Mickeydream
12-09-2009, 04:48 PM
Our cast consists of:
Me: (Grammie) Mickeydream Linda 50ish:secret:
DD: mickeymousedabomb Marcy 30ish:blush:
DGD1: Katina (13 :princess:)
DGD2: AJ (7 :princess:)
Day 3 AJ’s 7th birthday – celebrated at Magic Kingdom :party:
This trip report will be a tag team effort by my DD and me. We planned the trip together so it is only fitting that we do the trip report as a joint venture.
Stitch greeted us with our 5:30 wake-up call and Marcy was up like a shot out of a cannon and into the shower anxious to start the day. This turned out to be the norm for the entire trip with Marcy being the driving force to get us up and moving with promises of fun and adventure. Most days the girls (even the teenager) did little grumbling about such an early start.
We were at the bus stop by 7:00am at POP and ready for our first day in the parks! It has been our tradition to always start and end at MK. With just a few minute wait, we were boarded on a bus with only a handful of others due to the early hour and low crowds. With Hidden Mickey book, pin lanyards and autograph books in hand, we were ready!
Two years ago, when we visited WDW Katina purchased a Sorcerer’s hat with her own money. She brought it this trip and wore it faithfully to every park this trip. She got many compliments on her hat too.
Our goal was to make it for rope drop, a first for us. It was SO worth getting up early for.
The train…Mickey and friends…the dancers…the chosen family throwing confetti…all wonderful and we were so happy to be a part of it. After being admitted in, we went straight to the “will call” window with AJ’s birth certificate so she could receive her $68.00 gift certificate. She had on her birthday button and received dozens of birthday wishes that day which she loved.
I am sure as we stand at the beginning of Main Street and look down toward the castle it gives us all that same tingly feeling. How can it not? Marcy and I just stood a moment to take it all in because after all the planning and changing of plans (we booked this 15 months ago), we were finally here!
We proceeded to the MSB for b’fast, which is always a treat. We enjoyed our choices (all very yummy) at a café table out front while we watched the performers on Main Street. We noticed our first of many Hidden Mickeys on the harness of the horse carrying the singers. After eating, we said a quick hello to Walt and Mickey at the statue and continued on to Fantasyland. We stopped to wake up Tinkerbell :Tink:, but someone had beaten us to it. The CM let AJ ring the bell to see if Tink
was still there though, so she liked that. We made “thank you” cards to pass out to any CM we felt deserved a pat on the back a few months ago. The one that AJ gave him said, “thank you for making my birthday so special!” It was one of the many cards she distributed that day.
From there we found Cinderella’s white horse and rode the Golden Carousel. There were no lines for anything that day and we rode everything at least once with little or no waiting. The girls rode the teacups together while Marcy and I took a milder ride together. On the ride down in the car, the girls watched the Peter Pan movie and it was fun listening to AJ point out the scenes from the movie. We didn’t do Ariel’s grotto because the girls had her autograph from 2 years ago, so we headed in to Mickey’s PhilharMagic which is a favorite. AJ was a little afraid of Snow White’s Scary Adventure the last time, but this time she liked it better.
After Fantasyland, we made our way to Liberty Square where we made our first visit to the Haunted Mansion. The last trip AJ was so nervous to go on this ride, she got an instant upset belly and got sick to her stomach. Well, all that was behind her now and she liked the ride this time. Maybe not loved it, but at least endured it the first time riding with her big sister. Another day, we rode it again (this time with her Mom) and she liked it even better with Mom pointing things out as they went along.
We then went to Frontierland to check in with the Country Bears. They are just so darned cute! We really enjoy the show although I know some have said they think it needs updating. I just love “the blood on the saddle” song.
It was time for our ADR at The Plaza about this time so we made our way in that direction. We were taken right in and had a nice lunch although I don’t remember what we ate. AJ got a birthday cupcake and everyone sang “Happy Birthday” to her. Another birthday “thank you” card was given out.
For the last 2 years, I have talked about what fun Splash Mountain is to AJ because at that time she did not want to ride it at all. After a lot of discussion, she said that she would try it at least once. So after lunch we went back to Adventureland and got in the short line for Big Thunder, which she liked and then over to SM. Well, we could tell she was nervous, but she was a real trooper and did just fine. It was the only time for this trip, but that was great!
We moved on to Adventureland and had a fun Jungle Cruise (a walk on!!) with a great CM and rode POC which was also no waiting. We laughed on the carpet ride as Katina tried to make the camel “spit” on me as we passed him…she succeeded too. We timed it just right and were able to get right into the Tiki Room within minutes. Once again, not everyone is a big fan, but we like it. We stopped for a Dole Whip for me and a Dole Whip float for Marcy while the girls had Mickey bars :bar:about this time. The Dole Whip was great!
From here, we went to Tomrrowland and into the Monsters Laugh Floor. Katina texted 3 jokes and 2 of them were used in the show. Also, she was shown on the screen as they were dedicating the jokes (her own!) to “the girl with the solar system on her head” (the Sorcerer’s hat has stars and moons on it). It was hilarious! :smickey:
We tried our luck at Buzz Lightyear next and Marcy had the highest points. I didn’t do very well the first time, but got better. There were no lines, so we rode it about 4 times in a row. AJ got a little disappointed that she had the lowest, but she had fun anyway. We went over to the Speedway and waited probably about 10 minutes for our car. I rode with Katina and told her I am glad that she has a few more years before she can get a permit. It was fun listening to her giggle.
We had dinner ressies in Cinderella Castle for AJ’s birthday and she was so excited! A complimentary photo was taken which was brought to us during dinner. Then we were led up the stairs to our table. During our dinner there was a marriage proposal with the fellow even down on one knee, how cool is that? There also was a woman there who had won a night in the castle seated at a table next to ours. The characters were great and everyone sang to those celebrating birthdays with another birthday cupcake for AJ. We loved the high ceilings and flags hanging. Although we did not sit by the window, we could still see outside…a pretty sight. Once again birthday “thanks you” cards were given out. It was a very special day for AJ.
It was a MVMCP night, so everyone was escorted to the gate around the parade through the rose garden. We made a quick stop (oops, we popped out of line) in the Emporium and then headed for the bus. When we returned to POP the girls swam for a short time and then we were ready for bed. It had been a wonderful, fun and exhausting day.
As we wandered around each of the sections of MK (and all of the parks), we looked for Hidden Mickeys with the help of Steven M. Barrett’s Hidden Mickey book which we enjoyed tremendously. It was fun pointing them out to others who had never heard of them. When we were at the Magic Carpets, we saw this couple looking down at the ground as if they had lost something. When we inquired, we found out they were looking for a Hidden Mickey made out of jewels on the ground. We all searched together and Katina found it. What fun!
Next up- Day 4- Celebrating Katina's 13th Bday at Animal Kingdom!!
Me: (Grammie) Mickeydream Linda 50ish:secret:
DD: mickeymousedabomb Marcy 30ish:blush:
DGD1: Katina (13 :princess:)
DGD2: AJ (7 :princess:)
Day 3 AJ’s 7th birthday – celebrated at Magic Kingdom :party:
This trip report will be a tag team effort by my DD and me. We planned the trip together so it is only fitting that we do the trip report as a joint venture.
Stitch greeted us with our 5:30 wake-up call and Marcy was up like a shot out of a cannon and into the shower anxious to start the day. This turned out to be the norm for the entire trip with Marcy being the driving force to get us up and moving with promises of fun and adventure. Most days the girls (even the teenager) did little grumbling about such an early start.
We were at the bus stop by 7:00am at POP and ready for our first day in the parks! It has been our tradition to always start and end at MK. With just a few minute wait, we were boarded on a bus with only a handful of others due to the early hour and low crowds. With Hidden Mickey book, pin lanyards and autograph books in hand, we were ready!
Two years ago, when we visited WDW Katina purchased a Sorcerer’s hat with her own money. She brought it this trip and wore it faithfully to every park this trip. She got many compliments on her hat too.
Our goal was to make it for rope drop, a first for us. It was SO worth getting up early for.
The train…Mickey and friends…the dancers…the chosen family throwing confetti…all wonderful and we were so happy to be a part of it. After being admitted in, we went straight to the “will call” window with AJ’s birth certificate so she could receive her $68.00 gift certificate. She had on her birthday button and received dozens of birthday wishes that day which she loved.
I am sure as we stand at the beginning of Main Street and look down toward the castle it gives us all that same tingly feeling. How can it not? Marcy and I just stood a moment to take it all in because after all the planning and changing of plans (we booked this 15 months ago), we were finally here!
We proceeded to the MSB for b’fast, which is always a treat. We enjoyed our choices (all very yummy) at a café table out front while we watched the performers on Main Street. We noticed our first of many Hidden Mickeys on the harness of the horse carrying the singers. After eating, we said a quick hello to Walt and Mickey at the statue and continued on to Fantasyland. We stopped to wake up Tinkerbell :Tink:, but someone had beaten us to it. The CM let AJ ring the bell to see if Tink
was still there though, so she liked that. We made “thank you” cards to pass out to any CM we felt deserved a pat on the back a few months ago. The one that AJ gave him said, “thank you for making my birthday so special!” It was one of the many cards she distributed that day.
From there we found Cinderella’s white horse and rode the Golden Carousel. There were no lines for anything that day and we rode everything at least once with little or no waiting. The girls rode the teacups together while Marcy and I took a milder ride together. On the ride down in the car, the girls watched the Peter Pan movie and it was fun listening to AJ point out the scenes from the movie. We didn’t do Ariel’s grotto because the girls had her autograph from 2 years ago, so we headed in to Mickey’s PhilharMagic which is a favorite. AJ was a little afraid of Snow White’s Scary Adventure the last time, but this time she liked it better.
After Fantasyland, we made our way to Liberty Square where we made our first visit to the Haunted Mansion. The last trip AJ was so nervous to go on this ride, she got an instant upset belly and got sick to her stomach. Well, all that was behind her now and she liked the ride this time. Maybe not loved it, but at least endured it the first time riding with her big sister. Another day, we rode it again (this time with her Mom) and she liked it even better with Mom pointing things out as they went along.
We then went to Frontierland to check in with the Country Bears. They are just so darned cute! We really enjoy the show although I know some have said they think it needs updating. I just love “the blood on the saddle” song.
It was time for our ADR at The Plaza about this time so we made our way in that direction. We were taken right in and had a nice lunch although I don’t remember what we ate. AJ got a birthday cupcake and everyone sang “Happy Birthday” to her. Another birthday “thank you” card was given out.
For the last 2 years, I have talked about what fun Splash Mountain is to AJ because at that time she did not want to ride it at all. After a lot of discussion, she said that she would try it at least once. So after lunch we went back to Adventureland and got in the short line for Big Thunder, which she liked and then over to SM. Well, we could tell she was nervous, but she was a real trooper and did just fine. It was the only time for this trip, but that was great!
We moved on to Adventureland and had a fun Jungle Cruise (a walk on!!) with a great CM and rode POC which was also no waiting. We laughed on the carpet ride as Katina tried to make the camel “spit” on me as we passed him…she succeeded too. We timed it just right and were able to get right into the Tiki Room within minutes. Once again, not everyone is a big fan, but we like it. We stopped for a Dole Whip for me and a Dole Whip float for Marcy while the girls had Mickey bars :bar:about this time. The Dole Whip was great!
From here, we went to Tomrrowland and into the Monsters Laugh Floor. Katina texted 3 jokes and 2 of them were used in the show. Also, she was shown on the screen as they were dedicating the jokes (her own!) to “the girl with the solar system on her head” (the Sorcerer’s hat has stars and moons on it). It was hilarious! :smickey:
We tried our luck at Buzz Lightyear next and Marcy had the highest points. I didn’t do very well the first time, but got better. There were no lines, so we rode it about 4 times in a row. AJ got a little disappointed that she had the lowest, but she had fun anyway. We went over to the Speedway and waited probably about 10 minutes for our car. I rode with Katina and told her I am glad that she has a few more years before she can get a permit. It was fun listening to her giggle.
We had dinner ressies in Cinderella Castle for AJ’s birthday and she was so excited! A complimentary photo was taken which was brought to us during dinner. Then we were led up the stairs to our table. During our dinner there was a marriage proposal with the fellow even down on one knee, how cool is that? There also was a woman there who had won a night in the castle seated at a table next to ours. The characters were great and everyone sang to those celebrating birthdays with another birthday cupcake for AJ. We loved the high ceilings and flags hanging. Although we did not sit by the window, we could still see outside…a pretty sight. Once again birthday “thanks you” cards were given out. It was a very special day for AJ.
It was a MVMCP night, so everyone was escorted to the gate around the parade through the rose garden. We made a quick stop (oops, we popped out of line) in the Emporium and then headed for the bus. When we returned to POP the girls swam for a short time and then we were ready for bed. It had been a wonderful, fun and exhausting day.
As we wandered around each of the sections of MK (and all of the parks), we looked for Hidden Mickeys with the help of Steven M. Barrett’s Hidden Mickey book which we enjoyed tremendously. It was fun pointing them out to others who had never heard of them. When we were at the Magic Carpets, we saw this couple looking down at the ground as if they had lost something. When we inquired, we found out they were looking for a Hidden Mickey made out of jewels on the ground. We all searched together and Katina found it. What fun!
Next up- Day 4- Celebrating Katina's 13th Bday at Animal Kingdom!!