Newfiefan's long overdue Sept. TR!

Hello again, I'm back at the TR writing! My computer crashed in the fall and my vacation pictures have been held hostage ever since. I have a new laptop and I've been able to retrieve my pictures! Thank goodness!

For any of you out there who has been following the drama that is my life, things have returned to semi-normal around here. My father had a horrible accident last year and I'm happy to report that he is on the mend. He may need one more surgery this summer but he's pretty much back to normal. For those of you that don't know, the accident happened on my new home construction site. It all went down as I was writing my March TR from last year. You can check it out if you're interested but the TR never did get finished. *embarrassed* http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?t=564342&highlight=newfiefan's With all that was going on in my life at the time, the TR writing went on the back burner.

We haved now moved into our beautiful new home and Uncle Matt (as you all know him) is now a married man! It's been quite the year for us!

This Sept. trip couldn't have come at a worse or a better time... depending on how you looked at it. We were right in the middle of new home construction and my brother (aka Uncle Matt) threw a surprise wedding at us. The wedding was scheduled to take place the week after we returned home from WDW!!! Uncle Matt had originally planned to come on this trip with us but that all changed with the wedding plans. So, for the first time since 2007 (our first trip as a family) we were once again taking a trip by ourselves (just the 4 of us). I was disappointed Matt wasn't coming with us, as we have so much fun with him on vacation, but I was looking forward to just our family getting away together. And what a trip it was! It was just what the doctor ordered... we left the maddness behind and headed for 12 nights at the most magical place on earth...

Day 1

We took the usual flight from St. John's, NL, switched planes in Toronto and landed in sunny Orlando just after 1pm local time. An uneventful flight and journery for the most part. We did however have a hard time locating our luggage but we tracked it down and we were on our way to DME.

Silly kids waiting on a bus...

This was our first time staying at CBR and we fell in love with the place. We were located in Jamaica and it was quite the convenient "island". The bus stop was next door and we were usually the first ones picked up depending on the route. And Old Port Royale was a short walk across Caribbean Cay!

The kids loved the Nemo theming!

The mandatory room number shot...

We headed straight for Epcot (somewhat of a tradition for us) and looked for some food for our very hungry stomachs.

Always have to stop for the first PhotoPass pic of the trip!

We found some yummy food in here...

And got a bonus ride on Soarin' - it was walk on! (Don't you love Sept.!?!)

It's funny how attracted kids are to spraying water...

We made our way into World Showcase and the kids wanted to ride "Donald's Mexico Boat Ride" (as they like to call it)...

We poked around a little inside and then headed back out into WS. It's interesting how our touring has evolved our the course of our WDW trips. We had no real plan, just wandering, stopping when we wanted to see something or take a pic, etc. That and the fact it was just our family and we didn't feel the need to cater to anyone else... it was nice!

China...

 

[corey154]

I'm so happy to see you back!! I'm so happy your father is doing better. Has it really been a year since all of that? I see alot of broken hearts as people read this with Uncle Matt now being married! lol!

Welcome back!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Yay for being all moved in and settled!!! Yay for Dad getting better! And a big ol' super-duper-YAAAAYYYY for another Newfie TR!!!! :sohappy: I don't think anyone can knock ya for not finishing that last report. You had enough on your plate to fill the schedules for 3 or 4 people. Ugh! And Uncle Travelin' Matt got hitched! Not that it's such a horrible thing for an old married bag like me but I'm sure hearts are left broken all over the world...and within' his little fan club here...:lol: Congrats to brother Matt!

Great start to the TR! Isn't it wonderful to have noooo pressure to be anywhere or entertain anyone??? The kiddies are adorable as ever. Such little sweeties! Can't wait to hear and see mooooore!!!! :wave:

 

[NewfieFan]

The skies were threatening this evening and I was sure we were going to get a downpour... but we didn't!

Dark skies over China...

My hubby loves his tea...

We shopped for treats in Japan, bought some almond crossiants (cue Homer drooling) in France for breakfast in the morning, and watched Illuminations somewhere along the way!

Every kid is fascinated with these lights in the ground (heck, they still fascinate me)...

We caught the bus back to the resort and even though it was getting late and we had had a long day we just had to hop in the pool for a quick nighttime dip! The pool at Old Port Royale is quite nice, I do like the zero entry and the theming.

It was a perfect first day and a great start to the vacation.

Day 2

We got up early and started the morning with the almond crossiants purchased the night before (Mmmmmmm, crossiants) and headed for a bus. Were we trying to make park opening? No sir, we had different plans this morning and I was very excited (and a little nervous)...

I love early morning busses...

I believe we got off at the MK and walked over to the Comtemporary... for it was here that our adventure awaited...

My son and I were going tandem parasailing! I took advantage of the discount offered by Groupon and booked it. Now let me give you a little info about myself... I am terrified of heights! I have issues going up a step ladder!!! I have no idea what possessed me to do this but I was pumped and was not going to back out (and I had to put on a brave face for my boy).

A thumbs up from a brave little boy...

We were given simple instructions on what to do when we get up on the platform, he told us the signals, and then the boat started up.

Here goes the chute...

And the next thing I know he's giving us the signal to come up on the platform, click goes the hooks, and we're going up! It was that quick and easy!

And we're off...

It was the most amazing thing I've ever done in my life! It was so peaceful up there and what a view! My son was a little nervous but nothing serious and when I entertained him by pointing things out that we could see he was fine! We did four laps around the lake (if my memory serves me correct) and then we were brought back down.

Coming in for a landing!

There was another couple on the boat as well going up right after us. They all gave us a big hand clap when we landed and my son was so proud of himself!
My husband and my daughter got to come for a ride on the boat as well which was nice. According to my hubby though, my daughter was stressed the whole time we were up in the air.
We all stayed in the boat while the other couple went up and we got a nice relaxing ride around the lake as a bonus.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Oh wow! Awesome! You got to parasail! I've never done that before but would looooove to!!!! :wave:

 

[NewfieFan]

Enjoying our little joy ride around Bay Lake...

The view...

By now, we were really hungry and ready for some real breakfast. Off to the MK for some food and fun...

It's fall already!?!

Apparently we like crossiants b/c we ended up getting breakfast crossiants and fruit in the Main Street Bakery.

We found ourselves a quiet little street tucked away off MS and had the place to ourselves the whole time we were eating breakfast... the only visitors we had were birds!

With no real plan we headed off to see what the day would hold!

Adventure was calling us again...

(Look! It's the old school bridge!)

Our first stop was...

It had been awhile since I walked through this and my kids love to watch the waterwheel...

Next up was...

Our skipper was good but not great and I think my favorite time to ride this ride is in the dark. From now on I will save this as an evening attraction.

 

[NewfieFan]

I'm so happy to see you back!! I'm so happy your father is doing better. Has it really been a year since all of that? I see alot of broken hearts as people read this with Uncle Matt now being married! lol!

Welcome back!

Thanks! I can't believe it's been a year either... although sometimes if feels like a lifetime has passed since then.

Yes, Uncle Matt is a married man now and plans to introduce his wife to WDW next year... she's never been!

Yay for being all moved in and settled!!! Yay for Dad getting better! And a big ol' super-duper-YAAAAYYYY for another Newfie TR!!!! :sohappy: I don't think anyone can knock ya for not finishing that last report. You had enough on your plate to fill the schedules for 3 or 4 people. Ugh! And Uncle Travelin' Matt got hitched! Not that it's such a horrible thing for an old married bag like me but I'm sure hearts are left broken all over the world...and within' his little fan club here...:lol: Congrats to brother Matt!

Great start to the TR! Isn't it wonderful to have noooo pressure to be anywhere or entertain anyone??? The kiddies are adorable as ever. Such little sweeties! Can't wait to hear and see mooooore!!!! :wave:

Thanks sweet... you are the sweetest! And yes, it is wonderful to go at your own pace... while I love bringing family and friends to the World with me, there is something to be said for going on your own!

Oh wow! Awesome! You got to parasail! I've never done that before but would looooove to!!!! :wave:

You totally need to do it someday, it was so worth it and then some!

Got to bring the kids to skating but will be back at it later this evening...

 

[NewfieFan]

Day 2 continued...

Then it was time for...

Looks like we have a little pirate of our own...

I really wanted to go on Splash Mountain but nobody wanted to ride it with me (that's it, I got to find a new family to travel with)! *wink* So, I went on it by myself and it was a great ride as usual!

Time to relax and take a scenic ride around the Magic Kingdom (well, we only went as far as ToonTown)...

I let the kids hit up the little play park (for old times sake)...

(Hard to believe all this is gone now!)

And of course, you have to cool off at Donald's Boat!

I wonder will these Mickey's pumpkins still show up during Halloween somewhere?

Excited for the first of many rides on the Barnstormer...

My son has a new tradition of his own now, he must buy one of these Pooh plush on every visit...

(This store even has a new name now!)

 

[NewfieFan]

Day 2 continued...

By now it was feeding time again so we decided to try...

This was our first time eating here (believe it or not) and it was alright... nothing to write home about! But the bread sticks with marinara sauce were really good, they would make a nice snack to share.

We finished our meal just in time to a make it over to the Rose Garden to see Storytime with Belle. Again, this is a first for us! I don't know why but we've never made it to this show before (although, we always planned to). This was one of the last showings and I was glad we made the effort to see it. It was a really sweet show and Belle was a great storyteller. The guests that were picked that day to participate were really good as well, especially the "Beast"! My children were captivated during the whole show.

Taking pictures of the new plush while waiting for the show to start...

My daughter mesmerized by the story...

And then we queued up to meet Belle before she had to leave to catch the 3 o'clock parade.

We didn't bother to watch the parade so we headed back towards FL and we meet these folks...

I was super excited to meet Bert for the first time and Mary had us cracking up! She kept telling us to stop laughing or next thing we would be floating in the air... which of course made me laugh more. Then Mary told me I was worse than the children! lol! Such great characters!

We thought now would be a good time to take the kids to...

It was really hot on TSI and the hubby and I dragged ourselves around like two old people while the kids kept running ahead of us.

My kids love the caves (they are really, really dark and it takes a second for your eyes to adjust, especially in the Florida sunlight)...

And they love the Barrel Bridge (who doesn't!?!)...

We decided we had punched in a day at the MK (the park was closing early due to Night of Joy anyway) and headed for the exit. I felt we had done and accomplished a lot for our first full day(and to think we had no plan of attack). On our way out though, the kids asked for balloons. We've never bought them balloons in the parks before so we caved...

A happy girl...

and a happy boy...

(I love how you can see his face through the balloon!)

 

[NewfieFan]

Day 2 continued...

We had a lovely evening swimming at our resort and I was glad we came back from the park early.

How much fun is this place!?!

Look out here comes the water...!

A couple shots from our home in Jamaica...

A beautiful evening!

We finished the night off with supper at the food court.

Day 3

Another early morning at the MK...

And it became apparent very early on that our daughter was not feeling well!

We headed for the Princess Tiana M&G b/c it was on the top of my daughter's to do list. But while waiting in the queue she was acting really sick! I just wanted to take her out of it but she insisted that she wanted to stay and see Tiana. Anyways, by the time we got to the front of the queue she was sitting on the ground and did not look like a well child. I'm pretty sure Tiana thought I was the worst mom ever for making that poor sick child stand in the queue... she was quite concerned about her actually! I assured her that we were taking her straight to first aid to get her something and that her daddy was a doctor. We still managed to get a few pictures...

(I'm only including this picture b/c you can see how sick my daughter looks and how serious Tiana is with me! lol)

This was a better a shot...

We went directly to first aid to get her some medicine, she was running a slight fever but nothing serious! It's just not a trip to WDW until someone gets sick! We hung out in first aid for a while to keep her in the cool and to see if the medicine would kick in. I wanted to bring her back to the resort but my husband told me to wait a bit and see how she feels. We also had an upcoming ADR at Crystal Palace which both the kids wanted to go to but I would have canceled if need be.
Anyways, my daughter perked right up and wanted to go to lunch at the CP.

 

[erstwo]

Oh Yay!!!! A new house, a mended father, a new family member, and a trip report to boot! :sohappy: So happy for you!

 

[NewfieFan]

Day 3 continued...

Well, you'd never know that she had been such a sick child an hour earlier. She was happy, loving the characters, and even eating. It was a great meal and I'm glad I didn't cancel it.

We left the restaurant just as the Celebrate it parade was going by. I still enjoy this little parade/street party, I like the energy it adds to the MK during the day!

My son asked to go on this ride (such little fanboys in the making)...

Now that the song was stuck in our head we moved onto the Buzz M&G (a must do for my son) but my daughter didn't want to meet him. Frankly, I was quite happy she didn't... the queue was out in the blazing hot sun and I still wanted to keep her in the shade/cool as much as possible!

Onto the new & improved...

(Ok, so it's not that new & improved but it does have a new name!)

Time for a quick spin on..

Where I beat my husband's score! Bwhahaha!

Why does every guest get thrown behind bars with Zurg?

And then we tried out this for the first time...

Here's a friendly tip for ya... do not, and I repeat do not get in the vehicle with two children. "Sure!" the CM said, "You can have three in a vehicle depending on the size of the people!" What he failed to mention was that centrifugal force would put the combined weight of my children on my right leg for the entire duration of the flight. I thought I was going to need an amputation!!!

 

[plaz10]

Yay I love a NewieFan TR! So happy to hear your father is doing better. I know I say this on every one of your TR but your kids are so adorable. And your daughter is quite fashionable for a youngster. That purple dress is soo cute! Good work, Mom! I'm happy uncle Matt has found love...he is a total cutie though. She must be a lucky lady! I want to see some wedding pictures!

Hoping this TR helps ease my Disney...uh, not blues because I am going back soon but my Disney anticipation? yes thats it. My Disney anticipation for May!

 

[NewfieFan]

Day 3 continued...

My daughter was itching to see the Princesses so we headed off to TT to see what the wait time was like and it was 15 mins. or less!

We were the first family in the room when they brought in a new set of guests and Aurora was waiting at the entrance. She took my daughter by the hand and led her over to her spot. What a moment that was for her (Sleeping Beauty is her favorite)!

And this was when we started our curse on the Photopass photographers... everytime we would come in contact with a Photopass photographer their camera would malfunction. True story! It actually got funny towards the end of the trip it happened so often.

All the Princesses were wonderful (as usual)...

Then my daughter wanted to meet the Fairies, something we had never done before. And even though the wait was much longer than the Princesses I figured what the heck...

It was quite a wait but worth it! The Fairies were very in character and my son enjoyed the experience too (they were very good with boys).

I didn't get a good pic with Tink... but it turned out not to be a big deal (more on that later...)

It was hotter than hot and I still wanted to keep my girl cool and relaxed so we went for another ride on the railroad to get to the front of the park. It was another Night of Joy and the park was starting to fill up so we hopped a Monorail to Epcot...

We got to ride the Tronorail which my kids thought was "cool"!

Straight to Club Cool for some refreshments!
This is the face of a child who loves pop (it's a treat - he doesn't get it at home very often)...

Then we decided to check out Innoventions. We tried it out for the first time on our last trip and we wanted to see more. What fun we had...

First we did Storm Struck and my kids did the Storm Ready game. The CM was really great here and took a lot of time to teach the kids.

Then we did the Waste Management game (forget the name of it at the moment). That was a huge hit with all of us actually!

(They got such a kick out of pushing this truck around!)

 

[NewfieFan]

Day 3 continued...

More fun in Innoventions...

We also did...

And played with the Zoom screens!

We pretty much did everything on that side of Innoventions, except for Sum of all Thrills (which my son didn't meet the height requirement for).
It was way past dinner hour at this point so we went straight to Yakatori House.

Isn't World Showcase pretty?

Getting a cool down while waiting for daddy to get our food...

(The misting fan - the best invention since sliced bread!)

We all enjoy the food here...

Kids meal

I also really like the outdoor eating area...

We pretty much hung out in Japan for the rest of the evening. My husband (and my children) love the shop in Japan so that occupies them for awhile. Afterwards, we made our way back towards Future World and watched Illuminations from a distance. Mommy and daddy rested on a bench while the kids played in the water fountain and misting stations.

It was certainly a full day and considering we had a sick child on our hands I think we did pretty well for ourselves!

Day 4

This morning we found ourselves in DHS...

First stop, a Photopass pic (we didn't break this camera)...

I was on a mission this morning! I had heard about an AP event that was being held in DHS... it was an advanced screening for the new Tinkerbell movie but the tickets were all sold out online. But I had also heard that people in the past were still successful at getting into some of these events even if they didn't have a ticket. After asking multiple CMs where to go I finally found the venue... it turns out they had moved the event and they had tons of empty seats. All they wanted to see was our APs and we were granted access! Woo-hoo!

First we were given two tickets each to trade in for snacks (we all chose water and a chocolate bar) and then we went into the theatre. This is actually a treat for us b/c we don't have a movie theatre in our neck of woods (yes, we live in the sticks) and the fact we were getting to see the new Tinkerbell before it was released in stores was pretty cool!

 

[erstwo]

Okay, I must know - what day in September did you arrive? Contemplating a September trip, but I want to be sure I'll get the low crowds if I have to deal with the extreme heat!

 

[NewfieFan]

Day 4 continued...

The movie was entertaining and it was such a relaxing way to spend the morning. Then they brought out Vidia and Tink as a surprise. While we were waiting for our turn to meet them they had an artist from DL drawing characters on stage and giving them away as prizes.

So we ended up with another chance to get a pic with Tinkerbell...

On our way out we were given little loot bags (most of it was promotional stuff but the kids thought it was great anyway)!

By now it was time to make our way to Sci-fi b/c we had an ADR for lunch. This was our first time dining here and probably our last. The Sci-fi did not impress... the food was nothing exciting and it's just way too dark in there. I like low lighting but when I can't even see my food to eat it that's a bit much! The kids enjoyed sitting in the car to eat but a couple of the clips they found a little scary.

Who let these kids in the front seat?

This picture was my son's idea - he wanted to pretend to drive a car! Silly boy!

After lunch we had a pretty productive afternoon at the Studios.

We rode The Great Movie Ride for the first time (well, I had been on it many years ago).

And then we saw...

Which was also a first for us!

When the show was over we noticed the Playhouse Disney characters out and only a handful of people in each queue. So, of course my kids had to get in their hugs...

Next up, my son really wanted to see Lotso but first we did the Animation attraction (just the little movie not the drawing class). It was cute, certainly worth seeing at least once. The line for Lotso wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. My daughter queued up with us but kind of lost her nerve to meet him when she saw the size of him (he is a big character).

The queue was done really well, I was impressed...

She finally got her nerve up and posed with us for one pic right at the end...

We made it out just in time to catch...

Again, this was a first for the rest of my family. (By the sounds of this TR one would wonder if we had ever visited DHS before!) Anyways, my son thought the show was great, he was totally into it!

 

[NewfieFan]

Oh Yay!!!! A new house, a mended father, a new family member, and a trip report to boot! :sohappy: So happy for you!

Thanks so much!

Yay I love a NewieFan TR! So happy to hear your father is doing better. I know I say this on every one of your TR but your kids are so adorable. And your daughter is quite fashionable for a youngster. That purple dress is soo cute! Good work, Mom! I'm happy uncle Matt has found love...he is a total cutie though. She must be a lucky lady! I want to see some wedding pictures!

Hoping this TR helps ease my Disney...uh, not blues because I am going back soon but my Disney anticipation? yes thats it. My Disney anticipation for May!

Thanks, you're too kind! I love buying sundresses for my daughter... but she usually only gets to wear them in Disney (too cold in NL)!
I will post a wedding picture or two if you're all interested.

Guess what? I have another trip planned for May too! Eeek! That's why I really wanted to get this TR done... b/c before you know it I will be going back. We were debating whether or not we would go again in the spring or hold off but my husband's been working so much lately that another trip was necessary. We need another get away!

Okay, I must know - what day in September did you arrive? Contemplating a September trip, but I want to be sure I'll get the low crowds if I have to deal with the extreme heat!

We arrived on the 9th of Sept. I love Sept., it's hot but the crowds are oh so low which makes the heat bearable for me! You don't feel bad taking breaks b/c you can accomplish so much more in a shorter time!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I am eating up your report! In a way I wish we hadn't missed that trip in September. I was sooooo looking forward to meeting you and the family. I think your little girly-girl and I would've hit it off famously. I notice she carries her baby around with her. I can sooooo relate!!!

Your little man has got the most gorgeous blue eyes! What a killer! How do you ever fuss at him even if he's in trouble??? I'd melt! LOL! I love that he wanted to take the pic in the driver's seat of the car outside Sci-Fi. Don't blink too many times. I remember a certain little redheaded boy who also liked to play drive not so long ago...and now he's driving my car around the neighborhood and studying for the written test to get his permit. It's kinda big deal now and I look back and wonder at how fast it all past me by. I wrote the check today for the car this boy will be getting next year. It's quite a -moment for a mom!

I'm so glad your little sweetie didn't stay sick. She seems to have gotten over whatever she had a touch of rather quickly. Yay! Everyone seems to be having such a wonderful time. Love all the smiling pics!

Oooh! Good score on the new Tinkerbell movie preview! Go on with your bad self!

Lovin' your report! You do such a great job capturing all the fun! :wave:

 

[NewfieFan]

Day 4 continued...

I forgot to mention but at some point during our afternoon at the Studios we noticed we were missing a member of the family... no, not one of the kids... we were missing the Pooh plush my son had been carrying around with him. We narrowed the location down to the Sci-fi and I left the family and went hunting by myself. I gave an accurate description of the missing Pooh and was reunited with him at the Sci-fi!

After Indiana we let the kids go to the Honey I Shrunk the Kids play area. I was a little hesitant to let the kids in here only b/c it was so hot and I didn't want them running around in the heat!

The kids were having fun and it's amazing how more relaxed you become as the kids get older. In the past I would have followed the kids around but my hubby and I parked ourselves on the ground somewhere and let the kids go. As long as we eyed them every few minutes we knew they were fine. I kept telling them to slow down b/c I didn't want them to get too hot. My daughter says, "Don't worry mom, I know how to cool myself down!" And this was what I found her doing...

She was taking handfuls of fountain water and pouring it over her head!

We pulled the kids out and headed down Sunset Boulevard. We were entertaining the idea of seeing Fantasmic and I wanted to see what the wait time was like for TOT. I've never been on TOT even though I've tried on almost every trip. Something has always happened to prevent me from going on this. When I saw the ride was practically a walk-on I quickly ditched the family and queued up. What an awesome ride!!! All these years I've been missing out on it!

The skies were growing dark again...

We changed our mind about Fantasmic after I was done on the TOT b/c there was already a large crowd forming and the show was still quite some time away. I was not interested in standing in that queue for a long time. It had been a fairly long day, we were still trying to take it easy on our daughter, and the dark skies were concerning us as well. So, we left DHS and headed for home... everyone was ok with the decision, though!

I don't know if they canceled Fantasmic or not but what a thunder and lightning storm we had that evening. I had never seen anything like it before. The sky was constantly lit up.
We went to the food court to get some dinner and the place was packed. Everything was closed outside so I guess everyone had the same idea we did!

Food in a bucket!

The kids were a little disappointed they couldn't get in the pool but they were fine when we took them down to the beach to play in the sand (with their new buckets) for a little while. We relaxed in a hammock and watched the lightning in the distance while the kids played.

I was glad we didn't stay in DHS!

Day 5

This was our non-park day! We like to have at least one day where we take it really easy and everyone was starting to slow down a little anyway so this was the day! I took these pictures as soon as we got up b/c I couldn't believe how calm and beautiful the sky was (you'd never believe the night before we had such a wild storm).

Looking forward to a morning in the pool...