Our Character Crazy Trip Report

As you may have seen from my preTR, we have been planning this trip for a couple of years...and minus a few issues here and there- it was as magical as we'd hoped for- and then some. Sure, we only did a fraction of what we had planned, but that was to be expected with a trip only a week long and two young kids. Probably the only thing I couldn't plan for was DD2 to finally hit the terrible 2s on this trip- thankfully, DD4 who is normally Meltdown Mama - was pretty good. I also apologize in advance if my references aren't all spot on- i.e. if I don't know all of the proper names for things- I know a lot, but I'm no expert. I also apologize for some of my sub par pics- I had issues on and off all trip. So, here goes (with the holidays- please be patient as it may take a little longer for me to update this)...

Day 1

We left IAH in Houston around 7:45am on Dec 7th for arrival at MCO around 10:40am. Aside from it being very chilly by TX standards (low 30s) and the crabby hag who told me to make DD2 shut up (crying b/c I insisted she wear her seat belt for landing), it was a fairly uneventful flight + I was able to pick out Epcot from the air. We made our way to the DME area pretty quickly and didn't have to wait too long for a bus.

The drive seemed to last forever, especially since we weren't the first stop (and b/c DH and both girls were doing the whole “are we there yet” bit). Thankfully, it wasn't too long before we arrived at WL and the tree/decorations had enough to keep them preoccupied for a while (after a while, DD4 started demanding to see Mickey in the lobby of the hotel).

We checked in online, but we still waited close to 30 min to get our keys, etc. At least our room was ready, so we headed upstairs. The girls really loved the towel creations- even though they couldn't quite grasp that one of them was supposed to be mouse ears (they lost interest by day 2 of towels).

We got all of our stuff situated and headed over to MK after a quick stop by the front desk for 1st Visit buttons (they were out – so I got “I'm Celebrating” and used a Sharpie to write in “my 1st Visit.” I wanted the first ride over to be by boat, I just wasn't planning on it being so cold and windy. We froze for a while, but the girls tried to make the best of it (aside from refusing to wear coats).

The boat arrived pretty quickly, and we were off! The boat would become our FAVE means of transport for the whole trip. The girls were pretty psyched to be on a boat; so, not much needed to entertain them. The tree outside of the Contemporary got the first big reaction,
but as predicted- the castle was the WOW factor. DD4 already had a pretty good idea of where we were after going in the main gate and going through the MK gate on the DME bus. In fact, after that first “Wow, it's the castle...”

...my follow up questions to make sure she knew where we were and what it was happened to be greeted with a “yes, I know, now stop asking.”

Good thing DD2 was more in shock and awe.

Love how DH had to shift her head to see it

THE CASTLE!!!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Ooooooo- I see dancing candy!

All of this dancing had DD4 begging to start up dance classes again- good for her that mommy is surprising her with that after the new year.

At least all of this candy means Goofy!

Goofy's float smelled great- PEPPERMINT!
And it cleans up after itself (I really need somethink like this to attach to the kids- maybe a belt attachment???)

I was really shocked to see Horace Horsecollar. I haven't thought about him in YEARS.

His float would also serve as inspiration for our gingerbread house...since I don't see anything like the GF's, even in miniature, in my future. I make cakes not gingerbread!

Yeah- my gingerbread men looked NOTHING like this.

I know she's not very popular, but I'd love to see Clarabelle out and about more in the park.

There weren't a ton of characters left for them to cover at this point, so I was wondering when we'd get to the reindeer and Santa...then I started seeing toys...gee, I wonder what that means???

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I seriously wasn't until I saw Bo Peep that it all clicked. LIke I said- we're just exhausted and crazy stupid at this point.

The kids were excited to see Jessie and Woodie again...

...but the sad truth- that's not who they wanted to seeThe girls had been asking for Bullseye- DD4 even insisted pre-trip that she'd see him, so it was sort of sad that he was on the other side of the street. This was one of the few parts of the trip where either girls sounded sad and let down. So, this was it- this was all they got of Woody's Favorite Horse.

I felt so bad, I actually considered sinking over $100 into one of the Thinkway Bullseye dolls, but settled for a plush...and they LOVE him!


DH has seen enough specials about this parade, but the wooden soldiers still took him by surprise. As the brass section came through- blasted a few notes, then he turned to me and said “OMG, they're really playing those instruments!” It gave me a good laugh- I reminded him that he'd seen these in various tv specials, but I shut up b/c the amazement was very sweet.

Gee- a present...I wonder who is on the way???

But first up- dancing reindeer! Loved these guys! They were more into it than a lot of the characters at the beginning of the parade.

I guess maybe b/c it was the end of the trip, but the girls were more excited to see Santa and the reindeer than anything else in the parade. In fact, they are still more excited about Santa vs. the other aspects of the trip. I guess that's a good thing.

I barely remember anything after Santa. I sort of remember us walking towards the park exit with the tons of other people leaving the park and feeling semi jealous of the few who had the energy to go the other way to get in one last ride. I'm pretty sure we took the boat back that night b/c there was a boat there + it would be our last boat trip and we SOOOO loved the boat. Beyond that- it was very late and time to get some sleep and start putting our bags together...to depart the next day (tears, crying, sadness!!!)

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Day 7


I'd already packed up my main camera, so I'm relying on the snapshot feature on my video camera from this point. DME is coming to get us at 11:35 am, and since everything takes longer than normal- we didn't plan anything for this morning (well, except for the 'Ohana breakfast that we cxld). So, I just started going around taking pics of everything- some more blurry than others.
Fom the woodland creatures guarding our beds....

DH really looking ready to leave.

A zoomed in pic of the Poly from our balcony

A view in the other direction

All the balconies to our left

The woods

Mickey

More Mickey

The wildlife light

And of course the painting of Yellowstone's Lower Falls...

At least DH got breakfast from Roaring Fork so we had some food before heading out...of course he forgot that they were two adult CS credits and he got one adult and one child.

That leads me to a very important issue...if you are traveling with people who aren't aware of the ins and outs of the dining plan, you really have to stay on top of them to make sure they get the most for each credit. I remember when I burned a snack credit on my Dole Whip and DH was shocked that I could use a snack credit for that. And as predicted, there were a few times with various people in our group that they didn't want dessert - i.e. we had to remind them that they get one anyway. I also ended up burning a TS credit on a breakfast that I intended to pay for OOP b/c "someone" gave the server my Key to the World card instead of my debit card...GRRR.

Considering how much packing we had to do- I was so glad we skipped Ohana and even more glad that I opted out of park tickets for this day. Sure, I wanted to hop back over to MK, but with our late night the previous night and the time it takes to get around with the girls- there was just no way.

DH also took DD4 downstairs with him after breakfast...they took with them the princess balloon she received on Day 6. They found a family with another little girl who had just checked in after making the long drive to WDW. They told them the story of the balloon – they gladly accepted it and said they'd pass it on to another girl before leaving if the balloon was still afloat. Part of me will always wonder what became of the pink princess balloon.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

After catching DD4 in the draperies...

...I stepped outside of our room door to snap some more blurry shots.

Shortly after this, we headed down and checked in our bags. And can I just say, it took AGES to get someone on the phone to pay our airline baggage fees. It really had me in a panic.

So, we headed back into the lobby and I shot a very awful blurry shot of the character totem outside of the Mercantile.

I am sooooo happy that the girls didn't really notice this until the last day- we would have never been able to leave the hotel! Of course we passed it a bunch of times, but managed to always keep them distracted.

The girls had gotten all kinds of fun things, so now it was time for me and DH. I got a couple Vinylmations and he got a Goofy wearing a Christmas tree.

I remembered MillerPoppins' TR at this point and wondered if I'd cry in the gift shop, but it took me FOREVER b/c the people in front of me had ornaments being wrapped and the other woman working the register went to help someone looking for a very obscure charm. In the meantime, DH explored the pool area with the girls and a DVC rep gave the kids another stack of stickers. (we wore a lot of stickers on the way home) I was expecting him to be ticked off at how long I took, but all was good.


After that, the girls parked out in front of the tv over by bell services and I exchanged wait time info with another woman just checking in.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

We really weren't sitting there all too long, but I started snapping photos like a mad woman- trying to capture every last second of the trip. Even I surprised myself- snapping pics of the ceiling, an artist's rendering of the lodge, and other random things.

(yes, even a blurry teepee on the big tree- I think I had 4 pics like this)

We headed outside a little early and saw a DME bus pulling away. We wondered if that was our bus. Part of me didn't want to go and appreciated the idea of a little wait while the other half of me was cold and tired + was trying to keep the girls in check while managing the stroller and all of our carry ons. We stood there less than two minutes and another DME bus pulled up....sooooo- it was on the DME bus for us. At least this one was a DME bus and not one of the Mears shuttles (like we had on the way in). I don't know- I just liked it better that way.

I once again found myself uncontrollably snapping shots as we left.

(I have like 12 of these as we're pulling away from WL)

Then I was almost in tears as the DME music shifted over to some “vintage” Epcot tunes. At first I got “Listen to the Land.” So, there I am fighting back the tears and bobbing back and forth- I came pretty close to singing out loud.

And now it was time to move on from WL...

...and head to the Poly for the next pick up.

(I told DD4 that P is for Poly)

So sad that this would be the closest we'd ever get to the Poly on this trip. Oh – and I've now got tears streaming down my face at this point b/c the music shifted to the original Journey into Imagination music- hearing the words “One little spark” sent me over the edge. At least DH was behind me and couldn't see.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I even took a pic of the seat in front of me just to humor myself and stop the tears. It sort of worked.

Next it was on to the GF. DD4 was just into the ride and didn't really get it that we were leaving...

I was able to stop the tears until we left the gates to WDW and the announcement came over confirming this. The worst was at the end with the video when they do the “M-I-C...see ya real soon.” In fact, I'm getting misty as I type this.


MCO was back to the real world, but we carried a little bit of the magic with us. The stroller helped land us in a super short line at security...and even though the sour woman from the flight out was on our return flight (sat next to DH in the terminal and in front of me on the plane – DD2 even cried again)...all of the people around her had just come from WDW and were much more understanding. Naturally, I apologized for the crying (DD2 had been napping and every now and then would stir if I moved too much to get comfy), but everyone sharing their tales of their respective magical trips shut out the nastiness of that woman.

At least the girls enjoyed their time in MCO.

At some point, they told me they wanted to sleep in their beds and see the dog- so I guess it really was time to go.

One other crazy bit of late magic...I left my ski jacket on the plane. I've never had anything returned and it's an old coat- so I just didn't bother. I got a call from Continental a week after the trip stating that they had my coat. I called to confirm and asked if they figured it out based on location of lost item and my seat assignment. The girl said "no, your name was written in the coat." LOL- my mom did that back when I was in high school (the coat is that OLD).

Now, before I get into my conclusion- I wanted to back track a bit b/c I got a few photopass pics and pics from my dad after I started this report that I feel are worth posting (then again, I'm also the one who took a bazillion pics of WL on the way out). So- here goes.

- The one thing that bothered me all trip was that I never saw the reveal at BBB and the pics DH shot didn't capture that WOW I was looking for on DD4's face. Thank you to our PhotoPass photographer for getting it! I pulled up our account earlier this week and was weeping on my couch.

(yes, that was the look I was looking for)

-With the exception of BBB, very few of our PhotoPass pics were any better than my own; however, this stole my heart...DD2 running (as best as she runs on wet pavement) to Jessie with open arms.

- My pics of DD4 and DH with Pluto at AK all bugged me b/c only Pluto was looking at me. So, the PhotoPass pic was a must...

What's really great- the PhotoPass photographer and Pluto tried to coax DD2 into the shot, but when she refused the photographer captured a handful of her own pics of DD2's meltdown. Mine were better, but I LOVED that they took the time to capture another big aspect of this moment for us.

- my dad got this one of me and DD4 in AK waiting for the parade. I like the pic, but it also showcases my yellow jacket. Everyone used this to find us in a crowd. And for colder days- my ski jacket has this same shade of yellow in the top panel.

- This is one of my fave of my dad's pics. As I noted before, my parents' dog died just before this trip. She was a super sweet golden retriever that reminded me of my childhood dog. This was one of the few pics I saw where it looks like they're really enjoying themselves- YAY!

- there are a handful of other great ones from my dad, and this one is quite similar to another pic I posted...but I just love sweet moments with the girls.

OK OK- next up will be my conclusion...

 

[HouCuseChickie]

All in all- it was a really great trip and there's still “pixie dust” everywhere. DH and I both agreed that we'd like to make trips to WDW more often, but he'd like to wait until the girls can ride more rides, can get by with one umbrella stroller and a smaller bag, and DD2 is potty trained. My feelings are mixed on this. We have New Orleans, Cancun, and Vegas over the next few months and DH has decided he wants to ski next winter, so who knows. We go to S. FL at least once a year, so I'm hoping to twist his arm and do two nights at WDW. Even if he doesn't come along, I'm thinking about a dual bday trip in August. DD4 has already told me that daddy said we can't go back for another two or three years, but when asked if she wanted to go back sooner, the answer was "yes, YES! I need to see Cinderella again!"

I promised myself in my conclusion that I'd touch on some of the little things I never worked into the report.

• 5081- that was our room number and I'd highly recommend it to anyone staying at a standard room at WL
• la hacienda - my brother and SIL tried the counter service. They didn't care for it. I can't fairly comment on this since I didn't eat there, but we're all super picky about Mexican food (especially with us living in TX), so we'll probably avoid it on future trips.
• pool/cold- it was really cold (by FL standards) during this trip, yet we still saw lots of people swimming. We didn't do it, but I might consider it on a future winter trip
• pop warner - I was soooo scared that unruly cheerleaders would destroy my trip. We saw them and even heard one group quietly cheering in line for a bus, but they never once posed any problems for us.
• nightly and nap time schedules- I found this to be the biggest lifesaver of our trip. Those mid day breaks back at WL were pure gold for us. My only complaint was that I had to spend much of this time prepping outfits, the diaper bag, and dealing with other details that I didn't get as much rest. I guess it still was down time from the park.
• ddp - while I liked the convenience of it, I don't think we'd do it again unless it's free. I personally tried to get the most for my $, but not everyone did which kind of would make it a waste if we were actually paying for it.
• touring with others - I love my family, but it's so much harder touring in a large group...enough so that we'd probably plan differently if we all try and go like this again...IDK, maybe just meeting up for meals and special bookings
• things I didn't get to do (tot, nemo, lion king, B&B, rnr, test track, all of the story tellers, dtd, test track, CoP, philharmagic, train)- there was a lot we missed out on. I knew we'd miss a lot b/c of the girls, so I guess all of these things are reasons to go back soon!
• tp lines app - we tried using the Touring Plans lines app. We didn't find it to be accurate nor did it work all of the time.
• DD2 shoplifting in Norway- I don't think I mentioned this in the TR, but we got out of the gift shop in Norway and DD2 was holding a little trinket. DH brought it back in, but the CM working the register didn't even think it was theirs. He matched it to something in their system, but he'd never seen it before. I just came out of it thinking ' Great- my child is a shop lifter!'
• eating at the confectionery - we really ate way too much this trip, but I regret not getting fudge - I WILL return!
• talking to people- I always forget that part of the magic is talking to wonderful strangers. We met SOOOOOO many awesome people who helped make this a more magical trip- and to them I say THANK YOU!
• never really toured the resort- I wish I had an extra day or even a few more hours to tour the resort. I'm glad we paid for a deluxe and stayed near MK due to nap time (i.e. we spent a lot of time there), but it would have been nice to see more of it.
• Dumbo ornament - I never mentioned it, but last year I gave the family a Mickey riding Dumbo ornament as a promise to plan an ultra magical trip.
  
  It was part of why I made sure they rode Dumbo before any other ride. I cried when I put Dumbo on the tree after the trip.
• wait on FLE esp w/closure of Toontown - DH had a good point, with Toontown closing and FLE, maybe we should wait???:shrug:
• deer everywhere - OK, we saw more deer than I've ever seen at WDW. It started to make me wonder how many get hit and killed each year. In any event, it was kind of cool.
• nearly run over by segway tour in epcot - it looks like a neat tour, but I guess there was a break in the tour group, so people just filled in the gaps...and then bam- Segways started coming through again. Nobody was hurt, but I saw a few close calls.
• camera fixed - And after all of my camera issues, I finally fixed my camera
• elevator at CRT - I've never heard anyone talk about it, but we were taken out of CRT by a VERY NICE elevator. I was wondering if it goes up to the suite??? :shrug:
• Doom Buggy vs Dune buggy and change from wallet falling out - OK, a 2 parter...we were waiting for haunted mansion and I said something about Doom Buggies, DH tried to correct me and tell me "ya know, they're not Dune Buggies." :lol: I also had a moment I never anticipated at the end. My wallet fell out on the moving belt spilling change and our MVMCP tickets. We were close enough to the edge that we almost lost it all. So, "take small children by the hand and watch your wallet" :hammer:
• photopass- I came VERY close to pre-purchasing the CD. I am SOOOOO glad I resisted. We barely took any pics. I think unless you know you're going to take a lot of photopass pics, you should wait. We had about 75 pics waiting for us, but some of them were the photos they provide of the characters and castle - the rest were mainly things that were no better (and in a number of cases, worse) than my pics.
• picture crazy- people thinking I'm nuts- I took pics of everything and a number of people thought I was nuts, but this is how I always am on vacation. Can you just imagine what it was like before digital cameras- all of that film I had to change out and get developed.
• got off at Kidani by mistake- and finally a silly moment- the night we went to Boma, we got off at Kidani by mistake b/c we weren't paying attn- thankfully, it all worked out OK, but it shows that you need to pay attention when you're on the bus.
• going during the holidays- I loved seeing Disney during the holidays, but I think it did more harm than good. I always feel down after the holidays are over, but having both Disney and the holidays over is an even bigger downer. Sure, the holidays helped hold off my post trip depression, but now that we're past Christmas- I'm feeling even more sad than usual.

(sorry- I know that was all over the place- please also be kind since much of this was written after we got back from the parks each night- and tired typing isn't a good thing!)

Finally- I wanted to thank ALL of you! Without your amazing input, I could have never made the trip so perfectly magical. :sohappy:From dining suggestions and transportation tips, to the silly little questions and my last minute 'what am I forgetting' cry for help...you have all been WONDERFUL! I would like to note that I did forget a couple of things – the biggest being HAIRSPRAY, so the glitter went more to the scalp rather than staying on the strands of hair (the girls are going to have glittery scalps for WEEKS). In any event- Hopefully, I can provide more helpful feedback to others in the future now that we've got a more recent trip under our belts... and hopefully, we'll get to return to WDW soon! :wave:

 

[MousekaMom09]

This is my first time posting but I am a long time lurker. I just wanted to say that I loved reading your trip report! Your daughters are so adorable! We are already planning a trip w/DS1 for 2012 and plan on staying at the WL also.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

This is my first time posting but I am a long time lurker. I just wanted to say that I loved reading your trip report! Your daughters are so adorable! We are already planning a trip w/DS1 for 2012 and plan on staying at the WL also.

Well, first off- WELCOME to the forum!!! :sohappy:

Thanks! While I lost some sleep over it, I'm thankful I started writing it after the girls' bedtime while still on the trip. I know 2012 probably seems a long ways away, but it will be here before ya know it! Love your avatar pic! :wave:

 

[MousekaMom09]

Well, first off- WELCOME to the forum!!! :sohappy:

Thanks! While I lost some sleep over it, I'm thankful I started writing it after the girls' bedtime while still on the trip. I know 2012 probably seems a long ways away, but it will be here before ya know it!

2012 seems like an ETERNITY away! I couldn't talk DH into taking DS before he turned 3. But hopefully the 1st phase of the FLE will be open by then...

Love your avatar pic! :wave:

Thank you! DS1's cousins brought back the ears from thier trip last fall and he wears them all the time. He loves anything Mickey Mouse, one of his first words was actually mouse. LOL I think I have a future Disney fanatic on my hands!

 

[jhoff3405]

Thanks for the report! Living thru your families trip was great.
The WL is on my list of "want to stay at"....thanks for the pictures of the hotel.
Two years will fly by before we know it!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

2012 seems like an ETERNITY away! I couldn't talk DH into taking DS before he turned 3. But hopefully the 1st phase of the FLE will be open by then...

Thank you! DS1's cousins brought back the ears from thier trip last fall and he wears them all the time. He loves anything Mickey Mouse, one of his first words was actually mouse. LOL I think I have a future Disney fanatic on my hands!

At least you have lots of time to plan...lots of prep time really makes a huge difference. Funny- DD2 being free was part of how I talked DH into this trip. He'd initially wanted to wait until the girls were 3 and 5. While I'm pushing for another short trip or two in the meantime, he really wants me to wait on the FLE for the next big trip. We'll see :lol:


I'm jealous that he'll wear mouse ears! I bought my girls mouse ear ornaments for our tree this year hoping it would warm them up to the idea of ears, but sadly-no. Yup- sounds like you've got a little Disney fanatic! :sohappy:

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Thanks for the report! Living thru your families trip was great.
The WL is on my list of "want to stay at"....thanks for the pictures of the hotel.
Two years will fly by before we know it!

You're welcome! We really liked WL and will probably go back eventually. We like to change things up, so we've got it narrowed down to 6 possibilities for our next big trip. :lol: I swear- the waiting goes pretty quickly until you wind up in that last month or two. That's when I drove myself nuts revamping dining plans and stalking the website. I actually went through dining search withdrawals at the start of our trip.:ROFLOL:

 

[HollyBelle]

I loved your report, and the humor with which you described so much of your trip. Hopefully, you'll be back at the World soon and catching up on all the rides and attractions you had to skip. And of course, your daughters are just adorable. Thanks for sharing!

 

[the1nonlysinger]

Just finished your trip report- loved it! Thanks so much for sharing. Your girls are adorable- even when they're not happy. :lol:

I love love LOVED the story of the balloon. I tried to do a few things like that (paying the magic forward) during our recent trip- but I'll save those stories for my own trip report. :animwink:

We were there roughly the same time as you (Dec 11-18) and the weather definitely complicated things for us as well. Glad it was still a magical trip for you though!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I loved your report, and the humor with which you described so much of your trip. Hopefully, you'll be back at the World soon and catching up on all the rides and attractions you had to skip. And of course, your daughters are just adorable. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks! :wave: I hope we get back soon too. I'm pushing for a quick visit in August, just before DD4 turns 5 and starts kindergarten, but we'll see. I may be up to my eyeballs in school supplies. :lol:

Just finished your trip report- loved it! Thanks so much for sharing. Your girls are adorable- even when they're not happy. :lol:

I love love LOVED the story of the balloon. I tried to do a few things like that (paying the magic forward) during our recent trip- but I'll save those stories for my own trip report. :animwink:

We were there roughly the same time as you (Dec 11-18) and the weather definitely complicated things for us as well. Glad it was still a magical trip for you though!

Thanks! :wave: Yeah- for their benefit, I tried to only share cute angry. I'll save not-so-cute angry for when they start dating! :lol:

The balloon was really one of the sweetest and most unexpected parts of our trip. Can't wait to see the stories in your report.

It's funny how many of us were all there at the same time. The weather was nuts, but I kept telling DH that I'll take cold over scorching hot.

 

[mrtyoung]

I have really enjoyed reading your trip report. Our daughters were aged 2 and 4 on our last trip. They are really looking forward to our next trip at easter (they are now 6 and 4). Your pics helped them get even more excited. Thanks for sharing!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I have really enjoyed reading your trip report. Our daughters were aged 2 and 4 on our last trip. They are really looking forward to our next trip at easter (they are now 6 and 4). Your pics helped them get even more excited. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks! :wave: You'll have to post a TR after you go. It'll be great to see how your girls enjoy the trip. I'm hoping 6 and 4 is easier than 2 and 4- although, this would support DH's stance on us waiting a couple of yrs to go back. :lol:

 

[tiaragirl]

What a great TR! I really enjoyed this, your pictures were great (daughters = adorable). It's so funny, though.. you referred to them as your DDs the whole TR, and I think there's one picture with your DD4 holding up a ticket to something.. I just imagined them as "K" names.

ANYWAY, perfect TR - and your castle pictures are wonderful, girl, don't stress!

 

[SpoonOfSugar]

What a wonderful trip report! your Daughters are adorable. Back when my DD was 2 we had the terrible twos hit during our trip(It was a holiday trip too!!). oh well we still had fun. lol