11/16-21 '04 - 1st Trip Home DD's Bdy *Pics Added! About This Page:

[Goofy'sGal]

Our First Trip “Home” and DD’s 4th Bdy
Dates: November 16 – 21, 2004
Resort: Beach Club Villas

The Cast:
DH – 40, Me – 38, MIL – 60+, DD6-1/2 and DD-who turned 4 during our trip!

Background: The 5 of us had visited WDW in May 03 – the girls’ and MIL’s 1st trip to the World. While we were there, we celebrated my oldest’s 5th bdy and we stayed at VWL which we loved. After taking the DVC tour, DH & I decided to join DVC once we returned home (to NJ). Our intention was to visit WDW every other year but we suddenly found ourselves with DVC points that had to be used or lost. So...we decided to plan for a trip around our youngest’s 4th birthday. Only 5 nights and 4 full touring days, but we were excited to try out our home resort, the BCV! DH and I took lots and lots of pictures so I hope to add some to the report as I go along and figure that whole thing out!

Tuesday, November 16, 2004 - Travel Day

We had a 5:45pm flight scheduled out of Newark Liberty Airport so the girls went to school and DH to work as usual. To start the day off right, I had ordered an Enchanted Princess Phone Call (www.disney.go.com/princess) from Cinderella for that morning. Since my DD6 isn’t big on surprises, especially when she’s sleepy, I told her that someone special was calling this morning. I had both of our cordless phones near us as we got ready for school when the call came in. I knew I had to “activate” the call so I answered it, followed the instructions and then handed a handset to each girl. Well, DD3’s wasn’t working so she had to listen in with DD6. I have no idea what Cinderella said to them b/c as soon as it was over and I asked them, they said they forgot! Still, they were very excited about it and it put us in a “magical” frame of mind!!

I had arranged for a van to pick us up at 3:30pm to get us to the airport with enough time allotted for security and also to have a bite to eat. We got home from school/work around 2:30pm and we ran around the house getting together any last minutes items. The van showed up 15 minutes early so I headed out the door thinking that I’d definitely forgotten something (didn’t! LOL) The girls were very excited as DD3 had never flown before and DD6 hadn’t been on a plane since she was 8 months old. DD3 fell asleep about 5 minutes before we arrived at the airport but woke right up again as we got out and got our stuff. We checked in at the curb and headed for security and then dinner. The wait for the security check wasn’t too bad and nothing eventful occurred – thankfully! We then walked near our gate and found a food court – McDonalds beckoned! Especially since they have The Incredibles toys!! Jack-Jack was the hit of our meal!

We boarded the plane on time but then spent an hour at the gate as they tried to cool the plane’s cabin off – something technical happened and it was so warm and uncomfortable in there. Finally, it cooled off and we all settled down. DD6 loved taking off and looking out the window; DD3 was just happy to be up in the air so we could pull the tray down and she could color!! I had gotten them Incredibles coloring books and Princess playing cards so they kept busy and were very good during the flight. We were actually served a mini-meal (turkey sandwich, carrots and a chocolate candy) so we could have skipped McD’s – who knew? It just said snack and I assumed that meant pretzels or peanuts. Anyway, despite our delay in leaving, we landed at MCO only 15 minutes later than scheduled.

Now, DH walks FAST! We caught the monorail type thing that brings you to the baggage claim area very quickly. Our luggage wasn’t coming out for another 15 minutes. I looked for our Quicksilver driver but didn’t spot him right away – DH took off towards the baggage carrousel and when he realized that our flight’s luggage wasn’t out yet, he headed back to the bottom of the escalator and sure enough found our driver. Unfortunately, I didn’t catch his name but he was friendly and helped us carry our bags to the van. He brought the van around and had a Tom & Jerry DVD playing which the girls absolutely loved!! DD6 laughed so much and DD3 was just thrilled.

I kept looking out for signs of Disney when all of sudden there was the archway and our driver said, “Welcome to Disney!” DD3 started to squeal, “Are we really here at Disney World??” LOL It seems to be our tradition that DD6 is the first to spot Spaceship Earth and soon we were at the Beach Club. It is absolutely beautiful!! I can’t say enough about this resort! The colors, the décor, the whole package is beautiful and to top things off, there were holiday decorations galore!! We got our luggage and said good-bye to our driver. A bell attendant took our bags inside as we ooh’d and ahh’d in the lobby over the big Christmas tree and made our way to the Front Desk. It was about 9:45pm and there was no line whatsoever.

Robyn and Jake took care of us. Jake asked if the girls liked to color and handed them little Timon and Pumbaa coloring books with crayons and some Mickey stickers. Jake also noticed that DD3 was celebrating a birthday during our stay and he asked about her favorite characters and said that perhaps something special would find its way to her. I was thrilled by the attention they both gave to us and the girls, especially regarding the birthday as nothing had happened for DD6’s 5th bdy at the VWL even though the CM there had confirmed that info when we checked in. I have to interject here, though – nothing was ever sent to our room here at the BCV either – more on that later

We then walked over to the BCV and up to our room, 557. And a walk it was; W-A-Y down the corridor; however, when we looked out our balcony and saw Spaceship Earth, we knew it was totally worth it!! Beautiful view!!

View from our room
The room is nicely decorated and seemed more spacious than the VWL but I think that’s just a perception thing (I had expected VWL to be bigger so they appeared “small” to me; and here I was expecting these to be small, and they felt bigger this time around LOL) As I unpacked, the girls were just excited and all over the place – bedtime?? What’s that? LOL They were searching for Hidden Mickeys everywhere (we found them in the carpet in the hallways of the resort, on our bedspread and curtains – look inside the flowers, on the armoire doors and the backs of chairs, in a few of the pictures on the walls and under the little bar-like table opposite the kitchen sink).

We needed milk and some cokes to drink so I volunteered to walk over to the Atlantic Wear and Wardrobe Emporium in the main building. Now it’s nighttime – there are twinkling lights around, holiday wreaths and trees in the lobbies. Ooooh – there’s the Ariel statue by the entrance to the BCVs! I am so happy that I start to mist up but I’ve got the biggest grin on my face!!! We’re really here!!!! LOL

The shop is busy even at 10pm and the CMs are super friendly. I get my beverages and just quickly glance around to see what’s available here. I’m proud of myself for showing some restraint and not buying any souvenirs just yet!!

DH and the girls fall asleep and I continue to unpack and organize my backpack for our first day at the parks and for DD’s birthday. Before I know it, it is midnight and I see fireworks off in the distance! It can’t be Illuminations – too late; we’re not faced towards MK plus the park closed early today. Could it be Pleasure Island?? I can see spotlights in the distance and figure that’s what it must be? We only visited PI once, way back in ’91 – do they still celebrate New Years Eve every night at midnight? Otherwise, I’m not sure what I saw! LOL Anyway, I set us up for a 7-ish wake up call and fall into bed.

Wednesday, November 17, 2004 - DD's 4th Birthday!!

Mickey and Stitch wake us up at 7am (or 7:01am as I followed a tip that I might have read here, not to request an on-the-hour time to ensure that we get the recording and not a real live CM). I can’t find the Speaker Phone button so I pass the phone from one girl to the next and they start giggling as they recognize both Stitch and Mickey’s voices! It’s DD’s birthday and we have a 9:35am PS for CRT. We have some cards waiting for her but she’s supposed to get a package from Gifts of a Lifetime to be delivered later in the morning (that’s a package, not an “event” – those sound so cool, but they’re so expensive ). The girls put on their princess dresses (DD6-Aurora, DD4-Cinderella), DD4 wears the Princess Badge I got for her but DD6 declines.

The girls with Ariel at BCV entrance! and Birthday Girl

DD6 and her Prince

We head out to the bus stop after 8am. The girls ooh and ahh over the fountain and the fish in the stream alongside the bus stop. We arrive at MK about 8:30am – security check is a breeze; we head towards the turnstiles on the left side. I decide to ask a CM about activating our APs. She first tells me that we don’t need to do anything special – it happens at the turnstile. This doesn’t seem right to me but she assures me it is. As I walk back to DH to ponder this info, she calls out to me a few minutes later. She asks if I’ve ever used my APs before and if she can look at them. She then directs me over to Guest Relations all the way to the right . I had read over and over where to activate them but just wasn’t sure at which point that would take place – before the turnstile or after.

Anyway, the CM tells me that only I would need to go to Guest Services and that DH and the girls can stay where they are. I head over to GR and there isn’t a line but two families are at the two open windows. Embarassing Mom Moment Ahead: Since there’s no line, I decide not to follow the zig-zag queue but I wait in front of that zig-zag exit figuring I’ll be next any minute. Well, it’s taking a bit of time, and people are lining up behind me! Not in the queue!! I’m so embarrassed that I started that mess! LOL

After a bit, a window opens up at the left side and I am taken care of by Jim. He’s super-nice and after he checks my ID, he asks for all of our birthdates. I tell him DD’s which is today and he tells me that’s a great day b/c it is his birthday too! He hands me a Birthday Button for her and I wish him a Happy Birthday and then head over to my family. Now people were allowed to enter the turnstiles way to the right, right near GR and I figured it was for early PSs. While I was on line at GR, they allowed everyone through the turnstile but my family had to wait for me. The CM at that turnstile, Manny was so wonderful – the girls were upset that everyone was going through but them and he kept asking them questions and tried to cheer them up. He made a big deal when I arrived and was so nice when he let them through. I had a hard time with the finger scan for my AP – it worked but I just kept putting too many fingers inside the scanner! LOL

DD4 doesn’t want to wear the Birthday Button (just like DD6 didn’t wear hers last trip *rolling eyes* LOL). Finally we’re through but are now waiting to be released into Main Street. A woman behind me notices the girls’ princess dresses and asked if we were eating at CRT. When I said we were, she said that we should have walked over to the right hand turnstile areas and tell them about my PS. I explain to her that our PS is at 9:35am and they probably wouldn’t let us in early for that. She then told me that the day before they were allowed to enter before 9am and their PS wasn’t til 10am! (Do they normally let you through that early for such late PSs? I didn’t even think this was a possibility.) I’m thinking we’ll have to fight this huge crowd to get over to that area but DH says it’s not worth it so we stay put.

I’m so glad we did!!! We got to see the opening of MK! Last trip, we’d had an 8:05 PS at CRT and then we arrived early for EE at MK so we never saw this. Very cool – really got us into the magic of the trip! For those who haven’t seen it, the Mayor Main St comes out on top of the WDW Railroad Station. He’s joined by Townspeople who sing and dance – they have a family of the day that helps them open the park too. But the park can’t officially open without Mickey so we wait for him to arrive. All of sudden you hear the WDW RR’s toot! And soon all the characters are there on the train! What a great bonus!! We all counted down to zero and an explosion of pixie dust happens just inside the park; the girls tried to keep some but it either stuck to the pavement or blew out of their hands.

I was thinking that we would have enough time to ride something before our 9:35 PS but DH figured we should head straight to Cinderella’s Castle. DH and DD6 were rushing ahead of us. We took the path through Liberty Square to get there and since I didn't think we had to rush, I took some pics of DD4 near Cindi’s fountain and got some shots of the Castle.


DD4 at Cinderella's Fountain

The Partners Statue. I love this Castle!

There was quite a crowd waiting inside and as we were early, I figured we were in for a long wait. The girls didn’t want to meet the Fairy Godmother (although they should have – that line wasn’t “that” long yet and after breakfast when they really wanted to meet her, the line was super long – or seemed that way LOL) . However, within 5 minutes we heard the chimes and our royal family was announced!

Our server was Sir Tollie and he was excellent – he refreshed our drinks, brought more French toast to the girls and was just very attentive and friendly. He brought out a special card for DD's bdy for the princesses to sign and the table had Mickey confetti all over it. The food here is good but I just think it’s too much (although DH finished his plate!). There’s a bread/muffin basket, fruit bowl, OJ and coffee (just ask for milk or choc milk if your kids want it), scrambled eggs, 2 big sausage links, lots of bacon and yummy-yummy cheesey potatoes and some blueberry cheesey croissant thing that was scrumptious!!


Looking up inside the Castle! Waiting for the princesses!

We were seated on the lower level but on the edge of the floor near the steps where everyone enters so it was a busy spot but fine. As Snow White approached, I videoed the girls’ reaction – DD4 is too funny; she was eating but she saw SW out of the corner of her eyes. She didn’t turn her head, though, just darted her eyes to the side to watch out for her, very cute! Soon SW was at our table babbling away about how pretty the girls looked in their dresses.

Snow White
I asked where Dopey was and she told us that he was working with the rest of her friends but they would all join her for the parade later that afternoon. I love these character meals but it is hard on the parents who have to keep getting up and down to get photos and video. LOL Poor DH would have to squeeze between our table and another (thankfully, the table next to us was a very friendly group) and I was near those steps. The princesses would shepherd the girls over to the steps but I had to work my way from behind them – I was so certain that I’d bump into a Princess or two and knock them over! Luckily, I didn’t (now that would have been a Super-Duper Embarassing Mom Moment! LOL)

Later on, we met Mary Poppins who was talking so fast (just like she should) that I didn’t really catch what she was saying, especially since I was trying to video and not knock her down. DD6 said MP said something about them standing on their heads. LOL

Mary Poppins

The girls had each drawn pics of their favorites (DD6 – Aurora and DD4 – Cinderella) to give to them. DD4’s picture was more green than blue so Belle asked her if it was a picture of Ariel and that just cracked DD4 up! Belle told the girls to say “Beast!” when they posed with her.


Belle
Aurora came next and told DD6 that she looked like her twin sister and loved her picture. She said it looked like she must have been picking berries in the forest; also she remarked about the colors used and how her Aunt Flora would just love it!

Aurora
Lastly, Cinderella made her way over and made a fuss over them in their dresses and over DD4’s picture.

Cinderella!
DD6 used her brand new autograph book too and a new Autograph Collector was born that day! As we finished eating, the girls would tell me that this princess or that had passed behind me and blew kisses or waved at them. All in all a magical morning!

We passed up FG as mentioned earlier and headed to the restroom to change out of the princess dresses (DD4 decides she’s doesn’t want to wear her princess badge anymore - hmmm...that was money well spent LOL) and we head out to the rides. There was no wait for M’s PhilharMagic but the show didn’t start for a bit so we rode on Peter Pan first (so what’s the deal with the mermaid that looks exactly like Ariel? Was she remodeled to look like Ariel after the LM movie came out or was Ariel fashioned after her? Or is it just a coincidence?? Inquiring minds, you know! LOL)

On to M’s PhilharMagic, which we all loved from the beginning with Goofy talking around the theatre to the very end (I won’t spoil it for those who haven’t seen it – but make sure you look behind you at the end of the show). We loved smelling the pies and the girls tried to reach out and catch some of the jewels – very well done. We had missed Pooh’s ride as it was being rehabbed on our last trip, so off to the Honey Pots we went. Very cute ride with a bit of line but it moved quickly. It’s definitely a bumpy ride, isn’t it?? LOL On to the Mad Tea Party – sorry, I sit this one out b/c I know better!! DH and the girls had fun spinning around!

Waiting for Mickey's PhilharMagic to start! Spinning and grinning!

The Carrousel and IASW were both closed for rehab so we headed over to Tomorrowland in search of Buzz Lightyear; however, we couldn’t walk by the Indy Speedway. I remembered that the line for this was pretty long last time and it seemed to be a bit shorter this time around – we hopped on.

Warning: another Embarrassing Mom Moment coming up - now DH had gotten a new digital camera and I had our digital video camera which also takes stills. We decided that he would do the stills and I would concentrate on video but I still would take a shot here and there. DH and DD6 got into the car in front of us and I thought I might be able to catch a pic of them but they took off quicker and DD4 and I had to wait for the next set of cars so I put my camera back into my backpack. We got in our car, backpack at my feet and DD4 bumped us around and we had fun. As we approached the finish line, I turn to my left and there is DH and DD6 and he is trying to take our pic.

The fateful picture that led to an Embarassing Mom Moment!
I figure there’s a big line in front of us, I’ll surely have enough time to get the camera out of the backpack and snap one of them, but just as I get it out, our line starts to move ahead. Trying to do too many things at one time, I mash the pedal thinking it’s the brake and of course, it’s the gas and we rear-end the car in front of us. There is a mom riding with her maybe 10yo old DD in the car in front of us and the mom gives me the dirtiest look alive – I apologized profusely and turned 10 shades of red. I felt so bad and being a survivor of 12 yrs of Catholic school and therefore no stranger to guilt, I continued to feel bad for the next 15 minutes or so – I felt like everyone around me knew that I was such a horrible and inconsiderate person (and stinky driver to boot!) So Mom and DD, if you’re out there reading this, my apologies once again!!

Well, DD6 had missed Buzz last year b/c she thought it would be scary but she wanted to try it this trip so that was our next stop. On our way there, we see PUSH, the talking trashcan! I think this is so cool – he talks to you and can “see” you as he was making comments about the kids and people around him: what they were wearing, who they were with. DD6 loved him but was too shy to go up to him. He tried to get a little boy to talk to him but he was too shy too, so he zeroed in a Dad and made comments about how he was wearing shorts and showing off his legs or something like that. Very funny.

Walking through the queue for Buzz, DD starts to change her mind again – she kept thinking it was a scary ride and we reassured her that it was like a giant video game. Well, she ended up liking it so much we rode it three times during the trip! LOL I was tempted to buy the ride pics but they were pricey, especially since we were in 2 cars. I decided to save my money for some nice family shots in front of the Castle and at Chef Mickey’s. This was DH’s first time on Buzz and of course, he beat us all – don’t remember the scores. It was about noon and the girls were starting to get a bit tired and we needed to head back to the BC to meet MIL but there was the COP and it was open. They were game and it was the only thing I specifically requested to ride this trip so we walked right in. I do love this attraction but was sorry to see so few people in there. The girls were tired and DD6 was somewhat interested – I hope it’s around for a few more yrs when they’re both old enough to really understand it.

We hopped a bus back to the BC and I called Quicksilver to confirm that MIL had been picked up. The girls and DH took pics by an old car that they have outside there.



And I did a little shopping for my Fairy Godmailer postcards and our Pal Mickey and scoped the place a little more for some inexpensive souvenirs for the girls’ classmates. I walked to the front and MIL had just arrived. So after hellos and hugs, we headed upstairs so that she could unpack. I was hoping that we’d see the Share A Dream parade at 3pm but didn’t know if we’d have enough time to get there and get some lunch as well; I didn’t want us to rush b/c I had “an agenda” LOL but everyone agreed that we should go to MK, get something to eat there and try to make the parade.

Up Next: Part Two of our 1st Day - sharing a dream, riding some mountains, getting spit on by a camel, dinner at Chef Mickey's and the L-O-N-G walk home!!

[Annabel]

A great start Val, I've really enjoyed reading all about your first day. Looking forward to reading more

Annabel

[Dee161]

Sounds like you had a wonderful time. I can hadly wait for your next post.

[LoveWL]

Great start! I feel like I'm right there with you -- can't wait to read more.

[Joy J]

Wonderful first installment, Val! More please!

Joy

[luvnwdwgal]

What a magical time you are having!! Can't wait for more!!

[emsmomma]

Great start Val! Can't wait to hear the rest! Hurry back!

[Colexis Mom]

What a great first morning Val! Hurry back with more

[Wendyismyname]

Excellent start Val! Can't wait for more!!!

[wdwlovers]

Great start! Looking forward to more!

[Goofy'sGal]

Part Two of our 1st Day, Nov 17th - DD's 4th Bdy

Two things I forgot to mention earlier: Before we left MK to head back to the Beach Club to meet MIL, there were several characters hanging out in the Town Square (Baloo, Friar Tuck, King Louie, and Robin Hood). The girls love Robin Hood but DD4 was too tired to care. We got some cute pics and DD got his autograph which she thought was too cool as he drew an arrow through his name.

Robin Hood

The other thing I forgot concerns my Pal Mickey. I had picked out my postcards and went to the counter where Pal Mickey was located. The CM there took him out of the bus to do whatever she had to him; she gave me the box and told me to pay for him and my other stuff at the other counter while she got him ready for me. After I paid, she handed me PM and said that it didn’t appear that he had totally downloaded and that all I needed to do was go into any store that sells him in the parks and they could continue the download or whatever it was. She said he would work but she just knew that he was missing something as the “download” didn’t appear completed to her. I had no clue and since I had to rush to meet the others, I figured I’d follow her advice. We don’t do a lot of shopping when at WDW – let me re-phrase that: I do a lot of shopping but I tend to stick to one or two shops, especially in the resorts so that we don’t take away from the kids’ ride time. So I spend the next several days thinking, “oh, we should stop in the store over there b/c PM needs to be ‘fixed’” and then we’d go on a ride instead. Meanwhile, Mickey appeared to be working fine but we just didn’t know what he was “missing”. More on that later!

Ok, back where we left off - MIL has unpacked and we’ve all decided we should head to MK. But I then remember – I had ordered a birthday basket from Gifts of a Lifetime and it was to be delivered this morning. There is no message waiting for us to pick something up at the desk, nor has anything been delivered to our room. I call to the Front Desk and the CM checks and says that there is nothing for us. She does ask if the Desk had arranged anything with the bdy girl and I tell her that last night, Jake had asked about her favorite character, etc but we hadn’t seen anything of that either. She told me that it would normally be delivered to the room at the end of the day. (As I said earlier, nothing ever came to DD from the BC – oh, well! ) She asked if the bdy girl was there b/c Goofy wanted to say hello – so I give the phone to DD and I can hear Goofy, but she’s not listening – she repeats over and over, “What did you say?” LOL So I thank the CM and hang up. I then call Jane from GOAL and she assures me that she personally delivered the basket to the Front Desk of the BC at 8:50am that morning and left it with “Sandy”. She tells me that I should call her back if there is any problem. I call back down to the Desk and speak to a different CM and tell her what I know, and after being put on hold for a few seconds, lo and behold, my package is there and will be delivered as soon as a runner is available. Humph. It takes just minutes for the basket to arrive and DD is delighted with it – there is a Minnie plush, a Happy Birthday postcard from Tink, some character cookies, an autograph book and fat pen for each girl, a big stick of candy, a pressed penny book and a complimentary Happy Birthday Princess pin of Jasmine! (I added a few items to one of the baskets she offers.) Very nice! We grab Minnie and Pal Mickey and head over to MK.

Daytime view from our room


The coveted Pal Mickey

As we enter the park, DH heads for a double stroller, figuring the girls would appreciate it. We try to think of a quick place to find something to eat - Casey’s Corner to the rescue!!! (We did the same thing last trip as we waited for Spectro!) We got a nice spot – I’ll call it the 2nd tier, one row behind the people who are on the actual curb - right near the entrance to Frontierland. DH and MIL got hot dogs, fries and drinks for us and we ate and waited. My cell phone rings and it’s Jane from GOAL, who wants to make sure that we received our basket – how nice of her!

The crowds started building up but it wasn’t uncomfortably full. The girls ate inside the stroller but as the parade music started, I handed them their disposable cameras and helped them to stand in front of the stroller, behind the “1st tier” of people where we were. Of course, a large family decides that they are going to stand right in front of my girls. Now, I’m not a pushy or confrontational person, but you don’t shove yourself in front of my little girls, especially when they’re kids and you’re an adult and we’re at a Disney Parade! LOL So, I just made sure the girls had a good spot and held their ground. *sigh* Anyway, the parade was great – we really enjoyed it and the girls’ pics came really good – they were so cute calling to the different characters and then DD4 would hold her camera up high above her head and just shoot!! LOL



Earlier in the day, DD6 said our next rides would be Big Thunder and Splash but after seeing all the characters, they start to chant over and over – “Minnie’s House, Minnie’s House” (a practice that they would repeat throughout the trip, chanting over and over whatever ride they had their heart set on! LOL) So off to Toontown we go.


Mousekosh!

I was hoping that we’d do the Barnstormer this trip – I’m not a rollercoaster type of person at all but both girls like fast, crazy rides although DD6 hesitates sometimes. But I’m thinking this is Goofy’s ride and it looks like fun so I’m pushing for this one. We’re heading for M&M’s country houses and the Barnstormer but of course, the first thing the girls see are Toontown Park and Donald’s Boat, which by the way, was very, very wet! I have no problem with TP but I figure they’re going to want to stay here a while, so let’s see the houses first. Now visiting the houses was funny since DD4 decided she really likes to take pictures. She started taking pics of the veggies in Mickey’s garden but once we got inside Minnie’s house she would walk up to the sofa and take a really close picture of the “upholstery” or of the page in the book Minnie has out on her table or the inside of her tea cups. DD’s on a roll and is just walking up to walls and bending over to take pics of the floor tiles. Outside she took a picture of the cement pavers and got a pic of some kids’ feet as they walked by! LOL We were just hysterical wondering what her roll of film would look like – it actually came pretty good even if her subject matter was a bit “abstract”! LOL


DD4 very camera happy


Before we could go on Barnstormer, they begged to play in TP and they had fun running and climbing there. Finally, on to the Barnstormer, little bit of a line and it gave us a good view of what the ride is about. I’m starting to wonder what exactly I’ve gotten myself in for, but everyone exiting the ride is laughing so I stick with my group. It was a very fast, funny ride! We really enjoyed it and yes, we were laughing when we exited too! LOL Can you hear chickens somewhere b/c DD6 is telling me that she heard Goofy’s chickens?




Checking Goofys mailbox

We were right by Donald’s Boat and they begged to visit there too but it was too late in the afternoon to get that wet, especially since I didn’t have a change of clothes for them and we had a dinner PS at Chef M’s, so I told them we could come back the next day as we were doing MK for its EE day (we never did make it back to Toon Town park this trip so I owe them! LOL)

Back through Tomorrowland, we rode Buzz again with MIL, and DD6 got 116,200 points!!! She must have hit the 100,000 point target as soon as we got into the ride b/c I looked over at her score and I thought that it was malfunctioning since I saw a “100” and then a “200” but no, she hit the big time; that was a “100,000”! No wonder she now loves this ride!! LOL

Ok, so supposed to be heading to BTMRR and Splash but once again, something else catches the girls’ eyes – we’re passing in front of the Castle and C’s Surprise Celebration is under way. We saw this last time but DD6 has to see it and wants to get as close as possible. So I take her as close as we can and DH, MIL and DD4 watch it a bit further away.



There is such a crowd here for the show (which is really great – this time we were close enough to actually see Peter Pan and Capt Hook) but after it’s over, I’m a bit worried that I’ve lost the others. But there they are and we head to Frontierland.

There’s a bit of line for BTMRR – enough that I have time to think even more so than with the Barnstormer, “What the heck am I doing on this line???” LOL But if my little girls are going on this thing, and their Granny to boot, you bet I’ll be right there with them! We winded around the queue, over and over, got a bit misted at one point, and finally we’re boarding “the wildest ride in the wilderness”! It sure is!!! The girls loved it!! Next? Splash Mountain, of course. There is no line, NONE, NADA, ZIP! Why? We don’t care we walk right onto our log. This was DD4’s and MIL’s 1st time and they loved it. Somehow the grownups all got wet and the little ones complained that they didn’t get wet! LOL We would have bought the pic, but you couldn’t see the girls at all – we’ll wait til they’re taller. LOL Do we have time for one more ride before dinner? There’s a line at the Magic Carpets but we wait it out – there are also ominous black clouds looming over head but we never feel a sprinkle. Well, until we’re actually on the Carpet and near that camel!! Watch out – they spit!! It mostly hit MIL, and the girls thought this was very funny. She kept teasing DD6 that she was going to get her good b/c all the rides that she was suggesting were getting her wet! Despite the clouds and the spitting, the view was beautiful up there – it was about 6pm and the Castle was changing colors! Just lovely!! We watched it as we headed to the Monorail for our trip to Chef Mickey’s.

Not the clearest pics!

After the woodsy feel of the WL and the beachy-ness of the BC, the Contemporary just seems so stark and cold-looking. It did have its big tree out front which was cool but it was very modern- the trees on property are all angular, and looking up at the rooms from the lobby, everything looks hospital white but in a Jetson-kind-of-way LOL Now we know why I do not write reviews on lodging! Anyway, we get to CM’s 10 minutes early. We’ve had a really long day and I’m totally surprised that the CM at the podium tells me that it’s DD’s 4th bdy (I had mentioned it when I made the PS). She writes this info on our ticket and says that she’s sure they will treat DD right. Great! Well, not really – b/c once again, nothing happened. Our server never mentioned and we got all caught up in the characters that I never thought to mention it either. Another, oh well! I request a table by the window if possible as Wishes is scheduled for 7pm tonight and wouldn’t it be cool? She says, “oh, upstairs? Well, we’ll try.” I’m not sure if “upstairs” is a good thing or not but figure it was worth mentioning just in case.

Anyway we have our family picture taken and then go off to meet Donald who is greeting everyone in the waiting area. DD4 is very excited to use her new auto book as is DD6 and he is very cute with them. Later on, he kisses the hand of a grandma in another party and faints on the floor!! So cute!! There’s quite a crowd and we wait about 25 minutes, just long enough for DD4 to make a new friend who speaks only Spanish. But they communicate as little girls can do and they dance and twirl while we all laugh and wait.

We get seated “upstairs” and we’re ‘near’ a window but there are 2 large tables right by the window. It’s dark out and I don’t see the Castle so I’m not too bummed. Until we hearing popping noises and the large (and rather loud) families there start oohing and ahhing to their right. I don’t want to be impolite so I don’t send my kids head to the windows (besides they don’t realize what they’re missing). We just get our food and get excited as we spy Dale. The girls get autographs from him, Chip and then my favorite, Goofy, and they make a fuss when we tell them it’s DD’s bdy and they all wrote special bdy wishes in her book. We get our food – salads, cold shrimp, fish, carved meats and pasta (with a kick!). The girls have pizza and Mick-a-roni and cheese and chicken fingers. We go back for dessert and I go in search for what I thought was supposed to be a make-your-own-cupcake-bar. I saw what I thought were plain cupcakes (perhaps they were corn muffins?) and I saw lots of toppings but no cupcake frosting so the girls have ice cream instead (well, DD4 eats the plain cupcake too! LOL).

I’m wondering about the bdy thing but now I’m also wondering about our pics. I see other couples have them already so I ask our server. She obviously sends a CM to us who is just kind of standing there waiting for something from me. She finally says, “did you want pics?”, I respond yes, but I don’t know what to do. So she finally takes my info from my receipt and my Disney Reward Card (I love that thing!). And then as I’m waiting for her, another CM comes over and asks if I’d like to order my pics – she has the pics and her copy of the receipt. Ok, if I wasn’t at Disney, I would have thought someone just took off with my Disney Rewards Card and isn’t coming back!! (Sorry, I was born in Brooklyn and I’m a bit paranoid, although obviously not that street smart, thus, being paranoid is a necessity LOL). I tell the CM someone else has already taken my DR Card and all and she hands me the pics and says she’s sure the other CM will be right back, which she is – sigh of relief.

Mickey is heading over our way but the Big Loud Family is monopolizing him – Mickey takes several individual pics with each child at the table, even the crying ones LOL And then Big Loud Mom realizes that her camera’s flash was working so they do it all over again. By this time, Minnie has caught up with Mickey. The girls each made a pic of Mickey for him and he was very cute about it but I felt bad b/c he had to find a way to hold them and take pics, etc, still lots of hugs.

Mickey "singing" Happy Birthday to DD4 Minnie!

Minnie came by right afterwards and she “asked” how old DD4 was – after DD told her, Minnie came in for a kiss and wiggled her nose as they rubbed noses!! How did she do that? Minnie loved DD6’s pic of her and gave her kisses, too. Goofy came around again so I took a pic with him and the girls – I had to!! I refuse to classify that as an Embarassing Mom Moment but one is coming up anyway…

While at dinner, I began to think, “gee, how do we get back to the BC?” LOL I thought that we’d be able to catch a bus from the TTC so we headed to the Monorail. DH suggested we take the Monorail to the MK (which would have been the best way) but the CM at the Contemporary’s Monorail station asks where we are headed. We tell him the BC and he tells us to take the Monorail to the TTC and then take the Monorail to Epcot. Ok, he must know – he works here. While on the Monorail, DD4 falls asleep on me. We get to Epcot and we start looking at the bus signs for the resorts – uh, what’s going on – there’s no sign for the BC or any of the other Epcot resorts which are “walkable” – oh, no!! What have we done??!! DH is looking at me with “that look” so I walk over to Guest Relations (yes, with DD4 asleep on my shoulder) and ask what is the best way to get to the BC b/c we were sent this way – I tell her the whole story, yadda-yadda-yadda. She looks very pitiful at me as she explains that we’ll have to walk through Future World to get to the Int’l Gateway to get to BC OR we can take a bus to MGM and take a boat over there but walking is really the fastest way. Uh, ok…..all the way through EPCOT??? We’re sooo tired, DD is soooo heavy, but we figure it’s our best bet. I’m worried that DD6 will want to be carried next (but she’s a real trooper) and that my arms will go numb and they’ll fall off and that we’ll walk by the Int’l Gateway and end up at Mexico!!! We blow through FW but I do notice the cool light up sidewalks; we zip through Canada and I ask a CM to make sure that we haven’t passed the IG and in passing, notice how beautiful it is here at night. I also notice that people are already in their spots for Illuminations and I wonder if we’ll see it as we pass through. We make it back to the BC without a problem and we all wonder at how easy it is to get from the BC to Epcot. Still, I’m embarrassed that after all that planning and plotting and reading and studying, I hadn’t figured out an easy (and correct) route from CM’s to the BC!

We’re back to our room – whew!!! DD4 is just totally asleep. I check the clock – it’s almost 9pm – and sure enough, in a matter of minutes – fireworks from our room!!! We turn off our lights and head to the patio. Cool!!! We finally figure out what the mountains and buildings are outside there – it’s Canada!! We watch as the buildings light up, we hear music and see flames and more fireworks – beautiful!! We all love the view!!! But everyone else heads to bed. I fix my backpack for tomorrow and stay up to write my notes. Before I know it, it’s 6:31am and Mickey and Stitch are yelling at us to wake up – “NO SLEEPING!!”

Up Next: Thurday, Nov 18, 2004 - EE at MK and the Trip to MGM That Wasn't

Highlights include: Tinkerbell fly-by, seeing the backside of water, lots of character sightings, enjoying music in Frontierland, scrapping our afternoon/evening plans at MGM for Storm Along Bay and an evening stroll through the UK and not to be forgotten – that moment of sheer panic when every attraction you suggest is met with a “NO” and it’s only 9:30am!!! LOL

[Annabel]

Great update! I love Chef Mickey's - sorry to hear nothing was done for Dd's birthday I'm glad you got back to the Beach Club ok in the end. Looking forward to reading more.

Annabel

[luvnwdwgal]

Sounds like you had a very full and fun day!!

[emsmomma]

Great update Val! Sounds like you all are having a blast!
Hope is was a very happy birthday for your youngest!

[Colexis Mom]

What a great day! Hurry back with more