Disney Trip Journal 14 days 7 people 10 day park passes Here We Go! Sunday September 9, 2007 Left Reed City around 10am (we were ten minutes late for church, so we skipped it). Had to stop and buy a new battery for our digital camera, which was a good thing because it ran out several times in the middle of a park day. We took a lot of pictures this trip. We had tried to get one directly from HP website (after trying WalMart, etc.). It was $50, and could be shipped overnight, but not to our zip code. Oh, the joys of small town life.
We stopped at Best Buy in Grand Rapids, and they had a package; battery, charger and camera bag (still $50). However, the Grand Rapids store had none in stock. They called around and found that Lansing had one. They asked them to hold it for us until we arrived. So, that dilemma averted, on to Grandfather’s house. We had said we’d be there around 6pm, but that was when we were planning to attend a 10am service and an 11am concert and a noon potluck (Education Sunday at our church). We instead arrived around 4pm even after our search for a battery and a sit down lunch at the Old Country Buffet. We visited with Grampa Johnson and Jeanette for a bit and then headed to Aunt Linda’s for dinner at 6pm. After brats and chicken, salad and corn (it worked out well that we had seen the corn farm guy on the corner across from McDonalds).
We stopped at the Wesco to get coffee. Don had made some in the morning, but Caitlin dumped it out so she could start hot water for oatmeal. When we were there, we saw his banner said “last day” and decided to get one last dozen for the road. It went quite well with the meat and salad they’d provided. After dinner, we went back to Grampa’s house and got everyone ready for bed, the next morning was going to be an early one.
Monday September 10, 2007 It’s hard to sleep when you know what to expect the next day. There are so many reasons to wake up and keep checking the clock. You don’t want to oversleep and be late for the flight, not only would you miss the chance to fly in a plane, but you’d miss the entire trip. In someone else’s house, using someone else’s clock, not sure if it works or if we know how to work it, afraid the alarm won’t go off. AAAGH! Jacob didn’t want to go to sleep. He has gotten pretty used to sleeping in his own bed and the idea of sleeping with us was not quite comfortable, being in our bed means one of two things, time to nurse or time to play and he didn’t want to do either, so he fussed until he finally could stay awake no longer. He and I both woke up frequently in the night, my inability to sleep was due to anticipation of the days to come. I don’t know if the alarm ever went off or not, but we were all up and ready with plenty of time to get dressed and packed and on our way to the airport. The morning was uneventful, Grampa drove our van to the airport, dropped us off, took our van back to his house; we got out at the airport, check in our luggage, stood in line, took off our shoes, went through security. *No liquids are allowed in larger than 3oz. and I had a sippy cup filled with water for Jacob in the backpack* So, we did have to take a little extra time to while they searched the backpack. I will remember to empty it before we go and fill it up once inside the terminal on the way home. Our flight arrived ten minutes early –YAY!- We found the desk for Magical Express boarding, stood in line with all the other people who had just gotten off of our plane, checked in, got in another line to board the bus, got on, rode to the resort and got in another line to check into the hotel. *We both commented that our experience with Magical Express was much more luxurious the last time we came. Our flight was several hours late, bringing us in about 1am, and a team of Disney Cast Members were waiting for us when we arrived at the luggage carousel. Our luggage had been placed on a different plane and ended up in Washington state. The cast members greeted us and led us right to the lost luggage claims dept. Then, said they would take care of it from there. Put us on a bus with just a few other families, turned on Cinderella on the on board televisions, and drove us to the hotel, where our rooms were ready and we checked right in and all went right to sleep. We didn’t do any parks that next day, just changed into the clothes we had in our overnight bag and did a load of laundry.*
This trip, we had no luggage mishaps, but felt more like cattle than valued guests. The bus was packed and the video was an advertisement for Disney stuff. We checked in but it was only 11am and no rooms were ready (not promised to be ready until 3-5pm). We got our cards with our park tickets and meal plan on them, we just couldn’t get a room assignment. The pool closest to us was being renovated so we couldn’t swim, we didn’t have suits anyway since our luggage hadn’t arrived yet. Not lost, it just takes a little while for it to come because they bring it over separately and then deliver it to your room, but we didn’t have a room anyway. We ate lunch at Stadium Hall, realized that Jacob had been in the backpack carrier since 5am and had been wearing the same diaper since about 4am – I think eight hours is too long for any diaper, so we went over to guest laundry and washed a few items, like the carrier and Jacob’s clothes. I had packed extras for him.
WOW! It’s expensive to do laundry. I don’t frequently have to use the Laundromat, but I guess we are a captive audience. We spent $6.25 to wash three items. Later in the week, we hand washed some small items so we wouldn’t have to spend that much again right away. On a two week trip, we expected to have to do some laundry. We packed about 6 outfits per person, plus a couple extra for the baby. We anticipated doing laundry at least once during our stay, but we tried to hold it off as long as possible. The heat and humidity really makes it difficult to wear anything more than once. We were able to get into our room, one of them anyway by about 1pm, and the other one was ready shortly after. We relaxed in the room for an hour or so, then our luggage arrived, we unpacked and after resting up in our 60 degree hotel room, we left for Epcot. (I do appreciate Disney transportation, but I am not sure how we are going to work out our days away from the resort, we have planned two days at Sea World and one at the Holy Land Experience. I stopped a taxi driver to ask what the cost would be, $30 each way – YIKES! I don’t expect to change our plans, but that’s quite a chunk of our vacation budget.)
Spaceship Earth is closed, but for good reason, they are putting back in the interactive hands on exhibit area at the exit. This was an educational bonus when it was there before and I was disappointed to see it go, but was glad to hear that Siemens would be sponsoring its return. We took some pictures, meandered through some shops, I love the art gallery at the front here. I’ve never bought anything there, and I probably never will, but I love to walk through this area and just see all the talent that has influenced this place. We bypassed the character greeting station, we have enough autographs and our kids are like, “Hey look, there’s Mickey.” “Do you want to go over and say Hello?” “No, not really.” We like the personal interaction (I’ll get to those stories in a bit), but don’t really care for the stand in line to say hello stuff. However, I do like the concept, as it allows families who are on a “got to get autograph/picture from every princess” to accomplish their mission. It also diverts crowds of people from the walkways. Next to this in the same building, there was a NASA exhibit. It was more of a walk through than an interactive, however there was a visiting astronaut (female school teacher who recently went up). We didn’t get to meet her personally, but did see her entourage getting their photos taken while we were in the exhibit. We left this exhibit and walked down to the ferry boat, picking up a frozen lemonade along the way (We are from Michigan, yes we were hot already), took the ferry boat across and toured the United Kingdom and Canada, then France. We saw Off Kilter, Serveur Amusant, Impressions de France, and had a late dinner at Chefs de France. Summer had her first try at calamari, her dad told her it was squid, and she ordered it anyway, but when it came and she saw the tentacles, she freaked a little. She loves to cook and experiment with recipes, so she was easy to convince to try it, and we all had a bite to help her out. It doesn’t taste bad, but there is something weird about chewing on a tentacle. Don had the tuna, which is served nearly raw, and cut like slices of bread. It is very different than the stuff in a can, but rather bland. The side/topping that is served with it is a flavorful addition and the combination is delicious. By the time we finished dinner, it was pouring down rain outside. We didn’t mind the break from the heat, and it seemed like we were the only people in the park not wearing a Disney plastic parka. It was 9pm, we’d been up since 4am, so we headed back to the room and sent everyone to bed.
Tuesday September 11, 2007 We decided to try an early morning at the Magic Kingdom. We made 8am reservations at the Crystal Palace for breakfast with Pooh. This type of experience makes the dining plan worthwhile. This is the second time we have tried out the ‘free’ dining plan. You do have to stay in a Disney resort, which is more expensive than staying elsewhere; this does also provide the ‘free’ transportation, however, it is very difficult (expensive) to go anywhere outside of Disney without your own vehicle. We did not plan to rent a car and did not pay for gas to get here (we planned to drive, but found such a great deal on air fare through TranAir it ended up being cheaper to fly). So, we were saving those expenses. However, without entering a park, your food choices are extremely limited. Our resort offered burgers & fries or pasta. The children’s meals were less than impressive as the only child who was able to fill up on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, ten grapes, and sugar free applesauce for dessert was our two year old who you can’t even buy the dining plan for. At home or school when children sit a lot, maybe this would be enough, but we’re running through the parks, chasing busses and fast pass times, trying to accomplish as much as possible in a very short time, our kids needed more food than this. We ended up giving our kids much of our adult meals, which would have been plenty if we had gotten to eat it ourselves, and trying to make it up later in snacks. However, the table service meals with characters were well worth the plan. While we didn’t eat $40 worth of food, we did feel that these experiences were worth it. As opposed to standing in line to get a quick hello/hug/photo/autograph and move on for the next family in line, this sit with your family and enjoy a meal together while periodically being visited by a fun Disney character who comes over, engages you in conversation, poses for a picture, signs autographs, blows kisses (thanks Tigger); this is the way to see characters. Our next stop was Splash Mountain, but we made several detours along the way. Getting into the park an hour before it opened allowed us to take pictures with no people in them. It also meant that we were walking out of the restaurant as most guests were just getting in the front gate. We were able to really stop and look at architectural designs displayed here, and spend time talking to the cast members who were waiting on the streets of Frontierland. The first was a security guard (at least dressed like one) who stopped us for entering a “No Frown Zone”. He threatened to give us a ticket, but then decided to give us some Mickey stickers and a warning. A little ways down the trail, we ran into a member of the Dream Team; these are the cast members who are responsible for handing out all those “Million Dreams”. 2007 is Disney’s year of a Million Dreams. Each day someone in the Magic Kingdom is chosen to spend the night in Cinderella’s Castle, someone is chosen to be the Grand Marshall of the parade, some children are given free cotton candy, and there are various other ‘dreams come true’ that Disney is offering at this time. Because no one else was around, we got to talk with the Dream Team guy for quite awhile and he told us that the year of a million dreams idea was so great that they are going to continue into next year. Is it a rumor? Or could it be true? We did make it to Splash Mountain, but only Don, Summer, Caitlin, and I rode. Jacob was too small, Tyler and Ethan both could have ridden, but chose not to. Next, Don, Summer, Caitlin rode Big Thunder Mountain while I took the boys to the bathroom where we changed Jacob. They were actually finished before we were, which gives you some idea how short the lines were today.
We had lunch at Cosmic Ray’s which was very disappointing. We are using the dining plan, so the kids are supposed to get a desert, but they didn’t. Don ordered a Coke, but received iced tea. These are minor things and could have been taken care of quickly, if anyone had even acknowledged that I was there. I stood at the counter for 15 minutes trying to get the attention of any of the three girls who were working there (1pm Bay3). They never even looked at me. Finally, I went back and got in line for a cash register, and waited my turn and asked the cashier to rectify the situation. She was able to quickly fix it, but even after I told her that I’d stood there for fifteen minutes and been ignored, I got nothing except a Coke and two cookies, not even an apology. Very disappointing. This compared to a very different experience we had later on the same day. Over in the Tomorrowland (4:15pm) at Auntie Gravity’s I was standing in line with the two littlest ones to get some ice cream while Don took the older kids on Space Mountain. While I waited, a cast member came over and brought a small bowl of ice cream and a spoon for Ethan. Then, she went back to the kitchen and came out again with a small bowl and started feeding Jacob who was riding in the back pack carrier. She chatted about this and that, and visited with the boys until I had ordered and received my ice cream. That’s the kind of service I expect to see at Disney, the kind that goes above and beyond.
We rode rides, saw shows; Carousel of Progress is still my favorite, and at 5pm attended the flag ceremony in Town Square. They do this every evening, it was only coincidence that we happened to see it on September 11th. It was a very moving and patriotic ceremony.
Wednesday September 12, 2007 Magic Kingdom second day Magical Beginnings opening
An hour early to Fantasy land. This was a worthwhile event to attend. It did require us to be early risers, but the benefits were great. We were allowed to enter the park early for a program called Magical Beginnings designed especially for the five and under crowd. Only Fantasyland was open at this time, but it was full of characters. There were the standard character lines that we don’t especially care to do, but we were also able to ride the rides with no wait time, and several of the characters were hosting activities. Caitlin, Ethan and Summer were part of a group of about ten children that joined Peter Pan, Wendy and Captain Hook for a round of games like Peter Says, The Wheel on the Ship, and The Mates Go Marching.
The Mates Go Marching one by one, two by two, and so on, but after six by six, Captain Hook jumped to the middle and showed Wendy his hook, and she said, “Oh, you can only count to six.” She asked if anyone would like to help Captain Hook count to ten. Caitlin volunteered and was chosen. She is lucky that way, but it probably helped that many of the other children were five and under and looked like they weren’t really sure if they could count to ten either.
Later on in the day, we went to Belle’s story time and Caitlin was picked out of the crowd to play Mrs. Potts on stage as part of the story.
Ate lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern. We finished just as the parade was about to pass by, so we got a great view of the parade, we followed the parade to the front of the park, and then headed back to the hotel for an early evening. Everyone took a nap and then Mommy, Tyler and Caitlin all took a dip in the pool, while Summer, Ethan, Jacob and Daddy relaxed in the room.
Thursday September 13, 2007 Animal Kingdom Here we saw the Lion King show first thing in the morning, then Pocahontas,*we caught the interpretive signers at this show – they put on a show of their own- it is fascinating to watch* and then right to Flights of Wonder. We ate at Flame Tree BBQ, they really need a table service restaurant besides the RainForest Café (which I am pretty sure does not accept the Disney dining plan). We need to get out of the heat and into air conditioning where you can get never ending refills of water and replenish/rehydrate. By 3pm, we all are suffering from heat stroke. Don’t know how we are going to make it on the extra hours night. We rode Dinosaur, dug up some bones at the fossil dig site, played in the DinoPlay area. Caught the show “It’s Tough to be a Bug” on the way out. Returned to hotel and ate dinner in the food court. Another relaxing, casual day.
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