Colexi's 10 Days of Fun in the Sun May 2003 - Complete with Pics! About This Page:

[Colexis Mom]

Introduction/Prelude:

The lucky travelers were: Me (Marnie aka Colexi’s Mom), 34
DH (Matt), 36
DD (Alexa), who turned 4 the day before we left
DS (Colin), 15 months

We were meeting up with my parents (Mom and Dad), who go every year now. I’ll spare them by not giving their ages out.

This was our first family trip to Disney World. I was (and am) fortunate to have parents who have caught the Disney spirit and I had 5 childhood trips to Disney (‘76, ‘79, ‘81, ‘83, ‘85). Plus, one last family trip to the BC before I got married (’94). Matt and I had our first trip together in ‘98, 3 weeks after Animal Kingdom opened. I had always talked about bringing the kids when they were older (I was 7 my first trip), but it was Matt who wanted to go now, and since my parents go every year, we could just hook up with them and have 2 sets of extra hands around. So, I caught the planning bug, found the Passporter boards (thank God), and let the planning begin. It originally started as a 7 night trip, but then I learned all about codes, and we stretched it to 9 nights and decided for the same price as staying at BC for 7 nights, we could split it between WL for 4 nights and BC for 5 nights (when my parents come) and get to experience two resorts. Trust me, I would have gone longer if Matt had more vacation time (I have 4 weeks, he only has 2). Another issue we had was we had wanted to go to Kennedy Space Center as well, so we needed a car (I had learned about towncar service and was planning to do that to save more money). We finally decided (pretty much last minute) that we would rent a car at MCO and return it to the Car Care Center after we checked into the BC, that way we would have our stuff with us when we transferred. The last thing that came up was Colin had been getting ear infections off and on since late January. He was just getting over one again, and I took him to the Dr. the day before we left. He still had fluid in his ears, but the infection was gone and the Dr. said he could fly. Thank goodness. The Dr. also gave us another round of Augmentin to take with us since we’d be gone for so long and he didn’t want anything to happen while we were away (now I need a fridge). So took the cat to the cattery, tried to finish packing, and let’s go, it’s finally here!!


Day 1 (Thursday May 8th) – Our Journey Starts, Let the Magic Begin!!

Our flight is scheduled for 6:50 AM, so we had to leave for the airport by 4:45. I had set a bunch of alarm clocks for 4:00, so Matt and I could take showers. Needless to say, I didn’t go to bed until around 11 PM, and I think I was up at 3:30 (I kept looking at the clock in case the alarms didn’t go off). We were rolling down the driveway at 4:45 AM. We were trying a new car valet this trip, and they were on the other side of the airport, but we were still at the airport by 5:50. Did curbside check-in, and off to the security line. I think we were at the gate by 6:15, and boarded about 15 minutes later. Yeah!! Both kids were very good on the flight (maybe because they both slept)!! I was worried about Colin and his ears, but he started sucking on the bottle on the way up, and then his thumb, and he was asleep before we made it to cruising altitude. We were in the air for 10 minutes before Alexa started asking “are we there yet?” Oh oh. But off to sleep she went. I of course, couldn’t sleep with all of the excitement.

We land in Orlando, and Matt decides he wants to be He-Man. We had 2 small carry-ons, 2 car seats, and 2 strollers that we gate checked (which Matt covered in garbage bags so they wouldn’t get dirty during flight), plus the two kids. He didn’t want to unwrap the strollers in the gateway, so he tried to carry the strollers and car seats up the gateway by himself. He paid the price. He split his pants right down the middle of his backside. So off to the bathroom for him, we had to change Colin because he soaked thru his diaper, and Alexa had to go as well. About a half and hour later, we made it down to baggage claim. But guess what?? No baggage!! MCO is certainly an efficient airport. We had to go to the claim counter, present our claim tickets, and got the luggage back. Word to others: don’t dilly dally on the way to baggage claim!! We got to the National counter, got the car, and we are on our way. A little later than I had hoped, but we made it. We had planned on stopping at a Super Walmart to get some water, milk for Colin, and ice, but we kept passing stores closer than the Walmart, so we stopped at a Publix on John Henry Parkway (I couldn’t find a loaf of bread in the store, other than their bakery made (wheat only, not white, so I took Italian), maybe I was just looking in the wrong place).

We finally make it to the Wilderness Lodge around 11:45. There was quite a line to check-in. We get CM Amanda, who kindly asks us if we’d like to upgrade to concierge for $55 a night (we had a standard room with a code rate). I made the mistake of asking Matt, who said no, so this is where I should be flamed!! Duck, incoming!! We should have done it, it would have been a great rate for concierge, with a better view, so we’ve learned our lesson (and Matt as well – always take the upgrade). I guess my rationale was, I could justify $30 for meals, etc, but not $55/day. Stupid me!! I also forgot to ask about being a flag family, as I was concentrating on getting the fridge for Colin. While she is going thru all the stuff, our room became available, thank goodness, and we went upstairs to unpack. I also asked Amanda for a fridge, as the doctor gave Colin another round of Augmentin for his ears since we were traveling (his infection was gone, but he still had fluid so he wanted to make sure it wouldn’t get worse on our trip). We weren’t charged for the fridge!! I just love the lobby in the WL. It is just so grandiose and beautiful. The room view was not great (smokehouse), but we were very close to the elevator that went down to Roaring Forks/laundry/pool, so that was a great help. We ended up in Room 4042. We went down to RF for lunch, and wanted to sit outside, but the birds were very pesky, and we decided to go back inside. Did I mention yet how hot it was?? Florida was in the middle of a heat wave. I think it was around 95 degrees with full humidity. Argh. So, back to the room to change, and off to the pool we went. The kids loved the pool. That’s were they wanted to spend all their time. WL has a nice little kids pool, it is only about a foot deep, and they both had such fun!!

I forgot to pickup the package I had sent to WL ahead of time (30 lbs of diapers, swim diapers, snacks, etc. I would recommend to anyone to do this, it was so much easier). Then, time for showers, and quick naps for the kids, then off to Cinderella’s Gala Feast at the GF for our 5 PM PS.

We were trying to figure out the best way to get there (boat to CR and then monorail, or boat to MK and then boat to GF). We ended up going boat to MK and then boat to GF. We got all the way down to the dock to wait for the boat, when we realized I forgot the diaper bag (argh). So I ran all the way up, and of course, we missed the boat. We ended up being 15 minutes late, but were seated right away. I wasn’t sure how the kids were going to react to the characters, as this was their first interaction. Colin wanted nothing to do with Suzy and Perla. He was scared. He did a little better with the face characters, but only if they kept their distance (they were not allowed to hold him). Alexa did fine, but she wasn’t really interested in them either (either one).
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Dinner was ok, nothing spectacular, except the prime rib. It was to die for, and so was the bread pudding, but everything else was just ok. Then off to Epcot, since it was now about 6:30, to activate our 30 day Fun in the Sun passes. We were just 1 family away from being able to ride in the front of the monorail on the way to Epcot (darn!!). I did these passes mainly because we were going to be there for 10 days, it included admission to Kennedy Space Center, which we had planned on going to, and included a breakfast voucher (which we ended up not using) for $885 for 2 adults and 1 child. I thought it was a great deal, and wasn’t sure if we’d be going back so soon, so I didn’t want to get an AP. The CM I had had never activated these before, so with a little coaching from the other CM, we got everything worked out. We headed into Epcot and did SE (no line). At this point, the kids were at the breaking point, so we decided to take the bus back to WL. We all went to sleep, and got ready for another day!!

Up next: Our first day at the MK!!

[ 06-03-2003, 07:35 AM: Message edited by: Colexi's Mom ]

[dsnytina]

Thank you for sharing your memories and photos! How great that you got to spend such a long time at WDW!
Tina

[Prestidigitator]

You're off to a good start, Marnie!

Can't wait to read more. I use Photoworks for my film developing and haven't gotten my film back yet. I'm SO jealous. We took about 250 pictures on our trip, so it's worth doing for us; traditional developing services cost the proverbial arm/leg.

Loved your shots of the WL. We love that place. It's our favorite of the Disney hotels ... so far.

I'm going to check back to read more!

[img]graemlins/wavin.gif[/img]

[Colexis Mom]

These are all digital pictures. We haven't had my DH's APS developed yet, and I got tired of waiting for them. If he has any good shots, I'll go back in and add them later.

[statelady01]

Sounds like you had quite a first day!! Cant wait for the rest!

[PS - I LUV WDW]

Sounds like you're off to a great start! Can't wait to hear more and would love to see some pictures.

Pam

[lilprincess]

Great report Marnie! The pics are wonderful from the Gala dinner. Your kids are so cute!

I hear you about the ear infections. Both my kids suffered from them. Believe it or not, what saved my son from getting tubes was to see a chiropractor! PM if you're interested in this approach. I'd be happy to let you know what we did!

Can't wait to hear more about your trip!

[baileygirlsmom]

Never ask the non-planning spouse anything! Great start on your trip report! I am looking forward to the rest. [img]graemlins/wavin.gif[/img]

[tikibird]

Great report so far! Sorry you missed out on the upgrade, but hey, you were at WL, and that in and of itself is fabulous! [img]graemlins/love.gif[/img]

Can't wait to hear more... [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[tikibird]

Another great installment and pictures (particularly like the carousel and Stitch ones!)!

Sorry you got stuck in Walmart on your vacation, though!

Keep the great reporting coming! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[dsnytina]

LOL on the Wal-mart trip. Not quite Disney magic there, eh? Thank you for sharing!!!
Tina

[CJDrew's Mom]

I'm so excited to read your report! We're planning a trip in Nov. with a preschooler, toddler and grandparents and are splitting the trip between WL and BC, so I'm getting some great ideas! I'm a newbie, so the information really helps [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[wheatenwalker]

I know what you mean about not being hungry when its that hot, I wonder if I'd get really skinny if I lived in Florida? (probably not) I LOVE your report!!!! Sheila

[Colexis Mom]

Day 2 (Friday May 9th) – MK Here We Come

So, up and at ‘em. Colin had us up early (before 6:30). We decided to do MK today. Breakfast was at RF and snacks that we had brought from home. There were quite a few people in line for the boat to the MK, but we got there in time to see the characters come in on the train, and were there for the rope drop at 8:45 (I thought it was 9, I didn’t realize we had gotten in early until we got to the other rope). Then it was the mad dash down Main Street (I just love this park) to Fantasyland. Matt kept saying “Mommy’s home” to which Alexa replied “Dad, we’re not in Connecticut”. Cute. We were in the castle for the Fantasyland rope drop at 9, and off to Dumbo. Me and Alexa rode first (I think we made it on the 3rd run of the day). Then it was time for the Carrousel.
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Next was Peter Pan for me and Alexa, and then we all did It’s a Small World. Alexa kept singing the song (I had been playing the park CD that my parents got us on one of their trips so she would get familiar with all the music), and we got to see the all important hula girls!!
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We had done all this by 9:45. After that, it was getting very hot and it was time for a fruit break. So we headed towards Mickey’s Toon Town, not realizing that it didn’t open until 10. So Matt and Alexa rode the teacups, and while Colin and I were waiting, the Mad Hatter walked by. He spotted Colin and came back, and took a great picture with him (I think this is the only person that Colin let hold him, I think it is a man thing!!).
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Then off for some fruit (and a rest in front of the train station), and then Matt took Alexa on Goofy’s Barnstormer. Alexa got us all up and running with her “chop chop, let’s go”!! Goofy was outside for pictures while they were riding, and the CM took me and Colin’s picture, but again, he was scared of Goofy (I had to hold him on the opposite side). We headed toward Tomorrowland thru the back walkway (I love this route, there are never any crowds there). We then rode TTA and then Buzz Lightyear. This was our first experience with Buzz and we weren’t sure what we were supposed to be shooting at, but we finally figured it out. Alexa was more happy just to make the car spin in circles. I got 6,400 and Matt got 11,000. Pretty poor. But what a great interactive ride!! I asked Matt if he wanted to do baby swap for Space Mountain, as the line didn’t seem that long when we went thru on the TTA, but he didn’t want to. Then we decided to head for the pool. It was very hot and the kids were about to crash.

We headed back up to the room, and are surprised with towel animals.
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I was so happy. We used the mousekeeping envelopes are on a website. We ate some lunch (again at RF) and headed for the pool. I ran into our “mousekeeper” Cora on the way back from the pool, and she thanked us for the envelope. No, thank you for the towel animals!! We brought the kids back upstairs for tub time and naps. We decided to drive to MGM for the night, and then head to Walmart (Matt wanted to get some swim toys for the kids). We got to MGM about 5, and everyone was lining up for the parade, so we decided to go find a spot. We sat in front of “Sounds Dangerous” and watched the parade. I’ve never seen this one before and it was good. Pinocchio touched Alexa’s hand. She was so excited.
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Next we did Muppets 3D. Both kids weren’t very interested in it. Then we headed over to Voyage of the Little Mermaid for the last show of the night. The kids liked the bubbles, but again, I don’t think they were too into it (at least Colin wasn’t).

By then, it was about 8, and we decided to head over to Walmart. We had just gotten some popcorn and soda for snacks. It was just so hot, I wasn’t hungry at all (which helped the food budget all week long)!! We finally get to Walmart and pick up some swim toys (we forgot Alexa’s goggles, got some floating cars for Colin, I forgot to send Bibsters, and we picked up a spray bottle/fan). By this time, Matt was starving, so he went to get McDonald’s at the back of the store. The kids fell asleep when we put them in the car. I was upset, because I had wanted to see the water parade from the beach at WL, and here I am stuck in a Walmart. Oh well. We got back to the room, and went to bed, hopefully to have a better day.

Next up: A day at Animal Kingdom, and a great night at MK!!

[Colexis Mom]

Day 3 (Saturday May 10th) – Animal Kingdom

Colin had a bit of a difficult night’s sleep, and was up at 6:15. So, in turn, so were me and Matt. Breakfast was again RF and granola bars. We decided that we’d do AK today, and that we’d drive over. So, we left WL by 8:30. There were quite a few people at the gate when we got there, but I think that was just due to them not letting people in too far. I could see the “awakening” going on, or whatever it was called. We got thru the parks and headed for Kilimanjaro Safari. We walked onto this ride, and what a great ride it was. There were lots of animals everywhere. Alexa loved this ride, and seeing all the animals.
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Both the male and female lions were up on the rocks, and Alexa kept saying “there’s Simba and Nala”. Even Matt noticed that there was no longer the CM standing there at the end saying “little Red’s OK”. I told him it was a cost-cutting move. I think they need to open the back of the truck a little bit more, so you can actually see Little Red a little bit better. The only thing I didn’t like was I thought when we rode this 5 years ago (we were at AK 3 weeks after it opened) that the animal pictures were on the backs of the seats in front of you. I found it more difficult to look up trying to find the animals than before, but it didn’t ruin the ride by any means. Maybe it’s just my memory failing, I have had 2 kids since then LOL!! So then we decided to walk thru the forest trail. Frankly, nothing in here really interests me, but Matt wanted to see it. Then it was time for a break (it was hot again). I had read so much on these boards about the Meal Deal at AK, we decided to do it (especially since Alexa was asking for popcorn and ice cream). I got the vouchers at Tusker House (1 adult and 1 child – I thought this would be enough for the 3 of us since Colin wasn’t really eating). We also found the baby center. I can’t say enough good things about this place. It was such a great rest. Alexa loved watching the video playing (I think it was Snow White, she didn’t’ want to leave), and it was so cool inside. Plus, there was no one in there. Then off to find ice cream. But, alas, it was only about 10:30, and none of the stands were open yet. So we headed to Camp Minnie Mickey to wait for the Festival of the Lion King show (we didn’t see this on our last trip). We had about a half hour to wait, so we luckily found a bunch of characters out for meets and greets. Again, the kids weren’t really interested.


We then spent about 15 minutes hanging out under the misters in the shade. Ahh, relaxation!! It felt so nice. Got some batteries for our spray mister/fan, filled it with water, and headed for the FOLK. What a great show, I’m sorry we missed it the last time. I had read tips on these boards again (thanks everyone) and we ended up in the lion section. Yea!! Alexa liked the show up to the point where Timon, Pumbaa, and Simba were talking, but she could have cared less about the acrobats. All she wanted was her ice cream. Luckily, the fan/mister kept her and Colin occupied.

After the show, we headed toward It’s Tough to be a Bug to get a FP, and then we were going to do lunch and go back for the show. But alas, they weren’t using FP, and only showing a 5 minute wait. So we went back to Tusker House for lunch. Matt forgot all about us sharing a meal and ordered salmon (which I do not eat). Alexa got macaroni and cheese, which she did not eat. So I had Matt’s rice and veggies, and some of the mac and cheese. Matt said the salmon was very good (and I thought a good value). I liked the spices in the rice and veggies, but they were a little overpowering. So lunch is done, and it’s off to ITTBAB. I don’t remember this show being as violent and loud. Needless to say, Colin lasted about 30 seconds. Sitting in the 3rd row didn’t help us. Alexa was also scared, but I told her to put her head down, and she made it thru the end of the show. This was our only real big mistake. Lesson learned there. So that did it, off we go to head back to the WL and the pool (after getting more popcorn and water bottles with our vouchers). Me and Matt thought the parking lot was empty (not that we were complaining)!! We get back to WL, and ….. more towel animals (an angel this time). I love Cora!!


After the pool (there were noticeably more people here today, not sure if it was because it was a Saturday or what), it was tub time and nap time. We decided that we were going to the MK tonight, because it was only 1 of 2 times that Spectro and FIS were going to be running. I was a little nervous because we had a nightmare experience when we went to the MK 5 years ago on a Saturday night (unbelieveable crowds). But we decided to head for it anyway. We took the boat over, and before we dock, the captain says that MK would be open until 10 tonight, and the last boat would be at 10:45!! Everything published said 9. Me and Matt looked at each other and said woo hoo. This was also an E-Ride night, but we decided not to do it since the kids were so young. We get thru the gates, and there are already people lining up on Main Street for Spectro???? It was an hour and a half away. We headed for the Carrousel (Alexa’s favorite ride). Next was Pirates of the Carribean (we walked on). Peter Pan had a 40 minute wait (that was the biggest I saw the whole trip). Matt and Alexa did Magic Carpets of Aladdin, and I decided to take Colin on a ride. It was between Jungle Cruise (which said 5 minutes) and the Tikibirds. I opted for the air-conditioning and the Tikibirds. I can’t tell you when the last time was that I saw this. I thought it was all outside (maybe that’s how long it has been for me???). Anyway, I loved it, and Colin loved the music as well. It helped having the CD again!! There were maybe 15 people in there with me. After that, Matt and Alexa had finished, and we headed back thru Frontierland. We went back to Dumbo, but it was still about a 30 minute wait, so we decided to go back to Frontierland and watch the parade from there. We got a good spot on the water side across from the Diamond Horseshoe. I have never seen this parade. It was nice. Both kids liked the music and the floats.


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It was close to 9 when the parade ended where we were, so we decided to head back to Fantasyland. We stopped in Liberty Square to see if we could see Tinkerbell fly off the castle, but it was taking too long so we decided just to go. There was now only about a 5 minute wait for Dumbo, so into the line we go. We just missed riding Dumbo with FIS going off. Then it was time for Snow White (I like the rehab of this ride, it is not as scary as it used to be for the little ones). We did IASW and Peter Pan again (Fantasyland was empty). I think most people didn’t know the park was open until 10, which was good for us.
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We walked down Main Street and got some hot dogs and French fries at Casey’s, and then headed for the boat. There weren’t many people in the MK at this point, but I did see people walking around with bracelets on for E-Ride night. The only issue of the day was getting back to the WL. We got to the boat landing at 10, and we didn’t get on a boat until 11. Not very happy. In retrospect, we should have seen if the boat between the CR and WL was still running, and just walked or taken the monorail to the CR. Oh well. The good thing about it was the water parade started running again before it went off to it’s home for the night. So I did get to see it, just not where I had wanted to. It was lights out when we got back. Everyone was exhausted.

Next up: Mother's Day, Kennedy Space Center, and Disney MarketPlace