Dsnygirl
11-09-2009, 11:38 AM
Don't know how many of you noticed, but I changed the title of my trip report from my pre-trip report... as much as this trip was for our 15th anniversary, and as excited as we all were to be pirates for MNSSHP, it really came down to one thing -- relaxing and enjoying our time at Disney together, and not feeling rushed to "get to everything". I think we succeeded, although by the time the day to fly home came around, I have to confess to being VERY thankful we weren't hitting a park that day!! No matter how much down time you find for yourselves, I'm not sure it's possible to leave Disney feeling truly rested!! (at least WE haven't figured out that magical combination yet!)
So, you all be the judge...
The cast of characters for this trip...
Me (41) - Disney addict, fanatic and crazy planner of all trips
DH (42) - lover of all things Disney but not as crazy as I am! Also was once known on here as CaptJackSparrow, but hasn't been around much...
DD11 - silly, funny Disney-crazed can't-wait-to-get there daughter, closely following in mom's footsteps
DD8 - fun-loving rider of all crazy rides, not as obsessed as everyone else, but heading down that path!
Day 3, Saturday Oct 24 - Like I said in the previous thread, today we had another early breakfast ADR... luckily, we all had slept pretty well and were up and ready for it!! (Of course, really, how much coaxing do you need when someone is offering you an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet, complete with Mickey and the gang??)
We were off to AK and Donald's Breakfastosaurus by 7:50... after waiting in line for our photo op with him, we were seated right away and once again, headed straight off to the food. It was delicious... I love the African dishes, and could have eaten a lot more, if only I'd had the room!! The characters came and joined us, and the girls got to be with Mickey during the parade, so a fun time was had by everyone, and we left very full and very happy!
We were on our way to the safari by 9:15 and it was a good one -- the elephants were out and about, as were the lions -- he was even "talking" to us as we went by. But I was disappointed to not see the cheetahs... they're my personal favorite, and their area seemed to be closed off. :( We planned to come back and ride again, but actually never got around to it this trip -- guess that just saves it for next time!! ;)
From there, we did the Pangani trails and finally found my DH some flip flops for his poor feet... he was going to be going shopping w/ the friends of ours who live in Orlando later to get some sneakers, but at least the flip flops got him through!! He then took the girls to see ITTBaB while I went to get FP's for EE... of course, as luck would have it, I passed by a bunch of things I just knew they would have all loved seeing!! First, it was DeVine... none of us have ever seen her, and I'd told them all about her and trying to find her. Well, she totally got me... I couldn't figure out why folks were stopped, taking pictures of this street sign as I made my way to Asia... and then she moved!! WOW!! She is beautiful, and I stopped for some pictures, totally hoping we'd all get the chance to see her later on. Then I saw Baloo and Flick doing autographs -- two characters I knew the girls would LOVE to see! Sigh!! But I continued on and got our FP's, then circled around through DinoLand to get back to them, and got a chance to hear my caribbean steel drum band that always plays by Nemo. Sigh... I LOVE steel drums, and just had to pause and listen for a bit. :)
Once I re-connected with my family (after an enjoyable rest outside of ITTBaB, it was getting warm...) we headed back the way I'd gone before, so they could see Baloo and Flick. Unfort., Flick was gone, but they got pictures with Baloo and Turk instead... and then DeVine came out again! The girls loved her and were in awe... so was my DH... she is truly amazing. I just can't imagine how she does it for so long each day, esp. when it is so warm. Must be why it's only in the morning/early afternoon hours! I was SO glad we all got to see her... it was something we'd missed every time.
At this point, our friends called and my DH headed out of AK to meet them and go get shoes. The girls and I headed to ride Dinosaur again (twice... :blush: ... did I mention we love this ride??) and then to the Boneyard. Now. I've never been there, and was trying to be conscious of the time, as my DH had forgotten to take his park pass, so once he called to say he was back, we'd have to go to the entrance to let him in. Well. Let me tell you -- we entered the Boneyard, and POOF!! My children disappeared into thin air. Gone. And remember me telling you about the warm temps this week? Well, this was where I first truly began to feel them. It is like an inferno in there!! You can hide in the shade of some of the structures, but it really doesn't do much... you just sit in the shade and sweat a bit less than you'd do out in the sun. ;) And to have to actually move and hunt for your children?? :faint: I finally just settled in a quiet corner and waited for them to find me... my DD8 eventually did, and I sent her off to find the older one so we could escape and go find slushies before my insides melted and my before DH called. We discovered a little spot in Asia, right over the bridge that had big slushies, fruit cups and something known as frozen Vault... hallelujah!! We cooled down our insides and relaxed, heard from my DH and gained him re-entry, did a bit more shopping and then settled in to watch the parade. The Jammin' Jungle parade is my favorite, I just love the music, and once again, felt just like a kid -- I swear, I think I enjoy the parades more than the girls. Oh well!!
After the parade, we'd been considering renting SeaRaycers at the Polynesian or Contemporary, on our way to MK for the night... but the girls begged for the pool instead, and being the kind parents that we are, we easily said no to spending $60 and yes to the free pool and headed there straightaway!! Our friends who were staying there for the wknd joined us, as well, and brought some adult beverages for us to enjoy while the girls swam... so it was a VERY relaxing time for us, and it felt so good to cool down for a bit before heading back to a park!! Plus, we've had very little time with our friends to just sit and chat... we're usually together at the parks, and the talking happens betweens rides. So, this was really nice, and we had a great time with them.
After we were all dry again, we headed to MK for the night, as it was going to be open 'til 11pm... our friends joined us, and we had fun hitting rides in Tomorrowland, seeing Wishes for the first time this trip and then ending with riding BTMRR and Splash in the dark... they are so fun at night! (And at least we didn't get as wet as we did last night on Kali!!)
Once MK closed, we headed back to the resort and said our goodnite's... we were headed to DHS in the morning and they had to head back into "reality" for a bit, as their DD had a soccer game. But, they planned to meet us later, and we all headed off to bed for some much needed rest!
(Had to make this a single-day trip report, as I was getting a bit wordy... :blush:)
So, you all be the judge...
The cast of characters for this trip...
Me (41) - Disney addict, fanatic and crazy planner of all trips
DH (42) - lover of all things Disney but not as crazy as I am! Also was once known on here as CaptJackSparrow, but hasn't been around much...
DD11 - silly, funny Disney-crazed can't-wait-to-get there daughter, closely following in mom's footsteps
DD8 - fun-loving rider of all crazy rides, not as obsessed as everyone else, but heading down that path!
Day 3, Saturday Oct 24 - Like I said in the previous thread, today we had another early breakfast ADR... luckily, we all had slept pretty well and were up and ready for it!! (Of course, really, how much coaxing do you need when someone is offering you an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet, complete with Mickey and the gang??)
We were off to AK and Donald's Breakfastosaurus by 7:50... after waiting in line for our photo op with him, we were seated right away and once again, headed straight off to the food. It was delicious... I love the African dishes, and could have eaten a lot more, if only I'd had the room!! The characters came and joined us, and the girls got to be with Mickey during the parade, so a fun time was had by everyone, and we left very full and very happy!
We were on our way to the safari by 9:15 and it was a good one -- the elephants were out and about, as were the lions -- he was even "talking" to us as we went by. But I was disappointed to not see the cheetahs... they're my personal favorite, and their area seemed to be closed off. :( We planned to come back and ride again, but actually never got around to it this trip -- guess that just saves it for next time!! ;)
From there, we did the Pangani trails and finally found my DH some flip flops for his poor feet... he was going to be going shopping w/ the friends of ours who live in Orlando later to get some sneakers, but at least the flip flops got him through!! He then took the girls to see ITTBaB while I went to get FP's for EE... of course, as luck would have it, I passed by a bunch of things I just knew they would have all loved seeing!! First, it was DeVine... none of us have ever seen her, and I'd told them all about her and trying to find her. Well, she totally got me... I couldn't figure out why folks were stopped, taking pictures of this street sign as I made my way to Asia... and then she moved!! WOW!! She is beautiful, and I stopped for some pictures, totally hoping we'd all get the chance to see her later on. Then I saw Baloo and Flick doing autographs -- two characters I knew the girls would LOVE to see! Sigh!! But I continued on and got our FP's, then circled around through DinoLand to get back to them, and got a chance to hear my caribbean steel drum band that always plays by Nemo. Sigh... I LOVE steel drums, and just had to pause and listen for a bit. :)
Once I re-connected with my family (after an enjoyable rest outside of ITTBaB, it was getting warm...) we headed back the way I'd gone before, so they could see Baloo and Flick. Unfort., Flick was gone, but they got pictures with Baloo and Turk instead... and then DeVine came out again! The girls loved her and were in awe... so was my DH... she is truly amazing. I just can't imagine how she does it for so long each day, esp. when it is so warm. Must be why it's only in the morning/early afternoon hours! I was SO glad we all got to see her... it was something we'd missed every time.
At this point, our friends called and my DH headed out of AK to meet them and go get shoes. The girls and I headed to ride Dinosaur again (twice... :blush: ... did I mention we love this ride??) and then to the Boneyard. Now. I've never been there, and was trying to be conscious of the time, as my DH had forgotten to take his park pass, so once he called to say he was back, we'd have to go to the entrance to let him in. Well. Let me tell you -- we entered the Boneyard, and POOF!! My children disappeared into thin air. Gone. And remember me telling you about the warm temps this week? Well, this was where I first truly began to feel them. It is like an inferno in there!! You can hide in the shade of some of the structures, but it really doesn't do much... you just sit in the shade and sweat a bit less than you'd do out in the sun. ;) And to have to actually move and hunt for your children?? :faint: I finally just settled in a quiet corner and waited for them to find me... my DD8 eventually did, and I sent her off to find the older one so we could escape and go find slushies before my insides melted and my before DH called. We discovered a little spot in Asia, right over the bridge that had big slushies, fruit cups and something known as frozen Vault... hallelujah!! We cooled down our insides and relaxed, heard from my DH and gained him re-entry, did a bit more shopping and then settled in to watch the parade. The Jammin' Jungle parade is my favorite, I just love the music, and once again, felt just like a kid -- I swear, I think I enjoy the parades more than the girls. Oh well!!
After the parade, we'd been considering renting SeaRaycers at the Polynesian or Contemporary, on our way to MK for the night... but the girls begged for the pool instead, and being the kind parents that we are, we easily said no to spending $60 and yes to the free pool and headed there straightaway!! Our friends who were staying there for the wknd joined us, as well, and brought some adult beverages for us to enjoy while the girls swam... so it was a VERY relaxing time for us, and it felt so good to cool down for a bit before heading back to a park!! Plus, we've had very little time with our friends to just sit and chat... we're usually together at the parks, and the talking happens betweens rides. So, this was really nice, and we had a great time with them.
After we were all dry again, we headed to MK for the night, as it was going to be open 'til 11pm... our friends joined us, and we had fun hitting rides in Tomorrowland, seeing Wishes for the first time this trip and then ending with riding BTMRR and Splash in the dark... they are so fun at night! (And at least we didn't get as wet as we did last night on Kali!!)
Once MK closed, we headed back to the resort and said our goodnite's... we were headed to DHS in the morning and they had to head back into "reality" for a bit, as their DD had a soccer game. But, they planned to meet us later, and we all headed off to bed for some much needed rest!
(Had to make this a single-day trip report, as I was getting a bit wordy... :blush:)