Ten Days, Three Resorts... A Disney Convert Dives In - Page 5 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Originally Posted by mom to 3 princesses and 1 prince
Oh, definitely give Illuminations another try! It's my favorite nightime show at WDW!
Not sure what it is about Illuminations and kids....our first time DS (who was 2.5 at the time) FREAKED OUT over the noise, and he and DH ended up spending the time in a bathroom stall in Norway!! Not just any stall, though - the furthest stall from the door! That was the only way DS would stop freaking out! So DH had to wait for another visit to see Illuminations. But 12 years later, it's probably one of everyone's (including DS!) favorite night time shows! Hope you can see it one day!
The renovations to OKW sound wonderful! Dinner sounds great, too. We may have to try this one again sometime.
I would recommend it... especially when you are on the dining plan (maybe only on the plan... hard to justify the OOP expense). From what I've read, it doesn't sound like the breakfast food is as good as dinner.
Quote:
Originally Posted by todyzbud
I totally agree with you about meeting up with friends from home. . . I did that in December and did a bunch of stuff that I would never consider doing otherwise. We did two Kim Possible Missions and stopped to watch Miyuki in Japan. It was nice to see friendly faces
Isn't it fun? We, too, did things we wouldn't have otherwise...and the kids got a kick out of seeing friends from home while we were away. Plus, always fun to ride an attraction with a friend instead of a parent or sibling.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mcc0313
Sorry that DQ was so crowded, I always find that whe we get there early it is great, but even on anice day once the rush makes their way in it definitely just feels cramped. Love the pictures from your dinner with the Princesses.
We've had some good success with Disney Quest at night or on slower days in the morning. I don't know what I was thinking to try on a rainy holiday!
Quote:
Originally Posted by cubfancolleen
Not sure what it is about Illuminations and kids....our first time DS (who was 2.5 at the time) FREAKED OUT over the noise, and he and DH ended up spending the time in a bathroom stall in Norway!! Not just any stall, though - the furthest stall from the door! That was the only way DS would stop freaking out! So DH had to wait for another visit to see Illuminations. But 12 years later, it's probably one of everyone's (including DS!) favorite night time shows! Hope you can see it one day!
I will definitely try again! Glad to know that with time everyone liked it.
Originally Posted by mom to 3 princesses and 1 prince
Oh, definitely give Illuminations another try! It's my favorite nightime show at WDW!
I will definitely give it a try again! I tried talking my family into seeing it again on this trip, but did not prevail. I loved the quieter part at the end.
PS - Enjoying your trip report on the marathon! Hoping to try a 1/2 - maybe next Jan.
I woke up early and borrowed my parents car to stock up at the Winn Dixie. It felt like a serious Disney buzz kill to have to get in a car and drive offsite… but worth it to fill the fridge and pantry with everything we needed. I know it is faster to drive your own car or a rental car to the parks, even when staying onsite, but I love using Disney transportation. Part of the appeal of the vacation for me is that once I hit MCO, I can leave it up to the Magical Express and Disney buses and boats to schlep my family around for the entire stay. Maybe it is because we live in a rural area and I drive 40 minutes each way to work… I love saying goodbye to the car for a week.
Even though I had to get in a car and find my way around, the Winn Dixie trip went smoothly. Where do you shop for groceries? Is this the best place? I passed Goodings, which I had heard was horribly overpriced, but the Winn-Dixie was just a short way further. Winn Dixie was fine, but some items did seem to have an upcharge. I had written out a list before we left home and this was a great help and timesaver.
We had a leisurely, late breakfast when I returned, then got ready to head to the Magic Kingdom. First up was the Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It parade. We found a spot to watch on the right side of the castle hub (facing the castle). DD(3) loves this parade, especially the part where the kids get to join in, and we all love watching her. I think the other side of the hub works better… we got everyone streaming in from Main Street during the course of the parade and it was very crowded. One time we were on the other side, closer to the castle, and there was a lot more space - much easier for the kids to interact with the characters.
We stopped for a few Photopass shots, including several “magic” shots where we were holding Tinkerbell. tinkerbell 1.jpg
We preordered the Photopass CD for $99 and definitely put it to good use. We had over 400 photos! I wish we had asked for more candid photos as we have a ton of posed pictures in front of the castle, Spaceship Earth, etc. DD (10) wanted to meet Daisy Duck, so we walked back down Main Street and were first in line when she came back out. daisy duck 1.jpg
Time for lunch. Columbia Harbor House was in the cards. I have pretty low expectations for counter service food at the MK, but the Lighthouse Sandwich I ordered was very good (hummus and broccoli slaw).
We decided to split up after lunch. DS and DD (10) wanted to ride BTM and DD(3) wanted to see the Dream Along with Mickey show. We sent the older kids off with their grandparents and took the little one to the castle. She had probably watched Dream along with Mickey 50 times on YouTube while I was cooking dinner… it was lots of fun to see it in person with her. We missed this on our first trip. I had the idea on that first trip we should just focus on rides and skip the parades, shows, etc.. we quickly learned that parades and shows were a huge part of the magic… especially for a 3 year old.
After Dream along with Mickey we headed back to Frontierland to get a spot for the afternoon parade and connect with the others. Found out that DD and DS were squabbling over what to ride next after going on BTM twice. Sibling arguments continue even at Disney, I suppose. sigh. They met up with us and we watched the parade, then split up again for DS to go to Haunted Mansion with grandparents while we waited with the girls to see Princess Tiana. Tiana.jpgTiana Naveen.jpg
Everyone was starting to fade, so we made a quick stop for ice cream sundaes on Main Street, then headed for the buses and back to OKW for a nap and a swim before dinner. We took the boat to DTD for dinner at Paradisio 37. Food was good, DS loved the churro/sopapilla combo dessert, but they crammed the 7 of us into a smallish table for 6… a bit crowded. The boat ride is always pleasant… a nice way to relax after a full day.
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Deer Isle Mom
Last edited by deerislemom; 03-21-2011 at 09:24 PM..
After a full day and a half of extended family togetherness, it seemed like a good idea for DH to play golf. He headed out early and we took our time getting ready, then went to Epcot. The kids wanted to spend some time in Innoventions and at the Mission Space lab (the part after the ride)… and DD(3) wanted to spend her gift card on a Duffy Bear.
So we did just that…. Innoventions East, including Sum of All Thrills, then the Mission Space Lab, then over to The Land for lunch at Sunshine Seasons, Soarin’ and Livin with the Land. Sunshine Seasons did not disappoint – I had the seared tuna with seasame noodles.
Good thing my parents had ECVs… there is a lot of walking in Epcot! After the Land Pavillion, we headed for the Duffy Meet and Greet and then to the nearby gift shop so DD could pick out her very own. It was 2:00 p.m. at this point and the big kids wanted to fit in a visit to Typhoon Lagoon…time to head back to Old Key West if we were going to try that. Duffy.jpg Duffy 2.jpg
I was sure DD (3) would fall asleep on the bus ride… no such luck. DH took DD (10) and DS (12) to Typhoon Lagoon while I worked on getting the little one down for a nap. She was determined not to fall asleep and miss a minute of anything! She finally fell asleep after I walked her in the stroller down every lane of the OKW resort and then made a second loop. By the time I got back, my parents were asleep as well. I took the opportunity of a quiet villa to do some baking. Toll house cookies first, then dough for homemade cinnamon rolls. One small thing I missed on our first trip to Disney was homemade treats like these. It feels more like vacation when there is a jar of freshly baked cookies on the counter. And I have a fabulous, easy no-knead recipe for cinnamon rolls.
Everyone woke up about the time the gang returned from Typhoon Lagoon. They said it was a great afternoon for the waterpark… no crowds at all, but warm enough for them to enjoy it (we live in Maine, so anything over 60 feels like summer to us). Early that morning I had canceled our ADR for Le Cellier. I know, I know – seems like a crazy thing to do. I had booked the ADR exactly 180 days out, before we had even discussed a return visit, because I knew if we went there was a good chance it would be MLK week. I’m still a little bummed that we didn’t get to try Le Cellier… especially since the menu prices went up on March 1. But I think it was the most prudent decision. DD had napped late the day before and was fussy at dinner, which was uncomfortable for my parents. We guessed that there would be a repeat performance of the late nap, cranky at dinner time – and Le Cellier is not an inexpensive meal. We had purchased the Tables in Wonderland card which helps (20% off) but 9.5 times out of 10 when we eat out with my parents they insist on paying… and I wanted to avoid having them pay for an expensive meal with fussy kids. I was wishing at this point that I had picked up ingredients to just make dinner at the villa. Instead, we spent a long time trying to figure out where we could get take out. We ended up ordering Giordanno’s pizza for delivery and checking out a few movies from the Hospitality House. The pizza was good and it was nice to have a low-stress meal. We thought about trying to catch Wishes after dinner, but my parents didn’t have park hoppers, and we decided to head to bed on the early side.
Note to self for our next trip:
Have ingredients on hand for one dinner in the villa for an evening where everybody wants to hang out at the pool or just watch a movie and relax.
Really enjoying your TR! Can't wait to hear more. We usually go to the Publix down I drive which is not too far from the Disney Bubble. That is where I usually go, maybe because I know where it is.
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over the noise, and he and DH ended up spending the time in a bathroom stall in Norway!! Not just any stall, though - the furthest stall from the door! That was the only way DS would stop freaking out! So DH had to wait for another visit to see Illuminations. But 12 years later, it's probably one of everyone's (including DS!) favorite night time shows! Hope you can see it one day!
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Dinner sounds great, too. We may have to try this one again sometime.
Deer Isle Mom
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