Tried to be sneaky but the trick was on us! A family reunites... June 2014

[Marsheliz]

Thanks for the message letting me know that you had started; otherwise, I would have probably missed out on all of the fun 'cause the Disney depression has my mind all .

Super fun and cute intro pictures! As always, I love the picture that you included of your mom. Like you said, you can just feel the love.

Looking forward to more!

Lisa, I got the Disney blues too. It's just terrible.

Thank you! I sure do miss her but super thankful we have all the memories and pictures.

 

[Marsheliz]

Joining - certainly sounds like and eventful 3 days!

Sorry about the loss of your mom - great that you have those memories though and also great that you felt like you bonded with you MiL this trip

It definitely was. I'm so glad you joined in. Looks like we have children the same ages!

 

[Marsheliz]

Our pre-trip plans began in February. My sister and her family had plans to go to Disney for a week at the end of May. One day, while talking on the phone with my sister, I say... "Wouldn't it be cool if we could come down for the weekend and go with and surprise our boys?? We immediately got super excited but then I went back and forth, back and forth.. Like a million times.... I just started thinking that it was just too far to go, just for the weekend.... DH kind of thought the same. We had just had our big Disney vacay in October and had plans to go to the beach sometime over the summer as well. We ended up changing the dates to June as well, which worked best for us anyways.

I hemmed and hawed SO many times but in the end, my wanting to see my nephew super bad ( and of course, the fact that we could go to Disney again helped matters)... I didn't care, I just wanted to be with my family. We hadn't all been t/g since my mom died last year. And since my mom was diagnosed with cancer, I have realized just how short life is, you know? One year, she was here... The next she wasn't.. You just never know where life will take you in a year and you should do what makes YOU happy & make all the memories while you can and are able... I know I will never look back and say " Oh darn, shouldn't have taken the kids to Disney so many times".


I booked a package with 1 day MK tickets and a resort stay at POP, but then fast forward to April... My MIL had never been to Disneyworld... I swear, she said she hadn't had a vacation for 15 years or something so she kind of casually mentioned wanting to tag along. EEEKKKKK... I then called Disney a million times, trying to change resorts b/c I just didn't think POP would be big enough with 3 adults, and 2 children. Eventually, we ended up booking a royal room at POR.... The plans were made, our packaged paid for and I was so excited. I can't even tell you. Well, I don't have too. You all know the feeling...

Our dates would be June 13-15 but we always leave the night before and drive halfway- just to break up the trip for the boys some. 2 weeks before our trip, we were talking one day about possibly adding on an extra night, just to give us a little more time & to make our long trip, all the more worthwhile. I knew what I wanted to do, just wanted the hubster to okay it. I ended up just booking a room at POP to save some $, since it was only one night. I figured now would be the time to try it.....

We left that Thursday evening and stopped at our traditional, pre-Disney trip restaurant- Cracker Barrel. My MIL had never ate at a Cracker Barrel....
I told her we needed to get her out more. Sheesh......

Fast forward to arriving in Jacksonville around 11 p.m., we stayed at the Sleep Inn there. Got up the next morning, so super excited to get to Disney... It started out as a beautiful day but the closer we got to Disney, the darker it got. We came upon these shiny, pearly things about 11 a.m. on Friday morning. You can definitely tell it was about to pour.

As soon as we entered the grounds of POR, it started pouring. And I mean buckets... I was pretty dissapointed but then the other part of me told myself that we were at Disney and it didn't matter. A rainy day at Disney is better than being stuck at work. Am I right?

I ran in by myself and got us all checked in. Our early check in request was granted, our corner room but not the ground request. We have always had ground floor and I'm not going to lie, I did not like climbing those stairs with the boys, especially with all of our luggage. Even though there were elevators, they were not close to our room.

I went back out into the rain and we drove around the back to Oak Manor. Found our room and started unloading. It just sank in, rain and all, we were here and ready to have the best weekend ever.

I hate to stop right there but for some reason, photobucket is really acting up tonight... Does anyone have any suggestions for other sites?

Please stayed tuned.

Will my boys like the princess rooms? I figured I'd better try out the princess rooms, this year before they totally think that girls are gross and besides that, nothing else was available at POR.. ( Sidenote- I am still hanging on to hope that we may have a princess one day)

Will I like them?
All I can say is they were amazing and I really felt like royalty. I fell totally in love with POR and staying in a RR was just the icing on top. ​

 

[amazingact21]

You are absolutely right, nobody regrets going to Disney World. Besides, you want your kids to grow up remembering all the times you specifically cut out of your busy schedule to spend with them, and what's better than doing that at WDW?


I'm so glad to see you were able to get a room at POR! I know you were trying really hard for it. And I can't wait to see the room, I just love hearing about all the princess details. I know how you feel about needing to stay in them before your boys grow up. I'm pretty sure the only way I'll ever book one is if it's a girl's only vacation. My husband isn't crazy about all that girliiness. Perhaps one day we'll both end up with a little princess and can enjoy the royal rooms with them.



Very true, a rainy day at Disney is indeed better than a normal day at work. Plus, if you embrace the rain and just go with it, it can be pretty fun.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

glad you plans came together and definitely seemed like some family time was in order - and if it brought you to "a happy place" then all the better

bummer about the rain - but like you said: a rainy day in Disney is better than a dry day elsewhere

Yeah - looks like our kids are really close in age! And our son is definitely in the Terrible Twos as well - though he started at about 18 months! He's also really good at being bad, but then turning on the charm/being cute melting our anger a bit

 

[STLMickeyMom]

Disney rain is rain I'll never complain about! Who cares if you're wet when you're at Disney!

I'm so glad you got all the plans worked out and so jealous that you are close enough to be able to drive. I don't enjoy long road trips with the kids, but I'd love to save some money on flights.....

I can't wait to hear your verdict on the royal rooms. We loved them and POR so much!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Oh Marcie, hearing this...
"You just never know where life will take you in a year and you should do what makes YOU happy & make all the memories while you can and are able".
That really hits home with me ad I could not agree more!!

Yup, a rainy day at Disney is better than pretty much everything.

Eeee, after all your snake spotting last trip, I'd be staying away from ground floor, lol.

 

[glo1770]

Aww I'm so glad you're here.. I'm sorry to hear about your mom too.. Did she have cancer as well? It is so hard, isn't it?

Your planned trip sounds great- 2015 will be here before we know it.. We have another trip planned with our friends who have never been- planning on late Feb, early March- just depending on what discounts they offer!

Thank you. No, it wasn't cancer. She had end stage renal failure and had been on dialysis for about 12 years. Her current port in her arm was starting to fail and she was just done with having surgeries so she made the decision to stop dialysis. She passed away 11 days after her last dialysis treatment. It went really fast. She was doing really good at home, entertaining people, going out and she looked really good all the way up to the Saturday before Easter and then Easter Sunday she slipped into a coma and passed away that night. Completely painless and peaceful. It has been hard, one of the hardest things I've ever been through.

We are looking forward to our trip. I've been to Disney World once back in 1986 so things have changed so much. It's fun to read these trip reports and learn all the ins and outs of Disney now.

 

[Marsheliz]

You are absolutely right, nobody regrets going to Disney World. Besides, you want your kids to grow up remembering all the times you specifically cut out of your busy schedule to spend with them, and what's better than doing that at WDW?


I'm so glad to see you were able to get a room at POR! I know you were trying really hard for it. And I can't wait to see the room, I just love hearing about all the princess details. I know how you feel about needing to stay in them before your boys grow up. I'm pretty sure the only way I'll ever book one is if it's a girl's only vacation. My husband isn't crazy about all that girliiness. Perhaps one day we'll both end up with a little princess and can enjoy the royal rooms with them.



Very true, a rainy day at Disney is indeed better than a normal day at work. Plus, if you embrace the rain and just go with it, it can be pretty fun.

The RR are just beautiful, very enchanting and very Disney. I LOVE loved them. I sure hope we both end up with little princesses, I only have one more shot. The husband says one more and that's it. LOL

We definitely made lemonade out of lemons. And it was definitely worth embracing.

 

[Marsheliz]

glad you plans came together and definitely seemed like some family time was in order - and if it brought you to "a happy place" then all the better

bummer about the rain - but like you said: a rainy day in Disney is better than a dry day elsewhere

Yeah - looks like our kids are really close in age! And our son is definitely in the Terrible Twos as well - though he started at about 18 months! He's also really good at being bad, but then turning on the charm/being cute melting our anger a bit

The rain wasn't too bad but you know, in all of our trips, this was the first time we had ever arrived to rain... And it rained the next day and the next day... Could definitely tell it was summer.

I know all about the being bad and then doing something cute and you just can't help yourself. Got to love em.

 

[Marsheliz]

Disney rain is rain I'll never complain about! Who cares if you're wet when you're at Disney!

I'm so glad you got all the plans worked out and so jealous that you are close enough to be able to drive. I don't enjoy long road trips with the kids, but I'd love to save some money on flights.....

I can't wait to hear your verdict on the royal rooms. We loved them and POR so much!

Oh yeah, I definitely couldn't afford to go as much if we had to buy flights too.. Although 8 hours is still a long drive, it is doable.

We LOVED the RR! We are going back in Feb and I would love to stay again. We are going with some friends of ours that have, (well when we go, they will be 4 and almost 2) daughters They would LOVE the royals and we could get connecting rooms.

 

[Marsheliz]

Oh Marcie, hearing this...
"You just never know where life will take you in a year and you should do what makes YOU happy & make all the memories while you can and are able".
That really hits home with me ad I could not agree more!!

Yup, a rainy day at Disney is better than pretty much everything.

Eeee, after all your snake spotting last trip, I'd be staying away from ground floor, lol.

I am happy that it hits home with you, I know you get it.

You know, I did look at that as a pro vs a con- being on 2nd floor... Thankfully, there were no snake sightings this go around. Although the boys, were cautious at the resort, as they remembered. LOL

 

[Marsheliz]

Thank you. No, it wasn't cancer. She had end stage renal failure and had been on dialysis for about 12 years. Her current port in her arm was starting to fail and she was just done with having surgeries so she made the decision to stop dialysis. She passed away 11 days after her last dialysis treatment. It went really fast. She was doing really good at home, entertaining people, going out and she looked really good all the way up to the Saturday before Easter and then Easter Sunday she slipped into a coma and passed away that night. Completely painless and peaceful. It has been hard, one of the hardest things I've ever been through.

We are looking forward to our trip. I've been to Disney World once back in 1986 so things have changed so much. It's fun to read these trip reports and learn all the ins and outs of Disney now.

Oh man, that sounds awful. Although my mom had battled cancer and felt all around terrible, the week that we decided to stop giving her food, meds, etc.. it was like she just slipped in a coma.. About 3 days later, we knew it was getting close and she just stopped breathing. No pain, she just finally let go. It is most definitely the hardest thing I have ever gone through. I was torn between wanting ot be selfish and keep her here with me but then knowing, it was her time to go and I know one day, we will be together again..

Oh man... 1986?! You are in for a treat, you won't believe your eyes.. So excited for your family!

 

[Marsheliz]

We all piled into the room and couldn’t believe our eyes. The room itself- the pictures, the curtains, the bathroom- right down to the faucets and the shower curtain, the fireworks on the headboards, the rug on the carpet, the armoire, everything. Disney definitely pulled out all the stops on these royal rooms…

Side note: Our next trip is planned for late February. We will be bringing along a friend of mine that I have known since 7th grade, her husband and their two daughters. ( The girls will be 4 and almost 2 when we go. )
They have never been to Disney and I am so super excited to bring them along. I hope it turns into a tradition for them as well.
Hannah, the 3.5 year old would absolutely FLIP to stay in the royal rooms. She is such a princess. Hopefully we can make it happen.

Okay, back to the report… Shall we take a peek??

Isn't it beautiful?

All my favorite princesses...

Love all the touches!!

Love my curious boys!!

I was running around like an excited child pointing to everything.. “ Ooh, look at this and Ooh, look at that”..

We noticed the phone blinking so I asked the boys if they wanted to check the messages. I put on our reservation that we would be celebrating Lawson’s birthday while we were here. His actual birthday is July 8 and this was part of his birthday celebration as well- turning 6 and getting to hold up two hands is a pretty big deal IMO. So, what did we have? A message from Minnie Mouse herself singing Happy Birthday… Both of my boys had smiles as big as the sun and I got that teary feeling I always get at Disney.

( I will have to add this pic later, I thought I uploaded it with this bunch)

Our vacation had finally, really begun.


View outside our room:

Ready to go explore!

I was chomping at the bit to get out and explore but due to the rain, we would have to wait to explore the resort later. We decided we needed to go purchase ponchos from the gift shop. We got everything together and headed out in the rain. We trekked it on over to Fulton’s General Store, purchased some ponchos and went out to the bus stop at the main building to get on a bus to…….. Magic Kingdom

But, we weren’t really going to MK, not just yet.. We were saving it for the next day. We were headed to the Polynesian to grab lunch at Captain Cooks and to take MIL to see the monorail resorts.

Up next: Landen has a minor freak out when we get to the Poly…
If you remember my last TR- He HATED the characters at Ohana and I mean hated. Hated so much, he cried himself to sleep… The people that say that babies can’t remember, they just don’t have a clue.
It was a “ hole me” ( hold me) battle for 20 minutes.
Thankfully, it didn’t last long but still.. Geesh…..​

 

[TheMaxRebo]

glad you enjoyed the room - they do look pretty great.

And that voice mail from Minnie is so cute - definitely can see getting a bit teared up over that

And speaking of tearing up - that sounds like such a sad scene following the 'Ohana character interraction last time!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Disney truly did themselves proud when they did the royal rooms. It looks like they didn't forget a single thing. It's a good thing that your boys are still young enough that they didn't think it was too girly.

 

[STLMickeyMom]

I did the same thing when we got into our royal room! I might have been more excited than the girls and DH made fun of me for taking so many pictures, but I didn't care. It was so gorgeous! I'm glad you loved it too!

 

[amazingact21]

Those royal rooms are so beautiful. I agree, Disney did a perfect job in there.


Everyone has to own some Disney ponchos. It's like, a right of passage, or something.


Look how handsome your two boys are looking, matching outfits and all!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Those rooms do look super cool. I swear I've said it a thousand times now, but one more can't hurt. I would absolutely break the fireworks headboard from overuse.

Hmmmm... you know Marcie... there is an outside chance I may also be in the World in February... Not 100%, and not sure what part of the month... but... it is possible...

 

[Marsheliz]

glad you enjoyed the room - they do look pretty great.

And that voice mail from Minnie is so cute - definitely can see getting a bit teared up over that

And speaking of tearing up - that sounds like such a sad scene following the 'Ohana character interraction last time!

The rooms really were special!

Disney always makes me cry! ( in a good way of course)

Check out the pics from my prior TR at Ohana and Cape May.. He cried himself to sleep at both places. :/