Disney Is in our DNA About This Page:

[OhToodles!]

I can't believe that was a holiday! I guess Labor Day isn't too crowded? I sure hope not because we're thinking of going next year over that weekend into the week after.
And one year the same thing that happened to coffeechef happened to us - one suitcase got an early flight back home.

Hope you're having fun!

[sc507]

Great wrap up Sharon! Hope you're enjoying your current trip

[MGW]

What a great trip! Even the Universal part! Thanks so much for sharing!

[Grammy Grumpy]

Great, great TR Sharon! I just love traveling along with you this way!

[Cheriemek]

Sharon - I am the crazy woman that stopped you on you walk to EPCOT on Sunday. I recognized you from your pictures here. I love your TR and hello again!

[LLaffinPlace]

Originally Posted by Cheriemek

Sharon - I am the crazy woman that stopped you on you walk to EPCOT on Sunday. I recognized you from your pictures here. I love your TR and hello again!

She really is famous.

[PrincessSharon]

I will add my final thoughts soon. I've just been a bit busy lately. And now that I'm back, I'm feeling a bit lazy. But I will finish this soon and get started on my next TR!

Originally Posted by lauriep

That was a great last day (except for missing a good-bye meeting with Bob & Larry) in the oh-so-crowded MK. I've got to ride HM sometime when there's no line so I can get to see the ghosts goofing around! I hope your dad's surgery went well.

I made a special effort to be at the front of the line the other day just so I could check out their antics. They actually do a few different things! Very And Dad's surgery was great! Thanks!

Originally Posted by mousestruck

Great way to spend those last few hours in the bubble... though I always get a little teary when I leave that castle behind for the last time. (Well, until the next trip, that is!) Sorry you lost your bag. At least it happened on the way home... and I'm sure that extra $50 will come in handy!

I wouldn't have been too upset to have them lose my bag again. It gives me a good excuse to postpone the laundry, and the $50 means another trip!

Originally Posted by JoanneS

Great trip report! Thank you so much for sharing!!!!

And, you and Mom need to learn how to make fudge. It's really easy, we do it all the time. The hardest part is not eating the whole pan!

DM would never be able to not eat the whole pan. But I have made fudge in the past.

Originally Posted by EmilyJ

Love the tr. Yes, you are famous. You even made an appearance in my dream last night. ( even if you did push me into a huge tub of water, you did it nicely)

I hope you did something to deserve me pushing you into a tub of water! Great, now I have guilt!

Originally Posted by MosyBliss

Oh I am always so sad when your trip reports come to an end. So when are you going again??? I am still 46 days from my stay in the Disney bubble and I need you to hurry yourself up and start a report asap so that I can live vicariously through you till then! Deal?

No problem! I'll be starting my next TR probably this weekend.

Originally Posted by KMB733

I'm finally all caught up and it's the end of your trip!!! But what a great couple days you had. I'm still amazed that you actually got stuck at Pirates, since I didn't think that was even possible!

I've actually been stuck on Mickey's Philharmagic! Well, not stuck exactly, but the curtain didn't come up, so they had to stop the film and empty the theater. I've been on just about every attraction and had it malfunction! I've even been on the Peoplemover and had it turn into bumper cars!

Originally Posted by LLaffinPlace

Great TR, P-Sha! We were sorry not to see you before we left, but now you know why I asked for a just-in-case hug the previous night!

I hope I will see you in our happy place again soon!

I'm so glad you did!

Originally Posted by ilovedisney247

Great last day Sha! I'm pretty sure I'll see you before you wrap up--unless you wrap up from your room at WDW! I haven't seen the Country Bears in quite some time--I might have to make time for that this week!

I planned to, but I was having too much fun to write anything.

Originally Posted by coffeechef

That happened to me last year,It was my first time letting Disney send my bags to the SWA. WHen I arrived at Bradley AP that evening and waited at the bag claim..... no bags. There was another family and same thing for them and we both had sent our bags from the Polynesian. Well..there they were at the SWA office for lost bags, seems our bags took an earlier flight. SO next time I flew I went straight to the office. there was one bag that took an earlier flight , the other bag chose to take the flight I was on I will say that my last 2 flights,my bags have been on the correct flight.
Sad your trip is over and oh those last hours in the Park.... I love the COP and have done it twice in a day,. But I have done back to back rides on IASW. my punishment for scaring my 8 yr nephew at the time with the HM ride. He was so scared on HM that it was the only way to get him to not be un-scared. He is 19 now and its still our secret that he IASW. The brothers would mock him if they knew
Can't wait to hear your final thoughts.

I've used RAC probably a dozen times and only had it happen once. It's not really a big deal to collect my bag the next day. I was even able to do it in under 15 minutes, so I didn't have to pay to park my car. The joys of a small airport! And believe it or not, you're not the only person I know who's done multiple rides on IASW.

Originally Posted by honeybee723

Great last day...especially finishing with a Dole Whip float.

Melissa, who is that big girl in your sig pic?!?! Hope is getting so grown up now!

Originally Posted by disneydreamer33

WOW!! 7 rides on TOT. Is that your record? My youngest would love to do that, but I think I would get sick after 3 or 4.
I love COP, but I do think it needs an update.
Great dinner at AP with Bob and Larry. Plus the POTC fiasco!
Sounded like a great trip with family and solo! You always have a great story or two to tell and how you tell it is always hilarious. I love reading your reports!

I believe my record for TOT is 8 times (without doing anything else in between).

Originally Posted by Straitlover

A great end to a trip just in time for your next! The only thing I can add is:


"Mama, don't whoop little Buford,
Mama, don't pound on his head;
Mama, don't whoop little Buford,
I think you should shoot him instead."

My fave song in CBJ! Well, that and Blood on the Saddle ("there was blooooooood on the saaaaaaadle").

You and my DF would get along just fine!

Originally Posted by mpwife153

Ummmmm can your famil adopt me? Please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a great trip! Can't wait to hear your final thoughts when you get back from your current WDW trip

Always room for one more!

Originally Posted by mom2twingirlies

Considering you had not much to do on your last day, you sure did LOTS! I love that you squeezed in a Dole Whip float! Can't wait to hear your wrap up & your next TR!

It was funny how the list kept getting longer and longer!

Originally Posted by OhToodles!

I can't believe that was a holiday! I guess Labor Day isn't too crowded? I sure hope not because we're thinking of going next year over that weekend into the week after.
And one year the same thing that happened to coffeechef happened to us - one suitcase got an early flight back home.

Hope you're having fun!

I'd say Labor Day is the least crowded holiday of the year! It's great! You'll find that week to be really empty!

Originally Posted by Cheriemek

Sharon - I am the crazy woman that stopped you on you walk to EPCOT on Sunday. I recognized you from your pictures here. I love your TR and hello again!

Hi again! It was so great to meet you! I'm so glad you stopped me.

[honeybee723]

Originally Posted by PrincessSharon

Melissa, who is that big girl in your sig pic?!?! Hope is getting so grown up now!

I know right!?! Everyday she does something that makes me see more of a little girl than a toddler, and I would love to slow it down, but she definitely has other plans.

[PrincessSharon]

Final thoughts and ramblings

I’m happy to say this was another successful family vacation. After a few trips together now, we are kind of a well-oiled machine. We still have a few hiccups now and again, but thankfully, they’ve learned to follow me blindly and we have an awesome trip because of my careful planning.

It kind of stinks to have to travel when it’s so hot and humid, but that’s when everyone is available. The low crowds do make up for it somewhat. Recently, we’ve been talking about doing MNSSHP again, because Isaiah wasn’t born the last time we took a trip in October. But our trip for next August is on, so that will have to wait until 2013.

Because of Hurricane Irene, we did have some last-minute flight changes, but luckily, most of us got out right on time, and thankfully, Irene was gentle when she passed through our area.

I’m hoping this will be my last off-property stay because I’m planning to convince my parents to trade out their timeshare week for other travel. Next year we’re definitely staying on property, so I don’t think it’ll be too hard to sway them.

I also really loved my semi-solo time at the end of my trip. It was fun meeting up with my relatives (Disney really is in our DNA) and especially my good friends Bob and Larry. I’d hoped to meet up with other friends as well, but they had to postpone their trip, so I’ll hopefully see them another time.

The Firsts:

With so many trips under my belt, it’s getting harder to have new experiences (but I’m totally not complaining! ). But still, I did manage to have a few firsts this trip.

First time Star Tours 2.0
First time seeing the new Haunted Mansion queue
First time seeing the new/old Tiki room show
First time dining at the Wave
First time at Wizarding World of Harry Potter
First time at Pirates’ League
First time meeting Wendell bear

Transportation:

Southwest Airlines – We had a bit of a scare with Hurricane Irene shutting down all the airports the day we flew out, but luckily, we made it out and the airport wasn’t a bit busier than it ever is. It was easy to change DB’s flights and because of the hurricane, we were able to do it without a fare increase.

Hertz – I must admit that the check in process seemed to take longer than it should have. There were computer kiosks available, but they seemed to be taking even longer than working with an actual agent if you can believe it. I’d use Hertz again if the price was right, but I’d also build a little more “airport time” into my itinerary.

Disney Transportation – I mostly used my car, but I did have a few days at the end where I relied on Disney transportation. My experience was mostly positive, with one exception being a very long wait for a MK bus from AKL.

The Resorts:

Mystic Dunes – The best thing I can say about it is it’s free. It hasn’t been renovated since my parents bought in when it was first built, and it’s starting to show. I use it as a place to rest my head, so I can’t speak for any on-property amenities that are offered (I know they provide free breakfast Monday through Friday). Obviously, I would never stay here if I had to pay for it, but it serves its purpose.

Royal Pacific Resort – Now that I’ve stayed at all three of the Universal Resorts, I have to admit this is my least favorite of the three. It’s perfectly fine and well themed, but I prefer the Portofino Bay and failing that, the fun of the Hard Rock. But I’d stay at RPR again without hesitation if the other two were unavailable.

Animal Kingdom Lodge – This is my favorite resort and I loved everything about my stay this time. I had a second floor room, which put me right on top of the savanna, and there was plenty of action to observe. I can’t wait for my next AKL stay!

The Food:

When I made the ADRs for this trip, my DM specifically requested that we not have many table service meals. I enjoy a sit down meal each day, so I planned to eat alone or with a few of my family members, and most of the time I had plenty of company!

Boma – Boma is a family favorite and it did not disappoint. I love all the interesting choices and I feel like it’s just mildly exotic, so someone who’s a meat-and-potatoes kind of person but willing to try some things will be happy here. The soups remain my favorite part of the meal here!

The Wave – The sweet potato pancakes were every bit as yummy as I expected, and the buffet was a big hit with Noah. I expect to return to the Wave before long.

Sci Fi Dine In – This is another family favorite. The food isn’t the greatest, but generally we have lunch and the burgers (and milkshakes) are just fine. The boys love being able to watch movies while we eat as well, so it allows for a few stolen moments of adult conversation.

Cape May Café – This was a last-minute addition, so it wouldn’t have been my first choice for a character meal, but we all loved our experience here (some of my most memorable character meals have been at CMC). The food isn’t anything special, but the character interaction is definitely top notch.

Narcoossee’s – This was a fine meal with great friends. I ended up ordering two appetizers instead of an entrée, so I’ll have to head back to Narcoossee’s to actually try a real main course.

Artist Point – It was a fabulous meal and my only disappointment was not having room for dessert. The berry cobbler is so yummy that I’d been anticipating it for a few days leading up to the meal. I’ll have to try again on my next trip!

The Parks:

I like late August/early September because the crowds are low. We did most of what we wanted to do without having to use FastPass and we rarely waited for more than a few minutes to ride anything.

I didn’t enjoy my visit to Universal Studios, but our morning at Islands of Adventure was significantly better. Still, I’ve had my fill of those parks for a while, so I don’t see myself returning there for a few years.

for reading along. I always enjoy reliving my trips this way and it’s so much more fun when I can take you all along for the ride.

[MayraLR]

Thanks for sharing your adventure with us! I definitely enjoyed reading about your family vacation. Looking foward to your next TR!

[cubfancolleen]

Great wrap-up! And it really did seem like a great trip, especially with those cute boys to share it with!

[disney_duke]

As always, you amaze me with your "firsts!" I suppose WWoHP was a biggie, but I'm surprised with it being your first visit to the Wave. And those sweet potato pancakes have me wanting to go there too.... Thanks for sharing your family adventures with us!!!

[KMB733]

Great final thoughts!!! Thanks for sharing your trip with us!

[Dlandmom2]

Thanks for sharing! It's always fun to read about your trips!

[OneLittleSpark]

Great trip and great report Sharon! Thanks for sharing your adventures, I have enjoyed reading about them immensely. One of my fave reports I have read to date (out of anyone's). I'll be back for the next one...can I subscribe now?