Disney Day 3

Back to the review...I promised right? I'm doing it off of the photos now but hopefully I'll remember a lot of the details!

Tuesday we were finally off to the Magic Kingdom! We woke up to black skies, thunder, and lightening with a forecast calling for rain the majority of the day.

TIP(S) OF THE DAY:

My sister was smart enough to pack some of those cheap plastic ponchos. I, of course, forgot ours even though they were on the list. They were perfect for today as we threw them away once the skies cleared. The only other thing I would recommend is taking child-size ones for the kids, we ended up buying one for Trey at the hotel and it was I think around 8 dollars.

If you are bored and it's raining out or just need a break, take a ride on the tram! Our hotel was a boat ride away from the Magic Kingdom but we rode the monorail around in the morning to stay dry and kill some time. It was fun checking out the different hotels.

Don't let rain spoil your day, understand you are going to get wet and head to the parks! This day was awesome because there were no crowds and hardly ANY lines. We loved it.

Magic Kingdom day was here! We were so excited! We had breakfast in the room, the in-room refrigerators were perfect for storing milk to go with the cereal and bananas we brought. The kids were bouncing off the walls...but the sky was pretty dark. We headed down to the lobby to figure out if we were going to kill some time or head to the park. My sister Aimee took advantage of this downtime and took a bunch of cute photos of the kids in the lobby of the hotel.



We were all getting antsy and at this point it was around 10 so we decided to be brave and head out to the bus stop to take us to the Monorail station. It was actually a ton of fun riding around and checking out all of the other hotels. We got off at the Polynesian because that had been my second choice on where to stay to look at the decor and property. Very green and leafy, the lobby was impressive but it seemed tighter than the Wilderness Lodge, probably because this is a multi-story lobby and the Lodge is just one big expansive room. Brad got a Kona coffee and the kids split a croissant. Back on the tram, we all made sure we were decked out in hats and plastic ponchos, it was still coming down pretty hard outside.



When we got to MK, we made a mad dash for the gates in the rain. The new Mickey meet and greet is right inside the gate and we decided to start there first. You can FastPass for this but because of the storm, the wait was only 5 minutes!! Amazing as I have heard nightmare stories about the line for this. You can't come to Disney and not meet Mickey right?



After Mickey it was on to see the Princesses. This was mostly for my niece but I will admit Trey loved it too. They took the autograph books and got to meet 4 Princesses and have their photo taken with each of them. Brielle was wearing a t-shirt that said something about how to be a princess and she loved it when Cinderella took the time to read it!



Heading up Main Street to Tomorrowland was fun, despite the weather. All the cute shops were beckoning! First stop was the Mad Hatter's Tea Party, where the kids got to meet Alice. This ride made me a little sick but Brad and T had fun turning the wheel to make the cup spin faster and faster.



My dad, Brad, and my Brother-in-Law took the kids on the Tomorrowland Speedway. My dad said there was a moment when Trey almost fell out so if you have a skinny little 4 year old sharing a lap belt with a 6'6 man, know that you need to take extra care. The kids ate some lunch in the viewing area after they got of the ride which was covered. We had packed PB&J and fruit snacks. Staying in Tomorrowland, we went on Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, which was fun! The stage show Monster's Inc. was next door. The kids really liked it...it reminded me a lot of the Crush Turtle thing at Epcot and I would say it's a don't miss. The best joke for the kids that we still tell is "How do you make a tissue dance?" "Put a little boogie in it!" After the show we heard some loud music and Brielle and Trey were drawn to it like flies. Tim and Brad took TJ to check out Space Mountain for the first time (I love Space Mountain but I was limited on what rides I could go on. Tried to follow the guidelines on the Disney website for pregnant ladies and played it safe) and everyone else headed to the dance party.



My sister decided to take my nephew back to the hotel for a little R&R and we headed to Fantasyland, which in my opinion is the best area for kids in the MK. There is currently some construction going on there as they are expanding, but once again, because of the weather, it wasn't too crowded. We went on It's a Small World, an oldie, but a goodie! Brielle decided to go again and my mom, dad, Brad, Trey, and I went on Peter Pan's Flight, which is one of my favorites. We also went on Pooh, which had the longest line of the day, but at least has a fun play area for the kids. There were some scary parts on Pooh and on Snow White...but we just reassured Trey it was all pretend and the story always turns out happy in the end.



Then of course a trip to the Merry Go Round and Snow White's Scary Adventures, with a viewing of 3D Mickey's Philharmagic squeezed in. Time flies at the MK because it was almost time for dinner! We hoofed it all the way back to the front of the park to make our reservation at Tony's Town Square. The kids had Mickey shaped ravioli and the adults had a variety of things. calamari, pasta, and chicken parmesan. Everyone was happy about the food, the complimentary ice cream for the kids with Mickey sprinkles, and the delicious bread and oil. This dinner was a little more affordable then the Mexican one at Epcot because there is NO DRINKING or alcohol at the MK.

After dinner I took Trey back to the hotel with Tim, Brielle, and my parents. We took the boat back and the kids were wiped out. Trey was asleep on the boat and I actually took him back to room and changed his clothes while he was still asleep. He stayed passed out until we got back to the park, right in time to get ready for the Electrical Parade and Fireworks. My sister had secured an awesome spot right in front of the castle! My dad and I walked up to the Main Street Bakery and got some delicious treats and coffees for everyone and we were all set to watch the parade. The electrical parade is very trippy and must be Alice based because there were a lot of dancing mushrooms and of course the hookah smoking cheshire cat...and an appearance by Puff the Magic Dragon as well...perhaps the creators of this parade had a little help from their friends? LOL!



The end of our rainy day turned out perfect as the skies had cleared, everyone was happy, and the MAGIC of the MK came alive with the castle and the fireworks display, which was AWESOME!!

Sorry!

So you are probably wondering what happened to my Disney recap. Well, I'm pregnant! I knew I was when we went to Disney, hence the rescheduling of the trip from October to April, thanks Mom and Dad and Aimee and Tim for being so accomodating!! Things started out rocky but have turned to be fantastic. We are having a girl and she is due in October.

After an amazing week with my sister and her family and my extended family along with my parents at their house for 4th of July festivities, my mom came up to Cleveland and we finally bought some things for the baby and started setting up her room. It's been sad taking down all Trey's old things but he loves his new room and even is (finally) sleeping in his own bed.

So, I've been busy with that and of course work. Not to mention my work-aholic hubby has been burning the midnight oil at the office so T and I have been on our own at home a lot and least to say I don't feel like doing much, although there is a lot to be done. Hard to get motivated in this heat and of course I am still tired a lot.

Can't believe it but I am headed camping this weekend with my best friend from HS and his family. We had such a great time last year crashing their family weekend at Mohican that of course we said we wanted to go again this year. They are so great, setting up a tent for us so when we get there Friday all we have to do is relax and have FUN! Not sure what I will participate in this year other than the S'more eating (YUM) but I am going to give it my best.

Keeping in the rustic frame of mind, I'm then headed the last weekend in July to a cabin in the woods with my girlfriends. The place we rented has an in ground pool so I am looking forward to hanging, lounging, relaxing, and laughing.

Back on the pregnancy front, someone at work told me yesterday that another co-worker had mentioned that I have been "really packing on the pounds". Co-worker 1 responded with. "well, I hope so, she's pregnant!" I guess not everyone has got the memo. Something I saw on another blog I totally agree with:

A pregnant woman is like a bride on her wedding day (whether you actually believe these words or not does not matter) - the ONLY appropriate words for her are

Congratulations!

You look wonderful/most beautiful bride ever

Under NO circumstances, should these words be

Wow, only 6 months! You are already so big, you have so long to go!

How can you be 6 months, you are too small - where is the baby??

Is that a normal dress or maternity??? Underlying message - dress is too small for your growing self!

LOL! I have gotten the "Wow, only 6 months! You are already so big, you have so long to go!" a few times which is quite irritating because I think I look fine, my doctor thinks I look fine, my husband thinks I look amazing (thanks, babe), and I wasn't a tiny girl to begin with, so a lot of this was already there! :)

I have a dr. appt today and I hope to keep updating the blog along with finish that d*amn disney post. One of my goals this year is to start finishing things! Too many good intentions :)

Disney Day Two Part Two

We had decided to split Monday into two parks, Hollywood Studios and Epcot.

TIP(S) OF THE DAY:

My brother-in-law, Tim, told me he heard that the reason Hollywood Studios was not crowded today was because we were there on a day that they did not have the Fantasmic show. So, even though I told you that you should see it, if you want less crowds, go on an off-day.

Brad and Aimee really wanted to go on Soarin', but the wait time was 75 minutes with no FastPasses left. When we checked the wait times the next day during a rain break thinking they could run over there it was 120 minutes. The tip is to FastPass for Soarin' :)

After nap, we headed over to Epcot. Their Flower and Garden festival was going on and there were a lot of beautiful displays.





We had only managed to get two dinner reservations for our party of 9 for our entire trip, and Monday's was at San Angel Inn in the Mexico pavilion at Epcot. We had all eaten there before on previous trips to Disney, and it is definitely a family favorite. I just love walking into the building and you feel like you are on the street in Mexico! Street vendors, cobblestone floor, and the restaurant is set up like an outdoor cafe with a twilight lit ceiling and a mural of ruins with a volcano erupting in the background. The food was good (soft tacos for the kids, steak taco for Brad and my mom, crab tostadas for me and my brother in law, ribeye for dad, and not sure what my sister had, she was too far away from me) and everyone had plenty of margaritas and tequila, not to mention chips and salsa. I also had the guacamole and my husband had the tortilla soup and they were both delicious!

Brad with his tequila shot tasting board.



My dad after the tequila shot tasting board.



Following dinner we went on the little boat ride that is in Mexico, The Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros. This is a really simple boat ride through "Mexico" that is enhanced with cartoon 3 amigos, featuring Donald Duck. The kids really liked it so my mom took them on it again, the wait was maybe 5 minutes.

My nephew, TJ, who is 5, was ready to try Test Track. My sister, Tim, and Brad headed over there with him. Here he is just tall enough to ride! He LOVED it! Such a little daredevil! A need for speed!



While everyone else waited for Test Track, my dad, mom, my niece, Trey, and I headed over to the seas to ride Nemo (no wait so worth it but I don't know if I would wait longer than 15 minutes for this one), wandered through the aquarium, and ended up at Turtle Talk with Crush. This was definitely one of the best things for kids we saw all week! The show is interactive with Crush the turtle from Finding Nemo answering questions from kids in the audience. The animation was spot on with the voice and the kids loved that Crush could see them and answer their questions.

By this time it was 8 pm, and even though we headed over to the Land of Imagination to check out Figment, the attendant told us all rides were closed at this point to get ready for Illuminations (the night time fireworks show). Brad and I had remembered this show being very good so we were excited to see it again. We managed to find seats along the water by the boat launch for my mom, sister, and the kids, while my dad, me, Brad, and Tim, all chilled out on the rock wall further back by the coffee shop. Illuminations was "ok" but not as impressive as I had remembered last time, lots of fireworks though and it all takes place over the water so it is very beautiful. After it was over, we joined the mass crowds heading for the exit and booked it back to the hotel in anticipation of getting up early....we were headed to see the Mouse tomorrow!

Side note: Even though I LOVE the countries part of Epcot, we knew the kids would be bored there so we skipped it. This did enable us to do the park in half a day but it is definitely one place I wish we had had a little more time in.

Disney Day Two Part One

So you know how when you are on vacation you get to sleep in and wake up feeling awesome? Not at Disney you don't. Our alarm went off at 6:30 am. We were meeting my mom and dad in the lobby at 7:10 and headed to a 7:45 character breakfast for Trey at the Beach Club Resort restaurant, Cape May. I was thinking I was crazy as I was stumbling around the dark room exhausted, but it ended up being awesome and well worth it!

TIP(S) OF THE DAY:

Disney allows you to make dining reservations 180 days in advance with no penalty to cancel 24 hours ahead of time. Take advantage of this. We only started making reservations about 6 weeks out (when we figured out we were going) and it was very hard to get a table anywhere.

There is no PhotoPass at the Cape May character breakfast. Bring your own camera and take a lot of pictures!

Because we had the Park Hopper option we chose to split this day between Hollywood Studios and Epcot. I was bummed we missed the Fantasmic show (Hollywood Studios evenings), which I would recommend.

If you have an iPhone or a Droid, download the free wait times app for Disney. My mom, sister, and I all had this and it was great to be able to check what rides had shorter lines!

Bring a few pairs of shoes. I wore flip flops (I know it's a NO-NO on the disney boards but I wear them 24-7 when there isn't snow on the ground, and good ones-Rocket Dogs) most of the days, and tennis shoes one day. Even though no one got blisters, the standing in line or watching parades will kill your feet more than the walking. I thought being able to switch shoes out gave my feet a break here and there.

My sister's kids had done a character meal last time they were at Disney, so they had decided to opt out of this one. I tried to make reservations at Chef Mickey but they were sold out and ended up with a reservation at Cape May on Monday, and the Crystal Palace (Magic Kingdom) Tuesday and Wednesday. Because we couldn't get into the Crystal Palace until after the parks opened, we decided not to waste time and go to the early seating at Cape May. The characters featured here included Donald, Minnie, and Goofy.

We drove over to the Beach Club which was very different from the Wilderness Lodge, very white and plantation like with wicker furniture and striped awnings, as well as a boardwalk out back along the water. Everyone was a little tired but once we got into the restaurant, we all started to perk up! The hostess sat us and went over our food choices as we headed to our table. There was a cold cereal bar, bagels, lox, toast, full fruit and granola station, eggs, mickey waffles, sausages, potatoes, bacon, and pastries. We got in line and grabbed some food, some of the dishes were running low but they restocked the food very quickly and if you didn't get something you wanted on the first pass you could get it on the second. As we ate, the characters came out one by one and took their time for photos and autographs at each table. It was very cool and Trey loved that he didn't have to wait in line or share. It was a bonus the food was good too. The fresh squeezed oj was the best! I felt a little stuffed when we left but it worked out because we really did not have to eat again during the day other than a few snacks and a Mickey ice cream.







After breakfast we headed over to Hollywood Studios and arrived at 9 just as it was opening. The weather was amazing and I actually think this was my favorite day (other than not seeing my sister and her family-they had headed straight to the park that morning and had their own schedule). Clear blue skies, almost 90º, but a cool breeze. For some reason, there weren't a lot of lines at this park and we were able to cover almost the whole place by 2:30 pm (we also didn't ride Tower of Terror or Rock n Roll Roller Coaster, which I'm sure had long lines and skipped Playhouse Disney Live and the Indiana Jones stunt show since we had seen them before).



Our first step here was Brad went and got FastPasses for Toy Story Mania, and our ride time wasn't until 1 pm. We headed to the Great Movie Ride, and there was a 5 minute wait. This ride takes you through various classic movie scenes in the dark, I was afraid T would be scared but he loves Wizard of Oz and the ride ended up at the Yellow Brick Road. We then headed over to the Muppet Vision 3-D movie, which we all enjoyed! You get a little water sprayed at you, but it's fun and contains some (subtle) adult humor as well as lots of jokes for kids. It seemed most of the rides for Hollywood Studios were in the dark or shade and involved sitting so it was a pretty easy day. On our way to the Studio Backlot tour we passed Lightening McQueen and Mater, so Trey stood in line with my mom for that.



The Studio Backlot tour starts with a demonstration of special effects in a water area. They blow things up and create a "storm" in a water tank with volunteers from the audience in raincoats. After you watch that, you get on a tram that takes you through the costume warehouse, some old props (herbie!) and into a "movie set" where they simulate a canyon getting flooded with water and a gas truck blowing up. My mom had to hold on to Trey tight and they got a little wet.



After the Backlot tour, we decided to see a bathroom break and ran into Sully and Mike from Monsters, Inc. We posed for pictures and headed out. Trey also got to meet a Green Army Man!



We wandered over to the Little Mermaid show, where my dad and Brad decided to go see Journey Into Narnia: Prince Caspian (which they said was just a movie trailer for the movie already out) and Lights, Motors, Action!™ Extreme Stunt Show (Brad said very cool). The Little Mermaid was fun, the people working the puppets are in black and the puppets are painted in Black Light Paint. They have an actress playing Arial and she was a very good singer.

On the way out of the show is the Buzz and Woody meet and greet. The wait time was 15-20 min but because Buzz is one of Trey's favorites we waited to meet him. He was great and admired Trey's Toy Story shoes and Buzz autograph book.



Mom, Trey, and I took an Ice Cream Break and waited for Dad and Brad to go on Toy Story Mania. Thanks to the FastPass, we headed straight to the front of the 70 minute line. In this ride, you ride in a car that spins as it goes through various arcade games. We had a blast hitting the targets and competing with each other for points. My sister said my nephew loved this so much he wanted to go on it again and again, but the line was too long. We did get Trey the Wii version of this ride for his Easter basket this year!

At this point we were all sweaty and ready for a nap. We headed back to the hotel to rest up before our dinner reservations at Epcot.

Disney Day One

Doing this from memory a week later, I really prefer doing it day to day as it's happening but we were so tired every night I just wanted to crash. Hopefully the photos will refresh my memory! Thanks to my mom and dad for taking us on such a great trip to celebrate their 40th anniversary and to my sister for all her advance planning and plotting!

TIP(S) OF THE DAY:
You can bring your own food and drinks into the park. We brought water, juice boxes, snacks, and pb&j sandwiches in with us everyday. This saves money.

Take a photo of the back of your tickets and photo pass. If you lose them, they can reissue them at no cost using these photos and the numbers on the back of the ticket!

Decide what you really want to go on and FastPass for it first thing. Only one person needs to go get the FastPass but they have to have all the tickets.

Opt for the PhotoPass! My sister paid for ours online before we left. Any place there is a photographer in the park, they'll take your photo and give you a card that you can carry with you and give to all the other photographers you may encounter. After you connect all the cards online, you can get all your photos on a CD for around 100 dollars, which beats 20 dollars for one picture!

Take a photo of your parking area or text the name of it to yourself. This is helpful when you leave 6-7 hours later.

We left for Disney World on Sunday morning at 7:30 am. We had stayed the night at my in-law's and my mom and dad came over with the two cars to load up and caravan to Orlando. After saying goodbye to Nonnie and Poppa, we hit the road. Trey was wide awake and VERY excited. He was watching a DVD in the car but still kept asking if we were there yet. Coming into Celebration, we started seeing some signs of Disney...mickey tension wires in the sky, billboards, and of course the individual park signs! My sister and I had been texting back and forth all morning and we were jealous of the texted pictures of my niece and nephew's Mickey waffles. Trey could not wait to see his cousins and could not believe that they had beat him to Disney World!

We pulled into the Wilderness Lodge parking lot, got everything unloaded and checked in.





Because we got our tickets through AAA, we had a separate room key and ticket. We took pictures of the back of the tickets with our phones in case they got lost. When we checked in, they informed us they would text me when our rooms were ready. When you stay on property, they give you a parking tag for your car that allows you to park on any of the other Disney resorts or parks, which was nice, because we drove to most of the parks. We piled into two cars and took off for the Animal Kingdom!

It was about 85º and very sunny. The park was packed, although the way Animal Kingdom is set up it seems very crowded because the walkways are narrow and there are a lot of trees. My husband and brother in law grabbed everyone's tickets and went off to FastPass for the Kilimanjaro Safari. First stop for us, Dinoland, where the kids met Pluto and Goofy (my sister brought autograph books and pens for everyone and they were a hit!), went on the Triceratop Spin (Dinosaur version of Dumbo), and played in the Boneyard.





From there we headed to the Finding Nemo show. It is play with live actors working puppets and was very good, although it is the same story if you have seen the movie. It was nice to sit down in the cool dark space for a few minutes and the kids loved the show. It was time for the Kilimanjaro Safari! On the brisk walk over there, we grabbed a corn dog for Trey and my mom and I split a (very good) turkey focaccia sandwich. Because of the FastPass we waited about 5 minutes. The safari was a blast and because my mom and dad just got back from a trip to Africa it was fun to look at the animals with them! We saw giraffe, elephants (including a baby!), rhinos, hippos, crocodiles, and more.





On to lunch for my sister and her family with tag a long Trey. My mom, dad, brad, and I went over for the Tusker House to grab a beer, which was my dad's favorite in Africa. In fact, Brad was wearing his Tusker House shirt my parents brought him back from Tanzania. There were some African drummers outside the bar area and the kids had a blast shaking their booties to the music.





We managed to catch the parade at a great spot. It was so colorful and very upbeat!





After the parade, we headed to the Character Trail Area in Camp Minnie Mickey while my BIL, Dad, and Brad headed off to Expedition Everest. The kids met Donald and Thumper and then we managed to catch The Lion King show, where the guys met up with us. The Lion King show has singers, acrobats, dancing, arials, and animatronics and was amazing!



At this point, we were done so we headed back to the Wilderness Lodge, unpacked our stuff, and hit the pool with the kids. We had a grab and go dinner at the Roaring Fork and hit the hay for the night....we were headed to Hollywood Studios and Epcot the next day!

Getting the pat down

So on the way home from Florida, I opted out of the full body scanner at Tampa airport. I have my own reasons for this, but I did read an article on it a few weeks ago on CNN.com that I found interesting, which of course I can't find now to link up. Basically the article was by a journalist that was traveling and saw the man in front of her opt out. She chased him down after security and asked why would he make that choice. It turns out the guy is a oncology doctor specializing in radiation therapy. He just said he gets enough of it at work, and although the TSA claims it is safe, why add any extra radiation? This made some sense to me...after all, how long does the pat down take? A few minutes to avoid a little radiation? Why not?

Well, I did find out one thing. If you opt out, at least in my case, you have to go stand by yourself like a pariah and wait for a (same gender, in my case female) TSA officer to come give you the pat down. I waited 15 minutes, which may not seem to long, but when you have to catch a flight and people are waiting for you (my husband was struggling to put all of our stuff back in the bags and open the stroller with a sleeping 4 year old), it seems like an eternity.

The TSA officer did ask me if I wanted a private screening and I said no, thinking how invasive would it get? The woman was quick and thorough and explained all the steps to me, but it is somewhat embarrassing. They check your hair, lift up your shirt, feel your boobs and in the waistband of your pants, down your legs, into all the "crevices". You then sit and show them the bottom of each of your feet. That only takes about 5 minutes and then the TSA officer goes and scans their gloves in a machine. Mine came back clean so I was good to go.

Now that I've done it, I will probably opt out again. Hopefully by then the process will be more streamlined and people won't get made to feel like an outcast.

Trey's Montessori Round-up!

We got back from Disney Sunday just in time for Trey's Montessori school program, the Montessori Round-up. He cried a little when they first came out but recovered quickly. Nonnie and Poppa got back from Florida just in time to join us for the show. Poor little Trey is directly behind the kid in the front row with the hat.



He finally spotted us and gave me a wave.







Trey was practicing all week while we were in Florida and my Dad told him the Buffalo Gals song should be the "buffalo shrimp" song, which he got a kick out of. Here is the first verse for you, Dad.



Had a great time in Disney! More on that later!

Texts to my husband

made w splenda! i love you arnold palmer.

a picture of this:


argh!


just watched a white trash neighbor pull over across the street, get her baby out of the back seat, and drive with it in her lap a la britney spears.

your bitch dog has a death wish. bye bye birthday box of chocolates.