"I like sleeping in the kitchen!"

[mgsmom 9]

Hi all!!!

Okay, this is my second TR ever, so I better get started. I'm a little wordy, but I'll try and keep it short.

Back-story:

My first trip to WDW was a "few" years ago in my early early twenties with my late DH and his family over Christmas. We stayed at the Contemporary, thanks to his folks. Back then, there were no dining plans, and we could get a reservation pretty much anywhere when we called the reservation number in the morning. Lots of things were different. Although, we did see the EWP and also the Electric Parade in MK then.

My next trip to WDW was for my 30th birthday - DH took me there for my birthday and we had only been married a short time. We had a wonderful "grown up" time there.

Then, we took DD (now 3) last summer and stayed in a cabin. Fell in love with the Fort, and tried to parlay that into convincing DH that we "need" an RV. Thought I had him, but it wore off.

This year, we rented the 5W and golf cart from Donnie and stayed in site 1724!! We had a GREAT time! I was also hoping this would also help DH see that we "needed" to think about getting one. :heart:

The Plan was to do parks every other day, and stay at the Fort every other day.

So, off we go:

I had packed the night before, so when we got up at 5:30 am all we had to do was brush teeth and jump in the car!

We stopped at Winn Dixie for groceries/beverages, and somehow ended up going this way.

So, we didn't get to drive through the big welcome sign and I was looking forward to that. But, we are on vacation so we just roll with it. We do a lot of "rolling with it" on vacations - no need to get in a twist.

Pretty soon, we saw this:

Nice weather, huh? That's okay, at least we're almost there!

My pic of the FW sign did not come out, though. Plus, I was on the phone with Donnie and DH was NOT stopping for any pics! :rofl2:

We got settled in and then decided to go to MK. We figure the rain has scared LOTS of people off! I drive our handy golf cart up to the Outpost with DD while DH goes for a quick run, and get us checked in. There was a nice CM there who sat and played checkers with DD and even got her a Mickey balloon to keep her occupied while I listened to all my instructions and paid the nice man at the counter.

Got back to the RV, pack a bag and pick up DH - and we're off!!!

Kind of. We stopped at the Settlement and chickened out of our trip to MK. We sat on the porch at Crockett's Tavern and had a drink and watched the rain.

There were lots of people sitting out on the picnic tables under the porch having GAG dinners and pizzas. Now THIS is vacation!

DD found the blocks right away.

Weird, though. There were only like 9 blocks out. What the Fort? She made the best of it, then sat in a rocker and sang to us for a while.

And there you have it for Arrival Day. More to come!!!

I promise some fun, silliness, and a tiny bit of food prawn.

[Otter Spotter aka Debbie 58]

:popcorn:

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

Great Start, Beth. Can't wait for more. Your DD is precious. :banana:

[MLM5.. aka Judy 97]

Yea!! Love all these trip reports!! DD is so darn cute, you just wanna pinch the cheeks.. bet she gets that alot huh?

:popcorn:

[stefa70 205]

I'm in! :popcorn:

[Just Whipperwhirl 24]

Sounds great - Looking forward to more!

[SCTigerCock 171]

:popcorn:

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

:popcorn:

[Roller ... aka Ed 351]

Just a little warning .... In March PureTCrazy & I rented from Donnie aka stacktester aka http:/makecampingeasy.com . We also rented the 5er; we also stayed in site 1724. In May we were back at The Fort ... in our own 5er using our own TV.

[mgsmom 9]

:popcorn:

Got plenty of butter? Thanks for reading along!

Great Start, Beth. Can't wait for more. Your DD is precious. :banana:

Thanks Cherie! We hope she stays cute a long time!

Yea!! Love all these trip reports!! DD is so darn cute, you just wanna pinch the cheeks.. bet she gets that alot huh?

:popcorn:

Hi Judy! It's those big cheeks - and she's got dimples too - always has people reachin' for those cheeks!

I'm in! :popcorn:

Yay!

Sounds great - Looking forward to more!

Thanks for reading - I'm going to try and post as often as I can! And try not to drone on and on and on... as I sometimes do. :rofl2:

:popcorn:

It's my fellow Carolinian! Glad you're here!

:popcorn:

Thanks for following along! I hope I don't disappoint!

Just a little warning .... In March PureTCrazy & I rented from Donnie aka stacktester aka http:/makecampingeasy.com . We also rented the 5er; we also stayed in site 1724. In May we were back at The Fort ... in our own 5er using our own TV.

Oh, I only wish! I'm shooting for a MH since we have a Jeep Wrangler that would be perfect for pullin' behind. I liked site 1724 - had a big "front yard" - and close to the comfort station, too.

[mgsmom 9]

Okay, so that was the arrival day. Now, we're off to Day 1. The Plan was MK in the morning, midday break, then Epcot in the evening. DD has shown us this summer that she is up to staying up later, so we are hoping to do some fireworks at MK later in the week.

AM Plan: Princesses, Dumbo, Pooh, Peter Pan, and lunch. Anything else is a bonus.

We are not good with mornings, so we decided to make this first morning our early "get up" day. We were excited and ready, so it makes sense. PLUS, the night before MK had late EMH. So, maybe everyone else is sleeping in.

A little hazy, huh? Or maybe my camera is fogged up.

We got the boat over to MK and made it in plenty of time for rope drop. For the record, we left the camper around 8:15. I see in other trip reports that others prefer doing the CR boat and going from there. What is the advantage there? I never thought about doing that route. But then again, it's only our 2nd trip...

I have to say, I LOVE how the princesses and Mickey are at the theater on Main St now. That is soooooo convenient!

We did the Stroller Stomp in the gate, and in about 10 min we were here:

Notice a pattern here? DD was very interested in their dresses this year - we had a hard time getting her to look at us for a good pic! Luckily we got a few good PhotoPass pics that I'm going to buy.

Next, we troop to the back of the park for Dumbo. I say troop - had a hard time keeping everyone moving. But, the first day it is really hard to focus!! We had to stop and see the Mayor:

And, of course walk through the castle. After we made it through the castle, we saw that the carousel was down. But, no biggie 'cause we're here all week! :banana:

Next up, Dumbo! While DH and DD got in line, I scooted over to Peter Pan for Fast Passes. I caught up with them in line, but there sure wasn't much of a line!

Here is the best pic I got of the Fantasyland construction:

Um... yeah, that's pretty bad. You think those trees are an accident? I think not...

After DD had sufficiently played on the stationary Dumbo behind the ride , we headed over to Pooh's Honeypots.

Love, love, love the new interactive queue!!

For ONCE, I wished there had actually been a line there. DD had a good time with all the activities, and she didn't even have time to play with half of them! A good time was had by all on the Honeypots.

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

More great pictures. Your Princess could give the others a run for their money :heart:

[mgsmom 9]

After that, we headed over to the Peter Pan ride. Neither DH nor myself have ever ridden it. We really liked it! No wonder it needs a Fast Pass!

Here's the nice young fella helping everyone on the ride:

I thought he was the sweetest thing. He made sure DD was holding my hand before we stepped onto the moving sidewalk, and gave her a wink. I love nice people.

After that, we walked across the "street" and rode It's a Small World. I know, you can hear the song now! I don't have any pics of that - I wonder why? Maybe because DD was enjoying it SO much and pointing out every little thing - I was too distracted. :heart: She talked about that ride the rest of the week!

Back toward the castle, we took in Mickey's PhilHarmagic. Now that is a fun show! And I do have a funny pic for later in the report when all the silliness starts to commence. I was a little nervous because last year, the show scared DD with the loud noise and 3D effects. This year, she loved it! I have been taking her to the dollar movie this summer, so maybe that helped too.

After that, we started back toward Main St. It was about 10:45 and we had reservations at Crystal Palace at 11:30. This gave us time to "wander" through Liberty Square and Adventureland on our way to lunch. We love to "wander".

Now, I was worried that DD would be bored with the Pooh lunch this year. But, we like doing lunch. Do you know how many character lunches there are? Like 4. Most of them are breakfast and dinner. I exaggerate - but there aren't many. DD is more into Cars, Toy Story, and Aristocats these days. Not sure if Pooh will make her happy again...

She shoots - and she scores!! Good food, good characters! :dance:

After that, we walked out to the boat and headed back to the Fort for some much needed rest. The Plan was going quite smoothly.

[mgsmom 9]

More great pictures. Your Princess could give the others a run for their money :heart:

Thanks! But don't tell her that - her head will get too big. When she gets dressed in the mornings, she can't wait to "Go show Daddy how pretty I am". Oh brother!

[kampfirekim 260]

Yay! A mgsmom report! I'm so glad ya'll were having a great time. I love all the beautiful photos of your beautiful family!

For the record... I am very pro-young at heart cm's. Aren't they the best?

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Great Job!

I am loving this TR already!

I think that it's great that you went from a cabin to the rented trailer.

Many moons ago, that is how it went with the TCD gang.

And we haven't looked back since!

I hope that your DH gets on board with the next step.

It's weird that there were only 9 blocks there on the porch. There are usually a ton. That is supposed to be a giant Jenga game. But, most kids just use them to trip folks carrying their GAG's to the picnic tables when it gets crowded there on the porch. Maybe some mean old man threw the blocks in the bushes because he got tired of tripping over them?

I am glad that you made the effort to get to the MK early. To answer your question about the boats, the resort boats begin to run earlier than the MK boats, so that is why most rope droppers rely on the resort boats.

I love the photo of the young fellow who helped you on the Peter Pan ride. That is awesome! Good for him. Maybe when he gets a little older, he can move over to a position with Security at the Fort.

I'm looking forward to the rest of your report!

TCD

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Great TR. Looking forward to more!

[mgsmom 9]

Yay! A mgsmom report! I'm so glad ya'll were having a great time. I love all the beautiful photos of your beautiful family!

For the record... I am very pro-young at heart cm's. Aren't they the best?

Hi Kim! Thanks for joining in!

Yes, I'm very pro-young at heart cm's! I hope everyone finds me as endearing when I get to be young-at-heart!

Great Job!

I am loving this TR already!

I think that it's great that you went from a cabin to the rented trailer.

Many moons ago, that is how it went with the TCD gang.

And we haven't looked back since!

I hope that your DH gets on board with the next step.

It's weird that there were only 9 blocks there on the porch. There are usually a ton. That is supposed to be a giant Jenga game. But, most kids just use them to trip folks carrying their GAG's to the picnic tables when it gets crowded there on the porch. Maybe some mean old man threw the blocks in the bushes because he got tired of tripping over them?

I am glad that you made the effort to get to the MK early. To answer your question about the boats, the resort boats begin to run earlier than the MK boats, so that is why most rope droppers rely on the resort boats.

I love the photo of the young fellow who helped you on the Peter Pan ride. That is awesome! Good for him. Maybe when he gets a little older, he can move over to a position with Security at the Fort.

I'm looking forward to the rest of your report!

TCD

Hi TCD! Thanks for coming to read my TR!

I thought about asking a CM about the blocks, but it was pretty busy and I was pretty lazy. :rofl2: I had no idea it was a Jenga game! We try to pen her in between us in the rockers and the fence, so as not to trip GAG carriers.

Hey - I wonder if that guy IS part of Fort security? Nah, probably not.

Great TR. Looking forward to more!

Thanks! There will be a TINY bit more right now, but the rest will have to wait until tomorrow.

[mgsmom 9]

Okay, so I lied because I forgot so much already! We did NOT go back to the Fort right after lunch. We walked over to Tomorrowland. We didn't really have an agenda (I love those parts), but thought maybe we would catch Buzz Lightyear.

We ended up on the Peoplemover.

Alert: Tired, sweaty, makeup-less picture coming up. Oh, and DH does not shave on vacation. Or Saturdays.

Big mistake. We LOVED the ride, although DD got scared in the SM part. But, now we had just sat on a slow-moving ride in the a/c (I'm quoting KFK there) with full tummies. I'm surprised DH didn't fall asleep.

We got off, and decided that it was really time for a Fort break now. And none too soon. The park had suddenly gotten crowded and we had a little trouble wading through all the strollers. That front part of Tomorrowland is always such a cluster. We discovered the Terrace cut-through and were on the boat in no time.

After some R&R at the Fort, The Plan is to head over to Epcot.

More updates tomorrow.

[stefa70 205]

Good for hubby! I wish I didn't have to shave while on vacation. Unfortunately shorts & hairy legs is not attractive. Most men look better with a little scruff anyhow.

I think you look fabulous for being tired, sweaty & makeup-less!! We always think we look worse in pictures.

Looking forward to update tomorrow!

[PureTcrazy...rita 380]

You're daughter is just adorable! It is so much fun sharing the magic with little ones.

[kampfirekim 260]

Alert: Tired, sweaty, makeup-less picture coming up. Oh, and DH does not shave on vacation. Or Saturdays.

We got off, and decided that it was really time for a Fort break now. And none too soon. The park had suddenly gotten crowded and we had a little trouble wading through all the strollers. That front part of Tomorrowland is always such a cluster. We discovered the Terrace cut-through and were on the boat in no time.

Are you kidding me? You look fantastic in this photo. The adorable-O-meter is pegged out now!

H isn't a fan of shaving on vacay either.

Agreed. I am a big fan of the Terrace cut through and we use it often. In fact it's the very beginning of our Elephant Walk Tour of Tomorrowland. We use that short cut coming and going (if we're leaving the park). Way to go in finding it!

Great update! Looking forward to more but don't keep me waiting too long. I'm impatient. :rofl2:

[kampfirekim 260]

Alert: Tired, sweaty, makeup-less picture coming up. Oh, and DH does not shave on vacation. Or Saturdays.

We got off, and decided that it was really time for a Fort break now. And none too soon. The park had suddenly gotten crowded and we had a little trouble wading through all the strollers. That front part of Tomorrowland is always such a cluster. We discovered the Terrace cut-through and were on the boat in no time.

Are you kidding me? You look fantastic in this photo. The adorable-O-meter is pegged out now!

H isn't a fan of shaving on vacay either.

Agreed. I am a big fan of the Terrace cut through and we use it often. In fact it's the very beginning of our Elephant Walk Tour of Tomorrowland. We use that short cut coming and going (if we're leaving the park). Way to go in finding it!

Great update! Looking forward to more but don't keep me waiting too long. I'm impatient. :rofl2:

[MandMandMandMandM 31]

Loving your TR! My DH doesn't shave during vacas either. So cute. Your daughter is precious!!!!

Side note because of title of this thread......I was reading a magazine in the ER the other day, a house that won an award for remodeling, they couldn't add a guestroom so they put a trundle bed in a cabinet in the kitchen. Now that's just a little bit weird to me. At least close to coffee in the morning. lol

[mgsmom 9]

Good for hubby! I wish I didn't have to shave while on vacation. Unfortunately shorts & hairy legs is not attractive. Most men look better with a little scruff anyhow.

I think you look fabulous for being tired, sweaty & makeup-less!! We always think we look worse in pictures.

Looking forward to update tomorrow!

I hear you on the shaving! I did find it difficult to shave in the RV - I will have to figure that one out a little better for next time! Thank you and I agree - I think we are our own worst critics! I did take makeup, but didn't use it. It was just so hot, and I had on sunglasses a lot anyway. Speaking of which - that visor and a few headbands kept the hairdryer in my duffle bag too! :banana:

You're daughter is just adorable! It is so much fun sharing the magic with little ones.

Thanks Rita! It really is fun seeing it through their eyes. They ask the funniest questions and notice the smallest things!

Are you kidding me? You look fantastic in this photo. The adorable-O-meter is pegged out now!

H isn't a fan of shaving on vacay either.

Agreed. I am a big fan of the Terrace cut through and we use it often. In fact it's the very beginning of our Elephant Walk Tour of Tomorrowland. We use that short cut coming and going (if we're leaving the park). Way to go in finding it!

Great update! Looking forward to more but don't keep me waiting too long. I'm impatient. :rofl2:

Awwww! Thanks! I didn't know we had an adorable-O-meter! We need a fun-O-meter too! We actually discovered the Terrace because there is a bathroom right there where I took DD on a potty break. We were like "Hmmm... wonder if this goes through..." Plus the nice blast of a/c doesn't stink either. :dance:

Loving your TR! My DH doesn't shave during vacas either. So cute. Your daughter is precious!!!!

Side note because of title of this thread......I was reading a magazine in the ER the other day, a house that won an award for remodeling, they couldn't add a guestroom so they put a trundle bed in a cabinet in the kitchen. Now that's just a little bit weird to me. At least close to coffee in the morning. lol

Hey there! Thank you so much! I think that is actually some unwritten "man rule" about not shaving on vacations. That must be a pretty small house - I wouldn't want to sleep in the kitchen! I will be addressing where that title came from - soon, I think - and it will make sense.