The Ecstacy and the Agony: 3/17-3/24 Trip Report

This report may be on interest to anyone travelling with small children, those staying at Port Orleans, or those considering the Disney Dining Plan (and of course to those who just enjoy reading about other people's Disney trips).

The title of this trip report comes from the Unofficial Guide's chapter regarding traveling to Walt Disney World with kids. We've been to WDW with kids before, but on this trip we had a 4-year-old and an infant. Over the course of a week, we all experienced plenty of ecstacy and agony.

Ordinarily, I wouldn't have been fool-hearty enough to attempt such a trip. We went in 2008 when my wife was pregnant with our youngest. The idea behind that trip was that it would be a farewell to Orlando until the kids were old enough to really enjoy it.

But then a unique opportunity arose. I detailed the entire experience of planning this trip in this thread: http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?t=545256. If you feel like reading the background of how this trip came to be, go back and read-up. We'll wait for you.

For those who didn't bother going back to read the pre-trip thread, here's a rundown on the players:

Obviously, there's me. I'm the Disney fan in the family. More specifically, I'm the Disney parks nut. I had been to MK as a kid and Epcot as a teen. But I didn't get crazy about Disney until I went as an adult. My wife was a big fan of Mickey Mouse. But she'd never been to WDW. So when I planned our honeymoon, I figured we had to go to WDW. To be honest, I wasn't really looking forward to it. A few years later, I am here on the forums and my wife tolerates my Disney "obessession".

Then there's my wife, Mindy. I've pretty much told her story as relates to WDW. Honestly, she would prefer a more relaxing vacation than Disney World. Her idea of a vacation would be somewhere she can watch TV and swim. Yes, she can do both of those things at WDW. But I'm constantly dragging her out to the theme parks.

Joey, our oldest daughter is 4 (going on 5). She's a girly girl and can sometimes be shy. Other times, she loves the spotlight. This was her third trip to WDW and she has some memories of previous trips. Also, I prepared her for the trip by showing her lots of videos and pictures. Before we left, she was appointed as "the boss" of what we would and wouldn't ride.

Kara is the baby of the family. At the time we decided to take the trip, she was just a happy little bundle. She just sat and smiled at us. She was slow to start crawling, but once she did, she took off. At 10 months, she started walking. Now at 11 months, there's no stopping her. She wants to explore everything all the time!

In a supporting role, we have my younger brother. He was a cheerleader in college and taught cheerleading for many years after that. Now, he has moved into a more professional career. But he still judges cheerleading competitions from time to time. One of the reasons he does this is that he gets free trips to WDW.

One more note before I get into the trip itself, there will be pictures. But it will take me a little while to get to them. So, bear with me.

Wed, 3/17: Arrival Day

Arrival day was agony pure and simple. I won't get too deeply into the details here as they are too painful to relive. Also, I think I've blocked them from my memory. Things started off promisingly enough with a cab ride to the airport. Joey had been looking forward to riding in a taxi for a very long time. And she finally got her wish.

When we arrived at the airport, we were immediately hit with a baggage handling fee. $20 per bag for three checked bags for a total of $60. This came as a surprise to me as an infrequent traveler. In 2008 (our last flight) there had been no such charge.

I knew Delta had changed their policy, but I didn't worry too much because I had bought the tickets prior to the policy change and we had been grandfathered in. It turns out, the new charges were for carry-on bags. With no other options, I grumbled as I paid $60 for my bags to go on vacation with me. My wife fumed.

The bag fees were a minor hiccup compared to the flight itself. As I mentioned before, Kara had recently discovered walking. Ever since, she has been exploring her surroundings like crazy. So for her, sitting on our laps for two hours was not in the cards. When we wouldn't let her play on the floor of the plane, she launched into a screaming fit that lasted for most of the flight.

If you've ever been on a flight with a crying baby, you know it's torture. But trust me, it's far worse when the screaming baby is yours. Thankfully, all the guests around us were very gracious. If they were bothered, no one let on. And several started playing games of peek-a-boo or smiling and waving. This would usually stop the fits for a brief time.

When drinks came around, we got Kara some water. She likes drinking from bottles of water, but it tends to make a mess. In this case, the mess was on me. This was followed by a biscotti cookie. The cookie plus the water formed a kind of cinnamon-scented cement which bonded to my shirt for the rest of the night.

We arrived at the Orlando airport exhausted. But we were excited to leave the negative behind us and start enjoying our vacation. Thanks to Magical Express, we didn't have to worry about carting around luggage in addition to two tiny tikes. However, we did have our double stroller and some carry-ons.

At one point during the trip through the airport, Kara pulled off one of her shoes. I scooped it up and put it in a carry-on bag. Later on, a couple stopped us and asked if we were missing a shoe. I assured them that we had the shoe in our bag. Until I looked and saw that the bag had a rip in it. We hadn't even made it out of the airport and we were down 1 shoe.

The shoe was a hand-me-down, so we decided to move on without it. Kara has a habit of tossing her shoes, so I never really understood the point of buying them anyway. She never wears them for more than a couple of minutes at a time.

When we got to Port Orleans, all the girls were tired. But I was still full of excitement. The resort was even more beautiful than it looked in pictures. It was sunny and cool. I was sure the tide would change once we got checked into our room.

The castmember at check-in was really taken with Kara. I had done on-line check-in, but it actually took a good ten minutes to complete the process because he kept stopping to play games with her. As a proud dad, I can't say as I minded. He gave her a sticker which she promptly ate (well, sucked on anyway).

We headed back to the room which was in building 28 in the Alligator Bayou section of the resort. It was a little challenging to find. The signs in Port Orleans aren't always as helpful as they could be. More than once during the trip, I took the scenic route to the room by accident. Usually, I didn't mind. But this time, we were all pretty tired.

When we got to the room, our bags weren't there. For me, this was not a big deal. I knew they were travelling separately from us. But apparently my wife didn't understand this when she packed. She had been counting on changing before we went out. So she wanted to stay in the room and wait on the bags to arrive. I didn't object as the idea of changing out of my cookie shirt was appealing.

After an hour or so, my wife reluctantly gave up on waiting for the bags. We had a lot to do and we were all getting hungry. Of course, I was still wearing a shirt covered in crushed up cookie cement. But with no idea how long we could be waiting, it seemed like a good idea to go get dinner.

The plan was to go to Downtown Disney. We were going to use our first counter service credits at Wolfgang Puck Express and then shop for an autograph book as I had promised Joey. Mindy and the girls would then head home and I would go to another resort to pick up our free tickets.

What we had not counted on was that Downtown Disney was packed. It was St Patrick's Day and even the counter service restaurants were standing room only. The line at Puck's was around the block. And my wife was now blaming me.

Mindy and the girls get especially grumpy when they are hungry. So I decided to try Earl of Sandwich thinking that the line would be shorter. I'm not sure if it was shorter or not, but it seemed to be moving faster. All the while, Joey was getting whinier, Kara was getting more fidgety and my wife was fuming.

I was trying to grab a table before we even got our food. But with two little kids in a double stroller, we had limited mobility. As soon as a table became available, someone else pushed through the crowd and grabbed it. No one took mercy on us.

After we got the food, I found an empty table outside. When I say it was empty, I mean it had been stripped of any and all chairs. But I noticed lots of people sitting at tables which were bigger than their party required (a theme that would run through most of our counter service experiences on this trip). I went from table to table asking for empty chairs. After being turned down a couple of times, I finally found a party that was willing to give up their empty chairs.

Finally, the day could turn around. Or so I thought. As soon as Joey saw her peanut butter and jelly sandwich, she started crying. She expected a pb&j on white bread with the crust cut off the way she would get it at home. Instead, she had a crusty, toasty thing that was completely foreign to her. She was inconsolable.

(The sandwich didn't go to waste. As would happen many times on the trip, Kara stepped up and finished Joey's meal.)

After our failed dinner, we went to World of Disney to buy the autograph book I had promised Joey. Joey and shopping go hand in hand. She would have been happy to stay in World of Disney all week. And after the pb&j debacle, I was happy to buy her something extra.

I showed her all of the autograph books and pens. She was very reluctant to commit to any one book or pen. Instead, she wanted to look at everything. Especially the toys. Unfortunately, I needed to see someone about our tickets and it was getting late.

My wife was still fuming about the entire situation, but she agreed to let me go pick up the theme park tickets. Long story short, I spent about two hours on Disney buses picking up the tickets. When I got back to the room, the girls were all asleep.

To my surprise, Joey had picked out an autograph book with Mickey and friends on it. I was sure she'd go for princesses or Tinker Bell. But instead she went for the old school autograph book with a matching Pluto pen. (more on this later). She also picked out a Vinylmation figure. (much more on this later).

Tired, weary and hoping to make it to Epcot by rope drop, I finally turned in to bed around 11:30.

Don't worry, folks. Things get a lot better on day 2. And we start taking pictures to break up all the text!

I'll post Day 2 as soon as possible. Thanks for reading.

 

[lebeau]

First off, I have to say thank you. I've had the crappiest day and it is wonderful to ist down, relive your trip and have a little Disney magic sent my way.

I'm glad you're enjoying the report. That's why I read trip reports too. It's the next best thing to being there yourself.

First off, your kids are so cute!! And that Joey is such a photo ham!!

Thanks again and you don't know the half of it!

Anyway, I hope your return trip went better.

There was a hiccup. But it couldn't have gone worse! Kara was a little angel on the way back. So, we forgave her. We may even keep her now.

It seems Earl of Sandwich is the best counterservice restaurant ever! I have never heard one bad review and they do seem to move along well. We love it!

Well, Joey wasn't a fan. The rest of us enjoyed it. It was a little hard for it to live up to the hype from the boards. But I'll say this, for the price, it is probably the best counter service deal on property. Since I doubt we'll ever use the dining plan again, I expect to eat at Earl a lot on future trips!

I can't believe it took you 2 hours to find your tickets once leaving DTD. Is there no customer service booth there anymore?

There's extenuating circumstances there. We had a hook up on free tickets. But I had to go get them which meant bus hopping to get to ASM and then back. I didn't go into a lot of detail because I was asked to keep the hook-up on the down-low.

In retrospect, I should have just taken a cab. Would have made the arrival day soooo much better.

Good call on the Soarin'/Breakfast combo plan! You really salvaged the mood in doing so. Yes, The Land is a madhouse in the morning. It is not my favorite way to begin my EPCOT touring day. However, if you wanna ride Soarin', you really need a FP...

Boy do ya!

And I get that. I really do. People just need to be a little less focused on the FPs and a little more aware of their surroundings.

It's one thing when someone's not looking where they are going because they are distracted by Disney's incredible theming. It's another when they are so focused on commando touring of the parks that they push and shove children.

For some reason, our kids never have problem leaving us during Turtle Talk either. I guess maybe it's the atmosphere? They tend to be cautious so it surprised us too.

It was strange, but wonderful. She had a great time and I have to admit I was proud of her.

Ahh, I love the CM with their squeaker!! We've seen a few of these. They sure have fun with them. However, they've never needed a book or pen to play their game, usually my kids' noses suffice.

Cute!

This CM really helped us out. Joey was cranky and he distracted her through our very brief wait.

Your counterservice at PO sounds familiar. Wrangling strollers, food trays, weaving in and out of chairs and tables...yes. And there's always the kid who once you sit down wants Ketchup, a straw, napkins, and before you know it, mom and dad have barely had a chance to eat! J/K

I seriously thought it would be easier to cook a meal myself than juggle everything at the counter service places a lot of the time! Even under the best of circumstances, Mindy and I ate most of out counter service meals in shifts. I'd typically get them all situated and then go back for my food.

Most of the time, when I got back Mindy hadn't eaten more than a few bites because she had to feed Kara. So when I got back I'd let her eat before her food turned ice cold. Then, I'd eat mine when she finished.

Yes, you are right! Those WS shops are the BEST place to meet characters! There is hardly ever a line. It's like a secret they aren't loud about telling. They have a little pointer/hand sign, but it really isn't advertised much.

And the crazy part is, the meet and greet symbols are there on the maps. But no one seeks them out. If Joey had been into meet and greets, we could have filled an entire autograph book in no time at World Showcase. Who would have thought WS of all places would have been the best place on property to meet characters?

 

[lebeau]

Great report. You've really gotten me in the mood for our May trip! We had the wet stroller experience last year. We ducked into Pirates for a quick ride and when we came out we discovered a tsunami had passed through and the double stroller was soaked. Helpful CMs gave us big plastic merchandise bags to put on the seats, but the kids eventually got wet butts anyway.

My husband and I have been trying to decide if we should rent a car for this trip or try to use the buses. AFter reading your report, I'm definitely leaning toward the car! We are staying in Kidani Village, which is the farthest from everything. Our three year old loses patience pretty fast.

Thanks for sharing!

Enjoy the trip! I hope you'll post a report when you get back.

My $.02 is that it is worth it for the car rental. Especially with a three-year-old. The busses would try Ghandi's patience! Young kids don't stand a chance.

 

[lebeau]

Day 2: MK and DHS:

Great move making Joey in charge of your tour...things work better when the kid is in charge somehow!

It worked in some ways. We found over the course of the trip that we had to take charge a little bit. Especially in the mornings. Joey would be too wishy washy in the mornings and wouldn't want to do anything. So we'd walk across the park and then she'd change her mind and want to go back where we were.

But for the most part, letting Joey think she was in charge really helped. If nothing else, it put her mind at ease that she wouldn't have to ride any rides that were too scary for her. That was the main reason for making her "the boss".

Very smart move with the pixie dust. I don't call that dishonest, I call it smart. Kids don't realize how unrealistic it is for you to go pick up every single piece. You gave her magic, that's all that matters.

I found a piece in the van yesterday. That's the thing about pixie dust. It follows you!

Joey's face paint was beautiful!

They really did a good job. We've gotten Joey's face painted dozens of times at different amusement parks and what not. I've never seen it done better or more quickly. And it was no more expensive than any place else we've ever had it done.

Good job on the face painting, Disney!

Sorry Cosmic Ray's wasn't good, but at least you saved more room for dinner later!

I think our Cosmic Ray's experience had more to do with picky eaters than anything. I'd take the chicken finger-like nuggets Mindy was served over the kiddie nuggets any day of the week. Everything I tasted was fine except the cake. Even that was edible.

My beef with Ray's was that the place was a zoo. It has been both times we've been there. But, most of the counter service places were crazy, so that's not just a problem at Cosmic Ray's.

On the whole, I rank Cosmic Ray's pretty well for WDW counter service. I still think it's among the best if not the best at MK. But I don't think I'll be able to drag Mindy back in for another try. As far as she's concerned, Rays is 0 for 2 and she's a two-strikes and you're out kind of girl.

(Who am I kidding? She only gives you one strike most of the time.)

and speaking of which, (along with Cosmic Ray's) we've never eaten at 50's Primetime(or Garden Grill for that matter!) Your reviews have me convinced, I need to hit those places!

I would recommend 50's Prime Time to anyone! We love it. We've never had anything but a great time there. The food is comfort food done well. It's just not a Disney trip until I've had the pot roast at 50s. Oh, and the prices are pretty reasonable if you are paying out of pocket too!

I would recommend Garden Grill for the character interactions. They are the best I've ever had at a character meal. If you're not going for the characters, the recommendation becomes a little more iffy. I still think the food was good and the atmosphere was neat. But if you're not going for the characters, there are probably better places to eat.

Bottom line: GG is my favorite character meal on property. For my money, it buries Chef Mickey's.

And not to end on a negative note, but man, it sounds like that CM at DHS closing was R-U-D-E rude!! She could have at least been sweet about the park being closed, and not so matter-of-fact. Very un-Disney!

Yeah, she could have handled it better. I realized very quickly that I was mistaken about what time the park closed. I could tell be her demeanor even from a distance that we were moving in the wrong direction. But she acted the way I would expect a security guard at the mall to act if they discovered kids in the mall after hours. You're right, not very Disney.

Having said that, most of the CM we encountered lived up to our expectations. We had a bunch of great interactions I haven't detailed (because this trip report would never end if I did!).

 

[lebeau]

Tues 3/23: Hooray for Hollywood!

Once everyone was rested, we hopped a bus to DHS. We had reservations at Hollywood and Vine for dinner. Beyond that, we weren't really sure what we were going to do.

Mindy started checking wait times on her blackberry. Things looked pretty good. Sure, FPs were unavailable for TSM. But that had been the case every night of our trip. ToT was listed as a moderate wait! That was a first.

As you know if you have read up to this point, Mindy's not the biggest WDW fan in the world. But she loves the Tower of Terror. On our last trip, she didn't get to ride it because she was pregnant with Kara. So, she really wanted to ride it tonight if at all possible.

We thought we might have time for her to squeeze it in before dinner, but a long wait for the bus made that unlikely. I thought about making a mad dash over to grab a FP before dinner, but that seemed like we were pushing it. Besides, the wait time was only moderate. And it seemed unlikely to get worse as the night wore on.

We went straight to H&V to check in. There was actually a fairly long line to check in. Mindy took the kids to the bathroom while I waited. As I waited, a woman with an accent (Australian I think) asked me if this was the line to make reservations. I explained ADRs to her and said I wasn't sure what her chances were of getting a walk-in. I was about to give her the phone number for Disney dining when we realized we were just about at the front of the line anyway.

I felt bad for her. With this line, it seemed unlikely she was going to be able to get in. It was a Fantasmic! night and in my experience that usually means the sit-down restaurants aren't be open to walk-ins. But suddenly, I stopped worrying about the Australian woman. Because apparently, Disney had lost or reservation.

I gave the cast member at the counter my confirm number and all of the other information she asked for. Nothing. They had no record of us. I was concerned because we still had a table service credit to burn. And really, the only reason we came to DHS this evening was that we had made reservations here.

Fortunately, they were taking walk-ins after-all. They said they could have us seated in 20 minutes. I had Mindy check her blackberry again. If ToT had FPs available, I would make the mad dash to fetch one for her so she could ride after dinner. No luck. All FPs were gone now.

Joey was a little impatient waiting for dinner. We didn't have time to ride anything. Fortunately, there was some Streetmosphere nearby which helped distract her. And we talked to some nice people who were waiting to be seated. (For anyone who may be concerned about the Australian woman, she and her family were seated.)

When we were seated, the cast member who seated us complimented my Splash Mountain shirt. "It's my favorite ride," he said. "Mine too," I answered. "Then you have good taste," he grinned.

We'd eaten at H&V once before for the Playhouse Disney Breakfast. We had a mixed experience that time. But we decided to give it a try for dinner anyway.

Joey was excited because she had recently discovered buffets just before we went on this trip. She loved making her own plate. The kid's buffet here was right up her alley. She loaded her plate with nuggets and ketchup.

Mindy and I took turns eating and feeding Kara. I think we had relatively low expectations of the food being that it was a buffet. But we were both pleasantly surprised. I really liked the seafood pasta. I sampled a few of the desserts and definitely recommend the key lime tarts.

For dessert, Joey made a giant sundae. She insisted on doing it herself. I wasn't even allowed to go to the ice cream station with her. Unbenowst to her, I followed about 10 feet behind. She had trouble reaching the lever on the soft serve machine, so a cast member helped her. She came back very proud to have made her own sundae. She couldn't even eat 1/2 of the thing though.

After dinner, we checked the blackberry again. Tower of Terror was still a moderate wait. I told Mindy I would take the girls to the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground and she should go ride ToT by herself. She was reluctant, but I insisted.

The HIStK playground is something else. It's a great play ground. It really is. In fact, the first time Joey ever went down a slide was at this play ground. But, it can be murder for parents. You can't see your kids at all. So your choices are to follow them everywhere (which can be really challenging) or just camp out somewhere near the exit and watch for your kid (which can be murder on the nerves).

Since I had both girls, there was really no choice for me. I had to go with the second option. I told Joey where I would be and sat down with Kara so she could play. Joey gets nervous when she can't see me. She has been known to panic if she loses sight of us for even a second. So, I wasn't sure how this would go down.

Joey was excited and ran off to play. Sure enough, a minute later I saw her wandering around. I could tell that we were seconds from tears. I called her name. She saw Kara and me sitting right where I said we would be and she calmed down.

We repeated this a few times. Each time, she was more at ease that I would still be there when she came down the slide. Soon, her nerves were calmed and she was just having fun.

Kara was having a blast too. She was remarkably adventurous. If she had her way, she'd have climbed to the top of the darned thing.

It seemed like every time we got to a play ground this trip, we got there right before closing time. That was the case here as well. Almost as soon as Joey started playing, the cast members announced that they would be closing in 10 minutes.

I let Joey continue playing as the cast members shut down slide after slide. Once all the slides she was interested in were roped off, we left.

I called Mindy quickly to see how things were going on her end. She said the posted wait time was 20 minutes. She offered to come back and help me with the girls since the playgorund had closed. But I told her to go have fun. Take her time. I'd entertain the girls.

I asked Joey what she wanted to do next. No surprise. The answer was the Great Movie Ride. This is the answer I was hoping for. Is there an easier way to kill 20 minutes? I don't think so.

Joey didn't want to put her shoes on. Since my hands were relatively full, I told her she didn't have to so long as she rode in the stroller. She quickly agreed and we were off.

When we got to GMR, the main entrance was closed. I was concerned. If GMR wasn't open, killing 20 minutes or more in DHS with a 4-year-old and an infant with no playground was going to be more difficult than I had expected. Thankfully, the ride was still open. They were just using a different entrance off to the side.

My next moment of concern came when I saw the line. Every time we rode GMR this trip, it had been a walk on. But apparently a lot of people picked GMR as a safe after-diner ride. Because the queue was relatively full. Thankfully, the line moved relatively quickly. Espcially considering I was holding an infant and my 4-year-old was not wearing shoes.

We only waited about 10 minutes if that to ride. Once again, GMR was a big hit. By this point, Joey knew the whole thing by heart. She would whisper in my ear what was coming next. Kara just sat on my lap and took it all in. It could not have been a better experience.

When we exited GMR, Mindy was waiting for us. She had a great time on ToT and had even stopped to buy herself a T-shirt (something she had wanted for a long time). There was a bit of an incident though. It seems some girls decided to flash the camera when the ride photo was taken.

We asked Joey if she wanted to do anything else before she went home. She said she wanted to watch "the movie where the bunny runs away." I knew immediately what she was talking about. We headed off to the Muppets.

Of course we stopped to check the key under the matt. You always check for the key under the matt. And of course we had a great time. (Disney, don't mess up this classic attraction with whatever refurb you have planned!)

And that's it. That was the last of our time in the parks this trip. I won't bore you with the bus ride home. It was predictably awful. But all in all, it was a great last day at the parks.

All that's left to do is cover our departure...

 

[tiaragirl]

Nooooooooo, I don't want it to be over!

 

[Tiggerish]

I am thoroughly enjoying this while I look forward to my own WDW vacation in just 36 days!! :sohappy:

 

[lebeau]

Nooooooooo, I don't want it to be over!

I am thoroughly enjoying this while I look forward to my own WDW vacation in just 36 days!! :sohappy:

Glad you guys are enjoying the TR. Tiggerish, I look forward to hearing about your trip when you get back!

 

[TakeMeThere81]

(Shame on you adults at the Mexico Pavillion who would not give a 4-year-old a seat at the coloring table. May it rain on you for the rest of your trip!)

So, I'll take a minute here to editorialize about the dining plan. That one counter service credit was sufficient to feed Mindy, Kara and I for the entire afternoon. We ate more because we had credits to kill. But had we been paying out of pocket, we could have easily made due with less than half of the food. I think this is probably true for most families.

Yes, shame on them!! One thing you can be darned for sure, is that my husband and I are teaching our 3 boys differently! I will not have punk teenagers!! Sounds like some parents give up...

It's more important to me to make the trip fun for them than it is for me to have fun myself. I figure if I'm successful, everyone will be more receptive to another trip next time I'm ready to go.

Hey, you are a smart man!! That has always been my approach too. Our first trip was June 2007, it turned out to be somewhat overwhelming(first-timers can easily be overwhelmed, being Disney is so huge), we were in too much of a commando mode and I thought my husband would never go back. But, since he knows how much I love it, he gave it another try Nov 08 and each subsequent trip has been much more relaxed. I think because we lived fairly close and would do long-weekends including only 2 or 3 parks and then go home left him hanging. But that was always my strategy...since I love it ALL, we would get there, I'd let him lead and ask him what he wanted to do first. Worked like a charm. He fell in love with EPCOT in particular and bits and pieces of the other parks.

Check out pics from our last trip...

Notice how he's sporting more Mickey Mouse garb than me?? :lol: And the Anniversary Buttons were HIS idea!

 

[TakeMeThere81]

Oops! Sorry that picture ^^^^^ is so big!

 

[lebeau]

Wed 3/24: Departure

Before I move on to the departure day, I wanted to cover my last night of sleep. Most nights, Mindy slept with Kara and I shared a bed with Joey. Joey has a tendancy to fall out of bed. So we block one side of the bed with a pillow to keep her safe.

Joey is a nefarious bed hog and the beds at POR are very narrow. Between Joey and the safety pillow, I usually found myself sleeping on about 1 foot of bed before the night was over.

By the end of the trip, all the walking, carrying, dragging and whatnot was really taking a toll on my back. So I decided I'd rather take my chances with the trundle bed than spend another night trying not to fall out of the regular bed. Let me tell you, it was not comfortable. But it beat the floor.

I really liked a lot about Port Orleans. The resort itself was just beautiful. But the bus service was a disaster. And the beds were too small considering what you pay to stay there.

Moving on, we actually considered going to Epcot that morning. We didn't have to leave until 2pm and we had another day on our tickets.

I asked Joey what she wanted to do. In no particular order, she answered with the pool, the laundry (at DTD), the Donald Duck ride (at Epcot), making a mask and buying another Vinylmation figure (everywhere).

I asked Mindy if there was anything she wanted to do on our last day. It seemed pretty apparent that going to the parks was out. Joey was fine with that as long as she got to go to the pool. So we settled on bumming around the resort until check-out.

We had a ton of counter-service and snack credit left. No way to burn them all, but we were going to try. We went to the food court for breakfast. Joey got the kid's waffle plate (yay Mickey waffles) and Mindy and I each got the adult bounty platter which pretty much included everything.

We divided up the contents of the platters giving everyone the things they liked best. The biscuits went in the garbage because they were hard enough to sharpen steel. Other than that, it was a fine breakfast. Frankly, it was as good as most of the sit-down breakfasts I've eaten on property.

After breakfast, Mindy took Joey to the gift shop to by a Vinylmation figure and I went to the front desk to ask for a late check-out. We were hoping for 2, but the best they said they could do was 12. We found that a little strange since Mousekeeping had never once been to our room before 3 all week, but one hour was better than nothing.

When we got back to the room, I called to set up bell service to take the bags to the front desk. To be on the safe side, I told him to come at 11.

With that out of the way, Joey and I went to the pool one last time. She was a little bummed about going home. She said she wanted to stay 100 days. But she was happy to be in the pool.

After an hour or so in the pool, we headed back to the room to get ready. 11 came and went. Twenty minutes later, I was prepared to haul the bags to the front desk myself when bell service showed up.

If the guy knew he was 20 minutes late, he didn't show it. Absoultely no acknowledgement. I decided someone else must have given him the wrong time because surely he would have apologized had he realized. I let it go since he was here now and I got the help I needed.

Of course the bags came with another $60 fee to go back home. I'm sure this isn't a surprise to you frequent flyers. But I was quietly fuming.

With the bags checked, I headed back to the room again. By this time, it was about quarter till twelve. The doorbell rang. What do you know? Mousekeeping showed up before noon for the first time during the trip.

We explained that we had arranged a late check-out and we would be gone shortly. After sweeping the room for remaining items, we headed out to the playground.

Having had a rather large breakfast, we ate a late lunch. We wanted to leave just enough time to grab lunch and then get right on our ME shuttle. Once again, Mindy had the pizza and I had the build-your own pasta.

Joey, having been utterly fascinated by my carrot cake from our first meal in the food court, ordered carrot cake for dessert. Mindy won't eat carot cake and Joet had lectured her many times over the last week because she tried the smallest taste of mine and Mindy didn't.

When I brought the food back to the table, I was informed that she was just kidding and she did not really want carrot cake. No problem. We had so many credits left, I was planning to order a bunch of desserts to take home anyway.

When I got my food, I also got in line for a sundae. This line had been prohibitively long on all previous visits. Part of the problem is that there was just one little old lady serving everyone. Finally, someone decided to start helping her and the line started moving. I got Joey a sundae to replace her carrot cake.

She didn't eat that either. I wound up eating the sundae and packing up the carrot cake. I used the rest of the credits to order cupcakes since Mindy loved them. So now I had a carry-on full of desserts in an attempt to burn up my unused snack (and 1 counter service) credit.

I've said enough about the dining plan. I think my lugage full of cupcakes speaks for itself.

We wrapped up just in time to make the 2:00 ME shuttle. Joey doesn't look too sad to be headed home:

Kara just wants to get in my cupcake bag:

Joey's last thoughts on the trip are summed up as follows:

The flight home was mostly uneventful. There was an hour-long delay because the flight crew arrived late. This caused some passengers to miss connecting flights, but we were fine.

We returned home exhausted. But on the whole everyone had a good time in spite of the bumps along the way.

I'll post a few closing thoughts summing up my reactions to various aspects of the trip. But other than that, this more or less ends the report.

Thanks for reading!

 

[lebeau]

Yes, shame on them!! One thing you can be darned for sure, is that my husband and I are teaching our 3 boys differently! I will not have punk teenagers!! Sounds like some parents give up...

The thing is, it was a teenager who actually gave up her seat for Joey. The adults are the ones who refused to let her up to the table!

Unbelievable!

We also ran into a family at Mickey's Philharmagic who entered the auditorium first. But rather than go all the way to the end of the aisle, they plopped down right in the middle of the row and made everyone else go around them.

I was actually surprised they got away with that one.

But the overwhelming majority of fellow guests we met were great people. I told Mindy, I don't know if Disney brings out the best in people or just attracts the best people. I suspect it's a combination of the two.

(This excludes the handful of idiots who give all tourists a bad name.)

Hey, you are a smart man!!

I'm going to need to print this up and show Mindy. I keep trying to tell her, but she won't take my word for it.

That has always been my approach too. Our first trip was June 2007, it turned out to be somewhat overwhelming(first-timers can easily be overwhelmed, being Disney is so huge), we were in too much of a commando mode and I thought my husband would never go back. But, since he knows how much I love it, he gave it another try Nov 08 and each subsequent trip has been much more relaxed.

Even though I'm a commando at heart, I have to admit the more relaxed approach makes for a better exerience. I try to move at the pace of the slowest and most easily fatigued member of our party.

I think because we lived fairly close and would do long-weekends including only 2 or 3 parks and then go home left him hanging. But that was always my strategy...since I love it ALL, we would get there, I'd let him lead and ask him what he wanted to do first. Worked like a charm. He fell in love with EPCOT in particular and bits and pieces of the other parks.

I'm so jealous. I wish we lived closer.

Epcot is Mindy's favorite. But DHS isn't far behind. She liked MK the least.

Check out pics from our last trip...

Notice how he's sporting more Mickey Mouse garb than me?? :lol: And the Anniversary Buttons were HIS idea!

Very nice pic!

I actually stopped on our way out of Epcot one day and got Joey a birthday button. Her birthday's not till May, but I figured she'd have fun wearing it then. Free souvenier? Yes, please. She did wind up wearing it a little that day and loved the extra attention.

Probably 1/3 of everyone we saw was wearing some kind of celebration pin. I bet at least 1/2 of those people were fudging the dates a little.

 

[corey154]

I'm so sad your trip reports over, i've enjoyed reading it as you posted it! It's been a great report and your girls really are adorable!!

 

[lebeau]

I'm so sad your trip reports over, i've enjoyed reading it as you posted it! It's been a great report and your girls really are adorable!!

Glad you liked the report. And thanks for the kind words about the girls.

Kind of like the trip itself, I am part saddened and part relieved to be done with the report. It was fun (and a little exhausting) reliving the whole thing.

 

[Todd L]

It seems some girls decided to flash the camera when the ride photo was taken.

Lucky..........Only kidding.........seems to be all the rage with teenaged girls.

I HATE, HATE, HATE the last day....Its always nice to get home but that overwhelming feeling of loss....its like being at a wake isnt it???

Am I the only crazy one or do any of you Think "wow i just got here and Its gonna go by so fast"

Im loving your kids they are adorable.......your a good dad.

Im sad the Tr is over.......go again soon so I can read another.

 

[lebeau]

It seems some girls decided to flash the camera when the ride photo was taken.

Lucky..........Only kidding.........seems to be all the rage with teenaged girls.

I HATE, HATE, HATE the last day....Its always nice to get home but that overwhelming feeling of loss....its like being at a wake isnt it???

Am I the only crazy one or do any of you Think "wow i just got here and Its gonna go by so fast"

Im loving your kids they are adorable.......your a good dad.

Im sad the Tr is over.......go again soon so I can read another.

Pretty sure the flashers at ToT were cheerleaders. We were there during a competition. It wasn't a big deal, but Disney refused to sell any of the ride pics (for obivous reasons). Kind of stinks for any non-offending visitors who wanted a ride pic that day.

Thanks for the kind words!

I share your mixed feelings about the dreaded last day. But this one was a little more sweet and less bitter than most.

Honestly, we'd done everything we set out to do. Sure, there were some things I'f have liked to have done given more time. It would have been nice to have fit in some more thrill rides. But everyone was satisfied with what we got to do.

I realized during the trip that while Joey liked rides like GMR and the Tea Cups, the things she enjoyed the most were the pool and shopping.

And we were tired. Mindy and I were ready to come home this time. So, it wasn't so bad.

It'll be a little while before we go back. Next time, the girls will be older. We'll be wiser. And Fantasyland will be expanded. Whenever that happens, you can expect a full trip report right here.

 

[Tinkermommy]

You have inspired me to write my first trip report when we get back in May. I guess that means I will have to figure out how to insert pictures too, since I haven't mastered that yet.

 

[Tiggerish]

Don't worry, Tinkermommy, it's not hard to insert pictures--the worst part is deciding where to upload them, but linking to them is not difficult at all.

I think you and I will be overlapping at WDW in May

 

[Tiggerish]

My $.02 is that it is worth it for the car rental.

I heartily agree.

Glad you guys are enjoying the TR. Tiggerish, I look forward to hearing about your trip when you get back!

Mine wouldn't be nearly as interesting, since we are just two adults--no playin' on the laundry for us. But I'll give it a shot!

 

[Tinkermommy]

Thanks for the advice Tiggerish! BTW, my daughter's absolute favorite character is Tigger. She has at least three Tigger dolls, a Tigger sweatshirt with a Tigger head hood, and a Tigger backpack she got from Santa. There's just something about Tigger...

We will be there the first week of May, so will just miss you

 

[lebeau]

You have inspired me to write my first trip report when we get back in May. I guess that means I will have to figure out how to insert pictures too, since I haven't mastered that yet.

Have a great trip! Can't wait to read the report.

Like Tiggerish says, posting pics is easy. (I never did it before this TR either.) You just have to host the pics somewhere. I set up a free account at photobuckt, but there are lots of other places you can use. photobucket provides pre-formatted links you can copy and paste into your TR. Couldn't be easier.