Wipperfurth Family Trip - August 2003

Who: Me (Debbie - 30) 5th visit
DH (Stuart - 30) 3rd visit
DD (Veronica - 5) 3rd visit
When: August 24 - 31
Resort: All Star Movies, Dalmatians building #4

Day Six: August 29 (Friday) - Magic Kingdom

Up early today since we have an 8:30am PS at Chef Mickey's for breakfast. Got to the MK at 8am and hoped on the resort monorail for the Contemporary. Got our picture taken in front of the big plate and were immediately seated. Right away Chip and Mickey greeted us. Got photos taken of them together with DD. Also got pictures with Pluto, Minnie, and Dale. Buffet was good and we left extremely full. Goofy was near the waiting area so we stopped to get a photo with him. Goofy was so funny! He started tickling DD and they were pretty much rolling around on the floor. I suspect it's because DH had the video camera out.

Today we are spending time at the MK. First thing was to get FP's for Splash Mountain. Got those and saw 5 minute wait so we got in line. I've been to WDW 4 previous times and this is my 1st time on this ride. It was always broken down or too cold. We all loved it and DD was begging to do it again. I had gotten a face full of water (second row); DD and DH (first row) were barely touched. Since we wanted to see most of the attractions we told her that we'd go later in the day for a "cool off" with our FP's. As were leaving the Splash Mountain area we looked longingly at BTMR and wished it wasn't being refurbished but understood the need for repairs.

Next was the Haunted Mansion since there was no wait. Walked right into the elevator. Discussed what was moving, the walls or us, with DH. He's an engineer and has to know how everything works. Got in our Doombuggy. DD was terrified the first time she rode this back in 2001. I wanted to go on it when it was just she and I in February so I came up with a good way for her to enjoy it. Being a 1.5 years older helped too. Anyways, when the heads pop up and scream at you (this is what scared her) I told her to yell back. Pretty soon she thought they were screaming because they were scared of her! So this time since DH was with she thought she would show him how "to not be afraid". It was cute and she now loves this attraction.

At Fantasyland we did all the rides there and used a FP for Winnie the Pooh. Stood in line to meet Ariel (they really need more shade covering there). Went over to do Toontown. Since we were so hot from standing in Ariel's grotto we thought we could do the Judge's tent and get in line for some character greetings. We saw Cinderella, Suzy (the mouse), Belle, Tigger, Pooh, Eeyore, Minnie, Chip and Dale. This took about 1.5 hours with waiting in the 3 different lines. It was nice to be in the air conditioning though. Because of standing for so long my back was bothering me again. DD wanted to go see Mickey but instead I told her to take DH on Goofy's Barnstormer so I could relax for a bit. Saw Goofy at the ride but DD said she already got him (twice) so she would let the other kids take their turn. Donald's boat wasn't working (would have been nice to get wet again). We all walked over to Mickey's house. Of course, while we are in line waiting DD announces to everyone that she needs to go to the bathroom. I asked if could "hold it" until after Mickey, otherwise we would leave the line. She wanted to wait. Luckily she was able to hold it (she had went 15 minutes before so we didn't think it was an emergency or we would have gotten out of line). Also we only had to wait about 5 minutes. I think everyone in front of us wanted to make sure she got in to see Mickey so they went thru pretty fast.

It had started raining around this time so we wandered over to Tomorrowland. DD saw the racecars and wanted to do that but they weren't running due to the rain. Got over to Buzz Lightyear and grabbed FP's then decided to go eat at Cosmic Rays. DH was still full from breakfast so he just got something to drink. I got the 1/2 rotisserie chicken with mashed potatoes and split it with DD. While we were eating the rain started to come down really hard. Luckily DH brought the stroller in with us so that was dry. On the way out we put the poncho over DD and the stroller, and I grabbed my umbrella. Used our FP's and walked into Buzz. I rode with DD and DH was alone. Now came the battle for DH and I. I felt disadvantaged because DD wanted to keep spinning our vehicle. I only lost by 200 points! Needless to say DH rubbed it in for the rest of the day. I asked for a re-match but we never made it over there again. Went back over to Frontierland to ride Splash Mountain again, using the FP's we picked up earlier in the day. We found the tip from MFL of being able to use FP's at anytime after the scheduled time on pass to be extremely useful. This time I stayed dry (in second row again) while DD and DH got wet.

Started thinking about leaving to go relax and swim back at resort. While walking past the Hall of Presidents I asked if we could take a break there for a little bit (my lower back was protesting any more walking without a break). This is another 1st for me since anything political is way over my head. But it was dark and cool. I apparently knew enough to be able to follow along while DD still didn't nap and DH did. Since we were refreshed we thought a bit of shopping would be fun.

Got as far as Casey's and I had to have a hot dog. Even though we had lunch only a couple hours earlier, I was starving. DD had eaten pretty much the whole lunch leaving me with very little, apparently she was hungry and eating so I let her. Anyways, I got a hot dog (which DD again ate most of). Walked thru the stores and bought a couple postcards. Had to stop at the confectionary place. I got some Mickey Rice Krispie bars for people at work and chocolate truffles for me (yum!!). DD got a Wonder Ball, and DH got some Turtles (in a bag). I managed to sneak a tube filled with candy that has a Tinkerbell top to it for DD's Christmas stocking.

Candy in hand we finally leave the park. It is now 6pm (park was closing at 7pm). Got back to the resort and got on our swimsuits to go for a cold swim. Wrong!! The water was so warm it wasn't very refreshing. We still had fun in the Fantasmic pool. DD liked the water squirting out from the Sorcerer Mickey sculpture. DD had been taking swim lessons and was really happy to be able to test her abilities without a teacher.

After swimming and showering (DD and I are allergic to chlorine so we needed to shower immediately), I noticed a rash on DD's back. We put some antibiotic cream on it (don't know if it was a heat rash or from the pool). Supper is now calling from our stomachs. Swimming can make you so hungry! Especially when someone else keeps eating your food!

Picked up some chicken strips for DD, DH got a double cheeseburger, and I got in a different line for a baked chicken special they were offering. Paid for our meal and headed back to the room. We ate while watching some TV.

Got DD to bed and filled out a couple postcards while DH read The Hobbit. Lights out at 10:30pm.

Low Points: My back bothering me again. DD's rash.

High Points: Splash Mountain being a first for all of us! Getting on most rides with very little wait.

Weird Point: DD eating all my food!

Day Seven: August 30 (Saturday) - Downtown Disney and Magic Kingdom

Slept in today. Felt good to catch up on some sleep. Ate the last of our breakfast food in the room. Today we were going to relax and go shopping! Downtown Disney ...here we come!! Actually that would be World of Disney so I can get 20% off with my Disney Club membership.

Bus was again packed with people. The DTD bus is shared with Typhoon Lagoon and it seemed everyone was going there. We got off at the Market Place and stopped for pictures with the Christmas statues of Mickey and friends. Since we were already sweating to death it seemed a bit ironic to stand next to fake snow.

First stop was the scrapbook store (I can't remember the name) and I looked around for things that I liked and hoped most would be in the World of Disney Store. We decided to skip the Christmas store (this was a HUGE mistake, more on that later) and go straight to Planet Hollywood for an early lunch. I love their St. Louis BBQ ribs! Got another shot glass for our collection (we now have PH glasses from Minneapolis and Orlando; were supposed to get one in St. Louis but they were out at the time).

Now we go to World of Disney. We haven't done much shopping in the parks since we knew we would be coming here. Got out our "gotta have this" list. Found about 75% of the items we wanted and picked up some gifts for family at home. I learned that when I want to check out it seems to be quicker in the Luggage area. I've never found a line there. Makes for much faster service! Skipped the bath store. Deli was closed. Onto the Christmas store.

I had remembered we wanted to get DD personalized Minnie ears from here since the stitching is better in DTD than in the MK but since we forgot about going to the Christmas store first (this was our big mistake) there was now a 2 hour plus wait to get it done. Our dilemma now was that we needed to get DD back to the resort for a nap because we were going to be at the MK late tonight for SpectroMagic. They said they could have it delivered to the resort by tomorrow afternoon but that wouldn't work because we would on a plane home. We could also come back here before we go to the MK but it was already 2pm and we had PS's at 6:30pm at Liberty Tree Tavern and with travel time and nap times there was no room for that. DH and I finally decide to skip it and get her some at the MK anyways.

Short wait for the bus (finally!) and we are back in the room by 3pm. We all lay down for a little while and rest up for our last night.

Left resort around 4:45pm. Another short wait for the bus! Wish the buses had been more like this all week!

First stop was to get DD her Minnie ears. No wait but they use yellow thread and it's a pink hat. Hard to read her name but it's the best we could do. Promised we'd get a better one next time (while nudging DH for another trip). Walked up Main Street USA and wondered what we should do.

Decided Teacups before we eat! I don't like spinning so I stand on side with the video camera and tape DD spinning DH into a very dizzy state! LOL!! Next was the carousel. Again I waited while DD and DH rode. Getting close to our PS for Liberty Tree Tavern so we go check in. Still waited about 30 minutes over our PS time. Got seated and soon we were pounced upon by Meeko (every time he walked past us he stole a roll!). We also saw Chip, Dale, Pluto and Minnie. All were dressed in Colonial style. DH really liked this meal since it was more like "home" food. Dessert is included and that night it was Boston Crème Pie. Very good! Our bill was around $70 with tip.

SpectroMagic was scheduled for 9pm and 11pm that night and we planned on seeing the second one when it would hopefully be less crowded. Decided to go to Adventureland since we've only done the PoC there. Got in line for the Jungle Cruise. Thought this would be neat since it's dark out. Only done it in the daytime before. We had a really good CM. The Cruise was a little more interesting since you couldn't quite see all the details but just enough to let your imagination flow. We ended up stopping away from the dock at the end because they were loading a wheelchair onto one of the boats and no other boats are allowed to be in dock at the time. It had something to do with creating extra waves in the water. A nice safety feature I thought. The CM passed the time by having us yell things back and forth to the boat behind us. I wish I could remember them but it's been too long since the trip!

After that we thought about getting a spot for the first Spectro in Frontierland and walked over there to find nothing. DD was begging us to go on Splash Mountain but neither DH nor I wanted to get wet. So then DD wanted to go to Tomorrowland and ride the racecars. The line was over an hour wait so we decided to skip it. Over to Space Mountain and see if any FP's were still available. I love this ride but I was starting to get discouraged again with my lower back so was afraid to put the extra stress on it. I told DH he could take DD on it but said not without me. I thought that was very nice of him. :-)

SpectroMagic had finally started and we had found ourselves trapped. Went back around by way of Fantasyland to Frontierland and saw the end of the parade. I was extremely tired and my back was sore so I asked DH if I could sit and save our spots for the last SpectroMagic while DH went to videotape the fireworks. He got a great video while standing on Main Street so the castle could be in the front.

DD decided to stay with me. We got a great spot after the first parade crowd cleared out. We sat in front of the Country Bears on the wooden planks surrounding the trees. We didn't have to sit on the ground and DD's stroller could be in front of us while still staying behind the rope. DH was then able to stand on the planks and lean against the tree to tape the parade. The neatest thing happened! We were almost the only ones in the area!!! It was so nice to have a comfortable seat and not having other people shoving you. All the characters in the parade kept coming up to DD and playing with her. It was so cool! Definitely go to the second showing if available.

Getting out of the park was easier too. Less people and when we got to the bus stop there were 2 buses to take people back to Movies only (typically share with Sports and Music). It turned out to be a great night!!

Decided to get a little organized before bed so we could pack in the morning. Lights out at 1am.

Low Points: Forgetting about DD's Minnie Ears at DTD, waiting 30 longer for our PS at LTT.

High Points: Sitting virtually alone while watching SpectroMagic!! Finally not having to wait for a bus.

Day Eight: August 31 (Sunday) - Tour resort area and Home

Got up early to start packing. It was a good think we brought an extra bag with! We hadn't bought a lot of big things but it seems like you can never get things packed the same way twice. When we were almost done we decided to go eat a big breakfast in the food court. On the way to the food court I brought my camera with to take pictures of the resort. We started walking counterclockwise to see each section of the Movies. Got some pictures with DD in them and headed for breakfast when we were done with the Toy Story area.

After breakfast we stopped at the gift shop to get our free Philharmagic Lithograph (Fairytale Package). It was huge! It even comes framed! It has Donald on it with a black frame and a pin in the corner. Now if I could just figure out where to hang it...Went over to luggage services and got a cart. Then up to the room for a last glance around the room. We did run into a small dilemma. We had no idea of where to put the lithograph! After some rearranging in the suitcases we finally got it in one bag. Whew! Loaded up the cart and away we went!

We were being picked up at 10:30 am for our 1pm flight. The driver was there from YourRide. We got the same guy as before (I can't remember his name). Although this time we were in a van (I really like the towncar!). He apologized for the different vehicle and explained he was picking up a family of 8 from the airport after dropping us off. I thought that was so nice of him to off the explanation. He chatted with us all the way to the airport making the trip seem to go too fast. Tipped him the other half (we only tipped half upon arrival) and said our goodbyes.

Check-in was uneventful and no bags were searched this time. We had two bags searched from our home airport. We walked around the shops and then decided to get a bite to eat since it would be after dinner before we got home. Flights were on time. When we left Florida it was 95 degrees with high humidity, when we got back to Madison, WI it was 60 degrees! We were so cold! It was refreshing and nice but reminded me that I was home. In the back of mind I'm already planning our next trip.....2006 for DD's 5 year remission! Can't wait!!

Other info: We left a tip everyday for Mousekeeping. Every night when we came back to room we always had a surprise. DD doesn't go anywhere without her 2 stuffed animals and blanket. Two days they were in the window, one day they were watching TV, and another they were sleeping in bed. It was a great way to end our days.

If two SpectroMagic's are being shown then go to the last one and enjoy the shorter lines during the first!

At Goofy's Jamboree they do not (at least for us) give autographs there. They said they would be in Toontown afterwards if you wanted pictures and autographs. The CM's were telling everyone with video cameras to turn them off or go upstairs. Plus when everyone stands up the children can't see around all the adults. Just be prepared to explain to your child that not everyone gets to dance with the characters. The children that were dancing with them wouldn't let go for the next dance. Seemed a little unfair to the other children, and the characters aren't allowed to talk to them. My DD go very upset here. We will probably not go in there again.

Used our Brita water bottles frequently. I had purchased an insulated bottle holder with straps before we left and they worked great! We noticed a huge difference with the taste of the water. Also had purchased some cooling bandanas from Wal-Mart beforehand. We didn't use these very often but when we did it was a nice relief. My DH's was navy blue and did stain the collar of one his white t-shirts. Now if I could just find some refills for my Brita water bottle I'll be able to keep using it!

I've ridden with Tiffany Towncar (Feb. 2003) and YourRide. Both have been excellent in service. I would recommend either one.

Despite the heat, we had a great time. This was the first real family vacation (just the 3 of us) have taken. We look forward to our next one in 2006. I'm hoping for one sooner but I doubt if I'll win! LOL!! Thanks to all of you for your great tips! Most were real time savers!

I booked this vacation thru The Magic for Less Travel. This was my second time working with them and I've been completely delighted with the results! Please try them when you decide to book your next vacation!!

That's all for now! Hoped you enjoyed the reports even if it did take a really long time for me to get them all out!

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