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Day 5 Friday Oct. 18.
We were def. dragging this morning, but I do think the naps helped. Today we were headed to MGM. We went straight for Tower of Tower and only DH
and I rode. (very fun!) DD (9) got up the nerve to do Rock n Roller Coaster and loved it. We got FP for our second ride (lines were getting
longer) and headed to Who wants to be a Millionaire. DH made top ten and DD (13) loved this. A kid made it to the hot seat first (got lucky!) and that
was kinda funny. DH and DD (9) headed back to RnR and the rest of us did Little Mermaid (DS was still a bit wound up about "scary" shows...but did
okay) Then on to Backlot tour (which he did fine on). We had lunch at ABC Comm. (?) .. I had the Asian noodes ... a nice change. Everyone else did
chicken again. Next, Honey... Playground, Muppets (DS wouldn't even put on his glasses... ugh!), and the Movie Ride. We got FP for Indiana Jones and
found a place for the parade. Another good one and the kids had ice cream sandwiches. We all enjoyed Indiana Jones and then DD (13) got brave and
wanted to try Star Tours. DS and I wandered while we waited... we ran into Kermit and Woody/Buzz/Jessie w/ NO lines! DS was SO happy! We got kids
meals in plastic lunch boxes at the rest. near Star Tours and carried them to Fantasmic. (this worked great! We had to get 3, but the kids were
thrilled) DH and I got Hot dogs there. We arrived about an hr. early and got good seats, but not in the middle ... it was amazing how many people!
We sat next to very nice people and the wait was pleasant. We all loved Fantasmic (DH says it's his favorite) DS loved that Mickey "beat" all the
bad guys. It's crazy getting out of there... but CM's were handing out extra abandoned strollers , so that was a huge help. DD (9) wanted to shop,
so we stopped and let the crowds thin out a bit. (she got a hat and I got a licence plate)
A great day!!
Day 6... Saturday Oct. 19
Today we were finishing Epcot. We had hoped to leave before fireworks time, but didn't make it. LOL We got stuck behind the rope and still ended up w/
a 20 min. wait at Test Track. We opted for FP and went and did the Energy ride (?)... everyone loved this... another favorite. We all did Test
Track... and DH says he was not impressed (he had not ridden before) but the kids loved it. (though DS did not want to ride again LOL) We then went to
the "human body" building (can't think of the name...) and DH and DD (9) did Body Wars and loved it. We all saw the Making of Me and really enjoyed it.
I thought it was very approp. for my 9 and 13 yr. old and enough above the head of the 4yr. old that it didn't matter. We then saw the other show ????
(the 12 yr. old brain one...) and we all enjoyed this too. We messed around here a bit, but we were all getting hungry...so...
We headed over to the Land for lunch (very crazy... we got there right at 12 and everyone wanted something diff. , so we were in lines forever. ) I got
our FP for The Land and we had a light lunch finally. Then Lion King and The Land. The kids and I got in line for the kids cooking area and were
very frustrated w/ not getting a spot. The CM just had parents raise their hand w/ how many "hats" they need and being just under 5ft, my raised hand
was missed for a number of families behind us. Oh well, they kids were a bit upset, but it was almost time for the Ice Cream Social, so that helped.
We has a 3 PS and got in pretty quickly. Great "plain" ice cream... very pretty and yummy, but nothing to upset my picky eaters (DH is the worst!)
We were suprised to only be given water (in cute cups for the kids) and not even offered soda. (yeah for my budget! I'm sure they would have brought
it, but I didn't mind saving a bit. LOL) We enjoyed the revolving rest. and the characters. This was nice way to do "cheap" character meal.
We made a quick run through the Living Seas... we were not that impressed...maybe we tried to do it too quickly??
We did Figment (a big hit!) and DH took the girls and did Honey I shrunk the Aud. . No way I was taking DS. LOL We did Figment again. We sent postcards
from here, but no one got them : (
Next to World Showcase. It was the first day of the Wine Festival and things were VERY busy. We also ran into the end of the parade... and got
stuck. We enjoyed the statues and searched stores for a Mulan "something" for DD (9).
We split up for dinner (I wanted something more interesting than burgers again). DH took DS and ended up spending the whole hr. at the trains
display. The girls and I had Japanese for dinner (the kids meals were very generous and the girls were very happy) We planned to meet at Maelstrom
(sp?) but it was broken (it just opened after being refurbished...so it was open but closed. LOL) it was a fav. on our last trip so the girls were
disapointed. We went into Mexico and DS loved this ride... so we did it 3 times w/out getting off. The girls bought Mexican hats for their dolls and
we headed for the gates. We stopped at the Coke place and watched the "dancing water". A bit more shopping at the big shop here and of course we
managed to walk out of here, just as the fireworks ended. LOL So, we and everyone else, headed to the buses.
Day 7 Sunday Oct 20
Today is our last park day... and as much as we want to get to the parks, I think we all kinda wanted to just sleep in and relax a bit. We decided to
split up again... the girls liked MGM the best but there just isn't as much for DS to do there. We will meet at the castle after lunch at 2pm.
DH and the girls head to Rock n Roller coaster, Star Tours and Million. DS and I head for Fantasyland and Buzz. We arrived at opening again and I
asked DS what he wanted to do more than anything, he said the horse trolley on Main Street. LOL It wasn't running, so we took a car ride to the castle.
We did the Merry go round, Peter Pan and Small World w/ out a wait and got a FP for Pooh. We headed back to Main Street and had to go all the way to the
gates to catch the Trolley (back to where we started! LOL) He was VERY happy. We then rode Pooh w/ no wait and headed to Tomorrowland. We got FP
for Buzz and rode the Transit Auth. until our time. (doesn't take much to make a 4yr. old happy). We had a great time on Buzz and picked up another
"car" for his collection. We then walked to Frontierland and rode the paddle wheel boat and then did Pirates again. We walked back towards Main
Street and had hotdogs for lunch at Casey's. (great w/ cheese!) He wanted one last Trolley ride so we headed to the stop only to be told they were
already done for the day. So, we opted for the Train, rode to Toontown and walked to meet the others in front of the castle. One last bit of
shopping.. and a trip to the camera shop to take some fun pics, and we were done and headed for the bus.
Back at the hotel, we took the boat ride to PO-FQ to try out the pool w/ the slide and the kids had a great time....though I think DD (9) highlight was
the Lilo tatoos they were handing out. LOL The boat ride was very nice and we decided to take the other one in the evening to Downtown Disney. After
the swim, DH and DS stayed at the hotel and had a great time feeding all our extra bread to the ducks and the girls and I took the boat to DD. We
shopped some more, traded a few more pins (DD (9) wanted one from each park) and I even let the girls have ice cream for dinner! LOL The kid's sundae at
Giridell...'s. (?) was only $4 and was great and even came w/ a "treat" bag. We finally could go no further so headed back by boat. Back at the hotel,
we packed and got to bed at a decent hour.
Day 8 Monday Oct. 21
Up at 8 and an easy check out. We checked our bags and headed to our 1900 Park Fair Breakfast. This was the only morning that there was a backup for
buses, but we weren't due there until 10:10 so we were fine. We took the bus to MK and a boat to the Grand Floridian. Again, we were almost an hour
early, but got right in. Mary Poppins was in the foyer (this place was crazy... they def. need another system... tons of people waiting, going in
, going out AND trying to see Mary P. .. very congested. Breakfast was VERY good. Lots of fresh looking food, great omlets, ham, strawberry soup,
breads, meat, cereal and toppings... everything look good. We met Pooh, Alice, The Mad Hatter and Eeyore. We all really enjoyed this. Of course we
had to check out the shops here and the girls spend their last dollars. We took the monorail back to the MK.... after riding it around the loop twice
to make DS happy. Back at our hotel, we hung out a bit, traded a few more pins and waited for Tiffany. We ended up w/ another great driver (though a
different one, after being assured we would have the same and accepting the full tip.. so we had to tip again.. but not a big deal) Getting through the
Orlando airport was a bit busier than Nashville, but still pretty easy. The flight home was easy... the kids still had treats in their embroidered
bags..
So... it was a wonderful week... I don't guess you can ever do everything... I keep thinking of things we didn't do... so I guess we'll
have to just go back again. LOL
Dollarless tips and travel tips...
We "collected" Disney shirts for each kid from Goodwill, so they had a diff. one to wear each day.
Those Snow White Dwarf pins that pin collectors hate, did turn out to be great for the kids.... and at about $10 for 10, a great deal.
Trading pins turned out to be a fairly dollarless thing... the girls were very happy w/ just trading and not adding.
I bought light sticks off ebay (200 for about $17) and these were a HUGE hit w/ the kids... and everyone else. I handed them out to the kids each night
and we all wore them. Then the kids gave them to other kids on the buses on the way home. And we still have about 100 left!
The kids each wore a fanny pack and carried their own autograph book, marker and ID card. The girls each had a small camera. We picked up
Fan/spray bottles at Walmart for $2 each and these kept the kids busy (and cool! LOL) We kept these in batteries from the huge bag of AA's that were
given my daughter for free by the photo counter at Walgreens.
Once I convinced everyone, sharing meals worked great.
Splurge and let the kids have dessert for dinner... it saves money and is such a treat.
Hmmm... I don't know what else... the whole trip was very dollarless... it's just the way we do things. (my DD's won a "cheap" contest this Summer that
local newspaper runs! LOL)
Thanks for everything.... and letting me share our great week... this loop was a huge help. Please feel free to ask any questions... I hope I can help
someone like I've been helped by all of you.
Jennie
Part One, Part Two
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