The Third Time’s the Charm! Fourth (Third) Annual Mom and Me Trip--Updated twice on 10/21--now COMPLETE - Page 31 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Great TR Sharon! I love the pics from BWI, Espcially the Lucy the Elephant in the lobby (only a Jersey Girl *sigh* would notice that ....LOL) TFS all your great memories with us!
How great the crowds were so low at Epcot and you could score middle/front for Soarin'. Love the last minute F&WF offerings...those cream puffs look even more delish! Thanks for the beautiful parting shots of the BW.
Looking forward to your wrap-up.
danielle
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That crabcake looked amazing! You have some really beautiful pictures of Boardwalk. I'm still trying to find a way to convince DH that we should make an extra trip next summer because I would really like to stay there.
Sharron U have made me want a Mother, Daughter, Granddaughter trip some day! I know that DH would never let that happen as he loves Disney as much as I do!
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What a great finish Sharon!! Can't believe you walked onto Soarin!! Great pictures of all the food around the world as well Looking forward to your final thoughts
Oooohhh, that strawberry and peach nectar drink sounds yummy!! Is that only there during the F&WF?
That's a F&WF only item (which is a bummer, because it was delicious).
Quote:
Originally Posted by zacksmom_1993
Your pictures from Spaceship Earth are killing me Sharon! Although, I think it's the juxtaposition of the ginormous bite marks in your heads (and what's up with the big ol' hole in your Mom's head, that had to hurt) and your doofy smile that's killing me. It's kind of like Lobotomy Sharon! You kill me!
The missing chunks definitely make it funnier.
Quote:
Originally Posted by zacksmom_1993
Love the pictures of the Food & Wine festival; particularly the crab cake that had me licking my screen. And, that one shot of the balcony at the Boardwalk? Purrr-fection! Looking forward to your final thoughts, and REALLY, REALLY looking forward to Saturday!
YOU can't wait? I'm going slightly crazy!
Quote:
Originally Posted by TinkerBelz
Hey you left just in time for the rain for OUR trip! LOL
Sorry! You should've changed your dates - I usually have good luck with weather!
Quote:
Originally Posted by JoanW
Love, love love this TR. Are you going to recap? Perhaps with a list of the entire Mabel Sweet Tips????
Does this mean I get to meet Miss Mabel in person in December? Perhaps she will like me best - Eileen!
I'm thinking Mom's going to be Marcia! And she's so easy to win over! Just bring her something sweet! I'm doomed!
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Mickey's so happy to see me back, he can barely contain himself!
Didn’t I tell y’all my DM was awesome? I really enjoy traveling with Mom because we get along so well and have so much fun together. Next year we’ve got big plans for our annual mother-daughter trip – Adventures By Disney London/Paris (with an add-on at Disneyland Paris)! We’re both super excited about that. It’ll be the first trip to Europe for either of us.
We really had a fantastic, memorable trip. I really enjoy DM when she’s at Disney because she actually acts like a kid again, which puts the biggest smile on my face (quite an unusual sight, I’m sure ). The weather was absolutely perfect, the crowds were very light (except for Saturday at Epcot) and everything else was practically perfect. The only bad thing to happen the entire trip was our flight delay. DM has been convinced that September travel is great and she’s planning to use her DVC points in September all the time.
My Mom is always going out of her way to make sure everyone else is happy, even if it means she doesn’t have much fun herself, so it really brings me joy to be able to spoil her sometimes. I used to have to fight with her to get her to agree (or she insisted on paying for everything), but now she goes along with whatever I want. We did have a few “I’m paying.” “No, I’m paying.” fights at the F&WF kiosks.
I’m so sorry we didn’t get to attend the big PPer meet at Epcot, but we did get to see Terri and her boyfriend for a few minutes which was a fantastic surprise. I got to meet CPer Jyl, and that was great. I will be seeking her out again in December with DN Erica in tow, who is considering the CP herself. And lastly, I was thrilled to meet the Crissys. They were such a delight and I hope to get to spend time with them again. Y’all were so much fun!
The Firsts:
Because this was a shorter trip and mostly F&WF based, I didn’t think there would be many firsts, but I did manage more than I thought.
First time staying at the BoardWalk Inn First time meeting Jane First time seeing the British Invasion show
Transportation:
Southwest Airlines – I am usually lucky when traveling and rarely have bad weather. This translates to rarely having flight delays, but I guess my luck ran out this time. I can’t complain, though, since it was Mother Nature’s fault and not SWA. We were actually early on our return flight. I always check SWA first and haven’t flown a different airline in at least 7 years.
Disney’s Magical Express – This was actually one of the better DME experiences I’ve had. I usually gripe about all the stops at non-deluxe resorts before the deluxe resorts, but this time I was the second stop, so it wasn’t as bad (still was a non-deluxe resort, though). I actually enjoy the DME experience overall.
Resort Transportation – We had unbelievable luck with Disney transportation this trip. We only had a significant wait once (and even then it was less than the 20 minutes advertised). Most times a bus or boat was pulling up as we arrived, or we had a wait of 5 minutes or less. I really think a person’s transportation experience depends a lot on luck, and we had the luck of the Irish this time.
The BoardWalk Inn:
After two failed attempts to stay at the BWI, I was happy to finally get my chance. And I loved it even more than I thought I would. The resort was beautiful, our view was phenomenal, our room was in a fantastic location, and the resort itself is in a great location. DM enjoyed it as much as I did and told me she’s glad I like to indulge a bit when I’m on vacation (because she generally doesn’t). Now that I’m a DVC member, I’m sure there are stays at the BoardWalk Villas in my future. Lots of them.
The Food:
We didn’t have many table service meals this trip, but we enjoyed both of them. We actually didn’t really have any honest-to-goodness counter service meals this time, except for breakfast at Sunshine Seasons. Most of our eating was done at the F&WF (more on that later).
Cape May Café – When I planned this meal, the lineup was different, but I was actually really happy that Chip & Dale have been replaced by Donald Duck. CMC is actually an old favorite. The food is good (not the best ever, but tasty nonetheless), but the characters are always ready to play and tend to spend a nice amount of time at each table. A lot of other character meals are much more rushed. CMC isn’t a must do, but I certainly will return in the future.
Liberty Tree Tavern – I’m especially glad we got to do this one more time, because the characters are going away in January. This was always a tradition on MNSSHP nights, so I’m not sure what will happen next time I go to MNSSHP. The food is good, but honestly, I doubt I’ll eat there without the characters.
The Parks:
I actually was expecting bigger crowds than we got. Aside from the Saturday at Epcot (the first one of the F&WF – I knew that would be busy), the crowds were extremely light. We really didn’t even need to use FP at all. I just got them a couple of times for extra rides.
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party – It’s my favorite of the special parties at the MK and one I try to do every year. I love the feel of the park, the decorations, the music, the characters in costume, and yes, the candy. This year we concentrated on the parade and fireworks and anything else we fit in was a bonus. We walked onto every ride, and even the treat lines were pretty short – they can be somewhat long early in the evening.
Food and Wine Festival – I was sure four rounds of the F&WF would have been enough to sample everything we wanted to, but it wasn’t. It helped to have someone to share everything with so we could sample more offerings, but there was just too much that appealed to us (and too many year-round WS goodies we couldn’t pass up). The combination of the F&WF, MNSSHP, and the fantastic weather makes this my favorite time of the year to visit WDW.
It feels great to have finished my TR within a month of my trip! Thanks to everyone for reading along and for so, so many wonderful comments.
Up Next: Visiting the Happiest Place on Earth (hint: it’s in California)
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Mickey's so happy to see me back, he can barely contain himself!
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Thanks for taking us along on this latest vacation... and how awesome that you and Mom have such a blast together. Congrats on booking next year's European Adventure!
I agree that Fall is a lovely time to visit and I am glad the weather, crowds and holiday decor were next to perfect.
Looking forward to reading about DL....
danielle
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~Shoot for the moon, if you miss, you will land among the stars~
Sharon your Mother/Daughter trip report was great. I hope someday my daughter and I can share a few trips like you and your mom do. Great reviews and fantastic pictures. Thanks for sharing with all of us.
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Sharon I just want to tell you that your mom is great! And you guys look so much alike! I have a feeling you not only get your smile and beautiful looks from your mom, but your sense of humor too!
I thoroughly enjoy reading your trip reports. They always make me laugh!
I am glad your mom enjoys some rides - especially Soarin' - as that is my favortie!
Thanks for taking us along on your mother/daughter trip!
Congrats on becoming a DVC members to both you and your mom.
And congrats on your European trip next year! How exciting!
Ok - until the next time......oh, which will be very, very soon!
What a great last day...so glad the crowds stayed away for you so you and your mom could enjoy your last day at Epcot and you truly got so much done. Glad your mom enjoyed her ride through space...love the computer shots. Glad you both got to enjoy a little more of the festival before having to head out...
Once again great wrap up. The Boardwalk sounds fabulous...it has definitely risen to the top of my list (between you and Mel's TR's I am in love with the resort). I so enjoy hearing about trips with your mom...I can actually see (and I am hoping) that my girls will enjoy traveling with me to Disney even when they are "big girls" .
I am so sorry to see this end but then again...if you didn't you could not very well start your next one...I am waiting
Dyan, we were talking about you while we were watching the gorillas! I told DM the story about when the mama gorilla showed her baby to you & Kyle.
Awwww.....Sharon!! You just TOTALLY made my night!
What a great trip you had with your DM! The lack of crowds you experienced is amazing! And, all that great food! YUM!! I am sooooo looking forward to the next TR!!
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Looking forward to your final thoughts 
That's a F&WF only item (which is a bummer, because it was delicious).
Although, I think it's the juxtaposition of the ginormous bite marks in your heads (and what's up with the big ol' hole in your Mom's head, that had to hurt) and your doofy smile that's killing me. It's kind of like Lobotomy Sharon! You kill me!
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