreciate it. Although you know what some would say about having 6 people in a room! :rotfl:

I wouldn't post that on the Dis, I'm sure it would bring on an avalanche of comments on how people should plan better, shouldn't take trips they can't afford, shouldn't put 6 in a room, etc. :rolleyes:

It was their first trip to Disney and if that's the only way they could afford it...well, that's their business. IMO :)

The funny thing about my Dad is he wasn't even looking for someone to give the stuff to, it just happened. To me those are the most magical things of all!! :sunshine:

[coastalgirl]

How sweet of your dad to give it all to them!

[pbhall13]

love the moments that are unexpected........I had a 'moment' a few years ago..........it was our last day of our trip and we had a few extra counter service meals left on the dining plan. I knew we would be using 2 up, but still had 3 left........I hate waste.........so when we were at the resort ordering the girls a meal I bumped into a women (from California) that we kept bumping into at the bus stop and chatted with her and her 2 children quite a few times........she was such a nice woman.......so I told her that the meals she was going to get were 'on me'.........I explained I had the leftover CS meals and she was floored that I would be so kind to do that..........I was glad to do it.....why waste her money when I was leaving anyway and the 3 CS left would have gone to waste......she gave me a big hug and wished me a safe trip home..........I felt really good about spontaneously doing this, but mainly it felt good to just pass on some kindness to a person who was very friendly and appreciated the deed..............I now try to do that on all of our trips if we have leftover CS's........it is so unexpected by the recipients and I know how much that gesture would mean to me.

Glad your dad made that families day!!!

[LuvMyBoys]

love the moments that are unexpected........I had a 'moment' a few years ago..........it was our last day of our trip and we had a few extra counter service meals left on the dining plan. I knew we would be using 2 up, but still had 3 left........I hate waste.........so when we were at the resort ordering the girls a meal I bumped into a women (from California) that we kept bumping into at the bus stop and chatted with her and her 2 children quite a few times........she was such a nice woman.......so I told her that the meals she was going to get were 'on me'.........I explained I had the leftover CS meals and she was floored that I would be so kind to do that..........I was glad to do it.....why waste her money when I was leaving anyway and the 3 CS left would have gone to waste......she gave me a big hug and wished me a safe trip home..........I felt really good about spontaneously doing this, but mainly it felt good to just pass on some kindness to a person who was very friendly and appreciated the deed..............I now try to do that on all of our trips if we have leftover CS's........it is so unexpected by the recipients and I know how much that gesture would mean to me.

Glad your dad made that families day!!!

That's so cool!! :) I wish we could have done that with our leftover CS credits, but we didn't plan far enough ahead.

I did try to give away a tray of unopened frozen lemonades at Pizzafari to a family but they looked at me like I had lobsters crawling from my ears! :confused:

[pbhall13]

That's so cool!! :) I wish we could have done that with our leftover CS credits, but we didn't plan far enough ahead.

I did try to give away a tray of unopened frozen lemonades at Pizzafari to a family but they looked at me like I had lobsters crawling from my ears! :confused:

That made me laugh (the lobster part)........I figured this woman and I ha