The Fun-Old-Fashioned Family Vacation 3.0 - Page 13 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Oops! I read that wrong. Well if it had been the two of us, it would have been a duet lol! When we met Gadton on our last trip, Preston had a great time with him. I do love this birthday day for you!
Oops! I read that wrong. Well if it had been the two of us, it would have been a duet lol! When we met Gadton on our last trip, Preston had a great time with him. I do love this birthday day for you!
Could you imagine the two of us there at MK together? I think the park would never be the same.. If we added Jenny to the mix...well, I think our families would see the park through a whole new point of view
It was an amazing birthday day
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The Fun, Old-Fashioned Family Vacation, 3.0 http://www.passporterboards.com/foru...ml#post4472933
Ch-Ch-Changes July 2015
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What an awesome beginning to your birthday! Breakfast at BOG sounds delicious.
Breakfast was delicious and for a QS - it was surprisingly unrushed and not all that crowded (probably because only the truly dedicated schedule a pre-park opening ADR for a HOT day in July )
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The Fun, Old-Fashioned Family Vacation, 3.0 http://www.passporterboards.com/foru...ml#post4472933
Ch-Ch-Changes July 2015
[URL="http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/sharing-adventure-disney-world-trip-reports/288847-ch-ch-changes-ptr-july-16-24-a.html"]
After the hilarity of Gaston, Cullen announced he'd like to ride "something, um now!" So we headed toward Fantasyland in hopes of touring Never Never land, but the posted wait time was already 70 minutes (it was just shy of 10 in the morning at this point). We detoured to Prince Charming's Carousel. I don't really remember why, but Nolan opted to sit this one out with his Dad. The ride had no wait as we got into line just as they started filling it. We were the last three let on, so finding three horses (or two) near each other was really tough. A sweet man offered to move up a row so I could get the boys on horses and stand between them.
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Cullen swore he had "Bert"...took us a bit, but we finally realized he was saying he was on Bert's horse from Mary Poppins.
After our tour finished, we backtracked to ride It's a Small World. This is a family favorite as on our 2010 trip, our very non verbal (as in never even cooed or vocalized) 11 month old Cullen started humming the song mid way through, absolutely in tune. My parents were at the start of their 2 month journey across the US, so we took a quick video of the ride and sent it to my Dad, so he could ride it again with Cullen (he was holding Cullen when he started humming during the 2010 ride).
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I was really glad we waited in line to ride this today because when we were back at the MK on the 20th the stand by line was 45 minutes and no, the ride hadn't malfunctioned, the park was just.that.crowded that day.
We exited the ride, used the new Tangled themed restroom areas (very cool themeing - did I actually just write that about a restroom area?) and headed to watch Mickey's Philharmagic
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We adore this movie experience, and were halfway to The Teacups when we realized....Cullen was still wearing his 3D glasses. Brian grabbed them, and jogged back to put them in the reuse bin while the boys spun me crazy on the tea cups. At this point, our first FP+ was ripe - the Tomorrowland Speedway, and we were faced with our first dilema as a party of 5. Nolan wasn't tall enough to drive on his own, so one of the adult drivers needed to have 2 kiddos with them. All three of the boys wanted to "drive" the car, so someone would have to get out and go back through the standby line. The CM who scanned our MB told me to ask for a "green flag" from the CM that assigns cars. I asked, explaining that we had three kids and none could ride on their own. After a few minutes, the CM handed Brian a green flag so the boys could switch out steering wheel spots and he was assigned car 12 with Nolan and Cullen. I explained to Patrick that yes, his brothers would get two loops but it was so they could both have a chance to steer the car (the standby line was 60 minutes at this point). He seemed a bit sad, but wasn't going to fuss at only having one ride when the CM handed me a green flag and told me "Happy Birthday!" so we got to ride twice through too
We finished our laps, and stopped to grab free ice water and plan our attack. It was closing in on 11:30, and our next FP+ was at 12:00 (Buzz Lightyear). After our tour around Tomorrowland, we headed over to conquer Zerg.
[IMG][/IMG] Poor Cullen is hidden by the gun every time we ride this.
At this point, our next FP+ was for 2:45 and it was for the 3 pm parade. I however, would not be using my FP+ because I was going to head for my spa appointment at the Grand Floridian. We were discussing lunch options, when Brian pointed to an outdoor kiosk that a CM was starting to cover up, and we knew that meant a rain storm was going to be hitting the park. We decided to head back to the Poly as lines in the park were building (it was a 30 minute wait to order food at the nearby QS) we'd get the boys lunch, I could change and head to my appointment and he'd bring the boys back for the parade.
We were going to head toward the boat, but heard thunder so we re routed to the monorail. Just as we boarded, the sky opened up with a good Florida mid-day storm. It was still raining when we arrived back at the Poly, but luckily our building was just a quick dash out the side door of the GCH.
Mouskeeping left the boys a fun surprise:
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After a quick in room lunch (chocolate sandwich and club crackers for Cullen, Sliced turkey, potato chips and fruit for Patrick and a peanut butter sandwich and fruit for Nolan), Brian decided to take the boys to the Contemporary to check out the arcade and use the token voucher we'd gotten with our package. I headed toward the Grand Floridian, and had planned to take the walking path, but it was still raining sideways at this point.
My appointment was AMAZING! The spa itself is gorgeous and very relaxing. I took advantage of the cucumber water and massage chairs (felt really good on my tired legs) while waiting for my technician. I'd chosen the vitamin facial and the next hour passed in a pleasant, relaxed manner. She kept commenting about how "young" I looked and was having a tough time believing I was 42.
After wards, I had access to the hot tub, steam room etc. I was given a champagne mimosa prior to my facial and relaxed with a wine spritzer afterwards. There were two younger woman in their early twenties, and two woman who were mothers of the bride and groom -their children had sent them to the spa so they could relax before the wedding.
Afterwards, the rain had slowed to just a slight drizzle, so I decided to walk back to the Poly and passed this gorgeous sight:
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The bride and groom were just beaming as they passed by in Cinderella's Castle and the photographer stopped the carriage in a specific spot so that Cinderella's Castle Spiers would be in the background of the shot.
I arrived back at the room at 4:30 (my appointment had been at 2:00). The boys weren't there, but Brian had left a note. They'd decided to skip the parade because it was raining and were "touring" resorts. They'd return at 5:00 in time to dress and head to dinner at Cape May. Meanwhile, I was to "relax, enjoy the silence...maybe go for a swim and order a FAB at the pool bar (where Brian had pre-paid". I headed down to the pool bar and ordered a strawberry margarita and sat in the shade, sipping and reading until it was time to get dressed for dinner.
At 5:00, we met back in the room and discussed the best options for getting to dinner. Brian had talked with the front desk and they'd advised him against driving because the Beach Club would only allow us to park for a limited time (they were having issues with people parking there to go to the Boardwalk and it wasn't leaving enough room for guests because part of the lot was used for staging for the contractors who were rehabing the resort rooms). In the end, we decided to head to the MK and take a bus to the Beach Club.
Our ADR was for 6:45, so we left our room at 5:30 which should have been PLENTY of time to get there, right? We just missed a monorail so we had about a ten minute wait for the next one. Twenty minutes later, we were heading toward the bus stops, looking for the Beach and Yacht Club. It was 6:00, but I still wasn't worried (yet) as I knew it really wasn't a long ride to the resort as that's where we'd stayed on our last visit. As we walked over, a bus pulled away (sensing a theme here?) for the Beach Club. A CM walked over with a tablet and said, "looks like another bus is en route and should be here in 10 minutes." At 6:15 he walked back over and said, "You might want to consider taking a bus to the Boardwalk then walking over to your resort" as a Boarwalk bus had just pulled up. Brian said that he thought it was too complicated to go to the Boardwalk and then walk to the Beach Club. He had a point as we didn't have the stroller with us.
A bus for the Beach Club FINALLY pulled up at 6:30 Once we were on board, I dialed Disney Reservations because I knew we'd be slightly late for our ADR. They assured me it wouldn't be an issue. We weren't the only late ones. A family on board was heading the same place, and their ADR time was....6:00. They'd underestimated travel time from the WL to MK, then MK to Beach Club.
[IMG][/IMG] My attempt at getting the boys to take an updated picture of the one I use for my signature They weren't very cooperative.
We arrived and headed into the lobby and Nolan declared "This is home!" after taking a big sniff of the lobby smell. Patrick yelled "I DO remember this...I ran up those stairs!" and Cullen just looked confused because he really was too young at 2 to remember the trip.
We were seated in a booth and our server quickly brought over the chef who walked the buffet line with the boys and I in our now-familiar procedure. Patrick was ecstatic that he could eat most of the sea food, and Cullen? He just wanted his white noodles, though he was happy he could eat the Focaccia bread. I do have to shamefully admit, we ate, and ate, and ate...the food was incredible -even my carnivore loving husband found a large enough variety to suit his appetite. Nolan declared the Mac N Cheese to be the best ever (especially AFTER he mixed in crab leg meat). The chef was so sweet to plate a pile of fresh sliced watermelon for the boys (the salad had cheese in it) and brought out a desert assortment from Erin McKenna's bakery so they had several options to choose from just like their big brother who sampled every desert on the desert stations. When the youngers couldn't eat all their deserts, we were presented with a to-go box for them
We scanned our MB, but the waiter couldn't get our GC to read for the balance so I charged his tip to our room and we headed to the bus, stunned to realize it was already 8:45 We'd never managed to keep the boys in a restaurant for such a long time. We had a good 30 minute wait for a MK bus while 4 DtD and 2 Epcot buses pulled up. My original plan had been to be back at the Poly in time to see the Water Pageant, but that wasn't going to happen, so we thought about heading to the MK. While on the bus, I checked the wait times for rides and we decided that going back wouldn't be an option as the crowds were very high (not unexpected as it was a Saturday). We got on the monorail and Brian pointed out the HUGE back check line for people waiting to get into the MK. We made a good call
We arrived back in the room and decided to head to the pool to swim. This was an amazing decision because while floating in the water, we were able to watch the fireworks from the MK. We couldn't hear the music from the MK, but the resort did dim the music they typically had playing in the pool area. The boys LOVED going down the water slide and talked me into a night time slide too. It was fun, but left me feeling a bit dizzy because the slide (dark during the day) has colored lights in it at night.
We were back in the room, tucked in and asleep by 11:00 that night.
Fitbit stats: 20,965 steps, 8.79 miles and over 3,000 calories burned.
Up next: Finding Nemo, Testing our Skills and Touring the World
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The Fun, Old-Fashioned Family Vacation, 3.0 http://www.passporterboards.com/foru...ml#post4472933
Ch-Ch-Changes July 2015
[URL="http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/sharing-adventure-disney-world-trip-reports/288847-ch-ch-changes-ptr-july-16-24-a.html"]
Wow! What an action packed day!! That is such a sweet story about Cullen on IASW!! How cool that you sent a picture to your Dad!! Your massage sounds heavenly and I can't believe you were at the GF right when we were checking in!! We still have to get to the Cape May Cafe. It sounds really fun for dinner with good food!! Logan and I really enjoyed it for breakfast!!
Wow! What an action packed day!! That is such a sweet story about Cullen on IASW!! How cool that you sent a picture to your Dad!! Your massage sounds heavenly and I can't believe you were at the GF right when we were checking in!! We still have to get to the Cape May Cafe. It sounds really fun for dinner with good food!! Logan and I really enjoyed it for breakfast!!
The massage was heavenly Perfect after a few action packed days too. We loved Cape May (it was closed in 2012) and it will be on the list for our next vacation - though I might want to try the breakfast.
I should have called this "near meetings with Tara"
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Wow, you certainly packed a lot in! Your time at the spa sounded heavenly, especially the wine spritzer and the champagne mimosa. They didn't offer those the last time I was there, so maybe I need to return?
What a pain with the buses to get to the Beach Club Glad you made it in the end.
What a lovely day you had. I am so glad you lived Cape May. We are so ready for our meal there again! Caden has also declared the macaroni and cheese there to be the best ever.
How thoughtful of Brian to letting you have some relaxing alone time and pre-paying for that FAB!
He does like to surprise me with stuff, and after several tight financial years, and two years of saving for the trip, it was nice to be able to splurge a bit.
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The Fun, Old-Fashioned Family Vacation, 3.0 http://www.passporterboards.com/foru...ml#post4472933
Ch-Ch-Changes July 2015
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A wonderful birthday for you! Family time and alone-time, too. Very thoughtful of Brian to arrange for the drink by the pool.
It was very thoughtful, and I'd repay him with a surprise a bit later in the trip
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
Wow, you certainly packed a lot in! Your time at the spa sounded heavenly, especially the wine spritzer and the champagne mimosa. They didn't offer those the last time I was there, so maybe I need to return?
What a pain with the buses to get to the Beach Club Glad you made it in the end.
We'd done so much at the MK that morning, that we didn't feel bad about not making it back in the evening. I'm guessing the champagne and wine where either part of the package he ordered, or offered because there was a wedding party at the spa at the same time? Either way, it was set up on the counter area where they have the light healthy snacks and cucumber water. I think you'll need a return visit to investigate
The transportation seemed REALLY slow that night. We never had that issue when we stayed at the BC and took buses everywhere.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dutchdisneyfamily
What a lovely day you had. I am so glad you lived Cape May. We are so ready for our meal there again! Caden has also declared the macaroni and cheese there to be the best ever.
I remember Caden saying that and Nolan said to tell him "it hasn't changed and was the best and kind of spoiled other Mac N Cheese for him because it's not Cape May"
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The Fun, Old-Fashioned Family Vacation, 3.0 http://www.passporterboards.com/foru...ml#post4472933
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Breakfast at BOG sounds delicious. 
If we added Jenny to the mix...well, I think our families would see the park through a whole new point of view 
)
and no, the ride hadn't malfunctioned, the park was just.that.crowded that day.
. Brian grabbed them, and jogged back to put them in the reuse bin while the boys spun me crazy on the tea cups. At this point, our first FP+ was ripe - the Tomorrowland Speedway, and we were faced with our first dilema as a party of 5. Nolan wasn't tall enough to drive on his own, so one of the adult drivers needed to have 2 kiddos with them. All three of the boys wanted to "drive" the car, so someone would have to get out and go back through the standby line. The CM who scanned our MB told me to ask for a "green flag" from the CM that assigns cars. I asked, explaining that we had three kids and none could ride on their own. After a few minutes, the CM handed Brian a green flag so the boys could switch out steering wheel spots and he was assigned car 12 with Nolan and Cullen. I explained to Patrick that yes, his brothers would get two loops but it was so they could both have a chance to steer the car (the standby line was 60 minutes at this point). He seemed a bit sad, but wasn't going to fuss at only having one ride when the CM handed me a green flag and told me "Happy Birthday!" so we got to ride twice through too 
Once we were on board, I dialed Disney Reservations because I knew we'd be slightly late for our ADR. They assured me it wouldn't be an issue. We weren't the only late ones. A family on board was heading the same place, and their ADR time was....6:00. They'd underestimated travel time from the WL to MK, then MK to Beach Club.
They weren't very cooperative.
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Your time at the spa sounded heavenly, especially the wine spritzer and the champagne mimosa. 
They didn't offer those the last time I was there, so maybe I need to return? 
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