Let Them Eat CAKE!!! Trip Report

****Looks like none of the pictures are showing after the site changeover- you can view the pics on here if you'd like. http://www.flickr.com/photos/houcusechickie/sets/72157630140601410/

I posted the PTR a while back... http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?t=762372 and now it's time for the trip report!!!

As you probably guessed from the title- there's going to be a bit of cake in this TR. The first cake actually happens before we even left town for WDW. As promised, I made Kendall (DD4 at the time) a Toy Story themed Barbie Dreamvette. I was under a lot of stress- final trip details, getting ready for Kindergarten, family staying with us for 4 days before the trip, work issues, everything with this cake, and a car accident in the middle of it all. The gumpaste Mr. Potatohead and Alien turned out really well... even if I had to replace the 5 with a hat due to a potato mishap...

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...but the cake looked more like a lumpy version of Lightning McQueen meets a Trans Am or Firebird.

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The worst part- I was already upset about the cake, but in the 5 hours I was away from the house- the weight of the Alien took out the far side of the car, the seams at the door and detail lines started to split, and potato fell and lost his 5. I made some last minute attempts to fix it airbrushed it a bit in hopes that people wouldn't notice all of the issues and said “who cares, I'm leaving for Disney tomorrow!”

[/url][/IMG] (still drives me nuts that after 3 fixes that stupid back tire still kept going flat!!!) All in all- I hated the cake and was so happy to come home and trash it! I haven't hated a cake this much in a long time.

So, now it's the evening before we take off for WDW and the vehicle situation is still up in the air. I hadn't heard back from the collision center by 7pm, so I figured my Jeep wouldn't be ready. So, we started prepping DH's car and I put in a stroller rental request through Magic Strollers. Around 9:20pm I get a call from the service rep handling my vehicle informing me that the Jeep should be ready by 8:30am the next morning. It did end up being ready the next morning, but by this point plans were in full swing for using DH's car plus he gets better gas mileage, so I picked up the Jeep- loaded up DH's car (after he took our dog to “Doggy Camp” and got an oil change)...AND WE WERE OFF TO DISNEY!!!

Sammie (DD2) was all happy, but Kendall wanted nothing to do with pictures!

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We didn't leave until about 9:30am, but that worked out well since we hit downtown Houston with very little traffic.

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It wasn't long after that where we got on I-10 and headed east.

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We hit Beaumont and started to get excited because that meant it wouldn't be long before we were out of Texas and in Louisiana.

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[HouCuseChickie]

Closing Thoughts

While I think I'm preaching to the choir on this one, the first thought is for all of the people who told me it was too soon to return, too short of a trip to make it worth it, too difficult to make the drive with young children, too close to the start of school, etc. Plain and simple- it wasn't.

Sure, we were just there in December, but if you've been fortunate enough to go to WDW a number of times, you know that no trip is ever the same + we got to go one more time while Sammie is still free. Sure, we would have loved to stay longer, but a short trip is better than no trip at all IMO. And yes, the girls are young, but things like dvd players, leapsters, and magna-doodles can make it all pretty pleasant. I probably wouldn't plan a trip right after a visit with family and right on top of a big cake again; however, but the right before school aspect was no biggie.

OK, now that this stuff is out of the way...Disney thoughts :sohappy: ...

The Contemporary - Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but CR gets a lot of undeserved bashing IMO. Sure, I never felt like I was in Hawaii, Africa, the Pacific Northwest, New Orleans, the Caribbean, etc, but I felt like I was at Disney. In fact, I felt more like I was at Disney this trip than any other previous trip to WDW. The room was big, the room was nice and clean, and while it's hard to define just how it accomplishes this- it felt like I was at WDW. Sure the tower was visible from our room, it was monorails monorails everywhere, and MK is your next door neighbor when at CR, but it's more than that. If anything, it made me think of a YouTube video I saw a few months ago that detailed the official opening of WDW...and there was Bob Hope in the Contemporary marveling at the place...almost gave the place sort of a historical landmark feel to it. I know- a contradiction... Contemporary and historical landmark...but it works for me.

Deluxe Dining Plan - Alright, we did a whopping 10 TS meals in 4nt/5day stay. Back in mid July- I had 8 TS meals planned as well as various CS and snacks, but I did the math and found that DxDP was going to save us quite a bit. The savings increased even more by adding the 2 other TS meals to things to cover the rest of the credits on the plan. The only time it ever felt like "a lot of dining" was the day we did lunch at Le Cellier. There's just something about doing lunch that kills the day for me. We loved having the appetizer included!!! :slurp: Would I do it again? Maybe. Once things calm down... I want to look at the savings we would have gotten had we bought APs before our December trip and gone with TiW instead.

The Cake -obviously, we were very pleased. What's nuts... I think I'd like to find a way to incorporate a cake into every trip. Disney seems to work on that "you're celebrating something even if you're not technically celebrating anything" philosophy...and nothing says celebration better than cake!!! So, I'm hoping this cake is the first of MANY!!! i.e. a trip tradition

Break day and no Animal Kingdom - It was really nice to have the break day. I still wish we were able to do a bit more, but in the same sense... it was a break day and break days aren't meant to be running around like a crazy person. While there was this little voice in my head that kept nagging at me to go to AK so we could finally see Nemo and Lion King, not once did anybody ask about going to AK. I thought surely the kids would say something, but not a peep. And when DH thought we might add a 4th day of park tickets vs. taking a break day...he was torn between returning to Epcot or MK. I still think everyone would have enjoyed it if I had opted for day 4 at AK, but this time it was the right move to skip it.

Touring Plans and Crowd Calendars - I was all nervous about crowds b/c Touring Plans said most of our days would be between 9.2 - 9.7. Maybe we managed fastpasses, timing and flow better this time, but in many ways it felt less crowded than December...when most of our days were listed at a 3. I will say that the whole "starting in Adventureland" strategy seems to be a good one. There was seriously NOBODY over there. Obviously, this also only works if you're there at park opening.

Summer Heat - My parents, who live in South Florida kept giving us the "but it's going to be soooo hot" spiel. I kept trying to remind them that we live in Texas and our summer has been hotter- MUCH HOTTER - than theirs. Seriously, I walked outside earlier this week to 98 degrees and found it refreshing! It no longer felt like I had inhaled a hair dryer. And now with highs in the low 90s- man, I need a Snuggie! :ROFLOL: So, we actually went to WDW in the summer to cool off.

Everything Else - The big question is always "so, when are you going back? and what do you think you'll do?" If we return to WDW before 2013, it will be without the girls. If all goes well, Maui - New Orleans - and Vegas are on the kid free trip schedule for 2012 - so, I just don't see it happening. That's not to say we aren't discussing some Disney magic in 2012...just not WDW. In fact, the resolutions to this week's nightmares forced me into thinking about vacation plans for the first week in June. I pitched the idea of San Francisco to San Diego. DH greenlighted a couple of days in Anaheim...so if we stick with this idea... you may be seeing a TR next summer. As for 2013-my parents LOVE cruising. So, DH and I were thinking WDW with a Disney cruise in the middle. Kendall and DH want to stay at the Poly next time, but I'm thinking Yacht Club or Beach Club...so maybe we'll split. We've got PLENTY of time for these decisions. At the very least- I'm thinking about an early bday trip for Sammie Columbus Day weekend 2013 so we can try MNSSHP and get her a special Disney bday cake as well (hard to believe I'm thinking about her 5th bday when I still have two months before she turns 3 and I have to make good on her Evil Dr. Porkchop bday cake).

Finally...I want to thank all of you for reading and your wonderful comments. The cosmic wedgie that plagued me pre-trip returned after the trip. The last week and a half has been extremely difficult and I'm praying that tomorrow is the beginning of my return to sanity...but writing/posting this trip report in the middle of this fiasco has helped keep my spirits up. I guess even just writing about a trip to Disney has its magical therapeutic aspects...that and sorting out the 2,000+ pictures I took. Thanks again everyone and can't wait to read about everyone else's trips!!!!!!!!!!! :wave:

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Fantastic wrap-up! :sohappy:

The Contemporary. I completely agree! I love all the resorts we've stayed at but nothing feels quite like Disney the way the Contemporary does. It's always been there. The ride thru on the monorail has always been part of being there even when the MK was the only park. That resort is part of the core of what WDW has always been on a historical level. Being able to stay there and be part of that was my dream-come-true. Doesn't get more "Disney" than that.

Deluxe Dining Plan. Dining plans aren't currently for us but that's not to say they never will be. Right now it doesn't make sense. I think the fact that you looked at what you had planned and chose the Dining Plan that fit your needs is the way to go. It was a lot of sit-down eating for y'all but look at all those character meals! The character meals were part of your family's vacation experience and what you wanted to do with your WDW time for this trip. Not a thing wrong with that. If it worked for ya, fanastic! Like you said, every trip is different. Especially as our kids grow and progress thru different stages their needs evolve and change. In the future your needs will likely be different and so you'll make those choices according to what you need then. Isn't it wonderful, though, to have all these different choices and possibilities to fit so many different families and vacation experiences????

The cake. I'm with you. I could easily make a cake part of every trip. If nothing else, have one your first night so you can nibble the rest of the trip. Personally, I think family time on vacation is a good enough thing to "celebrate" and the perfect excuse for cake. Birthdays and anniversaries are just the traditional reasons. How about an un-birthday? Love it. :slurp:

The summer heat. I'm so relieved to read your take on that. OMG! You totally nailed it when you said, "I feel like I inhaled a hair dryer." That's exactly what the oppressive heat we've had over here in Texas has been like. I couldn't stand on my front porch to let the dog do her "thing" without breaking a sweat. Miserable. The little cool-down to under 100 was a relief. The continued cool-down to the lower 90s feels like sweater-weather. LOL! I went for a run this morning and didn't hardly sweat until I got home and stood still. Normally I'm wringing out my shirt 10 minutes in. Heaven. Straight up heaven. I'm not worried about the temps at WDW at all anymore. I see what you were saying earlier that it felt like y'all went to WDW to get relief from the heat.

I'm not stressing about going back either. We've got plenty of other things to do and see including other Disney experiences. WDW will be there whenever we make it back, right??? :wave:

 

[Castle Dreamer]

Thank you so much for your wonderful trip report! I really enjoyed reading all the details and seeing the great pictures of your beautiful family!! Reading your report really made me feel like I was there too! I am now even more anxious for our trip in November. Thanks again!! :wave:

 

[Sarabell]

I loved your trip report! Thanks for sharing your memories with us :wave:

 

[bmarkelon]

Loved your trip report! I do the same thing on our last day as we're driving away. Always wave good-bye to the castle, such a sad moment. I love your closing thoughts and agree with so much you said. So many people told me we were crazy for going in August but really not much different from CT summers. Hot and humid, whatev! Thank you for sharing your family's Disney vacation! :sohappy:

 

[PartOfYourWorld]

Thanks so much for sharing!!! Gets me excited for my trip in 3 weeks! :wave:

 

[chmgreenwood]

I have loved reading every word of your trip report, your girls are so cute! So glad you had an amazing trip and the cake looked fab :slurp:

 

[fractal]

Awesome report and wrap-up! :sohappy: I loved the all the cake talk and pics. Your girls are adorable! Think of all the trips and memories you have in front of you!

Thanks for taking the time and effort and for all the great pictures!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Fantastic wrap-up! :sohappy:

The Contemporary. I completely agree! I love all the resorts we've stayed at but nothing feels quite like Disney the way the Contemporary does. It's always been there. The ride thru on the monorail has always been part of being there even when the MK was the only park. That resort is part of the core of what WDW has always been on a historical level. Being able to stay there and be part of that was my dream-come-true. Doesn't get more "Disney" than that.

Deluxe Dining Plan. Dining plans aren't currently for us but that's not to say they never will be. Right now it doesn't make sense. I think the fact that you looked at what you had planned and chose the Dining Plan that fit your needs is the way to go. It was a lot of sit-down eating for y'all but look at all those character meals! The character meals were part of your family's vacation experience and what you wanted to do with your WDW time for this trip. Not a thing wrong with that. If it worked for ya, fanastic! Like you said, every trip is different. Especially as our kids grow and progress thru different stages their needs evolve and change. In the future your needs will likely be different and so you'll make those choices according to what you need then. Isn't it wonderful, though, to have all these different choices and possibilities to fit so many different families and vacation experiences????

The cake. I'm with you. I could easily make a cake part of every trip. If nothing else, have one your first night so you can nibble the rest of the trip. Personally, I think family time on vacation is a good enough thing to "celebrate" and the perfect excuse for cake. Birthdays and anniversaries are just the traditional reasons. How about an un-birthday? Love it. :slurp:

The summer heat. I'm so relieved to read your take on that. OMG! You totally nailed it when you said, "I feel like I inhaled a hair dryer." That's exactly what the oppressive heat we've had over here in Texas has been like. I couldn't stand on my front porch to let the dog do her "thing" without breaking a sweat. Miserable. The little cool-down to under 100 was a relief. The continued cool-down to the lower 90s feels like sweater-weather. LOL! I went for a run this morning and didn't hardly sweat until I got home and stood still. Normally I'm wringing out my shirt 10 minutes in. Heaven. Straight up heaven. I'm not worried about the temps at WDW at all anymore. I see what you were saying earlier that it felt like y'all went to WDW to get relief from the heat.

I'm not stressing about going back either. We've got plenty of other things to do and see including other Disney experiences. WDW will be there whenever we make it back, right??? :wave:

I definitely think the monorail going through the tower is a big part of it for me. It had such strong positive impression on me as a kid on our first trip way back when. I still need to stay in the tower to fully realize the dream, but this trip was definitely a start.

I think we were 3.5 weeks (maybe 4) out when I decided to add the dining plan. I knew the regular plan wouldn't cut it with the TS I had booked, but the deluxe worked well for these plans. It was a TON of character dining, but I figure we're killing two birds with one stone. We had to eat and they want characters + it keeps them from begging for in park meet and greets. Next time we go, we might limit it to 2 or 3 character meals- if that. We might also do more CS since by that point, since both girls should be tall enough to really get all the parks have to offer. We shall see.

Yeah- next time we do a cake- it will be first day/night so we have an in room snack at all times. I figure if anything, it can be sort of a "welcome home" cake.

My friends up north think I'm nuts for saying 90 degrees is cool and pleasant, but they have no frame of reference. The heat reminds me of the summers we went on vacay to Nevada, Arizona and southwester Cali. Nothing like the Death Valley area in the middle of July! Kendall and I actually took the dog on a 2 mile walk today b/c I thought it was so nice.

That's just it- as much as I love WDW there's just so much more out there that I still want to do. The kids aren't old enough for me to do some of the things, but some day. I think that's why we're thinking Disneyland towards the end of the proposed Cali trip...i.e. let them appreciate natural wonder like Yosemite and Big Sur before seeing Mickey.

I can't wait to see your TR when you get back and that cake!!!!!!!!

Thank you so much for your wonderful trip report! I really enjoyed reading all the details and seeing the great pictures of your beautiful family!! Reading your report really made me feel like I was there too! I am now even more anxious for our trip in November. Thanks again!! :wave:

Thank you!!! That's good to know that it made you feel like you were there... that's really what I was hoping to do. Can't wait to see your TR when you get back!!!

I loved your trip report! Thanks for sharing your memories with us :wave:

Aww thank you- and Thanks for reading!!!

Loved your trip report! I do the same thing on our last day as we're driving away. Always wave good-bye to the castle, such a sad moment. I love your closing thoughts and agree with so much you said. So many people told me we were crazy for going in August but really not much different from CT summers. Hot and humid, whatev! Thank you for sharing your family's Disney vacation! :sohappy:

Part of me felt kind of insensitive saying it wasn't hot to us considering we saw so many people melting, but like you've noted- lots of places in the US have hot and humid summers. Thanks for reading!!! Can't wait to read more of your TR!!!!

Thanks so much for sharing!!! Gets me excited for my trip in 3 weeks! :wave:

Thank you!!! Your trip is just around the corner! Have a great time!

I have loved reading every word of your trip report, your girls are so cute! So glad you had an amazing trip and the cake looked fab :slurp:

Thanks!!! I wish I had some of that cake right now!!! Thanks for reading!

Awesome report and wrap-up! :sohappy: I loved the all the cake talk and pics. Your girls are adorable! Think of all the trips and memories you have in front of you!

Thanks for taking the time and effort and for all the great pictures!

It really was a lot of cake...and to think there were a couple of times we turned down offers of cake! Thanks again!!! Can't wait to read more of your TR!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

My friends up north think I'm nuts for saying 90 degrees is cool and pleasant, but they have no frame of reference. The heat reminds me of the summers we went on vacay to Nevada, Arizona and southwester Cali. Nothing like the Death Valley area in the middle of July! Kendall and I actually took the dog on a 2 mile walk today b/c I thought it was so nice.

I totally thought of you this morning when I took Riley outside to take care of her business. I stepped out on the porch and was like, "Whoa! It's cold?!" Made Tracey's PB&J's for work and mentioned it's actually cold out. He laughed and said, "Yeah. Didn't you know? We had a cold front. It was supposed to get down to the 50s last night." He coulda been speakin' a whole other language to me. Cold. Here. Amazing. :wave:

Yep, so many places I want to see in this world. If money were just no object.... I think I definitely have a gypsy soul. I like being on the move....

 

[PartOfYourWorld]

Thank you!!! Your trip is just around the corner! Have a great time!

Thank you!!

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

So I definitely got a little choked up looking at all your "good-bye" pictures There are few things in this world more sad than leaving WDW!!
Sounds like you guys had an amazing time and I'm with you on the Contemporary. For me at least, it's a Disney landmark. It's one of the first things that I would think of when I thought of Disney... The A-frame and taking the monorail right through it. Is it lush and tropical? No, but not all resorts need to feel like you're somewhere else like Hawaii or Paris. Every resort has a different theme and I love the theming there.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

So I definitely got a little choked up looking at all your "good-bye" pictures There are few things in this world more sad than leaving WDW!!
Sounds like you guys had an amazing time and I'm with you on the Contemporary. For me at least, it's a Disney landmark. It's one of the first things that I would think of when I thought of Disney... The A-frame and taking the monorail right through it. Is it lush and tropical? No, but not all resorts need to feel like you're somewhere else like Hawaii or Paris. Every resort has a different theme and I love the theming there.

It still gets me a bit worked up when I look back on it!

It really was a wonderful trip and I think the Contemporary was a big part of it. You've pretty much hit the nail on the head--it's that A frame with the monorail going through it. IT's been 26 years since I took my first monorail ride through CR - that first real taste of Disney magic. We'd definitely stay agian.

THanks again for reading!!!

 

[erstwo]

I loved it!

So sad seeing the drought. My friend in Oklahoma tells me you can't imagine it unless you see it. I'm hoping you have had/ will have rain soon!

Thank you so much for such a lovely trip report!!!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I loved it!

So sad seeing the drought. My friend in Oklahoma tells me you can't imagine it unless you see it. I'm hoping you have had/ will have rain soon!

Thank you so much for such a lovely trip report!!!

I've never seen it this bad. Sadly we had little more than a sprinkle from TS Lee. I passed several small fires on my way home and some land we use for our holiday campout is in an area evacuated for one of the larger fires. Just saw a "get out immediately" evac order for that area. Praying for rain!

EDIT: now numerous very close family friends are under mandatory evac orders. Soooo scary

Thanks!!! It was such a fun trip and really fun to write the report! Made me want to go back pronto! Maybe that's why I'm really pushing for DL next year. Thanks again!!! :wave:

 

[Meredith]

Did I hear you mention your a giants fan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love the Giants ( and the Jets and Mets) You made me love this trip report even more ( I didn't think that was possible)

 

[HouCuseChickie]

@Meredith Thanks!!! This was probably my favorite trip to WDW with our girls to date, but that might all change in 4 weeks. Great to see another Giants fan on here! Can't wait for the regular season to start...and hoping they look better than the last preseason game. Thanks for reading!!!

 

[Figgy1]

I'm soooooo glad this tr got bumped up it was magical!

 

[Meredith]

@Meredith Thanks!!! This was probably my favorite trip to WDW with our girls to date, but that might all change in 4 weeks. Great to see another Giants fan on here! Can't wait for the regular season to start...and hoping they look better than the last preseason game. Thanks for reading!!!

Can't wait to read the next trip report can't wait for the season to start either. If the Giants get into the super bowl I will be sitting in MetLife stadium for the game.....hopefully

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I'm soooooo glad this tr got bumped up it was magical!

Thanks Figgy!!! I still go back and watch the surprise video if I need some cheering up...like today, around 10:30a when the work world got icky.

Can't wait to read the next trip report can't wait for the season to start either. If the Giants get into the super bowl I will be sitting in MetLife stadium for the game.....hopefully

DH is off drafting our fantasy team tonight. That would be so awesome if the Giants made it to the super bowl and you were able to see it up there in person. And I'd be soooooooooo jealous! Funny, I know it's a brand new stadium, but I still can't help but refer to it as Giants Stadium...force of habit.