Trip Report Family Fun in the Hot, Hot Florida Sun!!

Hello All!! I'm back(unfortunately) from yet another wonderful trip to Walt Disney World. Lot's of fun & sweat(not trying to be gross but wow, was it ever nasty) was had by all!! Speaking of all--let me introduce you to our party of 10!! Most of these faces will be familiar to you but there are a few new ones in the mix!! I'll try to do this as simply as possible--
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From left to right(somewhat): My sister C, my niece E(C & D's daughter), R(not sure why he's looking so miserable) & myself, in front of me(white shirt) is my niece B, in the green is E's niece L, my niece A(C & D's youngest) is wearing the blue glasses(when she remembers to put them on--her last trip to Disney prior to this one she actually left them at homeo_O), then we have "the same old crew" E & J, and last but certainly not least is my BIL D.
Whew--I'm glad you've met most of these people in the past--otherwise this could get very confusing!!:p

C's family was there June 13th-27th. They stayed the first week at their timeshare right outside of Disney. They spent their second week at our favorite home away from home. The rest of us were there June 18th-25th.

I'm looking forward to reliving the trip with you all--everything but the heat that is!! A big welcome to everyone reading out there!!:)
 

Zipadeelady

Well-Known Member
Love, Love, Love the mug B got! I was eyeballing that mug last time I was there and left without it.

Seriously!! What is wrong with people? Changing your kids in a public space is not acceptable! Good photo taking though :cautious: :D

And Lou Holtz!! He comes to our University in Indiana quite a lot as a guest speaker. A super nice guy. Too funny that R sprayed him with Sprite!

Can't wait for the next report!!
 

Loco_driver

Well-Known Member
Oh wow!! I believe our reservation was at 5:50. Were you there then? I've been there numerous times in the summer months & I believe this was the worst I've ever experienced. Wow--that's pretty bad if you're comparing it to Texas. My brother has had to travel there for work quite a bit the last few months & he said it's brutal there. He's actually there right now--I don't envy him. December is a great month to go!!

Our reservation was also at 5:50! We were sitting on the opposite side of the restaurant. In fact, I spy myself in the background of a few of your pictures, and I actually remember noticing R’s pirates shirt(we caught a game in Pittsburgh a few years back and loved it!).Also yes it’s very very hot in Texas. Especially the eastern and southern parts of the state where the humidity can be overwhelming at times!
 

lindawdw

Well-Known Member
I can't even begin to tell you how much I enjoyed this TR! It's just so sweet how you and your siblings, along with their families, love traveling together. I haven't been on the boards for quite a few days so I had a lot of your updates to read. I've never eaten at O'hana's but besides the drinks not being brought on early, your meal looked very good. Loved the earrings that you purchased for yourself and that was so sweet of you to buy your niece the ring! Sorry J wasn't feeling well that last day but hopefully he got over the virus quickly. I'm so excited for you that you're getting the chance to head back to WDW so soon to preview the Star Wars Land. I'm not a big Star Wars fan either but I am interested to see what this new land looks like! I hope you write up a TR for us so we can hear all about it! Thanks again for taking us along on your fun family adventures. See Ya Real Soon!
 

AKemily

Well-Known Member
Thank you & welcome back!! It is funny--I still give you all the credit in the world for approaching her!! I'm excited to check it out. I'm sure it will be pretty cool! That would be great if you were there the same time! We will be there the 5th-12th.
Haha I felt a little like a crazy person doing so! I can't believe I did it either, in hindsight 😳 We'll be there Oct 31st to Nov 9th! We're still trying to figure out where we'll be each day but it would be great if we could make something work!
 

slipperalwaysfits

Well-Known Member
Hi there! I've been eagerly awaiting your TR but you posted the first two days just before I left for about a month and didn't really have computer access! So I'm home and have spent the last week diligently going through your report and loving every minute!!! It's fun to read in increments as you post them day by day but it was really fun to read in one giant chunk of a report, too!

First, I hope J recovered from his virus rather quickly. That was so sweet of the Disney cast members to offer another shirt, if only they'd been at the airport when R and Lou Holtz :geek::geek::geek: got sprayed!

Your family is huge and wonderful! I'm from a tiny family but we make it work and I married into another small family. It's wonderful so many of you can travel together and not get hung up on logistics of a certain person/group having to meet later, etc.

We all still get together for dinner every Sunday--all 26 of us!!
This is super special that you all are able to make and keep that commitment. I'm sorry about the loss of your mom but I'm glad you have such a supportive and loving family!


Meanwhile, I can't imagine how many he's gotten over the years!! But, he acts like it is something special each time!!
At this point, it seems like J can be an official Disney Glow Cube collector!

We walked right through DS without stopping anywhere.
This was the line for the boat. Yikes!!
Not sure I'd have this willpower, unless I knew I was coming back later in the trip!


. She ends up not going on quite a few things b/c he's deciding more & more that he's afraid of things.
I can see how that's hard for E at times. I remember your earlier trip report and how proud J was that "he rode a Haunted Mansion." I hope he starts getting braver as he gets older. Even in my 30's, I sometimes am too timid and need to encourage myself to "face my fears!" I certainly understand his being scared.

A was quietly singing "A Spoonful of Sugar". When it was our turn I mentioned that she was singing it & Mary Poppins asked her to sing it for her.

Good for A for having the guts to sing in front of Mary Poppins! Looks like they had fun singing together!

Our chef was nothing short of awesome!! So entertaining & fun!!

We love Teppan Edo! I've never seen the TREE OF LIFE either, but that's so cool he was able to do it!! o_Oo_O

Karamell Kuche--as if I really needed a snack at that point...

I never NEED a snack when I go by there, but they are nearly impossible to resist, even after being full from a big dinner! I love getting the little chocolate squares, but I know they melt in a heartbeat!


When we went to board they told us we could pick any row we wanted.
We did AFTER HOURS at Magic Kingdom last year and were able to "pick any row we wanted" for a few rides! It was really exciting and I felt like it was definitely worth the money! The snacks are a nice treat :)rolleyes::banghead:;)) but it's ridiculous to "hoard" the snacks like you saw (and I've seen) people do.

We did an Early Morning Magic Morning last year with Toy Story Land and ended up riding SDD 8 times in 2 hours and TSMM at least 3 times that morning before our time was up!
{QUOTE="riverside, post: 8780454, member: 111675"]
We went to ride SDD one more time.
[/QUOTE]

I took this for my newphew, C who absolutely despises this attraction!!

Oh, the Tiki Room isn't so bad on a hot day when you need a break from the heat and to sit down a bit! :p:hilarious:


not b/c she wanted to but J was a little apprehensive so she did it for moral support for him!
What a sweet cousin! Sounds like the cousins all really get along and it's so cute that A and J are buddies and ham it up!


The cornbread is quite good!
Ahhh, Boatwright's. What a hassle to change the reservation, it was sweet of the CM to make it work (and I agree, the KARMA is all on her :jawdrop:) and nice that you all were able to have a fairly easy dinner close to home!

On another note the movie was good but I wouldn't say great. We kind of left there a bit underwhelmed.
Agreed! There were some beautiful scenes and some voices were amazing but I liked the original better. Though Scar is still way too scary for me!

I've seen it in Toronto & here in Pittsburgh. It is excellent!! If you get the change to see it do so!!
I enjoyed the Broadway show, it's very well done!

t Dad's Favorite Chocolate-Peanut Butter Layered Cake
This sounds amazing and makes me want to go back to 50's just for this! Love how your family has a sense of humor and can enjoy the waiters having fun with you all!

I really wanted lunch from Earl of Sandwich so that was the last place that we went
Earl of Sandwich is one of our go-to's at DS, though we do love the new Guy's Chicken Shack that just opened. A hard decision for lunch for our family!


BTW--that guy was Lou Holtz!!

I didn't realize he lived in Orlando. I'm glad he had a good sense of humor with R. With his fame, I'm sure Lou Holtz has had worse things done to him or said to him than accidentally:jawdrop: having a bottle sprayed on him. I liked his funny line that he saw you shaking it!

Anyway, wonderful TR, I'm so glad you and E can go again for a quick trip to see SWGE this fall! Yes, it's hard flight-wise not being able to take the early or late flights with a little one but I'm so glad you are able to make a quick adventure worth it, even if it means sacrificing your beloved Port Orleans!
 

Matt and Kelly

Well-Known Member
Such a great report! Thanks so much for sharing. I also have my eye on the Mickey balloon hoodie! I only wish we had a trip planned sooner, we are sitting at 27 days of rain for the month of July! We could seriously use that Orlando heat! Looking forward to hearing about your quick trip down next month!
Kelly
 

LeighM

Well-Known Member
I had the Lapu Lapu once and really enjoyed it. But I had it on an empty stomach and the bartender was very generous with the liquor. I got off the barstool to go to the bathroom and almost fell on my face LOL. By the time we were seated for our ADR at Ohana, I was ready to go to sleep - and almost did in the noodles. That's how I got the saying "Lapu Lapu Fail" :)
 

riverside

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Thanks for taking the time to write them. It is nice to have something to look back on with my own trips and reflect upon what worked, and what didn't, and how much fun we had... it's only been a year and a half, but I feel like it was a lifetime ago since we were there! So I live vicariously through all of the TR's on this site.
Thank you so much for reading them!! It is nice to look back on them. A year & a half does seem like an eternity but time does fly--you'll be there next month & I hope you have a great time!!
Another great TR! Thanks for sharing
Thank you very much!! It's my pleasure!!
I'm a huge Notre Dame fan. So cool that you met Coach Holtz.
I'm sure he didn't feel the same way about us!!🤣 It was pretty cool but the circumstances were a bit embarrassing!!
Loved it! Still not sure if I know which niece is which, but loved it!
Thank you!! And to think there are 4 more that weren't there!!
I got that cup too - it's at work with me and it confuses a lot of people.
Reads like you had a brilliant trip.
Haha!! That's funny!!
We really did!!
LOU HOLTZ, awesome! my sister met him at the MCO too once, very nice guy! great TR as usual :)
He seemed very nice--& took it all in stride when he ended up wearing some Sprite!! Thank you very much!!
As always enjoyed reading about your trip!
I'm glad!! Thank you!!
Loved the pictures of you and B together on the last day. And I love your TRs - I think I mentioned once that it is because of your TRs that we picked POR for our stay at the end of the year. And each time I read one of your TRs I get even more excited to discover it for myself 😀
Thank you, thank you!! I do remember you saying that.--how exciting!! I hope you enjoy it & aren't disappointed--I don't believe you will be though!!
Sorry to hear about J getting sick at the end. I hope the little guy was feeling better once y’all got home.
He didn't throw up anymore but had a fever off & on for a few days then he was alright. Thanks!!
That’s so cool! I remember you telling me that you had a football related story at the end. He lives in Orlando so that definitely explains why y’all saw him.

I’m more than familiar with Lou Holtz. He came out of retirement to be the HC at Carolina (USC) and was there for 6 seasons before retiring for a 2nd time. (hasn’t coached since) We (Clemson) went 5-1 against Carolina while Holtz was there.
So is it safe to say you're not a fan?? Also, I was just telling R yesterday about your comment about J's pose in that picture & he agreed with you!
I really enjoyed your TR! It was nice to meet some more of the family! I still don’t have everyone learned yet, but I’m getting there. Will be glad though when it’s just you, E, and J next time. :hilarious: Looking forward to your next TR! :)
Thank you so much!! That's ok, there's people that have known us for years that still don't know who's who--esp. when it comes to my sisters & I. Everyone says we look a lot alike. I'm sure it will be much easier to follow with just us three!! Thank you!!
I LOVED this trip report! My family has gone to Disney every year for the last 29 years and my family logged many stays at POR (mostly when it was still Dixie Landings). We haven’t stayed there in a while but it brought back some great memories for me!
Awww-thanks so much!! You're so kind! I'm glad it brought back great memories. It is such a beautiful place!!
✋
How else do I get my arm curls in?💪
🤣🤣🤣
Wowzie! Flying SW??
Yep!! We watched a pilot approach him & tell him that he would see to it that he would have priority boarding etc. His response was, "Don't worry, my boarding assignment is A1. Thank you though." The pilot said that he kind of figured as much but just wanted to make sure. There was a little football talk & the pilot went on his way.
Love, Love, Love the mug B got! I was eyeballing that mug last time I was there and left without it.

Seriously!! What is wrong with people? Changing your kids in a public space is not acceptable! Good photo taking though :cautious::D

And Lou Holtz!! He comes to our University in Indiana quite a lot as a guest speaker. A super nice guy. Too funny that R sprayed him with Sprite!

Can't wait for the next report!!
It is pretty cute!!

I totally agree--esp. in a restaurant. That was just plain gross!! Thanks for the photo taking approval!!

That's cool!! Last year he was a speaker at a conference I was to attend for work in South Carolina but my mom was in the hospital so I didn't go. R was super embarrassed about what happened!!

Thank you!!

How awesome!!

Thanks for another great report. Hope to bump into you in November.
Thank you for reading!! I hope so too!! We still haven't finalized some of our park days. Once we do we'll have to see if anything matches up.🤞
Now R has a great story... this one time, in the orlando airport, I sprayed Lou Holtz with sprite!
I read this to him last night--he was laughing!!
Our reservation was also at 5:50! We were sitting on the opposite side of the restaurant. In fact, I spy myself in the background of a few of your pictures, and I actually remember noticing R’s pirates shirt(we caught a game in Pittsburgh a few years back and loved it!).Also yes it’s very very hot in Texas. Especially the eastern and southern parts of the state where the humidity can be overwhelming at times!
Oh wow!! That's crazy!! I read this to him last night & he was amazed that you remembered his shirt. He said he didn't remember that that's what he was wearing!! PNC Park is a nice stadium--too bad the Pirates don't play better baseball though. I'll take your(& my brother's)word for it. I don't plan on visiting there anytime soon!!
Thanks for sharing your trip! You have a wonderful family!
Thank you very much!! That is so sweet of you!!
I can't even begin to tell you how much I enjoyed this TR! It's just so sweet how you and your siblings, along with their families, love traveling together. I haven't been on the boards for quite a few days so I had a lot of your updates to read. I've never eaten at O'hana's but besides the drinks not being brought on early, your meal looked very good. Loved the earrings that you purchased for yourself and that was so sweet of you to buy your niece the ring! Sorry J wasn't feeling well that last day but hopefully he got over the virus quickly. I'm so excited for you that you're getting the chance to head back to WDW so soon to preview the Star Wars Land. I'm not a big Star Wars fan either but I am interested to see what this new land looks like! I hope you write up a TR for us so we can hear all about it! Thanks again for taking us along on your fun family adventures. See Ya Real Soon!
Awwww-thank you!! That is so nice of you to say!! Yes, we do have a lot of fun together! Our meal was very good! I like the earrings a lot & now that I think of it, I haven't see A wear that ring since:cautious: He was better a few days later. I'm excited even though it's a short trip. I feel very fortunate that I am able to go. I may even watch one of the Star Wars movies so I can somewhat "appreciate" what I'm seeing when I go there. Yes--there will be a TR!! Thanks for following along!! Glad to have you!!
Wonderful report as always! Hope you enjoy the Star Wars previews in a few days. Hate I am gonna miss ya by so little time once again!
Thanks so much!! I'm sure I will. I know--I'm bummed about that too!! Hopefully, one of these days🤞
Another great report! Our days did not overlap at all. :( I gotta say, your family sure is blessed with beautiful eyes! They jump right out of the photos at me!
Thank you!! Oh darn!! Many say that about us--we all have the same eyes. I hear that so often!! That also goes for my cousins & aunts & uncles--not just my immediate family!! We all have them!!
i really enjoyed this. thanks!
I'm glad to hear that!! Thank you for reading!!
I loved this report so great your family can go as such a big group. I love Star Wars so im looking forward to your next TR
Thank you so much!! It did work out well!! But, we're used to doing things as a big group--it's the norm for us so maybe that helps!! I'm glad you're going to tune in for it. I'll try to get started on it ASAP when I get back!!
Haha I felt a little like a crazy person doing so! I can't believe I did it either, in hindsight 😳 We'll be there Oct 31st to Nov 9th! We're still trying to figure out where we'll be each day but it would be great if we could make something work!
I'm so glad you did!! Besides, it really added something to the TR!! I would love to meet up. We still don't have all our days picked out yet either but we'll make it happen!!
Such a great report! Thanks so much for sharing. I also have my eye on the Mickey balloon hoodie! I only wish we had a trip planned sooner, we are sitting at 27 days of rain for the month of July! We could seriously use that Orlando heat! Looking forward to hearing about your quick trip down next month!
Kelly
Thank you so much!! It is a cute hoodie!! Your weather sounds as bad as ours---that's all it does it rain here. I just saw on the news this morning that we are 10 inches above the average amount of rainfall so far for the year!! Thank you & I look forward to doing the TR!!
I had the Lapu Lapu once and really enjoyed it. But I had it on an empty stomach and the bartender was very generous with the liquor. I got off the barstool to go to the bathroom and almost fell on my face LOL. By the time we were seated for our ADR at Ohana, I was ready to go to sleep - and almost did in the noodles. That's how I got the saying "Lapu Lapu Fail" :)
That's too funny!! Everything except the part about you almost falling. Mine was very strong also & it took me hours to drink it and I still didn't finish it. It was way too much for me!!
 

riverside

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Hi there! I've been eagerly awaiting your TR but you posted the first two days just before I left for about a month and didn't really have computer access! So I'm home and have spent the last week diligently going through your report and loving every minute!!! It's fun to read in increments as you post them day by day but it was really fun to read in one giant chunk of a report, too!
Thank you so very much!! That's so nice to hear!! I'm glad you're caught up!!
First, I hope J recovered from his virus rather quickly. That was so sweet of the Disney cast members to offer another shirt, if only they'd been at the airport when R and Lou Holtz :geek::geek::geek: got sprayed!
He was better after a few days, thank you. Haha!!--I'll have to tell R you said that. That's a good one!!
Your family is huge and wonderful! I'm from a tiny family but we make it work and I married into another small family. It's wonderful so many of you can travel together and not get hung up on logistics of a certain person/group having to meet later, etc.
Thank you. I think we're so used big groups doing things together for so long that it just works for us. Heck, my brothers & sisters & I have done it all our lives!!
This is super special that you all are able to make and keep that commitment. I'm sorry about the loss of your mom but I'm glad you have such a supportive and loving family!
Thank you!! It helps a lot!!
At this point, it seems like J can be an official Disney Glow Cube collector!
Ha!! You're so right!! Let's see if he asks for one in a few weeks. My guess is yes!!
Not sure I'd have this willpower, unless I knew I was coming back later in the trip!
Not me. I'm not a DS fan in the least:oops:
I can see how that's hard for E at times. I remember your earlier trip report and how proud J was that "he rode a Haunted Mansion." I hope he starts getting braver as he gets older. Even in my 30's, I sometimes am too timid and need to encourage myself to "face my fears!" I certainly understand his being scared.
Haha--he still calls it that!! I think he will. Heck, as I get older I become more afraid of things!!
Good for A for having the guts to sing in front of Mary Poppins! Looks like they had fun singing together!
It was really cute!!
We love Teppan Edo! I've never seen the TREE OF LIFE either, but that's so cool he was able to do it!! o_Oo_O
Great restaurant!! It was really neat to see something different!!
I never NEED a snack when I go by there, but they are nearly impossible to resist, even after being full from a big dinner! I love getting the little chocolate squares, but I know they melt in a heartbeat!
I'll have to try them next time!!
We did AFTER HOURS at Magic Kingdom last year and were able to "pick any row we wanted" for a few rides! It was really exciting and I felt like it was definitely worth the money! The snacks are a nice treat :)rolleyes::banghead:;)) but it's ridiculous to "hoard" the snacks like you saw (and I've seen) people do.

We did an Early Morning Magic Morning last year with Toy Story Land and ended up riding SDD 8 times in 2 hours and TSMM at least 3 times that morning before our time was up!
That is a pretty neat feeling!! I can't believe people aren't embarrassed to do that. 8 times--that is amazing!! That was well worth it!!
Oh, the Tiki Room isn't so bad on a hot day when you need a break from the heat and to sit down a bit! :p:hilarious:
I actually enjoy it--so does J!!
What a sweet cousin! Sounds like the cousins all really get along and it's so cute that A and J are buddies and ham it up!
They really all do get along pretty well!!
Ahhh, Boatwright's. What a hassle to change the reservation, it was sweet of the CM to make it work (and I agree, the KARMA is all on her :jawdrop:) and nice that you all were able to have a fairly easy dinner close to home!
I was grateful that I didn't have to pay the fee & that we didn't have to travel anywhere. The weather had really worn us down by that point.
Agreed! There were some beautiful scenes and some voices were amazing but I liked the original better. Though Scar is still way too scary for me!
I thought Scar looked so scrawny--almost sickly. I guess that help with portraying him as being mean.
I enjoyed the Broadway show, it's very well done!
Yes it is!!
This sounds amazing and makes me want to go back to 50's just for this! Love how your family has a sense of humor and can enjoy the waiters having fun with you all!
Probably b/c we're sarcastic like they are there--we fit right in!! Plus, the food is great!!
Earl of Sandwich is one of our go-to's at DS, though we do love the new Guy's Chicken Shack that just opened. A hard decision for lunch for our family!
I haven't tried the new place yet. I'm not a big fan of chicken but will eat it if someone else wants to go there. Earl of Sandwich is great!!
I didn't realize he lived in Orlando. I'm glad he had a good sense of humor with R. With his fame, I'm sure Lou Holtz has had worse things done to him or said to him than accidentally:jawdrop: having a bottle sprayed on him. I liked his funny line that he saw you shaking it!
I'm glad he did also. He pretty much never flinched. His comment was funny though!!
Anyway, wonderful TR, I'm so glad you and E can go again for a quick trip to see SWGE this fall! Yes, it's hard flight-wise not being able to take the early or late flights with a little one but I'm so glad you are able to make a quick adventure worth it, even if it means sacrificing your beloved Port Orleans!
Thank you so much!! It will be short but I'm grateful that I am able to go & I know we'll accomplish a lot.
Spoiler Alert: We are staying at POR!!:D
 

Loco_driver

Well-Known Member
Oh wow!! That's crazy!! I read this to him last night & he was amazed that you remembered his shirt. He said he didn't remember that that's what he was wearing!! PNC Park is a nice stadium--too bad the Pirates don't play better baseball though. I'll take your(& my brother's)word for it. I don't plan on visiting there anytime soon!!

I normally wouldn’t even notice what shirt somebody is wearing. However for some reason we’d noticed a lot of pirates and Steelers shirts that day, and had been talking about how many people from Pittsburgh must’ve been there!
 

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