My Late May TR..late & abbreviated..deal with it!

[sweetpee_1993]

Okay. So this is my 2nd ever WDW trip report. After the screaming success of my 1st TR (see my signature) I did a report for a short 4 day getaway I had in early May to north Georgia to attend the annual gathering of the Cabbage Patch Collector's Club (for the handmade all soft sculpture originals, not the vinyl head versions that were massed produced starting in the early 80s). The event is always held near the birthplace of the Cabbages, about and hour or so north of Atlanta. Yes, there really is a Babyland General Hospital and Mother Cabbages and you can really see a Cabbage Patch baby being born. Have I mentioned I have yet to grow up? I'm still a little girl trapped in this old person's body.



But I digress...anywhoo...with the Georgia trip report being yet another success with the online club/forum I've been active with for going on 10 years now you can well imagine that I had big plans and major ambitions for the late May trip I went on to WDW. The whole thing ended up going straight out the window, tho. I feel like such a failure. So this will be my quite late and highly abbreviated trippie. It beats nothing. For those who don't like it, well, to friggin' bad. You'll have to just deal with it.

Onward & Upward


The players were:

Me. 35 yro married mom of 2 boys ages 11 & 13. Little sister to Jerry. Aunt Kelly to Sydney & Sarah. WDW freak, planner extraordinaire, and fairly well-seasoned WDW adventurer. I'm definitely no noob to the joint.

Jerry. My 36 yro big brother by 18 months (Mom & Dad worked fast). Divorced daddy to 2 princesses: Sydney & Sarah. Fresh WDW freak, afflicted since January this year. Still feeling his away around da' World.

We were such cool Disney kids:



Sydney. My 12 yro niece, firstborn daughter to my big brother. Gifted ballerina who has even danced in New York City. Often silent but very thoughtful and sweet. Shorter than her little sister. First timer to my beloved WDW. Disney dreamer and WDW freak-in-training.

Sarah. My 10 yro niece, baby daughter to my big brother. I was actually invited into the delivery room for her birth which was totally an incredible moment to behold. Super sweet & cuddly. Taller than her big sister. First timer to my beloved WDW. Disney dreamer and WDW freak-in-training.


This was quite an adventure. Here goes:

I should start this story with when the bad news began the week before we were to depart on our journey. My hubby came home from work sick with fever & cold symptoms. 1/2 his office was deathly ill with this icky stuff. Both my boys got sick, too, although not near as bad as their dad. I was hoping beyond hope to avoid getting the crud. Just when I thought I had eeked by without catching the cooties....departure day arrived (Friday, May 22nd) and I woke up with a killer sore throat & lots of drainage. I could've choked those idiots at DH's office who don't have courtesy enough for their coworkers to stay home when they're sick. Grrr!

Jerry and I packed up the car & pulled out for Monroeville, Alabama where our parents live. It's an 8 or so hour drive from my house in Texas. We spent Friday night at our parents' house. By the time we got to bed that night I felt downright rough. Saturday morning I woke up fully aware that I was well on my way to being the big sicky. I felt awful but couldn't let it slow me down. We switched out vehicles from my Mazda3 hatchback to Mom's Jeep Liberty (I still think the Jeep is much more uncomfortable than the Mazda but neither are good for long trips). We drove an hour and a half to Andalusia, Alabama to see Sydney perform in the ballet company's big Spring Showcase and pick up the girls. Here's some pics I took on the way because the weather was so beautiful, there's not a dang thing to look at on those stupid country highways (I loathed living in small town Alabama) and I was still so mesmerized by the most awesome pedicure I've ever friggin' had:



The awesomest pedicure ever:




I also have to mention that the ballet totally rocked. I knew in my mind that Syd is a gifted dancer but I was still blown away. She has fantastic stage presence and shines in her performances. The classical ballet was beautiful. But the jazz or modern performance was the cat's meow. I swear to you, I have seen it all now that I've seen my niece moonwalk across a stage. I was out of my seat screamin' for her. It rocked!

So after the ballet it was time to hit the highway bound for Gainesville, Florida. Here's the girls post ballet with Sydney on the left wearing what she calls her "hideous make-up" and Sarah:

[sweetpee_1993]

We made it to our hotel in Gainesville very late. I don't know what time it was. I slept as much as I could on the way. I felt like dog-doo. I was just ready for bed. No pics. No details. Just meds & sleep. Get used to that theme. It takes over.

Sunday, May 24th was arrival day. We stayed at the Polynesian in a first floor Tokelau garden view room. It was great. The bed was comfy. We all laid down and slept a good while before heading out for dinner. It was raining. Not the 1st look at WDW we had hoped for for my nieces.

Here's a pic for the record books. While waiting on the platform for the monorail Sarah was really, really scared. Seriously. This kid was struggling not to freak out. Here's where I feel like jerk of the century now. I explained to her that there was nothing to be scared of because there were too many safety systems in place to allow the monorails to crash or for anyone to get hurt. I told her all the stuff I knew about the MAPO system, etc. Little did I know a little more than a month later I'd be proven terribly wrong.




So it was drizzling as we walked the girls up Main Street for the 1st time. They were distracted with their umbrellas and the crowds. We stopped on the street by the entrance to the Confectionary. Jerry & I both looked at them and said, "Well?" They both looked at us like: what? We pointed to the castle and that's when it happened. Sydney burst into tears. Sarah was in a daze. The moment was gone as soon as it started because the sky opened up & stole it from us. We all rushed into the Confectionary to escape the deluge.

Dinner was at CRT. The food was good and the girls enjoyed meeting Cindy even tho I'm still not convinced this was an evil doppleganger of the sweet angelic version we can't help but love:




After dinner was the girl's 1st ride (with the exception of the monorail). Dinner and a hurl..I mean a whirl.. LOL!




I know we did other stuff but I was sick and note-taking wasn't happening. I was doing good to snap the photos and video that I did still managing to keep moving.

Here's my highest ever score on Buzz Lightyear. I had to take a pic or my boys would never have believed me. I totally stink at this game most of the time:




And a pic of the girls getting their 1st taste of Wishes with their daddy. I snapped this pic then cried for the rest of the show. WDW is so full of happy memories with my own family. I was sick, weepy, and missed my guys so, so much.




We were in the MK until like 2am. I loved being there that late. It's never open this late when we're there. So that was different and cool. Again, we did lots of stuff and covered the majority of the park but I didn't take notes so I can't give ya anymore than this. Sorry.

Thankfully, I went to bed and got some much-needed sleep.

[sweetpee_1993]

We were out so late that we couldn't help but sleep in. We slept past our Kona breakfast ressie but still made it there before breakfast was gone. I needed some Tonga Toast in the worst way. I was still feeling icky and sick. My voice was all messed up. Breakfast was good. No pics. Did I mention that's going to happen a lot during this trip?

After the bestest WDW breakfast IMO we headed to...guess...here's a hint:




Wow! You're one smart cookie! We did a whole bunch of stuff...blahblahblah...including this big fav:




Dinner was at Biergarten which has steadily become less good. Maybe we were just too hot and tired. I know at some point in the day it rained. It was hot. And there were a LOT more people than I'm used to seeing in the parks. I still felt like crappola. Yes, I whine. Get over it. I think we stayed for Illuminations. I dunno. Can't remember. We saw it like twice during the trip but I can't remember which nights. I know I went to bed and it was heavenly.

[sweetpee_1993]

We were up & at 'em early for rope drop at DHS. Nope, I still didn't feel any better. The crud continued to fester. My voice was shot. When the rope dropped we were in the TSMM herd. Jerry was the 2nd guy to put our tickets/pass in the Fastpass machine and joined us in line. We rode with a short wait on standby then went to do some other stuff. I don't know what we did in what order but we did a lot of attractions including this beauty:




I wish I had the ToT ride photo scanned. Jerry has it. I need to remember to get it from him. The girl's 1st ride was sooooo dang funny. Sydney & Sarah both have expressions of absolute imminent-death terror while Jerry & I look like we're on our ump-teenth rockin' ride with big happy whoopin-n-hollerin faces. The contrast of expression is pricelss. Both the girls loved it, tho.

Mid-day we did our nap. Thank God. I needed the rest so bad. When it was time to head for dinner at 1900 Park Fare it was, of course, pouring rain outside. 1900's dinner was new to me so I was really curious on this one. Here's some pics with commentary:

If only the weather in the picture was what we had outside:



I've got a pretty good meany-mommy look, too. Trust me. It's well-practiced:



The girls had just watched and enjoyed Anastasia & Drizella's tongue-sticking slapping fight. They wanted to show Anastasia that they understood her plight:



Drizella & I hit it off. I mean, I know what it's like to be the little sister in the shadow of their older sibling's successes...



I asked Drizella to show the girls what to do to get the very best pic they could with her. She was so excited to be able to show us her very best pose. Soooo, Drizella told the girls to get down on their hands and knees and scrub the floor like Cinderella does. Then we got her very best pose:



While we waited the 10 year wait for the check (which happened a loooot during this trip) the girls wanted a pic of Jerry and me together. Here's a highlight for ya. Some things never change.




We were supposed to go to a park after dinner but it was still pouring down rain and there was no way I was going out in that. You summer vets may be thinking "what a wuss" but we don't get a lot of rain on our trips because we go when there's not a lot of that stuff going on. Plus, I was already sick. I didn't need to make it worse.

We checked out the shops and explored the GF and Contemporary. I was so sad and teary at the Contemporary. That's where my family and I stayed for our last 2 family trips. I missed my own babies and my bestest Disney buddy so much...

I think we went to bed at a decent time. I couldn't get enough sleep. I soooo wanted to strangle those jerks at my hubby's office.

[sweetpee_1993]

Yep. I still felt like death-on-a-stick. I made more effort this day, tho. I'm impressed. Or maybe we just hit up more Photopass photographers. LOL!

It was early breakfast morning at the Crystal Palace. The pre-opening walk up Main Street is a huuuuge highlight of any WDW trip for me. Here's the pics with comments:

The girls making memories hand-in-hand. Okay. So I was documenting a moment that they weren't arguing or fighting. Just kiddin!




I told Goofy I'd give him a little smooch *only* if he promised not to tell my hubby. I'm a happily married woman, ya know.




Sydney, on the other hand, is single and available. Her daddy says she's not allowed to date until she's at least 32 but the way she put the moves on Goofy I think she'll bag a real keeper sooner than that.




Sarah spent some time hangin' with her girl, Minnie. They got along famously. Even Roy thought so.




"See that little window up there by the top? Yeah. That's where the jacuzzi is. That other window is the game room."




Sarah & Minnie strike a pose:




Sydney get's goofy with who else but Goofy:




Even newbies should capture the moment of noobness:

[sweetpee_1993]

Daddy and his girls. I love these random shots. They capture what it is to be there. Jerry dreamed of bringing his girls to the land of magic and the girls dreamed of being where anything is possible. All 3 of them had their dreams come true. How blessed was I to be there to witness it?




Sydney & Sarah's nurseries were decorated in Pooh characters when they were babies. Meeting Pooh & his friends was special.




Disney World rocks!




I managed a smile and a cool pose. I love this picture spot.




I told the girls how pictures with random CMs can be oober fun. We found this pair in front of the Jungle Cruise just after park opening. The guy plopped his hat on Syd's head and the result was exactly what I said it would be: random fun!




Some hours later we had returned to BTMRR for our fastpass time. Here's a pic of the all new not-so-fast-fastpass line. ((J/K. The line was long but it was steady movement so it went fast.))




After we got off BTMRR I spotted this CM and approached him to ask a question. I've been looking for the hidden Tink at the exit for 3 years with no luck. I couldn't take it. I had to ask where it was. Here's me w/my hero who enlightened me with the obvious yet obscure hidden Tink:




Sometime later we were on our way out for our afternoon nap and cool down. ((Did I mention it was friggin' hot during this trip??)) The girls made a stop at The Chapeau for their 1st Ears.



And, mercifully, it was crash-n-nap time for the sickest of them all. ((Not really. I've done Disney far sicker but I gotta whine whenever I can. LOL!))

[sweetpee_1993]

After a much needed and appreciated nap it was time for dinner at Ohana. While we waited for our table Jerry was a good big brother and fetched his little sis some refreshment. What goes better with cold meds than a tart Lapu Lapu? I don't know where the bartender came from but he was generous with the 151. I think the 1st drinky-drink was all liquor. I mentioned the ickiness of it to our waitor so he brought me another less-brutal-but-still-tart version. I mixed the 2, poured 'em back, and muscled thru both. I don't drink very often anymore. Can ya tell?




Trust me, I wasn't sloppy or anything. We had kids with us, for cryin' out loud!

When we went downstairs to head for the buses we happened upon a Photopass guy set up in the lobby to do portrait-type shots by the atrium waterfall. How cool is that?




We headed over to DHS for some night time fun. The tourist ghosts were pretty scary!




I guess I was pretty wiped out because I didn't do a lot in the way of pics or anything. Notes. You still aren't thinking I did any of that, are ya? I'm pretty sure we had a blast, whatever we did. I don't think it rained. And it was less hot. LOL!

[sweetpee_1993]

Yep. It finally happened. I hit the proverbial wall. After all the days of pushing on despite my cooties that trickled down to me from the inconsiderate jerks at my hubby's office who like to work sick instead of keep their germies at home (()) I could no longer push. I had to rest. We had early ADRs at Tusker House at AK. When my alarm went off I grabbed another cocktail o'cold meds, woke Jerry up, and told him he'd have to go it alone for the morning session. I had to rest. I made sure he knew where to go and how to get there....no, not the usual h-e-double-hockey-sticks I'm tellin him to go to. I crashed. He took care of getting the girls up, ready, and out the door in time to make it the ADR with not a lick of help from me. Even with all the movement in the room I slept like the dead. Maybe I was dead. I dunno. I felt like it. Heck, I wished for it. ((Yes, more whining.)) So here's a few pics I found on the photopass minus me from the morning AK adventure:




The Yeti is coming!




I woke up at like noonish, got dressed, and headed to the GCH in search of grub. I went straight to my favorite: Kona Cafe. I had a sandwich of some sort and coffee. This was my 1st ever solo meal at WDW and it felt weird. I was afraid people were looking at me like "she must have some serious cooties to be all alone". Normally I could give a rats you-know-what what people think of me but I felt almost like I was sitting there completely naked without someone..anyone..there to talk to. It was just odd.

After I ate I did all the laundry and the gang returned. They rested up a bit then we headed to DTD. We ate dinner at TRex. This was my 2nd experience here and it was great just like last time. We did some shopping before going somewhere else but I have no clue where. Or maybe we didn't. I dunno. I didn't take notes and have no pictures showing us anywhere else. Oh well.

Here's my single photo contribution for the DTD afternoon:

[sweetpee_1993]

This was a super early morning. We had early ADRs for the princess breakfast at Akershus and I must've washed my hair to need extra time to get ready. Anywhoo, here goes:

I loooove Beauty & the Beast. It reminds me of the small, narrow-minded town I lived in when I met my hubby and how everyone I knew questioned why I would give what they considered a "nobody" the time of day (he wasn't from there and they didn't know him). I always saw my sweetheart for the incredible man that he is regardless of what others thought. So here I am mustering a smile while thinking about how much I miss my Sweetness.




More B&B characters. I love Flower & Garden.




Wait up, y'all!




Our arrival in Norway (it was a long, exhausting trip there...J/K!)):




Princess Jerry strikes his best Princess Pose as we're all getting in the spirit for our impending character meal:




It's all about Belle...and princesses...




Redheads rock. I'm partial.




She has legs! No, not mine. That's too obvious. Ariel does! This is the 1st time I ever met Ariel. Tracey was jealous. He likes redheads a lot, too. Good thing for me, huh?




After breakfast we walked around a bit. We snapped this pic for my oldest, Chandler, who looooves Stitch. All you Stitch-haters out there are just gonna have to deal with it. My kid likes the little abomination!




On our way out I spotted the Jammitors under a new name for F&G setting up a whole slew of new equipment. I have their entire performance on video and it rocks. Here's my rock star pose with the guys after their set:

[sweetpee_1993]

The early morning took it's toll on more than just me this time. Here's the monorail ride back to the TTC:




It was a veeery early morning and Sydney is no more of a morning person than me:




After a good rest and a cool shower we headed back to Epcot. On the way back in I found my babies on the LaL wall. I heart my babies:




Where are they? There they are! Brian & Chandler circa 2004:




At some point we realized the girls hadn't yet sampled the wonders of the legendary Beverly. We hit the Cool Zone for the girls to partake of the unforgettable Italian flavor. Make sure to watch all the way to the end because Sydney sums it up perfectly for us. Click to view:

http://s228.photobucket.com/albums/e...eBeverly-1.flv


The girls and I got a little Mendi going on in Morroco before dinner at LeCellier.




The Big-O (that's OMG...where is your brain??) on a plate. When I die & go to heaven this is on my list of foods that need to be waiting for me:

[obrienIII]

Hey little sis! I want to thank you again for sharing my girl's 1st trip, even though you were under the weather.( no pun intended since we all were rained on each day) Just wanted to offer to finish the report,w/ your help of course, since I have better notes stored in my memories? Call me

[sweetpee_1993]

I guess we hopped over to the MK because these photos were filed for this day. I'm tellin' you, without taking notes my memories are all jumbled.

Living it up with da Magic!



What would a not-up-to-par girl do without Photopass???




Hey! It's LGMs! Whooooooaaaa.....




There were really 8 dwarves...




The dalmations enjoy a good mobster flick:




Followed by the animated feature "Dopey Overbakes"




Again, we did a whole bunch of stuff but I couldn't tell ya what. Here's something I know we did: The Fairies Meet!






I'm fairly sure we were out late but I don't really know. I can't remember.

[sweetpee_1993]

Originally Posted by obrienIII

Hey little sis! I want to thank you again for sharing my girl's 1st trip, even though you were under the weather.( no pun intended since we all were rained on each day) Just wanted to offer to finish the report,w/ your help of course, since I have better notes stored in my memories? Call me

Dude, I'm almost done with what I've got. Feel free to add on or elaborate. I'm just tryin' to stay awake long enough to finish my hazy, medicated version.

[obrienIII]

Nice to have internet again, after the stay at Gramma's hugh? Night owls that we are!!!

You are doing a nice job with the report considering the meds you were on, but if you can show me how to add photos, I think it would be quite cool to add to what you have along with another perspective.

[sweetpee_1993]

I don't know if we slept in. Seems like we didn't kill ourselves to get out and about super early.

First stop: Chef Mickeys! I love the new photo op area!




Then it was on to Animal Kingdom. Look! Girls Gone Wild!!!!!




Us in our custom Cutie shirts. Jerry was such a trooper to wear one, too:




Have I mentioned I'm not into the funky-old-shoe smell of the water on water rides? While Jerry & the girls hit up Kali I wandered over to this Photopass lady then had an iced green tea from the coffee/tea stand in Asia:




Which way now? I know! Exit!




We took a cab over to the Yacht Club just for something to do. It was soooo hot we didn't want to wait for a bus anywhere. We waited 45 minutes for a booth in Beaches & Creams to have an early dinner. Here's the girls being sweet:




We all had a little something to eat to call dinner just so we could order the dessert of champions:




The Kitchen Sink. I love this thing. Notice the smiling faces:




Post-sink....it hurts me just looking at this:




We needed to walk around a bit after that mammoth ice cream. Here's the last WDW sunset. It sure was pretty.