mom22gls
08-27-2007, 08:26 AM
This was our sixth trip with our children, and we had been to WDW twice before we had the kids, so we were able to really pace ourselves, and relax. Last year, I rented points for us to stay at a studio at OKW, and took the DVC tour during that trip. Once home, we decided to buy 210 points, and this was our first trip "home," on our own points. We stayed at a one-bedroom unit at Saratoga Springs, for 5 nights, from Sunday-Thursday ("low" point nights), and hopped to Beach Club villas to stay at a studio for Friday and Saturday nights (premium point nights-did not have enough to stay at the one-bedroom, but we wanted to try the BC pool). I banked 27 points, to be used next year. The cast of "characters":
me age 48
DH age 50
DD1, just turned 9
DD2 soon to be 6
Sunday, August 19: got up at 5AM, were dressed and on our way to the airport by 6, checked in at off-site airport parking lot, and the driver took us over to the airport in our own car. Flight on Southwest was on-time. Caught ME to SS, and checked in. We were on the dining plan, and DH and I shared a flatbread at Artist's Palatte, and the kids had their own meals. We walked to our unit in the Congress Park section. It would take us a day to really learn the location of our building. While walking over, we got a call from garden grocer, about our order, and the guy agreed to deliver it to our unit, although he said he was supposed to drop it off at Bell Services. We used the service last year, and they ran late, but did deliver it to our studio at OKW. After settling in at our unit, we walked to DD, shopped a little, and I renewed my AP. We then took a bus to the AKL, and had dinner at Boma, then took the bus back to DD and walked back. Our luggage had arrived, and my DH took the girls swimming while I unpacked.
Monday: We went to Epcot early, and, at the turnstile, I realized I did a poor job packing my small purse for the parks, while trying to get the kids ready for the day. When I renewed my AP, the CM did not void the old one, and I grabbed the wrong card, so I had an expired pass. I had also neglected to take my drivers' license with me. I told my husband to rent a stroller, and get FP's for Soarin' (DD1's favorite ride). I went over to Guest Services, and, of course was able to give them the information they had on their system, and they issued me a new pass. I met DH and the girls, he took DD1 on Soarin' after a quick stand-by wait (before 10AM), while I took DD2 on the Nemo ride at the Seas. I met DH, we switched kids, and repeated the same rides. We had an AR for the princess storybook lunch at Akershus, and my girls are still all about the princesses, so that was a hit. Went back to the hotel for a swim, and decided to go to MGM for a counter service dinner and Fantasmic. Home and to bed.
Tuesday: We have learned our lesson about doing parks during such a hot time of the year. Do what you want to do the most, and cut out early. We did the safari, and saw more animals than usual, then I really wanted to see the Finding Nemo musical, so we got in that line. The show was fantastic and we all enjoyed it. DD2 really wanted to get a hair wrap, and we did that. By then we were all very hot and it was lunchtime, so we went to the Pizza place, which was closest, and shared a couple of counter service meals. Then, back to the hotel for a rest and swim. I actually got a real nap in, while the kids watched TV in the living room. We then prepared for the Pirates and Princess party, and headed to the MK. I wore a light gauzy dress with a belt, for wenchey pirate kind of thing, and my husband and daughters wanted to change there, so we packed a bag with their things. We had dinner at Cosmic Rays, sharing two counter service combo rib and chicken meals, which four of us could not finish, and after getting changing in the restroom (DD1 as a pirate, DD2 in a Disney princess dress, DH as a pirate), we did the party. The girls collected lots of candy, and we watched the parade. I used two snack credits for Dole Whip floats for DD2 and myself; we always carried water with us, but still used a lot of credits for drinks. The fireworks were just fantastic. DD2 and DH were tired, and returned to the hotel, about 9:30. I stayed till almost midnight with DD1, and we did quite a few rides. It was like extra magic hours, without the crowds. We left about 20 minutes before the festivities ended, got a bus back to SS right away, and were back just after midnight.
Wednesday: We took our time in the morning, and went to MGM for awhile. Got there just as the HSM pep rally was beginning, but we could not see much, and my daughters (both HSM fanatics), decided to skip it, as it was basically the same thing as they had seen at the MK, and none of the stars were there, of course. We decided to do the Great Movie Ride, and were in line for about half an hour. I did not recall it being particularly scary, but DD2 got a little upset, so we headed for The Little Mermaid, just getting in to the show that was about to start. DD2 was tired and getting hungry, and she had a minor meltdown during the show, insisting that she could not see, but refusing to sit on a lap. We grabbed lunch, and left the park. Back at the hotel, we changed into swimsuits, and I packed our clothes, and we walked to DD and took a bus to the Wilderness Lodge. As DVC owners we are permitted to pool hop at most of the pools at DVC villa resorts, so we enjoyed the pool at the WL, where we had stayed at the hotel, twice before. We changed, and dropped the girls off at the Cubs Den, where they would be amused and fed, and DH and I had a leisurely dinner at Artist's Point. Several families brought small kids into the signature dining restaurant, but I could tune them out, since I did not have to respond to them, and we had a nice adult meal. We paid OOP, and I used the Disney Dining Experience card discount. The kids were in a good mood when we picked them up, and we took a bus back to DD, and then walked back to the hotel.
Thursday: I packed up most of our things, for our check out the next morning, and we went to Epcot for awhile. DD2 loves the Figment ride at Imagination, and we did that, and other minor attractions, and they made the rounds at the Kidcot stops at several of the WS pavillions. We finally got lucky at Japan, and Miyuki picked us for a candy animal. DD2 asked for a cat, and it was impressive to watch her work, as always. I got it packaged up in a box in the store. We had an odd character interaction with Snow White at Germany. The young woman had a New York accent, which we found amusing. The part that was odd was that she asked my girls to deliver a take out order to her friend Mulan in China, and actually wrote out the order and gave it to them. Did she think that Mulan had nothing else to do but cook, and I wondered if she would have done the same to kids who did not happen to be Chinese, as my kids are? It felt strange, but my kids seemed amused and I went along and told them we did not actually have to bring lunch to Snow White. We were at Norway around 3, and I witnessed, almost as if they were all responding to the same switch, several young kids having a spontaneous meltdown. The parents, in each case, tried to negotiate or threaten better behavior, and in my head, I'm encouraging them to leave the park, the kids have hit the wall, and it's not going to get better, and the parents looked tired too. We are rarely in the park around 3, for that reason. We took the monorails to the Contemporary, and had dinner at Chef Mickey's, then, walked back to the MK, and got a bus back to our resort.
Friday: We checked out of SS, and had bell services pick up our luggage for transfer to the BC. My husband called the front desk about his laptop, and they told him they would hold it for him in the hotel safe, so he took it over, while I grabbed a bus for the MK with the girls. We did the Jungle Cruise. and met up with DH after the ride. We took turns doing POTC with DD1, as DD2 would find it too scary, then we went to lunch at Cindy's. I think we have managed to get AR's there, 5 out of of 6 trips, and it's always a highlight of the trip for the girls. One advantage of going in August is that rich food is less appealing in the heat, so we had sorbet, instead of the chocolate cake dessert. When Snow White came around, I noticed that it was the same person who had been at Epcot, and wondered if she remembered us, from the lunch ordering episode, but she did not say anything about her lunch order. We all did Buzz Lightyear, my DD2's first time, and she loved it. We did the Laugh Floor attraction, which was corny, but fun, then DH took a bus back to SS, to get his laptop, and the rest of us went to the BC to check in. Our studio there was basically a hotel room, but suited us just fine for a weekend. The only downside, was that the unit was at the end of a very long hallway. I am not kidding when I say that, over the course of the weekend, we probably walked at least two or three miles, just back and forth from the unit. We had only been there for dinner at the Cape May Buffet, and had always wanted to stay there. A bad thunderstorm started, and DH had delays getting to the BC, because buses were diverted to get people out of the waterparks. He met us at the hotel, eventually. We had planned to walk to Epcot for a counter service meal, and maybe staying for Illuminations, but the storm was really bad, so we ate dinner at Beaches and Cream, getting seats at the counter with no wait. We paid OOP, using the DDE card, and just stayed around the hotel.
Saturday: a lovely day, and we mostly stayed at the hotel and enjoyed Stormalong Bay. What a neat pool, like a water park, except clean. My DD1 and I really liked the whirlpool, and we did the lazy river, and the water slide. After a few hours, DD1 wanted to go to Epcot. She wanted to buy a pearl at the Japan Pavillion, so I went with her, while DH stayed at the hotel to relax with DD2. DD1 and I walked over, had lunch at the counter service place in Japan. A nice young man asked to share our table, and a cute girl joined him. They turned out to be off-duty CM's and we chatted with them while we had our lunch. My sushi (California roll) meal was a nice light meal on such a hot day, with a larger dinner planned for later. The CM's were perfect representatives for the company, and told us how they loved to come to the parks on their days off. Interesting, a couple days previously, I got into a conversation with an older woman CM, who was talking about cruises. She had never been on a cruise, and was unsure if she would like one. I told her that we were booked for a Disney cruise for next summer. She did not exactly diss the Disney cruise, but did not represent the company very well in how she expressed her opinion of it, although she had never been on one. We returned to the hotel, and returned to the pool to cool off. We had dinner at the Cape May Buffet, and DD2 ate more steamed clams than most of the adults. We dropped them off at the Sandcastle Club (which would have given them dinner, had we ordered it), and DH and I had a little adult time, and went over to Jellyrolls, walking through some light rain, although it had been heavy and stormy at times.
Sunday: We could not get a late check out, but I managed to get our packing organized, we had a light breakfast in our room, and DD1 and I went for a last dip in the great pool, before checking out. We left our luggage with the DVC staff, who would transfer it to Bell Services, and walked to Epcot. We got 4 fastpasses for Soarin' and walked back to Japan. DD2 also wanted a pearl, so she and her sister picked oysters. I told them to save their allowance (DD1 had paid for her first pearl herself), and they could get a pearl each trip, and, eventually, we would have jewlery made for them. We walked back to FW, and stopped at Mexico, because my DD2 liked the boat ride. I'm not sure I like it, with the addition of the cartoon characters, but, hey, it's cool in there. We had lunch at LeCellier, using the last of our table service credits, because we would be traveling later in the day. After lunch, DD1 and I went back to use our Soarin' fastpasses. After one ride, we met DH and DD2, and he did not want to go on, and my DD1 wanted to go again, so I went with her. We headed back to the hotel, and took ME to the airport, for our 8:45 flight. Got home around 1 AM, in a nice, clean, car which had been detailed while we were gone.
me age 48
DH age 50
DD1, just turned 9
DD2 soon to be 6
Sunday, August 19: got up at 5AM, were dressed and on our way to the airport by 6, checked in at off-site airport parking lot, and the driver took us over to the airport in our own car. Flight on Southwest was on-time. Caught ME to SS, and checked in. We were on the dining plan, and DH and I shared a flatbread at Artist's Palatte, and the kids had their own meals. We walked to our unit in the Congress Park section. It would take us a day to really learn the location of our building. While walking over, we got a call from garden grocer, about our order, and the guy agreed to deliver it to our unit, although he said he was supposed to drop it off at Bell Services. We used the service last year, and they ran late, but did deliver it to our studio at OKW. After settling in at our unit, we walked to DD, shopped a little, and I renewed my AP. We then took a bus to the AKL, and had dinner at Boma, then took the bus back to DD and walked back. Our luggage had arrived, and my DH took the girls swimming while I unpacked.
Monday: We went to Epcot early, and, at the turnstile, I realized I did a poor job packing my small purse for the parks, while trying to get the kids ready for the day. When I renewed my AP, the CM did not void the old one, and I grabbed the wrong card, so I had an expired pass. I had also neglected to take my drivers' license with me. I told my husband to rent a stroller, and get FP's for Soarin' (DD1's favorite ride). I went over to Guest Services, and, of course was able to give them the information they had on their system, and they issued me a new pass. I met DH and the girls, he took DD1 on Soarin' after a quick stand-by wait (before 10AM), while I took DD2 on the Nemo ride at the Seas. I met DH, we switched kids, and repeated the same rides. We had an AR for the princess storybook lunch at Akershus, and my girls are still all about the princesses, so that was a hit. Went back to the hotel for a swim, and decided to go to MGM for a counter service dinner and Fantasmic. Home and to bed.
Tuesday: We have learned our lesson about doing parks during such a hot time of the year. Do what you want to do the most, and cut out early. We did the safari, and saw more animals than usual, then I really wanted to see the Finding Nemo musical, so we got in that line. The show was fantastic and we all enjoyed it. DD2 really wanted to get a hair wrap, and we did that. By then we were all very hot and it was lunchtime, so we went to the Pizza place, which was closest, and shared a couple of counter service meals. Then, back to the hotel for a rest and swim. I actually got a real nap in, while the kids watched TV in the living room. We then prepared for the Pirates and Princess party, and headed to the MK. I wore a light gauzy dress with a belt, for wenchey pirate kind of thing, and my husband and daughters wanted to change there, so we packed a bag with their things. We had dinner at Cosmic Rays, sharing two counter service combo rib and chicken meals, which four of us could not finish, and after getting changing in the restroom (DD1 as a pirate, DD2 in a Disney princess dress, DH as a pirate), we did the party. The girls collected lots of candy, and we watched the parade. I used two snack credits for Dole Whip floats for DD2 and myself; we always carried water with us, but still used a lot of credits for drinks. The fireworks were just fantastic. DD2 and DH were tired, and returned to the hotel, about 9:30. I stayed till almost midnight with DD1, and we did quite a few rides. It was like extra magic hours, without the crowds. We left about 20 minutes before the festivities ended, got a bus back to SS right away, and were back just after midnight.
Wednesday: We took our time in the morning, and went to MGM for awhile. Got there just as the HSM pep rally was beginning, but we could not see much, and my daughters (both HSM fanatics), decided to skip it, as it was basically the same thing as they had seen at the MK, and none of the stars were there, of course. We decided to do the Great Movie Ride, and were in line for about half an hour. I did not recall it being particularly scary, but DD2 got a little upset, so we headed for The Little Mermaid, just getting in to the show that was about to start. DD2 was tired and getting hungry, and she had a minor meltdown during the show, insisting that she could not see, but refusing to sit on a lap. We grabbed lunch, and left the park. Back at the hotel, we changed into swimsuits, and I packed our clothes, and we walked to DD and took a bus to the Wilderness Lodge. As DVC owners we are permitted to pool hop at most of the pools at DVC villa resorts, so we enjoyed the pool at the WL, where we had stayed at the hotel, twice before. We changed, and dropped the girls off at the Cubs Den, where they would be amused and fed, and DH and I had a leisurely dinner at Artist's Point. Several families brought small kids into the signature dining restaurant, but I could tune them out, since I did not have to respond to them, and we had a nice adult meal. We paid OOP, and I used the Disney Dining Experience card discount. The kids were in a good mood when we picked them up, and we took a bus back to DD, and then walked back to the hotel.
Thursday: I packed up most of our things, for our check out the next morning, and we went to Epcot for awhile. DD2 loves the Figment ride at Imagination, and we did that, and other minor attractions, and they made the rounds at the Kidcot stops at several of the WS pavillions. We finally got lucky at Japan, and Miyuki picked us for a candy animal. DD2 asked for a cat, and it was impressive to watch her work, as always. I got it packaged up in a box in the store. We had an odd character interaction with Snow White at Germany. The young woman had a New York accent, which we found amusing. The part that was odd was that she asked my girls to deliver a take out order to her friend Mulan in China, and actually wrote out the order and gave it to them. Did she think that Mulan had nothing else to do but cook, and I wondered if she would have done the same to kids who did not happen to be Chinese, as my kids are? It felt strange, but my kids seemed amused and I went along and told them we did not actually have to bring lunch to Snow White. We were at Norway around 3, and I witnessed, almost as if they were all responding to the same switch, several young kids having a spontaneous meltdown. The parents, in each case, tried to negotiate or threaten better behavior, and in my head, I'm encouraging them to leave the park, the kids have hit the wall, and it's not going to get better, and the parents looked tired too. We are rarely in the park around 3, for that reason. We took the monorails to the Contemporary, and had dinner at Chef Mickey's, then, walked back to the MK, and got a bus back to our resort.
Friday: We checked out of SS, and had bell services pick up our luggage for transfer to the BC. My husband called the front desk about his laptop, and they told him they would hold it for him in the hotel safe, so he took it over, while I grabbed a bus for the MK with the girls. We did the Jungle Cruise. and met up with DH after the ride. We took turns doing POTC with DD1, as DD2 would find it too scary, then we went to lunch at Cindy's. I think we have managed to get AR's there, 5 out of of 6 trips, and it's always a highlight of the trip for the girls. One advantage of going in August is that rich food is less appealing in the heat, so we had sorbet, instead of the chocolate cake dessert. When Snow White came around, I noticed that it was the same person who had been at Epcot, and wondered if she remembered us, from the lunch ordering episode, but she did not say anything about her lunch order. We all did Buzz Lightyear, my DD2's first time, and she loved it. We did the Laugh Floor attraction, which was corny, but fun, then DH took a bus back to SS, to get his laptop, and the rest of us went to the BC to check in. Our studio there was basically a hotel room, but suited us just fine for a weekend. The only downside, was that the unit was at the end of a very long hallway. I am not kidding when I say that, over the course of the weekend, we probably walked at least two or three miles, just back and forth from the unit. We had only been there for dinner at the Cape May Buffet, and had always wanted to stay there. A bad thunderstorm started, and DH had delays getting to the BC, because buses were diverted to get people out of the waterparks. He met us at the hotel, eventually. We had planned to walk to Epcot for a counter service meal, and maybe staying for Illuminations, but the storm was really bad, so we ate dinner at Beaches and Cream, getting seats at the counter with no wait. We paid OOP, using the DDE card, and just stayed around the hotel.
Saturday: a lovely day, and we mostly stayed at the hotel and enjoyed Stormalong Bay. What a neat pool, like a water park, except clean. My DD1 and I really liked the whirlpool, and we did the lazy river, and the water slide. After a few hours, DD1 wanted to go to Epcot. She wanted to buy a pearl at the Japan Pavillion, so I went with her, while DH stayed at the hotel to relax with DD2. DD1 and I walked over, had lunch at the counter service place in Japan. A nice young man asked to share our table, and a cute girl joined him. They turned out to be off-duty CM's and we chatted with them while we had our lunch. My sushi (California roll) meal was a nice light meal on such a hot day, with a larger dinner planned for later. The CM's were perfect representatives for the company, and told us how they loved to come to the parks on their days off. Interesting, a couple days previously, I got into a conversation with an older woman CM, who was talking about cruises. She had never been on a cruise, and was unsure if she would like one. I told her that we were booked for a Disney cruise for next summer. She did not exactly diss the Disney cruise, but did not represent the company very well in how she expressed her opinion of it, although she had never been on one. We returned to the hotel, and returned to the pool to cool off. We had dinner at the Cape May Buffet, and DD2 ate more steamed clams than most of the adults. We dropped them off at the Sandcastle Club (which would have given them dinner, had we ordered it), and DH and I had a little adult time, and went over to Jellyrolls, walking through some light rain, although it had been heavy and stormy at times.
Sunday: We could not get a late check out, but I managed to get our packing organized, we had a light breakfast in our room, and DD1 and I went for a last dip in the great pool, before checking out. We left our luggage with the DVC staff, who would transfer it to Bell Services, and walked to Epcot. We got 4 fastpasses for Soarin' and walked back to Japan. DD2 also wanted a pearl, so she and her sister picked oysters. I told them to save their allowance (DD1 had paid for her first pearl herself), and they could get a pearl each trip, and, eventually, we would have jewlery made for them. We walked back to FW, and stopped at Mexico, because my DD2 liked the boat ride. I'm not sure I like it, with the addition of the cartoon characters, but, hey, it's cool in there. We had lunch at LeCellier, using the last of our table service credits, because we would be traveling later in the day. After lunch, DD1 and I went back to use our Soarin' fastpasses. After one ride, we met DH and DD2, and he did not want to go on, and my DD1 wanted to go again, so I went with her. We headed back to the hotel, and took ME to the airport, for our 8:45 flight. Got home around 1 AM, in a nice, clean, car which had been detailed while we were gone.