Who Turned on the Heat?! Our sweaty 2 weeks in May! Final Thoughts. - The DIS Discussion Forums

chicagoshannon · 05-17-2009, 01:52 PM

Hello! This is my first TR. Lets start with the cast:

ME: Shannon (I'm in the green) 31. I'm a stay at home mom but have my bachelors in nursing and will return to that someday. I love scrapbooking, tv, shopping, and playing with DD. This will be my 14th or so trip to Disney. But will be my first time back since our honeymoon in 2004.

DH: Eric (brown sweater one step up from me) 32. He's a software engineer. Basically he writes computer programs. He tolerates Disney, but says he has to have at least 2 years between trips. He has been to Disney 3 times. He loves video games and TV.

DD: Madeline (cutey in the front of the picture) turned 2 a month before our trip. This will be her first trip. She loves "Mermaid" and Mickey Mouse clubhouse. She discovered a new love for Belle and Chip and Dale on our trip. She is full of energy. She loves to say please and thank you.

my mom (DM): Carol (in the red sweater at top of step)- 59. She works extremely hard and puts in way more then 40 hours at her job. She's been there for 36 or 37 years and is so ready to retire but is trying to hold out until she's 62. She deserved this vacation more then anyone. She even had to take some work with her.

My dad (DG for dear grandpa) Dave (he's at the top of the steps) 59. He's the Disney instigator. It's his fault I love it so much. He's a retired social worker. He forced us to go every Christmas from the time I was in 5th grade until I graduated college. He also took us every other September from the time I was 1 or so. He loves Disney but also complains the whole time about the prices. It's pretty funny.

The other 2 people in the picture are my sister and bil. For a while we thought my sister would come with us but that didn't happen.

Our Trip was from May 2-16. We drove down from Illinois in my parents (brand new) mini-van.

If you want to read more of our before trip plans you can check out my PTR here:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2101816

Next up: Day 1 the drive.

tiggerfan6 · 05-17-2009, 01:58 PM

oh im the 1st 2 post? excited!!!!
Can't wait to read your TR, your dd is a cutie!
Erica

chicagoshannon · 05-17-2009, 02:03 PM

Thanks! I'm going to try to get the first day up in just a bit.

disneymoon_0307 · 05-17-2009, 02:03 PM

Can't wait to hear all about it. I'm so sorry DD is sick...I hope she's feeling better.

longing2Batdisney · 05-17-2009, 02:05 PM

subbing...can't wait to hear all about your trip...

lisalonglash · 05-17-2009, 02:16 PM

Woohooo, I'm in!

chicagoshannon · 05-17-2009, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by disneymoon_0307

Can't wait to hear all about it. I'm so sorry DD is sick...I hope she's feeling better.

Thanks. Madeline's fever is gone and she seems reasonably better. She's pretty crabby but I can't tell if that's because she still feels sick or because she's 2.

Quote:

Originally Posted by longing2Batdisney

subbing...can't wait to hear all about your trip...

Next installment will be up soon if my computer cooperates.

chicagoshannon · 05-17-2009, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lisalonglash

Woohooo, I'm in!

Thanks for joining and Welcome!

wlwilliams9 · 05-17-2009, 02:23 PM

Aww! I hope Madeline is feeling better soon. Emily was throwing up last night and this morning, but she made it through our flight and has eaten lunch with no problems so I thinking it may have been a combo of chocolate milk and gummy fish! I can't wait to read about all of your adventures at Disney!

chicagoshannon · 05-17-2009, 02:41 PM

Let's back up to the night before. My mom and I were supposed to get pedicure's but because the swine flu had hit my area I didn't want to risk getting sick for our trip. So instead we just packed up the van with all of our stuff.

We attempted to go to bed early because we planned to be out the door at 4am. I think we ended up going to bed around 9pm but not falling asleep until after 10pm. Eric said "I'm too excited to sleep".

Indeed we were. I think we both woke up at least 3 times during the short night. I think I gave up sleeping around 3am. My mom gave up soon after and we were ready to go early.

At 3:45am we were on the road. We planned to stop at Dinosaur World in Cave City, Kentucky around 10 am. The Kentucky Derby was going on this day so we weren't sure if we'd hit traffic or not. Luckily we didn't.

Around 9am we rolled into Kentucky.

It was raining and didn't look like it would stop anytime soon. We decided we wouldn't be able to stop at Dinosaur World after all. I was pretty disappointed. Here are some more Kentucky sights.

Here's Madeline VERY excited to be going to Disney:

At this point it was still about 60 degrees outside. We still needed a light jacket to keep warm. We stopped at Hardees for lunch, I think in Peducah. We drove through Atlanta and saw a homeless person sleeping under the over pass. That was different. We hit a little traffic because of a baseball game I guess.

We ended up stopping in Byron, Georgia for the night. We got a "suite" at the Best Western. Only problem was there was only a sort of half wall between the living room and bedroom. Oh well we just wanted to sleep. It was somewhere between 6 and 7pm when we stopped.

Madeline was very happy to be out of the car.

see the "wall" between the living room and bedroom.

We went to Waffle House for supper. Eric trained Madeline to ask for Waffle House whenever we inquired where to eat for the day.

We were all sleeping by about 10pm I think. It was hardest to get Madeline down for the night. Would this be a theme?

Day 2: Are we there yet? or The antibiotics kick in.

chicagoshannon · 05-17-2009, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wlwilliams9

Aww! I hope Madeline is feeling better soon. Emily was throwing up last night and this morning, but she made it through our flight and has eaten lunch with no problems so I thinking it may have been a combo of chocolate milk and gummy fish! I can't wait to read about all of your adventures at Disney!

I'm glad she's feeling better. Madeline actually threw up Friday night at the hotel and then again yesterday at lunch. Thank God we weren't in the car. YUCK! Also, I was thankful that we were just 3 hours from home when I noticed the fever and had the 2nd throwing up incident. She managed to puke on my pants so more then 3 hours in the car in those pants wouldn't have been fun.

longing2Batdisney · 05-17-2009, 02:51 PM

Great start!!!

take it ya'll don't have homeless on the streets...common for our area...maybe its the warmer climates..."Waffle House" Danny's favorite, too! hope Ashton dosn't learn that one

(although its not so bad now that they posted "NO SMOKING"--I can't handle smoke when I eat)...

Oh well great pics!

...off to work I go... Danny and I are cleaning the floors and windows today!

chicagoshannon · 05-17-2009, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by longing2Batdisney

Great start!!!

take it ya'll don't have homeless on the streets...common for our area...maybe its the warmer climates..."Waffle House" Danny's favorite, too! hope Ashton dosn't learn that one

(although its not so bad now that they posted "NO SMOKING"--I can't handle smoke when I eat)...

Oh well great pics!

...off to work I go... Danny and I are cleaning the floors and windows today!

We have a lot of homeless in Chicago but they all tend to sleep under ground because it's warmer. I guess I found it odd that someone was sleeping there at about 4pm.

Have fun cleaning. It's almost time for your trip.

BTDTGB · 05-17-2009, 03:22 PM

Hope you and your family had a great trip. I can't wait to read more. If it would not be too much trouble can you give your opinion of the crowds compared to touring guides. We will be there next week and we can't believe it will be as busy as touring guide is reporting. They have recently been dropped from 8's and 9's to 9's through 6's, but I would like to get your opinion.

chicagoshannon · 05-17-2009, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BTDTGB

Hope you and your family had a great trip. I can't wait to read more. If it would not be too much trouble can you give your opinion of the crowds compared to touring guides. We will be there next week and we can't believe it will be as busy as touring guide is reporting. They have recently been dropped from 8's and 9's to 9's through 6's, but I would like to get your opinion.

It was supposed to be 8's and 9's when we were there. If you were to show up to MK in fantasy land at 1pm then yes it was an 8 or so. BUT we got there early and it wasn't bad at all. I'd say maybe 6 and sometimes 7's. We followed the recommended days and it worked out well. We went to the MK one afternoon on an Epcot recommended day and it was VERY busy in fantasy land. We had to wait for the merry go round and had to wait 15 minutes for Snow White. We didn't stay long.

05-17-2009, 01:52 PM	#1
chicagoshannon DIS Veteran Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 2,509	Who Turned on the Heat?! Our sweaty 2 weeks in May! Final Thoughts. Hello! This is my first TR. Lets start with the cast: ME: Shannon (I'm in the green) 31. I'm a stay at home mom but have my bachelors in nursing and will return to that someday. I love scrapbooking, tv, shopping, and playing with DD. This will be my 14th or so trip to Disney. But will be my first time back since our honeymoon in 2004. DH: Eric (brown sweater one step up from me) 32. He's a software engineer. Basically he writes computer programs. He tolerates Disney, but says he has to have at least 2 years between trips. He has been to Disney 3 times. He loves video games and TV. DD: Madeline (cutey in the front of the picture) turned 2 a month before our trip. This will be her first trip. She loves "Mermaid" and Mickey Mouse clubhouse. She discovered a new love for Belle and Chip and Dale on our trip. She is full of energy. She loves to say please and thank you. my mom (DM): Carol (in the red sweater at top of step)- 59. She works extremely hard and puts in way more then 40 hours at her job. She's been there for 36 or 37 years and is so ready to retire but is trying to hold out until she's 62. She deserved this vacation more then anyone. She even had to take some work with her. My dad (DG for dear grandpa) Dave (he's at the top of the steps) 59. He's the Disney instigator. It's his fault I love it so much. He's a retired social worker. He forced us to go every Christmas from the time I was in 5th grade until I graduated college. He also took us every other September from the time I was 1 or so. He loves Disney but also complains the whole time about the prices. It's pretty funny. The other 2 people in the picture are my sister and bil. For a while we thought my sister would come with us but that didn't happen. Our Trip was from May 2-16. We drove down from Illinois in my parents (brand new) mini-van. If you want to read more of our before trip plans you can check out my PTR here: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2101816 Next up: Day 1 the drive. __________________ Me 35DH 36DD 6 DS 2 Last edited by chicagoshannon; 06-04-2009 at 09:37 PM.

05-17-2009, 01:58 PM	#2
tiggerfan6 Wishing upon a star Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: WNY Posts: 268	oh im the 1st 2 post? excited!!!! Can't wait to read your TR, your dd is a cutie! Erica __________________ All-Star Music October1999 All-Star Movies November 2002 POP Century November 2009 Next trip: Nov. 2013

05-17-2009, 02:03 PM	#3
chicagoshannon DIS Veteran Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 2,509	Thanks! I'm going to try to get the first day up in just a bit. __________________ Me 35DH 36DD 6 DS 2

05-17-2009, 02:03 PM	#4
disneymoon_0307 Disney World is my 2nd home!!! Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Alabama Posts: 336	Can't wait to hear all about it. I'm so sorry DD is sick...I hope she's feeling better. __________________ [img]http://www.********************/timers/tickers/iz6mrfqhgth9e2o7.png[/img] May 2003-First time to Disney World-Offsite with high school band for Disney's Magic Music Days June 2004-Contemporary May 2005-POR and WL-Dad and Sister's birthday September 2006-POP-First time to Disney World with my fiance.September 2007-Coronado-First MNSSHPMay 2008-Our Disneymoon

05-17-2009, 02:05 PM	#5
longing2Batdisney DIS Veteran Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: 662 mi from my dreams! Posts: 4,515	subbing...can't wait to hear all about your trip... __________________ PTR:nursing school stress~~de-stressor? DISNEY OF COURSE! new dates: May 13-18, 2012!!! pd in full! we're going BACK TO DISNEY! TR! with the wind blowin', the sun shinin', we were Soarin' on our magical celebration! We FINALLY made it back to WDW-May 09 PTR&TR

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05-17-2009, 02:16 PM	#6
lisalonglash I have a thing for actors nobody else thinks are yummalicious Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Lower Mainland, BC, Canada Posts: 2,204	Woohooo, I'm in! __________________ Lisa P. Me and dh Ds#1(14yo) Ds#2(10yo) September 2014 - Disney World w/FD (POFQ) September 2009 - Disney World w/FD(ASMu) October 2008 - Disney World (ASSp) May 2007 - Disneyland Resort Paris (off-site in Paris)

05-17-2009, 02:23 PM	#9
wlwilliams9 "It's green and evil...I call it greevil!!" -Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: 1161.12 miles north of the castle Posts: 2,402	Aww! I hope Madeline is feeling better soon. Emily was throwing up last night and this morning, but she made it through our flight and has eaten lunch with no problems so I thinking it may have been a combo of chocolate milk and gummy fish! I can't wait to read about all of your adventures at Disney! __________________ Wendy(38): Mike(38): Emily(6):Eva(3): Disney Vacation Specialist - www.facebook.com/wendy.fte wendy@fairytaleescapes.com or (734) FUN-0095

05-17-2009, 02:41 PM	#10
chicagoshannon DIS Veteran Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 2,509	The Drive. Let's back up to the night before. My mom and I were supposed to get pedicure's but because the swine flu had hit my area I didn't want to risk getting sick for our trip. So instead we just packed up the van with all of our stuff. We attempted to go to bed early because we planned to be out the door at 4am. I think we ended up going to bed around 9pm but not falling asleep until after 10pm. Eric said "I'm too excited to sleep". Indeed we were. I think we both woke up at least 3 times during the short night. I think I gave up sleeping around 3am. My mom gave up soon after and we were ready to go early. At 3:45am we were on the road. We planned to stop at Dinosaur World in Cave City, Kentucky around 10 am. The Kentucky Derby was going on this day so we weren't sure if we'd hit traffic or not. Luckily we didn't. Around 9am we rolled into Kentucky. It was raining and didn't look like it would stop anytime soon. We decided we wouldn't be able to stop at Dinosaur World after all. I was pretty disappointed. Here are some more Kentucky sights. Here's Madeline VERY excited to be going to Disney: At this point it was still about 60 degrees outside. We still needed a light jacket to keep warm. We stopped at Hardees for lunch, I think in Peducah. We drove through Atlanta and saw a homeless person sleeping under the over pass. That was different. We hit a little traffic because of a baseball game I guess. We ended up stopping in Byron, Georgia for the night. We got a "suite" at the Best Western. Only problem was there was only a sort of half wall between the living room and bedroom. Oh well we just wanted to sleep. It was somewhere between 6 and 7pm when we stopped. Madeline was very happy to be out of the car. see the "wall" between the living room and bedroom. We went to Waffle House for supper. Eric trained Madeline to ask for Waffle House whenever we inquired where to eat for the day. We were all sleeping by about 10pm I think. It was hardest to get Madeline down for the night. Would this be a theme? Day 2: Are we there yet? or The antibiotics kick in. __________________ Me 35DH 36DD 6 DS 2

05-17-2009, 02:51 PM	#12
longing2Batdisney DIS Veteran Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: 662 mi from my dreams! Posts: 4,515	Great start!!! take it ya'll don't have homeless on the streets...common for our area...maybe its the warmer climates..."Waffle House" Danny's favorite, too! hope Ashton dosn't learn that one (although its not so bad now that they posted "NO SMOKING"--I can't handle smoke when I eat)... Oh well great pics!...off to work I go... Danny and I are cleaning the floors and windows today! __________________ PTR:nursing school stress~~de-stressor? DISNEY OF COURSE! new dates: May 13-18, 2012!!! pd in full! we're going BACK TO DISNEY! TR! with the wind blowin', the sun shinin', we were Soarin' on our magical celebration! We FINALLY made it back to WDW-May 09 PTR&TR

05-17-2009, 03:22 PM	#14
BTDTGB Future Mayor of Main Street Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Lafayette, LA Posts: 213	Hope you and your family had a great trip. I can't wait to read more. If it would not be too much trouble can you give your opinion of the crowds compared to touring guides. We will be there next week and we can't believe it will be as busy as touring guide is reporting. They have recently been dropped from 8's and 9's to 9's through 6's, but I would like to get your opinion. __________________ Been there, Done that, Going back, again and again and again... Disney: POP 2012, POP 2011, ASSp 2009, ASMu 2008, POP 2007, ASMo 2006, Polynesian 1980, Fort Wilderness 1978, Off-site '01, '99, '86, '83 Universal Studios: Off-site 2011, 2010, 2008, 2006, 2004.

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