The 'This is Totally Awesome.' Memorial Day weekend trip report

Well hello there. So here we are. A few days post vacation and already finding it hard to get back into the daily routine. What better way to relieve the blues than to start a trip report. Most of you by now know who we/ I am. But lets recap just in case.

Your host (Me) Aleisha: I just celebrated birthday #33 (eek) two days before we left. Love Disney, Hockey, Kenny Chesney and summer. Hates her two hour commute into DC every day and is allergic to just about everything, including animal fat found in beef pork and dairy. Yes its a pain, no I do not recommend it.

Andy: My DH, 35. Eats breathes and sleeps hockey, is also employed by the Caps, which probably explains why most of his wardrobe is something Caps related. Loves Disney, Star Wars and thinks he is a lot more funny than he actually is. Hates the heat, but says he is getting used to it.

Logan: 4. Star Wars lover, Disney lover. Heart breaker in the making, loves the ladies and has an empathy that is far beyond his years. Mommy's boy, and allergic to dairy.

Now originally this trip was supposed to be back in March but had to be postponed when hockey season ended its lockout. So instead of cancelling it right out, we decided to just postpone it, celebrating my bday (May 22nd) and our 7th anniversary (May 27th) down in our favorite place. Bonus, it was Star Wars weekend

So this was the plan:
May 24-29th at the Wilderness Lodge Villas....
Celebrations: Birthaversary (as titled by a Cast Member)
Dinning Plan.
Annual Passes.

But I am assuming this isn't what you came to read. Which means I shall get started with the actual report.

 

[englanddg]

Guins. Tell him I said that.

 

[englanddg]

I did use to work for the Augusta Lynx...don't think we farmed any talent to the Caps though.

 

[foreverbelle]

Friday May 24, 2013: Day one

The day began bright and early with our alarm going off at 4 am. Our flight didn't leave til 10 out of Regan, but with the holiday weekend in DC, well. Traffic on a normal day can be a nightmare as it is. Of course leaving out extra early meant no traffic what so ever. Seriously why couldn't it be like this every day-we made it to the airport, bags checked and were seated in record timing. The flight was uneventful but it had been forever since we flew, the last time Logan was barely 2, and didn't remember any of it. So the whole thing was exciting to him. We also forgot how much of an event it actually is with a kid, normally we flew through the airport to get to Magical Express but the moment we landed, we were starving. And so even if we really really wanted to get on Magical Express as soon as possible, lunch sounded a whole lot better. Not to mention it was noon, so there was still plenty of time.

We scarfed down lunch, and then made our way finally to ME, with being the second family in line, we pretty much figured we would not get the front of the bus, but when we boarded the family bypassed the coveted front row, and so Andy sat Logan and I right there..

clearly he is not excited about this at all. He had no idea what was coming.

We waited for awhile for them to leave, they apparently where waiting for a couple...somewhere after half an hour, they finally came and we hit the road.....

WE WERE ON OUR WAY!!!! Wilderness Lodge here we come!

And what can I say about the hotel? I am in love with it. This was also my first onsite property I had stayed at with a friend back in the day, so perhaps this has something to do with it. And just like back then, I continue to be on love with the place. Ever walk into a place and just say I am home? From the moment we first walked on the property that is what I felt. And even if we are away, my heart remains here. Sure we may venture out and try new places, new resorts and we love them. But its not the same. We checked in, and was surprised to find our room ready. Bonus, our bags and Garden Grocer order were waiting as well!!

We dropped off our stuff and since we were all still up and ready to go headed straight to Epcot. Andy and I both expected to take it easy, but welcomed the idea. We needed to pick up our annual passes anyway. First stop was guest relations, we had no issue and little wait as they prepared our passes. And before we knew it, we were heading through to try out the new:

RFID- this was the first time we used the new system, and I will not lie. I love the new system. It made checking in and getting through the gates a whole lot more easier. Simply amazing. This applies to the new room system as well...amazing.

And while Logan may now be big enough to ride other things, it turns out some things never change Logan still insisted on heading straight to Nemo-his favorite ride- and still hid behind a scene or two throughout the ride. And still stood amazed at the dolphins and sharks before running and playing in the little area before deciding he had had enough and it was time to hit up Mexico.

Ah Mexico, he is in love with the 3 Cabanaros (sp), yes he could ride this ride over and over if you let him. And apparently a year away did not change his love for it. But he also decided he was brave enough this year to ride Norway without so much of help unlike last year. But not so brave when it came to the trolls and he hid when he saw them..

After we completed our tour of the World it was time for dinner. Originally we had reservations but decided to cancel awhile back so we could just go with the flow on the first. Which meant, we were on our own tonight. And nothing sounded appealing. Nothing, not to mention, Logan was fading. Fast. So instead of pushing it to Magic Kingdom to enjoy 24 hours of magic. We would head back home. After all, it had been a long day. Dinner was at Roaring Forks, before we called it a night.

Tomorrow we would hit it hard.

 

[Allie_Marie]

Your son is too cute! I am obsessed with him! I can't wait to finish reading!

 

[Bama14]

So fun! You're little boy is adorable! We have the same b'day!

 

[tiaragirl]

Aleisha! So excited for this and more pictures of your cutie!

I went to skip the "introduction" part of the TR, and then I read that you postponed this voyage because the lockout ended and I was like HOLY, THAT'S DEDICATION TO THE LOVE OF HOCKEY. Too funny - and fun that he works for the Caps! Hockey gamez for you!

 

[foreverbelle]

Your son is too cute! I am obsessed with him! I can't wait to finish reading!

Why thank you....I think he is adorable, but then I am dif. biased. lol..

 

[foreverbelle]

So fun! You're little boy is adorable! We have the same b'day!

Yeah for the same bday...which is apparently ironically the least popular bday (true fact) so yeah us!!!
And thank you for the cute compliment.

 

[foreverbelle]

Aleisha! So excited for this and more pictures of your cutie!

I went to skip the "introduction" part of the TR, and then I read that you postponed this voyage because the lockout ended and I was like HOLY, THAT'S DEDICATION TO THE LOVE OF HOCKEY. Too funny - and fun that he works for the Caps! Hockey gamez for you!

Ah yes, we eat breath and sleep it around the house. Long season, and a lot of late hours but love it...

 

[foreverbelle]

Saturday May 25, 2013: Day Two

We woke refreshed. Seriously we were all in bed and out by ten the previous night. But we were ready to hit the parks hard all day. First up would be Magic Kingdom. We headed down to Roaring Forks where we grabbed a quick bite to eat, and ended up talking to a guy and the most adorable little 3 year old ever. Somehow the subject ended up on hockey-gee this did not surprise me.-until well later than we wanted, Logan ended getting so bored he just about said he didn't want to talk about hockey anymore. I gotta say, I didn't blame him and so we quickly wrapped things up and made our way to the boat, which was waiting for us...No waiting here!!! Ah the boat ride. It is one of the many reasons I love the Wilderness Lodge. Its just an amazing little ride an absolutely so peaceful in the morning-and ok in the evening as well.-After a small hiccup at the gates, Andys card didn't work we entered the park and immediately went to grab a stroller. We usually bring ours but we are trying to get Logan out of one, though we realize the parks are a lot bigger for a four year old, and so we wanted to get one just in case his little legs couldn't keep up with the likes of his 6'3 daddy. And then we were strolling down Main St.

Main St this Saturday seemed empty, the hangover from the 24 hour event left the crowds light this morning. Or maybe it was just early. Whatever the reason we gladly took it and welcome the low crowd to our best advantage, meaning we got to hit up some otherwise long lined rides. Starting with this lovely ride:

Which was requested by Logan. Expecting we would have to grab fast passes, we ran to the front, and surprise the wait was only 15 minutes! I will take that one. After Peter saved the day and we returned from our trip to Neverland, we ran across the way and walked on Small World, which is Logan's favorite up to this point. Andy once again was the good sport and hummed a long the theme, making his son a very happy little boy.

These rides of course are nothing new to us, we have ridden them so many times, we often dream about them and could do them in our sleep. And while I was excited about seeing Logan's reaction to them, I was personally excited for what was waiting for us. The new Fantasyland expansion. Thankfully both Logan and Andy let me drag them along. Which OK wasn't all that hard to do considering Andy seemed just as eager to check it out. And Logan? Well Logan has been in love with Ariel since birth pretty much and considers her the love of his young life. So he was excited as long as we checked her out. Done! Andy ran over to get fast passes for Ariel because he was afraid it would be slammed and came back with 3 for an hour from now. And with that we made our way back to the new section.

And what was my first thought. AMAZING seriously I am pretty sure I could move in and be happy. When we hit up Belles village, well I just about broke into song, yes I felt like I was in the movie....confession, I am pretty much a Beauty and the Beast lover..its my favorite, so I am pretty much biased. I truly loved it though. And of course we couldn't leave without a try of some Lefou's brew at Gaston's tavern.

Ah yes, I really really had to bite my tongue to keep me from singing, Andy grabbed a spot to sit, he was getting the making of a headache, and I took the opportunity to take some pics before enjoying the tasty beverage and here is what each of us thought.

ALEISHA: Loved it, but thought it was better without the foam on the top.
ANDY: Liked it, thought it was better than he imagine but didn't know if he could drink an entire one himself. Said it would be a good summery kind of drink.
LOGAN: thought it was the best thing LIKE EVER!!!

Yum Yum

We took our time sitting around, where I watched a very nice looking Gaston come out, and really fought the urge to just stay there if it wasn't for Andy sitting there telling me, um yea really? I would have. And come August I am going to get me a picture with him.....but sadly Andy and Logan didn't want to wait around any longer and it was time to hit up and check out Ariel. We still had a half hour til our fast passes, but the line didn't look all that bad and so we jumped in the line figuring we could do it again immediately if we wanted. Let me say was worth it as I thought the detail of the ride was amazing, I loved the que and it dif made us really happy that we decided to go ahead of our fast passes. I would in fact almost argue that the que made the ride. Then again the family in front of us decided to all take pictures using flashes....they took up three shells. And every time they took one it seemed to be in the eye...I know it happens and there isn't much we could do about I still find it obnoxious. Logan decided he liked the ride but didn't want to it right away again instead he wanted to do Pirates.

Last year we barely could get the kid on the ride, and this year he was dancing and singing and cheering through the entire thing. He also believes Jack Sparrow is real, and you may call me a horrible mom, but I let him believe it.

We did this all and it was just passing noon. Which meant, it was time for lunch. Andy still has headache and it was getting pretty bad so he broke down and had a soda-which he hasn't had in over two years- Cosmic Rays however didn't help, while it charged us up energy wise, the headache was only getting worse and instead of pushing through it, we headed back to the resort where he took a nap. Logan and I went to start his shopping trip with the money he had been saving. And when I talk about saving, I mean the kid saved $100 on his own,without the help of mommy or daddy. Every money he received from birthday and Christmas went into his special bank...With a toy bought (and he spent only 10 of his money)we headed back up to see if daddy was any better. He was laying down the headache still apparent.

It was at this point we wondered if we may have to re-evaluate the evenings plans....

 

[ImagineerDude]

What? No 24 hours in MK? I was hoping I could see myself in some of your pics! But seriously awesome TR so far. Can't wait for the rest!

 

[LeCellier.Lover]

Aleisha I am LOVING your TR so far! Your family is so cute!
I'm so glad I got to hear from someone on how the day after the 24-hour madness was. I was wondering if the park would be empty or not. Sorry to hear your husband had a bad headache though, that's no fun, especially while in Disney!
I have to say I freaked out a little bit when I read that your husband works for the Caps! I am a HUGE huge hockey fan (I love my Blackhawks )! May I ask what he does for them exactly? It's my dream to someday work for the hawks!
Can't wait to read more!

 

[Raven66]

I'm looking forward to reading the rest of your trip report. My greatest fear while on vacation is getting a migraine. Sometimes I get them so bad just somebody breathing next to me sends me into a tizzy. I have meds for them but they make me tired. I hope it didn't take your hubby long to over come it.

Your son is absolutely adorable. I just want to pinch his little cheeks. Not hard of course

 

[foreverbelle]

What? No 24 hours in MK? I was hoping I could see myself in some of your pics! But seriously awesome TR so far. Can't wait for the rest!

We actually contemplated it,but with a very exhausted four year old, it wasn't going to happen.

Aleisha I am LOVING your TR so far! Your family is so cute!
I'm so glad I got to hear from someone on how the day after the 24-hour madness was. I was wondering if the park would be empty or not. Sorry to hear your husband had a bad headache though, that's no fun, especially while in Disney!
I have to say I freaked out a little bit when I read that your husband works for the Caps! I am a HUGE huge hockey fan (I love my Blackhawks )! May I ask what he does for them exactly? It's my dream to someday work for the hawks!
Can't wait to read more!

He is the graphic artist, he loves the job and the team which he has followed since birth so it was his dream job. A lot of long hours though and they sure do not pay them like they pay the players...but he enjoys it and that's all that matters.

I'm looking forward to reading the rest of your trip report. My greatest fear while on vacation is getting a migraine. Sometimes I get them so bad just somebody breathing next to me sends me into a tizzy. I have meds for them but they make me tired. I hope it take your hubby long to over come it.

Your son is absolutely adorable. I just want to pinch his little cheeks. Not hard of course

He gets them a lot as well, that one got pretty rough, but he tried to push through it.
Thank you for the compliment!!

 

[foreverbelle]

Day Two continues..

Daddy and Logan before the headache got to be to much.....

Where did I leave off..ah yes Andy's headache. Well it was still there but thankfully it had subsided enough that he decided to go ahead with our dinner and evening plans, which was to hit up Epcot where we had dinner plans at Tappen Edo. But much like the day before there is no getting into the park without escaping Nemo and so we found ourselves heading back over to the ride. I am assuming this probably won't be the last time we ride it either.

I figure this is a good time to talk about the weather. We left DC barely into the 50s Friday Morning expecting it to be hot and humid and rather disgusting. Because well. normally we go in July or August. and the past two times we have gone in May/June it was just about the same. But believe it or not we have found by this point the weather on this trip to be rather nice. In fact it was even sort of chilly. For it being the end of May in Florida that is. None of us where complaining. Least of all Andy who isn't as fond of the heat as I am. But as we made our way to Japan, he even agreed I may need to grab a hoodie. We checked into Tappen Edo, which was running a half hour behind and so we had plenty of time to do some window shopping before the buzzer finally went off.

Now this is usually one of our favorite places to eat. But this time around Andy and I both agreed that while the Chef was very entertaining, the food was just sort of so so. Not to say she did anything bad, rather they have changed it up so they don't cook it with butter as they once did. While I am OK with this-dairy allergy so I can't have it anyway. Andy had the steak and shrimp while both Logan and I both had the shrimp. Andy found it to be rather boring. Logan seemed to enjoy it, and unlike the previous times, he was actually awake for the entire meal.

Proof...

After dinner was done we had thought about sticking around long enough for Illumnations but neither Andy nor Logan seemed to be thrilled, and Logan wanted to see the water parade so we headed up to the front of the park. This plan fell by the wayside however when he saw Spaceship Earth and decided he wanted to hit it up before we left. Thankfully we got on it just in time, as we were one of the last riders for the day.

As we made our way out of the park Logan began to cry. Not sure why we stopped and got down on our knees. His issue? Well he was afraid to let the Little Mermaid go. Fearing that if we did not go ride her one more time and save her, they would close her up forever! Seriously he broke down and just bawled. It was so heartbreaking. I promised him she wouldn't. But if they did mommy would kick some major booty. His reply? 'Yep mommy you wouldn't let that happen!'

And with that all was right in the world, at least for the moment...

Tomorrow we had plans for Star Wars...

 

[Tinkerbella16]

I am loving this TR so far! Your son is just an angel!! That last part about him breaking down over Ariel is the cutest story ever!!! Looking forward to more fun!!

 

[LeCellier.Lover]

He is the graphic artist, he loves the job and the team which he has followed since birth so it was his dream job. A lot of long hours though and they sure do not pay them like they pay the players...but he enjoys it and that's all that matters.

Wow that sounds awesome! O I'm sure there's a lot of time and effort that's put in, but since its a dream job hey I wouldn't mind!
Sorry to hear your dinner was just so so.. We went on our trip in January and loved it! Wonder if they've changed since then..?

 

[Zipadeelady]

I'm in!

 

[foreverbelle]

I am loving this TR so far! Your son is just an angel!! That last part about him breaking down over Ariel is the cutest story ever!!! Looking forward to more fun!!

Oh it was so heartbreaking when he broke down!! But don't worry he will have plenty more adventures to come!!

Wow that sounds awesome! O I'm sure there's a lot of time and effort that's put in, but since its a dream job hey I wouldn't mind!
Sorry to hear your dinner was just so so.. We went on our trip in January and loved it! Wonder if they've changed since then..?

It is awesome, and we are hockey lovers to begin with so I agree, its worth it....the dinner wasn't bad, we usually love it, and still are planning on going back, on my end of things I didn't see much difference but Andy did...

I'm in!

Wahoo!!! Thank you.