"This is NOT the once in a lifetime trip I was hoping for!" - (Baby Simba - 12/18)

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

Okay! I'm all caught up and loving your TR, especially all the pics. What a bummer that you were sick and things were NOT all you hoped they would be. But it looks like you were still having a great time. Sometimes when you have such high expectations for everything to be magical and perfect, there's no way it could live up to that and it's even more disappointing. LOVE the hidden Morrocco room - a perfect place for a summer getaway when it's 100 degrees and you drank way too much! Haha! I'll have to make it my mission to find the other hidden doors too!

 

[ronnmel]

Good for Otaku that she only bought one thing in Japan.

I really like Funnel Cakes, but they are definitely messy. Good for you that you got it for free

She bought more stuff later.

I'm a messy eater to begin with, so that sure didn't help.

Thanks. It's not easy everyday but I chose to work with seniors so I can deal hehe I've got tricks up my sleeves now.

As for prime.... whirl.. the ride I can't spell lol It will never happen for me. It would surely give me a migraine. Hell, space mountain gives me a migraine. But I does look like a lot of fun. I bet she couldn't keep a straight face.

Plus, I'm sure they like art more then they would French/English.

Space Mountain makes me queasy if I sit in the back. The older I get, the more rides make me feel weird. It sucks that you can't do a lot.

omg I love the Japan store.... and puzzles. I've been looking for a new one.. So thanks for sharing. Could be on my list.

Funnel cakes are now a must-do for my mom and I. Every trip we eat one. At first we ate them at Epcot, but now we go to Sleepy Hollow in MK since there's a nice sitting area behind it.


And somehow I can't see you guys using the next morning to sleep`

I wish I had more time (and space) to do puzzles. I love it so much! I especially like the very colorful ones with themes of ocean or fantasy, so that one was right up my sleeve. Hope you find one you like when you search for it.

I should check out Sleepy Hollow next time. I'm sure it'll help with the messiness if I can sit down.

I think you know us well.

This is my first. Now that I'm towards the end it's hard to imagine wanting to be pregnant again, lol. It's good to know that baby fever will possibly come back around.

Otaku looks elated to be at Mitsukoshi. The CMs there are always so nice, they probably would have loved if she practiced her Japanese.

That funnel cake looks divine. I would love to have some Disney food right about now.

Well to be fair, I've had a very easy pregnancy, fairly easy delivery, and a not too difficult baby. If any of these had been harder, I might be saying differently. Though, a lot of June 2012 moms are pgrenant again, so I'm not the only one interested.

She was ecstatic. Maybe next time she won't be as shy and will try her hand at speaking Japanese.

It was very tasty!

Love the Japan store! I got the cutest purse there 3 years ago- it's still my favorite and I haven't stopped using it! Funnel cake is a pain like that-- that powdered sugar is trouble!

It really is a great store, with so much variety. I use to have an Asian looking purse, I should look for another one next time I'm in Mitsukoshi! Thanks for the idea.

Thankfully, I'm not as shy as I used to be and I don't care too much if I look ridiculous in front of strangers. Plus, it was so yummy it was worth the mess.

I'm quickly trying to catch up before we hit the sack for a long day tomorrow--a customer and then Disney.

I'm not a fan of funnel cake, but Mark loves it. And for pixie dust and getting it free.

Love the photopass picture.

I love World Showcase.

Sorry Test Track was so long.

Can't wait to use that walk to the BCV in June.

Have fun in Disney!

It was awesome pixie dust not to have to pay.

Thanks.

It's okay, we got to try Test Track later on in the trip.

You will love the walk, I'm sure! You won't be going in that "secret door", but you will be walking past it to get to the villas if you don't want to go through the lobby (which would be quite the detour).

 

[ronnmel]

OMG we LOVE the Japan store !! The Hello Kitty section is awesome (I have a Hello Kitty fan in the family who is SO looking forward to another visit).
Funnel cake is a must do for me (easy on the powdered sugar)

The Japan store really is a big favorite amongst DISers! Your Hello Kitty fan will be in heaven.

I love powdered sugar, so I'll live with the mess.

Now I may get an obsession with secret doors! How cool! I never knew that one in Morocco existed. Where exactly is it located? I mean, I know in a wall, but how do I get to that wall!?

Yay for funnel cake pixie dust! Did you get a picture of yourself covered in the powdered sugar? HMMM??

I just love everything lit up at night. It makes things that are beautiful during the day just absolutely spectacular at night.

I don't think many of the doors lead to secret rooms, but it's fun to search, and especially fun to find one! The room is actually at the entrance of the pavilion, on the left side when facing it. There is a sign above saying it's a museum, but not many people go in.

Unfortunately no picture of myself covered in powdered sugar was taken. I totally did not think about it, and Otaku only takes pictures when someone asks her to. She is not a budding photograph, unlike Julia. It's too bad, it would have made for such a fun memory.

Disney does night time lighting so well! It's true, it makes everything even more beautiful than during the day.

Hi Mel,

I was so excited that Otaku got to explore Japan at last lol

I would have been just as shy as she was at her age.

Free funnel cakes are awesome! You really lucked out there

That secret door to the Beach Club is fabulous isn't it? We've used it many times, in fact I even timed the walk once from International Gateway to the secret entrance and it was 2 minutes and 51 seconds at the pace were walking lol

Hi Monica!

You can sense the excitement in her picture, right? She was literally going like this:

She didn't used to be so shy, but the teenage years really bring out the subconsciousness I believe.

Receiving it for free made my first funnel cake ever even more special.

That door is awesome! It really doesn't look like anything, both from outside and inside, but it cuts down the walk to Epcot so much! I had no idea you could walk in under 3 minutes though. Wow!

Okay! I'm all caught up and loving your TR, especially all the pics. What a bummer that you were sick and things were NOT all you hoped they would be. But it looks like you were still having a great time. Sometimes when you have such high expectations for everything to be magical and perfect, there's no way it could live up to that and it's even more disappointing. LOVE the hidden Morrocco room - a perfect place for a summer getaway when it's 100 degrees and you drank way too much! Haha! I'll have to make it my mission to find the other hidden doors too!

Wow, you caught up fast!

I think you are totally right. We had too high expectations for this trip, plus things actually went worse than all our other trips, so it felt even worse. The good news is, now that we have this bad experience under our belt, I'm guessing that our future trips will all look good in comparison. And if bad things do happen, we'll know it's not the end of the world and that we can still manage to have fun if we just focus on the positives.

I totally thought of you when I showed Otaku that room. I had found it myself on our Disneymoon trip. I love it in there! I can totally picture you trying out every door in WS, with a drink in hand.

 

[ronnmel]

Day 6 part 1 – The One Where She Gets Proven Wrong


We had two choices this morning: sleeping in, or hitting morning Extra Magic Hours at DHS. We chose the latter. We walked to the park, much to the disappointment of Otaku who wanted to take the Friendship boat. Despite getting there not too long after opening, we were not able to get a TSM fastpass (we were only in the park for a few hours) and the standby wait was already too long. We changed our plans and walked on Sunset Boulevard to get Tower of Terror FPs instead, stopping for Photopass pics along the way.

Someone (s) didn’t get the memo to look terrified. Only the youngest is excused.

The wait for Rock N Roller Coaster must have been long as well (or it might have been down), because we then walked all the way to the other side of the park. Otaku and Ron went on Start Tours (can’t remember if it was once, or twice with baby swap) while Claudia and I waited on a nearby bench.

Looking up ahead.

Looking left.

Looking right.

Looking down. Well look who’s there!

Feeling artsy.

They met up with me, I might have gone to change a diaper, and then we walked all the way to the other side of the park again. It was Tower of Terror time!!!

Up first were Otaku and I. She was terrified of this ride. She had gone on with her grandparents back when she was about 7 years old and vowed to never ever ever go back on it again, like ever. Back in 2009 we had not insisted as she was still young and really was adamant about it. We did, however, make her try a whole bunch of new things at the time, some of which she was also scared of, just not as much. She ended up loving everything we made her try, even swimming (which she was truly frightened about), no matter how much she would say she wouldn’t like it before trying it. She maintened her claim that she would hate TOT. The whole time we were in line she was asking why she was there. But I know her well enough now to know that she didn’t really mean it. I could tell that a little part of her wanted to try. That she wouldn’t break down in a panic once on the ride. So I brought her along.

Everyone was waiting in the right section of the line, so much so that the left section looked closed. I knew better, and went there. We almost walked on the ride. I’m sure Otaku would have liked to wait a little bit longer.

I tried to look asleep for the ride picture, but I just look like I’m looking down.

We met back up with Ron and asked Otaku how she found it. She tried to lie and say she didn’t like it, but then when we asked who should go again to accompany Ron, me or her, she wanted to go again. WE KNEW IT!!! She even tried to raise her arms on her second go around.

Meanwhile I found out that turning Peanut around and making her face the back of her stroller was a good way to keep her busy.

Sometimes waiting for Ron & Otaku to come out of attractions could be boring, but not here. I just love the look of the Hollywood Hotel!

I don’t think I would ever have noticed this very intricately detailed door had I not been waiting down there.

It was also interesting to hear the conversations of some of the people coming out of the ride, like this little brother telling his dad how scared his older brother was.


We hadn’t accomplished as much as we would have liked in those 3 hours spent at DHS, but we had an ADR to get to, so we left the park.



​

 

[PhoenixStrength]

Glad Otaku liked ToT, even if she wouldn't admit it! I also love listening to people when they get off the ride and meet with the rest of their group. There is usually at least one person trying to act like the ride didn't scare them when I knew they screamed bloody murder the whole time, or who tattles on someone else being scared of it!

 

[wiigirl]

Great pics!

 

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

Would you believe, I have not ridden Toy Story Mania since my first trip after it opened? I just have no desire to play the Fast Pass game for that one!

I LOVE Tower of Terror too!! It's definitely a contender for my favorite WDW attraction...maybe slightly edged out by Splash Mountain. Love Otaku's face the second time she rode!

 

[SAT887]

I love ToT! I love the entire hotel as well.... In the heat there is this shaded area right outside the gift shop. You can barely tell its there!!

I'm glad Otaku both faced her fear and rode ToT and enjoyed it!!

 

[ronnmel]

Glad Otaku liked ToT, even if she wouldn't admit it! I also love listening to people when they get off the ride and meet with the rest of their group. There is usually at least one person trying to act like the ride didn't scare them when I knew they screamed bloody murder the whole time, or who tattles on someone else being scared of it!

It was nice that Otaku liked TOT, though part of me was hoping she wouldn't so I would get to go twice in a row. I really should pay more attention to what other people are saying when I'm people watching. I'm sure I'd hear interesting things. It's so funny that someone would pretend they were not scared, yet screamed the whole ride.

Great pics!

Thanks!

Would you believe, I have not ridden Toy Story Mania since my first trip after it opened? I just have no desire to play the Fast Pass game for that one!

I LOVE Tower of Terror too!! It's definitely a contender for my favorite WDW attraction...maybe slightly edged out by Splash Mountain. Love Otaku's face the second time she rode!

It's rare, but I can guess not everyone can love TSM. I really don't find the morning dash to be that bad though. Maybe I'm just used to big crowds rushing to the same place from years of taking the subway to school downtown? TSM and TOT are tied for my favorite WDW attraction. Otaku got more and more confident with each TOT ride. It's now her favorite attraction!

I love ToT! I love the entire hotel as well.... In the heat there is this shaded area right outside the gift shop. You can barely tell its there!!

I'm glad Otaku both faced her fear and rode ToT and enjoyed it!!

Oh yes, TOT is not only a great attraction, but the entire hotel is beautiful! I think I may know what shaded area you are talking about, but you're right, I barely look that way when I exit.

I was happy Otaku faced her fear, though I think at that point a part of her knew she wouldn't be afraid of. It was more about holding on to a childhood fear than anything.

 

[AvasMommy526]

Yay for exploring the countries during EMH! Okatu looks soooooo excited for Japan, that's awesome! You girls had a nice night

I love that you all gave up sleeping in for DHS (I still want to type MGM )! I love TSM and the last time I rode it was when they had its soft opening! I can't wait to ride it again but the line is always just insane! I knew she would like ToT, everyone loves ToT don't they!? It's one of my absolute favorites!

 

[mickeystoontown]

What a great evening you and Otaku had at Epcot! I would have had absolutely no idea what she was talking about when she started talking anime. But, like you, I'd have listened.

Yummmmm! Funnel Cakes! I love funnel cakes and sometimes make them at home on the weekeneds. They are really messy though.

 

[PopArtGal]

I am now an "Ethique and culture religieuse". I wonder if I'll ever get back to teaching art. If I don't, I'm fine with it. I still do art at home and I love the new subject.

 

[PopArtGal]

I miss TOT.

I didn't get to go in December. Will do in July

 

[jenseib]

I am so gald she liked it. Sometime you just know you have to give them that little push to get them to try new things.

 

[ronnmel]

Yay for exploring the countries during EMH! Okatu looks soooooo excited for Japan, that's awesome! You girls had a nice night

I love that you all gave up sleeping in for DHS (I still want to type MGM )! I love TSM and the last time I rode it was when they had its soft opening! I can't wait to ride it again but the line is always just insane! I knew she would like ToT, everyone loves ToT don't they!? It's one of my absolute favorites!

We had such a fun evening! Otaku was the most excited I've ever seen her just before going into Japan.

Now that we were feeling less frazzled and more settled into the rhythm of the trip, it was easier to get up. Plus, lowering crowds helped a little. Some people don't like TOT, but I sure love love love it!!!

What a great evening you and Otaku had at Epcot! I would have had absolutely no idea what she was talking about when she started talking anime. But, like you, I'd have listened.

Yummmmm! Funnel Cakes! I love funnel cakes and sometimes make them at home on the weekeneds. They are really messy though.

We had an awesome evening. I find we get along the best when it's just the two of us. If her dad is there, I know they don't see each other often so I let them have their time more.

You make funnel cakes? Is it hard? You have to know, I'm an absolute zero when it comes to cooking, so somethign has to be VERY easy for me to try it.

I am now an "Ethique and culture religieuse". I wonder if I'll ever get back to teaching art. If I don't, I'm fine with it. I still do art at home and I love the new subject.

I didn't know you had changed. I like ECR, at least when my students can speak French enough to have nice conversations.

I miss TOT.

I didn't get to go in December. Will do in July

How come you missed it? You'll have to do it several times in July to make up for it.

I am so gald she liked it. Sometime you just know you have to give them that little push to get them to try new things.

We've learned with her that she often needs that little push. I hope to be able to do the same with Claudia, open her up to new experiences.

 

[ronnmel]

Day 6 part 2 – The One With The Yummy Breakfast


We walked out of DHS and towards our resort, but veered once we got to the Boardwalk clown pool

We made it on the Boardwalk. It was pretty empty at this time of the morning.

We looked across the lake towards our resort.

This is where we were eating breakfast this morning.

We waited a few minutes in the restaurant’s lobby.

I spotted a hidden Mickey.

We had booked the latest breakfast ADR possible (around 10:45am), so the restaurant was pretty empty. It is an open kitchen concept.

Claudia had fallen asleep in the stroller on the way there, so we brought it in. She was SOUND ASLEEP the entire time.

Ron ordered the Turkey-Sweet potato hash with two eggs and Aragula Salad. He thought it was okay. I do remember him saying he liked the salad. He was not feeling very well (uh oh!), so maybe he would have enjoyed his meal more otherwise.

Otaku was going to have the American breakfast, but I convinced her to try something different since you can get an American breakfast anywhere. She ended up choosing some spinach, tomato and feta scrambled eggs. She was glad she changed her mind and thought it was very good.

I had the Classic Golden Waffle with whipped Mascarpone cheese. I had read about it in inkedupmomma’s TR and was looking forward to trying it. It was great, but I was expecting the cheese to be a little sweeter. I haven’t had mascarpone cheese very often, so maybe it’s the normal taste for it?

By the time we were done eating the restaurant was even emptier (though we were not the last to leave, and never did we feel rushed).

The service was very good. There was a bit of confusion with the bill because two tables had very similar order number, but it was quickly fixed. We paid and walked back outside onto the sunny boardwalk.

Yacht & Beach Club

Beach Club

Yacht Club

I don’t like these birds, but I do love this photo!

Since Ron was so tired, he went back to the resort by himself. He ended up taking a 3 hour nap. He took the stroller with him and I put Claudia in the Mei Tai before going to our next destination.

We walked through the Boardwalk.

And to the bus stop at the front of the resort.

3 girls, no guy, it’s SHOPPING time!!



​

 

[ronnmel]

Day 6 part 3 - The One With The Shopping Spree


We didnt have to wait long for a bus at the Boardwalk and 25 minutes later we arrived at the Downtown Disney Marketplace.

The first order of business was the Christmas store. I was way too busy shopping to take pictures! Every year for Christmas I give an ornament to Ron and one to Otaku (and now one to Peanut as well), but this year I told Otaku that she could choose hers in Disney instead (I gave Ron a Monsters, Inc. Sulley & Boo ornament from Hallmark). She chose a Mickey Mouse eating a Turkey Leg.

For the next few years Ron doesnt want me to buy any new ornaments. Instead he wants us to buy a monorail set, and add on to it every year. That will be our version of a village under the tree. This year I wanted to buy Disney stockings for everyone, but they were so expensive! It was 2 for 40$, and I would have needed 5 (us 4 plus baby #2 since I knew we would not be back to Disney for a few years). Instead I decided to buy LOTS of ornaments for the same amount I would have spent. Ill post the pictures of all the souvenirs I bought at the end of the trip report.

We quickly browsed a couple of stores, and then went to the Pin store. Otaku bought two pins to put on her bag, a Chinese dragon in the shape of a Mickey head, and a pin that you can rotate to show which park you are at that day. As we were walking away she tells me she wants to start pin trading. We turned around and I let her choose a lanyard (black & red and Asian looking). After seeing me pin trade for a few days she was hooked! Thankfully I had brought more than enough pins for both of us to trade during the trip.

We walked across the way to Once Upon A Toy.

We did some pin trading in there. I also bought some toys for Claudia and a plushy for baby #2. Claudia has a baby Goofy that a friend brought back for her while I was pregnant, so I decided to get a baby Simba.

The next store on our list was Tren-D. Otaku finally gave in and tried the princess shirt she had been eyeing all week. She chose the Cinderella one. No picture now, but she wore it later on in the trip. I followed the advice and looked up at the beautiful lighting and artwork of that store.

We quickly walked through that sports store and Guest Relations (which was quite busy at the time) and arrived in Arribas. As we were looking at all the wonderful decorative glass pieces in there, I saw those crystal cubes in which you can have a picture of someone inserted. Rons one regret from a trip to Niagara Falls a few years prior was not getting one of those cubes as a souvenir. I decided to surprise him by getting him one with the faces of his two girls inside. No one was at the workstation so I asked a couple of CMs nearby and one of them, a nice young gentleman, came over with me. Taking a picture of Claudia proved to be challenging as she had to stay still for at least 5 seconds. Anyone who has had a baby knows that is close to impossible. First the CM told me to sit her on my lap, but it wasnt working. Then we tried to have her sit on Otaku instead while I stood right next to the CM, behind the camera. It worked! She even was smiling! It wasnt perfect, but the CM said he would work his magic.

That CM was so nice. He somehow recognized my accent and said he had family in my area. He had the nametag Chris from Orlando, which I know is codename for I forgot my real nametag so I have no idea if he himself was from my area. When it was time to pay he gave me a discount! He did not charge me extra for the second picture/person. He called it the Quebecois discount. After I came back from the trip I sent an email to guest relation saying how nice that CM had been. I didnt have his real name, but I hope they were able to find him.

Next we went somewhere I had been wanting to go for a long time:

I had a Mint Bliss sundae and Otaku had a chocolate Quake Shake.

I dont know about hers, but mine was divine! It was ginormous though and I could not finish it.

I would have been fine with leaving at that point, but Otaku wanted to check out World of Disney. We were so busy shopping that I only took this one picture.

We bought even more stuff, though I dont even remember what exactly. Thank god for shipping to the resort! You should have seen me the next day when I went to the Beach Club Marketplace to retrieve my gazillion bags!

Just before we left DTD we stopped by Art of Disney.

I saw about 10 things I would have bought if I were rich, but settled on an artwork representing Disney at Christmas time. Otaku saw the Design-A-Tee kiosks and quickly created a design with Mulan. We took a redneck photo of it.

We walked to the Marketplace bus stop and waited a few minutes for the bus.

It took a while to come back to the resort because I had the BRIGHT (read DUMB) idea to get off at the Swan (or is that the Dolphin? The first one we stopped at) and walk the rest of the way. I thought it would be faster. WRONG! My poor little feet were hurting after this.

We hung out in the room for a little while. Despite his long nap Ron was not feeling better. It was his turn to be sick. (Thankfully it never got as bad as me). At about 6pm, Otaku and I headed to Epcot. We loved being able to go there on a whim!


​

 

[Tiggerrn2]

I had fallen a bit behind. All caught up now! Loved the photo with Claudia watching the Nemo show. In spite of the crowds, and the fact that you all weren't feeling the greatest, still it seems as if you are getting a lot of things accomplished.

 

[MrsDrewsky]

It looks like you girls had fun shopping. I love DTD, I am interested to see what changes will come with "Disney Springs."

How do you like your mei tai? The last thing I need is a baby carrier, and I was thinking of getting a mei tai. How old was Claudia when you first started using the carrier? Sorry, lots of questions!

 

[shan23877]

Sorry I got behind! I loved hearing about how much Otaku enjoyed World Showcase!

Yay for a girls' shopping day! The Christmas store is heck the wallet isn't it? I could spend so much money in there...

Are you hinting at something miss? Any baby news you'd like to share with us?