TRWCN - September 16-27, 2012

[Seals 111]

The few times I've tried to surprise my kids the reaction hasn't been what I expected. When older DS was 5 we drove all the way to WDW and as we were going through the gates I asked him would he like to go to WDW sometime. He said yes, sometime. And then when I said we were there he said he wanted to go sometime, but not right then.

Of course you also realize you are setting them up to never believe you about anything again!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Wow, you are full of surprises!

That's great that you surprised Wil with a trip to Legoland.

I've never been. I would enjoy looking at all the models. But I would not enjoy paying for it.

So thanks for the photos!

If that model R2D2 went for $180, I wonder how much that big one you posed with would go for? Did you notice how it was attached to the ground? Just curious.

TCD

[Hotmamac aka Misty 11]

The few times I've tried to surprise my kids the reaction hasn't been what I expected. When older DS was 5 we drove all the way to WDW and as we were going through the gates I asked him would he like to go to WDW sometime. He said yes, sometime. And then when I said we were there he said he wanted to go sometime, but not right then.

Of course you also realize you are setting them up to never believe you about anything again!

hahaha! I know...when we were finally packing up to leave we had to tell them over and over. "we're leaving...for real this time!"

[Hotmamac aka Misty 11]

Wow, you are full of surprises!

That's great that you surprised Wil with a trip to Legoland.

I've never been. I would enjoy looking at all the models. But I would not enjoy paying for it.

So thanks for the photos!

If that model R2D2 went for $180, I wonder how much that big one you posed with would go for? Did you notice how it was attached to the ground? Just curious.

TCD

It was nice getting the buy one get one free tickets. Otherwise, I might have reconsidered.

Yeah, that big one is bolted down, baby! Of course it's not like you could tuck it under your shirt and get out of the park with it. The $180 R2-D2 is a foot tall when it's built. Even if I didn't care about the expense, I'm not sure where we would put it.

[stefa70 205]

Wil looks like one happy boy in front of that sign.

Don't fret about $400 legos, soon it will be $40,000 trucks he'll want.

[Southern Blessings 4]

What an awesome surprise to take him to Legoland! My son still wants to go and he's 15, lol! Guess he doesn't realize how small the rides are.

[Hotmamac aka Misty 11]

Wil looks like one happy boy in front of that sign.

Don't fret about $400 legos, soon it will be $40,000 trucks he'll want.

Ugh! I guess I'll stick with Legos. :rofl2:

What an awesome surprise to take him to Legoland! My son still wants to go and he's 15, lol! Guess he doesn't realize how small the rides are.

They are rather on the small side. They have one of those ones where you dangle under the track and I was surprised Ali was big enough to ride. And then we rode it and understood that it's designed for younger kids. We still had a blast tho.

[Hotmamac aka Misty 11]

The prodigal daughter has returned.

I'm so sorry for my prolonged absence...life just seems to get in the way sometimes.

Anyway here we go again.

We're still in Legoland.

I don't know what we were seeing in this picture, but it must have been good.

And to make up for not picking the nose of the Troll in Norway...

There was a section where the kids could build their own Lego cars and then try them out on different tracks.

At the starting line...

The cars usually either veered off the track or broke apart the minute they got to the finish line and the kids quickly lost interest.

Here's Wil having a discussion with a pint sized Lego man.

This is a Ford vehicle built ENTIRELY out of Legos. It was super impressive.

Next up was a ride where the kids got to drive around in little Lego cars and earn their "driver's license". Ali kept pretending to get stuck and then when an attendant would start walking towards her she would suddenly drive away. She did it over and over again. I think she just liked keeping them on their toes. :rofl3:

We headed back to the Fort after that and grabbed our first official Giddy Up and Go! And it was delicious!! It totally lived up to the hype. And there's something about going to pick up dinner on a golf cart that makes the food taste better!

Up next:

Singing along with Chip and Dale

[Hotmamac aka Misty 11]

So here we are at the sing along.

My first time to Disney World was when I was 5. We stayed at Fort Wilderness in a trailer (this was before the cabins). This was also when there was only Magic Kingdom. I remember the highlight being the campfire and sing along with Chip and Dale. I can't remember specifics, but I remember one night Pluto was there because we went back to the trailer to tell my grandmother (who had stayed behind) all about missing out on seeing Pluto.

I think it's amazing that something I enjoyed as a 5 year old is still around for me to share with my kids.

And they loved it every bit as much as I did!

I am BIG on participation and could really care less if I make a fool out of myself. If you tell me to give you a "yee haw" I'm going to give you the best and loudest "yee haw" I can. Anywhere other than Disney, this would embarrass the hell out of Vaughn and Wil, but they cut me some slack since we were at the Fort.

After the chipmunk dance party, we decided to skip the movie and head down to the beach from some fireworks and the EWP! I love Lou, but I think the EWP is great, and the kids loved it too.

It was a beautiful night. Vaughn and I settled into two lounge chairs while the kids found some new friends to play tetherball with.

Ahhhh...good times. After that it was bed time.

Up next:

a semi-rowdy breakfast and

one more surprise up our sleeves.

[stefa70 205]

Good stuff Misty. I knew you'd pick this report back up. I'm just getting caught up on all of them myself, so I didn't really miss you.

You're "don't know what we're excited about, but it must have been good" shot, is cute, but Ali doesn't look so impressed.

Good for you for making a fool of yourself! Life's too short to be so serious.

[Big Kahuna aka John 71]

So glad you brought it back... I'm all caught up... Loved all the photos...

[beccaewert 10]

My kids LOVED looking at the lego pics....we plan on going this December.....my boys are sooo excited! Looks like an amazing trip! Thanks for sharing!!!!

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Love your pics! Great job on your TR!

[disney4dan 68]

I finally caught up - and the photos in this TR are fantastic! I wish I had the eye that you all have for candid shots. Very impressive.

Oh, and here's Kudos to Sara at Guest Services for spreading some magic!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I'm glad that you came back to work on your report.

The last few updates were great!

I think it's awesome that you are able to enjoy something with your kids that you enjoyed with your parents. That's a very special thing about the Fort. And exactly why I hate it when the take even a little thing away.

Good for you for going to the EWP. We still try to see it every time we go.

TCD

[Total Joker ... TJ 203]

:popcorn: :popcorn:

[Hotmamac aka Misty 11]

I have let this go on too long and I have been properly shamed so I will try to wrap up the rest of my report today (or tomorrow). Not sure why I let it go again...maybe it's just that I don't like things to end. Maybe I'm just lazy. Anyway...here goes.

Tuesday morning. We took the kids over to Wilderness Lodge for a late breakfast at Whispering Canyon. We had dinner here in 2008 and it was loud and obnoxious...just the way we liked things. Breakfast was definitely more sedate. It was good, but not nearly as rowdy as we would have liked.

While we were at breakfast, we told the kids that we would all have a chance to enjoy MNSSHP that night. They were both thrilled!

After eating, we headed back to Animal Kingdom for another go on Expedition Everest and to finish up the last few things we had missed.

Then it was back to the Fort to get ready to party!!

In case you were wondering, Wil is dressed as Dipper. It's a character from a Disney Channel show called Gravity Falls. I don't think anyone knew who he was, but it didn't matter.

We took the boat from the Fort to the MK, which was another first for us. What a lovely ride.

Up next

No rain and no puking just the party of a lifetime!!

[Hotmamac aka Misty 11]

We stopped for hotdogs once we got into the park. At this point we were off the dining plan so 4 hotdogs cost us $50. Yikes!

We hit Buzz Lightyear again and this time, my gun worked just fine.

We boogied with Chip, Dale and Stitch.

And saw some friends.

Then we headed over to the Haunted Mansion. When Ali and I had been there the first time, it was raining so much that the Ghost Lady hadn't been out. But tonight, the weather was perfect and she was there.

She was hysterical! Vaughn could have stood there all night. But we moved on to Woody's party.

Then the fireworks started and I have to say they were AH-MAZ-ING!! It felt like we were in the center and they were shooting all around us. We were all totally in awe.

We found ourselves a spot for the parade and hunkered down. Now, I have to say, I am not a big parade person. I usually think there's a better use of my time. But the Boo to You parade was spectacular and not to be missed. All in all, the MNSSHP is an expensive 'extra', but we had an incredible time and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Next time, Vaughn and I will be dressed up too!

Towards the end of the parade, Goofy rides up on a candy machine float and there were castmembers handing out lollipops. This was the second parade of the night and I'm not sure if we were towards the end or what, but the castmembers were shoveling lollipops into the kids bags. At one point, Wil tossed his bag aside and just held his shirt out and they filled it repeatedly! I think I still have some of them in my kitchen!

After that, the kids were pretty wiped out so we headed back to the Fort for some shut eye.

Up next:

a revisit to GKTW

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Wow!

Good for you for coming back and finishing your report!

You got great photos of the parade!

It's like you were standing in the road!

TCD

[alexwyattmommy 181]

Thank you for coming back. The parade looks great. All that dancing looks like fun. If we would pull our kids out for school, it would be for this event. If I wanted to brave crowds, it would be for Christmas.

[Hotmamac aka Misty 11]

Just to provide a quick recap for anyone who doesn't know...our trip to Disney World in 2008 was the result of a Make a Wish for my daughter. When you travel to any of the Orlando parks as a part of a wish trip, you stay at an amazing resort called Give Kids the World Village. It is exclusively for families of "wish kids" and everything there is completely free to the families who stay there. As a former wish family, we are invited to go back any time and visit for the day.

So Wednesday morning, that's exactly what we did.

We were welcomed back and given a slip to have lunch at Katie's Kitchen ( a lunch counter provided for by Boston Market). As part of a wish trip, children are also invited to draw/write on a little gold star that is then taken by the Star Fairy and put up in the Castle of Miracles. They have had so many children visit them since 2008, that they have put on a new addition to house all the stars. We went back to visit Ali's star.

Her's is the one at the top, in the center. It says Ali and Wil 2008. It's sort of a hard place to visit. There was another family in there at at the same time and we got the impression their family member was no longer with them. It's a good reminder that we are very, very lucky.

Since our trip, GKTW has added a splash garden that the kids were itching to try out, so they got into their swim suits and we checked it out.

Once they finished romping thru the water, they decided it was time for some ice cream! GKTW offers free ice cream most hours of the day.

We had a beautiful day reliving all the memories we made at GKTW. When we were done, we headed back to the Fort for some more water time.

Up next:

Fiends!!!

[Hotmamac aka Misty 11]

Wow!

Good for you for coming back and finishing your report!

You got great photos of the parade!

It's like you were standing in the road!

TCD

Thanks for coming back to read along.

I can't take credit for the pictures. Those were all Vaughn. We were lucky enough to snag spots right behind the rope at the corner before you go over the one bridge to the castle. It was really the perfect spot. And most of the performers would see Vaughn and would stop and pose for him.

Thank you for coming back. The parade looks great. All that dancing looks like fun. If we would pull our kids out for school, it would be for this event. If I wanted to brave crowds, it would be for Christmas.

The MNSSHP was truly one of the highlights of the trip. I would recommend it to anyone!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Thanks for coming back to read along.

I can't take credit for the pictures. Those were all Vaughn. We were lucky enough to snag spots right behind the rope at the corner before you go over the one bridge to the castle. It was really the perfect spot. And most of the performers would see Vaughn and would stop and pose for him.

Man, that is a great spot. I can see the Sleepy Hollow restaurant across the way, so I had a general idea where you were. I am going to look for this spot for a future parade. Vaughn is a great photographer!

TCD

[Katman1356...Jason 1,140]

For parades we love standing in front of the hitching post right in front of the Christmas shop. It limits how many can press up behind you and you can get a great view for the parade. You can not see the fireworks from there though.

[Lou... 3,118]

Just to provide a quick recap for anyone who doesn't know...our trip to Disney World in 2008 was the result of a Make a Wish for my daughter. When you travel to any of the Orlando parks as a part of a wish trip, you stay at an amazing resort called Give Kids the World Village. It is exclusively for families of "wish kids" and everything there is completely free to the families who stay there. As a former wish family, we are invited to go back any time and visit for the day.

Did we talk about GKTW Misty?