Update 07/20!!! 1 Mom, 2 Kids, 3 Resorts and 6 Parks! An October 2014 TR

[Tink-erin-belle]

Can I just say that I am having a hard time getting used to these new boards? I guess I am "change adverse" I had difficulty doing simple things - like changing my reply up there to red text! Ugh! I guess I will get to know it eventually like I got to know the old format of the boards.

 

[collcass]

I am really enjoying your TR, Erin. Your trip has been quite the roller coaster ride so fAR.



I am really sorryabout your brother. diabetes is dreadful. My son (now 13) fell extremely ill last time he was a WDW. (He was 9 & had strep 2 weeks prior to the trip, which was the first time he'd even had a sick visit since the age of two) We nearly lost him. He had rapid onset T1D. 4 years later, it is a part of our daily life, but always a struggle.

Looking forward to the rest of your report

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

Psst... I created a PTR for our May trip! Read along here!

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

I am really enjoying your TR, Erin. Your trip has been quite the roller coaster ride so fAR.



I am really sorryabout your brother. diabetes is dreadful. My son (now 13) fell extremely ill last time he was a WDW. (He was 9 & had strep 2 weeks prior to the trip, which was the first time he'd even had a sick visit since the age of two) We nearly lost him. He had rapid onset T1D. 4 years later, it is a part of our daily life, but always a struggle.

Looking forward to the rest of your report

Thank you, Colleen and What a scary time that must have been for you, your son, and the rest of your family. I'm so glad he's better!

I'll have to go take a look at your PTR! I hope you love MNSSHP!

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Joining in. Looks like you had quite the adventurous start to your trip!

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

Joining in. Looks like you had quite the adventurous start to your trip!

I'm glad you're here! My daughter actually said to me yesterday, "Please promise me we won't miss our plane this time"

 

[-Hope-]

Oh, Erin I'm sooooo far behind! Between work, family, and getting ready for our DC trip I just haven't had much time to DIS! And then I'd get more behind so I started avoiding the DIS so I didn't have to catch up! I just updated my PTR with non Disney rambling because I just felt bad for being neglectful. Anyway, I'm here now and going to try to catch up this afternoon- but forgive me if I don't comment on every post I've missed!

 

[-Hope-]

Whew, all caught up! Love all the pics and it sounds like a magical day- you guys got so much accomplished! Now I'm off to check out your PTR!

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

Hi, Guys! I went MIA again. I know! Terrible! Luckily, Ann was to the rescue because she reminded me that I needed to update! I tried to tell her that I am doped up on pain killers because I had my knee surgery on Thursday, but she said that that might make for an even more entertaining trip report! LOL! So, here goes!:


On Thursday, October 27, we had a VERY late morning! I had a restless night’s sleep, so I wasn’t in a hurry to wake up. So much for rope drop! The kids were still in bed, so I decided to make good use of the time and do a little laundry. I grabbed a bag of dirty clothes and True’s Magic Band (since it was the closest), and went down to the laundry room. It was a beautiful day, so I was looking forward to sitting in the sun for a few minutes as I washed our clothes. Unfortunately, I couldn’t open the laundry room door with the Magic Band! Ugh! So I went to the front desk (so glad it was close by so that I didn’t have to drag that heavy laundry bag too far!) and they advised that I couldn’t open the laundry room door because that Magic Band hadn’t been used to open our room door yet! Seriously?!? So, guys, please remember to use all Magic Bands on your room so that you won’t be denied access to any other place that requires a Magic Band for entry! Quick fast-forward to out February trip: when we checked into POFQ, I made sure that the first thing we did was open the room door with each of our Magic Bands! LOL!


Anyway, I dropped the heavy bag of laundry at one of the lawn chairs outside of the laundry room because I figured no one would mess with our clothes if I left them unattended. I went back up to the room and saw that True was awake. I asked her if she wanted to go with me to the laundry room so that she could go for a swim, and she of course agreed! Coy was still asleep, so I let him get a little more rest. True and I put on our bathing suits, then we went to pick up the laundry from the lawn chair where I left it, and we put it in the washing machine. Thank goodness I had singles with me, because the change machine didn’t take $5 bills! Just something else to keep in mind if you have to do laundry on your trip


After starting the laundry, True and I were about to get in the pool when I noticed that there weren’t any towels there! There were towels at Cabana Bay, but we didn’t swim at Art of Animation, so I never noticed if there were towels there or not. I didn’t think to bring towels with me from the room, so I thought I would just run back up to get some, but True didn’t want to miss any pool time with me! She knew that if I was willing to get in the pool, she needed to take advantage of that before I changed my mind! LOL! It was in the 70s that morning, but the pool was cold, so I had to force myself to get in since I promised True that I would! I told her that we couldn’t swim too long because we were going to have to air dry since we didn’t have towels! Haha! She and I swam around a little bit in the pool, but I could only take it for a few minutes. I got out after a while and sat in the nice warm sun as I dried off. True stayed in the pool:








I put the clothes in the drier and let True swim a while longer. Eventually, I had to ask her to get out so that she could warm up in the sun, too:








When the laundry was done, we went back to the room and saw that Coy was up and already getting ready. After True and I got ready, the three of us went to the food court to grab something to eat. It was about 2pm, so True got a taco salad, but Coy and I got breakfast items. Her taco salad looked really good, but she was sick of me trying to take pictures of her food! I tried to sneak a picture, and you can see her giving me the evil eye!:





LMAO!!! Coy had already starting eating his cinnamon roll, so the only decent food pic I could take was of my blueberry muffin!





It was delicious! In the meantime, I was pushing back our Fast Pass time for Tower of Terror, but it got to the point where I couldn’t push it back any further! The FP was for 2:10 to 3:10 and I was really concerned that we weren’t going to make it! After our lunch/breakfast were on the bus to HS at 2:45 and at the park at 3. We made it through security by 3:10 and we got to ToT at 3:15! Luckily, they let us ride! Right after that, we had a FP for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, so we immediately went there.





After that, we were getting hungry again. Coy and I should have eaten more than just breakfast pastries! I wanted to eat at Catalina Eddie’s, but I couldn’t eat in the heat since I was so hungry. The kids and I decided on ABC Commissary. True got the Bacon Cheeseburger:





Coy got the Asian Salad with Chicken:





I got the Cheeseburger with Fried Shrimp:





We weren’t on the dining plan, so dessert didn’t come with the meals, but Coy and true decided to get the Chocolate Mousse:





I didn’t like my cheeseburger at all. It was so dry – even after adding catsup, mustard and mayo! The fries were fine, so I filled up on those. The pickle was the best part of the meal! Oh, and the shrimp was clearly just frozen shrimp similar to what you get at the grocery store. I asked True if she liked her burger and she said it was really good! Actually, the words she used were, “super delicious”! I’m glad she liked it. Coy also said that he loved his salad! I wished I had gotten that instead! This was the second time that we had eaten at ABC Commissary and it was the second time that I didn’t enjoy my meal. Oh! And to add insult to injury, they had “The Chew” playing on a loop in there! I kept looking at the TV, wishing I could have some of the food they were preparing on the show, rather than eating that dry cheeseburger! True tried some of my burger, and she agreed that it was dry. I don’t think I’ll want to eat at ABC again unless we are deperate!


I did like that we got to see Sue’s Wrestlerette uniform from The Middle:





After we left the restaurant, the kids and I ran into a photo op for Once Upon a Time! We love that show and we jumped at the chance to take a picture with Elsa and our favorite baddie, The Evil Queen Regina!:











After that, we went on Star Tours and we really enjoyed it! Unfortunately, the ride made True’s stomach a little upset. None of us are the type to get sick from rides, so I think that we just went on too soon after eating, and the ride jostled her little tummy a bit too much! Thankfully, she didn’t actually “get sick”, so we sat down outside and I got her a Coke to settle her stomach. I wished that they had ginger ale, because that’s what she usually drinks when her stomach is upset, but I was pretty sure a Coke would do the trick, too. Coy saw that they were selling funnel cakes at the kiosk where I got True a drink, so he got a funnel cake with cinnamon sugar, ice cream, and strawberries! It looked so good, but Coy didn’t share! Haha! I also didn’t get a picture since I was making sure True was sipping on her Coke and taking deep breaths. After a while, she felt a little better. A Cast Member sweeping the area just randomly walked up to True and gave her two of those round Mickey stickers. True out one of the Mickey stickers on my shirt and one on hers.


The kids didn’t feel like sitting around any longer, so we got up and went to The great Movie Ride. I figured that would be the best place for True to relax while we could all enjoy the ride. We got the gangster side – as usual – but we loved it. Coy was able to recognize even more movies during and at the end of the ride. True was able to remember a few things from the ride from our last trip years ago. True’s stomach was still upset, so we decided to leave instead of hopping over to EPCOT, but the kids also wanted to do a little shopping on the way out. I considered getting these PJs, but I didn’t:





At check out, a CM saw my sticker and asked if I was a Sticker Princess. I proudly said, “Yes, I am!” and he made a button for me that said, “Erin the Sticker Princess”!





Coy took a picture of me:





Then we took a family picture in front of the sorcerer’s hat:





True was feeling better by then, so I asked the kids if they wanted to see Fantasmic, but they both said that they would rather do it another day. So with that, we ended our short day at HS and went back to our resort. I can’t remember what True got at the souvenir shop, but here’s a pic of the figurine collector packs that Coy got:





We went to sleep shortly after getting back to the resort because we had a big day planned for Animal Kingdom the next day!

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

Oh, Erin I'm sooooo far behind! Between work, family, and getting ready for our DC trip I just haven't had much time to DIS! And then I'd get more behind so I started avoiding the DIS so I didn't have to catch up! I just updated my PTR with non Disney rambling because I just felt bad for being neglectful. Anyway, I'm here now and going to try to catch up this afternoon- but forgive me if I don't comment on every post I've missed!

Whew, all caught up! Love all the pics and it sounds like a magical day- you guys got so much accomplished! Now I'm off to check out your PTR!

I'm glad you're all caught up! Now there's one more post for you to read on your way home from DC I have really been enjoying following your trip on FB! I really wish we were able to meet! Stupid knee!!!

 

[Victoriasmom98]

By the way….how is your knee? Sorry I haven’t asked you that on Facebook. Bad Ann, and yet I ask for an update and here it is….Yay!!!

I will have to remember to have everyone open the door with the Magic Bands when we first get to the room. I would have never thought of that! Thanks for pointing that out!I always do laundry while sitting by the pool. Hey, why waste the time just watching the laundry spin, right? This time we will have a washer/dryer right there in the room, so that will be pretty cool. Did you know that if you stay at the DVC studios you can do your laundry for free in a “special” laundry room. Way awesome!

YAY for Rock n Rollercoaster ---- one of our favorite rides. Boy, you guys just made it by the skin of your teeth!!! Did you see where Steve Tyler was there last week??!! Oh, that must have been so cool to see him and ride it with him!!As you know by my TR’s the Commissary is a staple for us and you got MY meal!!! It’s always been good when I’ve ordered it, so it’s too bad that yours wasn’t tasty this time. OMG the Chew loop is sooooo annoying and old. I swear they haven’t changed it up for at least 3 years now!! I would love to eat at Pizza Planet, but Victoria doesn’t like pizza, so that’s out. Maybe someday!


I’ve tried to power watch Once on Netflix but after about 2 episodes I can no longer sit there and watch tv. Well, unless I’m sick --- then I usually fall asleep. It looks really good, though. I’m sorry to read that True’s tummy was upset. That sucks but at least her Mama took care of her with a Coke! Coke heals all wounds!! LOL! I love getting those Mickey stickers! They are perfect when you are scrapbooking! And look at what wearing that sticker got you ---- a super duper awesome celebration pin!! Way to go!

Looking forward to the next update on AK. The Dis has been REALLY SLOW lately and no one is posting much. I don’t have much to post right now as everything is done until Day 60!! I could do a real life update, but if I wait until after this weekend I can post about Victoria & my trip to Boston for her to see her Halsey concert. I would have liked to meet the kid she’s going to the concert with, but that didn’t happen as planned. I plan on staying at the hotel and just have her take a taxi over. Both the hotel and venue are in Cambridge, so I feel pretty safe about it. (I think). She’s 17 years old after all……she’ll have her phone and I’ll have her put that tracker app or whatever it is on it. After the concert she’ll just take a taxi back to the hotel. I think this will work out fine.

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

Hi, Guys! I’m back! I’m sure I have lost the majority of my readers by now! LOL! I had knee surgery on March 26 and I have been recovering slowly but surely. It’s been too slow, in my opinion, but I can tell I am getting better. I’ll admit that I was feeling a little depressed for a while because I didn’t have the mobility that I thought I would have right after surgery. It sucks limping around everywhere! But my knee is getting stronger and I only get a slight limp at the end of the day because my knee is either tired or stiff. It is getting better day by day, though! I am happy now! Even though I did have to postpone my trip that I was planning on taking in May with the kids… But the good news is that I rescheduled the trip for October so that we could do a Halloween trip again this year! If you are interested in those plans, I have a PTR linked below!


But let’s get back to this trip! I’d like to have this TR done before I take my kids on our next trip! LOL! We woke up in the morning of October 28th ready to go! We weren’t lazy like we were the day before because we had stuff to get done! We had to go to the Animal Kingdom that day! So the kids and I got ready and we were out the door at a decent time. We took a moment to take a picture in front of RC from Toy Story. We may not have been super happy about the room at ASMo but we loved the theming!





We hopped on the bus and went straight to Expedition Everest to use our first Fast Pass of the day! The kids took turns with who would sit next to me, so True was very unhappy that she had to sit by herself on this ride:




LOL! She was POed! She had fun, though! Coy and I were obviously enjoying the ride:






After that, we walked through Asia…





…and made our way to Africa…



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Finally, it was our turn to eat at Tusker House!






Yum Yum Yum!





I actually texted this picture of the kids to their dad because Coy looks just like him in this picture!





Yes, sometimes I can be nice to my ex-husband! Especially when I see how much Coy is growing up! Coy is grinning just like his dad does, so I had to show my ex!

Next we saw Mickey!





Then Goofy!





We were seated in this little alcove, so it was nice to have a little bit of privacy since the restaurant can get a little loud. I might ask for this area the next time we go to Tusker House:





True started acting crazy!




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LOL! It was time to go!


I love the way Disney makes everything look so authentic! I loved the fabric hanging from the ceiling and the texture of the walls:







True had to run to the bathroom, so I asked Coy to pose for a picture while we waited:





My handsome kid!

When we left Tusker House, we decided to do something we never had before. We decided to see:

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

… Continued from previous post


The kids and I went to the Festival of the Lion King and we LOVED it! I tried to take pictures, but they just weren’t coming out, so I sat back and enjoyed the show. The kids and I couldn’t believe all of the awesome acrobatic tricks that the performers were doing! And the singing was just amazing! I would highly recommend going if you have never been. We will definitely be going back! After that, we went on Kilimanjaro Safaris so that we could visit the Harambe Wildlife Reserve:





























We got to see so many animals! I was taking pictures nonstop and my phone almost fell out of my hand during the bumpy parts of the ride! Don’t worry – I’m taking a real camera with a strap next time! LOL! After that, we went to go see the baby gorilla! He was really active!











The kids and I thought these skulls were cool:





Then the kids saw a woman playing Mancala, and they sat down so that True could play a game.









After that, it was time for a cool, refreshing treat! The kids went to a little cart to get ice cream while I went to Tamu Tamu and got a pineapple soft serve with coconut rum! It was SO GOOD!!!





True got a Mickey Ice Cream Bar:





Coy got a frozen lemonade:


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The kids and I walked around for a little bit while we ate our ice cream. We took a few pictures and window shopped as we made our way over to Dinoland USA!

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

… Continued from previous post

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By the time we got to Dinoland USA, we were done with our ice cream, so we hopped in line to ride Dinosaur!
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The kids and I decided we needed to start making crazy faces again for the ride photos! We had so much fun on this trip doing that! We got really lucky and got to go on a car by ourselves!:





Those were our scared faces! I loved the picture so much that I brought the frame for it in the ride gift shop! After that, we rode again! We rode Dinosaur! so many times on this trip! It is a new favorite of ours. Then we rode on my least favorite ride, Primeval Whirl!





I was dreading getting on these cars!:





But we got in and the ride wasn’t as bad as it was a few years ago. I figured it was because my kids are the size of adults now, so we fit nicely into the car. When they were little, they banged and bumped into me so much that my hips hurt after riding Primeval Whirl! It was still a herky jerky ride, but it was more fun than any of us remembered!


On the way out of the ride, I somehow lost my way in the maze of paths, and the kids and I ended up making a circle instead of leaving the ride area! Coy had to lead the way!:







After that was another first for us: Finding Nemo! That was an amazing show, as well! Not at all what I expected!





The kids and I did just about everything we wanted to do at Animal Kingdom, so we decided to head over to EPCOT for dinner:





Don’t let the sign in the picture fool you! We STILL didn’t get food that night from Food and Wine! Don’t worry, we did eventually! The first thing I wanted to do was stop by Club Cool:





Still no Beverly!!!


I took a picture of some flowers:





Then we decided to go to Mexico and get nachos from La Cantina de San Angel.





Coy also got Churros:




The nachos were delicious!!! They were very filling, but Coy still had room for the churros! After we ate, we decided to go back to the resort rather than visit any attractions at EPCOT. We had a full day!

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

By the way….how is your knee? Sorry I haven’t asked you that on Facebook. Bad Ann, and yet I ask for an update and here it is….Yay!!!

I will have to remember to have everyone open the door with the Magic Bands when we first get to the room. I would have never thought of that! Thanks for pointing that out!I always do laundry while sitting by the pool. Hey, why waste the time just watching the laundry spin, right? This time we will have a washer/dryer right there in the room, so that will be pretty cool. Did you know that if you stay at the DVC studios you can do your laundry for free in a “special” laundry room. Way awesome!

YAY for Rock n Rollercoaster ---- one of our favorite rides. Boy, you guys just made it by the skin of your teeth!!! Did you see where Steve Tyler was there last week??!! Oh, that must have been so cool to see him and ride it with him!!As you know by my TR’s the Commissary is a staple for us and you got MY meal!!! It’s always been good when I’ve ordered it, so it’s too bad that yours wasn’t tasty this time. OMG the Chew loop is sooooo annoying and old. I swear they haven’t changed it up for at least 3 years now!! I would love to eat at Pizza Planet, but Victoria doesn’t like pizza, so that’s out. Maybe someday!


I’ve tried to power watch Once on Netflix but after about 2 episodes I can no longer sit there and watch tv. Well, unless I’m sick --- then I usually fall asleep. It looks really good, though. I’m sorry to read that True’s tummy was upset. That sucks but at least her Mama took care of her with a Coke! Coke heals all wounds!! LOL! I love getting those Mickey stickers! They are perfect when you are scrapbooking! And look at what wearing that sticker got you ---- a super duper awesome celebration pin!! Way to go!

Looking forward to the next update on AK. The Dis has been REALLY SLOW lately and no one is posting much. I don’t have much to post right now as everything is done until Day 60!! I could do a real life update, but if I wait until after this weekend I can post about Victoria & my trip to Boston for her to see her Halsey concert. I would have liked to meet the kid she’s going to the concert with, but that didn’t happen as planned. I plan on staying at the hotel and just have her take a taxi over. Both the hotel and venue are in Cambridge, so I feel pretty safe about it. (I think). She’s 17 years old after all……she’ll have her phone and I’ll have her put that tracker app or whatever it is on it. After the concert she’ll just take a taxi back to the hotel. I think this will work out fine.

My knee is much better, Ann. Thanks! I appreciate that you remind me that I need to update! Lucky you, that you will have a washer and dryer in your suite! That will be so convenient! I would have loved that, instead of getting locked out of the laundry room! No, I didn’t see that Steve Tyler was in WDW. How cool! I’m with Victoria on the pizza thing! I really don’t like it. I used to love it, but my ex ordered it every Friday when we were married, so I just got sick of it! So there is no way I would go to Pizza Planet either!


I haven’t been to your PTR yet today. Did you post about Cambridge and the concert? The kids and I love Cambridge! We’re hoping to go back to Boston soon!

 

[Victoriasmom98]

ok, did I miss the link????

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

ok, did I miss the link????

Oops! I am having a hard time with formatting things on the boards! I was messing with my second post for a long time before I had to just give up! I will add the link when I get home, but it is the same PTR I was using for the May trip

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Looks like another fun and busy day!

 

[Victoriasmom98]

Nope, you didn’t lose me ---- I’m still here!!! And like I’ve said before, I think a Halloween trip is awesome!!! There are no parties scheduled for when we are there in September --- we missed it by a week, oh well.
Did you ever tell us why you didn’t like the room at ASMo? I’ll have to go back and read if you did. That little racer car is cute, though.
OMG doesn’t True looked pissed!!! OH, I sooooo know this look as I’ve received it frequently from my little angel! Hey, she at least got to ride EE! I love this ride!! I especially love the front car the best!! You do realize that the pics of True being silly are perfect blackmail photos, right?! LOL!
Don’t you just LOVE LOVE LOVE Tusker House? That is an absolute MUST-DO for Victoria. I don’t know why as most breakfast buffets are the same, but she goes nutso. I think she may have a secret crush on Safari Donald, but who knows for sure. I’m glad you guys enjoyed it.
You had never seen Festival of the Lion King?? Wow!! That is such a beautiful show, but yes, the pictures are hard to get if you want good ones! Your pictures of the safari are awesome! You got some really good shots!
You got a car all to yourselves at Dinosaur!!??? What happened, did the dinosaur really eat the other riders?? So cool! I could ride that one over and over again. As for Primevil Whirl though --- nope! Way too rough on the back for me!
Glad you enjoyed Finding Nemo the Musical. I’ve seen it a couple of times and if there was time I’d see it again, but it’s not a must-do for me. It is very cute, though.
I love how you finished out your day in Epcot. I can’t wait to park hop with the annual passes. OMG! How fun is it, huh? Do you feel like you waste time being on the buses in between parks or do you look at it like a nice break? I just can’t imagine being able to do whatever we wanted due to the AP’s. Is it going to spoil me now for every trip I take??? Am I always going to want them?? I bet I will.
Well, I’m glad you’re back here posting!!!! I’m one to talk as I haven’t been posting, but really, until I hit the 60 day fast pass ressie mark, there’s not a whole lot to talk about……

 

[LuvEeyore]

All caught up.(after being about 2 months behind!) Love the funny faces on your ride photos.
Just so you know, you aren't the only one who is behind on their trip report. I've got to get it done so I can start my pretrippie and add my ticker for my next trip.