buzznwoodysmom
03-30-2011, 02:48 PM
This was a special trip for my turning 9 year old son. He's the only one in our family that hadn't yet been able to have a birthday in WDW.
Cast:
Me-Denise
DH-Kevin
DS-Collin 11
DS-Landon (birthday boy) turning 9
DM-Sheila
Resorts:
Wilderness Lodge 7 nights
Animal Kingdom Lodge 2 nights
Day 7 – Happy Birthday Landon & Universal Island’s of Adventure
So today was Landon’s 9th birthday!! I was supposed to order room service for breakfast, but forgot. Sorry Landon! Honestly he didn’t know any better. We were up and for the first time all week headed out early. This is our second trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and I know how fast that section of the park can get packed, so it was crucial that we arrive before park opening. We made the short drive there, then the loooooong walk from the parking garage to the park.
We made our way in and in no time we were entering Potter Land. We first headed to the Forbidden Journey ride. This is the coolest ride concept ever. I really wish WDW would do something like this in one of the parks. DH wasn’t with us in Oct. and we hadn’t told him much about the ride. He was completely surprised by it. He was a little disoriented, but mostly loved it. Upon exiting the ride I made my way through the mad house (locker room) to get our stuff out of a locker. The family in front of me barely spoke English and didn’t remember what locker they had put their stuff in. So after waiting, and waiting, and waiting a cast member (or what ever they are called at Universal) had to help them get their stuff out by keying in every locker number and making them use their fingerprint until they found the correct locker. Once they opened the locker they told the CM they had more lockers. Ugh, each family member, all 5 of them, had got their own locker. Seriously I must have sat there for over 15 minutes waiting for them and in about 15 seconds had my stuff out of my locker and was on my way. By the time I was out the boys had each picked out a t-shirt they wanted and Landon had a stuffed RAT! Yes a stuffed rat, Ron’s rat to be exact! We made our purchase and were on our way. Next we rode Flight of the Hippogriff since there was no line. We made our way to another shop where the boys each bought a Gryffindor robe, Gryffindor tie, and Collin also bought a lanyard and a pin. Let me just say this place is crazy expensive. Its not very often I allow my kids to splurge like this, but they had saved Christmas money as well as birthday money specifically to spend in WWOHP. As we exit the shop Landon was putting his robe on and the button came off. Back into the crazy busy shop to exchange for a new robe. I have to say they were very easy to work with, no questions asked, just like WDW. After our shopping spree we headed for Dueling Dragons. This line went very quickly and we allowed Collin and Landon to do the chicken exit together. They waited for us at the end of the ride. They were shocked at how quickly we were off the ride, and I was super proud of them for being so mature! This ride was great. I can’t wait to go back with the boys when Landon is tall enough to ride. Collin doesn’t like thrill rides, but Landon loves them and he would love this ride. By this time it was getting close to lunch. The boys, of course, wanted to eat at Three Broomsticks. We had a great meal of chicken, ribs, corn on the cob, and butter beer! Next we went to the candy and joke shop. We got chocolate frogs, Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans, and a small jar of peppermints. As we walked back through Potter Land the boys tricked us with a variety of flavored beans. Some were great; some had to be spit out into a trashcan. Some, like vomit, are down right disgusting! We were now done with WWOHP.
We ended up going in a few shop and riding Dr. Doom’s Fearfall, Spiderman and Hulk. Only Kevin and I rode Fearfall, we all rode Spiderman, and we did a child swap for hulk because the line was set up differently and I didn’t want the boys waiting alone for more than a few minutes. Kevin and I rode Hulk first while my mom waited with the boys, then I rode again with my mom while Kevin waited with the boys. I had such a massive headache when I got off this ride the second time that I really didn’t want to do anything else after that. There was this weird pressure I felt on my forehead and the top of my head, and for a while I thought maybe there was something wrong with me. Eventually I noticed lots of other people holding their heads, saying their head hurt, as they were exiting the ride. I think my double ride is what did me in!
At this point there wasn’t much else we wanted to do in the park. The boys still wanted to go back through the shops in Potter Land. I found a nice spot to sit, while Kevin took the boys back. They ended up buying more stuff, but with my headache I didn’t even care! We made our way out of the park and stopped in a few shops on our way out, and in city walk. Kevin bought himself a watch at the fossil store, and then we headed back to the car.
Since we left the park much earlier than we had thought we would we decided to take a ride to Celebration, Florida. I’ve always wanted to check it out. I have to say that we loved it. I’d live there in a heartbeat. We loved the houses, the shops, the lake, and all the amenities. We saw tennis courts, basketball courts, a swimming pool, what looked like a jogging trail, all nestled in a small community. Loved it. We have something similar here; a planned community within a city, but ours is much, much larger. I loved the small town feel to this place. Maybe when we retire…….
When we got back to WL I decided I really needed to pack up so we could have a quick exit tomorrow morning. Up until this point the boys had no idea we were going to be switching resorts. I was going to tell them we were packing to go home, but clever little Landon realized we hadn’t gone to AK yet. He knew we weren’t going to not go to one of his favorite parks on his birthday trip. So the surprise was revealed and the kids were thrilled to be spending the last two nights at AKL. The packing was a killer this time. I don’t know why, we’ve done split stays plenty of times, but I felt so overwhelmed this time. After I got as much packing done as I could it was time to get ready for Landon’s birthday dinner at WCC.
We met SIL and her family downstairs and had a very short wait to be seated. Our server was great. She brought out huge drinks when the boys asked, we did the whole ketchup thing, and Landon got both a cup cake and a Mickey Head cake I had ordered for him. The Mickey Head cake was so moist and delicious. I had thought of getting a more elaborate cake, or I should say more of a themed cake, with one of Landon’s current interests or a favorite character. But it just seemed like too much work, then what if I was disappointed in the final result and had to pay a small fortune for a cake I wasn’t satisfied with. So I just went with something I knew would be cute, and I couldn’t have been more pleased. The cake was $48 and it fed our whole table of 10, and we still had both ears left over!
We hung around the resort with SIL and her family. Collin, Landon, and their cousin, Blake, went up to the room to see all the stuff they had purchased at WWOHP. They were so excited to “show off” their goods. We hung out by the fireplace, and then said our goodbyes. This was the last night for my SIL and her family, so they were sad to be leaving and we were sad to see them go. Landon had a fantastic birthday. He claims this his best birthday ever, even the best trip ever. I am so glad that we have been fortunate enough to do this for both of our boys for at least one of their birthdays. When I look back at these trips I do realize that many children never get the opportunity to visit WDW, much less have a birthday there. It makes me feel so lucky that this is something we’ve been able to do for our kids. I know how much they’ve enjoyed all these trips, but especially their birthday trips. I can only hope they’ll remember these things forever, because I know I will.
Up next – AKL here we come, and AK Park!
Cast:
Me-Denise
DH-Kevin
DS-Collin 11
DS-Landon (birthday boy) turning 9
DM-Sheila
Resorts:
Wilderness Lodge 7 nights
Animal Kingdom Lodge 2 nights
Day 7 – Happy Birthday Landon & Universal Island’s of Adventure
So today was Landon’s 9th birthday!! I was supposed to order room service for breakfast, but forgot. Sorry Landon! Honestly he didn’t know any better. We were up and for the first time all week headed out early. This is our second trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and I know how fast that section of the park can get packed, so it was crucial that we arrive before park opening. We made the short drive there, then the loooooong walk from the parking garage to the park.
We made our way in and in no time we were entering Potter Land. We first headed to the Forbidden Journey ride. This is the coolest ride concept ever. I really wish WDW would do something like this in one of the parks. DH wasn’t with us in Oct. and we hadn’t told him much about the ride. He was completely surprised by it. He was a little disoriented, but mostly loved it. Upon exiting the ride I made my way through the mad house (locker room) to get our stuff out of a locker. The family in front of me barely spoke English and didn’t remember what locker they had put their stuff in. So after waiting, and waiting, and waiting a cast member (or what ever they are called at Universal) had to help them get their stuff out by keying in every locker number and making them use their fingerprint until they found the correct locker. Once they opened the locker they told the CM they had more lockers. Ugh, each family member, all 5 of them, had got their own locker. Seriously I must have sat there for over 15 minutes waiting for them and in about 15 seconds had my stuff out of my locker and was on my way. By the time I was out the boys had each picked out a t-shirt they wanted and Landon had a stuffed RAT! Yes a stuffed rat, Ron’s rat to be exact! We made our purchase and were on our way. Next we rode Flight of the Hippogriff since there was no line. We made our way to another shop where the boys each bought a Gryffindor robe, Gryffindor tie, and Collin also bought a lanyard and a pin. Let me just say this place is crazy expensive. Its not very often I allow my kids to splurge like this, but they had saved Christmas money as well as birthday money specifically to spend in WWOHP. As we exit the shop Landon was putting his robe on and the button came off. Back into the crazy busy shop to exchange for a new robe. I have to say they were very easy to work with, no questions asked, just like WDW. After our shopping spree we headed for Dueling Dragons. This line went very quickly and we allowed Collin and Landon to do the chicken exit together. They waited for us at the end of the ride. They were shocked at how quickly we were off the ride, and I was super proud of them for being so mature! This ride was great. I can’t wait to go back with the boys when Landon is tall enough to ride. Collin doesn’t like thrill rides, but Landon loves them and he would love this ride. By this time it was getting close to lunch. The boys, of course, wanted to eat at Three Broomsticks. We had a great meal of chicken, ribs, corn on the cob, and butter beer! Next we went to the candy and joke shop. We got chocolate frogs, Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans, and a small jar of peppermints. As we walked back through Potter Land the boys tricked us with a variety of flavored beans. Some were great; some had to be spit out into a trashcan. Some, like vomit, are down right disgusting! We were now done with WWOHP.
We ended up going in a few shop and riding Dr. Doom’s Fearfall, Spiderman and Hulk. Only Kevin and I rode Fearfall, we all rode Spiderman, and we did a child swap for hulk because the line was set up differently and I didn’t want the boys waiting alone for more than a few minutes. Kevin and I rode Hulk first while my mom waited with the boys, then I rode again with my mom while Kevin waited with the boys. I had such a massive headache when I got off this ride the second time that I really didn’t want to do anything else after that. There was this weird pressure I felt on my forehead and the top of my head, and for a while I thought maybe there was something wrong with me. Eventually I noticed lots of other people holding their heads, saying their head hurt, as they were exiting the ride. I think my double ride is what did me in!
At this point there wasn’t much else we wanted to do in the park. The boys still wanted to go back through the shops in Potter Land. I found a nice spot to sit, while Kevin took the boys back. They ended up buying more stuff, but with my headache I didn’t even care! We made our way out of the park and stopped in a few shops on our way out, and in city walk. Kevin bought himself a watch at the fossil store, and then we headed back to the car.
Since we left the park much earlier than we had thought we would we decided to take a ride to Celebration, Florida. I’ve always wanted to check it out. I have to say that we loved it. I’d live there in a heartbeat. We loved the houses, the shops, the lake, and all the amenities. We saw tennis courts, basketball courts, a swimming pool, what looked like a jogging trail, all nestled in a small community. Loved it. We have something similar here; a planned community within a city, but ours is much, much larger. I loved the small town feel to this place. Maybe when we retire…….
When we got back to WL I decided I really needed to pack up so we could have a quick exit tomorrow morning. Up until this point the boys had no idea we were going to be switching resorts. I was going to tell them we were packing to go home, but clever little Landon realized we hadn’t gone to AK yet. He knew we weren’t going to not go to one of his favorite parks on his birthday trip. So the surprise was revealed and the kids were thrilled to be spending the last two nights at AKL. The packing was a killer this time. I don’t know why, we’ve done split stays plenty of times, but I felt so overwhelmed this time. After I got as much packing done as I could it was time to get ready for Landon’s birthday dinner at WCC.
We met SIL and her family downstairs and had a very short wait to be seated. Our server was great. She brought out huge drinks when the boys asked, we did the whole ketchup thing, and Landon got both a cup cake and a Mickey Head cake I had ordered for him. The Mickey Head cake was so moist and delicious. I had thought of getting a more elaborate cake, or I should say more of a themed cake, with one of Landon’s current interests or a favorite character. But it just seemed like too much work, then what if I was disappointed in the final result and had to pay a small fortune for a cake I wasn’t satisfied with. So I just went with something I knew would be cute, and I couldn’t have been more pleased. The cake was $48 and it fed our whole table of 10, and we still had both ears left over!
We hung around the resort with SIL and her family. Collin, Landon, and their cousin, Blake, went up to the room to see all the stuff they had purchased at WWOHP. They were so excited to “show off” their goods. We hung out by the fireplace, and then said our goodbyes. This was the last night for my SIL and her family, so they were sad to be leaving and we were sad to see them go. Landon had a fantastic birthday. He claims this his best birthday ever, even the best trip ever. I am so glad that we have been fortunate enough to do this for both of our boys for at least one of their birthdays. When I look back at these trips I do realize that many children never get the opportunity to visit WDW, much less have a birthday there. It makes me feel so lucky that this is something we’ve been able to do for our kids. I know how much they’ve enjoyed all these trips, but especially their birthday trips. I can only hope they’ll remember these things forever, because I know I will.
Up next – AKL here we come, and AK Park!