Disney Nomads ... 3 Resorts in 8 Nights (March '12) - ALL NEW UPDATED 9/2 About This Page:

[DawnK]

Glad you finally made it into the park!! I am going to have to get me one of thoses teeny tiny Tinkerbell pictures!! Can't wait for more!!!

[mfirst]

Originally Posted by njlaura

Oh wow! Pink flowered luggage sounds even worse than mine! Pepto Bismol pink is very in this spring though so maybe you will have to take a trip. I would love to see your husband lugging a pretty pink suitcase through the airport.

Years ago when we were at AK, my husband would sometimes get stuck holding my daughter's pink princess backpack if the stroller wasn't around. I finally convinced them both to go on Expedition Everest. My husband is petrified of roller coasters so I was shocked that he went on. He strapped the pink backpack across his chest and up we went on that scary slow climb. Well, he made the mistake of looking down and kept his eyes tightly shut the rest of the ride.

When we got off the ride I noticed a group of teenage girls pointing and giggling at one of the ride photos. Yup it was him, with his pretty princess backpack looking terrified. I wish I had bought it!

We're heading to WDW in July, and for a long week in Cleveland in June...I will definitely take a picture of him hauling around his pink luggage

at the image of your husband's picture...my kids think I'm weird because I'm sitting here laughing. That would have been a picture for the memory books in our house (right up there with the one of my husband huddled around a table, wearing a frilly apron playing "tea party" with my nieces.)

[njlaura]

Originally Posted by DawnK

Glad you finally made it into the park!! I am going to have to get me one of thoses teeny tiny Tinkerbell pictures!! Can't wait for more!!!

Yes, everyone should have a teeny tiny Tinkerbell picture!

Originally Posted by mfirst

We're heading to WDW in July, and for a long week in Cleveland in June...I will definitely take a picture of him hauling around his pink luggage

at the image of your husband's picture...my kids think I'm weird because I'm sitting here laughing. That would have been a picture for the memory books in our house (right up there with the one of my husband huddled around a table, wearing a frilly apron playing "tea party" with my nieces.)

That's so funny. Your husband sounds like a good sport.

[Jillybean]

Your trip report is fabulous! And I have so enjoyed following your adventures and cackling like a hyena! Can't wait for more!

I have to say that the carryon versus checked luggage running commentary had me in stitches.

Jill

[bsblady01]

more please

[ilovedisney247]

Oh my goodness--laughing out loud at your adventures!

[njlaura]

Originally Posted by Jillybean

Your trip report is fabulous! And I have so enjoyed following your adventures and cackling like a hyena! Can't wait for more!

I have to say that the carryon versus checked luggage running commentary had me in stitches.

Jill

So glad to have a member of the CLQ along for the ride Jill! Love your trip reports.

Originally Posted by bsblady01

more please

Thanks!

Originally Posted by ilovedisney247

Oh my goodness--laughing out loud at your adventures!

Thanks Heather! Enjoying your reports as well. Pretty impressive that you have more than one going at once.

[Colexis Mom]

Just getting caught up! Glad you've finally made it into the park! More please!

[PrincessSharon]

Laura, I'm catching up on TRs (and neglecting my own ). So sorry we didn't manage to meet up, but it'll be fun seeing exactly how many times we had a close call!

[njlaura]

Originally Posted by PrincessSharon

Laura, I'm catching up on TRs (and neglecting my own ). So sorry we didn't manage to meet up, but it'll be fun seeing exactly how many times we had a close call!

Thanks for stopping by! I guess we had a few "missed connections." If we overlap your next trip I'll let you know.

Have fun on your trip and I'm looking forward to reading all about it.

[njlaura]

After the successful shooting of Tinkerbell (Wow! That sounds like we killed her!), I watch the rest of Wishes with 20,000 of my closest friends. We must be friends, right? Because we’re definitely all up in each other’s business.

I dread the end of the show because somehow all 20,000 (or more!) of us are going to have to get up and go somewhere, anywhere. And with extra magic hours plus a regular late night, not everybody is going to heading like lemmings to the exit. This should be interesting.

I tell Mr. Squid that we should head toward Adventureland because that’s what Josh easywdw says to do. So off we go like a herd of turtles. I have no idea if we are heading in the right direction. I can’t see anything in front of me, to the side of me or behind me. Just a big smush of people slowly inching away from the castle. It feels like this has been going on for hours. When will this crowd break up? It must be even worse for Monkston being butt-level to so many people.

Finally, we break free and head with a smaller crowd to one of my favorite rides, Pirates! I can’t wait to get on our boat and relax and sing ho ho ho! I see it ahead, doesn’t look like there’s much of a line…and it’s closed! What the what??? Now what?

Jungle Cruise is fun at night so we decide to head over there…and it looks like everyone else had the same idea. 40 minutes it too long to wait for any ride, much less one that’s enjoyment rests solely on the comedic talents of the tour guide.

(Aside: Now I’m in a bit of a quandary. I could go on an on about where we went and what rides we went on but I think that will be a bit boring to you dear reader. So I will stick with the highlights. Maybe you want to hear about the new Storybook Circus? I thought so. Fast forward to the circus.)

After some ride riding, we met up with Sheena and company and headed over to Storybook Circus. I’m completely turned around and embarrassed that even with the number of times I’ve been here, I have no idea where in Fantasyland I am. With the dark and the construction walls I am completely confused. Of course I don’t let on. I pretend I know exactly where I am and where I’m going and that all this meandering is on purpose. Finally we get to the new section which isn’t that obvious because there are still walls around the pathway leading to it.

My first impression is very favorable. As usual the imagineers have paid attention to detail. The walkways have animal paw prints and peanuts imbedded in them. The garbage cans are all themed for the circus. Dumbo now has water around it which is a pretty addition.

We decide to ride since there is only a 10 minute wait. I know I said I wouldn’t talk about ride riding but the queue is very odd. After you get to a certain point in the queue, a cast member hands you a plastic ticket. Ok, I think. That’s kind of cute. Then you walk about 15 feet to another cast member who takes your ticket and let you onto the ride. There didn’t see any reason for this other than maybe keeping cast members busy. The ride itself was no different. Up, down, round, round, blah blah.

Goofy is also pretty much the same except with different décor. It was cute but over too quickly.

The best part of Storybook Circus is in the train station. Not the train station itself, though it is quite lovely, but in the train station. The new restrooms in the train station are the best I’ve visited in any of the parks. They have actual counters with sinks and mirrors! No juggling my purse at that little mirror by the door. No trying to stay out of everyone’s way as they try to exit. If I needed to, I could fix my lipstick to my heart’s content. Oh happy day! This is definitely worth a trek from other areas of the park.

The rest of the party wants to go to the speedway and I can do without inhaling exhaust and listening to lawn motor engines so I decide to get a cup of not-coffee at Cosmic Ray’s. It’s now about 12:30 or so and I’ve been up since 5:00 so I need a little caffeine to keep up.

I get in what appears to be the shortest line. It looks like they only have two bays open at this point so if someone gets a hankering for a chicken and rib dinner they are out of luck. The cast member reminds everyone that they can form lines on either side of her. No problem, I think. I can do that. I line up left like a good soldier. I figure this won’t take too long. I’m sure most people are just getting drinks and snacks. I’m just getting a black not-coffee. Easy peasy.

But…
The family in front seems to be leaving all the decision making to the toddler member of their party and Disney being Disney the cast member must just smile and wait patiently. I’m not smiling and waiting patiently. Finally, they move on and there are 3 parties ahead of me. I wait some more and get to the front and just as I’m about to place my not-coffee order, they close the line!

Now that is very un-Disneylike, don’t you think? Shouldn’t they take care of the people in line and then close it? They even do that at the grocery story for goodness sake!

At this point I should have cut my losses but I was all in and went to the other bay. Great. Another line. I tell myself to be patient.

I repeat my mantra. I’m on vacation. I’m on vacation. It’s all good. I’m not in New Jersey now. The south moves slower. I’m on vacation.

Finally, I get my not-coffee, grab a straw to protect my whitened teeth, and take a sip off scalding hot blech. Wow. That’s just as bad as I remember. But I’m on a mission to stay awake, so drink it I must. That new Starbucks can’t be built fast enough!

More rides, more rides, more rides, no Pirates and we decide to ride Peter Pan.

It’s about 1:30 and there’s a 20 minute wait but we figure we can manage that. Sheena and family bail since they have to take the bus back Animal Kingdom Lodge. This is one of our favorites so we stick it out.

I decide to people watch and I’m amazed by the number of sleepy eyed children being propped up by their parents. There are crying children, sleeping children, whining children and yawning children. They don’t look like they’re in the happiest place on earth at the moment.

Peter Pan done, we walk (Walk!! How I love that we can walk!) back to our resort. It’s 2 am and time to call it a night.

[Colexis Mom]

Wow, what a late night at MK! Sounds like you got a lot done though!

[njlaura]

Originally Posted by Colexis Mom

Wow, what a late night at MK! Sounds like you got a lot done though!

Marnie, we probably got more done the first day than we did all week but I will take many pages to tell you that!

[njlaura]

It was probably about 3 am before we finally got to sleep. You’re probably thinking to yourself, “It’s about time she got to the end of this day already.” And now I have. On to Day 2!

I had every intention of being decadent and sleeping late but my body clock had other ideas.

(Another aside: Please forgive me if I meander between past and present tenses. I still can’t quite figure out which is better. I think present tense may be more engaging to read but then I’ll forget and slip into past tense, because after all, this stuff has already happened. I know the ending.)

I see it’s 8am. Only 5 hours of sleep! At least we are staying in this big beautiful villa so I don’t have to drink my coffee in the bathroom vanity area. Monkston is on the pullout chair but she’ll sleep through anything.

I walk out to the living room and watch my sleeping daughter for a bit. My heart literally swells when I look at her sometimes. Isn’t it amazing how you can see the baby in them when they sleep? I swear her face looks just the same as when she was 12 months when she’s asleep.

Sentimental moment over! It’s time to make the coffee!

I forgot to mention that when we arrived I noticed that there was only one coffee packet in the kitchen. What was that mousekeeper (Giggling, mousekeeper! Too silly but I’ll go with it.) thinking? Does she think I need to cut down on caffeine? That we’re soda-in-the-morning people? Or worse yet, that we’re tea people? (I’m sorry to all you tea people, but I was a waitress at one time and tea people are usually a pain the butt to wait on.) We’re booked for three nights with no maid service. Why one pack of coffee?

Anyway, I called mousekeeping (mousekeeping!) and asked them to bring coffee and more laundry detergent. TIP: When you call for more supplies, make sure you’re on your way out the door so you don’t have to tip! Hmmm…that sounds really awful but this trip report aims to be truthful so judge if you must but be will go broke tipping bell services this trip.

So, now I have three packs of not the greatest tasting coffee but thankfully not the not-coffee they serve in the food court.

The coffee machine itself is not difficult to figure out but I have absolutely no idea how many cups of coffee this packet of coffee makes. I strain my eyes to read the mouse type (mouse type! How appropriate, but that really what designers call it sometimes) and I see nothing about how much water to add. The coffee pot makes 12 cups maximum but it doesn’t look like there’s enough coffee for that. I go with 8 since I like strong coffee anyway.

(Wow! Did I really just go on for 4 paragraphs about making coffee? I feel for you dear reader. This is going to be a long day.)

I get out my iPad (I love my iPad so much! Monkston will turn it off on me when I pay too much attention to it) and answer some emails and check the news. It’s good that Disney finally entered the modern world of free wifi. Can you believe as early as last year they were charging $15 a day for internet?

I really want to read a book but the book I Kindle book I was reading on the plane was painfully terrible. It was an awful story about a beautiful but brilliant doctor radio host (??) with an advice show and a misogynistic, but handsome comedic radio host (I didn’t find anything he said funny) with a radio show about men being men, and they have to compete with each other to see who keeps their show. It was so so bad I couldn’t bear to finish it.

I have no idea what to download and then I see Hunger Games is really cheap. What little I know about this story sound really awful but it’s so popular there’s got to be something to it, right? But a book about kids killing each other? I don’t know. On the other hand, the trilogy is only $18. Sold!

And I am hooked. This is not good. I’m in vacation wonderland and I’m going to want to keep visiting this dystopian nightmare. I’m going to find excuses to hang out at the pool rather than go to the park so I can read more Hunger Games.

Our plan for the day had originally been to hang out at the resort, lounge at the pool, rent some sea raycers and just meander rather than tour.

But, we had an annoying errand to run.

Last year when we signed up for DVC, our rep told us we would receive a $500 Disney gift card that would be good for a year. Great! We can use it for our next trip. Sign us up!

As we were packing for the trip Mr. Squid got out the card and noticed that it had expired in January! After many calls, DVC admitted that the mistake was theirs and if we bring the card to them they will issue a new one. Unfortunately we had to go all the way over to Saratoga Springs to do this. And you know how convenient travel between resorts is. And do not even suggest a cab. You don’t suggest a cab to Mr. Squid.

So, now the plan is to go to Downtown Disney, let Monkston spend some of her money and have lunch at TRex before heading over to the DVC office. It all sounds very easy on paper. I just want to get back to resort early enough to get some pool (Hunger Games!) time.

After everyone gets up and has a nutritious breakfast of mini powdered doughnuts, we head out to the bus stop.

I feel like one of the cool kids waiting for the bus at a deluxe resort! Is this how the other half lives?

Actually it feels much like waiting for a bus at a moderate resort.

It’s a beautiful day by the way. Just hot enough to not be uncomfortable and not one bit of humidity. I know this because my hair is a barometer for humidity. Last trip, I would walk out of the hotel room and would immediately feel my hair curling so I do not take this lovely weather for granted.

We wait. Oh look, a bus! To Animal Kingdom. Awwww.

We wait. Oh look, a bus! To Hollywood Studios. Awwww.


We wait. Oh look, a bus! To Animal Kingdom. What the?

We wait some more. Oh look, a bus! Surely this is going to Downtown Disney. It’s going to Animal Kingdom! How can this be? This is a deluxe resort, right? I thought we would be showered in buses.

Finally, FINALLY the bus we want arrives and we are the only ones on it. And here is where it gets strange.

The bus driver starts singing. I mean really belting it out like a lounge singer. Mr. Squid and I look at each other. What do you do in this situation? I guess the polite thing would be to compliment him on his lovely voice, so I do. And he starts singing louder. And he is really going to town, like he’s auditioning for American Idol! Now, he has a pleasant voice but it’s just so strange. I don’t know where to look. Do we clap?

Normally, I wouldn’t be happy about stopping at another resort but I’m just desperate for someone, anyone to get on the bus with us! We stop at the Polynesian and no one wants to go to Downtown Disney. I look out the window with pleading, frightened eyes but no one is coming to help us!

The show starts again as we make our way to the Grand Floridian. Please someone save us!

Yes! Another family is getting on the bus!

We pull away from the curb and the bus driver…acts normal. No singing, just “how you doing folks?” It’s like that frog who only sings for one guy and then when he tries to get him to sing for anyone else he acts like a frog. This guy is now acting like a bus driver. I decide to say nothing to the other family about it.

The rest of the trip went by without incident except I did notice a sign, a Disney sign mind you, that was done in Brush Script! Brush Script! Oh Disney. You wound me.

[lazanya]

Great updates!