The birthday trip, day 3

Sorry for the delay! We've been in the process of getting the house ready for a move since I got home from the trip. Oy vey, that takes a ton of work. We're moving to Maryland this summer, whoopie, low plane fares mean I can go to WDW more often, but my trips to DL may be at an end :(

We got up early and took the transit over the the park because my parents were tired of walking. We started out at DL and did two hours of "do-overs" -- read that as two hours of Buzz Lightyear, POTC, BTMRR and HM before I headed over to CA to get fastpasses for Grizzly River Rapids. Came back in time to catch everyone on their way out of Space Mountain and DS Matt and my parents did Indiana Jones while DS Andy (just barely too short) and I did Buzz four times in a row and got to meet Buzz afterwards. We told Buzz that Andy had gotten Space Ace rating at WDW and Buzz bowed down before him. Andy thought that was awesome.

Our fastpass time came around and on our way out of DL the boys had their pics taken with Mary Poppins and Bert (and that guy did an excellent impression of Dick Van Dyke, let me assure you!). So over to do the water ride, and then back again to DL for the birthday party at the Plaza.

It was actually pretty icky. I was disappointed. It consisted of a cake decorating contest, and nothing else. The drinks were very dilute punch, the cakes were dry and the frosting had so much coloring in it that the taste was bitter. In the end, I can see that it was more for toddlers than anyone else. Oh well!

When we got out, it was time for the parade, which is my favorite time of day. I hate the parades, but I LOVE walking onto rides, which we did. heheheheh... seems almost criminal.

My parents took the boys for the rest of the day and I had a wonderful time going through the shops on Main Street -- loved the gallery and the kitchen shop! Ate bakery things that I would never have in front of my kids, and then got serious -- I wandered over to New Orleans Square to listen to jazz and watch the pirates interact rudely with the crowd. Ah, now THAT was heavenly! We reunited once it got dark and tried once more to catch the fireworks, but the winds were still too high. So we said goodbye to Walt's park and went to bed.

The next morning we left :(

Final thoughts? There is something timeless and very special about DL. POTC, HM and SM are all better, as are the Fantasyland and toontown rides. For a whole week or longer vacation package, I would rather go to WDW because of the variety of food (although nothing beats Blue Bayou!), AK, Epcot and the resorts, if I only have two or three days I would way rather do DL. It was a really neat time. The pirate bar and the treasure caves were way beyond what I had remembered, and the refurb of HM and SM were awesome. Pinnochio, Alice, Mr Toad -- all very cool :thumbsup: and Roger Rabbit's spin :thumbsup:

There is just nothing in this world as nostalgic and wonderful as sitting by the water in the Blue Bayou listening to the crickets......... and I am glad I got to share that with my kiddos.

Thanks for the great trip report! I hope your move goes smoothly.

Thanks so much for thinking of us and posting the final chapter of your trip report, even in the midst of what is surely a hectic time for you.

Sorry you were disappointed with the birthday party, but at least it was only a small part of your trip. The rest of the time sounds like a great success. :smickey: