"Can I Play on Your iPhone?" A WDW Trip in a Digital Age (May 28 - June 7) About This Page:

[Cam22]

, Maddie!

[chezp]

Congrats on your run! That's quite an achievement!

[Courtney892]

All caught up and subscribed....can't let the TRs of other planning mavens go unread

Congrats on your 1/2 marathon......I'd intended to sign up for a half, but since it was full we did the Expedition Everest 5k with the obstacle course and the scavenger hunt....was done as teams so seemed like a great 'couple activity'....NOT. Turns out I discovered during training that I hate running....seriously proud of my medal though. Probably because it will be my sole running medal

[OhToodles!]

Finally got caught up. Love Maddie showing her teacher that she can be a ninja! Congrats on the half marathon Karen! Hope things are good with you!

[lindawdw]

Congrats on your 1/2 marathon run! Can't wait for more.

[pamcarey]

Finally got a chance to read this TR. Seriously the funniest thing I've read in a long time! Just sorry that it had to end. Thanks for sharing your hilarious version of things!

[zacksmom_1993]

Tuesday, May 31

We’d enjoyed our final night at the Wilderness Lodge, but Zack and I were anxious to try out the Royal Pacific Resort and to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. And as it was moving day number one, Zack and I were up early to get things going. I got showered and dressed and then began to pack things up as Zack did the same.

The plan was to store our bags at bell services and spend the morning at Animal Kingdom. We had lunch reservations at T-Rex at Downtown Disney and I’d arranged for Budget Rental Car to pick me up there. Then I’d pick up bags from the Wilderness Lodge and go check-in at Royal Pacific Resort. Good plan, right?

When I was about 10 minutes away from being totally packed, I called Bell Services figuring it might take them a little while to arrive, especially since it was the day after a holiday weekend. Wrong-o. It felt like I heard a knock on my door the minute I hung up the phone. Either Bell Services CM was stalking me or word of my big tipper-ness had gotten around. What can I say? I’m GENEROUS with the Washingtons.

I offered up a plaintive, “Just a minute!” and then frantically began throwing things into luggage helter skelter, leaving out toiletries and sundries that I hadn’t used yet or thought I might need for the day. I managed to get the door open and the luggage stored without too much delay and finished getting ready with the “leftovers.” Let’s just say that trying to get things packed up with Bell Services breathing down your neck = interesting park touring bag. That sucker was loaded down with a teeny amount of useful stuff (ponchos, sunscreen, camera) and a whole bunch of hilarious stuff (razors, toothbrushes, chargers, deodorant, leave-in conditioner, flat iron.) My little vinyl Disney Heroes backpack was bulging at the seams.

Leading to… Karen’s Tip of the Day #9: I know it’s tempting to try to maximize every last minute, (believe me, I know) but don’t call bell services, valet, etc. until you’re actually ready to utilize their services. And, heck, bonus tip: I know Eileen will be sure to bring this up numerous times in the future. (Believe me, I. KNOW.) But, just pretend you don’t remember what the heck she’s talking about. It’ll be hilarious!

We left the room just a few minutes later, dropping off four days worth of pillow chocolates, a hard fought over chocolate canoe, and leftover candies from the top of Zack’s cake at the Koenigs’ door. Had to make sure they found a good home, right? We grabbed a quick breakfast in the lounge, just long enough for me to realize that I had packed up my wallet in storage. Yeah. Pretty sure they weren’t going to let me rent a car with my annual pass, room key, and a smile. See what happens when you try to optimize every last second? Zip it, Eileen.

I left Zack to finish up breakfast and dashed down to grab my wallet out of storage. And if you’re asking yourself why I didn’t just drop off some of my extra stuff while I was getting my wallet, I don’t know. I’m just thinking of that now. After a quick picture of the lobby, I was calling Zack to head on down.



With no further delays, we were hopping a bus to Animal Kingdom, hoping to meet up with Heather and Brandon before their Wild Africa Trek. Well maybe one more slight delay when I amused security with my kitchen sink like park touring bag (now with wallet!) And if you’re asking yourself why I didn’t just save myself the embarrassment (and the effort of lugging that thing around all day) by getting a locker, I don’t know. I’m just thinking of that now. Let’s just say that I avoided Stupid Guest Tricks for a while after this trip. (And let’s just say this wasn’t the only reason.)

Our delays meant we’d missed the opening by a bit and we crossed paths with Heather and Brandon as they were headed to their tour. They had just long enough to tell us that the park was packed and Everest single rider wasn’t open. Thanks for the good news, Saints fans!

Zack and I worked our way through the crowd to get Fastpasses for later and then went over to Dinosaur, where things were considerably less crowded. After a terrifying trip back in time, I quickly blasted through the gift shop to avoid the snickers of my fellow riders, particularly my son. Seriously, my picture always looks like I’m about to wet myself and cry for my mommy. Attractive, non?

We moved to ride Kali River Rapids next and noticed on the way over that the SRL for Everest was now open and we literally walked straight back and onto an about to pull out train. But word gets out fast. By the time we were exiting the ride, the line had built up substantially. Knowing that we’d be riding later with FP’s, we kept going to Kali where the ride time was posted as 5 minutes. Score! We hopped in line just as I got a text from Heather that she and Brandon hadn’t been able to do the tour (stupid inconsistent Disney policies!) I sent off a quick reply that we were going to ride Kali with a short wait and we’d see them after.

Oh, Disney. Your promises of 5 minute waits get me every time. The wait was more like 35 minutes and just when we’d decide to forget it, the line would lurch forward and lure us in again. Oh well. I hadn’t been in the standby line for years and I love it.



I kept trying to text Heather, but I was only getting the red exclamation mark of doom on my iPhone. Kali River Rapids is a texting black hole, y’all. We had a great ride with just a minor dousing and when we got off I finally got a barrage of texts from Heather that she would be joining us on the ride. We waited just a bit for them and then all decided to see Flights of Wonder.

Zack had just enough time to chill for a bit



And to go get a frozen coke before the show. He came back with a pleased smile and silently showed me this hidden Mickey.



Zack isn’t one to gush or make displays of his emotion, but he loves the little details about Disney. And, I love that about him. I’m feeling really close to my family and it’s actually making me a little emotional right now!

We had another great show at Flights of Wonder and I think it was actually Brandon’s first time. Love doing things with newbies!



I got a text that the Koenigs were approaching Animal Kingdom and so I told them to meet us at Everest, thinking Mary Devall could use my Fastpass. They didn’t get the message (darn texting black holes) which led to Zack, Heather, Brandon, and I craning our necks for 20 minutes in front of Everest looking for four cute blondes. And, as Zack said, “There are too many blond people in the world!” Too many with mom, dad (in golf shirt and baseball hat) and two daughters as well! Guess we should have been on the lookout for black socks?

We finally got a reply text that they had been seeing It’s Tough to Be a Bug and were headed to Dinosaur. The four of us jumped in line with our Fastpasses and were quickly fleeing the (stationary, sadly lame) yeti. We said our goodbyes to Heather and Brandon and then found a shady spot to wait for the Koenigs.

We were shortly reunited with the Koenigs, with happy hugs from the girls. Yup, it’d only been about 14 hours since we’d seen them, but Zack and I are just that awesome. OK. OK. It MIGHT have had something to do with the pile of chocolate we’d left in the morning. MIGHT.

It was getting within about an hour and a half of our ADR time at T-Rex. Given how difficult it seems to be to travel between the park and Downtown Disney, I figured we should head out. And, lordy lou, did we need every bit of those 90 minutes. We had a bit of a wait for a bus and then jumped on one for Saratoga Springs, only to sit and sit and sit some more. By the time we finally pulled away from Animal Kingdom, we’d been waiting for so long, this
was going on all around me.

I turned to Thom (to laugh, I admit it) only to see him, head tilted back, eyes closed, catching flies. The only ones awake were me and Jill (and the three kids playing on various iPhones.) People. Seriously. If you get that tired by lunch, on vacation, I think you’re doing it wrong.

Of course, I realized too late that we’d have to wait through about 42 stops at Saratoga Springs. Meaning, we didn’t have enough time to take the water launch to Downtown Disney. Instead, we got off at the appropriate stop and set off for a little walk. What followed was a whole lot of inappropriate whining. “We have to walk.” “I’m hot.” “I’m hungry.” Pointing to T-Rex across the water and saying, “We have to walk all the way over there.” I’d had enough. I usually don’t reprimand other people’s children, but something had to be done. Not able to stand it any longer, I finally turned around and in my sternest Mom voice said, “Knock it off, Thom,”

After an admittedly long walk, we arrived at T-Rex ninety minutes on the dot from when we left Animal Kingdom. And if that’s not an advertisement for a $15 cab ride, I don’t know what is.

Zack and I were so excited to show Mary Devall and Maddie T-Rex. We’d enjoyed the atmosphere and the food the summer before and our only regret was that it hadn’t been built when Zack was littler for him to go little-boy-with-a-dinosaur-fascination crazy over it. We were especially excited to be seated in the ice cave section.



Everyone seemed happy with the menu and Maddie was particularly excited over her drink selection.



After we ordered, the girls were happy enough to walk around with me.



But then, they were pretty much over it. Not crazy over it. Just over it. Shortly after the food arrived, the girls were begging for iPhones to keep them entertained.


Little dinosaur fossil over their heads cracks me up.


"Can I get a little love here? I’m a dinosaur. In ice!"


"Yeah. No."

The one thing that did seem to get everyone’s happy attention was the ginormous dessert we ordered for the table.




"Ummm? How exactly do I tackle this thing?"


Dig right in, I guess?

The food was good (and plentiful!) again and the girls were excited to make their own dinosaur at the end. It just wasn’t quite the homerun I thought it would be. I left Zack with the Koenigs and placed a phone call to Budget to ask them to come pick me up. Josh told me he’d be there in about five minutes and for me to look out for an orange Camaro.

And that’s when it happened. I was no longer soon-to-be-40 mom to an 18-year-old. It was 1988 and I was 16-years-old, popping gum, listening to Aerosmith on my Walkman, waiting for hot Josh to pick me up in his hot Camaro. Seriously, even as I write this, I’ve got “Love in an Elevator” playing in my head. Josh didn’t hurt matters by being a smokin’ 22-year-old with shades, rolling up with windows down and the stereo blasting. Even though I knew my mom and dad would kill me if they found out, I hopped in and we chatted on our way back to the Budget desk at the Doubletree.

Unfortunately, record scratch, reality descended as Josh asked if I’d prefer a Focus or a Camry and inquired if I needed a car seat. Bummer. I already had my Josh + Karen 4 Ever drawing planned out for my Trapper Keeper.

Meanwhile, back at Downtown Disney, Mary Devall and Maddie had finished making their prehistoric fluffies and the Koengis plus Zack were scoping out the Lego store for prospective purchases. Zack found a few things to purchase, but the Koenigs were eager to get back to Animal Kingdom and ride a few things. Kids, getting to a park after 11 = two rides before lunchtime. I was due back shortly so Thom asked Zack if he’d be willing to take the girls' dinosaurs back to the Wilderness Lodge. As I found out in a very long (but very funny) voicemail message, carrying around two Build-a-Bear boxes seriously ruins a teenage boy’s game. The Weisses were striking out left and right.

I picked Zack up and we decided to check-in at the Royal Pacific first before heading back to the Wilderness Lodge for our last evening of club level indulgence. We found it easily enough and were soon checked in and working our way up to our room in Tower 2.



Zack immediately flopped down on the nearest bed, and flipped on the TV. He stopped at Law & Order SVU and, hand to heart, I’d never seen the show before. We’d caught it just at the beginning of the hour and watched a whole episode before heading back to the Wilderness Lodge to return the Jurassic Fluffies to their rightful owners.

I love approaching the Wilderness Lodge from a new angle!



We found the female Koenigs enjoying some snacks in the lounge, while the male version was passed out back in the room. One too many rides on Expedition Everest seems to have that effect on him.

Zack and I grabbed some food and drinks and joined them, but there wasn’t much in the way of eats for vegetarian Zack. He was quickly done eating and quickly bugging the crap out of me. I suggested he run around to burn off some energy, only to have him take the suggestion seriously and proceed to run laps around the top floor, giving high fives to random cast members and guests he passed.

One family cracked me up because the kids clearly wanted to engage with Zack, but the parents had clearly given the instruction not to make eye contact in case Zack was criminally insane versus just an annoying teenager. I suggested to Maddie and Mary Devall that Zack should be put on time out. Maddie had a grand time telling Zack he was on time out, especially when he would respond with a loud wail while standing in the corner. Have to concede, that family had a point. But Mary Devall and Maddie were giggling away, and nothing makes Zack happier than making those two little girls laugh.

Shortly after desserts came out, (I’m a thinker, yo) we decided to head back to the Royal Pacific. We had an early appointment the next day with Harry Potter. We got our bags from stored luggage and made the quick trip to Universal. I had been smart enough to store just the clothes we’d need for the day in a small suitcase, so we were quickly squared away back in our room. Zack was still hungry and ordered up some pizza from room service. (Totally reasonable prices, by the way.) It was just about nine and just about time for two more episodes of SVU. What can I say? I got hooked!

Up Next… Harry for me, Homer for Zack

[zacksmom_1993]

I obviously feel the need to comment on a trip report update nearly eight months after the last one. (Although I was giggling about the possibility of just posting it alone like it was no big deal.) I actually have most of the trip report written, so I think I might actually finish. I had plenty of time to write it, unfortunately, with my Dad being in and out of the hospital from the end of August until the middle of January trying to recover from surgery from bladder cancer. It was a rough few months, and unfortunately, in the middle of January we got the news that the cancer had spread everywhere. My darling dad died just three days later, just about 24 hours after we brought him home from the hospital.

I figured this trip report would be like so many others I never finished, especially as we were all so busy trying to keep my Dad's CPA business afloat through tax season so that we would have a valuable asset in the end. Then, my sisters and I were on a wonderful two week trip to Hawaii. During that trip, though, I saw the sad, sad news about Stefanie. I've been thinking so much about Cam and Luke since then, and especially about how precious Cam's trip reports are to me. Family history is just so important, and like I said in my opening post on this thread, this trip really feels like it needs to be documented. I hope that maybe some of the crazy, that only the Weisses seem to bring, will make Cam and Luke smile. I can't even tell you how much joy their stories (and everyone else's on Passporter) brought to me over the past several months. Love to you all!

[chezp]

Great to see you writing again Karen.

[ilovedisney247]

Love you too Karen! It was so nice to see this random update show up in the new posts listing! I enjoyed spending some time with you guys at AK--even if it was short! Hopefully, I'll be safely ensconced in my new Orlando apartment by the time your next trip rolls around.

[Coop]

So sorry about your dad. Glad you're back - I really like your writing style. You had me cracking up at "Love in an Elevator" and Trapper Keeper! Did you have leg warmers on too?

[sc507]

I'm so sorry for the loss of your dad. Hugs to you and your family.
So happy to see you updating! I'm probably going to be late for work now because I read it, but that's all good . Laughed out loud several times, you yelling at Thom to quit whining, Zack running laps, you and the orange Camaro.....hilarious!

[taylan1]

Yippee! A Karen update! Glad you are back to finish this TR! Sorry the you have had such a rough several months, big hugs. My condolences on the loss of your father. I am very glad to see your update, you had my in stitches over the "love in an elevator" scene. Totally can't wait for the next update.

[Colexis Mom]

Glad you've come back to finish the report Karen! Fantastic update!

I'm so sorry about your Dad! Prayers and hugs for you and Zack!

[nursemom]

I'm very sorry about your dad. You have been through a lot. Thanks for your great update. Love your thoughts on your Camaro "date" with Josh. So funny!