lynnek
11-20-2010, 08:27 AM
Day 2
I forgot the misadventure my DH, DS and DD1 took to Walmart after we got back to the resort. They didn’t get back until midnight. Not a great idea to send him out in the dark, not really sure where he was going….O.K. he was sure where he was going, but I didn’t think he was sure. Got a text from my son, “Mom, save me, Dad is lost and DD1 is navigating.” DS has a built in GPS, definitely not the other two. I am very glad they went because the pb&j sandwiches came in very handy as did the diapers etc.
We had breakfast reservations at Olivia’s—Key West at 7:30. I know, you’re thinking, wayyyy tooooo early. We are definitely early risers. My DS12 has gotten up just about every day of his life at 6:28(mild Aspergers, he really likes routine and crowds are a bit difficult for him) DD10 will nap anywhere ( a car ride is like a power nap) and DD2.5 always gets up early. Learned something here about the deluxe dining—for breakfast it is different. You can have 2 drinks and an entrée. I didn’t know this. Yes, that is still enough food for anyone, but this limits our choices in ordering due to feeding our 2.5 yr old. Anyway, loved the unique eggs benedict and the omlette with pepper jack cheese. Nice atmosphere and our waitress, Karen, was great. DD1 traded her first pin here, got over her shyness and was off!
We drove over to Downtown Disney, a little concerned about being able to park, Not a problem at that hr! Festival of the Masters—how fabulous!! :artist:We spent the morning wandering around watching the artists do an amazing job on the chalk paintings on the sidewalks. It was a great time to go since they were all still working on them. Sharpie sponsored a number of things of interest to the DD’s. They had huge whiteboards of a classic Disney scene, almost like a paint by number. Each area was labeled as to the color that went there. The kids got to pick a color they wanted to use, and then go color in the area. Some areas were low enough for kids remaining in strollers to get to. Also had large mickey heads with scenes to color the same way. Very cool idea. Family Fun/Sharpie had a booth with foam stickies—make a sign or bracelet with whatever foam stickies you wanted as well as stickers. Lego had a ton of stuff out too—amazing work! Also, an interactive area. There was also an area roped off with a recognizable Disney artist—can’t think of his name—totally recognized the paintings though—think splattered primary colors on Mickey. Anyway, they were demonstrating this. Kids liked it! DH and I really liked the art booths—something nice for him to look through while I was dragged in and out of retail with the two older kids. It really was a lot of fun!
We had cancelled our ADR’s at San Angel since I was concerned we had so much crammed into this day and we would be hitting the F&W Festival. I’m still not sure that was a good idea.:( It was really very busy, with the food booths being out of control. Maybe separating the food from the wine in these lines would work? When we first got there, we decided to get food immediately at Canada, since it seemed to have a relatively short line. Thankfully we had pb&j for the little one, since the spicy sausage (yummy) or the glazed salmon(also yummy) wouldn’t have worked.
The kids started their Great Adventure in Canada. Here, they had to find the totem pole that was made of wood(two aren’t), then find the hidden mickey, document with a picture, find the waterfall and purchase a couple totem poles. They liked the purchase something thing a lot throughout their adventure, so I am glad I included $$ in their envelopes. Passports stamped, they were on their way. I am also glad I stressed to them to do this to the best of your ability, because with the F&W going on, some things proved to be too hard to even think about. They really liked the hedge maze in the back of United Kingdom—great for running around. France was crazy busy. DH got in line to get crepes while the kids did a few of their detours, roadblocks. I liked the Serveur Amusant performance out front. Very fun! After we hung out and ate crepes, my DH decided it was time to go back to the resort for a break with DD2. I think someone dumping beer on her was enough for him. Honestly, we were amazed at the amount of intoxicated guests. I have bartended in my past, and am usually quite amused at behaviors stemming from adult beverage consumption. I think between the heat of the day, the crowds and that consumption, a lot were getting pushier and more frustrated. That being said, removing the 2.5 yr old and stroller from the situation did make it easier. I was sad that DH couldn’t help the kids with their clues etc.
O.K. onto Morocco! Love the open air market feel. DD1 had to get a henna tattoo for her Roadblock. I had enclosed $40 which allowed her to get a pretty intricate one. She loved it!! She got many, many compliments on it from the CM’s throughout the week. :D
Japan was next. The kids loved the amount of “stuff” here—Hello Kitty, Pokemon, Domo—all that stuff. They found the Samurai soldiers and then onto the pick a pearl. We had just a bit to wait—one thing here—this attracts a lot of onlookers as they make it a lot of fun. If you want to pick a pearl, go right to the back of the display case—look for the cash register, and get a pick a pearl ticket. You will get a number and can then watch the people in front of you participate. We had a relatively short wait. One rather happy guest was picking three pearls. He had quite a boisterous entourage and I have to say the CM’s were matching him with heightened enthusiasm. They did a great job. DD1 picked a silver pearl, 8mm I think, DS a clear pinkish one 7.5mm(he says he picked it for me). That was really cool.:cool: As we were leaving, we decided to get a soda and my DD1 decided to pick up a pkg of some nasty smelling dried fish product. Of course that **** made it all the way home—I sure didn’t put it into the luggage.:eek2:
Next was the American Adventure. We caught the end of Fife and Drum and then some of the Voices of Liberty. There is so much here to see—all the flags of the countries that once had claim to this land, the American Adventure show—the kids had to identify the tour guides (Ben Franklin and Mark Twain). They also really liked all the art. My son is a history buff and seeing all these famous scenes recreated by the Disney Imagineers was awesome.
Italy—loved the feel of this area. The gondolas out front are fun! The poor CM who stamped DD1’s passport—one of the challenges was to ask a CM here what their favorite pasta dish is, DD1 got elected to do this. I really don’t think this CM really understood her too well—she is very soft spoken and speaks quickly. She gave him her clue, and then she got a big smile and he wrote his answer down for her. DS purchased a handpainted mask here. They are unbelievable.
Germany—Now the partying was getting boisterous. It is Germany after all! :beer:They did their challenges here quickly and I could tell my son was getting nervous with the crowds. Also, we were running out of time. We had to meet my husband at 5:00 to go to dinner.
Clue 9 was to take a break in Africa for DD2—well she was already gone, so I thought they would walk through this point. Nope. Stopped dead in their tracks. Loved the carved animals and each had to purchase a drum, couldn’t have the same drum, had to test each drum. (Those drums don’t sound so good at 6:00am) Then onto China. This was another favorite of the kids. The history buff loved the terra cotta soldiers. I was informed the original were lifesize and buried with weapons. Did not know this. The detail that is put into this pavilion is amazing. We had fun standing in the center of the temple and saying something—the acoustics make it so you can actually hear yourself how others hear you. DD1 was instructed to purchase a carryout purse—so cute. Think takeout Chinese, but made with asian-inspired fabric.
At this point we were pretty much out of time. They were able to do a couple of their challenges in Norway—DS was thrilled to be able to purchase a Viking hat. He had seen a lot of these around Germany, mainly on heads of groups of singing adults. The crowds were also very intense, so we decided since we would be back later in our vacation not to try and do Mexico. We had to go through there though to get to Future World. Yikes!! Once we got to the entrance area of Epcot, I texted DH to find out where to meet him. At 4:55, he hadn’t left the resort to pick us up at 5:00—thinking that’s a problem……
I forgot the misadventure my DH, DS and DD1 took to Walmart after we got back to the resort. They didn’t get back until midnight. Not a great idea to send him out in the dark, not really sure where he was going….O.K. he was sure where he was going, but I didn’t think he was sure. Got a text from my son, “Mom, save me, Dad is lost and DD1 is navigating.” DS has a built in GPS, definitely not the other two. I am very glad they went because the pb&j sandwiches came in very handy as did the diapers etc.
We had breakfast reservations at Olivia’s—Key West at 7:30. I know, you’re thinking, wayyyy tooooo early. We are definitely early risers. My DS12 has gotten up just about every day of his life at 6:28(mild Aspergers, he really likes routine and crowds are a bit difficult for him) DD10 will nap anywhere ( a car ride is like a power nap) and DD2.5 always gets up early. Learned something here about the deluxe dining—for breakfast it is different. You can have 2 drinks and an entrée. I didn’t know this. Yes, that is still enough food for anyone, but this limits our choices in ordering due to feeding our 2.5 yr old. Anyway, loved the unique eggs benedict and the omlette with pepper jack cheese. Nice atmosphere and our waitress, Karen, was great. DD1 traded her first pin here, got over her shyness and was off!
We drove over to Downtown Disney, a little concerned about being able to park, Not a problem at that hr! Festival of the Masters—how fabulous!! :artist:We spent the morning wandering around watching the artists do an amazing job on the chalk paintings on the sidewalks. It was a great time to go since they were all still working on them. Sharpie sponsored a number of things of interest to the DD’s. They had huge whiteboards of a classic Disney scene, almost like a paint by number. Each area was labeled as to the color that went there. The kids got to pick a color they wanted to use, and then go color in the area. Some areas were low enough for kids remaining in strollers to get to. Also had large mickey heads with scenes to color the same way. Very cool idea. Family Fun/Sharpie had a booth with foam stickies—make a sign or bracelet with whatever foam stickies you wanted as well as stickers. Lego had a ton of stuff out too—amazing work! Also, an interactive area. There was also an area roped off with a recognizable Disney artist—can’t think of his name—totally recognized the paintings though—think splattered primary colors on Mickey. Anyway, they were demonstrating this. Kids liked it! DH and I really liked the art booths—something nice for him to look through while I was dragged in and out of retail with the two older kids. It really was a lot of fun!
We had cancelled our ADR’s at San Angel since I was concerned we had so much crammed into this day and we would be hitting the F&W Festival. I’m still not sure that was a good idea.:( It was really very busy, with the food booths being out of control. Maybe separating the food from the wine in these lines would work? When we first got there, we decided to get food immediately at Canada, since it seemed to have a relatively short line. Thankfully we had pb&j for the little one, since the spicy sausage (yummy) or the glazed salmon(also yummy) wouldn’t have worked.
The kids started their Great Adventure in Canada. Here, they had to find the totem pole that was made of wood(two aren’t), then find the hidden mickey, document with a picture, find the waterfall and purchase a couple totem poles. They liked the purchase something thing a lot throughout their adventure, so I am glad I included $$ in their envelopes. Passports stamped, they were on their way. I am also glad I stressed to them to do this to the best of your ability, because with the F&W going on, some things proved to be too hard to even think about. They really liked the hedge maze in the back of United Kingdom—great for running around. France was crazy busy. DH got in line to get crepes while the kids did a few of their detours, roadblocks. I liked the Serveur Amusant performance out front. Very fun! After we hung out and ate crepes, my DH decided it was time to go back to the resort for a break with DD2. I think someone dumping beer on her was enough for him. Honestly, we were amazed at the amount of intoxicated guests. I have bartended in my past, and am usually quite amused at behaviors stemming from adult beverage consumption. I think between the heat of the day, the crowds and that consumption, a lot were getting pushier and more frustrated. That being said, removing the 2.5 yr old and stroller from the situation did make it easier. I was sad that DH couldn’t help the kids with their clues etc.
O.K. onto Morocco! Love the open air market feel. DD1 had to get a henna tattoo for her Roadblock. I had enclosed $40 which allowed her to get a pretty intricate one. She loved it!! She got many, many compliments on it from the CM’s throughout the week. :D
Japan was next. The kids loved the amount of “stuff” here—Hello Kitty, Pokemon, Domo—all that stuff. They found the Samurai soldiers and then onto the pick a pearl. We had just a bit to wait—one thing here—this attracts a lot of onlookers as they make it a lot of fun. If you want to pick a pearl, go right to the back of the display case—look for the cash register, and get a pick a pearl ticket. You will get a number and can then watch the people in front of you participate. We had a relatively short wait. One rather happy guest was picking three pearls. He had quite a boisterous entourage and I have to say the CM’s were matching him with heightened enthusiasm. They did a great job. DD1 picked a silver pearl, 8mm I think, DS a clear pinkish one 7.5mm(he says he picked it for me). That was really cool.:cool: As we were leaving, we decided to get a soda and my DD1 decided to pick up a pkg of some nasty smelling dried fish product. Of course that **** made it all the way home—I sure didn’t put it into the luggage.:eek2:
Next was the American Adventure. We caught the end of Fife and Drum and then some of the Voices of Liberty. There is so much here to see—all the flags of the countries that once had claim to this land, the American Adventure show—the kids had to identify the tour guides (Ben Franklin and Mark Twain). They also really liked all the art. My son is a history buff and seeing all these famous scenes recreated by the Disney Imagineers was awesome.
Italy—loved the feel of this area. The gondolas out front are fun! The poor CM who stamped DD1’s passport—one of the challenges was to ask a CM here what their favorite pasta dish is, DD1 got elected to do this. I really don’t think this CM really understood her too well—she is very soft spoken and speaks quickly. She gave him her clue, and then she got a big smile and he wrote his answer down for her. DS purchased a handpainted mask here. They are unbelievable.
Germany—Now the partying was getting boisterous. It is Germany after all! :beer:They did their challenges here quickly and I could tell my son was getting nervous with the crowds. Also, we were running out of time. We had to meet my husband at 5:00 to go to dinner.
Clue 9 was to take a break in Africa for DD2—well she was already gone, so I thought they would walk through this point. Nope. Stopped dead in their tracks. Loved the carved animals and each had to purchase a drum, couldn’t have the same drum, had to test each drum. (Those drums don’t sound so good at 6:00am) Then onto China. This was another favorite of the kids. The history buff loved the terra cotta soldiers. I was informed the original were lifesize and buried with weapons. Did not know this. The detail that is put into this pavilion is amazing. We had fun standing in the center of the temple and saying something—the acoustics make it so you can actually hear yourself how others hear you. DD1 was instructed to purchase a carryout purse—so cute. Think takeout Chinese, but made with asian-inspired fabric.
At this point we were pretty much out of time. They were able to do a couple of their challenges in Norway—DS was thrilled to be able to purchase a Viking hat. He had seen a lot of these around Germany, mainly on heads of groups of singing adults. The crowds were also very intense, so we decided since we would be back later in our vacation not to try and do Mexico. We had to go through there though to get to Future World. Yikes!! Once we got to the entrance area of Epcot, I texted DH to find out where to meet him. At 4:55, he hadn’t left the resort to pick us up at 5:00—thinking that’s a problem……