We Made It!

[fladogfan aka Gretchen 259]

I'm sorry the umbrella and camera weren't turned in to Lost and Found.  You know some one has/had an opportunity to be kind and do that.  Just sad.

[fladogfan aka Gretchen 259]

Forgot to mention, loved all the feet standing around your brick.

[Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie 119]

I'm sorry the umbrella and camera weren't turned in to Lost and Found. You know some one has/had an opportunity to be kind and do that. Just sad.

I figured someone would take the umbrella but the camera was a little cheap $25 thing. It was priceless to my son however. It really is sad. One of the pictures on there was of his cat who died. It's the only picture he had of her.

[fladogfan aka Gretchen 259]

My heart goes out to him, I understand his sadness.  Many years ago I had taken photos of a new little boy and his grandma and the camera failed.  The photos were lost.  There was no way to replace them.  I hope someone else in your family has a photo of the loved cat.

[Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie 119]

My heart goes out to him, I understand his sadness. Many years ago I had taken photos of a new little boy and his grandma and the camera failed. The photos were lost. There was no way to replace them. I hope someone else in your family has a photo of the loved cat.

Oh that's so sad. No he was the only one. I feel bad as well because I was supposed to have downloaded all his pictures onto my computer and I never did. I still class once or twice a week in hopes.

[fladogfan aka Gretchen 259]

The person who found the camera had a choice.

[Cortezcapt (Derek) 156]

Great trip report so far, it's sad about the umbrella and especially the camera.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

[sherryberry 35]

LOL at the Tinkle Tower, at the Tangled bathrooms! I hate that your kids couldn't get their stuff back. It's a shame that someone may have possibly kept those items. We'll be at the Fort Jan. 30 - Feb. 6, in a full hookup also. We usually ask for 1700. We'll probably be the only tent on the loop!

[Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie 119]

Hopefully we can visit with each other.

[Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie 119]

Thursday October 9^th The Disney Student Seminars
 
The color of the day GREEN!
 

 
Today we headed to the AK. One of the reasons we were able to affordability visit WDW was due to the great discount we received on tickets by participating in the Student Seminars. The catch to the program was you had to attend the seminar and you could only use your tickets during an allottedⁱ time frame. This worked out fine for us so we signed up.
 
Waffles were back on the breakfast menu today. As always, they were quickly devoured and we headed out the door early. We had to be at the AK by 7:45 as the seminar started at 8:00. Racing out the door we made it with plenty of time to spare.
 

 

 

 

 
When we arrived we were handed a wrist band and then had to scan our magic bands. They then led the entire group back towards Africa, over by the Lion King, if my memory serves me right. Actually I wonder if it was the theater for the Lion King? Anyway they had set up some bleachers inside this building and had video screens facing the audience in the middle. Today they had a few experts talking about the new Disney movie Monkey Kingdom. Actually they weren't talking about the move but the social behaviors of monkeys and were using the movie as a visual example.
 

 
I thought the program was very informative and my children seemed engaged. The seminar lasted for about 30 minutes and then we were free to go about our day. Is there any special opening show at the AK? If so we missed out on it but we didn't miss out on the flood of people heading back toward the safari. Joining the masses out first stop of the day was Kilimanjaro Safari
.
 
I was really disappointed in this safari adventure. Our guide seemed to be in a tremendous hurry and never stopped long enough for pictures. She would come up to an area and do more of a rolling stop. So all my pictures looked like this.
 

 
We did have a bit of a back up when the giraffes decided to stop in the road. I tried to get pictures then but didn't have a very good angle. We followed the giraffes slowly until they finally moved out of the way. There were very few animals out this morning which meant fewer blurred pictures.
 

 
Next we wondered around the Pangani Exploration Trail. The park was crazy busy and we were basically pushed along the trail by the masses.
 

 

 
 
We headed over to A Bugs Life and the Tree of Life. I had forgotten what a cute 3-D movie that is. Most of my family loved it, the little guys not so much.
 
We still had a little bit of time before our first FP so we stopped for some pictures.
 

 

 

 
I am quite sure my son (can you spot which one?) was over it by the expression on his face.
 

 
Our first FP was a meet and greet with Minnie and Mickey. Standing in line I told my husband to stay to the side and see what our little man would do when he saw Mickey for the first time. As we entered the room Bethanie was in awe. She just kept staring and giggling as she hugged both Mickey and Minnie. Little man however lunged into Mickey's arms. My husband and I were totally shocked. He kept kissing Mickey and would not left him go. While all this is going on Minnie is infatuated with the baby. She kept loving on him and making a big fuss, it was very sweet. We got our pictures and headed out the door. Little man threw a massive fit and was reaching out towards Minnie as she was reaching out to him. I had tears, it was a very sweet moment.
 

 

 

 

 
Out the door little man calmed down and we headed over the the Kauli River Rapids. Like Pirates, Splash Mountain and every other wet ride I got soaked. The rest of my boat stayed dry.  What the fort?
 
It was hot and we were hungry so we decided today we would get pizza at Pizzafari. What we didn't know was that it was closed, fail. We then headed over for cheeseburgers at Restaurantosaurus. I must say I was a bit tired of cheeseburgers at this point but. The kids meals here are very cute. They come in a little green sand bucket with yellow shovel. Sadly I do not have a picture because I had a bit of a melt down.
 
Like I said, the AK was very busy and hot. When we got to the restaurant there was no seating inside but there was a nice table in the shade out side. It had enough chairs for most of my crew and was plenty long enough. We made our way over and were just about to sit down when this couple and their two kids come out of nowhere and clam the table for themselves. At this point the baby is screaming because he needs to nurse. The little guys are holding on by a thin thread and my husband, assuming we had the table had gone in to order with my older boys. I stood there just staring at the family for a moment. The mom looked up at me and smiled. I will not share my thoughts at that moment with you all. I spotted a table in a corner that had three chairs with it. Half of the area around the table was in standing water but at this point I needed to get my crew to a place where I could feed the baby. I told the children to keep a look out for any tables that might be opening. Soon another large table opened up and my boys made a run for it. As they sat down two huge women placed their tray on the table and pulled up chairs. What in the world? A few minutes more went by and another table opened up. This time we claimed it as our own. We still didn't all fit but it worked. My husband arrived confused by it all. He handed out the buckets and little man proceeded to spill his on the floor. Baby was now screaming again and I was quickly loosing it. I handed little man my food and stood so that my children could sit and eat. The restaurant was crawling with people but I managed to find a very helpful CM who replaced my order. I walked out to join the crew and noticed the table next to ours starring at us. Wherever we go we get lots of stares and comments good and bad. Actually at one point in the trip we thought it would be fun to take pictures of all the people starring at us. I smiled politely and they looked away. My children finished up their meals, we cleaned up, and headed into Dinoland. Fail to plan, plan to fail.  Next trip I will come more prepared and will make sure we spend a little bit more for table service.
 
After the children played in the Dino dig for a bit and I calmed down we headed for our last FP Everest.
 
The look on my husbands face says it all. Wiped out we called it a day and headed back to the camper.
 

 
Coming up next, Preparing to leave and meeting a special Fiend.
 

 

[Beckers 1,136]

Oh the dang buckets! I agree they are cute but then you have to carry around greasy food buckets. My parents have to joy of bringing them home in their camper since I had no room in my luggage.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Your narrative about getting a table for lunch really angers me.  I ranted a couple of days ago about rudeness at Disney so I won't do it again.  But man oh man, people can be awful.  

 

I'm with you on spending more for table service.  We are a smaller family of 7 and it's still so difficult going to the counter to order all the food, getting it to the table, getting the drinks, sending someone for napkins, etc.  Much more relaxing to sit down and be waited on.  

 

We intended a couple of years to do the homeschool programs at Disney and just never scheduled it in.  I may need to give that some thought again.   

[Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie 119]

Oh the dang buckets! I agree they are cute but then you have to carry around greasy food buckets. My parents have to joy of bringing them home in their camper since I had no room in my luggage.

Ar first I was like, oh that's a cute idea. Then it dawned on me that I had to transport 11 buckets around the rest of the day and then onto the buses. Every trash can started catching my eye and I found myself plotting out ways to slowly rid myself of said buckets.

[Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie 119]

Your narrative about getting a table for lunch really angers me.  I ranted a couple of days ago about rudeness at Disney so I won't do it again.  But man oh man, people can be awful.  

 

I'm with you on spending more for table service.  We are a smaller family of 7 and it's still so difficult going to the counter to order all the food, getting it to the table, getting the drinks, sending someone for napkins, etc.  Much more relaxing to sit down and be waited on.  

 

We intended a couple of years to do the homeschool programs at Disney and just never scheduled it in.  I may need to give that some thought again.   

I struggle to tell if it is rudeness, cultural issues or just plain ignorance. I try to show kindness and love but mercy sometimes it is so hard. 

 

Not only so we not have to wait in line but we can eat in an air conditioned environment.

 

If you can swing it, the Homeschool days are the way to go. I am so thankful they offer this educational experience.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

The photos of the baby with Mickey and Minnie are awesome!

 

LOL at the free buckets.  I still have a few of those floating around.  Some are from kids meals on Discovery Island!

 

That location used to be sponsored by McDonalds.  The Happy Meal toy used to be a dinosaur squirt gun.  Whoever thought that was a good idea must not have had kids.  Mine loved to squirt unsuspecting guests with theirs.  For some reason, they discontinued that toy pretty quickly.

 

TCD

[Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie 119]

The photos of the baby with Mickey and Minnie are awesome!

LOL at the free buckets. I still have a few of those floating around. Some are from kids meals on Discovery Island!

That location used to be sponsored by McDonalds. The Happy Meal toy used to be a dinosaur squirt gun. Whoever thought that was a good idea must not have had kids. Mine loved to squirt unsuspecting guests with theirs. For some reason, they discontinued that toy pretty quickly.

TCD

Wow Discovery Island, those are a collector's item now.

; 0)

I am puzzled about the squirt guns as well. What unsuspecting guest wouldn't love to be "spit" on by a dinosaur toting toddler. I will say, they probably travel better than the buckets.

[momof3kids-Yvonne 594]

The seminar was where the Lion King show is held. There were a lot of people there. I really enjoyed the presentation.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie 119]

The seminar was where the Lion King show is held. There were a lot of people there. I really enjoyed the presentation.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Good to know. I was really impressed by the turn out. I was listening to a family talk about how nice this year was compared to the last two years. I think we picked a good time to go.

[DramaMama .......... Janet 75]

I have YET to have a calm, relaxing, non-regretted meal at Restaurantosaurus.  Long lines, pricey "meh" food, metal chairs that scrape loudly on the floor...  

[LONE-STAR 370]

I have YET to have a calm, relaxing, non-regretted meal at Restaurantosaurus.  Long lines, pricey "meh" food, metal chairs that scrape loudly on the floor...

It's funny you say that because when we eat there the place is almost empty and the food is always good for QS.

[Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie 119]

I have YET to have a calm, relaxing, non-regretted meal at Restaurantosaurus. Long lines, pricey "meh" food, metal chairs that scrape loudly on the floor...

I forgot about the chairs. Lol.

[Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie 119]

It's funny you say that because when we eat there the place is almost empty and the food is always good for QS.

By the time we were done eating the place was empty. Had we arrived an hour later our dinning experience would have been very pleasant.

[LONE-STAR 370]

By the time we were done eating the place was empty. Had we arrived an hour later our dinning experience would have been very pleasant.

I always try to eat at off times.

[DramaMama .......... Janet 75]

We just somehow seem to wind up there on really crowded days, I guess.

[Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie 119]

Friday October 9^th
 
I woke this morning a little sad. Today was our last day at WDW and there was so much to do, Because we were storing the camper I needed to decide what would travel back with us and what would stay. Most of the equipment we have in the camper belongs in the camper so I just needed to clean out the fridge and gather overnight toiletry items. Since we would be heading back down to the Fort in February, I also decided to leave all the clothing in the camper as well. This meant I had major laundry to do. I love the laundry app they have here at the Fort. I could still enjoy my day and yet keep laundry moving at the same time. With phone in hand we headed to the pool for the last time.
 
The washers take about 37 minutes from start to finish. Before long my time was up and I headed across the street to switch everything to the dryers. On my way I thought I would grab myself a drink from the pool snack bar. It's a Moonshine Slushy and it was nasty. I thought it would be more fruity like the Moonshine at Trails End, no. 
 

 
I had every intention of sharing it with my husband but ran into a major problem when I arrived back at the laundry facility. The card reader had stopped working. I called maintenance and was told someone would be by shortly. After waiting around for 15 minutes and watching my drink slowly melt, I decided to walk back to the camper and grab some cash. On my way back I checked in to see if anyone had come by yet, nope, so I headed over to the Meadows to get some coins. With my pockets bulging and pants sagging from the weight of the quarters I arrived back to the laundry mat. I switched out all my laundry, grabbed my now warm drink and headed back to the pool.
 
Good to see people enjoying the Fort activities.
 

 
 
What was supposed to be a quick trip to switch out clothing turned into an hour. By the time I got back my little guys had had enough, so back to the camper we went. My last day at the Fort was not going as I had hoped. Lunch was made and laundry was folded. With all the little guys down for a nap my husband and I took a few middle guys back to the pool. Sadly the trip was short lived as my husband was still reeling from his Mt. Everest expedition the day before. So back to the camper we went.
 
The rest of the day was spent gathering, sorting and cleaning. We enjoyed a hodgepodge of food for dinner and after the children were in bed headed over to the Meadows for one last look around. I thought these were interesting. 
 

 
 
Saturday October 10, Check out day
 
At some point we all have to face the fact that we just can't stay at WDW forever. For our family that day was today. I find it amazing how when you plan for a trip, it seems like time just drags by as you anxiously await your trip time. When you finally arrive time just speeds by.
 
With heavy hearts we began to break down camp and pack up the van. I really wish I would have taken a picture of how stuffed we were in the van. If we opened a door stuff fell out, just a bit crazy. As we were hurriedly packing a knock came at the door and on the other side stood Yvonne momofthree with one of her lovely daughters. We took a moment to chat and love on babies and then parted. Yvonne thank you so much for all your help. I am so glad to have had a chance to meet you. Yvoon still had another day left to play so off they flew.
 

 

 
I forgot to mention that we also met Tim5055 during our stay. Tim if you are following along it was really nice to meet you. My husband said you have an extremely interesting life and would have loved to have chatted with you more. Thanks for your help.
 
With 11:00 am creeping closer we hooked up Birdie and pulled out. About 15 minutes later we arrived at the storage facility and unhooked our beloved home. With paper worked all squared away we said our final goodbyes and headed north.
 
Overall we had a very relaxing trip considering the size of our crew, the newborn and recent surgery. Since being back we have also learned that in order to pull Birdie safely again we need to purchase a new van a Chevy Express. Apparently when Ford made the 15 passenger they just welded on the 3 foot tail at the end. This resulted in numerous problems, one being roll over. GM on the other hand went the extra mile and extended the wheel base. So currently we are on the hunt. Will we find a new van in time for the trip in January? Stay tuned.