Too many TRICKS with a few TREATS! Our near non-vacation in October!

[4lildreamers]

I was hoping things got better!! I don't blame you one bit or think you were being selfish. We all get such high hopes for our WDW vacations after all that intense planning. I would be so disappointed, too, for all involved, myself included!

Thank you for your encouragement! Thanks for the virtual hug too!

 

[shalom]

Kidney stones? At DISNEY?

Glad to hear that they only caused discomfort rather than serious pain, though. If you must have a kidney stone on vacation, that's the way to go.

The Ariel dress looks cute and comfy -- I don't know how kids stand the "official" ones, I'd have been miserable in them as a kid. The picture of your daughter holding your son's hand at Belle's is so cute!

It breaks my heart when I've planned something nice for one of the kids and they're sick or it otherwise doesn't work out. Much bigger disappointment than when I've planned something "for me" and it goes wonky. Part of being a parent, I guess.

My mom is really good at looking back at things that weren't so hot at the time and "seeing past" being sick or whatever to the intentions, so her memories are often terrific even if the experience wasn't. With my mom, it really is "the thought that counts". Maybe your daughter will end up remembering her dinner in the Castle that way, so that it becomes a cool experience in retrospect.

My mom's memory may work weird, but it's right in that the fact that you cared enough to try to do that for your daughter is a valuable thing in itself. The working world may demand performance, but when it comes to showing love, intentions really can matter as much as results.

 

[RGirl]

Joining in!

Wow - I sure hope things start looking up for y'all.

I had kidney stones once, and it was an AWFUL experience. I sure hope your DH makes it through the vacation without having to deal with the full brunt of kidney stones.

And your poor little DD. And DS too. And you! I totally know what you mean about how you plan these great things and dream about seeing their reactions - it's harder when those things don't go right than when something that you planned "for you" doesn't. Sure hope the rest of the trip is much better!

 

[4lildreamers]

Day FOUR: Tuesday: A light at the end of the tunnel….. And a little Hoop Dee Do.

I left off on worrying if my daughter would still be sick today and need to go to a clinic or hospital after spending a miserable (and very unproductive day) at MK.

Luckily, Tuesday was a day we had planned for no parks and we were just going to explore the hotel and do whatever we wanted—because we had planned on being at the park until 11 the night before.

What was that saying again about making plans???? Oh yeah, I remember, sometimes they don’t go the way you expected.

We had vowed when we were planning this trip that we were not going commando! So, we planned in days to enjoy the resort. Having a day off worked out well for allowing DD to recover from whatever had befallen her.

Everyone slept well even though I kept expecting DD to wake me up sick----and b/c she had slept 3 hours the day before I thought she would have trouble sleeping that night as well. But she didn’t.

I made a whole box of chocolate-chip pancakes for breakfast (hey, we’re on vacation!) and put the rest in the fridge for breakfast the rest of the week. But DD ate a little applesauce and toast I gave her b/c I was still worried about her tummy. DS ate about 4 pancakes! Guess he was hungry!

That morning, DD was feeling better in her tummy----no nausea----but was complaining about her side and now her lower back hurting. She also woke up with another slight fever. We started worrying about appendicitis. We considered taking her to the doctor but besides being achy she wasn’t highly feverish or throwing up so we decided to just watch her closely. We even talked to the front desk about our options for care so we would be prepared if need be.

SIDE NOTE: Did you know that they have a doctor that can come to your room??? Who knew! You have to pay for it of course. However, the resort will pay for you ambulance if you are in need of one.

Sadly my husband and I decided to cancel all the reservations we had for Wednesday at Hollywood Studios. Since we just didn’t know what was going to happen with DD, we wanted to cancel with the one day advance notice so we wouldn’t be charged.

We canceled Hollywood and Vine for breakfast (I was so excited to do this with DS who loves Jake), Hollywood Brown Derby Dinning with and Imaginer for my DH for lunch and 50’s Prime Time Café for dinner. Bummer!

I was super sad about canceling Hollywood and Vine. My little dude loved Jake (and was Jake for Halloween). I doubt he will still be obsessed with Jake next year. I consoled myself with the fact that he didn’t know what he was missing. Le sigh.

Did I say I made all these reservations 180 before the trip and was on the phone for almost 2 hours getting everything laid out????

They had not bathed the night before b/c I just threw them in bed so I let them put on their bathing suits in the morning and take a bath/swim in the Jacuzzi tub! They loved it. But some black mold came through the jets when I turned them on. I’ve never had a Jacuzzi tub so maybe that black stuff is common??? I don’t know but I made them shower afterwards because they had sat in the water!



I called housekeeping and they sent someone to clean it since I had no cleaner with me. This was really my ONLY complaint the whole week with our lodgings.

SIDE NOTE: I had never stayed in a room with a kitchen before so I was clueless about a lot of things. They do not have salt and pepper. They do not have ice makers. They do not have pizza cutters (that was fun). They do not have any type of Clorox wipes or cleaner. They do not come every day to clean, take the trash and change the beds.

However, they did have coffee, liquid detergent, paper towels, dish scrubber and laundry soap (two loads). So all in all the good outweighed the negative.

Kadani has a community room that has crafts, board games, computer games etc…for guests. So after their bathtub swim, and while DH worked, the kids and I headed downstairs and checked out the observation decks and then headed to the community room. We made some buttons and played some billiards.





I don’t remember what we had for lunch----cooking in the room, while saving you money, is not nearly as exciting as eating at the parks or a special restaurant. But we were fed.

DD kept asking to go swimming but I was worried that would be too taxing—and might hurt her side and back.

We headed over to Jambo house for cookie decorating at 1 pm and played the drums while we waited.



Decorating the cookies was a mess! My son chose black frosting (good grief) and shoved his hands in it and covered his face. I think he got more on his face than the cookies. But, they had fun. And DD stomach fared just fine---she only ate a little of it anyway.







We explored Jambo House a little. We had stayed here a few years ago during the Christmas season and it looked so different without all the decorations. But was stunning on its own.









I could tell by the way my daughter was gingerly walking that she was still hurting in her side and back. She had not run any fever since that morning and she was not nauseated and breakfast, lunch and a cookie had stayed down with no problem. So, I walked around with my fingers and toes crossed the whole day.

Finally though, I gave into her pleas and we went back to Kadani and jumped in the pool for a little while. I watched her closely and didn’t let her do too much but basically wade in the shallow end and float at first but then..............the pool games started.

And my daughter is COMPETITIVE! Lol

So, I let her play hoola hoop and the games b/c she wanted to and I figured she’d only do as much as she could. They went down the slides and had a great time!

Games:


All smiles on the slides.







One happy fish!



We headed back up to the room, showered and left at 5:00 for our 6:15 reservations at Hoop De Doo Revue at Fort Wilderness. We drove our car to Fort Wilderness b/c we would have had to ride too many buses otherwise. A little confusion getting there but we did ok.

After parking, we still had to ride a bus from the front of the park to the back. It was really cool to see all the campsites decorated for Halloween. Lights, inflatables….nice!

We got there right at 6. We waited until about 6:20 and they started calling us in.

I have no idea what they are doing in this picture while we are waiting---and both Stitchs came with us! LOL



The revue itself was a lot of fun! We were in the main floor in category 2. The seating was fine. We were able to see except for my son had trouble seeing over the adults in front of him. He ended up on my lap and then once I was done eating, sitting on the table in front of me. He wasn’t any taller than I was so I felt like he wasn’t blocking other’s view by being on the table.

The singing was wonderful, the acting was hilarious but the food wasn’t that great.

They served the same thing to everyone (which I knew). I was excited about fried chicken. We rarely eat anything fried and since I am originally from Texas, I do love me some fried chicken. However, it wasn’t that good to me, the ribs were super DRY, the corn and beans were……well, just regular corn and beans. Salad had too much dressing. Even the strawberry shortcake was just ok. The cornbread was the best thing to me.

But overall the entertainment was GREAT! And best of all, DD was feeling and acting like her old self---just walking a little carefully still. Both of them were shaking their Stitch stuffies to the beat!











DH was in rare form. He really let loose and relaxed. He was playing around with the kids. They love silly Daddy!

Here is a video of my silly dramatic kids and DH playing the piano. Flourishes at the end and all! You can hear me giggling at them! It was sooooo fun. While I didn't love the food, the show itself was a lot of fun and it was a wonderful time with my family.

http://s1284.photobucket.com/user/trishanj/media/Oct 2013 and MNSSHP/_DSC0318_zpsed3e7f56.mp4.html?sort=9&o=463

Back to the hotel we went. We watched a little Stacey and then headed to bed--a little early.

Whew, we made it through without any more doctor’s visits. Hollywood Studios is on the schedule for Wednesday but now we have no plans.

How’s it going to work out? Any more catastrophes? Will DH start passing his kidney stone and end up curled on the ground screaming??? Or are we FINALLY done with these setbacks?

 

[4lildreamers]

Kidney stones? At DISNEY?

Glad to hear that they only caused discomfort rather than serious pain, though. If you must have a kidney stone on vacation, that's the way to go.

He still hasn't passed it!

The Ariel dress looks cute and comfy -- I don't know how kids stand the "official" ones, I'd have been miserable in them as a kid. The picture of your daughter holding your son's hand at Belle's is so cute!

The dress worked well---it was too big for her and I had to pin the back. However, maybe that means she can wear it next year?!?!?! And I love it when my kids are being sweet together. Sadly it doesn't come often enough for me!

It breaks my heart when I've planned something nice for one of the kids and they're sick or it otherwise doesn't work out. Much bigger disappointment than when I've planned something "for me" and it goes wonky. Part of being a parent, I guess.

Agree!

My mom is really good at looking back at things that weren't so hot at the time and "seeing past" being sick or whatever to the intentions, so her memories are often terrific even if the experience wasn't. With my mom, it really is "the thought that counts". Maybe your daughter will end up remembering her dinner in the Castle that way, so that it becomes a cool experience in retrospect.

I sure hope so! I am one who tries to look at the positive side of things as well.

My mom's memory may work weird, but it's right in that the fact that you cared enough to try to do that for your daughter is a valuable thing in itself. The working world may demand performance, but when it comes to showing love, intentions really can matter as much as results.

Thank you! I hope my DD does appreciate the things we do for her. I work hard at instilling that in her.

Thanks for following along!

 

[4lildreamers]

Joining in!

Wow - I sure hope things start looking up for y'all.

I am sure it will! hint hint--lol

I had kidney stones once, and it was an AWFUL experience. I sure hope your DH makes it through the vacation without having to deal with the full brunt of kidney stones.


And your poor little DD. And DS too. And you! I totally know what you mean about how you plan these great things and dream about seeing their reactions - it's harder when those things don't go right than when something that you planned "for you" doesn't. Sure hope the rest of the trip is much better!

Thank you! Yes, it was hard on my Mama heart when it didn't work out.

 

[kimbo0569]

So sorry to hear that your dh and dd were not doing well during the first two days of your vacation. I hope you were able to salvage the rest of it. We were there from 10/18-10/23. And I understand what you mean about the kids "growing out of things". My oldest daughter loved the princesses when we were there last in 2008, she was 6.5 and my youngest daughter was 3 - though she is sooo anti-princess. This time they were 11.5 and 8 and all they wanted were the rides.

My oldest daughter and my dh also noticed the "wonky" eye on Ariel on the LM ride. My daughter said she was cross eyed

 

[dreamerjlee]

Aww, your poor DD. I hope she is feeling better by HS it is never fun to be sick at Disney, or to be there with sick kids. We went for my graduation from College with my mom's whole family, and my youngest cousin 7 at the time was so sick the final day, she had to go to a health clinic. Disney is great at getting transportation and all of this taken care of.

I am hoping for a post of everyone feeling lots better!!

 

[4lildreamers]

So sorry to hear that your dh and dd were not doing well during the first two days of your vacation. I hope you were able to salvage the rest of it. We were there from 10/18-10/23. And I understand what you mean about the kids "growing out of things". My oldest daughter loved the princesses when we were there last in 2008, she was 6.5 and my youngest daughter was 3 - though she is sooo anti-princess. This time they were 11.5 and 8 and all they wanted were the rides.

I think our next trip will be more about rides---my DD is much more adventurous and daring however, than my DS. I think it might be b/c we "baby" him a little more than we did her---he's our last little one!!! waaaaa LOL

It is so sad when they outgrow things. Bittersweet!

My oldest daughter and my dh also noticed the "wonky" eye on Ariel on the LM ride. My daughter said she was cross eyed

It was disturbing! LOL Cool that we were there at the same time.

 

[4lildreamers]

Aww, your poor DD. I hope she is feeling better by HS it is never fun to be sick at Disney, or to be there with sick kids. We went for my graduation from College with my mom's whole family, and my youngest cousin 7 at the time was so sick the final day, she had to go to a health clinic. Disney is great at getting transportation and all of this taken care of.

I am hoping for a post of everyone feeling lots better!!

Thanks for reading along. I was so happy to see her feeling better on this day but I was also like "dang it, why couldn't it have been on Monday when we were in MK!??!?!" LOL

I hope your cousin got better quickly and it was nothing serious. And yes, Disney does a great job taking care of their guests.

 

[kimbo0569]

I think our next trip will be more about rides---my DD is much more adventurous and daring however, than my DS. I think it might be b/c we "baby" him a little more than we did her---he's our last little one!!! waaaaa LOL

It is so sad when they outgrow things. Bittersweet!

It is bittersweet and I was a bit sad that we didn't get to see as many characters this time because they just weren't into it. On the flip side, now that my youngest was older and taller, she was able to go on more things - ie - Space Mountain, Splash Mtn and a lot of other things that she loved! So we were able to enjoy them altogether.

My oldest daughter and my dh also noticed the "wonky" eye on Ariel on the LM ride. My daughter said she was cross eyed

It was disturbing! LOL Cool that we were there at the same time.

It was pretty cool! The girls are already planning their next trip back...if we can swing it, we'd like to try Wilderness Lodge, otherwise it's back to Coronado or Caribbean beach
__________________

 

[4lildreamers]

So sorry it has taken me so long to get the next installment out. We have had some upheavals here in NC. Both our cars decided that right before the Holiday season would be a great time to break down. $600+ for my car and $2500 for DH car! Sheesh!

Anyway, then DH's brother and GF came for Thanksgiving up from Atlanta. My kids LOVE LOVE LOVE Uncle Tim! I think we need to plan a trip with him to Disney! He is so great with them. But that is part of why I haven't been on to update. So sorry.

We were tentatively planning our next trip for September-ish with DH sister and kids. However she just got engaged (YAY) so I am thinking her money is going to be directed in a different direction! So, who knows.

But anyway-----here's the next update.

Day FIVE: Wednesday: Hollywood Studios with no plans---just winging it.


We were once again up bright and early. Can’t they ever let me sleep in?? LOL

Hollywood Studios was scheduled for today—Wednesday--- and again we were headed for rope drop at 8:45. In fact we got there early (go buses!) and stood in line for about 20 minutes. (poo) But we were 3rd or so in that line which was great.

DS kept calling our Magic bands “Mickey-Mickeys” because the first day when we checked in at the resort, the CM said, “Put Mickey to Mickey.” He called it that the whole time. He’d ask, “Where’s my Mickey-Mickey?” It was super cute and when we were waiting at the turnstiles the people around us got a kick out of it as well. The CM manning the turnstile thought it was cute and said from now on he’d call it that!

Here are the "Mickey-Mickey" scanners.



We really like HS and feel like it is a much more laid-back park—especially now since we had NO reservations. And don’t think for a minute I wasn't regretting canceling everything since DD was doing A-ok today!!! Dang it! Why did I cancel all our ADR’s?????

The only thing we felt we HAD to do was the Jedi Training Academy for our kids.



We were very excited (especially DH) to sign our DS and DD up for the Jedi Training. DD couldn’t run with her back and side hurting (still—but not as much) so as soon as they let us in, DH ran off to sign them up while I hurried to get fast passes for Toy Story Mania. And man was it manic!

Just as I was about to get to the machine, DH called and said I needed to bring the kids b/c they had to be present when signing up. Darn it. So I jumped out of line and headed over. There were only 3-4 people ahead of me so I should have just stayed for those few minutes and gotten FP, but I didn’t. In hindsight I wish I would have taken the extra 2-3 minutes to go ahead and get the FP but DH was in a tizzy---he was on a mission!!!

Now I know this is a hot topic but DH saved out place in line and we “excused” ourselves through everyone to get to him. I am sure they felt like we were awful line skippers. I am sorry if you were the ones we skipped. With DD not being able to run and her day at MK already ruined, I was not about to lose Jedi Training Academy and ruin my DS’s day. Just for the record, this is not something we’d normally do. Luckily we got to the Sound Studio, where the Jedi Training sign-ups were, in time and got our training time for 12:15.



We went back to try and get fast passes for Toy Story and they were all out except for 6-7 o’clock. We knew we couldn't go that late if we wanted to go to Fatasmic so we passed and decided we would try late—and never made it back bc the wait was never under 60 minutes and we saw it as high as 75 minutes. Amazing! I like the ride—I do. But seriously, THAT popular that you would wait 75 minutes?? I don’t get it. But that’s just me.

What do you love so much about Toy Story?

Our handy dandy Disney app was very helpful in all these “wait time” checks.

Since we were over there, we saw that the new show, Legend of Jack Sparrow, didn’t have many people in line so we jumped in line since DS loves anything pirate related. It was under-whelming. It was ok, but you just stand there and watch and listen. The affects were ok and the guy who played Jack was great! But it was just average. When it was done and they opened the doors for us to go out, DD asked, “That’s it?” Yup that’s how we all felt. We kept waiting for something more.



Next, we watched the Voyage of the Little Mermaid show, which all of us love. We were right up to the stage on the side, so they weren't great seats, but we enjoyed it anyway. DS got a little nervous when Ursula came out but was fine as long as I held him. My DD is the much more adventurous one.



We then rode the Great Movie Ride. DD was excited to ride this one since she had been watching videos weeks and weeks before the trip and had seen someone’s home video showing the guide being kidnapped. She thought that was super cool. Our guide was not as good of an actor as the one on the video however. But they still enjoyed it.

Next came Muppet Vision 3D. What can I say? Corny, silly and fun! DS especially enjoyed the 3D and kept trying to grab things. DD was super impressed by the holes that appeared in the wall. And DH and I enjoyed the flashback to our childhood. I still hate the holding pen though.

Since we had been up early, we were hungry so we ate at the ABC Commissary (BLECH) and then headed over for our Jedi Training.

The waiting-for-the-show-to-start was the WORST. We had to get to the sound stage at 12:15 so they could talk to the kids, pass out the robes, head over to the stage and then WAIT some more.

Robes:


DS had a LOT to say to this CM. I don't remember everything he was talking about but this wonderful man just listened and nodded and oooohhhed and aaaaahed and DS ATE it up. He loved the attention. Bless you CM whoever you are.




Waiting and instructions




I think the actual show started at 1:00. It was pretty hot –but not brutal--but there was no shade. We were super excited about seeing our munchkins train though.

It was at this point I realized I HAD FORGOTTEN MY CAMERA BATTERY! I had left it in the charger at the hotel.

Here we were doing this incredible thing that we had planned for months for our kiddos and I can’t even take decent pictures! I am a picture taking fool and you are just lucky this whole trip report isn’t ALL pictures! LOL

So there was a definite lack of good camera equipment, Ahhhhh!! My phone was almost full (Yes, I take a lot of pictures) and my DD’s point and shoot was cheap---it would take 500 years to charge the flash and another 100 years to take the picture (and I couldn’t figure out how to turn off the flash so I didn’t have to wait for it). DH did take some on his phone and some video as well----then his phone died. And sadly, the PP pictures weren’t very good either. Oh well. One more bump in the road.

I carried that dumb big camera around all day and couldn’t do a thing with it. In case you are wondering it is a Nikon D5100.

But anyway, back to the KIDS! Which is why we were doing Jedi training anyway so I will stop my sob story! LOL

While they waited to go on the stage, they were asking trivia questions and stuff to keep the kids entertained. Did I mention DD is competitive? You can see her raising her arm as high as it would go to try and answer the questions.

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Finally onto the stage:

Taking the Jedi Oath:






They did great and it was so much fun for them. DS even raised his hand to fight Darth Vader first! My fearless boy! (sometimes! LOL)

First up and getting instructions. He was a little nervous.



Engage!



DS fights Darth:



DS was smiling like crazy and DD was getting all into the fighting Darth Vader part and she kicked his tail. She had the routine DOWN.

Somehow I missed a picture of DD fighting. It might be on DH phone.

Sorry for the crappy phone pictures.

They rode Star Tours afterwards (I cannot ride simulation rides unless you want me to vomit on you).

In the ride dump store, DH was excited to build a light saber with DS---something he had wanted to do for a while. The store was super crowded though and the CM rushed them through it which disappointed DH. Again, an experience that didn’t go as planned. Ah, expectations.

Another pictures of them with their light sabers is on DH phone. Sigh.

After wards we had to do this of course:





DD was ready for the Tower of Terror by then and this was the first year she wanted to ride it---even though I think she was tall enough 2 years ago. Since she was still achy I was hesitant but she wanted to so badly and kept saying she was fine. I gave in to her excitement and let her. She was fine and I was glad I did! She LOVED it.

So while DS and DH headed over to ride that DS and I watched the 3 o’clock Beauty and the Beast Stage production. DS wasn’t quite ready for ToT even though he was probably tall enough as well. I would have preferred the parade they usually have at 3 but apparently it was canceled for some reason.

Here’s DS and I being goofy while we wait for Beauty and the Beast to start. We were sitting way in the back in the sun and ended up leaving early bc we were HOT.





We all got done with our things around the same time and rushed over for the 4 o’clock Extreme Stunt Show per DH’s request---YAWN—this is one show I can do without. We missed the beginning but DS thought it was super cool. We definitely got in some exercise walking up and down those stairs!

We had fast passes for Disney Jr. Live at 5:50 which I had gotten on my Magic Bands online a few days before we left. So we headed back that direction (we were ALL over the park and weren’t doing anything in any kind of order or pattern!)

Since we were a little early, we waited in the Sofia the First meet and Greet (DS loves her) but when DD and DH tried to sneak off he was super upset and wouldn’t stay in line and we were ALMOST there. Crud. So we got out of line.

We went ahead over to Disney Live and we waited in line for about 10-15 minutes but then were one of the first ones in. We sat up right at the line----for future references we will sit back some so we can see on to the stage better. That is if we ever do this show again since both my kids are growing out of Disney Jr.

No pictures here----sigh.

Disney Jr. Live was cute and DS really loved it –and so did DD. Especially the falling dubloons. But it is getting old and needs some updating. We were there 2 years ago and the Jake show is the same although they added Doc McStuffins since then. Poor Daisy’s head is coming undone at the seams. I am sure none of the children noticed.

Fantasmic was at 7:30 so we went back over by Tower of Terror and ate some junk there----park quick serve isn’t that great truthfully. DH had been wanting to get a turkey leg so we shared one. Kids got chicken nuggets and peanut butter jelly.

Fantasmic people are DIE HARD I tell you. There were already like 8000 people seated when we used our 7:15 fastpass. Good golly Miss Molly it was packed and there were soooooooooooo many people it was hard to move. We finally got to a seat way over to the left of the stage but really there isn’t a truly bad spot for watching this. It was SUPERB! My children were getting tired but this kept them entertained and they loved it. I would see this again and again. Incredible.

Afterwards, we moved and inch at a time with the rest of the herd, ahem, crowd, and made our way to the main street. I had read on the DISboards that it is better to go shopping at this time and let the buses clear out the massive crowds. I would rather shop than stand in line for a bus for 45 minutes!

So we did. We shopped---until they started closing and locking doors. There weren’t many people in there. I guess the mass wanted to get on out of the park. DS bought some Star Wars figures with his money. DD was eyeing the Princess “Barbie-like” dolls but couldn’t commit to spending that much money. I bought some earrings and out we went.

We headed out----with tears in our eyes---no seriously, we were all sad. And ended up waiting for our bus for about 10 minutes! SCORE!

So even though we have only a few pictures of the day, I felt like we had made it through the day mostly unscathed. I mean, seriously, it was better than spending the day at the hospital. Every cloud has a silver lining.

In bed around 10:30 for all of us.

Tomorrow there are no plans until 4 for MNSSHP! Dare I hope for no sickness, no aches and pains and a fun-filled night? Today had been a success and we were all smiling as we drifted off to sleep.

 

[Marsheliz]

We didn't get to do the Jedi training this past time.. I didn't know if my 5 year old was old enough but we will definitely do it next time. We didn't get to meet Sophia sadly either.. We got to DHS at night and for some reason everything shuts down early there. Oh and you are right about people being serious about Fantasmic. I almost didn't think we would be able to sit down.

I am glad that she started to feel better. How awful to feel bad in Disney..

I know you mentioned letting you know if I did a TR- I just started yesterday. Here is the link http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3207813

 

[4lildreamers]

We didn't get to do the Jedi training this past time.. I didn't know if my 5 year old was old enough but we will definitely do it next time. We didn't get to meet Sophia sadly either.. We got to DHS at night and for some reason everything shuts down early there. Oh and you are right about people being serious about Fantasmic. I almost didn't think we would be able to sit down.

I am glad that she started to feel better. How awful to feel bad in Disney..

I know you mentioned letting you know if I did a TR- I just started yesterday. Here is the link http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3207813

Checking out your TR right now. DS was 4.5 on this trip so I think your son would have been old enough. Thanks for sticking it out!

 

[4lildreamers]

Day SIX: Wednesday: MNSSHP: I want this day to be ALL Treats!


On Wednesday we spent the morning in the pool at Kadani and even ventured over to Jambo house to play in their pool. It was a lot of fun.

We had tickets for MNSSHP and could enter the park at 4 pm even though the party didn't officially start until 7. My kiddos were super excited and couldn't wait to get their costumes on and head back to MK.

I struggled with costumes for this trip b/c I was worried about the temperature. I wanted something that would be cool enough for the bright shinning sun when we got there but warm enough for the evening when the sun set. I ended up putting a light jacket in our bag for DD and I put leggings under her dress. For DS I chose a costume with pants but short sleeves. I tossed in a pair of shorts in our bag in case he got too hot.

DD had chosen to dress like Pocahontas and DS chose Jake from Jake and the Neverland Pirates.

Here is a picture of them dressed and waiting for the bus to take us to the party! We were all very excited.


We went right in---there were quite a few people arriving for the party but it wasn't a huge delay. I think most party-goers think you have to wait until 7.

We road some rides and headed over to Pirates of the Caribbean in Adventure Land. DS got a Jake sword at the ride dump.



DD wanted one too but we just took a picture instead!



We went to Fantasyland and road the Magic Carpet Ride. In case you don't know this one is pretty much the same thing at the Dumbo ride. It goes around and around and you can make the car go up and down. As you can see, I rode with DD and my husband road with DS. We ended up riding it twice because the lines were short.



Right there near the ride is the huge camel that spits on you. My kids LOVED this! I guess it is like playing in the sprinklers.





Then we headed over to ride It's a Small World ride in Fantasyland. This was DS second time to ride for the trip but DD hadn't ridden it b/c she had been sick.



Bad picture but their faces are happy!





We went to look at the newer section where Rapunzel's tower is.



We rode Haunted Mansion. I thought my son would be too scared for this but he did great. I pointed out as much as possible when something was about to jump out. He does NOT like being startled and I was afraid he would melt. But he did GREAT. So proud of my growing up boy.

It was starting to get dark by now and I was super excited to start the party.



We ate at Pinocchio Village House and sat by the windows so we could watch the IASW riders enter the ride.

By now they had opened up the treat stations for Trick-or-Treating. Here are the locations:

Trick or Treat Stations

• 
  
  
  • Adventureland
    • Jungle Cruise
    • Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room
    • Pirates of the Caribbean queue
  • Frontierland
    • Splash Mountain
    • Dock to Tom Sawyer Island
  • Liberty Square
    • Liberty Square Riverboat
  • Fantasyland
    • Peter Pan's Flight
    • Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid
    • Fantasyland Treat Trail
    • Pete's Silly Sideshow
  • Tomorrowland
    • Tomorrowland Speedway
    • Space Mountain
    • Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress
    • Stitch's Great Escape!

We circled through Fantasyland and into Adventurland hitting all the treat stations along the way. The crowds were super low and in some stations the CM let them go though as many times as they wanted.

We headed over to climb the Swiss Family Treehouse. This is a dark picture but here you go.




The decor throughout the park was fantastic. Here is a pumpkin projection on the buildings.



It was time for the 8:15 PARADE. We walked up through Liberty Square and claimed a spot on Main Street. The parade was perfect. My kids loved it and were dancing and pointing and squealing.

They had street performers in the street before the parade started to keep us entertained. Here is a video of us waiting for the parade to get to our section. Quality isn't that great but you will get the idea.

video: http://vid1284.photobucket.com/albums/a569/trishanj/Oct 2013 and MNSSHP/_DSC0373_zpsc5e1c83b.mp4

The Parade has finally reached us! DS watched from my husband's shoulders.

video: http://s1284.photobucket.com/user/trishanj/media/Oct 2013 and MNSSHP/_DSC0374_zps7de537b0.jpg.html?sort=9&o=463&postlogin=true



Hi Minnie!



video: http://s1284.photobucket.com/user/trishanj/media/Oct 2013 and MNSSHP/_DSC0380_zps36e28275.jpg.html?sort=9&o=463&postlogin=true





Peter Pan and Hook





Jack Sparrow. My son said, "He falled over" when one of the pirates on the back was tumbling around.

video: http://vid1284.photobucket.com/albums/a569/trishanj/Oct 2013 and MNSSHP/_DSC0397_zps9e4dc51b.mp4

The Haunted Mansion group.

Video link:



Video link:



The DS got scared of the Wolf and started screaming "I want down." Maleficent is in this clip as well.

Video link:



Goofy:


At 10:00 it was time for the Happy HalloWishes Fireworks!!!! We love Wishes and were expecting great things from the firework show. It did not disappoint. It was amazing.

video: http://vid1284.photobucket.com/albums/a569/trishanj/Oct 2013 and MNSSHP/_DSC0411_zps746f9f96.mp4


They projected images on the castle. The villains danced.



video: http://vid1284.photobucket.com/albums/a569/trishanj/Oct 2013 and MNSSHP/_DSC0432_zpse1e75a57.mp4

It all started with a mouse.

Video link:
http://vid1284.photobucket.com/albums/a569/trishanj/Oct 2013 and MNSSHP/_DSC0435_zps5d55cdcf.mp4

After the fireworks we headed into Tomorrowland. There was a treat station there and there were no other kids in line so my kids ran around and around getting back in line like 5 times. They were having so much fun. They had eaten some of the candy of course and DD was HYPER.

We rode some of the rides there. By now it was 11ish and DS was super tired. He fell asleep in the stroller.

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While DS slept DD attended the Monstrous Scream-O-Ween Ball with Sully in Tomorrowland.

DD had a lot of fun.

Then she rode Dumbo 4-5 times in a row. The CM just told her to stay seated as long as she wanted to ride---there was NO line.





Sadly our night had to come to an end. The park closed at midnight. We had so much fun and we were super glad that no one was sick or in pain for this day. Score!

Tomorrow was our last day in Florida and I had some pirate adventures planned as well as some Downtown Disney fun.

But...........we had one more minor bump to overcome.

 

[4lildreamers]

Day SEVEN: Friday: Pirate Adventures Cruise and our last day with one last hiccup

Everyone was exhausted when we got home around 1 am this morning but we had plans for A Pirate Adventure Cruise. The one we chose departed from the Grand Floridian. The cruise started at 9:30 am and I think we had to be there at 9 for orientation. It was hard to get everyone up and dressed and fed before leaving. We were all so tired. Don't ask me what I was thinking when I scheduled this cruise after a 1 am night! ack.

We were going to drive to the Grand Floridian because we got a late start and didn't think we could make it there in time with the Disney buses etc...

We get ready to leave and we could not find the keys to the van. It was a mad dash around the room I tell ya. My DH had them last and he could not remember where he had put them.

Time was running out though so we decided to take a taxi. Luckily there was one right outside waiting and we did not have to wait for one. I am not a fan of taxis especially with children not in a car seat. But I couldn't get my son's booster b/c it was locked in the van!

For the Pirate Adventure Cruise, the kids go out on a boat with CMs alone---without parents! Hubby and I had planned to get some coffee and maybe some breakfast and enjoy our 2 ours without kids.

I dressed the kids as pirates. DS wore his Jake costume and DD wore a pirate costume we used on our Disney Dream Cruise in 2012.






DD used my camera to snap some pictures. DS was being silly. That's me in the background calling the front desk to see if any keys had been turned in. It was frantic!



Once we trekked over to the marina area and checked in, the kids were outfitted with life jackets.





Ready to go.



DD held his hand all the way around to get on the boat. She was so sweet.



Ready to cast off.





Video: http://vid1284.photobucket.com/albums/a569/trishanj/Oct 2013 and MNSSHP/_DSC0474_zpse8f69145.mp4


While the kids were gone, hubby rode the the monorail back to the hotel to look for the keys. I stayed at the Grand Floridian to wait for the kids in case the search for the keys took longer than 2 hours. I walked around the lobby of the GF. It is gorgeous. I got some coffee from the counter service place and went to sit out side in the courtyard area. It was a BEAUTIFUL day. From where I was sitting I could see the top of the castle in the distance. I heard the parade start up. I could hear the train whistle. I won't lie. I started to cry. We were done with parks for this trip and today was our last day. Waaaaa I didn't want to leave. Disney is my happy place. I am sure it was harder to control my emotions with how exhausted I was.

Hubby called and found the keys. They were in the pocket of his jeans that he had thrown in the laundry. YAY! He was headed back.

The kids had a GREAT time and were all smiles. On the trip they were told pirates stories, they looked for buried treasure and had a snack. When they arrived back at the GF they were all given a piece of the "pirate treasure."




Here are the kids arriving back.

video: http://vid1284.photobucket.com/albums/a569/trishanj/Oct 2013 and MNSSHP/_DSC0483_zps2e5ba34f.mp4

After the pirate cruise we went to Downtown Disney. We love DTD and have some places that are "must haves" for us to do. One is Earl of Sandwich. We love that place. We ate there as soon as we walked into DTD since it was now around 12:30.

The kids played in the fountain. It is a good thing I brought spare clothes for DS because he does not like to be wet once he is done with the fun.



This is one of my favorite pictures from our trip.



We did some shopping and took some silly pictures.





This picture cracks me up bc DS is poking Stitch's head between Buzz's legs.




We love Goofy's Candy Shop and around 2 or 3 we got dessert there. My DH loves the chocolate dipped rice crispy treats.

We walked all the way down and around to La Nouba.



We were all starting to drag.

We had reservations at T-Rex for 5:45 and headed over a little early to see if they could fit us in. They were able to. We needed naps!!

We eat at T-Rex almost every time we go to DTD. We've done Rainforest Cafe as well. DS doesn't like the noise in any of them and if we are there too long he gets over stimulated and starts to melt down. I hadn't thought about how tired we would be by this time when I made the reservations. I was crossing my fingers that DS would be able to hold on to his control and not lose it.





DS sat Stitch up to watch the fish. He said Stitch was hungry. LOL



I love my DD face here. Pure laughter---however when I looked back at these pictures when we got home, the staff in the background drew my attention. DH thinks it looks like they are about to kiss. I think it looks like he is angry and in her face. What do you think? I will post the series.....







Afterwards we saw this street performer which completely freaked my son out.



We did a little more shopping and picture taking on our way out:



Notice anything different with Mike's braces? Yeah, my son did that. SIGH.



We were D-O-N-E by this point and needed to rest. We headed back to our hotel via the buses. Both kids fell asleep on the bus.

When we got back to the hotel I started the process of packing. Sad sad sad. We were leaving the next morning and I was already ready to cry.

Luckily there had been no major problems on this day---we only had the minor key debacle. Ha!

We watched some Stacey but mostly the kids bathed and were in bed. I packed, washed, cleaned and try to determine what to do with the left over food. My advice? Bring a cooler with you (if you drive) for leftover food.

Our vacay was over and all we had left was a 10-11 trip home. That was nothing to look forward to.

All in all it was a fun trip----and I'd rather be at Disney not matter what troubles come our way.

I can't wait to go back. As I type this we have plans for March 2016. My DH had some client issues and all plans to return had to be delayed. 2 1/2 years later and we are finally returning.

However, in June of 2014 (8 months after this trip) we did go to Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort in South Carolina so we did get a little Disney fix. I don't plan on doing a trip report for HH but if you are interested I will answer any questions. It was wonderful.

Thanks for reading and following along. Hope you enjoyed it.