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Day One
Cast: Jennifer (me) Turning 29 while there
Daughter Brynne (Rhymes with "grin") Age 2.5
Kelley - long-time friend, age 27
Gabriel, Kelley's 4 year old son
I debated reporting on the drive, but I know there are others who
debate flying vs. driving, so I thought I would include it. We live in
Michigan, and knew when we began planning the trip that we would have to
drive. I have heard people say that they would never drive, that they would
use those days for more vacation time. For many people, and definitely for
us, it isn't really an either/or question. We didn't have the budget for
plane tickets, let alone for extra days in a hotel and parks.
So we found ourselves with a packed-to-the-gills mini-van departing on
Thursday, September 5th at 1:30 in the afternoon. It wasn't good. But it
wasn't horrible either. The kids did fine through dinner time. We didn't
break out the DVD player until we were stuck in a traffic jam on the other
side of Lexington. We stopped in Knoxville at my sister's house around 12:30
A.M. We set the alarm for 6:00, at which time we hated the whole idea. But
the kids slept in their carseats until 8:00 or so, and then we stopped to
dress them and have breakfast and take advantage of the McDonald's playland.
Pressing on, we did whatever had to be done, mostly singing Disney songs and
getting things out of the kids' travel bags. We had packed quite a few gifts
to occupy them, but would probably not bother next time. We didn't end up
even giving most of them to them. It was really the music that did the most
good. There were times that no gift or promise of Mickey would help, and we
just had to deal with it. There weren't many awful moments, and I suppose if
the only way to get there in the future is by driving, I would do it again.
It took us about 13.5 hours to get from Knoxville to WDW, including a
stop at the Disney Information Center in Ocala. That gave us the final push
we needed to go the last hour and a half.
We arrived at All-Star Movies at 7:30, only to find out that the
preferred room that we had requested (and payed for) was not available. We
were put in the Toy Story building for the night with the promise of being
moved the next day, and the extra ten dollars per night was refunded for the
entire week. I wasn't upset, especially after I knew that they had refunded
the whole week, and I could have a preferred room the next night. (Our main
reason for wanting one was security, as we hadn't brought our husbands with
us.) After finding our room and seeing the surroundings, I called the front
desk to tell them not to bother moving us. We didn't want to have to stay
packed and the room and location was fine. Definitely a note for next time,
not to pay extra. But I guess I really had to see for myself. By the end of
the week, though, it DID seem farther from the main building when I was
tired. :) The kids loved "Andy's Room", especially the huge Buzz. The
theming was great for their ages. While I knew that we were in a value
resort, and I would have enjoyed something more upscale, it was definitely
adequate, super-clean, quiet enough and perfect for this trip.
We bought refillable mugs and ate in the food court. The food was
pretty good, but I think we would reconsider the mugs next time. I think we
could have had pop from our cooler easier, and I think we were trying to get
our money's worth, rather than benefitting from the purchase. We then let
the kids swim for a little bit, and headed for bed. We were all exhausted,
and we wanted to be ready for MGM in the morning.
Day Two
We woke up with a call from Mickey, which I knew to play on the
speaker phone. (By the way, it became a joke between Kelley and me how much
I knew before we got there. I kept saying, "I read about that" through the
whole trip. When she came out of the bathroom and said, "The toilets about
whisk you away" and I said, "Yeah, I read that they were loud'" she said,
"Some things you should just discover for yourself." ) The kids were
excited, and ate Mickey Mouse cereal that we brought from home. We headed
for the bus stop.
I was a little concerned that the umbrella strollers that we brought
would be a pain on the bus, having heard from so many that they were, and
that we should rent. It was definitely no big deal, and saved us about $60
each. I wouldn't hesitate to bring them again. Of course for this first
day, I was "prepared" for anything, with a bag full of bottled water,
sunscreen, diapers, wipes, bug spray, extra clothes - you name it, I had it.
(Except for the moleskin, which fell out of the bag in the room.) My
waistpack had my ID, my passes, room keys, camera, fim and money.
The Disney transportation was easy, and not a huge time-waster. After
driving from MI, my goal was to not set foot in the van until we left for
home.
We got to MGM, were checked by security, and headed for the Mickey
Fantasia hat. We purchased Magical Moments pins there, and then went to see
The Llittle Mermaid. Brynne loved it, and asked to do it again. We did, and
there was no line either time. We then saw Playhouse Disney - the kids
danced and sang and were overall awestruck.
We were walking after that, deciding what to do next, when we saw
MIinnie Mouse. We were all so excited, and my little girl hugged her and
kissed her on the nose. I had been afraid that she wouldn't like the
characters, but she did great. Walking a little farther, we saw Sorcerer
Mickey in a room - all by himself! Of course, we joined him and had pictures
taken, and them Minnie Mouse came in, too. We played for a few minutes, and
finally some others came in. I was starting to get the idea that there might
really be no crowds at all! After that we saw Lilo and Stitch, (Stitch tried
to take Brynne "home" with him.) and Goofy.
We ate at the Sci-Fi Theater, which was pretty good. I wasn't really
hungry yet, so I ate some of the spinach and artichoke dip and tortilla
chips. The kids had chicken nuggets and Kelley ate a child's pasta dish.
Everybody was happy with lunch and ready to see more.
We tried the Muppet 3D movie, and the kids did OK. I don't think
Gabriel liked it much, but he didn't get scared. Brynne kept flinching, and
would peek over her glasses occassionally, but I think she liked it.
We watched the Stars and Motorcars parade, saw Indiana Jones, played
in the Honey I Shrunk the Kids Movie set and then watched Beauty and the
Beast. At this point, Brynne developed a complete adoration of Belle. We
spent the rest of the week searching for Belle.
At one point, Brynne and I went to a gift shop and I bought the Mickey
Mouse black sandals that were everywhere. I had a pretty bad blister on my
heel from my tennis shoes, so I was ready to take them off. (Remember the
moleskin that fell out back in the room? It was way too late for that
anyway, and I ended up being very comfortable in the sandals for the rest of
the week.) Anyway, while we were there, a cast member named Nephtalia began
talking to Brynne. He was so nice to her, and even gave her a pin for her
lanyard! I took a picture of him with her. Brynne didn't understand pin
trading yet, and she didn't want to let go of any of hers, even when I tried
to show her that she had duplicates. She is pretty young for it, so I wasn't
surprised or disappointed. By the way, she wouldn't wear the Magical Moments
pin, and I wasn't very impressed with it. The backs kept falling off, and I
was afraid I would lose it. And since the kids saw them flashing whenever
they touched them, it was no big deal when it flashed on its own. I was
never really sure that it was flashing on its own, and I ended up returning
it the following day. Kelley eventually returned hers, too.
We went to see Fantasmic, but before it started, I realized that my
camera was gone. I couldn't believe it, because I thought I had been so
careful. It is about a $250 camera, and I always take tons of pictures. I
tried not to let it upset me, knowing I would take souvenir money and replace
it if necessary, as pictures would be the best souvenir anyway, but it was
hard to concentrate on the show. Brynne fell asleep right as it started, and
woke up for the end. She loved the fireworks, and wanted to see them every
night afterward. I was surprised she could sleep, as loud as it was. After
Fantasmic, we checked Lost And Found - nothing - and went to the hotel to get
some sleep.
Day Three
I woke early, before the alarm, worrying about my camera. I called
Lost & Found, only to find that they don't open until 9:00. After taking a
shower and getting Brynne ready, I called again. Still no camera. The guy
said that it usually takes two or three days for things to get to them. I
gave a description and my information and we got directions to the nearest
Target. I bought another camera, a less expensive one than I had had, and I
asked what their return policy was, "just in case". He said that there is a
15% restocking fee if it returned with a receipt within 90 days. I kept the
receipt in the safe with money in the room.
We scaled down what we brought to the park. I took a large ziplock
bag with diapers/wipes and sunscreen, as well as the kids' autograph books.
Of course, my waistpack with essentials, too.
We caught a bus to Epcot, where I exchanged the Magical Moments pin
for three regular pins and we walked right on to Spaceship Earth. It was the
first "trainlike" ride that we were on, and Brynne threw her arms up in the
air and sang Zippity Doo Dah (Zippity Goo-bah) through the whole thing. (We
watched the Disneyland Fun Sing-along video 3 times a day for a month before
we left. I think it helped her to know what to expect with the characters and
the rides.)
It was raining when we got out, so we went to the Land Pavillion and
had lunch there. Brynne had a new outfit on, and the pants were too big, so
I had been asking everyone I saw if they had a safety pin. At the sandwhich
place in the Land, the girl said she had one in her purse, and she went to
get it for me. I was so touched, and very appreciative. It definitely saved
us from hiking her pants up all day.
We had a 3:00 Ice Cream Social PS so we hung around the Land a lot
longer than we would have. The ice cream was pretty good, but the characters
were wonderful. (Mickey, Pluto and Chip) Brynne gave them all her customary
kiss on the nose, and they colored with her. Gabe played Tic-Tac-Toe with
Chip, and with a little help from his mom.
We left the Land, (Finally!) and saw the fountain with the water
spurting from the ground. It had stopped raining, and was very hot again.
(It had been very hot the day before at MGM, too). Gabe and Brynne wanted to
play in the fountain, but there were some big kids, maybe not even kids, that
were pushing each other around roughly in it, so we couldn't let them. We
went to the UK, and saw Pooh and friends. I am not a big Pooh fan, but
Piglet made my day when a sleepy Brynne curled up in his arms and put her
head on his shoulder. He held her, and rubbed her back, and she stayed there
so long that other people started taking pictures.
We saw Aladdin, Jasmine and the Genie in Morocco. Brynne was a little
intimidated by the Genie, but let Aladdin and Jasmine hold her hand in the
picture. When Jasmine called Brynne "Princess", Brynne said that she wasn't
a princess, she is Brynne Jin Young Lennox. By the end of the week, she
thought she was Belle. :)
The Tapestry of Dreams Parade was cancelled due to wind. I was
disappointed. We wandered the rest of the World Showcase, and then found a
spot for lluminations. It was a neat show, and of course, Brynne loved the
fireworks.
Day Four
We had planned to be in the Magic Kingdom that day, Monday, 9/9, but
the heat and travel had worn us out. We decided to take our "break day"
then. We didn't set the alarm, but were up before 8:00 anyway. We got ready
and headed for Downtown Disney. This was as much fun as a park, almost. We
went to the Christmas shop, and the new toy store, where I bought my, uh,
Brynne's much-anticipated potato head. (It's for Brynne. Really.) I also
bought Christmas gifts for my nieces and nephew to leave in Knoxville on the
way back home. I loved the World of Disney store, and I bought Brynne a
Belle nightgown. She would wear it all day, every day, if I would let her.
I also bought souvenirs for my husband and step-son back home, and a few odds
and ends, totaling $150 with the DC discount.
We ate at the Rainforest Cafe. The food was good, and I had a coupon
for a free appetizer, thanks to Cris on this list. It was amazing how two
$12.99 entrees split with the kids could total $33.00, with the DC discount,
even. I am glad the appetizer was free. But there was plenty of food, and
we didn't even eat 2/3 of the entree, between Brynne and I.
Afterward, the kids played in the fountain by the Christmas Shoppe.
They had a blast, and it was so funny to watch them. There were three
"older" ladies that were walking by at one point. The water wasn't spurting,
and one of them started walking through the fountain area. I started to get
nervous, but before I could say anything, she got sprayed. She didn't even
flinch, just kept right on walking. When she got out, she said, "That felt
wonderful!" I want to be like her when I am that age.
When we returned to the hotel, we let the kids swim in the pool, and
we ate at the food court. It was a magical, relaxed day.
Day Five-Seven
Tuesday, 9/10 - We got up early, and took the bus to MK, arriving
shortly before 9:00. As I had read is the case lately, they did not open the
gates early at all. I went to the Town Hall and got a Birthday Button. I
think Kelley thought it was a little strange, but I wanted to see what would
happen.
We went right to Fantasyland, where we rode everything, most of it
twice or three times. There were no lines, and in some cases, we didn't even
have to get off if we didn't want to. Brynne was a little scared of Peter
Pan, so we got off while Gabe and Kelley rode it again. We all did It's A
Small World twice, Brynne singing at the top of her lungs. She even sang in
Spanish! We all loved the Winnie the Pooh ride, and then we did the teacups
and ToonTown. There were no lines to see the characters, and we saw
Cinderella and one of the mice. We skipped Pooh and friends, having already
seen them, and Mickey, too. It was so hot, it was hard to focus on very
much. Brynne and Gabe wanted to ride the race car things, so we did. There
was a long line, and it wasn't fun at all (For us adults.) I wished that
Disney made better use of that space. I don't think it even lived up to the
kids' expectations. But this trip was all about them, especially after I
found out that Haunted Mansion was closed. I was willing to do pretty much
whatever Brynne wanted to do, except ride those cars again.
We went to Tomorrowland and rode Buzz Lightyear, which we all liked.
Once Brynne found the joystick part, I wasn't able to shoot much of anything,
as she inevitably had us facing the wrong way. (On the last day, I did
manage to score 765,800 points, but I am not sure how.) We also rode TTA,
and Brynne thought that "Zippity Goo-bah" was appropriate here, too.
We walked over to see Storytime with Belle, thinking, "Aha! She will
definitely see Belle here!" After waiting 20 minutes, and thinking Belle was
late, we consulted our times guide again and found that there is no Storytime
with Belle on Tuesdays. Brynne cried for a little bit, and would not be
consoled with the thought of seeing her Thursday.
Sidenote: I know that there are many who think that 2 year olds
should not be at WDW, and please don't let me start that again, but Brynne
had a great time there. And, as a two-year-old, she occasionally had a
melt-down, but she occasionally does that at home, too.
We went to the castle stage and watched the show. There was a family
there that included a woman in a wheelchair. They were sitting against a
planter, and it was still 15 minutes or so until showtime. About two minutes
before it started, a family came up and parked their strollers and sat in
front of this family, as well as in front of Brynne and me. I was infuriated
at the inconsideration they showed. I said something to one of the mothers,
and she gave me a dirty look, but didn't move. Another woman came up and sat
in front of me, in the spot I had finally adjusted to, and I told her she had
to move. She did, but by then I was pretty irritated. Part of it was the
heat, too. After the show, I had hoped that Belle would come out, but she
didn't.
We loved the Share A Dream Come True parade, and Gabriel got to play
Red Light/Green Light with some of the characters. Brynne was sad that she
didn't get to be in it, but didn't cry. I thought she was probably too
little, especially for a game.
The Birthday Button was kind of fun, with many cast members wishing me
happy birthday throughout the day. At the Horseshoe Saloon show, they gave
me a free ice cream of my choice. That alone was worth it. (It was SO HOT!)
We did everything in Magic Kingdom that we wanted to do, never waiting
in line. I skipped the Country Bears, mostly because as an adoptive parent,
I was annoyed by the new movie and it spoiled the idea of the ride for me.
The rest of our trip consisted of repeating things in the MK that we
liked the best. I never made it to Animal Kingdom, although Kelley and Gabe
went. I wasn't interested in the heat, although it turned out that that was
the coolest day, and I should have gone. But it was nice to spend time alone
with Brynne, and she got to dance with one of Cinderella's mice in the SADCT
parade.
On Thursday, we ate at CRT. The food was good, and there were several
princesses there, including Belle. Brynne was all dressed up in her
"princess" dress and she looked beautiful. (Of course, I am a little
biased.) I was kind of disappointed in the short visits with the princesses
after all of the hype. They barely stopped long enough for pictures, even
after we told Belle that we had been looking for her all week.
After breakfast, Brynne rode some rides in her fancy dress. I had
planned to go back to the room to change her, because we were running late in
the morning I didn't take clothes with me. But the idea of getting to the
bus, the ride, getting to the room and then back was tiring, so I thought I
would just buy her an outfit. The only thing I could find in Fantasyland
were Pooh pajamas. They would have looked like clothes, except I couldn't
find any shoes or sandals in her size. So we go to Storytime with Belle, and
Brynne is picked to be Chip. I should have been embarrassed that my daughter
was up there in pajamas and princess shoes, no socks, but I was so happy for
her that I didn't even care. (OK, well, I was a little embarrassed. But it
was worth it.) We finally got to see Belle, and Brynne even got to hold her
hand in the show and talk to her afterward. All was well with the world.
And if anyone read any of this, thank you. If I have left out any details
that you would like to know, please ask. Oh, and we made the drive home with
very few stops and surprisingly few tears.
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