WaltzingMatilda & Co.'s Disney Adventure

Our story begins with me discovering that at the ripe old age of 37, I have been blessed with the impending arrival of child # 2. Instead of thinking, "My goodness! We must plan and prepare for this addition to our family! There is a nursery to do, a college fund to start, a chaotic house to clean and organize so that this child's first crawling experience does not result in him covered with dog hair!" I thought "Oh, man, we better get to Disney before I get too big to waddle around the parks, because once junior gets here we're not making it down there for another 3 years."

So I booked a trip for May 18th - 26th, complete with the basic DP. Accompanying me would be Grant and our DD Emily (6). About a week prior to leaving:)eek:), I realized if we were going to make full use of the plan, it might help if I actually made some table service ressies. By being flexible about times and dates (thanks to the advice of fellow Magic members) I managed to get some decent ressies. Now, as I was making these plans, Grant decided to helpfully advise me that I was "nuts" for "overplanning" and that I should just "go with the flow". I mention this because it will be important later in the week.

The day before departure was spent (of course) packing and shopping. I also took Em to get this done:

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Adorable,no?

The flight down was uneventful, despite the fact that as a pregnant person I could not self-medicate via Budweiser to calm my flying jitters. When we arrived in Orlando I had my first experience with Magical Express. Service wise, it was no better or worse than any other transportation company.

When we arrived at Port Orleans French Quarter, I was greeted by this happy sight:

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Em made herself right at home:

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We changed and Em and I headed to Downtown Disney to look for a bathing suit, since the two brand new ones I had bought her for the trip did not fit (a fact I did not find out until 9 pm the night before we left). Grant went to the pool bar to watch the hockey (Flyers v. Penguins). There was not a suit to be found in DD, so we headed back and she swam in shorts and a tee. When you're as disorganized as I am, you have to be flexible.

We had dinner at the food court at the hotel and then headed to MK. I would say crowds were light, but it didn't matter, as Em didn't want to do much besides visit her beloved Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse. In the dark, this is not so much fun, but it is her favorite thing to do. What can I say, we've all got our quirks.

We then went to Pirates, which I already knew she would not ride. So I suggested to Grant that we do a kid swap, at which pint he had his first little meltdown, because he said it would be no fun to ride by himself. I said "your loss" and did the ride on my own. Sorry, but to me it's a don't miss ride.

We then did the teacups as a family - holy moly - Grant spun us sooooo fast:

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Can't post the pic of me, since I literally look like I'm going to lose it. But it was fun!

We fought our way through the SpectroMagic crowds and headed home for the night, with every good intention of getting up and back to MK before park opening. Ha ha ha.
 

joanna71985

Well-Known Member
Thanks Jo!! :kiss: BTW, Em was a little annoyed with me for not arranging a meet up with you - she really enjoyed looking at your web page today.

Thanks for reading y'all! I'm going to try to do one more tonight.

Aww, I really wish I could have met up with you too. And I'm glad she likes it- I just finished updating it.
 

UKHelen

Member
Great trip report! Can't wait for the rest. Your daughter is so cute. Congrats on baby #2 also :D

ps I am very lucky that my DH is the planner for us (only in Disney life though, it's me for the rest of our life!)
 

WaltzingMatilda

Member
Original Poster
Seaworld and Universal (sort of)

Okay, I literally cannot sleep so instead of staring at the ceiling I figured I'd get up and finish this thing already.

So. Seaworld. Seaworld is a nice park. I just think by the day we got there, I was more worn out than I realized.

We got there a little after opening on Friday and went to the first show at the sea lion stadium. This show is really adorable and the actors (both animal and human) are great. They all seemed like they were having a genuinely good time. Em enjoyed it quite a bit:


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We then went to the seal and sea lion exhibit, where I fell in love:

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This little guy was so funny - he would turn his head away and then I would talk nonsense at him "Hi sweetie, hi baby" and he would graciously turn back and give a little pose. The coolest part of this exhibit is that you can buy dead fish (yum) and actually feed the animals. We didn't get to do that until later, because at this point Grant had gone off to do rides and I realized I had zero money with me. Having spent the week at Disney, it didn't occur to me that I would need actual cash or a debit card to survive outside the Disney Parks (Seaworld doesn't take the Disney room key - go figure).

Unable to buy sunblock, water, or dead fish, Em and I wandered the unfamiliar park, as I grew increasingly hot and frustrated. At one point I watched some other guests try to lure a squirrel by pretending they had food. When I found myself wishing that someone would get bitten, I knew I needed a break. We met back up with Grant and then headed back to the sea lions, were I was finally able to feed the animals. This is an awesome, though smelly, experience and afterwards I was finally able to stop acting like an over-stimulated toddler.

We had a nice lunch and met the Clydesdales (yay!) and then went to the Shamu show. We sat in the soak zone - Em made me laugh because she kept saying that she did not want to get wet. This from a child who would have happily spent the entire vacation in the hotel pool. I assumed that sitting in the soak zone meant you might accidentally get splashed as the whale entered the water. Ha ha ha ha ha. No. The whale actually flips a tail full of water onto you, and the whale enjoys doing this. I could tell by the look on it's face.

The whale show is truly amazing - the whales are magnificent and you can see the great respect and love the trainers have for them. Additionally, during the pre-show, there is a tribute to our Heroes, those who have served and are serving in our countries armed forces. Grant and I both got teary- eyed during this; it really made you stop and take a moment to be thankful for all those who have made and are making this sacrifice.

Once Shamu was over we headed out, stopping at the pearl diving tank so that Grant could buy Em a pearl. She got a kick out of watching the divers and picking out her oyster. This is a nice little keepsake and she enjoyed having her daddy buy her jewelry. I told him to get used to it.

Just as we got in the cab to head home, it began pouring and didn't stop for what seemed like hours. This was fine, as our only plan was to head back to the room and watch Grant work the phones. Canada would remain out of our reach (though he did get close once - missed a cancellation by 30 minutes) but he booked a dinner in France for 8:45. We all took a much needed nap and then caught the bus to Epcot. The bus took a really long time and we were late and rushed through the park; I was convinced we wouldn't get seated. However, we were seated in time to watch Illuminations - we had a wonderful table at the window. I've heard wonderful things about the food at Chefs du France; all I can tell you is that the steak was very good. Em fell asleep at the table. The walk back to the bus was great - the park was empty and we all sang "Be Our Guest" in really bad French accents.

The plan for Saturday, our last full day, was Universal Studios. Alas, it was not to be. We made it over there ($40 cab ride!) an hour after opening with no tickets and no idea of crowd levels, etc. Since it was Saturday and a holiday weekend, the crowds were already pretty heavy. We had to get in line for tickets and barely moved 15 feet in 15 minutes. We looked at the park maps and the prices and the crowd and decided to bail. I felt pretty bad about it - I know Grant really wanted to do Universal. However, it was primarily his decision to leave. He said he just had a feeling that the day wouldn't go right if we stayed.

I did get these fun pics before we left:

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Since we now had an unexpected free afternoon, Em and I decided to do Animal Kingdom. This park was not in our original plans - there is literally nothing Em will ride there. When I suggested AK, however, she happily agreed. This is because she had an ulterior motive. During the week she had noticed a couple of kids with the latest Webkinz (if you don't know, I can't explain it. Webkinz are a post unto themselves) and as it turned out, AK was the only place to buy it.

So we dropped Grant at the hotel and went on a Webkinz hunt.
 

WaltzingMatilda

Member
Original Poster
Animal Kingdom

We hit AK without any itinerary except to find the Webkinz. It was a nice afternoon, though very very very hot. It had rained earlier and the park was soooo humid.

I am not exaggerating when I tell you that we hit every gift stand and shop in that park. The CM's as always, were very helpful. Since this particular Webkinz is a dragon. one CM suggested Dinoland, which made sense to me. No luck there, though. I though we might do well in Asia, but nothing. It took on the feel of a scavenger hunt, and was actually pretty fun. I did persuade Em to take the train ride and then we went to Camp Minnie-Mickey, where we met:

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BTW, when I got home and saw this pic, I made an appointment to get bangs cut in. Holy forehead!

We also did stop to hang with her favorite dino:

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Had some lunch, and that was pretty much it for AK. We headed, Webkinz-less, back to the hotel to swim and get ready for our last night.

The only thing we hadn't done at this point was Wishes, and that was our plan for our last evening. We got to MK and followed SpectroMagic up Main Street, then picked our spot on the bridge to Tomorrowland. It rained on and off and it was pretty breezy, so I prepared Em for the strong possibility that we wouldn't see Tink. Turns out she did not make her flight that night but we expected as much.

As we waited in the dark for the show to start, I knew that we were tired and, yes, probably ready to go home. Yet all of that faded the moment Wishes started. Is there anything, really, more magical than being in that place at that time with the people you love? Right then and there, you really do believe that all your wishes will come true.

Once the show was over I sent those two back to the hotel so that I could ride Haunted Mansion. I'm actually a little tiny bit scared of this ride, and of course always get stuck going on it alone because no one else ever wants to ride it. I liked the changes a lot and was glad I got the chance to ride. On my way out of the park I looked in the Emporium on the off chance that they would have that darn dragon. No luck, so I headed back to the hotel to get some rest before the chaos of departure day.
 

WaltzingMatilda

Member
Original Poster
Going Home Day

This is always a weird day. Part of you is ready to go,and part of you is sad. And part of you is freaking out because you could swear you brought your Tink watch with you and now you can't find it in a room the size of a breadbox.

We actually managed to get packed with a minimum of craziness, dropped our bags with bell service, and went to MK one last time. Em and Grant went to do character meets and I went to Carousel of Progress. I don't know what's with those two and not wanting to ride the animotronic stuff. Kids these days.

CoP, which to me is the embodiment of Walt's spirit, was great as always. I had the show to myself - the only other guest walked out during the second scene. Fine with me - I sat there and sang along and had myself a good old time. "There's a great big beautiful tomorrow, shining at the end of every day..."

Afterwards we had a snack in Liberty Square, where I finally got my funnel cake. Then to Cinderella's carousel, which had been closed all week and re-opened just in time for us. We rode twice, once on a "regular" horse and once on The Horse:

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Grant attempted to become the next King of England:

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And Em got to meet with:

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Then we had to shop for gifts. I always swear I'm not going to leave this to the last day, and then of course I always do. It makes me crazy.

We had said goodbye to our beloved gators the day before:

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So really all that was left to do was get on the bus and head to the airport.

It was a wonderful trip. Like all vacations, it had it's ups and downs. But our primary goal was accomplished - to be together in the most magical place on Earth. We came home happy, and tired, and feeling blessed. The dog was over the moon to see us, the cat was, well - you know cats. I suppose it will be a while before we go back, what with the wee one on the way. Maybe three years.

Yea right. Like I can wait that long. :D


Anyway, thanks to everyone who took the time to read this! May all your wishes come true!

Amy

XOXO
 

WaltzingMatilda

Member
Original Poster
Great report so far Amy - I'm loving the pics! :sohappy:

Thanks Betty!

thanks for sharing! your report is a fun read

Thank you!

First of all, Congrats! Love your report so far, the pictures are great, your little girl is a adorable.

Thanks for the congrats!

Oh ok...you'd fit in well here....I thought you were shorter :lookaroun

Shorter than 5 foot?????::D

Amy, you crack me up. I think my favorite part of the TR was when you threw Grant in the Sassagoula. :lookaroun

You have such a beautiful family! :sohappy:

That was my fave too. (hee hee!)

Thank you!

Great trip report and pictures!! How do you "meet" Tinkerbell? I've never heard of that before and think my DD would love it! Thanks!

I will PM you the details. As you may have noticed I do tend to run on a bit...

And thanks!

Amy! I love you!!!

God, your take on life is so freaking priceless! :kiss:

So glad to hear you had a nice trip!

Aww, Nibbsie! Thanks! Love you back!

Aww, I really wish I could have met up with you too. And I'm glad she likes it- I just finished updating it.

Yay for the update!

Looks like a great trip!

Congrats for the one on the way!:sohappy:

Thank you!

Your trip report is so much fun to read Amy.

Congratulations on your news!

Thanks for reading, and for the congrats!

Amy you are a great story teller. Love it.

Thank you Susie!

Great trip report! Can't wait for the rest. Your daughter is so cute. Congrats on baby #2 also :D

ps I am very lucky that my DH is the planner for us (only in Disney life though, it's me for the rest of our life!)

Thank you so much!

LOL - you probably should be in charge of "real" life - but you are lucky your DH will do the Disney planning!

Awesome report! Can't wait to read the rest. Congrats on you impending arrival!

Thank you!

Great report so far, looking forward to the rest. :)

Amy, you have such a way with words! And I love any TR that includes photos, and yours are priceless! :kiss:

Thank you Kat!! I had fun taking the pics!
 

k.hunter30

New Member
:sohappy::sohappy:
Great trip report! Thanks so much for sharing your magical trip with us! Congrats to you again. You look so lovely pregnant! :kiss:
 

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