Domestically Hip

Our Not-So-Scary Video Trip Report

2012-02-14T21:57:00.001-06:00

OK, so I tried to cut a lot of stuff I'd have normally put in, but this series still weighs in at about an hour and a half, so settle in or just poke around to see your favorite parks, resorts and restaurants.

Haileigh Belle's Blurbs: Dinner at 1900 Park Fare

2012-01-29T17:34:00.001-06:00

Picture edited all by myself

I loved it when Tabe gave the stepsisters rings beacause they screamed! LOL the guy behind Anastasia has humongus eyes! :)
-Haileigh

PhotoPass 101

2012-01-25T20:45:00.003-06:00

So, any of my Oklahomies who frequented Frontier City (semi-lame Frontierlandesque theme park for those not in the know) as a kid remember the photographers who accosted you at the bridge just outside of the main gift shop and then tried to sell you a $15 picture on your way out of the park. As they always do, Disney has taken that run of the mill idea and "plussed" (as Walt would say) it! Let's get snappin'!!

According to Disney, Disney's PhotoPass Service gives you professional photographs of your Walt Disney World vacation. I'm going to say that it gives you photographs of your Walt Disney World vacation. Notice the missing word?? Yeah, professional. I suppose they can be called professional in that they're paid for their photography, but the skill level is all over the place. However, more often that not, the photos are pretty good, some are even great!! So, that little caveat aside, our family is sold on PhotoPass!! We use it on every trip and will continue to do so as long as it's offered.

PhotoPass Card (front)

That up there is a PhotoPass card. You can get it from any PhotoPass photographer. And guess what. It's FREE!! Yes, you can get one or one hundred of these little things free of charge. Once you receive one of these cards, start getting your pictures taken.

Just for fun, here are a few of the other cards we've received:

In our hotel welcome packet

From Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party
(didn't see special ones for last year's Halloween party but have in the past)

Received in the mail prior to our trip

After each PhotoPass stop, give the card to the PhotoPass photographer, he or she will scan it and hand it back to you. Keep it in a safe place because you'll need the code on the back to view your pictures...

If you receive one in the mail, it will probably have your name on the back

Back of a card received in the parks (no name)

PhotoPass Tip: Take a picture of the code on the back of the card!! That way if you lose the card, you can still access your pictures online.

Again, if you do happen to lose a card (or maybe your group decides to split up), just grab another PhotoPass card from your next PhotoPass photographer. Your PhotoPass account (we'll talk about that in a sec) will hold more than one card. I think ours has 50+ cards on it at this point.

So, now that you've said "CHEESE" (we are in the house of mouse!!), you can view your pictures online. You have 30 from the date the picture was taken to view it online. So hurry and head to the PhotoPass site and create an account (I take my laptop to WDW so I can check our pics daily). Enter the codes, and bam! There are your smiling faces ready for purchase!! Of course, creating an account and viewing/editing the pictures are free of charge, but that's where the gratis train ends with PhotoPass. However, being the savvy gal I am, I do have a couple money-saving tips for you Disney goers.

Yes, you can buy the Frontier City priced $15 4x6s on the PhotoPass site, as well as a host of other Disney emblazoned mugs, calendars and more, but the best value for our family has been the PhotoPass CD. The CD is loaded with all of your PhotoPass pictures including those you've edited, added borders to and resized (more on that soon). The best part, the copyright to the pictures is included so you can have them printed anywhere. I tend to wait for Shutterfly sales or even freebies!! So, if you like more than 10 of your PhotoPass shots, you've already paid for your CD. Yes, friends, the PhotoPass CD is a hefty $149.95. Guess what...more savings coming your way!!

You can (and we have on every WDW trip) pre-purchase the CD at a discounted price!! If you purchase the CD before your trip, they knock off $50, so you can get your (hopefully) hundreds of pics for $99.95! If it turns out that you aren't a PhotoPass fan and don't feel like you got your $100 worth of pictures, they will refund your money. I can safely say that's never been the case for us.

So, we've already saved who knows how much by purchasing the CD rather than prints, then we even saved another $50, but there's more! Travelling with friends and family? Split the cost of the CD. Like I mentioned earlier, you can put countless PhotoPass codes into one account, so it's super easy for two, three or ten families to add their pictures (make sure no one adds the codes to their own accounts, though, codes can only be entered once!!). Each year, we've spent $20 or less on our PhotoPass pictures! Now, you can't beat that!! Of course, if you anticipate being completely cleaned out after your Disney trip, the PhotoPass photogs will snap a picture with your personal camera, and that'll cost you nothing but a few seconds in front of the camera.

If you do decide to order the CD, you do have a deadline. Remember that 30 day window you had to enter your code on the PhotoPass site? Well, you have another 30 days after you've entered it to purchase the CD (or any other item). After 30 days, your pictures will expire. PhotoPass does offer extensions at a cost.

Ready for some PhotoPass fun??? Check out a few of our favorite edited PhotoPass shots...

Disclaimer: These are just a sampling of the many additions and borders available, although some of these borders and additions may not be available anymore.

Best place to find PhotoPass photogs? Park icons (i.e., Cinderella Castle, Spaceship Earth, the Tree of Life and the Sorcerer's Hat) and main drags (Main Street USA, Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood Boulevard).

And a little Disneyland just for good measure...definitely photogs at the entrance to California Adventure and the Golden Gate Bridge and Sleeping Beauty Castle.

Next best bet? Characters!! Photogs aren't available for all character meet and greets, but most established spots (Epcot Character Spot, Town Square Theatre, Camp Minnie Mickey, etc.) will have PhotoPass available.

Here's a fun little thing you can add to character shots...autographs!

Of course, photogs are also sprinkled throughout the resort near great backgrounds.

PhotoPass is also available at a number of restaurants. Several character meals have a photo spot for pictures just before you're seated.

Another DL shot just for fun

You can find photogs stationed around the resorts, as well. We've seen them in the deluxe resort lobbies of the Polynesian, Grand Floridian, Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge, as well as roaming the grounds of the Yacht and Beach Club. A lot of times they'll be set up with special lighting near the Christmas trees during the holidays.

As of our last trip, only one ride offers PhotoPass capabilities (although several of the "biggies" take ride pictures), and that's Test Track in Epcot.

While I didn't notice any for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party 2011, we have been able to add special event borders to PhotoPass pictures taken at those events.

They also offer seasonal borders if you happen to be vacationing during holidays. We've seen Christmas, Hanukkah, Halloween and Thanksgiving borders.

Notice the creepy hearse driver in the last couple of sections?? He's a magic shot! Those are available all over the parks, so be sure to ask your photog which ones he or she can do. I always mean to get more of these done, but I've only actually remembered a few times. Oops! It's on my list for the next trip. The photog will have you pose, and you'll feel totally silly because there's nothing there, but it will be worth it to get cute shots like these...

Let's wrap this up with a few of my favorite PhotoPass tips...

In the Parks and Resorts

-If you pre-purchase, let the PhotoPass photographer know. We often do, and they'll snap away. We've gotten a dozen shots (or more) with one background/character, and it's nice to be able to pick and choose the best ones.

-Stop at multiple photographers shooting the same thing. Not only will you get different angles, you'll get to take advantage of each photographer's eye.

My mom and I near the hub

Closer to Main Street
(Sorry, mom, I know your eyes are closed,
but I wanted the ghost guy in the back!)

-Turn around! Of course you'll stop for a picture of Cinderella Castle, but turn around and strike a pose in front of Main Street USA!

Ignore the crane

-Stop at the same place during different times of the day (say, on your way in and on your way out). Things can look totally different first thing in the morning and all lit up at night.

-The characters will do really fun poses if you're into it. Have the boys propose to a princess or let Mickey kiss your little princess's hand. So cute!! Often, the PhotoPass photographers have posing ideas that work well with the characters and make for fun pictures.

On the PhotoPass Site

-The more photos you have, the longer your account takes to load, so don't waste edits on changing pictures to black and white or resizing non-embellished pictures. These are things easily done on your computer once you receive your CD.

-Remember to resize your pictures! All are 4x6s by default, so if you plan to print in other sizes, make sure you change the size during your edits. Not such a big deal on the raw images, but if you add borders and embellishments, they'll be cut off when printing.

-There is no limit on how many pictures you can get on your CD, so feel free to put several borders or edits on one picture. I've had as many as eight CDs, so go crazy!!

Hopefully this little blurb got you thinking about the PhotoPass basics and can help once you decide to do it (and I think you will!!), but feel free to ask any questions in the comments!!

When You Wish Upon A Star: The Kids' First Trip to Disney World Video Trip Report

2012-01-21T10:37:00.000-06:00

In May 2008, dreams came true and the kids made their first trip to the Most Magical Place on Earth...

Very Merry Vaca 2008: December in Disney Video Trip Report

2012-01-21T10:22:00.001-06:00

Check out our 2008 Very Merry video report!!

A Vacation with Character: Fall 2009 Video Report

2012-01-21T10:07:00.002-06:00

Need a little character in your life? Enjoy our bonus addition to our fall 2009 videos...just the characters!

Boo to You! Fall 2009 in Disney Video Trip Report

2012-01-21T09:45:00.001-06:00

Fall into the video rendition of our 2009 September/October trip to Disney World!

Another Very Merry Vaca: December 2010 in WDW Video Trip Report

2012-01-21T09:26:00.000-06:00

Enjoy our (uh...extra long) video report from December 2010!!

Our Not-So-Scary Vacation: Day Eight - Now it's time to say goodbye to all our company...

2012-01-20T21:47:00.000-06:00

If only the actual trip took as long as it's taken me to complete this report...

Goodbye, ducky friend!

After a dark and stormy night, we awoke to our final day at Disney World. We had a leisurely breakfast in the lounge while watching the clouds continue to roll across the grey skies. I stopped at the club concierge desk to check in for our flights and ran into a rather loud and large family checking in. Not that I'm ever glad to leave Disney, but I was thankful we weren't sharing the lounge with these people during our stay. We sent the rest of our luggage with the grandparents and had bell services take care of our carry-ons. Since swimming wasn't looking good, we decided to spend our last day on a monorail gift shop tour.

First stop, Grand Floridian. There are actually several shops here, and I'd only ever been to two of them off the first floor lobby. We spent a little time in the shop just off the monorail platform, but it was mostly the same stuff that was in our gift shop (and every major gift shop in the parks). We ended up back in the downstairs gift shops quickly. I love browsing the resort specific merchandise!! Wish there was more!

We also spent some time just wandering the hotel. For some reason, every time we eat at 1900 Park Fare, we tend to hang out on a couch until we're called, so it was fun to see some of the balconies and corners of the Grand.

We caught the (wet) monorail to our next stop, the Contemporary (after a short, sad stop at the Magic Kingdom). We spent a decent amount of time perusing the three shops just outside of the restaurants. They had some really neat vintage-look signs and Mary Blair merchandise. Had I not already send my big suitcase back home, I'd have picked up a few things. Of course, it's months later and I haven't called Disney Merch, so I must not need them that much.

After buying a couple of post cards, we were back on the monorail headed toward home. We spent the rest of our time in the club lounge playing cards and Stitch Trouble and drinking as much POG as possible. The rain continued, and the kids decided Disney World was crying because we were going home. I kind of agree.

Our DME time was approaching, so we packed up our games and made our way toward the Great Ceremonial House.

The kids' traditional Tiki picture

Kid Quotes...

"It's fun to measure us with the Tikis since we take pictures with them every year. It's like we get taller every year." -Haileigh

They were so sad to leave that they were hugging and comforting each other until the bus came

Alas, the time had come, and we were soon boarding the Magical Express. While I LOVE the arrival video, the departure video just makes me want to cry. Poor Tabe always hops on my lap while we watch it, staring sadly toward the window. We always fall asleep sometime after they explain where to find the gift shops and before Adventures by Disney. This time was no different. I woke up just as we were approaching the airport and gathered our things. I woke up the kids and off we went towards the gift shop. Two flights and one looong delay in DFW later, we were home and exhausted.

The next morning, Tabe was busy at work at his desk...

"I miss Disney."

Yes, we're always sad to come home, but the wonderful trips and memories are 100% worth it. We had a wonderful time, especially getting to experience Disney World with friends from home. And now I get to plan the next one!!

Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start!

Our Not-So-Scary Vacation: Day Seven - Aloha, 'Ohana!

2012-01-20T21:16:00.001-06:00

We'd been home for about an hour when the Florida skies opened again. Seeing as we'd only experienced a "big" rain when we were swimming at Saratoga Springs, it was kind of surreal to watch it from our room. Our normally bright, sunny, magical view was grey and cold.

You can faintly see the flame in the torch even in the downpour

These shots don't make it into the brochures. It was kind of neat in an odd way, though. It was definitely a Disney first for us.

We watched the rain as long as possible, hoping it would let up before our reservation time at 'Ohana. It never did, so we ducked from longhouse to longhouse staying indoors as much as possible and arrived safely and only somewhat damp just in time to check in.

The waiting area was crowded, but we managed to snag a few chairs near the Tambu Lounge. The wait wasn't bad, but it was long enough that we had time to peruse the gift shops and kiosks upstairs. Luckily, the pagers have, like, a thirty mile radius, and we rushed back to be seated.

Although we'd eaten breakfast at 'Ohana with Mickey and friends a couple of times, this was our first dinner there. I know I was excited, and all it took to get everyone else on board were three little words: meat on sticks.

Seeing as I don't have a ton of pictures (hello, too busy stuffing our faces!), I'm pretty much just copying and pasting (along with my own yummy commentary) the AllEars menu. Get ready to drool...

Appetizers/Accompaniments

Pineapple-Coconut Bread - This was delish!! I was a little unsure at first bite, but it quickly grew on me.Mixed Greens with Mango-Poppy Seed Dressing - Also yummy!! I didn't eat a ton because I was saving room for the main event.Honey Coriander Chicken Wings - I don't to chicken wings, but everyone else loved them.Pork fried dumplings - OMG...possibly the best I've had outside of Chinatown NYC!!Sweet Golden Pineapple - Perfection!

Skewers

Prepared over an oak fire - ALL of the meats were amazing!! The only one that left a bit to be desired for me was the pork, but I'm not a pork person in general.
Oak Grilled Chicken
Asian Barbecued Pork Loin
Marinated Sirloin Steak
Spicy Grilled Peel - n - Eat Shrimp

Dipping Sauces

House Made Peanut Sauce - This is the only sauce I tried, and it was a great companion to the meal!
Chimichurri Sauce
Pineapple Sweet and Sour Sauce

Dessert

'Ohana bread pudding served a la mode with Bananas and Caramel Sauce - I was going to skip this one because, I mean, bread pudding? Just doesn't sound all that yummy to me. Sooooo glad I didn't!!! It was possibly the best part of the meal. Now I'm afraid to try other bread pudding because I know it won't live up to this. And they've replaced it at 'Ohana!!!!! Guess it was once in a lifetime for me.

Love his wide-eyed expression

Guess my little carnivore is saving some sauce for later

Just as we finished our dessert, the familiar intro to Happy HalloWishes came over the restaurant. The kids faces lit up as they sang along. We weren't in a perfect spot, but we were next to the window and could see a little bit a the fireworks show. Not a bad ending to dinner, if you ask me.
Aside from being bummed that we probably won't see that delicious bread pudding again, the entire family would absolutely eat dinner at 'Ohana again!!!

Kid Quotes...
"It was AWESOME!! I loved dancing around and the food was AWESOME!! Yes, I would eat there anytime!"-Haileigh

Up Next: Our last day...
Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start!

Our Not-So-Scary Vacation: Day Seven - Lights, Camera...Hollywood Studios!

2012-01-14T13:09:00.000-06:00

Since the first time I ever stepped foot into Hollywood coughMGMcough Studios, I was in love!! Even as an eleven year old girl, I knew this was my park. While I absolutely adore Animal Kingdom, get excited about Epcot and marvel at Magic Kingdom, something about the Studios, especially Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards just calls my name.

The gparents, however, don't feel the same way. Haha!! They dropped us off close to rope drop, and we hopped in the giant inspection line. Note to self: This is why we do pre-park opening dining.

Haileigh really liked this guy!

Once we got past security and tickets, we, along with everyone else, headed toward Toy Story to grab some FastPasses. As expected, it was a pretty late return time, so we decided to take the long way to Star Tours. We wound around the Streets of America and made our way to [insert Star Wars reference here...sorry, the only things I know of Star Wars are from pop culture and the ride]. Tabe was a little apprehensive about the ride (remember, not too fond of enclosed rides...except Soarin', his FAVORITE!). Luckily, I had a pair of ear plugs in the first aid kit for Haileigh during fireworks. I popped those in his ears, and he was golden. This is the first time we'd been on the newly re-imagined Star Tours (we'd tried to ride it at Disneyland, but even the FP lines were soooo long). It was awesome!! I'm a sucker for tradition and classic attractions, but I really like the update. I'm sure I would like it even more if I was Star Wars person. Tabe loved it and even wanted to ride again, but we never could fit it in again that day. It's on his list for our next trip.

And being the compulsive spenders we are, we got suckered into this at the gift shop we were dumped into after our mission...

But I think it's kind of hysterical, so it was $20 well spent (ish).

Kid Quotes...
"The ride [Star Tours] was awesome! It was kind of like Soarin' because you move like you're actually in the scene." -Haileigh
We really had no plans today, so we kind of wandered aimlessly around the park (which, again, is so unlike me). Haileigh asked to see MuppetVision 3D, so we made our way back over to the Streets of America (see...already backtracking). Tabe and I decided to wait outside while mom and Haileigh got their 3D on with the Muppets. He, of course, wanted to play with his new Star Wars mobiles (see..no clue what they're called), so we snagged a bench under a tree to escape the ominous-looking sky. While we were waiting, I heard what sounded like a movie production. Well, a fake Disney movie production, but still... I peeked around the corner, and it was the new-to-us Phineas and Ferb meet and greet!! When the Muppets finished their Salute to All Countries but Mostly America, we got in line for the boys. And then the skies opened.

Now, we've never been in a park when it rained. Never. It was actually pretty entertaining to see everyone scatter. We stayed in line because we know the storms often stop as quickly as they start (because we have been in the pool when the Florida skies poured). However, this storm seemed to be a bit longer lasting than others we've seen, so they rushed Phineas and Ferb and their fans into a building just across from the Cars 2 meet and greet. We were held in a lobby area for about five minutes (if even that) while they set up a make-shift meet and greet in a theatre. I have to hand it to them...from the first raindrop to our meet with the boys, it was less than ten minutes.

Just a little excited to see Phineas and Ferb for the first time

Love my dorky pose, our soaked outfits and the rain drops all over Ferb's pants!

Kid Quotes...
"It was so funny when it started raining and we had to run inside." -Haileigh

Since people were still scared to melt in the rain, I guess, we made a run (well, a mall-walk) over to the Cars 2 area to see Lightning and Mater since the line was pretty much non-existent.

I do have to say the Cars spot at Disney's California Adventure at Disneyland is MUCH cooler, and Tabe loved the Cars 2 theming over there.

Cars 2 at California Adventure

But, he loves his Cars, so we'll visit them anywhere, bland backdrop or not. ;)

Since we were in the area, we decided to see if our favorite monsters were meeting and greeting. There was not a CM to be found over in their area, but we waited for a bit and were finally told Mike and Sully would be back in just a minute, so we formed a line. Again, everyone seemed to have scattered to indoor gift shops and restaurants, so we were one of just a few families waiting. Once we got to the front, a CM stopped us and asked if a Wish kid could go in front of us. Of course!! Don't even ask! It was such a blessing to be able to watch this monster meet. I'm also really glad it was something the kids could see. Of course, I was holding back the tears. Mike and Sully were so sweet and tender with the wheelchair bound child. I don't know that he even knew what was going on, but the family seemed to really appreciate it. I'm even tearing up a bit right now!!

Almost as a reward for waiting a little extra (which we totally didn't need or expect!!!), Mike and Sully spent a little extra time playing with the kids and even looking at their autograph books (Mike and Sully don't sign autographs because monster hands can't hold Sharpies). While this is always a fun meet and greet, this was an extra special one.

Love Sully sporting Haileigh's rainbow Domo!

Always love a great big monster hug from my favorite blue guy! Also, my mom who isn't always gung-ho about WDW has her arm around Mike Wazowski. Priceless!! Hahaha!!

After regaining our composure, we decided to make our way to Sunset Boulevard to grab some FPs for Rock 'N Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror. On our way through Pixar Place, we marched into the green army men.

We continued on our way, but I had to make a little mole skin pit stop (only down side to the rain for us...wet shoes!) and my mom and the kids had an impromptu photo fest near the sorcerer's hat.

At this point, I don't remember if my mom scammed a single rider go-round on Rock 'N Roller Coaster while I waited with the kids or not, but I do remember that I missed out on something. Haha!! Guess it wasn't that important if I can't recall it. Since the kids weren't riding, mom and I got a pair of FastPasses for Rock 'N Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror.

Hunger hit, so we decided to see what there was to munch on while we waited for the afternoon parade. We made our way back up Sunset while the kids continued to play paparazzi.

We ended up backtracking again and wound up at the ABC Commissary. I don't think I've heard more bad reviews for any quick service restaurant than I have for this place, but we were there and hungry, so in we went. I got some kind of chicken sandwich, my mom got a cheeseburger and the kids got chicken nuggets. Nothing to write home about (but I guess enough to blog about), but it wasn't the most horrible thing I'd ever eaten, either. I don't think they deserve all the bad press they get in the WDW nerd community.

By the time we finished our late lunch, it was about half an hour to the Countdown to Fun parade. We made our way over to the area where we sat for the Block Party Bash when we had our VIP tour guide/reserved seating because it was a really great spot to watch the parade. We were able to snag one of the last spots that wasn't roped off. While we were waiting for the parade, the kids traded pins with the CMs in the area. This is always a fun little side thing for the kids. A few pin trades later, the parade was rounding the corner.

The floats are awesome and the music is catchy, but this parade is kinda lame. We really loved the interaction and dancing of the Block Party Bash, and this parade is pretty much Block Party Bash without the fun. Definitely not one we'll be waiting around for on the next trip if it's up to me.

Kid Quotes...
"The colors were really bright. I missed the dancing, though. It was pretty fun." -Haileigh
Gramma had arrived during the parade, so we spent the next few minutes trying to meet up with her. When we finally found each other, it was about time for Toy Story, so we all headed that way. After our spin around Andy's toys, we had a little time to waste before the character extravaganza in the animation building. Gramma and the kids hung around the courtyard while mom and went to check in at the Hollywood Tower Hotel. After a short stay, we caught a super stretch limo to the Aerosmith concert, thanks to Steven Tyler.

We met up again in the animation building where Haileigh was taking the drawing class. Tabe and I went to play while waiting for the characters to make their entrance.

At precisely 4:45, the doors open and the character poured into the room. We met about a dozen characters within 45 minutes, and here's a little sampling...

The Incredibles and Frozone meet on a fairly regular basis, not just during the 4:45 period.

After all that meeting and greeting, we were spent and decided to head home to relax a bit before our first dinner at 'Ohana!

On the tram, bound for film, music and stage aka the Hollywood Studios parking lot

Up Next: Aloha! Dinner at 'Ohana
Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start!

Our Not-So-Scary Vacation: Day Six - 'Til the Clock Strikes 12:00 at Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

2012-01-10T23:56:00.000-06:00

After a short rest at the Polynesian, we started getting ready for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. We loved this so much on our first fall trip that we went twice, so we were really excited to party it up this year, too! Haileigh decided she wanted to be the Haunted Mansion bride, and Tabe was the smoldering Flynn Rider. He was iffy about the costume, but he was a huge hit with the ladies!!

With make-up and costumes on, we were on our way to the Magic Kingdom. We arrived a little over an hour before the party started, so we got banded in the front courtyard and crossed under the train station just in time for the tail end of Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! We've never actually seen this all the way through, but we stopped for a bit and watched. By this time, my little Flynn had fallen asleep (and this, naysayers, is why I still have a P3 for a six year old at WDW). We'd just packed so much into this day that he needed a little cat nap, and with the aid of the stroller, he got that, and we still got to do some stuff in the park. So there!

As the dance party continued down Main Street USA, we booked it over to ~~New Orleans Square~~ (sorry, we spent the weekend playing Disneyland Adventures, so my mansions are all kinds of mixed up now!) Liberty Square to knock out the Haunted Mansion before the party started. Tabe is a little squeamish about dark rides, but he was still asleep. I scooped up my little sleeping beauty, and since my mom hadn't been at the Magic Kingdom with us earlier that week, and because it's so darn cool, we decided on the interactive queue again. I really love this new addition, as I mentioned in the day three post, but it's worth saying again. One of those great details that makes Disney stand out among theme parks. Yes, we're waiting in line (and possibly a looong line) to get to a ride, but we're having a blast doing it and being immersed in the story.

We rounded the last corner and were ushered into the mansion. Flynn Stroller Rider (Haileigh's new nickname for him) was still asleep as the room began actually stretching! Finally this room with no windows and no doors allowed our escape only to be met by playful spirits stopping the ride...and a waking child. Luckily, little Flynn bucked up, buried his head in my shoulder and we were able to board our doom buggy with little problem. Of course, the spirits were very, very playful on this mansion tour, and we were stopped several times. He looked around a little bit but decided playing Angry Birds was more interesting, so that's what he did (on silent, of course!). I did manage to really examine the ballroom scene, though, and that was fantastic! One of my favorites in the mansion, and there's always so much going on in there that I never really get to focus on one thing. The hidden Mickey on the dining table had been reset (it was nowhere to be seen on our previous trip), so that was fun to point out to the kiddos. And before we knew it, those hitchhiking ghosts were switching our heads and blowing them up like balloons, and we were outta there.

Kid Quotes...
"I fit right in with the Haunted Mansion!" -Haileigh

Loved all the fall decor in the park, especially these giant pumpkins!

By this time, we still had about half an hour until the party officially began, but we decided to make our way back to the front of the park to queue up for the princesses and their respective gentlemen in the Town Square Theatre. Since he no longer meets with Rapunzel, this is one of the few times for meet Flynn Rider, and I knew the lines would be long. When we arrived, it was already out the door and almost to the street. I was worried, as I knew the inside queue was one of those famous Disney winding mazes where you didn't realize how long it was until you had invested half an hour. Once the clock struck 7:00 (well, about ten 'til 7:00), we started moving. The CM had held us outside until the day guests had finished meeting the solo princesses, so once we were inside, we were fairly close the the front of the line. It was still about a twenty minute wait, but I had decided ahead of time that Flynn, Boo to You! and HalloWishes were our only must-dos for the evening, so we were taking it easy and not too worried about time.

I think I mentioned in the previous MK post that once you got into the princess room, there was still another line to wait in before you met the royal pairs. However, as soon as we walked in, the princesses were abuzz with chatter about little Flynn. I know it seems a little narcissistic, but after working on the kids' costumes and customs for months before our trips, I love when they're fussed over for a bit. ;) And I happen to have two little hams who eat it up with a spoon!

Flynn absolutely LOVED his mini-me! He spent some extra time playing and helping him get his smolder just right.

Kid Quotes...

"The girls loooved me!" -Tabe

By this time were a little over thirty minutes into the party. Not too shabby! We decided to tour the trick-or-treat stops. The kids absolutely love trick-or-treating in the Magic Kingdom, and, not gonna lie, I love it, too!! At home, us grown-ups stand on the sidewalk while the little ghosts, goblins and Angry Birds run up and fill their bags with loot, but at Disney we get in on the action, too! I especially love hitting up the stops toward the end of the night. The treat stop CMs just drop handfuls and handfuls of goodies into the bags. Yum!!

After a little yo-ho-ho at the Pirates treat stop, we thought we'd check out Woody's dance party over at the Diamond Horseshoe in Frontierland. The parade had just started, so it was a little bit of a chore getting there, but it was so worth it!! Since everyone else was out watching Boo to You!, we pretty much had our own private dance party with Woody, Jessie and Bullseye. There were, maybe, two other families in the building. Talk about some quality character time!!

Kid Quotes...

"We were all by ourselves! It was like a private dance party!!" -Haileigh

"We got to dance with just me and Haileigh and Woody and Jessie and Bullseye." -Tabe

Once the parade ended, it was time for us little doggies to git along, as a crowd of hyper kindergartners and their caffeinated parents made their way into the restaurant. At this point, we were kind of floating along. It was a little early to wait for the fireworks but a little too late to hit any attractions not in the area. Mom and Haileigh went somewhere. I have no idea where. It's been too long since the trip. Tabe and I returned to Adventureland to get some more autographs for his photo book. Tink and her fairy friends were in Adventureland, but at this point, their line was a little long for our taste and schedule. Lucky for us, there was a handsome, scantily clad gentleman signing autographs just around the corner. Or maybe just lucky for me. ;)

We still had a little time to spare, but since we were so close we decided to try to find a spot for Happy HalloWishes. I had hoped the kids could meet a character or two around the hub, but it was INSANE!! So, so crowded over there, so we pulled up some curb in front of the ice cream cart and settled in for the fireworks. The kids LOVE the soundtrack for HalloWishes so much that neither of them covered their ears, which is kind of a big deal. Haha!! And, yes, we were that annoying family who sang along, but I don't think anyone noticed.

Once our HalloWishes came true, we moved a little closer to the castle for Boo to You! Last time, we'd watched the parade in Frontierland, so I was excited to have the castle in the background. Just something a little extra magical about it. We were also able to get a decent view of the Villains show on the castle stage. Dr. Facilier was the main man for this new version of the show, so it was neat to see him for the first time. Again, the insanity kept us from trying to meet and greet with the villains after the show, but we were completely content sitting in our little circle and soaking up the atmosphere.

After the parade, we were Tomorrowland bound! The Astro Orbiter had become a quick favorite on this trip, so we decided to give it another whirl since it was our last time in the Magic Kingdom for this trip. On the way, we stopped for a little trick-or-treat and then a spin at the speedway.

Next, Haileigh and I zoomed around the galaxy on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority, which I think is called the Peoplemover again...can't keep up with it. And I miss the old TTA soundtrack!!! Thank goodness for D-Cot, or I'd never be able to page Mr. Tom Morrow. Mom and Tabe hit Club 626, then we all met up for one last treat stop and then it was midnight. Can't believe how fast it went!! We may not have done as much as we did in parties past, but we still had a great time. I really wish, though, that Disney would limit the tickets for these events a little more. I feel like we missed a lot just because of crowds, and other Disney nerd friends of mine have expressed the same sentiments.

On our way to the monorail (which, thankfully, was running despite the buzz that it wouldn't be), we stopped at almost every PhotoPass photog along the way...

Next Up: Lights, Camera, Hollywood Studios!!

Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start!

Our Not-So-Scary Vacation: Day Six - So Much to Do, So Little Time

2012-01-01T21:03:00.000-06:00

Taking a break from purging the house to do what I can to get this report finished before it's back to work/school on Tuesday. ;)

After a long day at Epcot and a good night's sleep, Tabe and I were the only ones up for a breakfast with Chef Mickey and his pals over at the Contemporary. Unfortunately, we were only ever to get a 7:30 reservation slot because Tabe had requested an audience with the mouse at the last minute. Grampa decided he'd accompany us to breakfast, so at 7:00, we were headed toward the monorail. Of course, I couldn't pass up the chance to get some shots of the near deserted Polynesian grounds and lobby.

We hopped on Disney's highway in the sky and were on our way!!

We arrived at the Contemporary just in time for our check-in. The hostess ushered us to the giant plate for our pre-breakfast photo shoot (really, Disney, at 7:00 in the morning??), then we were given the buffet tour and finally made our way to our table. Our first visitor was still several tables away, so we made a run for the scrambled eggs and Mickey waffles. We'd gotten in a couple of bites when the whirlwind and somewhat hurried fun that is Chef Mickey's at breakfast began...

Kid Quotes...
"I like Chef Mickey's 'cause I got to take a picture by Mickey holding a pot of good soup. That's all." -Tabe

If you've never been to a character breakfast, they are very fast-paced (I still laugh at impatient Mickey tapping his fingers on our first trip), and you have to get the routine down (open book, pen ready, camera out!!), but they are so much fun, and we'll always prefer hanging out with our Disney pals in a climate controlled environment where yummy food and drink are bountiful and no one cuts in front of you!! And that may be the longest run-on sentence ever!! For some reason, character dinners (we've never done a lunch) seem to be a little more relaxed. I guess everyone is trying to start their day at breakfast, so people are in a hurry. Even when we're having a park breakfast, we prefer to take our time and sometimes let the crowd pass right after rope drop. Or sometimes we're slightly commando and my mom will head out before the drop to get in front of the crowd and get FPs.

A quick hour later, we finished out breakfast and packed up our $30 picture packet and caught the monorail back home.

By the time we made it back, the rest of our 'ohana was up and ready for the day. We had some free time before Typhoon Lagoon opened, so I decided to grab my camera for a little impromptu photo shoot on the beach. We had brought some Hawaiian print outfits for the kids to wear on our last trip, but it was so ridiculously cold that they never got to wear them. Luckily, they hadn't grown too much in the ten months since, and their outfits still fit. Cue Poly pic overload...

Kid Quotes...
"The beach is really fun! It's just right outside your hotel and you can run out there and play." -Tabe
"I like building sand castles...but remember not to step in the chairs!" -Haileigh

After a little rest and relaxation on the beach, it was time to get ready for Typhoon Lagoon. This was our first trip to TL, and the kids were pumped after having such a great time at Blizzard Beach. The gparents were headed to lunch in Tampa, so off we went!

We got there shortly after opening and decided to find an empty chair or two to stow our things under instead of getting a locker this time. Good thing I had my fancy plastic purple glitter nerd container necklace I'd purchased with my locker refund at BB. We stashed our bag, stuffed the nerd necklace and off we went to explore.

Wouldn't ya know, we ended up in Castaway Creek (TL's version of a lazy river). Thrilling.

We floated down toward Shark Reef, which is what I was really looking forward to, and started to get out when I realized I didn't have the camera. I remembered I had given it to my mom to take the above picture. Of course, she didn't have it. With no clue where it had fallen, she got out and started walking back toward where we started while the kids and I started retracing our, um, floats. If you ever want a pretty good workout, go backwards in a lazy river with two kids for a couple hundred feet. I was so bummed at the thought of losing another camera with awesome pictures at WDW (my mom had lost her camera during our 2009 trip with almost a whole trip's worth of pics including our first 1900 Park Fare dinner and my gpa as Veteran of the Day in Magic Kingdom). Finally, my mom appeared on a bridge with my little green camera in hand. Some kind soul had found it on the bottom of the river and turned it in to a lifeguard. Thank you, mystery swimmer, I love you!!!

We finally made it out of the river, and I was practically skipping to Shark Reef. Haileigh was the only one brave enough to go with me, so we headed toward the snorkel checkout. Mom and Tabe waited for us on the bridge overlooking the reef. When it was finally our turn, the CM gave us the safety spiel, and we were off!! Well, sort of. Haileigh was starting to get a little hesitant. We were in the water, but she was starting to get the pre-rollercoaster look on her face. To be honest, I was slightly nervous myself. I mean, yes, it's a completely controlled environment, but there are sharks and rays in here with us and my slightly claustrophobic self was going to have to breathe through a glorified bendy straw. But, I couldn't let on. So, I grabbed her hand, and we swam toward a giant rock just a few feet away from the entrance. It was gross and slimy, but we stopped and sat there for a second. After readjusting our masks and snorkels, we both took a breath and before we knew it, we were climbing out at the other end. She was so proud, and I was so proud of her!! It's definitely one of the coolest things we've ever done at the World!!

Kid Quotes...

"It was fun and scary at the same time. I was right by a sting ray!" -Haileigh

I decided to swim the reef one more time on my own before we went to find Ketchakiddee Creek. We stopped at our loungers for a quick snack and break. The kids decided to check out the Surf Pool. It was definitely not Blizzard Beach's serene bobbing pool. I mean, this thing was not for the faint of heart. Thank goodness my nerdy side won out again and I wore water shoes because my feet would've been TO' UP after being tossed around by these waves!!! After being sufficiently attacked by water (I say 'attacked' in the funnest way possible!!), we took a detour to Ketchakiddee Creek. It really is directed towards the pre-school crowd, and while Tabe was just short enough to ride their cute little slides, there really wasn't a lot for Haileigh to do, and I think they were both slightly bored there.

The above picture was taken while waiting in the kind-of-too-long line for Gangplank Falls. I was excited for this ride, as I really liked Teamboat Springs at BB. Well, it's fun, but definitely as fun as TS. And I'm a little annoyed we waited so long for it. But it's another one off the list. And Tabe rode it, so that's another plus.

We had a little less than an hour before we left, and the kids were getting rumblies in their tumblies, so we had lunch at Leaning Palms. While we were eating, a couple of guys walked by with a bucket full of ice cream, and the kids started drooling. Unfortunately, we'd just finished our lunch, and there was no way we'd (even all four of us) be able to choke down a bucket of ice cream now. I finally talked the kids out of it, and we threw caution to the wind and slipped back into Castaway Creek without waiting thirty minutes after we ate. Once we made it around to the steps near our stuff, we got out and started gathering our things. Knowing we weren't making in to Beaches 'N Cream for a Kitchen Sink, my mom and I secretly decided to get the Sand Pail from Happy Landings since we'd also have the gparents to help attack it.

Kid Quotes...

"It was soooo good, but I couldn't eat another bite after the first few licks." -Haileigh

"It was good and had sweeeet taste!" -Tabe

In case you're wondering, and I know you are, this fabulousness is $10 and includes vanilla and chocolate soft-serve, waffle cone, cookie pieces, sprinkles, hot fudge, caramel, strawberry sauce, whipped cream, nuts and cherries...oh, and a shovel with which to eat it!!! It was really good. Really.

Up Next: Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party!!

Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start!

FastPass 101

2011-12-29T01:39:00.000-06:00

Since I have several friends taking first time trips (or first time in a looong time trips), I thought I'd help out with a few little tutorials about some of the basics of doing Disney parks efficiently. Our first venture...FastPass!!
So, the basic premise of Disney's FastPass is simple...it "holds" your spot in line while you go enjoy other attractions, meals or just take a break. Awesome, right?? Here's the best part - it's FREE with your theme park admission. That's right!! No, you don't have to be staying on property. Nope, it doesn't cost extra. Not just for VIPs. If you have a park ticket, you can use FastPass.

Get Your FastPass!
First, take a look at the standby time to see if you even need one. I mean, why waste a window if the wait time is less than 20 minutes. However, if it's a short wait time, and you want to ride it again, definitely grab one before you hop in standby. Near the wait time clock will also be a clock stating the current return times for the FastPasses. Both clocks are updated frequently.

Decided to get one? OK...take your theme park ticket (this might be a "paper" ticket, plastic credit card-type ticket or, in our example, your Key to the World Card) and insert it into the FastPass machine. FYI: Your ticket can only be used to get a FastPass if it has been used to gain park entry aka no using your sleeping sister's ticket to get an extra FastPass!!

Your Key to the World card can also be your ticket

FastPass Machine (this one at Toy Story mania)
Picture borrowed from DisneyEveryday.com

After you slip your ticket into the top slot, your FastPass comes out of the bottom one. Don't forget to take your ticket back after you receive your FastPass.

The Anatomy of a FastPass

This is a FastPass.

Once you receive your FastPass, you should note the return time (circled in red). FastPasses are not accepted prior to the return time, which in this case is 12:10 PM. Ideally, you'll return during that hour, but (unofficially, of course) cast members have been known to accept a late FastPass just in case you got stuck in a restaurant or ended up on the wrong side of the parade route (beware Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade at Animal Kingdom!!). ***Updated 02.14.12: Rumor has it that cast members will now be more strict with FastPass return times and may no longer accept them after the window has closed.***

Also, take note of the time you can get another FastPass (again, circled in red). Life would be fabulous if you could grab FastPasses for your favorite rides one after another, but you have to wait until a new window opens. In this case, once your return time arrives, you can get another FastPass. Stop and get it on your way to Big Thunder (maybe one for Splash Mountain since you're in the area), or anytime after 12:10 PM.

But, what if you get stuck with a return time hours away?? Say, for Soarin'? It's not unusual to get a 6:00 or later return time for Soarin' or Toy Story Mania. Well, you're NOT outta luck. Again, make sure to take note of the fine print (yep, still circled in red) at the bottom. In this case, you can get a new FastPass at 3:36 PM instead of the 6:39 PM return time.

Picture borrowed from interactivewdw.com

Here is the back side of water...uh, I mean a FastPass (you'll get that joke after your trip!!), enlarged for easier reading. It has all the fine print regarding FastPass usage.

And here's a scan of our "surprise FastPass" for Mickey's PhilharMagic that we received when we got FastPasses for Peter Pan's Flight, both of which we highly recommend!!

Where to Use a FastPass

Not all attractions offer FastPass, so here's a list of attractions that do...

Animal Kingdom:

Dinosaur*

Expedition Everest***

Kali River Rapids*

Kilimanjaro Safari**

It's Tough to Be a Bug

Primeval Whirl**

Magic Kingdom:

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad*

Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin*

The Jungle Cruise*

Mickey's Philharmagic*

Peter Pan's Flight***

Space Mountain***

Splash Mountain**

Winnie the Pooh*

Hollywood Studios:

Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular*

Rock 'N Roller Coaster featuring Aerosmith**

Star Tours***

Tower of Terror*

Toy Story Midway Mania***

Voyage of the Little Mermaid*

Epcot:

Soarin'***

Test Track**

Living with the Land*

Maelstrom*

Mission: SPACE**

Key:

*Maybe you need one, maybe not

**Good idea to grab one

***You're doomed to 120 waits if you don't get one!!

(Of course, these are all just my personal opinions)

Make the Most of It!!

Send a runner to grab FastPasses for the group. This cuts down on congestion in the FastPass lines and the rest of you can grab a snack or take a quick break. Remember, each ticket must have been scanned at the entry gates before it can be used to get a FastPass!!
Make sure you get the *** FastPasses first! Don't waste your window on Voyage of the Little Mermaid if everyone wants to ride Toy Story.
FastPasses do run out (Toy Story tends to run out around noon on busy days), so make sure you grab those must-do rides ASAP!
If you decide not to use your FastPasses, don't toss 'em! Find someone in standby that can use them. We do this all the time, and it can really make someone's day. In fact, on our last trip, some guy hugged me every time he saw me after we gave him a couple of Peter Pan FastPasses.
None of this make sense??? There is always a cast member near the machines if you need help. :)

Feel free to post any questions in the comments!!

Our Not-So-Scary Vacation: Day Five - Hello, Food and Wine!

2011-12-28T11:10:00.000-06:00

Good morning!!

We woke up somewhat bright and early with the beautiful view from our patio, as well as a few morning greetings from our birdie friends. Sorry, guys, no snacks left on the patio this morning. We got dressed, grabbed a little breakfast from the lounge and decided to drive over to Epcot rather than take the monorail. It was still pretty scarce in the parking lot, as the rope hadn't dropped yet, but security bag check was madness!! Too bad we're not "travel light" kinda people. Haha!!

We finally made our way in and stopped for a little quality time with Daisy and Stitch while mom ran over and got Soarin' FastPasses.

Is it just me, or does Daisy look like she might be having a little chest pain?

After reconnecting with our feathery and furry friends, we headed for the kids' first ride ever on Test Track!! We'd watched it a couple of times on "The Stacy Show," and they seemed totally pumped for it. Of course, once we got in line, they got a little shaky. Luckily there was really no line to speak of, and before we knew it, we were boarding our test car. We rounded the corner, and the car in front of us was having a little engine trouble, I guess...

And, yes, gma hopped on this ride, too!! She's such a daredevil!

Kid Quotes...

"We zooooomed on Test Track! It's my favorite ride at Epcot besides Soarin'." -Haileigh

"It's...like...high speed!" -Tabe

There were a few nervous moments, tears (not really) and a whole lotta screaming, but here they are, all smiles after those 60 mile an hour turns!! Of course, Tabe said never again, but I have a feeling he may give it a go next year. After testing our track, we were off to Soarin', a total family favorite!! We decided to get another set of FPs so we could ride again before we left.

After we flew the friendly California skies, we were on our way to The Seas with Nemo and Friends. For some reason, Tabe really doesn't like the actual Nemo ride, and the rest of us weren't chomping at the bit to board the clam mobiles, so we went to one of my faves, Turtle Talk with Crush! A couple of trips ago, both kids were chosen to chat with the dude himself, and even I got in on a little action! If you're so inclined, you can see our moment of turtle fame here. Last year the kids had nothing to ask, I guess, but this year Tabe was chosen again. I'll have that video up sometime before our next trip...hopefully. We bid adieu to Crush and met up with Carissa and her family again. We roamed around the exhibits, which was nice because we usually hightailed it outta there after Crush. I have no idea why, but it seems like we're always in a hurry to get somewhere after The Seas.

We gathered both families and made our way to The Land. Unfortunately our Soarin' FP times didn't match up with Carissa's, so we decided to ride Living with the Land, which was a first for our family. I know, I know. Again, for some reason we run in, soar, then run out. Haha!! It was actually a neat little ride!

It was nearing 11:00, and I was ready to get my food and wine on, so our families parted ways, and we marched somewhat hurriedly toward the World Showcase. Of course, when there's a cranberry bog in the middle of the sidewalk, you have to stop and gawk for a bit. I also stopped and grabbed a $50 wristlet Food and Wine Festival Commemorative gift card for easy access to the yummies! Then we were finally on our way to the grub!

We started backwards, I guess, with the Desserts and Champagne kiosk. Mom got the Lemon Chiffon, Haileigh got the White Chocolate Macadamia Mousse with Dark Chocolate Pearls and I started my day off with a little Moet & Chandon Ice Imperial before noon. ;) All got two thumbs up!!

Sorry for the quality...iPhone pic

We made our way to Canada but stopped in Greece for Chicken Souvlaki w/Tzatziki...and then went back and got some more!! It was delish!!!!! Of course, we did make a little stop in Canada for some Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup. Also sooo good!

Kid Quotes...
"It was cheesy and delicious!!" -Haileigh

You can get this normally at Le Cellier in Canada if you don't happen to be at Epcot during F&W, of course, getting a Le Cellier reservation may be harder than actually planning a F&W trip. ;) Next up was Ireland for some Lobster & Scallop Fisherman's Pie. This was a favorite from our first F&W trip, and it didn't disappoint! We did stop off at the Yorkshire County Fish Shop for a fish and chips light lunch. Fair warning...squirrels and birds in this area are ruthless!! And, wouldn't you know it, Miss Mary Poppins herself was ready and waiting for pictures with my practically perfect kiddos!

After their practically perfect chat, through the magic of Disney, we crossed a bridge and were in France! As if we weren't doomed for aching tummies from the start, we decided to stop in at the Boulangerie Patisserie for a baguette and some sweet treats! We snacked while the kiddos continued coloring their Duffy bears at the Kidcot Fun Stop in the gift shop.

Love the slightly French cooling tie!

After our French food frenzy, we began our trek to Morocco but not without a quick stop in Portugal for the Linguica Sausage with Onions, Peppers and Olives and the Calamari Salad w/Fennel, Smoked Paprika and Olive Oil. The sausage was pretty good, but I passed the calamari salad onto gma and gpa.

We arrived in Morocco while approaching full but stopped for a Kefta Pocket...and then decided to get another one! Just so you don't think we're total porkers, we shared most of this between the six of us, so it was, like, one bite each. Haha!! We spent quite a bit of time in Morocco, as usual. It's so gorgeous, and both my mom and I loooove taking pictures here. And for some reason, the kids always get into drawn out conversations with the CMs at this Kidcot stop.

Warning: Picture Avalanche Ahead!!

Kid Quotes...
"I like that part [Kidcot Fun Stops] because you can go to Japan, England, New Mexico and stuff. My favorite is Japan because they have awesome stuff!" -Tabe
"I like coloring the bears." - Haileigh

And for some reason, we always get lost or left at our next stop, Japan. Which is fine, as we love to shop there, and it's another picture haven!! However, it was at this point that we realized how late it was, and the gparents were late for their F&W seminar. Ugly details aside, they didn't make it. Gpa was tired and went back to the Poly, but mom and gma decided they would go to the next seminar so the pre-paid reservations didn't go to waste. So, back to Japan. We could spend forever in the Mitsukoshi Department Store! This is where we pick a pearl every trip (but not this one!! Don't know how we let that happen, guess we have to pick twice next year!), and they have a great spread of Japanese characters (hello Pokemon, Nintendo and Hello Kitty!!), as well as lots of cute gift items. Needless to say, the character-obsessed kiddos (ok, and I) were loving it!

And the picture avalanche continues...

I wish I had a better picture of her face, but this CM looked like a real life Lilo!

Haileigh, Tabe and I stopped for California Rolls, some icy yumminess from Kaki-Gori, and we grabbed a little bench for some people watching while waiting for mom to return from the Festival Center, where she had met with the gparents to figure out what to do about the seminar.

She made it back, and we continued to the American Adventure. She took the kids back to the Kidcot stop while I stayed in "front" and took a few pictures, as I never have any from there when it comes time to make the kids' Epcot Passports. This is the best picture I took...

I know the feeling, dude.

On towards St. Mark's Square!! Or at least the mini version of it in Italy. We stopped for Ravioli di formaggio all'Emiliana (not fabulous, not horrid), and the kids made their way to the Kidcot stop. While waiting for them to get their passports and Duffy bears signed and stamped, I spotted a PhotoPass photographer in the middle of the square. Having never seen on here before, I thought we ought to stop and snap a few pics. So glad we did!! The photographer was awesome!! He posed the kids and they had a great background!! So simple, but some of my fave PhotoPass pics they've ever taken!

Not so good pic by another photog, but I like SE in the background

We grazied him and scooted on down toward Germany, where we stopped in at Karamell-Kuche, the newish caramel shop. I'd read lots of not-so-great reviews of the goodies inside the shop, but everything sounded so good that we gave it a go. The kids got popcorn, and I got a FABULOUS caramel chocolate pecan turtle-type thing that was SOOOOO GOOD!!! I don't know what those reviewers were smoking, but I'd totally go back and get this again! Kinda surprised I didn't take pictures of it, but it could have been the annoying family that kept trying to push us off the bench that made me worried for the camera's safety.

After our caramel goodness, we slid through the African outpost and landed in China. Tabe had been looking forward to showing off his skills to the Chinese Kidcot CM. It was an older lady, and she seemed very impressed with his Chinese language skills. He counted for her and gave a few phrases, all of which she actually understood!! We wandered around the gift shop (another shop with gorgeous photo ops!) for a little longer than usual, then mom made her way to meet gma for the seminar.

Shortly after, we were on our way to Norway, where I'm thrilled to have finally gotten a picture with this guy that isn't blurry. I swear, every picture I've taken in the past has been horrible!!

Always like seeing what the bored CMs do in their free time

The Norwegian gift shop always seems to be so crowded, and they have the worst possible spot for their Kidcot, so we didn't stay too long. The last stop on our trip around the world was Mexico. The kids and I parked our P3 outside, ran in, got stamped and ran out.

Only really talented kids can get ice cream on their EYE!! At least he enjoyed it!

We also made one final food stop in Mexico. I got the (really good) Grilled Ribeye Taco, and Haileigh got flan. I think she just liked the idea or sound of it because I think she only took one bite. We ran into Carissa's family getting some Caribbean bites just down the way and stopped to chat for a bit. I was getting thirsty after all these snacks, so we stopped at a snack stand, and I got a drink. We were chatting up the sweet college program CM (she asked how Haileigh liked her flan...haha!), when Tabe asked if she would give him a Mickey bar. I started digging for my wallet, when she said that she had special permission from Mickey to give him one as long as I said it was ok. That warm Disney feeling came over me again as I said "of course!" We quickly handed her one of our thank you cards, and I made a mental note to let someone know of her kindness. We finished up our conversation as I noticed it was about time for mom and my cocktail seminar check-in. We made our way around the Odyssey and ran into Carissa and co. again. By this time Tabe really dug into his Mickey bar, so we made our way quickly to the Festival Center restrooms for a clean up on aisle Tabe.

This is the first year we'd done the mini seminars during F&W. Gma and mom did a culinary demo seminar that focused on Norwegian Salmon. The seminars were out in the open, so anyone could listen to and watch them, but only paid guests were able to participate and sample the demo food. We caught a little of the end by the time we made it to the center. They were mostly talking about wine pairings by then and the guest chef gave a shout-out to his mommy who was sitting in the crowd.

We poked around the "gift shop" areas while we were waiting for our cocktail seminar to start, and Tabe found a Chef Mickey plush and Haileigh found striped bowtie pasta to take back to her MiMi Martha. It was finally time for bottoms up, so gma took the kids back to Future World to wander around while they waited for us. Our seminar was run by the bartender from the Dolphin, I believe, and she showed us how to make three different cocktails.

Honestly, I can't say I learned a whole lot being that a) I'm not a big drinker and b)we already had the printed out recipes, but she was very entertaining, and she did drop a few tips and tricks that weren't on the recipe sheet. I really liked the first cocktail, which was like a grown-up apple juice, but the second and third were too much for this lady. It was a nice, relaxing way to spend an hour, though, away from the crowds, and if the prices stay reasonable ($13 average for these seminars), we'd definitely do it again.

We stopped at one more gift shop on our way out and bought this cute pink breast cancer awareness kitty cat wine.

We met up with gma and the kids near the fountain, and by that time, our FP return time for Soarin' had finally rolled around, so we were off to the Land. On our way in, I happened to look up at spotted Tabe's teacher leaving. Our families said quick hellos and goodbyes, as we had hoped to run into each other the next night at the Halloween party, but no luck there. Still, it's always fun to see faces from home when we're at the World.

Kid Quotes...
"Remember when she [my teacher] said "TAAABE!!!!"? Hahaha!!!" -Tabe

This is his "excited to ride Soarin'" face.

After yet another trip to California, we ambled back toward the front of the park since we hadn't yet ridden Spaceship Earth. We stopped to play on the "magic" sidewalks, then we were ready for a trip back in time!

Kid Quotes...
"It looks like you're standing on space!" -Haileigh
"It looks like candy!" -Tabe

Once we returned to 2011 and sent ourselves postcards from the future, we were ready to go home, but not before we stopped at one last PhotoPass spot!

And that's a wrap on another yummy and fabulous Epcot International Food & Wine Festival!!

Up Next: Chef Mickey's, the Polynesian and Typhoon Lagoon!!
Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start!

Most Wonderful Time of the Year!! Time to Organize!

2011-12-23T22:41:00.000-06:00

Yes, my friends, Christmas break has arrived!! I promise to finish our October WDW trip report before the break is done, but I wanted to take a moment to share a little organizational project that took about two minutes. One of those minutes was spent searching for a silver Sharpie.

One of my favorite things to do over the break is to get things in order. It seems like the weeks leading up to Christmas break are filled with parties, Dirty Santa, gift-giving and an array of other things that leave the house in a mess. So, I take the week of nothing-to-do and get down to business.

My first project took place a couple days before the break, but I'll say it counts. While we have a ridiculous amount of glue sticks, markers crayons and pretty much anything Tabe will ever need for a lifetime of school projects, he needed a little stash at gramma and grampa's. Not wanting to just send over a Target bag full of easily misplaced school supplies, I got a little creative.

Target (clearance!) slightly ugly orange food storage container

extra (again, clearance!) school supplies

a perfect, portable, easy-to-find container for homework time at the gparents' house!

See, toldja it was ridiculously easy. P.S. Tabe wanted to add stars and hearts. ;)

And there you have the start of the yearly Get-It-Together December!! Hoping to get a lot done next week...and finishing the trip report is on the top (well, definitely top ten) of the list.

Intermission: Happiest Trip on Earth!!

2011-12-12T23:34:00.000-06:00

Despite what it seems, I haven't abandoned ship again. December, as usual, is overflowing with holiday fun, and I just haven't had the time I'd like to sit down and write about our fantastic trip. However, I did have time (and by time I mean set up my computer to do this while I slept) to convert and upload our videos from our Route 66 road trip to California and Disneyland!! I'll warn you...it's long. Real long. But I just take the YouTube videos straight from our family DVDs, so all the funny little things that are only entertaining to us are still in the footage. I do plan to use my "red pen" a little more for future YouTubing, though. I mean, a 30-minute YouTube video is kind of overkill...even for me. ;) Without futher ado for your viewing (and fast forwarding!!) pleasure...

What I Did on My Summer Vacation:

Please Vote for the Kids' Picture in the Shutterfly Family Holiday Photo Contest!!

2011-12-05T21:42:00.001-06:00

I've entered this super cute picture from our December 2010 WDW trip in Shutterfly's photo contest. Please take a minute to vote for it by clicking here: Vote for Haileigh & Tabe!!

Thanks!!!

Our First Happily Ever After Dinner!!

2011-11-28T20:25:00.001-06:00

After writing the last entry about 1900 Park Fare, I was reminded of our first dinner there in 2009. It was so amazingly fun that we've eaten there every trip since. I don't think we'll ever quite capture that same aura that was in the air that night, but it's a really great dinner, and I'm sure we'll continue to pencil in date night with the Tremaines, Cindy and Prince Charming.

Our Not-So-Scary Vacation: Day Four - Happily Ever After Dinner and Dessert

2011-11-28T17:53:00.001-06:00

We met gramma and grampa near the lockers, as we'd stashed our park bag in there while we were getting wet and wild, blizzard style. After collecting our things and receiving my deposit (which I promptly spent on one of those oh-so-fashionable water-proof case necklaces), we were headed back to the Poly. Miracle of miracles, we had a little bit of time to rest before the costumes and hitching a ride on the monorail.

So, my darlings are suited up and looking darling in the pristine and empty Grand Floridian lobby (which is a change from every other time we've eaten at 1900...usually so crowded and we're waiting FOREVER), Carissa's family has left Animal Kingdom and is headed our way and my mom is calling from the Magical Express line. Perfect, yes? Everything seemed to be falling into place when, horror of horrors, I rifle through my bag and...no camera. Are you kidding me?!?! The most photographically fun meal of our trip, and I've left the camera in the room safe back at the Poly. Way to go, Jess. Luckily, gramma and grampa were running behind, so I called in hopes that one or both of them were still in Hawaii. Luckily, grampa was! Even better, he had a key to my room still. Great, he'd just run down there on his way out, grab the camera, and possibly make it before everyone arrived. Crisis averted.

"Please stand clear of the doors. Por favor manténganse alejado de las puertas." (P.S. That's my gpa's personal ring tone on my phone).

Uh-oh. He asks if I left the patio door unlocked. Oh, no!! Thoughts of a ransacked room and missing camera come quickly to mind. But, no, I didn't. I made double sure to lock it after the kids stuck their water shoes on the patio.

"Uh, no. Why?"

"The door is latched."

So, apparently the little latch (similar to a chain lock) had somehow locked into place...with no one in the room to do it. Great, so now we have a poltergeist snooping around our room...or a faulty lock, whatever. I was so annoyed to be in this situation at the moment (by this time Carissa's family had arrived and my mom was delayed on the DME), especially as the organizer of this dinner, but I was sooooo glad I wasn't in the vicinity our room back in Hawaii. I can just imagine my gpa's absolute frustration with this door, and I was happy to be out of the line of fire. Hahaha!!!

Still, there is no one in line for 1900 Park Fare, the lobby is ours, and I can already taste my strawberry soup. At this point, though, I'm camera-less, mom-less and all I can do is laugh. Thankfully Carissa's parents are laid back and were completely willing to go with the flow.

The wonderful club concierge desk CMs were able to get an engineer over to our room, and they were able to defeat the latch of doom and free my Canon from its chamber. My grampa was on his way, my mom was back on track (probably leaving the Polynesian via DME around the same time he was leaving via monorail) and I went ahead and "officially" checked us in at 1900. No sooner had I done that and my grampa handed me my camera, my mom walked into the Grand Floridian and our pager was buzz-buzz-buzzing. Whew.

And we were only about fifteen minutes "late" for our ADR.

OK, onto the much less stressful, much more fun portion of the evening.

As with most character meals, they stopped the kids for a quick photo before we were seated (and we, consequently, bought the $30 mediocre quality print in a super fun paper frame they brought by the table later that night). Here's the total cuteness that is that investment...

We were seated just inside the entrance, which I was slightly annoyed with since, not only would people be coming in and out just beside our table, but I like to be near the action, and you just don't see a whole lot stuffed in this little corner, especially since everyone else in our section seemed to have already been through the rotation. However, the evening had started out so crazy that I sucked it up and decided not to fight it. We were split into two tables. All the grown-ups sat at a round table in the corner while the kids and I shared a four-top so they could all have prime character spots.

I'm always paranoid to get food during character buffets for fear that I'll miss a character or a picture perfect moment, so with Lady Tremaine just a table or so away (again, I could never really tell since the section seemed to be about half done already), the kids and I stayed put.

Lady Tremaine was a little enamored with our little band of characters. She often has that cold step-mother stare but seemed to enjoy chatting with the kids and remarked on our Cinderella's interesting choice of make-up.

---Let me interject here that Carissa's mom graciously offered to take video so I could take stills, sooooo this part will be a little picture heavy. I hardly ever get stills of this dinner, as the Tremaines are so video-worthy, so I went a little shutter happy.---

Trotting along shortly after her mother was, apologies to Drizella, the kids' favorite step-sister, Anastasia. So funny, as always, she made a huge deal out of Haileigh's fashion choices and our little Prince Charming.

Uh, yeah...she liked the dress.

Kid Quotes...
"She liked my dress and was very loud!" -Haileigh

As usual, Tabe professed his love to Anastasia

Uh-oh...glass slipper flashbacks

Kid Quotes...
"Yeah, I felt kinda handsome!" -Tabe

Anastasia requested a pic with her mini-me, and Haileigh was pumped!

At this point, we finally made a run to the buffet for some yummy park fare. I had read nothing but "ok" at best food reviews about 1900, but I've always thought their food was pretty good, especially the strawberry soup!!! OMGYUM!!! The kids usually grab pizza and mach and cheese. They had sushi on the buffet, which Haileigh loved (and I had to politely dissuade a woman from trying the "guacamole").

We made it back to our table and had a few bites when Drizella graced our table with her presence. She was slightly annoyed that we had no mini-Drizella, but I was wearing a turquoise dress. That could be a slight homage, right?

Hating to leave anyone out, Tabe professed the rest of his love to Drizella...

And promptly gets caught in the middle, but look at that face. He loves it!

Kid Quotes...
"It's funny when they fight over me!!" -Tabe

There was a little more time to nosh before the royal couple made their way to our little corner of the room. At this point, I was ready for some strawberry soup, so I took the kids up for a dessert run while waiting for our prince to come.

Prince Charming arrived and was thrilled to meet our Prince Charming. I always LOVE this photo op!

That's be my mom in the back with strawberry soup! YUM!

And of course, Cinderella...

Finally, the royal waltz, where the royal couple and the Tremaines ask the royal diners for a dance. I always love this part of dinner, but with us being tucked away in no-man's land, we weren't really part of the action. Always ready to be in the spotlight, though, my two hopped up and started their own waltz...or something like it.

That is, until Lady Tremaine swept in to join them!

Love all three of their faces here

After the waltz, we had one more bowl of strawberry soup (YUM!), bid our farewells and were headed back to the Polynesian. Of course, we had to snap a few pics on our way out of the Grand.

Gorgeous Grand Flordian window displays

And, of course, top off the evening with a little champagne

Kid Quotes...
"It's so grand! And it's in Florida." -Haileigh

My grandparents!

Just a hop, skip and monorail ride away, and we were back home. Since it was fairly early, and they'd never seen the Poly before, Carissa's family decided to stay for a little bit and enjoy the beach with us.

My prince has come undone!

Oops! Twin castles!

Kid Quotes...
"The fireworks are cool! They make the sun, Mickey Mouse and cupcakes or something." -Tabe

After Wishes, we gathered our shovels and pails and headed to our beds. After all, the next day was at Epcot, and we had to be rested to get our Food and Wine on!!!

Up Next: Epcot Food and Wine Fest
Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start!

Shutterfly Giveaway, Part 2

2011-11-28T17:51:00.001-06:00

The Shutterfly giveaway has ended!! If you are a winner, I've sent your codes to you via Twitter. Please remember to redeem your codes by December 15, 2011. Thanks so much for entering!!! I already have some goodies for a December giveaway, so be sure to keep an eye on the blog!

P.S. Just a heads up...the next giveaway just may have something to do with how many comments you have on the blog posts, so be sure to let me know what you're thinking about what you're reading!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2011-11-24T09:29:00.001-06:00

I'm dying to write about one of our FAVORITE meals at WDW, the Happily Ever After Dinner at 1900 Park Fare, but there's so much to do today!! Just popped in to say...

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

So thankful for my wonderful family, fabulous friends and all the blessings we have!!

Shutterfly Giveaway!!!

2011-11-22T18:06:00.001-06:00

It's no secret that we LOVE Shutterfly!! From our share site, Where Dreams Come True..., to our fabulous photo books to awesome greeting cards (I'm totally in love with our 2011 Christmas card!) and beyond, they have photo products for just about everything and everyone.

Custom photo covers of a few of our photo books

Even titles on the spine!

Page from our December 2010 WDW book

So cute I still keep them displayed

Love the palm trees on a Christmas card

Tons of different options!

So, in order to share some of our Shutterfly love with you, I'm giving away codes for a free set of cards or a free 12-month calendar (also super cute, but I can't post any pics 'cause they're Christmas gifts!!). Want one? Here's the deal...

1. Follow the blog...see that little Google banner on the right? Click it and join our site.
2. Follow me on Twitter (this is purely 'cause I'm new to Twitter and want some more juicy tweets to read...haha!!). Also on the right sidebar. You can follow me on Pinterest, too. That's totally optional, but Twitter is a must! ;)
3. Post a comment on one of my other blog entries! I love hearing a little feedback and having proof that someone is reading our blog aside from the kids and me. Haha!!
4. Post a comment on this entry letting me know you did those three things.

That's it!! We've extended the giveaway and will now draw at least seven names on November 28 at 6:00 CST aka Cyber Monday!! Anyone ever actually find good deals that day? I've never shopped then.

Thanks, friends!!

P.S. Shutterfly's shipping and handling charges will apply, so have that card ready when you're ordering.

P.P.S. Don't forget step #3!! Comment on a separate blog post from this one. ;)

Our Not-So-Scary Vacation: Day Four - It's a Blizzard Out There!

2011-11-19T21:31:00.001-06:00

OK, this day is going to be so much fun to relive. This was our first time EVER to a WDW water park, and the kids and I were pumped.

Let's begin...

Now that is my kind of wake up call!! The views are one of my absolute favorite things about staying on Disney deluxe properties. I mean, it may be a little nicer on your wallet to check out the off-property hotels or rentals, but this really says "Good morning!!" the Disney way, doesn't it??

This is how you know you
spent last night at
the Magic Kingdom!

We (well, the kids) started this morning sleeping in a bit (well, Disney sleeping in, which is waking up around 8:00a for us). We lazed around a little more but managed to make it to breakfast up in the lounge (yummy oatmeal!!). On our way back to the room, gramma and I checked into our second room. Although (after calling near daily for a month) we weren't able to book a club level room, our oh-so-accommodating club staff let us check in at their lobby. We checked in, got the keys and room assignments and went back to the room to get ready for Blizzard Beach. Imagine my surprise when I received a call from the club desk that a little pixie dust had fallen and there was a room available in Hawaii!!! Our second room was moved from Rapa Nui to a third floor club garden view, also just steps from the lounge! And this is reason #2,198 why we love Disney!!! We were perfectly fine with two rooms in separate buildings since we'd booked the second one so late, but that fabulous club level staff still went to work making magic.
We arrived at Blizzard Beach about a half hour after opening, which I was a little worried about, but it really didn't seem to make much of a difference. Gramma and grampa walked us in and poked around a bit, but they were headed out to do a little shopping and recon around WDW.

After a little apprehension on Tabe's part, we were full on sliding! Well, we were all over the Snow Stormers, at least. Since I was the only adult and the kids weren't so much into the big slides, we spent most of the time riding these cute little slides...

Kid Quotes:
"I liked it 'cause it was curvy and curvy and curvy...and I think I just said curvy three times, make that four. The only thing I didn't like was when I scraped my knees at the end." -Haileigh
"It was kinda loopy and crazy! It was fun!" -Tabe

After getting our fill (or me having to drag them away...whatever), we decided to go on a check out Cross Country Creek. What a relaxing way to get around the park!! Only wished we'd decided to do that before walking all over the place trying to find the entrance to the Toboggan Racers.

The kids wanted to catch a wave, so we made our way to Melt Away Bay. It's not so much a wave pool as it is a, ummm, bobbing? pool. Very gentle, small waves. I think Haileigh wanted bigger waves, but I thought it was perfect (especially once we compared it to the Surf Pool at Typhoon Lagoon) and relaxing. Somehow we ended up back at the Snow Stormers since we never did make it to the Toboggan Racers, and apparently we weren't doing any of the "biggies."
I did, however, manage to talk them into riding Teamboat Springs. We got in line for the chair lift, and I hoped that the kids wouldn't lose their nerve during the wait. We made it to the front and were soon in the air on our way up Mount Gushmore.

We made it to the top, and after helping both kids off the lift, I wasn't fast enough, and the chair banged the HECK out of the back of my calves, first the left then the right, and I was left with sore calves and bruises!! Moral of this story...throw the kids off then run.

So, we made our way to Teamboat Springs, and my little snowman starts to get nervous. We keep walking through the (non-existent) queue, and there's no way he's going down this slide. We get to the loading dock, and you have to have at least four people to ride, and we have three, as does the sweet family behind us. Well, we have to step off to the side, but now they can't ride, either. Each group coming up has more than enough people, so the teenage son and mom of the family start pumping up Tabe telling him how much fun it is (it's their third go-round today!) and how brave he is. Nope, not doing it, no way, no how. I don't know what the son said, but Tabe agreed to go!! We boarded the raft with our kind English counterparts and down, down, down we went. Unfortunately I was busy pretty much holding Tabe, so I have no pictures or video, but this was so much fun!! We were all screaming and laughing all the way down (even Tabe!). When we got to the bottom, we thanked our raftmates, and I asked Tabe if he wanted to go again. He didn't. Hahaha!!! He was glad he'd done it, though, and loves his bragging rights.

By this time we were starting to get little rumblies in our tumblies, so we stopped at Avalunch where I spent a slightly ridiculous amount of money for our three lunches. Luckily swimming and pool time makes us all hungry, and not a thing went to waste.

Where dreams of giant poultry-based lunches come true...

Yes, my carnivorous kiddos ate that entire GIANT chili dog and almost the entire turkey leg on their own and then proceeded to chomp on my pretzel dog. After lunch, it was about time for us to go because we had 5:00 reservations at 1900 Park Fare, and we needed some time to wash of the blizzard and get into costume. However, the kids had to have a go at the ice bergs at Ski Patrol Training Camp.

Kid Quotes:
"It was so fun sliding across those!" -Haileigh
"Oh, yeah, I liked those!! Until I fell. Did I fall? Yeah, I fell." -Tabe

Haileigh made it all the way across, and Tabe was just one berg short of total victory. They both wanted to do it again, but by now gramma and grampa were already here, and we had to skidaddle. I promised them both we'd hit the water parks on our next trip and spend the entire day.

Oh, I forgot...I also bribed Tabe with a stop at the gift shop to ride Teamboat Springs. Sweet boy that he is (well, can be ;) ), he decided that he would use his shopping stop to buy Haileigh a lollipop. :)

Up Next: A ghost in our room, Aunt Tracy arrives and dinner with Carissa at 1900 Park Fare!
Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start!

Haileigh Belle's Blurbs: Cinderella Castle

2011-11-12T18:27:00.001-06:00

I like the CINDERELLA CASTLE!! but I think the giant crane
kinda ruins the picture. 4 hats in the the picture 4!!!. Tabe's pirate hat, gramma's pink hat,
aunt cesse's(Jessica)Mickey camo hat she made, AND THE MOST IMPORTANT MY, HAILEIGH DALE HAT!!!!!!!! :D XD

Our Not-So-Scary Vacation: Day Three - Home Sweet Home and a Magical Evening

2011-11-12T10:18:00.001-06:00

Let me begin this post by saying how much we LOVED Wilderness Lodge and how much we LOVE every other hotel we've stayed in on WDW property. But there's just something about that first step on the Polynesian grounds that truly says "Welcome home!" Maybe it's because I am Polynesian, maybe because it's where we stayed with the kids on their first ever Disney trip or maybe it's because it's been there from the beginning. Or maybe it's all of it, but as soon as we stepped off the monorail, I felt like we were home.

Check in was fantastic!! Lawrence was a guest's dream! Funny, attentive, knowledgeable and full of Disney spirit. It was only a little after 1:00, but our room was already ready and waiting for us. Gotta love that!! We had a perfect room, just steps from the club concierge and lounge and on the first floor (just as we'd requested, by the way). I love the first floor, as the kids can just run outside and play on the grass or the beach while we're straightening up in the room or sipping some POG Juice on the patio. And of course, this...

We also spotted this sweet wedding photo shoot...

Kid Quotes:
"Tiki, tiki, tiki and the kissing duck!!" -Haileigh
"I like the Pol-uh-neeeeee-sian because they have leaves that wave, the beach is right by the hotel, the tv and all the ducks." -Tabe

The kids played on the beach while gma and I relaxed a bit. Easy to do at the Poly, let me tell you. I called for our luggage, and it arrived within minutes. Since I'd just packed what we'd need at the Lodge in our carry-ons, I put away what I could to make room for our "big" luggage from the car (which gpa was getting from the Lodge and bringing to the Poly).

I was just putting away the last of our snacks when Tabe came running up to the patio shouting "Haileigh's stuck!" Wondering what she could possibly be stuck in, I followed him back down to the shore. Sure enough, she was sitting with one leg caught between two slats in the lounger. Only my kids...haha!! To the kids' credit, though, when I tried to pull the slats apart, it was pretty difficult. It was only on my third try that she was able to slip her leg out and fall on the sand laughing. Good thing, we would have had a heck of a time fitting that thing on the launch back to the Magic Kingdom. Moral of the story...don't stand on a lounger with wet feet.

Kid Quotes:
"Uh, it kinda hurt, but I was still giggling the whole time." -Haileigh

After extracting Haileigh and freshening up a bit, we were headed back to the Magic Kingdom. One of the great things about staying at the Polynesian (and really, all of the resorts on the monorail line) is the variety of transportation. After catching the monorail in, we decided to set sail on the boat launch back to the park.

One of the wonderful club level staff members (Suzanne, I believe) was able to secure us appointments at the Harmony Barber Shop. Now, being a licensed stylist, the kids have never had their hair cut elsewhere. However, the week leading up to this trip was so busy that I never had time to do it, nor did I remember to pack my shears for a quick snip on vacation. I called the day before we were going to Magic Kingdom on the off chance that there may be something available. Again, that pixie-dusted club staff worked a little magic, and they were able to squeeze us in just before they closed.

Dale waiting for Haileigh to finish her haircut

This was a really fun experience for the kids (once Tabe got over his initial nervousness at someone else cutting his hair). Even better, it was $30 (plus tip) for both kids to get cuts and pixie-dusted and pirate-treasured. I know it's popular for first haircuts, but my two Mickey fans would gladly get trimmed again on Main Street USA.

Kid Quotes:
"The sparkles made my hair look like a party!" -Haileigh
"The pirate treasure was cool!!" -Tabe

Now that we were perfectly presentable, we were ready for some quality character time! This was our first time to visit Disney royalty and the big cheese (and cheesette) himself in their new homes in the Town Square Theatre. The interactive posters were very cool, and Haileigh really liked the trivia questions while waiting to visit the princesses. The new set-up is pretty similar to their old Toontown Fair homes. A longer queue outside, then another one once you enter the room. The queue is longer in the room in the Town Square location. This is nice because it gave us a minute to get our autograph books and (color-coded, clickable) Sharpies in order, but it's also, well, another line. The wait times were short(ish), though, so it really didn't effect us too much.

Next we were off to meet Mickey and Minnie!! Their new meet and greet is absolutely adorable!! It's Mickey's dressing room, and the little extra touches and details are so much fun! I especially liked this little tidbit on Mickey's trunk...

P.S. Yes, they did decide water shoes were a good choice to wear to MK. I don't know. Don't ask.

The in-room line to meet M-squared was shorter than the princess line, so we were only a minute or so from the head honcho after entering his dressing room. The CM here was so fun!! He spent a little time chatting with the kids and asking them real questions (as opposed to the canned "Where are you from? Are you having fun?"). I really wish I'd caught his name so I could report him to the awesome cast member police. I do have him on video, so maybe I can catch a glimpse of his name tag.

Kid Quotes:
"I like Minnie and Mickey because they're funny and cute...and they're giant mouses! Or mice." -Haileigh

After meeting the mice, we decided to poke around Main Street for a bit.

Again, that weird sense of "eh, what now" that had fallen on this trip came over me again, and we decided just to grab some concrete and wait for the evening's entertainment. The kids played games with the CMs patrolling the hub, we grabbed a couple of Mickey bars and settled in on our little curb. I was really excited to see the Electrical Parade because I hadn't seen it since I was a kid in Disneyland!! The last time we were at Disney, the kids were more interested in rides, so we never saw the evening parade. Carissa, who was getting Cinderellafied in the castle made it out just in time to join us.

And then came that familiar electrical music...

Love these "little" guys!

Kid Quotes:
"It was lighty. And I liked the giant bug, but it looked like it was about to crash into me!" -Haileigh
"The caterpillar was cool talking on the mushroom." -Tabe

After the parade, we were also excited to see the Magic, the Memories and You for the first time. No pictures since we were so enthralled with trying to find our faces (which we didn't. BOO!!). It was still a neat show, though, and I hope it's still playing next time we're in Disney so we can try to look again.

And, of course, we stayed for Wishes. After hearing rumors of a new fireworks display replacing this one, I had fingers and toes crossed that we'd get to see it one more time. I haven't heard any more rumors, so I'm hoping it's here to stay for at least a while longer. Again, not too many pictures because once the music started, Tabe hopped in my arms. So sweet!! And excuse the blurriness, since I did have a 50 pound child on my hip. ;) Just before the finale, he climber down and fell asleep in the stroller to the sound of booming fireworks and "Starlight, star bright."

Up Next: Our first trip EVER to Blizzard Beach!!
Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start!

All Shook Up!

2011-11-05T23:15:00.001-05:00

Well, I guess since we slept through this morning's earthquake, it decided to make itself known tonight. Everyone's fine, but Tabe's room is trashed. Thank goodness he's at the grandparents'. I saw the water and broken glass from a favorite Disney snowglobe and turned around and walked out of the room. :( I'll have to get it all cleaned up before he comes in the morning, though. Guess I know what I'm doing with my extra hour.

Our Not-So-Scary Vacation: Day Three - Magic Morning with Friends

2011-11-05T17:35:00.000-05:00

After a quick pack followed a much more restful night's sleep , we were up bright and early for a pre-park opening breakfast at Crystal Palace. The beautiful Wilderness Lodge bid us farewell with another spectacular sunrise.

I called bell services, as we would be checking into the Polynesian this afternoon, and rather than lugging everything to the car, they would transfer the luggage for us. We made one more sweep for any lingering Sharpies or Mickey Mouse socks and trotted off to the lounge for one more service.

We decided, after much conversation about whether the boat or the car would be a better bet on getting to Magic Kingdom in time for our 8:05a reservation, we chucked it all and decided to take the bus. We've had off and on luck with the buses, but we've been lucky enough to usually be on the monorail line, a boat water way or within walking distance of a park. If all else failed (hello, Animal Kingdom), we always had the car. Factoring in parking, tram and monorail time if chose to drive and the fact that the cast member (CM) I spoke to didn't seem to confident in the boat schedule, the bus seemed like a decent, A-B decision.

The bus stop was only hosting one other family once we arrived after the short walk from the main building. A bus pulled up quickly after we arrived, but it was headed for Animal Kingdom. Darn! So, we waited about three minutes and another one arrived for...Animal Kingdom? OK...the Pilot was looking better now, parking, tram and all. We'll give it a chance, we still have thirty-five minutes. Third time's a charm, right? Hollywood Studios, here we come...because that's where the next two buses were headed. The CM at the bus stop tried her hardest to keep us entertained with a little trivia contest as the bus crowd had grown by three families, all headed to Magic Kingdom. Long (and I mean looong) quiz game short, and Tabe (ahem - I - ahem) was the owner of a new pirate hat!

Finally our chariot arrived, and we were on our way to Magic Kingdom. We arrived within minutes, and we were at the gates with plenty of time to spare. Just as we walked in, I saw Tabe's friend Carissa's family in the distance. We were meeting them for breakfast, and the kids were so excited to be meeting people from home at Disney World! We waited for them just past the train station. Of course, I snapped a few pictures.

All of a sudden, we looked toward the train station, and there she was!

Pardon the blurriness of this shot, but I think it's so cute!!

Kid Quotes:

"When I first saw her, I was excited! I had fun with her!" -Tabe

Taking advantage of our early arrival and the near empty Main St., I paparazzied the kids a bit...

And patronized those fantastic PhotoPass photographers...

And these are the fantastic views you get when you wake up bright and early on your 180 day mark (um, or let the club level itinerary planning office aka IPO) and make those elusive pre-park opening reservations. This is a tradition for us, and it's one that I know I'll never let die. There's something a little extra magical about feeling that you're the only family in the parks.

Soon after this picture was snapped, our families were called in to join Winnie the Pooh and his friends for a fun breakfast at Crystal Palace. Let me take a moment to interject another touch of magic here. We actually had two reservations. At the time Carissa's parents and I had decided to try to meet for breakfast, there were absolutely no reservations to be had for a party of eight. Those darling IPO CMs kept trying, but there was nothing. They eventually just made a second reservation for just their family and told us to ask upon check-in to be seated near each other. Well, not only we were able to sit near each other, they actually got us a large table with seats for eight!

We are proud Crystal Palace vets, but this was the first time for Carissa. I gave them my laundry list of things to try at the buffet (Pooh's French Toast and their delish scrambled eggs...yes, please!), but, sadly, the breakfast lasagna was nowhere to be found. They did have breakfast pizza on the "kids' buffet" (that's in quotes because I find everything on all the kids' buffets super yum!!) that I hadn't seen in the past, and it was pretty good, especially with a little salsa on top.

Kid Quotes:
"Mmmm...Mickey waffles. And, I like the bathrooms, they're really clean!" -Haileigh
"It was yummy and good, yummy and good, yummy and good!!" -Tabe

While the food is always great, we're always most excited to reacquaint ourselves with our Disney pals!

After a filling breakfast and catching up with the Hundred Acre crew, we were blasting off to Tomorrowland. Tabe had noticed the Astro Orbiter on our last trip and asked me about it one night during our goodnight chat. None of the kids had ever ridden it, so we decided that would be our first stop.

LOVE this one!! I leaned over to Carissa's mom and said "Did you ever think this would happen when they were crawling around on the floor together in pre-school?" :)

Kid Quotes:
"Wheeeeeee!!! I'm going by Jupiter!" - Haileigh
"It was cool 'cause you were flying and you could see the whole Magic Kingdom." -Tabe

We were wandering around Tomorrowland waiting for our Space Mountain FastPass (which, by the way, my grampa got for us all by himself!!! Haha!! He's not so much into technology, so if he can use FastPass...anyone can!!) time to hit, and we stumbled upon these guys.

This is what that extra Disney touch is all about!! It's not a roller coaster, it wasn't a surprise cupcake or a free upgrade (not that all those things aren't great). It was two CMs playing with a bubble wand and a toy blaster and loving their jobs! In the process, they brought three huge smiles to the faces of those kiddos and to us grown-ups, too.

Next on our (not-so-scheduled) list was the Tea Party. Apparently I was the only grown-up willing to go on this one, so the kids and I made our way to the spinning, musical fun that is the teacups but not before checking the time with the White Rabbit.

Within the next hour, we managed to get in a good amount of attractions with little to no wait. While the crowd seemed large, but actual wait times all over the park, save the few that will have a long wait at any time of year, were pretty minimal. We trotted on over to Prince Charming's (congrats to him on the recent acquisition of his) Regal Carousel, flew to Mickey's PhilharMagic, sailed onto it's a small world and joined the 999 happy haunts at the Haunted Mansion. Oh, and a bathroom break by this building...

that kept spitting at us (see the line by Tabe's finger!). It was a kid request that I include that tidbit. ;)

So, back to the Haunted Mansion. Always imagineering something new, Disney had recently added a second interactive queue to the Haunted Mansion. Since our last visit was the previous December, we hadn't seen it and decided that it was the way to go (you now have the option to go through the slightly longer in distance interactive queue or the shorter regular queue). It was so much fun!!!

First, we see these pretty hilarious busts...

These instruments play when you touch them (Haileigh liked the cat!)...

Of course, water leaks from the Captain's tomb...

The books in this haunted library mysteriously slide in and out of their shelves...

And it wouldn't be the Haunted Mansion without the graveyard!

Kid Quotes:

"I liked when the ghost hitchhiker traded heads with gramma!" -Haileigh

After surviving the antics of those hitchhiking ghosts, Carissa's family made their way to Frontierland while we headed toward the tropical paradise that is the Polynesian. And, you know me, lots of pictures on the way out of Magic Kingdom!

Pretend the crane isn't there! Although I appreciate why it is, it makes for some 'eh' pictures.

Mickey looks so funny with his mouth closed!

That's better!

Finally on one of our favorites, the monorail!!! Por favor manténganse alejado de las puertas!!

Up Next: We're home! The Polynesian and an evening at the Magic Kingdom
Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start!

Our Not-So-Scary Vacation: Day Two - Whispering Canyon...Sounds Peaceful (Completely Done with iPhone Pics and Video...Sorry!!)

2011-10-31T11:30:00.002-05:00

We were a little peckish after we got home from AK, and, wouldn't ya know, the evening appetizer service was out and beckoning. The kids and I were headed to WCC for dinner, but we stopped in for a little appetizer (which, if you've ever eaten at a Disney World restaurant, you know is completely unnecessary, but it was there and it was "free").

We refreshed ourselves in the room and hopped on down to the lobby. We checked in exactly on time for our reservation and waited about five minutes to be seated. There was, in true Disney fashion, something for the kids to do in the meantime.

Once we were seated, our waitress took our drink orders. She came back and threw our napkins at us and tossed our straws in the air. The kids thought it was hilarious!! Always the squeaky wheels, none of us ordered off the menu. The kids wanted the grilled chicken off of the skillet, and I wanted the brisket I'd been smelling since we'd arrived at the Lodge, so they were able to throw together some entrees for us.

And since I'd gotten fries, of course we needed KEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETCHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUP!!!!

Kid Quotes:
"It was good!! Especially the KEEETCHUUUP!!!!" -Haileigh
"I liked the chicken, and I like when they yell KEEEETCHUUUUUP!!!!" -Tabe

And, of course, what dinner is complete without a little pony race?

We'd absolutely eat dinner at Whispering Canyon Cafe again. We'd eaten lunch there before, but it was very quiet that afternoon in terms of crowd and waitstaff. We definitely like the rowdiness of dinner. So much fun, and the food is really, really good!!!

Interested in dining at Whispering Canyon Cafe? Check out the menu on AllEars! This link takes you to the dinner menu, but the site also has the kids' menu, as well as breakfast and lunch!

Up Next: Magic Kingdom with Friends!
Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start!

Our Not-So-Scary Vacation: Day Two - Even More Wild About Animal Kingdom

2011-10-30T17:15:00.000-05:00

Ok, so maybe it wasn't the same gorilla...

After visiting with darling Terk, we followed the trail to two of our favorite friends, King Louie and Baloo!! They're always so funny and a blast to play with, especially together.

Kid Quotes:
"Even though King Louie couldn't sign autographs, he was great at hugging!" -Haileigh
"I gotta say about Baloo...I like his name 'cause he is "ba-lue" (blue)." -Tabe

Next, it was onto the beauty of Asia. While I really enjoy the (at least what this non-African traveler sees as) authenticity and detail of Africa, Asia is my favorite part of AK. The colors are incredible, the food always smells amazing and, well, it's home to Expedition Everest!!

We were into Asia, and I was all set to single rider it on EE. I told the gparents that the kids would probably enjoy the Maharajah Jungle Trek rather than wait around the EE exit for me, and if they wanted to take them there, I'd meet them after my expedition up Mt. Everest. Well, imagine my surprise when my gramma, usually content to peruse and patronize the "end of the ride" gift shops while we were whizzing up, down and around said she'd like to ride with me. While I was completely content to make the expedition on my own, it's always more fun with someone else. So, off we went before she had a chance to change her mind.
I've never actually been in the standby queue of EE, so that was nearly as exciting for me. I'd seen it on the Travel Channel, blogs and heard all the raves about the attention to detail from fellow World travelers, but we'd always breezed through the single rider line or FastPassed it. So, what I'm trying to say is...it's about to get real picture heavy up in here!!

I love the spelling mistake on this sign!

It lived up to the hype! We made it to the end of the queue, and my gramma said her heart was beating fast. It was our turn, and we got the very last seats on the train!! My second favorite spot...after the very first seat, of course. The trek up and down Everest was fantastic, and I think gramma enjoyed it, too...

Or maybe not. I love that she is making the same face as the boy in front of her, and his dad seems a little uptight. And I'm about to catch bugs. Hahaha!!! This is almost as good as Tabe's first EE ride where you can't even see him because he's buried in my arm.

After surviving the Yeti, we made our way to Dinoland. Grampa decided he was done for the day (and I'm guessing wanted to make sure he was back for the next club lounge service), so he hopped a bus back to the Lodge. The kids and I took a little spin of the triceratops variety then queued up for a little visit with our two favorite dogs.

Love this cute little detail in the Dinoland USA character queue

One of the very few candids I can catch of this girl...she's always posing!

After our visit, we were feeling archaeological and decided to go to the dig site for the first time. The kids LOVED it, and I can't believe we hadn't taken the time to play there on past visits. Well, I know why. AK is a sauna. Even in December. For some reason, though, it was so pleasant, and we were loving the leisurely pace of the day and stopped at pretty much everything the kids wanted to see and do. There were some awesome slides and lots of little nooks and crannies to explore, and H&T probably could have stayed an hour or more, but we were headed to the parade.

Kid Quotes:

"Oh, I liked it...it was fun!" - Haileigh

"Awesome!" - Tabe

We ended our AK day with Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade...and a Dale hat.

Up Next: Dinner at Whispering Canyon Cafe...sounds so peaceful.

Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start!

Our Not-So-Scary Vacation: Day Two - Wild About Animal Kingdom!

2011-10-26T18:41:00.003-05:00

After a not-so-restful night's sleep (what can I say...I'm the "too excited too sleep" kid), we were up and ready to hit Animal Kingdom. I will say, though, this fantastic "good morning" view from our balcony made up for the lack of 'zzzz's. We stopped in the lounge and grabbed a quick breakfast and headed out to the car to drive over in time for rope drop. Unfortunately, we'd forgotten about activating our Salute tickets. Oops! So, we were shipped over to guest relations where the line was short but slow-moving. We finally made it to the window where a girl from Del City (not too far from our hometown) was able to get us squared away. For some reason Tabe's card wouldn't work, and we were headed back to GR. The gentleman behind the counter waved his magical computer mouse, said an enchanting phrase, and it worked.

At this point, let me interject about how much we LOVE PhotoPass!! As you'll see in most of my pictures, I'm always behind the camera. PhotoPass lets everybody hop in the shot, which is fun with characters and great in front of the, well, picture perfect park icons.

Plus, they can add super fun things like this adorable baby Simba, and you can go to the site after your pics are taken and add borders, autographs, edit and more!! OK, /end commercial. ;)

I'll admit, on my first trip to Disney World after AK had opened, I skipped it. I thought it was a glorified zoo despite Disney's efforts to convey otherwise. Now I really wish I'd gone to experience the early days of this fantastic park! A lot of people think it's ok, might go, skip it or just flat out don't like it. I think it's the most amazingly, realistically themed of all the WDW parks. The sights and sounds are incredible, and I really enjoy the atmosphere. It's on my list to wander AK during the evening hours, as we're usually headed back to the hotel just after Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade. I think it would be gorgeous!!

This trip started off different. I'm not sure what the change was, and it really isn't something I can even point out, but I just didn't feel the need to schedule. I knew I wanted to ride Everest, but that was it. The kids decided they wanted to ride Kilimanjaro Safari first, so that's just what we did.

It started off like our many other safaris, with Wilson giving us the go ahead and, oddly, the same songs on the radio. Once we got out onto the savanna, though, the giraffes had decided they weren't on our schedule.

There were three jeeps stopped and waiting for the giraffes to get their fill. The kids were absolutely in awe, especially Haileigh, as she's definitely a big animal lover, but I'd never been overly fond of giraffes. I didn't not like them, I just never gave them much thought. We'd always seen them from a distance on the safari before, and, of course, yards away at the zoo. Something about being so close to them, though, was amazing! We literally could have reached out and touched them if the threat of being banned from AK was not a possible consequence.

Kid Quotes:

"I liked it 'cause they're good at stretching necks." -Tabe

"I woulda liked it better if they licked Tabe!" - Haileigh

The rest of the safari was pretty exciting as we saw more wildlife, chatted with Wilson and even ran after poachers! Of course, no lions. I'm beginning to think it's a myth.

After we returned from our not-quite-two week safari, we embarked on the Pangani trail for the first time (crazy schedule me would have completely skipped this, but my little animal lover asked oh-so-sweetly). It was a very serene and relaxing trail. We got to see several different kinds of animals and some beautiful scenery. And, of course, that great Disney theming!

The kids (ok...and I) were really pumped to see...

NAKED MOLE RATS!!!

Why? Pretty much just because they have a funny name. And, I guess they were kind of cute in a gross sort of way.

Kid Quotes:
"They're cute, but, ummm, they're kinda ugly at the same time." -Haileigh
"They're nekkid! Like, they're nekkid...they're great at being nekkid." -Tabe

Kid Quotes...
"Jumping on this bouncy bridge feels kind of, um...jumpy." -Haileigh

Another interesting stop on the trail was to see this guy...

I know...he looks super exciting, right? So, we were about to move on when he sensed something...

He hopped up...

Uh-oh...

This guy comes and swings at him!

He didn't actually hit him, but he looked pretty PO'd. Our friend, ever the pacifist, decided to look for a snack...

Then gave us a little half smile...

And hopped out and signed autographs for the kids!

Up next: More Animal Kingdom fun!

Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start!

Our Not-So-Scary Vacation: Day One - We Have Arrived!

2011-10-23T22:57:00.000-05:00

So, we snacked in the lounge for a few minutes hoping to get that fateful text with our room assignment, but no luck. We decided to head downstairs (while the oh-so-sweet club staff agreed to hold our carry-ons) and check out our new digs. We'd visited the Lodge for lunch and Christmas decorations, but this was the first time we really had extra time to poke around.

WDW nerd legend has it that if you rub Humphrey's nose, you'll have a great trip!

Kid Quotes:

"It was giant!"-Haileigh

"There were lots of balconies!" -Tabe

Since our things had been taking up space in the club concierge area for about half an hour, I decided I'd go ahead and have bell services come pick up the items and let the kids change into their swimsuits. Just as I was approaching the desk, my phone buzzed, and we received our room assignment. Now, all the club level rooms are on the 7th floor except the deluxe rooms, which we had booked. I had made no room requests, as I had no idea what to expect. Our room was on the 5th floor facing the courtyard and pool, and it was awesome!! At this point, I was almost wishing we were staying at the Lodge for our entire stay. Almost. That castle view is just really hard to beat.

Bedroom with two queen beds, door to vanity/sinks

Flat screen tv, mini balcony, doorways to living room and vanity

Living room with sleeper sofa, chairs, coffee table and desk/table

Main balcony off living room

Kid Quotes...

"It [the view] was awesome!!" -Tabe

"You could see they geyser and the lake and the pool...and you could hear the people yelling from the pool." -Haileigh

This really was a fantastic room with tons of extra space, which really is a luxury with two kids and all that entails. They could be asleep in the bedroom while we were on the computer in the living room or out on the balcony. I think we all could have definitely enjoyed this for more than our short two nights.

After we explored our home for the weekend and lazed around, the kids' first wish was finally granted. Pool time!! We arrived just in time for the 3:00 pool party, and the kids joined in a hula hoop contest but bailed after that to acquaint themselves with the water slide. Having just been the (sort of) fearless leader of the morning, I headed to the Trout Pass Bar and grabbed one of these little beauties:

Poolside Lemonade (only one and consumed out of sight of the children, of course!)

Kid Quotes:

"The pool was great because it had a slide, and the slide was awesome!" -Haileigh

"There was a beach, and it was awesome!" -Tabe

After about an hour, we decided it was dinner time and headed back to the room. We were deciding whether or not to head to Downtown Disney, as Earl of Sandwich was calling my name, or wait for gma and gpa. Well, they called shortly after we got to the room and were only about 20 minutes away, so we decided to wait. I should mention here that it was October 1 and the 40th anniversary of WDW. Little did I know that outside of our little wilderness haven was a mess of visitors trying to get to the Magic Kingdom and its surrounding resorts. Gma and I headed over to Shades of Green to get our park tickets and Hess to top off the tank. By then, it was time for the evening service at the club lounge, so my dreams of Earl and a lagoon-side seat at the Poly for the special fireworks were dashed by the crowds and timing. However, I do have to say that the Lodge evening service is drool-worthy and really does a fine job covering for a dinner...

*Please excuse the iPhone pics!

Kid Quotes:

"THEY [PBJ Shooters] WERE AAAAWWWEEESSSOOOMMMEEEE!!!!" -Haileigh
(Do we see a trend of awesomeness regarding the Lodge? ;) )

After our pseudo-dinner, gpa took the kids back to the pool and then to the beach to roast marshmallows. Since gpa's not a big fan of digital anything, no pics. ;) They made it back upstairs in time for a shower, pjs and dessert and cordials (just dessert for the kids and me) in the lounge. It was a long first day, but we were in our happy place, and we topped it off with the Electric Water Pageant from our balcony.

Up Next: Ready to hit the parks, starting with Animal Kingdom!
Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start!