(On our departure day, I didn’t take ANY pictures with my big camera. All pictures are cell pictures.)
I woke up bright and early the next morning despite being exhausted (the curse of a morning person).
We originally had breakfast reservations for Chef Mickey’s that morning at 11AM but I had Mike go to the Concierge desk to cancel them on Friday. We were already maxed out on our table service credits and I knew that if we stayed out late for the Christmas Party (as we planned) that we’d be way too tired to get there in time. We already had met Mickey and the gang and it didn’t seem worth it to pay out of pocket to see them again. Plus, we had a LOT of packing to do. LOL
I played on my phone for a while and eventually Matthew started stirring (he’s a morning person too). I don’t really know what time we started getting ready. It was one of those gradual things. I think we all needed a low-key start to the day. 🙂
Cartoons in the hotel room:
Soon, we were all ready for the day and prepared to check out. While I stood in the hallway and tried to figure out how the heck we were going to get everything out of our room by ourselves, my genius husband suggested we remove our luggage in two rounds. Such a simple, logical way to handle it and yet it completely eluded me all morning! I love that guy. 🙂
First we took our suitcases out to do the Resort Airline Check-in. Basically, we threw some tags on the suitcases (they give you the tags/instructions), took them to a specific spot at the hotel, they checked them in for our flight with Jet Blue, and transported them to the airport for us. Easy peasy. Except for the long line outside in the heat! LOL
After that, we went back to the room, did one more double check, and then grabbed our carry-on bags to drop off at the Valet desk. Valet kept our bags for us so that we wouldn’t have to carry them around all day.
When all was said and done, I think we were out of our room with 30 minutes to spare. Woo hoo!
Once we were bag-less, we headed to the bus stop to catch the bus heading over to Downtown Disney. One came fairly quickly and we were off to get some lunch and do a little bit more shopping.
First, we ate at the Earl of Sandwich. Mike and I both got their special holiday turkey sandwich: oven-roasted turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and mayo. It was so good and something Mike wants to try to recreate at home. LOL
Overall, the meal was a little chaotic. The restaurant was PACKED (we easily waited in line for 30 mins to order or food) and with our extreme tiredness, it was seriously overwhelming. In addition, Ian had started up with his “gagging until I puke” thing so we were a little on edge. (Thank you, Baby Jesus, for that empty dink cup on the table. It came in very handy.)
After a bathroom break, a few minutes to calm tempers and to let Ian stop crying (fun times), we headed off to do some shopping.
Matthew decided he loved Duffy while we were in WDW – there was a TV show that ran during the trip on one of the Disney stations that had Duffy reading storybooks and Matthew would get so excited anytime he saw Duffy. I have no idea what store we were in but they had a huge Duffy display so Matthew posed beside him. (Santa may or may not be bringing Matthew his very own Duffy. *wink wink*)
After that, we just browsed the World of Disney store. Words cannot express how huge that store is. I actually lost Matthew and Mike for a good long time. LOL We picked up a handful of last minute gifts and then went back outside.
When we went back outside, it was RIDICULOUSLY hot. You know how when it’s SOOO hot and you’re SOOO tired and it just makes you feel blah? Ugh. That’s how it was that day. I didn’t feel like walking, taking pictures, etc. All I wanted to do is sit and take a nap. Ugh.
We walked down to the Lego store to see the stuff that they had on display outside. (We didn’t go into the store because there was a queue of people waiting to get in. Yeah, I don’t think so. LOL)
This Toy Story display was really neat….
This Maleficent sculpture (evil witch from Sleeping Beauty – in dragon form) was amazing!
When you compare to the people standing around the display, you can see just how large it is! You can also see the sea serpent that is in the water (he’s in the background, to the right of the woman in the blue/green dress).
After that, we decided to head back to the hotel. We wanted to leave plenty of room to catch our bus to the airport and frankly, we were just plain tired. In an attempt to head off potty issues, we stopped at the bathroom before heading to the bus stop.
We got to the bus stop and stood around for a bit when Matthew did one of those “OMG I NEED TO GO POTTY RIGHT NOW!!!!” things. Mike ran him to the bathroom and about 15 seconds later, our bus rolled up. AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! The bus quickly loaded and drove away with Ian and I left standing under the shelter. LOL Thankfully, Mike and Matthew returned quickly and another bus soon pulled up. We were sitting and in air-conditioning – that’s pretty much all I needed out of life at that point. LOL
I’m not sure we’d pulled out of the bus stop before I had this going on beside me:
I can’t say that I blamed him. He was doing EXACTLY what I wanted to do. LOL
We got back to Wilderness Lodge more quickly than I had hoped – I was hoping Matthew would get a longer rest. Plus, I was really enjoying the sitting thing. LOL
We went inside the lobby to wait for our Magical Express bus and set up shop on one of the couches outside Whispering Canyon Café. I had hoped Matthew would nap on the couch but he was pretty much awake and ready to go. Mike and Ian went to the arcade to use up some tokens we’ received as part of our package while Matthew played with my phone and I struggled to stay awake (overtired, air-conditioning, comfy seat, quietly sitting = recipe for disaster). Mike and Ian came back eventually and I may or may not have nodded off sitting straight up in my seat like an 85 year old. LOL
Before we knew it, it was time to go outside and catch our shuttle to the airport.
The ride back the airport was full and pretty subdued. A bus full of people with a Disney hangover. LOL
We were old pros at the Orlando airport this time and quickly made it to where we needed to go.
We made a quick stop at the Harry Potter store so that I could feed the Harry Potter nerd inside of me. (I want to go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter sooooo bad.)
Outside:
Stuff for sale inside:
I ended up getting pins for all of us that have been sorted on Pottermore. Like this:
For any Potterheads reading this blog, we have: 1 Gryffindor (Rachel), 1 Ravenclaw (me) and 3 Hufflepuff (mom, Aunt Sherri and Courtney). 🙂
Once we got settled at our gate and I ran to get Burger King for us to eat for dinner. (By the way, why do the food choices stink once you’re past security at the Orlando airport?!?! Next time we’re eating first. I could have had Chick-fil-a, darn it! LOL) Another gag/ puke incident later and we were doing final potty breaks before boarding our plane.
Once we were up in the air, Matthew was much more difficult to keep occupied. I think the trip/day/late night caught up with him and he was a little restless. We were delayed taking off and he was asking for food, drinks and to switch seats before we even got in the air. LOL We were blessed with cooperative seat-mates that were very patient with the boys. The woman next to Matthew even handed out candy. :) Mike took the boys for a potty break mid-flight and then switched boys with me. Sitting with Ian was much more relaxing. LOL
The approach to Buffalo was very bumpy due to high winds. Neither boy seemed phased by it and we had an extremely smooth landing. In no time, we were off the plane and picking up our luggage. After we grabbed our last bag, I called Dad and let him know we were ready to be picked up. He pulled up right in front of us within a few minutes and we were quickly on our way.
When we got home, we were all a little wired so Dad stuck around the house while we chattered his ear off for a bit. It didn’t take long for the day catch up with us though. Mike and I went to bed after putting the boys down for the night. For those that know Mike and his anal/OCD-ways, WE LEFT OUR BAGGAGE SITTING IN THE HALLWAY ALL NIGHT LONG!!! You know it’s serious when Mike is too tired to unpack immediately. 🙂
The next day was spent relaxing, recovering, unpacking, and doing laundry.
And that, my friends, is the story of our November 2011 trip to Walt Disney World!
THE END
Before we knew it, it was Friday and our last day in the parks. Funny how fast a vacation can pass, isn’t it?
For our last day, we planned to spend the morning at Magic Kingdom, go back to the hotel for loooong naps, and then head back for dinner and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.
The weather gods finally heard my pleas for cooler temps and sent us this little gift:
That’s the kind of weather I was hoping for all week. Perfect capris/shorts weather for those of us not used to seeing so much sunshine and 80 degree temperatures in November. LOL
We arrived to the park about 15 minutes after it opened. If I remember correctly, we just missed a ferry to Magic Kingdom and had to wait for the next boat. That resulted in us arriving just after rope drop.
Who dressed up in matching tie-dye Mickey shirts?
That would be the Samulski family! LOL
I think I got stopped about 4-5 times during our walk down Main Street that morning by people asking where I got the shirts. They were all disappointed to find out that they weren’t selling them in the gift shops. Since I had to do a bit of convincing to get Mike to agree to wear matching shirts, I was completely humored by the compliments. The only thing that surprised me was that we got more compliments on the tie-dye shirts than we did the embroidered shirts we wore the first day.
Our first stop was to get fast passes for Buzz and then ride the Tomorrowland Speedway.
Heading to use our Buzz fast passes:
Where’s Ian? LOL
After we rode Buzz, a Photo Pass photographer stopped us to ask for my card. Apparently he took a candid picture of us walking by.
This was the picture that he took:
Candid shot indeed! Look at us walk like nobody’s business! LOL
(I’m easily amused. LOL)
While we were walking through Tomorrowland, we came across Push the talking trashcan (another one of those things I didn’t expect to see). I didn’t take a picture. LOL
I did take this nice picture of the boys….
….then a cast member asked if I wanted him to take a picture of the four of us:
After that, we tried to get on a few rides we hadn’t seen or wanted to re-ride:
Pirates of the Caribbean (with a stop for a Dole Whip after 🙂 )
It’s a Small World
Mickey’s Philharmagic (the boys REALLY loved this one)
We checked out a couple of gift shops by the castle and I took a few pictures of the boys by the fountain.
If you squat down to the height of a child (or in my case, a short adult), it appears as though the crown (on the wall behind Cinderella) is resting on her head.
After a quick lunch at Pinocchio Village Haus, we decided to head back to the hotel to get a long nap. The castle was blocked off so we had to go the long way and we kind of got stuck in the crowd for the “Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! street party”. Yet another thing I didn’t expect to see. LOL We got around the crowd and left the park.
We stopped to get our picture taken in front of the train station….
….which ended up causing us to miss the next ferry to our resort by about 1.1 seconds. They literally took the rope off the dock and pushed away after we were already there. OMG, I was NOT a happy camper. The boat wasn’t full and they easily could have waited 30 seconds for us to get on but they didn’t. I think the cast members at the dock felt bad (and knew I was ticked off) because they tried to perk me up by saying we’d be the first people on the next ferry. Yeah, not amused. LOL They gave the boys about 90 Mickey stickers which helped to keep them occupied while we waited for the next boat to show up.
On a happier note, we had an enjoyable ride back to the hotel. A monorail train passed overhead as we were going underneath the bridge. The monorail driver tooted his horn at us a few times and the boat captain tooted his horn in return. When we laughed, he said “Hey! He started it!” The boys thought that was the funniest thing ever.
Approaching the boat dock at the Wilderness Lodge:
Since we left a little later than planned AND missed the boat, nap time started out later than expected and wasn’t going to be any longer than normal. Since we had a long night, this worried me a bit. Oh well, nothing could be done about it at that point.
After naps we headed back to the park for our dinner reservations.
We had plans to eat at Liberty Tree Tavern with my friend Scott. Scott and I worked together a million years ago and he moved to Florida several years back. He used to be a cast member (he worked Space Mountain) and was the lovely soul that went with me on my one and only other trip to WDW in 2002. I hadn’t seen him in YEARS so it was really nice to be able to catch up. 🙂
Heading back in:
Look how cute the cast members looked in their Christmas gear!
We got to the park a little early so we rode the Tomorrowland Speedway AGAIN and then rode on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority People Mover while we waited to go check in for dinner.
We were getting close to our reservation time so we checked in and waited to be seated/Scott to arrive.
I took some really terrible pictures of Scott and this was one of the best. I should have paid better attention to the camera settings. LOL
Scott and Ian really bonded. It was so funny watching them together. 🙂
Matthew really didn’t care to linger around dinner and was impatient to get going to Mickey’s ‘Cwistmas Pahty”. LOL
After dinner, Scott gave us interesting facts on some of the attractions near the restaurant but had to leave pretty quickly. He didn’t have a ticket to the party and they really wouldn’t let him go anywhere but the entrance to the park. Hopefully we’ll have more time to visit together next time. 🙂
We said our goodbyes and then headed into Fantasyland to look for Peter Pan and Wendy.
We found them quickly and I took some more really terrible pictures!!! LOL
Matthew asked Peter if he was going to the “Cwistmas Pahty” and it makes Peter laugh (0:20):
I love how Matthew held Peter’s hand while posing for pictures. 🙂
The boys had a lot of fun play games and hula-hooping with cast members.
After meeting with Peter and Wendy (and playing games/hula-hooping), we rode the carousel, Winnie the Pooh, the Tomorrowland Speedway (again – seriously, it is really that much fun? LOL).
(Like the marker all over his eyebrow and forehead? Those boys would NOT keep the autograph marker closed. LOL)
By the way, this time we rode Winnie the Pooh, we made sure to let the boys play in the new interactive queue area all they wanted. We played in the queue longer than we stood in line for the ride. LOL No tears and grouchy faces this time!
After the Tomorrowland Speedway, we picked up some complimentary hot chocolate, apple juice and cookies and then made our way to Main Street to get in place for The Magic, The Memories, and You show, fireworks and second parade.
We got okay spots for the castle show and fireworks. Not bad for walking up about 30 minutes before the show started. LOL
The castle was stunning, as usual.
I just wanted to enjoy the castle show and fireworks so we didn’t record them.
Here is a video of the castle show (Magic, Memories and You – Holiday Edition):
(I think the holiday stuff starts around 7 minutes in.)
I did take some fireworks pictures with my phone:
The fireworks were a Christmas-themed, Holiday Wishes and absolutely unbelievable. I literally sent the following text: “O. M. G. The fireworks were unreal.”
Here is a video I found online:
After that, we moved to the curb to stake a spot for the parade. Mike had (unbeknownst to me) promised to take the boys on Buzz after the fireworks so things got a little tense (I was upset at the prospect of leaving our spot, my overtired and 2 hrs past bed time boys were PO’d they couldn’t go on the ride, Mike was ready to throw us all overboard). I told Mike to take the boys and that I would stay put to save our spot. He left for a little bit but then came back. He managed to convince the boys that we would ride AFTER the parade and he got them some popcorn as a compromise.
Matthew was pretty fidgety during the parade and driving me crazy. As the parade continued, a large group of kids pushed forward and stood beside us. (We were sitting on the ground since we were up front and the kids pushed through the crowd to get up front. After first they were off to the side but soon they were standing right in front of us. After a while, we couldn’t see a darn thing and I was in the second “row” of people at the curb! )
Eventually I got so frustrated that I handed Matthew back to Mike (standing way behind us) and I stood up to watch the rest of the parade. Thankfully no one gave me a hard time about blocking their view – an unexpected benefit to being short?!?
The parade was really cool but it would have been nice to watch without all the excess drama, tension and anger. LOL
Here are a bunch of video:
Here’s a video someone else took that is a bit better than mine! LOL
After the parade, we rode Buzz and Ian and Matthew rejoiced. With Scott’s insider tips, Mike and I got some spectacular scores! We took pictures with my cell phone because we didn’t think anyone would believe us. LOL
My score (probably will never get this high of a score ever again LOL):
Mike’s score:
We went back over to Fantasyland to ride Peter Pan:
There was a slight issue with the ride – a couple couldn’t get out so we waited a while for them to figure it out. Eventually we got on and had fun.
After this, we walked over to see if the boys could get the sword out of the stone:
No such luck!
We took one more Photo Pass picture….
A few more pretty castle pictures….
….and then it was time to go.
It was a couple of minutes after midnight, the park was closed, and we were all exhausted.
On the ferry:
Goodbye Magic Kingdom!
I was worried I would be sad when we left that last night but I really wasn’t. We had pretty much the best trip ever and I felt like the last day was the perfect ending to our vacation.
Shockingly, the boys did not fall asleep on the boat and were in good moods.
We got back to the hotel and were in bed in record time. We were all exhausted and we had a long day the next day!
Thursday had finally arrived. MY BIRTHDAY!!!!
I made sure to wear my “Happy Birthday” button all day long and got LOTS of “Happy Birthday, Princess!” comments from the cast members. 🙂
Magic Kingdom was having Extra Magic Hours and open at 8AM for resort guests before opening to the general public at 9AM.
We arrived in time to catch the opening ceremony:
Our first orders of business were the following: breakfast at the Main Street Bakery, meet Tinker Bell, ride the Walt Disney World train.
Breakfast at the Main Street Bakery?
Check!!!
That cinnamon roll was bigger than Matthew’s head. LOL OMG, it was so good!
We walked over to Adventureland to see Tinker Bell: FAIL! Adventureland didn’t open until 9AM. Grrrr.
That’s okay, we’ll go do potty breaks and then ride the train!
Photos after our potty break:
Time to ride the train: FAIL!!! Can’t ride the train until 9AM.
At this point, we pretty much just gave up. LOL Most the stuff on our immediate to-do list was in Adventureland and it didn’t make sense to wander to the back of the park when we could ride the train in 30 minutes (which Matthew was hell bent to get on). So we spent the rest of the time wandering around the gift shops on Main Street. An excellent use for that extra hour of park time! LOL
We had these pictures taken too:
Here comes the train!!!
Matthew was soooo excited. We all enjoyed the ride around the park much more than expected.
The trolley was coming down Main Street after we got off the train:
We took some time to pose for pictures since Matthew was in a better mood than he was on Monday:
After doing the pictures, Mike and Ian ran for Buzz fast passes and then we all headed over to Adventureland.
Finally open!!!
We immediately got in line to see some fairies.
First we talked to Rosetta:
Then, it was our turn to meet Tinker Bell!!!
I think Ian had a crush on Tinker Bell. 🙂
After our meeting with Tinker Bell, we went to ride the Magic Carpets of Aladdin. Mike and I took the boys on once and then I rode with the boys a second time (Mike enjoyed it just as much as he did Dumbo: not at all LOL).
It’s all fun and games before we get up in the air:
Agrabah Bazaar, where Jasmine and Aladdin have their meet-and-greet:
Going up:
Not so amused at this point:
Me and the boys waiting to ride:
Going up:
After that, I snuck a picture of Aladdin and Jasmine because the boys were not down with waiting in line:
About 2 seconds after I snapped this picture, there was a HUGE clatter in the building next door. Everyone looked over to see what was going on and without skipping a beat, Aladdin yelled “ABU!!!!” LOL He told the next girl in line that every time he hears a noise like that, he always yells “ABU!!!!” because he always assumes it’s Abu getting in trouble and causing problems. The girl in line just stood there and laughed. OMG, it was so funny. I couldn’t believe how well he stayed in character. LOL
I snuck a picture of Prince Eric and Ariel:
Next up? A pineapple Dole Whip for the birthday girl:
OMG, it was soooo good!!! Best use of a snack credit EVER. LOL
While I finished the Dole Whip (I shared it, by the way), we walked over to ride Buzz with our fast passes.
Once Buzz was done, we walked over to the Tomorrowland Speedway for a quick ride before lunch:
Next up, lunch!
Back when we started planning this trip, I told Mike that we could do whatever the entire time but that I wanted to eat in the castle and meet the Princesses. Needless to say, it was a great birthday. 🙂
Jacques and Gus Gus up on the ledge near the ceiling:
It was so pretty inside:
Cinderella hugging the boys:
Here is a terrible scan of the picture they took of us in the lobby with Cinderella:
Seated at our table with a Fantasyland view:
Matthew was pretending to be a cat at this meal (napkin on head = cat LOL):
(Apparently Ian and Mike still had Adventureland on the brain. LOL)
Cinematographer Ian documented Mike ordering his meal (Pork 3 Ways and a Almond Cheesecake):
LOL
During the meal, boys got swords and girls got wands and then they did a wishing ceremony that was cute:
During the meal, an announcer told each Princess’s story and then the Princess came out to meet with everyone.
We got to meet…..
Snow White:
Princess Aurora/Sleeping Beauty:
Ariel/Little Mermaid:
Belle ( Ian’s favorite):
They were talking about their favorite books. 🙂
A waiter brought out desserts for Mike and me (the kids still had their meals in front of them). As he was placing a dessert in front of Mike, Matthew did one of those “oooh, I’ll have that” kind of reaction to the third (not our) dessert on the waiter’s tray. The waiter said “here you go, little Prince” and put it down for Matthew to eat. I couldn’t believe it!
Eating the adult dessert:
After a bit, they brought out the kid’s desserts and a cupcake for my birthday (and they sang to me).
Matthew was very helpful and blew out the candle:
For all his hard work, he then did his best to polish off the cupcake and the sundae that came with his meal. LOL
Sugar overload:
Ian ate like a champ that day:
After lunch, we walked over to ride Buzz (again).
Ian was nice enough to kick my butt:
You can tell he felt really bad about it too:
After we got out of the ride, Buzz was meeting with guests so we got in line to see him.
I have no idea what he was doing here. Praying? Looking for Zurg? Wondering why it’s always so flippin’ sunny? LOL
After that, it was definitely time to go back to the hotel. It was getting hot out and everyone was tired.
Especially Matthew:
Snoring in the stroller, in our hotel room:
LOL
By the way, we did transfer him to the bed after I took that video.
After nap time, I had to go to the hotel’s gift shop and buy this shirt for Ian. He REFUSED to wear his polo shirt and it was causing a major fit (hello, tired 5 year old anyone?!?). At this point in the vacation, we really didn’t have too many extra outfits left and it really wasn’t worth it to continue arguing. Thankfully, I was able to find a t-shirt that he loved that pretty much matched his short AND was the right size.
Fashion crisis averted!
We got back to the park around 5:30PM and people were already staking spots for the 7PM parade. Since we only had one opportunity to see the parade, I pretty much told Mike that we were finding a spot to sit in and that was that. The birthday girl makes the rules. LOL
We got AWESOME spots on the Hub – right at the end where Main Street hits the Hub. The parade was going to be starting down near the entrance and working it’s way to us. Perfect location!!!
After we got settled in our spots, Mike and Ian ran to Casey’s to get the boys some food (Mike and I weren’t hungry). Matthew and I held down the fort and took a couple of pictures.
I literally took these from my spot for the parade:
We got to see Cinderella’s Holiday Wish (castle lighting show):
Just as the parade was about to start, a barely English speaking woman asked if her child could sit in front of Ian (Ian was sitting the stroller). I said yes because I knew the little girl wouldn’t block Ian’s view and there was room. About five minutes later, she then asked if she could sit next to her child. I was more than a little ticked off since we’d been holding these spots for a freakin’ hour but she squeezed in there and managed to not block Ian.
When she asked 5 minutes later if her husband could sit down there too, I flat out said no. There was absolutely no way Ian would see the parade unless he stood and there was no way on God’s green Earth my child was standing during the parade so some jerk could show up 10 minutes before and block the way. He eventually squeezed in beside me (away from his family) and blocked a couple of little girls that had been seated next to me for an hour. What a jerk!
Rude woman that left her manners in whatever foreign country she hailed from:
I’m all about being nice to strangers but seriously? Stake seats early if you want a freakin’ front row seat.
/End Rant.
Here comes the parade! It was so cool!
Can you see Goofy inside the train/driving?
Minnie on the front, Mickey on the back:
Alice (in Wonderland) and the Cheshire Cat:
The White Rabbit walked by:
Cinderella in her pumpkin coach (and Fairy Godmother on the back):
Prince Charming and Cinderella’s step-sister Anastasia Tremaine:
Random people dancing:
There were lights in their clothing!
Big Ben:
Captain Hook and Peter Pan were fighting on this pirate ship!
Mr. Smee!!!
Snow White and her Dwarf-y pals:
Pinocchio:
Pete and his dragon, Elliot:
Patriotic floats to end the parade:
I loved the costumes that these cast members wore:
Our video of the parade:
After the fireworks, we stood and turned around to face the castle for The Magic, The Memories, and You show:
Yeah, we got 9 seconds before both boys decided to be held and we didn’t have enough hands to film the show. LOL (Here’s someone else’s Youtube video: http://youtu.be/p0K9HkE9zYY)
I call this their “when are the fireworks going to start” look…or maybe it’s their “how many flippin’ pictures are you going to take of this castle” look. 🙂
Not too long after that it was time for WISHES!
We had awesome spots for the fireworks but we were close enough it was darn impossible to get the fireworks and the castle in the frame at the same time.
(Here’s someone else’s Youtube video of Wishes: http://youtu.be/C_fc41uB48Q)
I really cannot say enough about this firework show. I loved it! It literally made you say “WOW!” in parts. And not just me, you can hear the rest of the crowd reacting too!
Beautiful!
After the show, we stood off to the side and let the crowd move towards the exit. The park wasn’t open late that night so everyone was going to the same place: the bus stops, the monorail or the ferry. We figured there was no rush and we were right. We eventually made it out to the ferry but I think we had to wait for 2 boats to come before we got on one. We got to see the Electrical Water Pageant again while we waited. LOL
When we got back to the hotel, Mike went down to the restaurant to get 1 kids meal and dinner for the two of us. We were all starved! After that late dinner, we all went to sleep quickly.
What a wonderful birthday!
Our day at Epcot started out much slower than the rest of the week. The park opened at 9AM but I don’t think we arrived until about 9:30AM. I was up early that day but we took the morning much slower in our hotel room. I think everyone appreciated the break.
He insisted on sitting by himself on the bus.
This was actually his second outfit of the day since he spilled an entire container of chocolate milk all over himself. He also got an emergency bath. We had a slower start to our day but that doesn’t mean it was uneventful! LOL
Mike and Ian sitting closer to the front:
Matthew needed a water break before we even got in the park:
We got in the park quickly and it was pretty empty. Woo hoo!
Right away we saw Daisy Duck so we got in line:
Our plan for the day was to go on Test Track and Soarin’ as quickly as possible. Mike decided he didn’t want to ride Test Track so I took the boys by myself while he got us Soarin’ fast passes.
Ian and Matthew seemed to like Test Track but Ian later refused to ride it again. LOL
When we got off Test Track, Mike was already done getting fast passes. While we waited to ride Soarin’, we headed over to the Character Spot to meet up with a bunch of the characters. The line was a little long (30 mins) but it gave us the opportunity to see several characters in a row. The line was indoors (yay for air-conditioning) and they had cartoons playing on TVs to keep the kids entertained while in line.
We saw…..
Mickey Mouse:
Pluto:
Donald:
and Goofy:
After visiting with the characters and getting their autographs, we headed over to ride The Seas with Nemo and Friends.
Once the Nemo ride was all done, Ian posed with Bruce the shark and then it was time to use our fast passes for Soarin’.
We got all the way to the part of the Soarin’ line where they’re about to queue you up in rows for the seats and Mike chickened out. Not only that, but he totally played it off like it was Matthew that was afraid. LOL
Ian and I enjoyed the ride though! 🙂
Ian buckled in and ready to fly over California:
Crappy cell phone pictures of the ride:
The flight ended with fireworks over Disneyland:
It was pretty cool!
While Ian and I rode Soarin’, Mike and Matthew rode Living with the Land. Once we caught up with each other, we decided to grab lunch at Sunshine Seasons (right outside Soarin’ and Living with the Land).
After filling up on some delicious food, we headed over to look at the aquarium and do Turtle Talk with Crush.
It was a gorgeous day!
A quick water break:
Turtle Talk with Crush was super cool. Mike and I were a little worried our boys would get called on (Ian had his hand raised the entire time). Afterward, we were relieved when they didn’t. Ian told us he was going to ask the following question: “What happens when you eat spaghetti?” I”m really not sure what Crush would have said to that! LOL
Since I have a Chase/Disney credit card, we had access to a private character meeting and an opportunity to get a free 5×7 from the meet-and-greet. We decided to stand in line for this before heading to the hotel for naps.
Unfortunately, I’m not sure the meet-and-greet was worth the wait. We stood in line for maybe 35-45 minutes and it was characters we’d already met. We were so tired that I’m not sure it was entirely worth the wait. Oh well.
This is the picture I got printed for free:
After that, it was definitely time to go take naps. We were all really pooped and it was HOT.
We got out to the bus stop and waited for-ev-er for the bus to come. You can’t seem to escape the sun so of course we were standing in the blazing hot sun too.
As the bus was entering the parking lot, I was trying to corral the kids and Mike was folding our stroller up, MY BIG CAMERA CAME OFF THE CAMERA STRAP AND FELL TO THE CONCRETE.
Let me repeat that for you: AT THE WORST POSSIBLE TIME EVER, MY VERY EXPENSIVE CAMERA FELL TO THE CONCRETE.
Awesomeness. Pure awesomeness.
It was a tense few minutes as we got settled on the bus. I finally got a chance to turn the camera on and test it out.
Test shot #1/OMG! DOES IT WORK?!?!
Yay! Yes it does!
Test shot #2/Thank You Baby Jesus I’m So Relieved I’m Going To Make A Silly Face:
Camera crisis averted! I have NO idea how it came off the strap but I have about 8 extra inches of strap at each end to make sure it never happens again. What a scary moment!
After that, we took a nice refreshing nap.
Heading back:
Our first order of business was for me to pick up the free 5×7 from our Chase/Disney meet-and-greet. In keeping with the “I’m not sure it was worth it” theme, I’d say it easily took me 35-45 minutes to get the picture printed. Oh well.
After that, we rode Spaceship Earth (the ride inside the giant Epcot “golf ball”). The boys really enjoyed the ride and the post-ride exhibit. We had to tear them away so that we could get over to World Showcase.
Post-ride picture:
Mike and Matthew’s picture came down before I could get over to take a picture of it!
As we were walking over to World Showcase, we saw a Photo Pass photographer set up in front of the giant tree. We decided to wait and as it was our turn, the photographers switched out. The new photographer was a little flustered and having difficulty getting things to work properly. We ended up waiting a relatively long-ish time (5-10 mins) for her to get set up and she took this picture:
Don’t really think it was worth it. You can barely see the tree in the background. Oh well. LOL
We walked around World Showcase to find someplace to get food for dinner. We made a quick stop for me so that I could get a “Cosmo Slush” from the cart in United Kingdom pavilion. 🙂
While the boys and I caught a belly dancing show in Morocco…….
…..Mike got us some dinner from the Tangierine Cafe. We all enjoyed our dinners and I was glad we got to try something a little more adventurous than cheeseburgers and fries. 🙂
After we ate, we started walking around to find a spot to watch IllumiNations (the fireworks/laser/water show that happens in the middle of the lagoon). Thanks to a very friendly cast member’s recommendation, we found really good seats between the Mexico and Norway pavilions. We actually got to watch the show while sitting which is a huge thing after 3 full days walking around the parks (our poor ouchy feet appreciated the break). Unfortunately, the wind was blowing in our direction so we got hit with quite a bit of ash during the show. It didn’t ruin the show but it was very distracting.
We didn’t take video of the show (sometimes it’s fun to just experience stuff and not worry about documenting everything on film/video). Here is a video I found on Youtube, if you’re interested: http://youtu.be/7g3Nz4tPgbs
Epcot tree on our way to the front of the park:
Spaceship Earth was stunning all lit up:
After the show was over, we headed to the gift shops and did our part to stimulate the Florida tourist economy while waiting for the chaos to die down at the bus stop. By the time we left the gift shop, I think there were probably only about 50 other people inside the park and we only had about $5 left in our wallets. LOL The good news is, we got the bulk of our souvenir shopping done and managed to catch a half-full bus back to our hotel. No standing that night! 🙂
Our hotel as we approached the building:
Once we got back to our room, we were off to sleep very quickly!
Tuesday, we were off to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Again, we had breakfast reservations before park opening.
Waiting for the bus:
They were as tired as they looked:
They had this giant tree outside the park. It’s kind of hard to tell how big it is until you see that the boys are standing in front of it.
Excited to go inside:
Yeah, this is one of the few pictures we got of the 4 of us in the park that day. Isn’t it a really great shot of Matthew? 🙂
Ian (with a map) waiting on the steps of the restaurant:
We were actually the very first family seated in the restaurant that day.
Tuesday’s breakfast was a buffet with the characters from Disney Jr.
We got to meet June from Little Einsteins:
Jake from Jake and the Neverland Pirates:
OSO from Special Agent OSO:
And Manny from Handy Manny:
The meal is called “Play ‘n Dine at Hollywood and Vine” and it is pretty interactive. They have people come out and lead the kids in singing, dancing, and even a conga line around the restaurant.
Handy Manny dancing with the kids:
(Sorry, it’s turned sideways but I was sitting so ridiculously close there really was no other way to film it.)
Posing in front of the sign before leaving:
After that, we took off for the running of the bulls. Oops, I mean the running of the Toy Story Maniacs (that’s what I like to call it).
Toy Story Midway Mania is one of the most popular rides in all of the parks and people are so hell bent to get in line (or get fast passes) that they pretty much run to that part of the park. I left Mike with the boys and the stroller and took off with the crowd to get in line for fast passes.
The mass of people all going to the ride:
In line for fast passes, I was really far away but the line moved fast:
Mike and the boys waiting off to the side while I was in line:
After I got fast passes, we got in the stand-by line since the ride only had a 35 minute wait.
Buzz and Woody were meeting in this building (you can kind of see them through the glare on the glass):
This part of the park was so cool!
The giant nightlight overhead that served as a regular light:
The queue for this line was soooo cool. I took a ridiculous amount of pictures because it was so neat! It was kind of like being in a toy box!
There was a Mr. Potato Head animatronic that could sing and talk to guests.
(I added eyes in Photoshop because they didn’t photograph well at all and he looked creepy otherwise. LOL)
Looking down over where the cars come through for the ride:
Almost time to ride!!!
After that, we hurried over to see:
After Little Mermaid, we went next door to Disney Junior Live on Stage:
Matthew LOVED it!
Once we got out of the show, we wandered all over the park trying to find the Lighting McQueen and Mater meet-and-greet. (I have no sense of direction is this park! LOL)
On our way through the park, we saw Chip and Dale and decided to see them:
After I ran to get fast passes for Rock ’n’ Rollercoaster and Tower of Terror and then we all headed over to Toy Story Midway Mania to ride using our fast passes.
After we rode, Mike and the boys left for nap time and I stayed in the park to ride…
Tower of Terror:
Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster:
(Almost lost my glasses on that one. Whoops! LOL)
and watch Beauty and the Beast:
By the time I rode the 2 rides, watched the show, and did a little shopping, it was already time for the boys to come back. As they were walking in the park, the afternoon parade was gearing up to start.
Waiting for the boys to join me:
Faux flash mob!!!
Parade:
This parade was one of those things that we didn’t think we’d be seeing. Typically, we were at the hotel for naps when the afternoon parades were going on. Today, the boys came back early because we were going to the 4PM showing of Lights! Motors! Action! Extreme Stunt Show.
Mike’s friend that hooked us up at the Hoop Dee Doo Revue had pulled some strings and got us VIP seats for the show.
They weren’t just VIP seats, they were special directors chairs!
The show was really cool!
Matthew fell asleep on Mike’s lap, believe it or not. LOL
Guess who was soooo excited?!?!
Mater!!!
McQueen!!!
A bad guy!!!!
McQueen chasing the bad guy!
He got ‘em! Mission: accomplished!
Random rainbow despite there being no rain:
Matthew was now awake:
Stunt man on fire:
The driver waving at Matthew!
Cars coming out of that building!
Making a jump!
Explosion!!!
The heat from the flames was pretty intense!
Replaying the film on the screen and bringing out all the cars:
What an awesome experience!
We didn’t take any videos but here are some I found online:
Car chase sequence: http://youtu.be/rTAlioGpqUA
Lighting/Mater sequence: http://youtu.be/iCTK1bsAkjk
The finale: http://youtu.be/hJb4BHayXrk
After the show, we kind of wandered around and didn’t get much accomplished. We were going to meet with Buzz and Woody but they had a 50 minute wait. We did a little shopping but mostly just walked around with no purpose.
The boys played (and fought over) buses we bought them in an out-of-the-way spot:
I made the boys pose in front of this sign:
It wasn’t long before the sun started to set and it was time to go see the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Osborne_Family_Spectacle_of_Dancing_Lights)
It started “snowing”!
The lights flipped on and wow. Just wow. It was AMAZING.
Film by Ian, Hollywood director extraordinaire:
Poor hot, over-tired, under-napped Matthew did not want to be there.
We took a few more pictures….
(catching snowflakes LOL)
….but quickly decided to see if we could get seated at dinner a little early. Thankfully, they were willing to seat us right away.
The Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater was soooooo cool.
The walls of the restaurant looked like a picket fence around a drive-in theater and there were lights in the walls made to look like stars. They even had landscaping painted on the wall.
Matthew wasn’t much better at dinner but the movie screen and food kept him a bit more occupied.
Afterward, we tried the Osborne Lights again but this time it was even more crowded.
Prep and Landing scenes in these windows:
Here is a video that is much better than what we took: http://youtu.be/X2oUMDTQi_4
I could have stayed to watch the lights for about 3 hours but we decided to leave because Matthew was D-O-N-E. The wall had been hit a looong time ago. LOL
On our way out, we wandered over to see what Buzz and Woody were up to and check to see how long the line was. It was still too long so I took a picture of them with strangers. LOL
As we were making our way towards the exit with a clearly unhappy child on Mike’s shoulders, Ian starts screaming from his seat in the stroller. He was having a massive bloody nose. One of those “I love being a parent” moments of absolute exhaustion, frustration, panic and chaos. LOL
I took this picture while waiting for Ian’s nose to stop bleeding:
Once we got everything under control, we caught the most ridiculously full bus ever. It kind of reminded me of movies that take place in 3rd world countries where passengers bring their goats and chickens along for the ride. LOL
A very nice man let Ian and Matthew sit but Mike and I had to stand in the aisle. Thankfully, the boys were charming and adorable on the bus ride. You’d never have known that Matthew had spent a good portion of the last two hours in hysterics. Thankfully, we were the first stop on the bus route. LOL
We fell asleep that night with the promise of a later, easier, more relaxed day at EPCOT on Wednesday.