thejens
06-07-2007, 10:25 PM
Second Trip to the World Day 7, May 31, 2007
I reluctantly let my family sleep in just a little bit, but as soon as the boys’ eyes opened I hustled them up and out to the Magic Kingdom by 9:30 a.m. My Mom, sister and nephews slept later. After grabbing fastpasses for Buzz, we headed for Toontown to ride the Barnstormer. DS3 absolutely loved it and wanted to ride it again immediately. It is a fun, zippy little coaster for kids with a cute line area. Luckily we did not wait long. It was time for our ADRs at Ohana’s for a 10:50 a.m. breakfast so we hopped the train to the Monorail. They had room for one in the front so we sent DS9. DS3 and I were able to join him for the last stop. I just love the Monorail! We were almost too late for the ADR, but fortunately we made it in the nick of time. Amazingly the rest of my family had arrived on time and were lobbying vigorously for them to hold it. I think they didn’t want to seat anyone too late since this was the end of the character breakfast hour. We were only 10 minutes late, but I can understand their dilemma. Fortunately, we were quickly seated and the characters came by rather quickly. Lilo, Stitch, Mickey and Pluto showed a lot of personality. The big boys were determined to get everyone’s autographs, but DS3 was shy with the big characters. The food was okay, but got cold during the character interactions and the eggs a bit slimy and we had to ask for more bread. I definitely prefer dinner at Ohana’s and wouldn’t do the breakfast again. I really didn’t catch a big warm, family, aloha vibe. We checked out the resort after breakfast. The lounge doesn’t “wow” me the way the Beach Club, Animal Kingdom and Wilderness Lodge does, but it is pretty in its own way. The pool area is beautiful and I loved being able to see the Magic Kingdom and everything so close. DS3 wanted to ride the Sea Racers. We took the boat back to MK instead. My sister’s key card didn’t work (again!) so she said she’d meet us in Toon Town. As we were walking in we noticed the Barbershop and took a peek. The line was short so both boys got hair cuts! DS9 got his first buzz cut with a red stripe down the middle. DS3 didn’t want his hair cut, so (unbeknownst to him) he got just a little trim in the back and lots of blue color and sparkly mickeys! They absolutely loved it. The shop is such an ordinary, calm little place in the middle of all the mayhem. The hair cutters were nice, motherly ladies who were wonderful with the children. The prices weren’t even bad! It seemed like an homage to the Midwestern Walt who simply wanted a nice, clean park where families could go to spend time together. We headed in through Tomorrow Land. My Mom, Jenny and the boys rode Buzz Lightyear. Then we did the Carousel of Progress. I love this one even if it is dated and needs more room for the 60s, 80s and 2000s. Finally we made it to Toontown. My nephews had lost their autograph books and had bought new ones and were feverishly trying to collect new autographs. (Can I please have a few words with whoever thought up the whole autograph thing?) My boys checked out Mickey’s and Minnie’s houses (never a big draw for us) and headed to Donald’s Boat. Soon all four boys were together, dripping wet, and leaving red and blue puddles everywhere. It was glorious and a nice break from lines. DS3 kept trying to save his sparkly mickeys so I pretended to collect the wet, painty little things “for later.” We really did need to head back for a swim in the pool. As we left the park my sister went to get popcorn and DS3 noticed some “look, hidden mickeys, Mama!” on the ground. It was leftover confetti from the morning parade. Thinking I could collect a few for him to replace those that had washed away I picked up a few and my Mom joined me in my efforts. After a few moments a shop keeper came up to us with a big cup of fresh confetti and poured it into our hands. It was one of those simple, magical moments for us!
We planned to go to Downtown Disney today, but it was hard to pull the children away from the fun pool. The big boys played volley ball while DS3 loved his own giant sandy, shallow pool. They played music from High School Musical (something I’ve never seen as there are no trucks, swords, or superheroes apparently) and every girl there seems to know the elaborate dance sequence. It was fun to watch for a moment, but then I had to go run after DS3. Have I mentioned it is hard to keep up with 4 active boys at this sprawling pool? In retrospect we would have done better to “relax” by the pool and have dinner at Beaches and Cream, but off we went to Downtown Disney.
This was my first time at DTD. We parked in the middle and walked through the nightclub area into the Marketplace just to check it out. There were some colorful characters walking around on stilts. We had reservations at Rainforest Café, but decided to keep it simple and grab sandwiches from Earl of Sandwich. They were good and quick and we enjoyed eating outside. I really don’t enjoy shopping much under the best of circumstances and I found the toy shops overwhelming with the crowds, immense selection, and curious and quick moving boys! I steered them into Mickey’s Mart, but found that everything under $10.00 really wasn’t worth much actually. I think Once Upon a Toy was our downfall where DS9 bought yet another light saber and DS3 “needed!” to get a really cool Herbie car. “I have Disney Dollars!” he kept exclaiming happily. I snuck out to the Art of Disney for a few minutes while Jenny took a turn managing the avaricious frenzy. I was hoping for original cells at magically low prices, but no luck! We stopped for ice cream at Ghiradellis and the kids played with their light sabers. I am glad I checked out DTD, but I think I’ll skip it in the future so long as I have children with me!
I reluctantly let my family sleep in just a little bit, but as soon as the boys’ eyes opened I hustled them up and out to the Magic Kingdom by 9:30 a.m. My Mom, sister and nephews slept later. After grabbing fastpasses for Buzz, we headed for Toontown to ride the Barnstormer. DS3 absolutely loved it and wanted to ride it again immediately. It is a fun, zippy little coaster for kids with a cute line area. Luckily we did not wait long. It was time for our ADRs at Ohana’s for a 10:50 a.m. breakfast so we hopped the train to the Monorail. They had room for one in the front so we sent DS9. DS3 and I were able to join him for the last stop. I just love the Monorail! We were almost too late for the ADR, but fortunately we made it in the nick of time. Amazingly the rest of my family had arrived on time and were lobbying vigorously for them to hold it. I think they didn’t want to seat anyone too late since this was the end of the character breakfast hour. We were only 10 minutes late, but I can understand their dilemma. Fortunately, we were quickly seated and the characters came by rather quickly. Lilo, Stitch, Mickey and Pluto showed a lot of personality. The big boys were determined to get everyone’s autographs, but DS3 was shy with the big characters. The food was okay, but got cold during the character interactions and the eggs a bit slimy and we had to ask for more bread. I definitely prefer dinner at Ohana’s and wouldn’t do the breakfast again. I really didn’t catch a big warm, family, aloha vibe. We checked out the resort after breakfast. The lounge doesn’t “wow” me the way the Beach Club, Animal Kingdom and Wilderness Lodge does, but it is pretty in its own way. The pool area is beautiful and I loved being able to see the Magic Kingdom and everything so close. DS3 wanted to ride the Sea Racers. We took the boat back to MK instead. My sister’s key card didn’t work (again!) so she said she’d meet us in Toon Town. As we were walking in we noticed the Barbershop and took a peek. The line was short so both boys got hair cuts! DS9 got his first buzz cut with a red stripe down the middle. DS3 didn’t want his hair cut, so (unbeknownst to him) he got just a little trim in the back and lots of blue color and sparkly mickeys! They absolutely loved it. The shop is such an ordinary, calm little place in the middle of all the mayhem. The hair cutters were nice, motherly ladies who were wonderful with the children. The prices weren’t even bad! It seemed like an homage to the Midwestern Walt who simply wanted a nice, clean park where families could go to spend time together. We headed in through Tomorrow Land. My Mom, Jenny and the boys rode Buzz Lightyear. Then we did the Carousel of Progress. I love this one even if it is dated and needs more room for the 60s, 80s and 2000s. Finally we made it to Toontown. My nephews had lost their autograph books and had bought new ones and were feverishly trying to collect new autographs. (Can I please have a few words with whoever thought up the whole autograph thing?) My boys checked out Mickey’s and Minnie’s houses (never a big draw for us) and headed to Donald’s Boat. Soon all four boys were together, dripping wet, and leaving red and blue puddles everywhere. It was glorious and a nice break from lines. DS3 kept trying to save his sparkly mickeys so I pretended to collect the wet, painty little things “for later.” We really did need to head back for a swim in the pool. As we left the park my sister went to get popcorn and DS3 noticed some “look, hidden mickeys, Mama!” on the ground. It was leftover confetti from the morning parade. Thinking I could collect a few for him to replace those that had washed away I picked up a few and my Mom joined me in my efforts. After a few moments a shop keeper came up to us with a big cup of fresh confetti and poured it into our hands. It was one of those simple, magical moments for us!
We planned to go to Downtown Disney today, but it was hard to pull the children away from the fun pool. The big boys played volley ball while DS3 loved his own giant sandy, shallow pool. They played music from High School Musical (something I’ve never seen as there are no trucks, swords, or superheroes apparently) and every girl there seems to know the elaborate dance sequence. It was fun to watch for a moment, but then I had to go run after DS3. Have I mentioned it is hard to keep up with 4 active boys at this sprawling pool? In retrospect we would have done better to “relax” by the pool and have dinner at Beaches and Cream, but off we went to Downtown Disney.
This was my first time at DTD. We parked in the middle and walked through the nightclub area into the Marketplace just to check it out. There were some colorful characters walking around on stilts. We had reservations at Rainforest Café, but decided to keep it simple and grab sandwiches from Earl of Sandwich. They were good and quick and we enjoyed eating outside. I really don’t enjoy shopping much under the best of circumstances and I found the toy shops overwhelming with the crowds, immense selection, and curious and quick moving boys! I steered them into Mickey’s Mart, but found that everything under $10.00 really wasn’t worth much actually. I think Once Upon a Toy was our downfall where DS9 bought yet another light saber and DS3 “needed!” to get a really cool Herbie car. “I have Disney Dollars!” he kept exclaiming happily. I snuck out to the Art of Disney for a few minutes while Jenny took a turn managing the avaricious frenzy. I was hoping for original cells at magically low prices, but no luck! We stopped for ice cream at Ghiradellis and the kids played with their light sabers. I am glad I checked out DTD, but I think I’ll skip it in the future so long as I have children with me!