"It's time to wake up! We're here!"

journ116 · Dec 2, 2012

This trip went through so many transformations, that by the end, little was left the same as when it started:

RESORT: Here's how this went down:
-began as a party of 6, so I reserved 2 studios at OKW
-travel party increased by 3, so I hoped for a 3-bedroom Tree House Villa at Saratoga
-settled for a 2-bedroom at OKW
-later, I split our stay between OKW & AK-KV
-finalized a split-stay between AK-KV & BLT with only 30 days to go!

The reason for so many changes, beside being obsessive-compulsive in regards to planning, was that we were fortunate enough to be able to buy more DVC points! The very same day we purchased the points, BLT opened up, which aligned perfectly with the end of our theoretical itinerary.

However, our stay at AK-KV was split: 3 nights on points, 1 night on cash, followed by 1 night on points (for the life of me, I could not secure Sat., 11/3, on points!!!!). This made for some confusing room key usage!

Here are some photos from our resorts (check out YouTube for some excellent videos of these resorts):

DSC_0168 by journ116, on Flickr
*living room (ended up moving the twin-sized sleeper into the master)

DSC_0164 by journ116, on Flickr
*master bath

DSC_0577 by journ116, on Flickr
*view from our standard-view room

DSC_0137 by journ116, on Flickr
*Bay Lake Tower

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*living room (sorry it's so dark)

DSC_0789 by journ116, on Flickr
*master bedroom

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*moved the sleeper chair into our room...we weren't about to give up the master bathroom

DSC_0788 by journ116, on Flickr
*view from our lake-view room

DSC_0784 by journ116, on Flickr
*2nd bedroom (2 queen-sized beds)...sorry it's dark again

DSC_0785 by journ116, on Flickr
*2nd bedroom bathroom

FLIGHT: Here's how this fell down:
-gung-ho on driving the 1100 mi. (20 hours with stops)

-reality set in, and booked 2 itineraries with AirTran out of BWI back in May 2012

-"Well, hello Sandy! Don't you look ravishing?!" (2 days before our departure day)

-canceled 2 seats on our AT flight, and booked an evening flight just for DH and FIL out of Harrisburg (MDT) on Wed., 10/31, because they had to work that day due to Sandy (DH's vacation helper wasn't set to start until 11/1); the rest of us were still planning on flying out of BWI at 8 a.m. on 10/31

-BWI 8 a.m. flight canceled; the rest of the party was left in limbo for a few hours

-canceled MDT flights and had to book all of us with AT out of PIT

Due to the rippling effects of mother-nature (I will forever link the name, "Sandy," to chaos instead of with one of my favorite cheesy musicals), our flight out of BWI was canceled. However, I did not know it was canceled until I "happened" to check our online itinerary with AT (and "yes," I was signed up for email alerts).

I was up from 6 p.m. on Mon., 10/29, until 7 a.m. on Tues., 10/30, on the phone with the airline and our travel parties, and was furiously pounding on the computer, getting refunds, airline credits and rebooking everyone's flight. I do have to give props to the several AirTran reps I talked to (except for the one I got at 5 a.m.); they were easy to work with and talk to!
We had briefly entertained the thought of splitting our parties up and having half of us fly, while the other half drove. And because there were no more flights with AT flying out of BWI on 10/31, 11/1, nor 11/2 (unless you wanted to pay $500 per person, one-way), I looked west to Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT), an additional 60 min. drive compared to the drive down to BWI.

{AND, because I was already fending off a dry cough that began Sunday, 10/28, I ended up developing a severe case of laryngitis (made for interesting interactions), followed by a massive head-cold, while in WDW.}

All in all, I was able to secure a $219.60 round-trip, non-stop airfare (not including seat fees) booked only 36 hours in advance per person (versus the $149 each round-trip, non-stop airfare for our original flights, booked 6 months in advance).

TRANSPORTATION: Because I was unsure of our travel plans, I had to cancel our personal car service with Quick-Silver Tours (which they were very understanding about, and did not charge us the cancellation fee), and relied on our back-up plan with Magical Express. Next time, I am determined to use Quick-Silver!

journ116 · Dec 2, 2012

Wed., 10/31: Halloween! & arrival day!
AM
*Sent Chloe to school for a couple of hours, because:

A. she missed school the previous Friday due to pink eye (is it unusual for a kid to get pink eye 3 times in less than a year?)
B. school was canceled on Monday and Tuesday (her school district would've been fine with a 2-hour delay on Tuesday), so I didn't want her missing tons of school
C. we did not have to leave for PIT until 12-12:30 p.m. (I was aiming for noon)

*Picked up Chloe around 11:15 a.m., and hoped my DH and FIL would be done work early (remember, DH owns his own delivery route; also, bear in mind, his job requires him to start working at 12:15 a.m.). My DH usually has off on Wednesdays, but due to "Sandy," his Tuesday schedule was moved to: surprise, surprise, Wednesday! And, as luck would have it, his stores were empty (amazing what people in Central Pennsylvania will buy when they hear the word, "storm"); so, he had to double-time it back to his depot (45-minutes away from his delivery route) to take more product to some of his stores and appease the market managers.

*Finally, we were on the road by 12:30 p.m., en route to meet up with my DH's cousin and his family, in our brand new car (which was purchased the Friday before our trip): 2012 Chrysler Town & Country Limited! We like to call it, "our living room on wheels"... or as one of my naive, van-hating sisters calls it, "a neuter-mobile!" However, I would not trade style over convenience any day of the week!

DSC_0191 by journ116, on Flickr
url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/78237640@N08/8240525536/]

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DSC_0193 by journ116, on Flickr
*I have been waiting 1 year to put that on our new vehicle!

*We did hit some snowy patches near Altoona, PA, which made me nervous since I was the one driving in a somewhat unfamiliar vehicle, while trying to maintain a balance between speed and proper "engine break in!" And then we ran into 4 p.m. traffic: it took us 40 minutes to move 15 miles (for any UK readers: that's 9.3 km)! I had estimated that we'd arrive at PIT by 4:30 p.m., covering 220 mi. (or 136.4 km), but I was off by 25 min..

*Arrived at PIT by 4:55 p.m., and decided to spend the extra money and park in a lot closer to the terminal. Since I had already checked us in online and printed our boarding passes the night before (and upgraded us to "Business Class" using some of our airline credits), all we had to do was: check the bags, make it thru security, and be seated at our gate in the time span of 90 minutes (based off of the noon departure time). Buuuuutttt, due to the traffic snafu, and having to gently correct the AT ticketing agent about our checked bags, we only had 45 minutes to make it thru security, grab a mandatory Starbucks frap and some glossy magazines, then high-tail it over to our gate before the plane would leave without us. Security was no problem (thanks to my planning, our entire travel party of 6 adults and 3 kids, were in and out in a whopping 7 min.), but after only 2 min. of sitting at our gate, "Zone 1" was called to board the plane by 5:40 p.m.. I barely had time to test out our car seat trolley (which is the best invention ever!)

DSC_0190 by journ116, on Flickr...
...nor enjoy that first sip of my caramel frap...it was time to make our way to MCO!!

PIT-MCO: 6-8:13 p.m. (left the gate 7 min. early and arrived 5 min. early into MCO)
(sorry, I don't take pictures on planes...I'm nervous enough as it is, no need to be taking pictures of it)

PM
*Flight was uneventful (thank goodness), we touched down several minutes early, unloaded our party and carry-ons from the plane, and followed directions to what we thought was our baggage claim. Somehow, we got turned around trying to find our way to carousel 28; ended up at carousels 1-16. After 30 min. of "where are we," "we're on side B, right," and "let's just leave the bags and buy new clothes," we finally figured out where "we" went wrong. If I had attached the DME yellow tags, we could've left our bags go; but that would've meant an 11 p.m. delivery to our resort room.

*Boarded DME by 8:40 p.m. and left MCO by 8:50 p.m., with a full bus load! Of course, we were the very last stop, making a total of 5 stops along the way: Pop Century, AoA, CBR, AK-Jambo House, and AK-Kidani Village.

*Arrived at the resort by 9:40 p.m., checked-in, found out we had a partial "savanna view" on the 2nd floor (lobby level), and lugged ourselves and our bags 8 min. down a never-ending hallway. From out of nowhere, my DH found a little nugget of energy, and walked over to Mara at Jambo House (a 20 min. walk from where our room was located) to grab his first QS meal.

We had agreed to participate in the QS meal plan: $34.99/a. & $11.99/c., which gets you, 2 QS meals/day, 1 snack/day, and 1 refillable mug per reservation. If you remember, I had to split our stays: points, cash, points, points...so, theoretically, we should've walked away with 36 mugs: 9 people x 4 reservations (but chose to retrieve only 12). [Out of fear that I'd get reprimanded by who knows who, I will not post pics of our mugs.]

Called for our grocery order ("thank you Garden Grocer") and our stroller ("thank you Kingdom Strollers"). Got groceries, but no stroller (darn it, I was afraid of this happening when I switched resorts, despite emailing KS and receiving another confirmation email). Turns out, our stroller was delivered to OKW, and wouldn't be re-delivered until 7 a.m. the next morning. I was tempted to argue for a refund since KS charges in "night blocks" (we were losing 1 night, taking us down $20 into the 4-7 night bracket), but I was too tired.

*While DH was braving the trek to Mara, I got DD's ready for bed and unpacked. DD6 was supposed to sleep in the LR with DC7 (her cousin), but after watching them interact (they would not calm down, and I feared that they'd be up 'til all hours of the night), I felt it best to move the twin-sized sleeper chair into the Master bedroom. So, the rooms were divided as such:

-Master: my entire little family of four (I wasn't about to give up that awesome master bath!)
-LR: DC7
-2nd: in-laws and DH's cousin and his wife

*Lights were out by 11:30 p.m..

DAY 2 coming tomorrow (or Tuesday) with actual park photos!

javy2004 · Dec 2, 2012

journ116 said:
"...and we're baaaaack (said in my very best Ben Affleck disc-jockey voice from one of the SNL skits with Jimmy Fallon)!"

you had me hooked right here! that was such an awesome and specific reference. that sort of chaos right before you trip seems crazy and would have scared me. at least you had a decent airfare on such short notice. can't wait to read more.

and your kiddos are adorable!!

journ116 · Dec 2, 2012

javy2004 said:
you had me hooked right here! that was such an awesome and specific reference. that sort of chaos right before you trip seems crazy and would have scared me. at least you had a decent airfare on such short notice. can't wait to read more.

and your kiddos are adorable!!

Thanks for the comments! Between my husband and I, we can reference just about any situation to SNL, Seinfeld, or Chevy Chase's, "National Lampoons!"

I seem to thrive on finding travel solutions, which is why I've garnered the nickname, "Travel Agent Sara."

I can't wait to post more...but I'm afraid I'll get thru only "Day 2" and have to wait another week, because I'm visiting family in the mid-west this week...but please, stay tuned!

journ116 · Dec 11, 2012

Sorry for such a long delay...I decided to take a last minute trip to see one of my sisters in OKC (she is grieving the sudden loss of one of her dogs and her husband is deployed).

I will try my very best to post "DAY 2 & 3" within the next 48 hours!

Thank you!

journ116 · Dec 12, 2012

FINALLY, onto "Day 2!" And, I have a confession: some of my photos were taken after our trip, because I kinda forgot I was supposed to be doing a TR in tandem with our vacation. But I really wanted y'all to have a visual of some of the things I'm talking about.

Thurs., 11/1:
AM
*Original Plan: Breakfast ressie at Tusker House for 9:20 a.m..
*New Plan: Hop over to AK whenever we felt like waking up.

*Still woke up early. Had my shower by 7 a.m., woke up DH 30 min. later, and then I gently woke my girls with, "It time to get up!"...and just in case they forgot, "We're here...in Disney World!" That last line had my DD6 jumping out of her sleeper chair, while my DD3 pulled the covers back over her head (but I could hear her giggling with excitement). After 15 minutes, my DD's were dressed and ready for breakfast. While the little ones gobbled down toast and Pop Tarts, I called down to Bell Services to make sure our stroller had finally been delivered...it was! I asked if I could have it delivered to the room, to which the gentleman on the phone replied, "I'm sorry, but I'm the only one here right now, so you will need to come down to Bell Service and pick it up."

*By now, it's 8:15 a.m.. So, off I went to Bell Service, and by the time I got down there, the stroller was out and waiting for me (or for my kids, depending on how you assess the situation): City Mini GT double, with glider board and cooler bag. I was a bit surprised to see that it didn't come with a carrying bag, because the last time I rented one (from Magic Strollers), the double came with a double-sized bag. Well, that thought passed as quickly as it came because I was distracted by something in the smallish gift shop, Johari Treasures.

*LANYARDS! I had forgotten to buy lanyards for the kids! It had been on my original "to-do" list on arrival day...but thanks to our 10 hour delay, we did not get to go to DTD so I could buy three lanyards and some pins. After reading Alison1975's most recent trip report, I thought, "Hey, what a great idea to keep the kids busy and a fantastic way to get them engrossed in the Disney spirit: Pin Trading!" But I digress...off to the gift shop to buy 3 lanyards and 3 pin sets!

DSC_0200 by journ116, on Flickr

*Returned to the room 15 minutes later and quickly laid out the kids' surprises on the dining room table, while they were distracted by the wildlife meandering past our balcony.
"Hey kids! Look what was just dropped off for you!" Two pink bags, one blue bag, and a giant Halloween Mickey card were waiting for them. Inside each bag was a personalized, homemade autograph book; glow sticks/necklaces/masks; Starter Pin Lanyard; and a decorated disposable camera. In less than 2 minutes, all the contents of their particular treat bag were strewn across the living room floor! They were thrilled and DD6 and DC7 couldn't wait to start their adventure in pin trading; DD3 could have cared less (maybe next time)!

DSC_0197 by journ116, on Flickr
(these are store-bought 5x7 photo albums, which I embellished with their names and sequins in the shape of Mickey's head)

DSC_0198 by journ116, on Flickr
(the first page)

DSC_0199 by journ116, on Flickr
(a sample of some of the pages: I was able to remove the plastic covering from 1/2 of the pages, which were used for autographs, while the other side was for of course pictures)

*With autograph books and lanyards in tow, we were out the door by 8:45 a.m.. We were then sidetracked when DD6 and DC7 stopped the DVC rep in the hotel lobby to pin trade for the very first time. DC7 found a pirate pin; but, my DH would not let DD6 trade, because he felt that the CM had no pins worth trading one of her princess ones for. I had to walk away from the situation because my DD6 was heartbroken and my DH was stubborn. While the rest of us went out to the bus stop, my DH took our still-in-tears DD6 into the gift shop to buy a pin. This is where and when he found out that behind the cashiers desk awaited an entire book of pins specifically for pin trading! DD6 walked out of there with a silver CM pin and 10 shades of glee across her face!

DSC_0201 by journ116, on Flickr
(a Tinkerbell CM pin)

*After waiting 20 minutes for a bus, which confused us to no end considering AK park is the closest park to the AK resorts!! we finally arrived at AK by 9:20 a.m...and the weather was heating up!

SAM_0366 by journ116, on Flickr

However, my little family of four's first stop was to the ticket counter to redeem our Premium Annual Passes. We had not planned on buying AP's due to the prices, but a 7-day park hopper pass was only $30 cheaper than a Premium AP with our DVC discount (as DVC members, we got the AP's for $399)! This was just another incentive to plan another trip to WDW in a few months!!

*Forgot to activate our Premier Photo Pass that morning, so we missed some great photo ops!

*Started our 1st park day by getting FP's for Kilamanjaro Safari, and then headed over to Pizzafari for breakfast. Sad to say, they no longer make "breakfast pizza." After 20 min. of eating and digesting, we packed up and headed over to the Safari.

*FP line moved very quickly, and the "Stand By" line was a 15 min. wait (probably closer to 10 min.).

DSC_0169 by journ116, on Flickr
(checking out the animal board above them)

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(Hippo, hippo, hippo, bird)

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(Crocs, not the ones you wear, ever)

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(Wildabeast...spelled the way I say it)

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(not sure if this is the Reticulated Giraffe, or the other kind?)

DSC_0185 by journ116, on Flickr
(a Bull or male elephant)

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(note the elephant in the background...just wandering)

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(the cheetahs were actually out)

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(and so was the lion!)

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(lots o' zebras hangin' around their new habitat)

journ116 · Dec 12, 2012

*Then, it was onto the Pangani Trail.

DSC_0228 by journ116, on Flickr
(DH and DD's)

DSC_0230 by journ116, on Flickr
(I detest birds, for personal and absurd reasons, but this one I found interesting)

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("all by my-se-elf")

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*The dance party was in full swing by the time we left the trail.

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*Miss DeVine was out in all her glory! I am amazed at her detailed make-up and how incredibly graceful she moves about...seriously, if that were me (thank goodness for mankind that I'm not), I would've fallen and taken out a few gawkers on my way down.

DSC_0242 by journ116, on Flickr

*Myself, and my DH's cousin, wife and DC7 headed over to Expedition Everest, while my DH, DD's and in-laws trooped their way over to Dinoland USA. I forewarned my DH about taking the girls into the Dino-Dig: DD6 listens well, but DD3 is strong headed and once she fixates on something (i.e. riding the same slide over and over), she becomes a little monster to look after.

DSC_0271 by journ116, on Flickr
*EE "Stand-By" line posted a 30 min. wait time, but from when we entered the line to when we got off the ride, 17 min. went by. Not bad! I have ridden EE numerous times, but the other 3 had not. At first, DC7 was whimpering and wanted off the ride as soon as his dad pushed down his lap bar. His parents, nor I, are ones to force our children onto any rides that they don't want to do...but DC7's parents knew in their gut that their thrill-seeking son would ultimately love this ride; so, we stayed on and found ourselves chugging up the mountain top! By the time the train stopped, he was asking to "go again!" BONUS: the Yeti was out and waving his big ol' arm!! On rides past, the Yeti was simply "just there."

*Met back up with DH, DD's, and in-laws, at which point my DH was about to have his first meltdown. DD3 had tried his limits...so, I took Eliza over to Triceratop Spin, while he grabbed a Coke and left Chloe in Dino-dig with her Mimi (MIL). The ride seemed to calm Eliza down, so I decided to have some more mommy-daughter time with her and just walk around Dinoland. We ended up in the gift shop across from Primeval Whirl, and DD3 had fixated her gaze on a Rapunzel/Flynn Ryder little doll set. And because our daughters were given $100 each to spend on whatever they wanted, DD3 had herself yet another doll set!

*The kiddos decided that they wanted to see more animals, so we made our way over to the Maharaj Jungle Trek.

DSC_0268 by journ116, on Flickr
(mandatory drum session)

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(Eliza and her Mimi dancing in "Asia")

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(through the Trek)

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(this tiger was licking the glass for a couple of minutes)

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(and Chloe and my DH missed it)

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(Chloe is in one of her moods)

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("Ready for a picture?" Eliza is, but Chloe didn't want to pose with her sister)

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("Chloe, where you going?")

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(Chloe still not having it)

journ116 · Dec 12, 2012

DSC_0272 by journ116, on Flickr
(Chloe and her cuz posing)

PM
*By 3:15 p.m., our travel party was ready to head back to the resort and re-group. But, not before stopping by yet another gift shop (located next to the Baby Care Center). Chloe picked out a notebook, pen, and a Duffy outfit (as she's nicely displaying above), but Eliza was "tricked" into putting her items back (I'm so sneaky, but if one more stuffed animal made its way back home, I was gonna scream!). While I was paying for Chloe's items (with her gift card of course), I pulled out the Premier Photo Pass voucher (to remind myself that I needed to stop on our way out of AK to activate it) and placed it on the counter. However, I forgot to pick it back up and place it back into my wallet! I realized this by the time we reached the EXIT...so, I told everyone else to just go back to the resort and that I, and I alone, would walk back to the shop...but that plan was foiled by the 3:45 p.m. parade! I was stopped in front of Pizzafari, only 15 feet away from the shop, and had to wait out the parade. Here's the 2 pictures I took:

DSC_0273 by journ116, on Flickr

DSC_0274 by journ116, on Flickr

*At this point, it was 3:55 p.m., and this is when I spied my FIL out of the corner of my eye toeing the masking-tape line, obstructing everyone's view of the parade. He asked me if I wanted him to go over and get the voucher, but I kindly reminded him that it was "not in my nature to walk in front of young kids enjoying a parade" over a piece of paper (I still had the original receipt back in the room, just in case I lost the voucher). So, we waited...and then took off as soon as the parade passed by. Luckily, the same cashier was still there and was twirling the voucher around her finger! Crisis averted!

*My FIL and I made our way back to the front of the park, and over to the Photopass place (which is located to the right as soon as you walk into the park). A nice CM took care of me and kindly suggested, "Take a picture of the back of this pass just in case you were to lose it." So, right there and then, I took a picture. With my premium photo pass hanging around my neck, my FIL and I headed to the bus stop.

*With the pass activated, and the kids burning off some supervised energy in our room, we were ready to start "Phase 2" of our day: DTD!

*Score! DTD was already decorating for Christmas! Bummer though that we didn't get a chance to make it down yesterday to check out the Halloween decor...

DSC_0277 by journ116, on Flickr

*I had been looking forward to enjoying a Caprese sandwich from Early of Sandwich for a year, and of course, I had to wait just a wee-bit longer while DH and Chloe stopped in at the pin shop. While they shopped, I left Eliza with the in-laws and walked over to Ghiradelli's for some uninterrupted ice cream time!

*I ordered a single scoop of chocolate in a cone (waffle of course). The weather had cooled down a little bit, which was good for me and my ice cream! By the time I meandered my way back to PinTraders, my belly was full of chocolatey goodness and saw that my DH and Chloe were still looking at pins! Then, they found the Pin Traders cork board, and Chloe walked away with another silver CM pin! while my DH walked away $50 poorer.

*Made our way into "Once Upon a Toy" store and then to the "World of Disney" store. Considering we had a full week ahead of us, I was gently trying to guide my girls (and DH) away from buying anything that night. Besides, we had to move things along since we had to be up early the next morning for our 8:05 a.m. breakfast reservation in MK. So, I took DD's and FIL to Earl of Sandwich and asked everyone to text me their order. Then, DH and MIL came and were kind enough to stand in line for me so I wouldn't be taking up precious line space with the double stroller.

DSC_0279 by journ116, on Flickr

DSC_0278 by journ116, on Flickr

{SIDE NOTE: DTD was a 7 out of 10 in terms of crowd level, which surprised us for a Thursday night. I'm not sure if there was an event going on, or every other tourist had the same thing in mind that night?}

*Got our sandwiches, drinks and desserts "to go," and waited at the Marketplace bus stop. After 10 min., we boarded our bus back to AK. By the time we arrived at our resort, it was 8:50 p.m.. I had desperately wanted to get my girls bathed and in bed by 8 p.m....needless to say, as soon as I opened our room door, I rushed Chloe and Eliza to the tub, scrubbed 'em, pj'ed 'em and helped the youngest brush her teeth...all by 9:20 p.m.. Kissed them g'nite, tucked Chloe into her twin-sized sleeper bed and Eliza into the center of the king-sized bed, right next to my DH who had passed out 2 minutes before. I then got to enjoy my sandwich in peace at 9:30 p.m.. Even though my caprese is best served "hot," it wasn't too bad at room temperature

*Lights out by 10:15 p.m..

journ116 · Dec 13, 2012

Onto "Day 3:" anybody reading this? Ah well...it'll be an archival piece of non-fiction.

Fri., 11/2:
AM
*MK for the day! Since we had one of the first reservations at Crystal Palace that morning, I was up by 5:45 a.m., ready by 6:20 a.m., got my DH up, and woke my girls at 6:40 a.m.. Everyone was ready, and still a bit sleepy, by 7 a.m.. We made it to the bus stop in record time and waited only 2 minutes for a bus. But we weren't the only ones waiting; typically when I schedule one of the earliest times for a sit-down breakfast, we're practically the only ones on the bus. This day, however, we had a full bus (no one was standing, but every seat was taken). "Did I miss something?"

*Breakfast ressie @ Crystal Palace for 8:05 a.m.. We love getting into the park before "rope drop," so that we can literally stroll down Main Street and take our picture in front of Cinderella's Castle with little-to-no-crowds. However...when we arrived at 7:35 a.m. that morning, there was a HUGE crowd: WTH! I strategically planned this early-morning meal so that we could get that "all-to-ourselves" park feeling. I asked my DH to pull up MK's hours on his iPhone and come to find out: MK opened at 8 a.m., not 9 a.m.!! Now, me being the planner and not one to let an important piece of information, such as park hours, slip my mind, I knew that the hours must've changed within a couple of days of our arrival. AND, because Fantasyland previews were going on (which were a logistical joke if you ask me), my plans for pics were going down the proverbial toilet.

*Guests who had breakfast reservations were grouped together to the left of the turnstiles. Guests who were there for the FL preview were grouped to the right. And guests who were there for the 8 a.m. opening, were grouped in the center. Luckily, guests with breakfast ressies were allowed to enter thru the turnstiles at 7:45 a.m., so I was able to get an uninterrupted picture of the front of MK.

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By 7:50 a.m., we were allowed to enter the park, along with the FL preview guests. Welp, because we were entering with a herd, I decided to speed-walk up Main Street, so I could set up my camera and tripod for a picture in front of Walt & Mickey.

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*By the time I got my camera set up, my party was already in position for our picture. I quickly set the timer, pushed the shutter, jogged over to my group, and...CLUNK! Apparently, I didn't tighten my camera to the tripod enough, because now we had a picture of the ground instead of us.

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O.K....round 2. Luckily, a nice lady stopped by and offered to take our picture:

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I then wanted to take a couple of, "this is my family, that is yours, this is theirs" type of pics.

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Then a Photopass photographer showed up and we were able to finally start using the Premier Photopass. All premier photopass photos will be posted at the end of my TR, because I have a lot!

*We got all of our pictures accomplished in 8 minutes and walked over to CP to check-in. Once again, there were a ton of people there already, and more kept pouring in. My DH had us checked in and we were given a buzzer: 5 minutes, no buzz; 10 minutes, no buzz; 15 minutes, BZZZZZ! We were seated at our table and standing in line at the buffet by 8:20 a.m..

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(waiting for the buzzer)

*Now here's where I should've taken lots of food photos, but I didn't. I am so sorry to all you Disney foodies and lovers of food in general. I will, however, tell you what I had time to eat: puffed french toast (off of the kids bar), with strawberry sauce and whipped cream; scrambled eggs; fresh fruit; some type of cobbler; and coffee. I didn't get to eat as much as wanted because: A. I was the one taking the character photos, and B. For some reason, I was not that hungry.

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(Eliza and Pooh bear)

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(Eliza loves her characters...especially fluffy ones)

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(they were completely and utterly enthralled with looking in the mirror)

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(Chloe is finally doing better with meeting characters...she prefers the non-covered ones, like princesses)

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*Another reason to my madness of booking an early-morning ressie: getting into the park earlier than the general public and being able to head over to our favorite rides in Fantasyland (not to be confused with the "new" FL). But, since the park opened an hour earlier, I didn't really care what time we got out of CP.

*By 9:15 a.m., we were ready to hit up the rides, but....everyone had to use the restroom, at the same time (except me and the kids). So, I took the the kids over to the HUB for more pictures, and was surprised to see that it wasn't that crowded in that particular area.

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(having fun with hoola-hoops)

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(DH and Eliza)

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("Yay! We're in Disney World" photo)

journ116 · Dec 13, 2012

Gonna need to wait until tomorrow night to post more...I am wiped out! G'nite all!

Britt · Dec 14, 2012

OOOOOOH my goodness. Your girls are WAY too cute, you and your hubby are adorable (I am kind of obsessed with the Avengers, so I love his Captain America tee!)

Love this TR!

journ116 · Dec 14, 2012

Britt said:
OOOOOOH my goodness. Your girls are WAY too cute, you and your hubby are adorable (I am kind of obsessed with the Avengers, so I love his Captain America tee!)

Love this TR!

Thank you!! I just got done reading your TR last night, right before I posted an update to mine!! I loved the tone of your TR and your pics, for heavens-sake, your pictures are beautiful! How cute are your little guys?! Guess I should've posted this comment in your TR

Oh, my DH is a huge Avengers fan as well...he has so many character t-shirts, it's insane!

Thanks again for reading!

journ116 · Dec 14, 2012

*Finally, by 9:35 a.m., we were making our way over to FL via the bridge between Cinderella's Castle and Cosmic Rays.

DSC_0357 by journ116, on Flickr
(we take a photo in this spot every year...now I can see how big my girls are getting

)

But, as you can imagine, my girls were sidetracked when they saw Merida at Rapunzel's old hang out. The line didn't look too long, especially for a 10 a.m. arrival time. So, while I stood in line with my daughters, my DH's cousin and his family rode some rides, while my in-laws and DH waited...and waited...and waited. All in all, from the time we entered the line to when we exited the meet-and-greet (Merida was fabulous by the way), 60 minutes had gone by! What the heck was I thinking...I never stand in line that long for anything!

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(Chloe colored while Eliza and I stood in line)

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(Eliza is usually very intrigued when any character signs her book...today, Chloe was)

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("Merida, don't you loose another arrow!" said in my very bad Scottish accent)

*At this point, FL was filling up quickly (apparently, not all the guests knew MK opened earlier, but were definitely pouring in now). I gathered everyone's tickets and decided to FP Peter Pan's Flight. I then had the foresight to park the double stroller in that vicinity, so we wouldn't have to push it from ride to ride. Our first official ride was Winnie-the-Pooh, followed by the Tea Cups (I took one for the team), Mickey's Philharmagic, Peter Pan's Flight, and It's a Small World. You know, IASM never really bothered me before...in fact, I could ride it 3 consecutive times and not hate it...but this time, we were only 3 minutes in and I wanted off. My girls loved it, but for some odd reason, I began to feel claustrophobic and uneasy (I am attributing those feelings to Kingdom Keepers, I had just read the first book prior to our arrival).

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(Eliza LOVES this ride...)

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(please don't come to life, please don't come to life)

*Phew! We made it out of IASM in one piece! Then we went over to check out the "Circus" (which was still being worked on during out last visit (Oct./Nov. 2011). First up: Dueling Dumbos. It was a walk-on and always a success.

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(later on in the trip, the girls got to actually play in here and of course, LOVED it! at least it's not a parent's worst nightmare like the "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" playground...thank goodness that one was closed!)

DSC_0383 by journ116, on Flickr
(Chloe and her Pap Pap)

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(Eliza and my DH)

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Next, Goofy's Barnstormer...officially Eliza's first roller coaster and Chloe's second (the first one did not go too well).

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(Chloe and her Mimi...this was Mimi's first and last thrill ride in WDW)

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(Eliza's first, and definitely not last, coaster ride ever! "Again, again! Pppp-lease!")

journ116 · Dec 14, 2012

Off to the meet-and-greet tents (no wait time)! My MIL loves, Loves, LOVES Goofy!! Well, I'll let you see...

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(she could not wait for her granddaughters to be done...seriously, she was dancing in line!)

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(and that's only a 1/3 of the pictures I got of her with this Goofy...he was so in character! and loved the attention!)

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(poor Donald, he didn't get much love from my girls...he was so upset, and when my DH and I tried to console him, he dragged us both in for a picture...that one is coming, I promise)

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(Eliza is such a cuddle bug, partly because of her petite statue and partly because she loves hugging..."hugging is" her "favorite"...Buddy the Elf would be proud!)

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(Chloe, not so much)

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(Daisy personally escorted them to meet Minnie, which I thought was cute!)

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Checked out the gift shop, which was designed to the nine!

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(mmmmmmmmmmmmmm)

Back tracked thru FL over to the carrousel (whatever it's new name is or isn't).

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(never truly appreciated the scope of the New FL project...can't believe that only a year ago, Dumbo was located near the new castle walls)

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(Chloe knows the drill here...pose for a picture, because the sword will not come out)
But her cousin...well, he was going to try with ALL...

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HIS...

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MIGHT!

DSC_0458 by journ116, on Flickr

NOTE: my camera, although is was hanging around my neck, did not get turned on from here until the latter half of the day...c'mon Sara, you know better!!

*After FL, we made our way over to the Haunted Mansion. Eliza is my thrill-seeker, while Chloe is quite reserved; so, my DH and I came up with a plan to entice the oldest to try new rides during this trip: for each new ride, she'd get a charm for her charm bracelet. No new rides, no charms. And my Chloe loves jewelry! As we walked up to HM, Chloe began to back away, but I reminded her of our bargain, and told her that her cousin was going on too, for his very first time. The latter part drew her in.

*The result: success! We only got stuck once on the ride (for only a minute or so), and Chloe liked it so much, that she wanted to go on again! I guess it helped that before and during the ride I told her that, "All this stuff is pretend, and that mommy likes to ride this ride to figure out how 'they' did this or that." It became a technical scavenger hunt...some might say I ruined the magic, but I don't see it that way. I still left her wondering, "How did they do that?" But at least she wasn't scared!

*Onto Frontierland! I really wanted Chloe to ride Splash Mountain and Big Thunder, but HM was enough for one day. So, my DH, his cousin and family quickly hopped on Splash (and remembered to take the Photopass with 'em). I cannot really remember what the rest of us did, but we bought our time. After they got off Splash, we headed over to BTM, but the Stand-by line was too long. And since we would be coming back to MK a couple more times, we decided to move on to Adventureland.

DSC_0335 by journ116, on Flickr
(this was taken while we were waiting at CP)

*Rrrrrr...Pirates time! While everyone, except myself and Eliza (she was comfortably napping in the stroller), went onto POTC, I walked around checking out the gift shops and treated myself to more ice cream at the Sunshine Hut (?) near the Tiki Room. I met back up with my travel party and found that Chloe was not too thrilled with Pirates and that there's a new addition to the ride: Mermaids! Hmmm...not sure how I feel...

*By this point, we were all getting hungry and a bit tired (sometimes just standing around can make you tired). So, we all headed toward Casey's Corner for a quick bite to eat. Everyone but Chloe and Eliza had something to eat...my girls are beyond picky eaters (at least Chloe will try new things, but won't eat more than a bite; Eliza will not and cannot be coaxed into trying anything that isn't filled with chocolate chips or made of ice cream....arrgh!)! They were appeased with Goldfish crackers until we could back to the room where I could make them grilled cheese, carrot sticks, yogurt and apple sauce (well, Chloe ate it all).

*1:15 p.m.: Buh-Bye MK! See ya in a few hours when we come back for the last MNSSHP of the season!

amaley01 · Dec 14, 2012

since we won't be returning till 2014

.....you got me hooked

wiigirl · Dec 14, 2012

Beautiful pics!

norhel · Dec 15, 2012

Nice report

journ116 · Dec 27, 2012

Oh my goodness: it's been an awful long time since I lasted posted! I was hoping to have my entire trip in before the New Year...so here it goes:

I left off on part 1 of day 3:

PM (PART 2): MNSSHP!
*We have attended MNSSHP three times before this, and really enjoy how Disney does Halloween! So, when it came time to plan this trip, especially with newbies in our pack, spending the extra money to attend this event was a no brainer...but I didn't think it would be that busy.

*After a couple of hours to re-group, nap, eat, and costume changes, we were ready and at the bus stop back to MK by 5:15 p.m..

DSC_0470 by journ116, on Flickr
(Eliza as Doc McStuffins...it took me FOR-EV-R to find a stripped purple & white shirt!)

*Arrived by 6 p.m., and the crowds were swarming the designated MNSSHP turnstiles. Typically, I like to arrive around 4 p.m., so we can grab something to eat and ride some rides, which would leave us "party hours" to do the specialty meet-and-greets and trick-or-treat. Ah well! I guess we needed those couple of hours at the resort to just breathe.

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*I had devised three plans to choose from so we'd be able to see the majority of the events (trick-or-treating along the way). We went with:
OPTION #2: 7:45 p.m. Villians Mix & Mingle, 8:15 p.m. parade, 9:30 p.m. Hallowishes
But here's how it really went:
-Immediately headed thru Tomorrowland over to Storybook circus to collect candy.

DSC_0478 by journ116, on Flickr
(our bus driver to MK called their cousin, dressed as Mickey, "Boss," which he thought was hilarious!)

-Made our way back around to FL, and found that the "New FL" was open. So, excitedly (well, mostly just me) we toured the area dimly lit by lamps. First, we stopped in at Gaston's Tavern, where my husband got a souvenir goblet of LeFou's Brew (he liked it, I did not).

DSC_0486 by journ116, on Flickr

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Then, we paused outside of BOG: people were going in, and there were CM's "guarding" the entrance with menus in hand. My DH and I assumed that only guests with reservations were allowed to enter (but I thought that they weren't taking ressies until 11/19?!). I walked over to one of the CM's holding menus and asked, "Can we go in and check things out or do we need a reservation?" To which she replied, "Yes, you may enter without a reservation, but please stay to your right." Well alrighty...let's check things out: GORGEOUS! Although we were roped off from the ballroom (where people were eating cafeteria style), we were able to get a glimpse of the Beast's ballroom come to life!

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Out we exited and headed over to see if Storytime with Belle was open: it wasn't and neither was Ariel's ride; but, Ariel's Grotto was open. But, I made the executive decision to delay meeting her, because we were coming back another day for one of those "AP Holder Previews."

DSC_0489 by journ116, on Flickr

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-Looked at my cellphone (because I don't wear a watch) and saw that it was 7:30 p.m....I guess we took too much time meandering thru the New FL. Plan "D:" Skip the first Villian's show and go stake out a spot in Frontierland to watch the first parade.

-Followed the candy trail thru FL and over to Frontierland...holy crowds Batman!! I realized that the first parade of the evening would be starting in 30 min., and saw that the crowds were already 3-5 people deep. Our usual viewing spot was occupied, and finding a new spot large enough for our travel party WITHOUT disturbing anyone else was not going well...at...all. So, we decided to wait out the parade and hopped into the Diamond Horseshoe for a crowd-less and entertaining dance party with Woody, Jessie, and Bullseye!

journ116 · Dec 27, 2012

*SIDE NOTE: CM's were giving out handfuls of candy! This is one of the reasons why I like to attend the last MNSSHP of the season!

-My girls loved this little dance party last year, especially Eliza (who was going thru her Toy Story phase)! The kids danced around, which was a great and safe place for them to burn some energy.

DSC_0492 by journ116, on Flickr
(Jesse horsin' around with Woody...)

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(all the kids thought this was hilarious...)

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(thoroughly amused)

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(but their wrangler did not, because she was afraid that the little kids would want to do this, as evident by the little girl next to Woody)

Out of the corner of my eye, I see a man walk in dressed like Cap'n Jack Sparrow. I thought it was Disney's Sparrow, because he walked, talked and moved like the real mccoy. However, Chloe called him out when she saw a plush Mickey strapped to his belt. Needless to say, while the Toy Story characters entertained the kids, Jack entertained the adults!

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(sorry it's so blurry, but there's Jack)

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-As soon as the parade ended, we darted out of the dance party and over to Adventureland. Collected more candy and finally ended up at the HUB for the 8:50 p.m. Villains Mix-and-Mingle (awesome BTW)...no photos...too busy enjoying the show (check YouTube).

-After the show, we made our way to one of the paths between the Noodle Station and the HUB to view Hallowishes at 9:30 p.m.. We had a bit of time to waste, so the men went over to Casey's Corner, I took Eliza to the ice cream shop, while the rest of my group "guarded" our spot. I got a sundae and Eliza got a kids scoop of vanilla in a cup...sundae was delicious, but too much for one person. 10 min. to go and more people started to stake out a spot along the path. Everyone who chose the path as their viewing area, collectively sat with our backs against the guiderails. However, with only 5 minutes to go, a family of four sauntered over and stood right in front of my group. Hoping that they'd move once they realized they were standing in front of us, I gave them the benefit-of-the-doubt and bit my tongue. I saw the mom look back at me, acknowledge my presence, then turn back around. Two minutes to go and they weren't budging. With one minute to go, I burst open, "Excuse me, we've been sitting here for 20 minutes and you're standing right in front of our kids." To which the witch-of-a-mother replied snootly, "It's a firework show. Look up." WHAAA just happened? I had read about other peoples' experiences with rude guests on this forum, but this was my very first encounter with "one of those people." Although she had a point, the fireworks were indeed "up," I was angry over the principle of the matter. But, I wasn't about to ruin my night or my kids night by getting into an argument. In the end, I had to hold my youngest, while she held her ears, while Chloe shut herself inside the stroller, and her cousin was held by his dad. (sorry, no photos...I was too worked up and my hands were full).

-With the fireworks over (and just as good as I remember them), we made our way back over to Frontierland for our traditional viewing spot for the parade at 10:30 p.m.. (We did a lot of "useless" walking that night.)

-Getting through the crowds throughout the night was a feat in itself.

-Arrived in Frontierland and found our spot: the deck outside of the Trading Post. I moved the kids stroller close to the rope, but didn't secure any more spots for the adults in our party, because I thought some of us could stand behind the stroller, while the rest sat on the deck. Buuuttt, it didn't work out that way. More people had come and part of my party was in the shop behind us shopping for more pins, and ultimately, no one saved our spaces: our loss. I then thought, "OK, we'll just stand on the deck, because I did last year during the same party." With my girls getting all snuggly in their stroller and their cousin sitting right below Eliza, I hopped up on the deck with only 5 min. to go. What a perfect view: great for pictures AND I was not blocking anyone's view, because I was standing near the rear of the deck. I then hear, "Ma'am, you're going to have to come down. Guests may not stand on the deck during the parade." Wuh-wuh...crud, there were no more spots left along the rope and the parade was starting in 3 min.. The kind people sitting on the deck moved over and made enough room for one adult. THANK YOU!! I stood to the right of the stroller and held Eliza, while her cousin sat in her seat; my DH stood directly behind me; and the other four members stood behind the stroller. I have never in my experience with WDW parades, felt so crowded and guilty at the same time (remember, we had newbies in our group and I blabbered about how I go about finding parade spots and I failed, miserably).

-Parde time: DH's cousin took the pictures:

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(the guy we saw inside the Diamond Horseshoe was way better than Disney's guy)

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(problems with their fog machine...couldn't see the HM float until it was right next to you)

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"It's time to wake up! We're here!"

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