Jan 3-8 2013 Two Year Anniversary Trip

Day1 01/02/13
Cast Members:
Me (Rose) age 30 something, Profession, event planner
Jack (my husband) age 40, Profession: College professor, musician
Liam (my son) age 12

Bags are packed, and the cat goes to Mum’s house. Final goodbyes are said to parents, sister, niece and nephew. Waiting for Jack to come home from work. He arrives around 3:30pm. We pack up the car and our on our way around 4:00pm. Leave our neighborhood and immediately turn around and head home. Jack has forgotten his sneakers. After a quick sidetrack we are on the road again. We stop at a Chinese buffet for dinner in Houston and then fight our way in rush hour traffic to the hotel near Hobby airport. Check in is easy and we get a King Suite. Liam gets the sofa bed while Jack and I get the King bed. It’s 7pm and what can we do? We head to a corner store for drinks, back to hotel and try to find something to watch on TV. We settle down around 10pm and try to sleep. I don’t do well in strange places so I think I got maybe three hours total.

 

[acrab3t]

With Liam happy at Stormalong Bay (no worries, he's 12 and they have life guards), we suited up for the quiet pool and grabbed our laundry. While Jack went to put the clothes in the wash I took a nice soak in the hot tub. There were a few couples already in the tub so I found a spot. They were already conversing so I just chilled. I happend to take a look up at one of the guest balconys and I could see right into one of the rooms. I wasn't intending to look but I could see a man taking off his pants. A lady in the room was motioning to the open window and he just shrugged. By this time he was down to his tighty whities. Then he removed those and I could see his bare bum! He started to turn around so I quickly diverted my eyes so I wouldn't have to see his full monty. One of the couples got up and left so I started up a converation with the remaining pair who were also celebrating their anniversary. They said they got a call from Mickey wishing them a happy anniversary. We never got one. They had been there since New Years Eve. They said it was very crowded but the experiance was worth it. They were in EPOT for midnight and they said the count down was off by a few minutes because the show was delayed starting. Funny!

Jack came back and said the rumor in the laundry room was the washers didn't spin enough and the clothes were coming out dripping wet. We had 5:30 dinner reservations at Yachtsman and it was already 4:30. The problem was all of our pants were in the wash so if they didn't dry we would be pantless! Our plan was to put one of my pairs and one of Jack's in their own dryer and the rest all in one so at least we would have dry pants. When it was time we went to dry but the washer wouldn't stop spinning. It said it had 1 minute left but it kept going for 10 minutes. The door wouldn't open even if we unplugged it. Jack went to call the front desk for help and I just got more and more frustrated. I actually kicked the washer out of spite. Guest what? It stopped spinning! Jack came back and we thew our stuff in the dryers.

I went back to the pool and saw something odd. There were two little girls(around 8 -10 years old) with bikini bottoms but no tops. They were speaking French so I got it. I was born in England so I am familiar with the fact that little girls in Europe sometimes swim toppless. I was wondering how Jack would feel about it. I was happy my son wasn't with us because I think it would have shocked him. I wondered if it ever crossed the minds of the parents that that is considered unappropriate in American culture. I went back to the hot tub and it was empty. Jack joined me and I asked him if he noticed the girls. He said he did and thought something was missing.

We sat for a while and went to get our clothes. We were lucky that they were all dry. We had 10 minutes to make it to our reservation on time. Liam was already back at the room showered and ready to go. We threw on our clothes and were out the door. Fortunatly it was a short 5 minute walk. We made it on time and were seated. It was very quiet, not too many people. I forgot to take photos because I was so hungry. We all ordered steak. They serve the most awsome Mac n Cheese. It has white truffles in it so it is YUMMY. I was not able to eat all of mine so we boxed it up to take back for later. We also ordered our desserts to go.

Our plan for the evening was to go to Down Town Disney to do a little shopping. Typically you can find anything from the parks there so I had not bought anything yet. It took forever to get there by bus because the bus stops at YC, S&D and BW. Our first stop was the Goofy Candy Co. Liam was after some sour balls. My stomach started to disagree with me so I excused myself to find a restroom. I spent the rest of the evening with nasty stomach cramps. I think it must have been the onions on the truffle mac and cheese. Oh! Jack had bought a grape slushy thing from Goofy's and gave me a taste. I kept thinking about it the rest of the evening. We stopped by Pin Traders (we love pins) and then Art of Disney. Jack wanted to buy something for our home but didn't fancy anything. Our last stop was the mega Disney store. It was so crowded! I have never seen it that busy before. I guess none of the parks were open late so everyone else decided to shop too. I started to feel worse and crankier. I did find my Mickey tea ball I have been wanting and some Wonderland tea for my parents. I couldn't find anything else I realy wanted. I had seen a shirt at the Contemporary and thought I would find it here. Nope! I swear they have cut down on the amount of merchandise they used to sell. My stomach was realy starting to hurt so I had Jack stand in the long check out line so I could get some fresh air. I still wanted a grape slushy so I didn't let my stomach stop me. It did actually help a bit. Yum! We waited forever for the bus and then it took forever to get home because it stopped at all of the other resorts first. My tummy was killing me and it was almost 11pm. I had to get to a giftshop to get something to tame it. Jack came to my rescue and got off at YC. He texted me that he made it before 11pm. My hero! By the time Liam and I got to the BC and up to our room, Jack was right behind us. What a wonderful husband I have. We called it a night and fell into bed.

 

[ginadee]

I

Following! And everyone should go visit the Princesses!

I
had breakfast there before opening as well and it was fantastic to see the empty park and got great pics.

 

[PineapplePrincess]

Sorry to hear about your tummy troubles. It's miserable to be feeling anything less than magical whilst you're at WDW. At least you got to see a lot of skin at Stormalong Bay!

 

[acrab3t]

Day 6, Cape May, Hollywood Studios, Brown Derby and Fantasia

We didn't have to rush this morning. Breakfast was just down the stairs and across the lobby. Cape May. Mine and Liam's first time. Jack had been on a past trip. The theme here is the seaside. I love the decor with the sand castles and croquet mallots. We were seated right away. The restaurant was empty. Our server told us we would see the characters several times because it was quiet. The New Years crowd must have gone home. The was a good sign for the rest of the day. First character we met was Goofy. He was being silly.

Next we saw Donald. He had on his sailor suite.

And Minnie Mouse. She was very sweet.

The characters came by several times since there were a total of maybe 6 tables of guests. Now let me talk about the buffet. It was amazing. Anything you could desire for breakfast was on this buffet. I made a beeline to the asparagus and hollandaise. This was the best breakfast buffet I have ever had, hands down. I even found bread pudding! Liam is happy as long as there is bacon. After breakfast I took some time to photograph the lobby. This was the view from outside our door.

 

[acrab3t]

After breakfast we headed out the door to walk to the boat launch for Hollywood Studios. I snapped a few pics on the way.
Here is the waterslide for Stormalong bay. The view is from the boat launch. You can see the BC to the right, YC on the left.

This is my favorite shot of the boys.

This guy was realy tame. He posed for the camera.

The boat didn't take too long and we were on our way. It stopped at Swan & Dolphin and Board Walk. The ride is nice and relaxing. The walk to the park entrance is not too far from the boat. HS is one of our favorite parks because of the thrill rides. I love the feeling like you are on a movie set. The crowds were scarce so I had a feeling it was going to be a good day. The clouds were starting to lift and I got thi pretty shot.

An of course the family shot in front of the hat.

We had a mission to get fast passes for Toy Story before they ran out for the day. We scored 2pm passes. Next stop, one of our favorites. Star Wars! While we waited we ran into these guys. They were waiting to get on stage for Jedi Training camp.

Anyone recognize this golden robot?

This guy was busy at work.

We moved through the line fast. It was a walk on. I wish I had more time to take more pictures. We decided to ride it again so back in line. Another walk on. I love that the story changes every time.

 

[acrab3t]

After Star Tours we headed over to Muppet Vision.

I love this fountain. You can't see her but Miss Piggy is in the center of the fountain.

I like the waiting area better than the show. The Muppet show was one of my favorite shows as a child. The waiting room makes the Muppets feel alive. Can you find Kermit in this photo?

This chest belongs to Fozzy Bear.

After we exited the theater that was destroyed by fireworks we took a stoll on the streets of America. We missed seeing the Osbourn Family lights by one night. We had seen it the year before and loved it. Unfortunatly it didn't fit into our schedule. You can see the lights are still up.

If you have ever taken the time to slow down and take in the detail here it is pretty neat. You can even hear traffic and voices from the "people" who live here.

Can you see a santa?

I had read about this fountain in someone's blog so I made sure I could find it. She is the mermaid from Splash.

Next we went to the Back Lot Tour. Last time we went, the audience volunteer messed up Pearl Harbor sequence. He went ove the ropes on the boat and the CM hosting the show shut the whole thing down. I guess they were worried he would slip and fall. Liam had never seen the Pearl Harbor bit all the way through. This time they did not ask for any volunteers and they did the sequence with no people. It was kind of odd. Oh well. I took some shots of some Pirates of the Carribbean. I had wanted to try out the new Pirate's experiance where Narnia used to be but the line was always too long.

I put the camera away for the rest of the tour but I did get a shot of Walt Disney's plane. This is the plane he used to survey the land in Florida when WDW was in the planning stage. Sorry I missed the mouse on the tail.

 

[acrab3t]

After Back Lot tour we found the Singing in the Rain Umbrella. Liam has always wanted to get it to squirt water. Last year it was behind a barricade because of the Osbourne lights. This year it didn't seem to be working. I am assuming becuase the lights were still up. We will have to pick another season next time we go. I think WDW has been dressed up for Christmas for my last four trips.

By this time we were starting to get a little hungry. I love the snack credits on the dining plan. We got two per person a day so sometimes it was hard to use them. We came across a coffee shop so Jack and I both got cafe mochas. Liam wanted to save his credit for a frozen lemonade. I saw something in the pastry case that caught my eye.

I got the Mickey ear hat Toffee Brownie. Looks delicious doesn't it? Nope, I hated it. It tasted old and the brownie part was dry. The ears were solid chocolate with toffee inside but it wasn't good. I not much of a sweets person so I was disapointed. After our coffees we went shopping in Hollywood. We came across this shadey character. No onne seemed to notice him but us. Liam was dancing in the background. He also followed the CM all the way down the street. My child is easily amused.

Next up, The Great Movie Ride. This ride is too dark for anything to come out nicely with my camera. I am not one to use a flash on a ride either. I wouldn't want to annoy my fellow riders.

I'm singing in the rain, just singing the rain!

Chim chimney chim chimney chim chim charoo

We welcome you to the lollypop gang

Next we went to see The Little Mermaid. I love this show. We didn't have to wait too long. I love the bubbles part. Liam and Jack love this show. I think they both like to see Arial in her clam shells. Now it was nearly time for our fast passes for Toy Story. We arrived 5 minutes before out time so they made us wait a few more minutes. When the CM let us enter we walked right on. No wait for us! Liam loves this ride because it is one big video game. I don't get it. Let's just say Liam handed me my tush. He beat me by a long shot.

When we exited the ride it was already almost time for our 3pm Brown Derby reservations. We came across the Pixar Pals parade. I went to check us in and had Jack take a photo of my favorite one-eyed monster.

Here are some of our comparison photos. The first is Liam today, the other is thanksgiving 2006. I don't have last years. Notice how something is missing? We asked a CM where Mickey and the brooms went and the answer was hmmm, maybe they are moving them to EPCOT for the Spring Flower Festival. I didn't think they ever moved. If anyone knows where they went, please tell me.

 

[acrab3t]

Let me give you a back story on our experiance last year at the Brown Derby. We had planned our entire trip around Fantasmic. We could not secure a Fantasmic dinner package so we secured a 4pm dinner reservation. Plenty of time to eat and get to the 6:30 show, right? Wrong! We checked in at 4pm and they said there was a wait. The waiting area was packed. Everyone else was waiting to be seated too. Everyone seemed annoyed as well. I asked how long the wait was and they told me and hour. What, we had a 4pm reservation! They explained all of the days reservations had been double booked in the system, it was a computer glitch. Huh? Well we had no choice but to wait. We were hungry, tired and now grumpy. Liam actually fell asleep in his chair. We didn't get sat until 5:15pm. We explained our tight time frame to our server and he promised he would have us out by 6pm. That did not happen. Try to order and eat a three course meal in 45 minutes. When we settled the bill we had to run to Fantasmic. Liam and I had never seen it before so we did not want to miss it. We made it just in time but had to sit in the very last section.

This time we had secured the Fantasmic dinner package for 3pm. We were seated around3:15. Not too bad. Plenty of time to relax and enjoy our meal. I treated myself to a champagne flight. I wanted to try the Fairy Tale. They were all good but my favorite was the Rosa Regale sparkling blush. I have had this one before. If you like sweet wines I highly recommend it.

For our entrees Liam and I both had the bison. Tastey but a tad chewey. The BBQ sauce was very nice.

Jack had the the Duck Two Ways. I had it last year and it was good. They serve it a little different but Jack enjoyed it.

For dessert I had the berry cobbler. So good!

Jack had the cheese cake and Liam had the grapefruit cake.

Our server brought us a nice little mouse for our anniverary.

Our experiance was much better this time. We had time to relax and enjoy dinner. After dinner we grabbed fast passes for Rock N Rollercoaster. Liam had wanted to get photos with Socerer Mickey.

Now time for some Rock N Roll. This is my favorite. Nothing like Steven Tyler screaming in your ear through a fast and winding coaster. We splurged and bought the photo for this ride.

Yes, my husband is nutty.

 

[Cassie S.]

Really enjoying your TR! Those old pics of Liam are too precious! My family is going on our first trip in May with my 6 and 4 year olds.

 

[acrab3t]

Your kids will have a blast! Liam's first trip was when he was 6.

Really enjoying your TR! Those old pics of Liam are too precious! My family is going on our first trip in May with my 6 and 4 year olds.

 

[acrab3t]

Day 6 continued...

After Rock n Roller Coaster it was time to head over to see Fantasmic! We had our reserved seat passes and found a spot on the front row. This is Jack's favorite Disney show. We still had 40 minutes before the start time so we busted out our inflatable pillows and blew them up. This is so our bums wouldn't go numb. Good call! As the sun started to go down it got chilly. It was also a bit windy. When the show started and the water jets went on the wind blew the mist our way. Brrr! It was cold. I had to watch the show while getting colder and wetter. It was still worth it. My favorite part is the end with Steam Boat Willie. The best part of the show was Robin Hood was on the boat. He was my favorite Disney character when I was a kid. My first trip to WDW was when I was 4. I remember coming across Robin Hood in the park and he came up to me, took my hand and kissed it! I almost fainted. I remember looking at my hand to see if he had left tooth marks. He was my first crush.

After Fantasmic the park was closing so we headed over to the boat. We got off at the Swan and Dolfin so we could check it out. I am not crazy about the larger than life statues on the building. I find them creepy. The palm trees were pretty. I liked the way the lights change. The inside of the hotel was very modern and non-Disney. I don't think we would ever plan on staying here since they don't have a DDP. From Swan and Dolfin we took a nice stroll back to the hotel. We told Liam he could play at the arcade for a while. He had his cell phone so we could keep in touch. Jack and I wanted to check out the gift shop at the YC. I had seen a Minnie dress in HS I liked but they didn't have one small enough. I was hoping they would have my size at the YC. When we got to the YC they had the dress in my size! I tried it on and it still looked baggy around the waist. It just looked, well, frumpy. Jack and I decided to stroll around and see if we could find Liam in the Arcade. Nope, not there. We went to the BC gift shop to look around and tried to call but no answer. Then we get a text from him saying he had dropped his phone in the toilet! Jack tried calling again but still no answer. We headed up to the room and found a tearful Liam in the room. This was his first phone and his christmas present. He had only had it for less than two weeks and he had already destroyed it. This is exactly why we didn't get him an iPhone. No insurance on those babies. He was so upset, poor kid. Jack took the phone apart and blotted it with a towel. I grabbed a ziplock bag and headed downstairs to Cape May with Liam. Thankfully it was still open. I explained to the hostess that Liam had dropped the phone in the toilet and asked if we could have some dry rice. She left for a short while and came back witht he bag filled with rice. Back upstairs we went and submerged the phone in the rice-filled bag. FIngers crossed. This was our last night and it was time to pack our bags. Booo ! I hate last nights. We packed up and went to bed.

 

[bethymouse]

This is the perfect trip! What wonderful dining and such great pics! I have to say I'm a bit jealous. But, congratulations on your anniversary! I wish that some day I could go in January. The place looked almost deserted at times!

 

[acrab3t]

Day 7, 01/08/13 Animal Kingdom, Tusker House Breakfast, Our actual wedding anniversay and time to go home

The one day we needed a wake up call, we didn't get one. Fortunatly we were packed and in no time we were ready. After a quick sweep of our room to make sure we had everything, we departed our home of 6 days. We had to get out bags to the skycap so they would make it to the airport. Our Magical Express pick up time was 3pm. First, I had some business to attend to. I had to find a new home for my Mickie ballon. I found a family and asked the parents first. They said yes and I told the kids I needed someone to look after my balloon. I couldn't take it on a plane. They happily agreed. I just hope the parents didn't think I was a freak. We borded the bus to Animal Kingdom and were on our way. We had 8am Tusker House reservations. Animal Kindom is nice in the early morning. The park was empty of course. You have to walk to the back of the park to Africa to get to Tusker House. On the way we stopped for the Family shot.

We found my favorite photo spot for Liam at the Tree of Life. He has his 6 year old shot and his 12 year old shot.

See how much he has grown in 6 years!

We had a very short wait for our reservation. We got a family shot with Donald.

Our first visitor was Goofy

Next was Daisy

And Mickey!

One of the CM's convinced Liam to take part of the parade. He is at the age when he is too cool but I guess he decided it was his last day so what the heck.

After breakfast we had to wait for the park to open before we could ride anything. We decided to ride the safari first. I took a random photo while we waited.

 

[acrab3t]

This is the perfect trip! What wonderful dining and such great pics! I have to say I'm a bit jealous. But, congratulations on your anniversary! I wish that some day I could go in January. The place looked almost deserted at times!

Thank you! It we very busy for our first three days since it was so close to New Years but the end of the week was better. When we went on our honeymoon two years ago it was right after the marathon on the 9th of January. It was so dead! We walked on most of the rides. You should go in mid January. It is so worth it!

 

[GoalieGirl16]

I really enjoyed your trip report! Your son is so adorable and seems so sweet. I have pictures of myself at about his age and I just looked surly and unpleasant whereas Liam seemed to be such a good sport about photo ops. You seem to be a family that very much enjoys spending time with one another! That made the report all the more enjoyable. Thanks for sharing with us!

 

[Cassie S.]

Your kids will have a blast! Liam's first trip was when he was 6.

Thanks! I think the kids will have a great time, too! We have all our ADRs made, costumes picked out for my daughter, and TShirts for her and my son. I can't wait for it to get here so I can write my TR!! I started a PTR, it's been super fun.

 

[acrab3t]

I really enjoyed your trip report! Your son is so adorable and seems so sweet. I have pictures of myself at about his age and I just looked surly and unpleasant whereas Liam seemed to be such a good sport about photo ops. You seem to be a family that very much enjoys spending time with one another! That made the report all the more enjoyable. Thanks for sharing with us!

Trust me, he had his moments. Last year when we went for his birthday he was so much fun! This year he was a bit more reserved.

 

[acrab3t]

Day 7 Continued......

Life keeps getting in the way of this trip report! So after breakfast we were had to wait a bit for the park to open. I love this tree. Those seed pods are huge!

We like to hit the Kilimanjaro Safari first thing because the animals are more active in the morning. We were one of the first groups on. This was the first time we had ridden since they took away the poacher story. It wasn't as exciting but we saw lots of animals.

Here is a babboon, Mandril? Not sure which but I find them scary and fascinating at the same time. After I took the photo my husband informed me that this guy was pooping over the cliff into the water. I guess that was his toilet.

Ok, sorry about that. Here is a nice family photo of the lions, 1, 2 and 3!

After the safari tour you will come across a forest trail to find the gorillas. It makes me sad to see them in captivity. They seem so human. They have a two year old and she is so sweet. We watched her play for a good 20 minutes.

Here is Big Daddy. He was enjoying some lettuce.

And a nice view of the Tree of Life

After our forest tour we got fast passes for Expedition Everest. Time for a little drum session.

We headed over to Dinoland and tried out Primeval Whirl. This was the first time Liam and I have ridden it. Jack wanted us to try it out. It was short but sweet. It reminds me of carnival rides like we have at the Houston Livestock show and Rodeo (going on right now) only safer.

Now on to Dinosaur!

It was a walk on. We got a great family shot of us on the ride. That is us on the front row. We did the three monkies, "See no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil". Sorry it is so blurry. Jack took the photo with his phone

Liam loves this ride so much he got in line again. Jack and had enough with one time so we let him go ahead. We waited and waited by the photo station. He took forever! We finaly saw him with a family that could have been his! We joked and said he was with his "other" family. He said what took him so long was he was in front of a tour group and somehow the CM let them go ahead. Oh well.

 

[acrab3t]

Next we tried the Triceratop ride that looks like Dumbo since we never made it on Dumbo. I loved it but Jack does not like heights. I had to take a phot of this, cracks me up.

Regular bathroom stops are required with kids. You do not want to be stuck in a long line with a kid doing the Pee Pee Dance. We hit Everest with our fast passes. I love this ride! Disco Yeti! When we got off we grabbed more fast passes.

It was time for a snack so Liam got a Mickey ice cream bar. Just as we got his ice cream, his tooth decides to fall out. Blood and ice cream, yum! As treat, Jack tells me we should let Liam have his ultamite wish, a Monster drink. He had been bugging us for months for one and we kept saying no because of the high caffein content. You should have seen his face when we purchased it. Ice cream and Monster! Wow. Now the trick was eating it before Nemo the Musical started. We poured his monster into one of our sport bottles so he could take it inside and he wolfed down the ice cream. Nemo was cute once you get over the fact you can see the actors faces. It took a little getting used to but wow, they can sing, dance and work a puppet at the same time. That is talent. We hopped on Everest one last time for kicks. I don't think this ride ever gets old. It was almost time to leave and we needed to use up some snack credits so Liam got some fries, Jack and I got fried rice and eggrolls. Not too bad, hit the spot. We headed out of the park and found our bus.

When we got back to BC we had 30 minutes before the Magical Express took us to the airport. Plenty of time to take one last look at our home for the past week. It is amazing how all the planning and waiting took so long but the week you are there goes by in a blink of an eye. We always tell ourselves there will be next time. I always hate the day before the last day because you keep thinking it is your last night. The following day you just keep looking at your watch to see how long before you have to leave the park. Sigh, now the bus is pulling up and you just don't want to get on. True, you are exhausted from your vacation and your own bed seems nice, but who realy wants a Disney vacation to end? Like I said, there is always next time, it is not the end. Next time I think we might try Disney Land. Liam and Jack have never been. I have only been once and I was 12 so a lot has changed.

Thank you for reading my first trip report. I have enjoyed reading so many others that I had to try it out. I apologise for any spelling mistakes (my child is the spelling champ, not me). Until next time, Good Night!