Salute To The Troops Trip Report-Part 1 May 2-7

TakeMeThere81 · May 16, 2009

So Splash Mt had only been a 15-20 minute stand by wait, but Big Thunder was more like 45-50 minutes because it was acting funny and had broken down already once that day. So we split up and got FPs for Big Thunder and Splash Mt and then walked around Frontierland for a while. The parade was getting ready to start but we were hot so we hung out at Country Bear Jamboree for a while.

We heard the parade coming down the road so I let DH take the older boys into CBJ while Aaron and I squeezed into a spot and watched the parade. I was so glad we did, it really is spectacular! There have been a lot of critiquing of costumes, soundtrack, recycling floats and such and I have to say that I have NOTHING NEGATIVE to say! We loved it, loved it, LOVED IT!!!

Aaron getting a little action from a chipmunk

I do have to say that I felt a little sorry for the performers because it was hot and I imagine they were sweating bullets

The floats are so bright and vibrant

Pluto giving fives down the crowd line

The Tremains are so great and in character!

Princess Floats

TakeMeThere81 · May 16, 2009

The parade and the CBJ got over about the same time so we met back up with DH, both of us raving about our shows. The boys loved CBJ, DH said there was a particularly rowdy audience that show.

So by now, our FP time for Peter Pan was definitely over, but we tried our luck and went over there anyway to see if they'd accept our FP. They did! The sweetest CM challenged our kids to see if they could "find" Peter Pan...

Peter Pan was a hit with the kids! It is a very fun ride. When we exited my youngest son ran back to the CM and said, "I found him, I found Peter Pan!!" And she said, "Did you see the crocodile and Capt Hook?" And Aaron said, "Yes, but I put my feet up" (as in, the Croc couldn't get me then)

Pinnochio's Village Haus is getting a little work done

Next we headed over for a leisurely ride on It's a Small World

Mama getting kisses from my little sweetheart

disneygirl1 · May 16, 2009

Following along and enjoying! Can't wait to go back in September!

MicheleK · May 16, 2009

I'm also following your TR, LOVE IT!! I'll be there in July for two weeks, can't wait! :sohappy:

HollyBelle · May 16, 2009

Still loving your report!! And I'm with Caleb... of course he won Space Ranger Spin. Even though he had two guns, he still had to hit all the targets with them :sohappy:.

And that picture of you and your littlest in the Small World queue is adorable!

sleepybear · May 16, 2009

Your kids are adorable. And your photos are just fantastic. More, please!

Disneyfalcon · May 16, 2009

I agree! Great report so far!

TakeMeThere81 · May 16, 2009

disneygirl1 said:
Following along and enjoying! Can't wait to go back in September!

MicheleK said:
I'm also following your TR, LOVE IT!! I'll be there in July for two weeks, can't wait! :sohappy:

Thanks for letting me know guys! :wave:

HollyBelle said:
Still loving your report!! And I'm with Caleb... of course he won Space Ranger Spin. Even though he had two guns, he still had to hit all the targets with them :sohappy:.

And that picture of you and your littlest in the Small World queue is adorable!

Thank you! And Caleb is so competitive, when he doesn't win, he really gets bummed out. So I try to give him every advantage in the book!

sleepybear said:
Your kids are adorable. And your photos are just fantastic. More, please!

Thanks! I'll be working on the report more today!

Disneyfalcon said:
I agree! Great report so far!

Thanks! My house needs cleaning today, but a trip report is WAAAAAAY more fun!! :lol:

TakeMeThere81 · May 16, 2009

Day 2: MAGIC KINGDOM

More IASW pics:

And we caught the special clock effects:

Pinocchio's Village Haus Viewing area:

Aaron loves the windmill in IASW, the sun is one of my favorite details

TakeMeThere81 · May 16, 2009

Next we exited Fantasyland and headed back to Frontierland.

At some point we would have rode the Magic Kingdom Railroad, but our huge stroller is a big pain to fold up. We only ride the Railroad as amusement, not transportation. So we didn't do that this time.

On our way over to Frontierland we paused at Haunted Mansion to see the wait time and see if Caleb would be interested in riding with one of us. He wasn't. We skipped it. I know it is very whimsical when it comes to the "haunted" part, but we don't take our small kids on it unless they are old enough to decide for themselves. It is just one of those rides we know would scare them, especially the stretching room and the creepy narrator. DH and I did ride it last trip though.

We also considered Mark Twain Riverboat which is one I love to ride because it is so relaxing and because it gives you a neat view of the park that you can only see if you ride it. However, we remembered that our kids didn't want to relax, they wanted to go up and down the stairs and challenge the rules of gravity along the railings...:lookaroun So we decided against it.

Take into account that Hall of Presidents is being refurbished and I guess we missed all of Liberty Square!

So anyway, we headed over to Frontierland...doing a little square dancing silliness as on the way we saw Big Al and some other characters teaching passersby to squaredance. That was cute.

Our target was Big Thunder. Someone told us it had been closed down again...so we were nervous. But it was no biggee, we used our FPs, and got a child swap. We assumed Aaron was to small to ride, or would be scared.

Ever notice there are lightning rods all over MK? (if you've read the Unnofficial Guide you probably know this already). Look closely and you'll see them.

After Caleb and I rode, we came out and DH took Samuel and Aaron begged to go too!! (technically it was against the child swap rules but we said oh well)

I actually caught a pic of them as they went by finally! DH has his Vote For Pedro shirt and he's waving.

Here's my little man getting off his VERY FIRST ROLLERCOASTER!!!

Look closely and you can see his little "ticket to ride" he got.

Next we went back to Splash and used our other FPs. I opted out this time because I'd already dried from the last time and just didn't feel like being wet again. I took Aaron to The Laughing Place playground instead. One of the things that I love (this is going to sound weird) is the sights and smells at The Laughing Place play area. No, they don't have anything to do with non-potty-trained kids...but they do have to do with the fact that the MK Railroad train passes right over you. That smell of the sulfery-coal and the sounds as it passes by are, I guess nostalgic to me.

Anyway, after Splash we went BACK to Big Thunder to ride just once more...

I have to mention that while I waited for DH to ride this time, I got my bucket of popcorn. I collect those and this is my forth different design. Along with collecting the pressed pennies, I look forward to getting a new bucket of popcorn each trip.

TakeMeThere81 · May 16, 2009

After we rode again, Caleb said he wanted to ride Splash Mountain for a 3rd time, but we said no. We all were hungry and a good sit-down meal would be just the ticket. So we walked around looking for something.

We'd done Pecos Bill Cafe before and it just didn't sound good. We'd also done Columbia Harbour House (and I'm not sure why we didn't stop there). We stopped at the Liberty Tree Tavern to see if there was any availability, there was none. So we walked down Main Street to try Tony's.

Next door:

No availability either. I was really kicking myself at this point because we hadn't made ADRs!

We ran by the Barber Shop as a last minute thought because we had talked about getting the kids' hair cut. It was closed! Strike Out!!

So we ended up going back to The Crystal Palace, waiting in line and getting a possible reservation for 8pm. I wasn't too keen because that was when Spectromagic was to be going but we figured a table for the fireworks at 9pm might be nice. So we took it.

Here's a few dusk pics from around the Hub

And one of my favorites, inspired by dandaman's Epcot pic:

Sooo, DH offered to stay and wait for our reservation (if we weren't there, they'd give our table away) while I took Sam and Aaron over to Tomorrowland so I wouldn't miss a WDWMagic favorite-Carousel of Progress!

It was great guys!! My kids sat perfectly still and quiet the whole time and even joined in on the song!! When we got off the ride I heard Aaron quietly singing, "Great big big tomorrow..." It was too cute.

Next we had time so we headed over to Monster's Inc Laugh Floor. I don't recall watching Monster's Inc much before this trip but Aaron kept pointing and saying, "The monsters! I want to see the monsters!" So we went to see the monsters.

This show was hilarious!! I thought it was even funnier than Turtle Talk with Crush and I love Crush! It's so funny how they encorporate members of the audience into their silly stories.

After Monster's Inc Laugh Floor(I just can't do the acronym-lol), I took the little boys to meet Dad who had given up on Crystal Palace and went over to Casey's Corner and got everyone hotdogs instead! Sounds good to me. We squeezed into a table, ate our late dinner and admired the castle. We had about a half hour until Spectromagic started.

Once everyone finished, we took a quick bathroom break then tried to find a spot for Spectromagic. I don't remember where DH and the older boys went but I squeezed into a spot in the crowd so small that by the end of the parade my feet were literally asleep. The lights went low and Aaron started to whig out a big. He kept covering his ears and saying he didn't like fireworks, then he started saying "Get me outta here!". It was hard because I had squeezed into this viewing spot and there was no way we were getting out until the parade was over. Plus I knew he'd LOVE it once it started. So I labored it out and then it started. Just as I thought, he LOVED it!! The only part he didn't like was the volcano-mt part that opens up into that scary black devil-guy. But other than that, he wanted to follow the parade down Frontierland and kept waving saying, "Good bye parade! Thank you! I love you parade!" I was so relieved. And...I got the whole thing on camera

Once it was over, I called Ben and met him near the American Flag. He and the boys had sat in a killer spot apparently in that circle hub where the flag is. I have no idea how he pulled that off.

Anyway, so we headed out to avoid the fireworks because although Spectromagic rubbed Aaron the right way, I was so sure the fireworks would not. So we headed out. By the time we reached our car and started to drive away, the fireworks started. Aaron had fallen asleep alreayd so we just pointed our car the direction of the MK and sat in the parking lot to watch.

I wish I would have had my tripod, I would have had some great pics! Oh well, I won't forget it in November!!

TakeMeThere81 · May 16, 2009

Day 2: MAGIC KINGDOM

MAGIC KINGDOM RECAP:

We had such a wonderful day. I honestly have to say that our stamina to be there almost from open to close had to have been a miracle. Even walking out, I didn't feel exhausted, I felt just happy and satisfied from such a wonderful day. As we were leaving the parking lot Samuel said, "I'm so sad to leave the Magic Kingdom, can we go back tomorrow?"

So this was our third time at the Magic Kingdom and it was entirely a different experience than the first two. For starters, our whole family was able to ride things together for the first time. I also got to experience the fantastic Celebrate a Dream Come True parade, Carousel of Progress and Monster's Incorporated Laugh Floor!

We didn't make it to Mickey's Toontown Fair or really see anything at Liberty Square or much of Adventureland this trip. We also didn't make the trek over to Tom Sawyer Island this time although last trip the boys really enjoyed it and I highly recommend it to other parents with adventurous elementary-age kids.

So far the only attractions we haven't ever seen are Stitch's Great Escape, Hall of Presidents and WDW's version of Snow White's Scary Adventures. We didn't miss not seeing Swiss Family Treehouse, E.Tiki Room, Jungle Cruise or Aladdin's Carpets, it just wasn't in the trip this time, and we did all of those the last two times we visited. I can't imagine pulling off seeing everything in one day...it just shouldn't be tried. You'd be exhausted and miss all the fun treasures of just exploring the park.

We felt so satisfied by all we'd done. The kids were in such a great mood all day long and were so open to all we took them to.

The weather was the same, 70s and crowds felt higher, more like 7-8 out of 10 at MK this day. I didn't fell disappinted by a lacking of attractions or quality. Space Mt, TTC and HoP were down but whatever, it isn't a big deal. There is so much else to see! Disney will always be Disney to me, and going there and immersing myself in all that is there is what it's about for me, not critiquing or wishing things were different. The time I get to experience all of the magic and fun with my family is so priceless.

The next day we were gearing up for EPCOT!!

disneygirl1 · May 17, 2009

So enjoying! The picture of your little man coming of his first roller coaster ride on BTMR is absolutely priceless!

IASM seemed to be a hit with your family. I haven't been able to ride it since its been refurbed. For some odd reason, my son refuses to ride the stinking ride! I think I am over ruling him this trip though! :lol:

Gucci65 · May 18, 2009

Loving your trip report so far!!

So, did you all get to eat at the Crystal Palace OR did you just skip it?

TikiGod · May 18, 2009

Great report! :sohappy:

TakeMeThere81 · May 18, 2009

disneygirl1 said:
So enjoying! The picture of your little man coming of his first roller coaster ride on BTMR is absolutely priceless!

IASM seemed to be a hit with your family. I haven't been able to ride it since its been refurbed. For some odd reason, my son refuses to ride the stinking ride! I think I am over ruling him this trip though! :lol:

It was sooo great that Aaron loved BTMRR. He was awfully brave this trip. He didn't even flinch on Splash Mt either.

Gucci65 said:
Loving your trip report so far!!

So, did you all get to eat at the Crystal Palace OR did you just skip it?

Nah, we ended up skipping it. Around 7:45 my DH was starving!! That's where the hot dogs came into play

TikiGod said:
Great report! :sohappy:

Thanks! There should be more to come soon!

TakeMeThere81 · May 19, 2009

Day 3: EPCOT

05/4/09: This day started like our typical WDW vacation day. We all got up, went down to have breakfast and headed to the park as early as we could. We got there just as they started letting people through the turnstiles. So we weren't the first ones, but we also didn't have to wait in line.

EPCOT is by far my DH's favorite and my boys LOVE all that there is to do here as well. What a great Disney park

Of course it was the Internation Fower and Garden Festival so we enjoyed the topiaries and such along the way.

When we go to EPCOT, we always go to Soarin' first because the FPs get snatched up really quick, and because usually everyone can go on it.

We went and got FPs, but decided to wait stand-by first because it was only 10 minutes. Aaron was tall enough and we all went together.

I always love Soarin', especially the scene with the oranges. FYI, in the San Diego scene that has all the Navy ships, there is a helicopter that you follow...that is the type of helicopter my DH will be flying after flight school. Only it will have a CG paintjob.

TakeMeThere81 · May 19, 2009

Day 3: EPCOT

After Soarin, we headed over to Living with the Land, another favorite of ours. We love seeing all the cool ways they are learning to grow things.

I love all the sayings on the wall at the queue, especially this one

Reminds me of the saying, "To the world, I may be just one person, but to one person I may be the whole world"

And this is soooo cool!! All these tomatoes from just one plant!

TakeMeThere81 · May 19, 2009

I planted a ton of sunflowers in my yard/garden this year. I wonder if they'll turn out this nice??

TakeMeThere81 · May 19, 2009

Next we headed over to the Seas to see Nemo and Crush and all their fishy friends.

We paused a minute so Aaron could watch the "mine" seagulls. They're so funny! He also loves watching the water rush in and out. Now back in November we were here and I noticed that where there used to be a railing, now there is only vegetation. I think it looks much better. I imagine too many kids were hanging off the railing like my sons.

(Here's the hanging off the rails I was talking about-pic from November)

Aaron watching the stingrays while waiting for TT w/Crush

The TT/C show was a teeny bit blah to me, but maybe that was because I've seen it a few times. The Crush seemed to be a little slow on the returns as far as jokes and such. The kids loved it though, that's all that matters!

After that, we decided to go to the upper level to view all the cool sealife. We'd never taken the time to do that before. It was cool! We saw dolphins and sea turtles, etc. The kids found a KidCot FunStop, the first of MANY this trip

After we explored for a bit, our FPs for Soarin' had come up. So we took one more ride!

Salute To The Troops Trip Report-Part 1 May 2-7

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