[tinkerbell]

your are helping me survive till we leave for WDW next month !!!

[DisneyTeacher]

Day 3

We are up and headed down to breakfast before 7 am. We decided on the Garden Galley last night and we are not disappointed. The selection is large, you can order off the menu or have the buffet. Mike picks the buffet and the rest of us order off the menu. Everyone is pleased and we are on our way to the MK for Extra Magic Hour on time.

We did so much at the MK yesterday that I really don’t care how much we get done today. I imagine we are going to repeat much of what we did yesterday. That’s okay with me, MK is my favorite park. Touring with 9 is sure to be different than 3 so I don’t expect to get as much done and the crowds can’t possibly be as low as yesterday.

We head out to the SoG bus stop and the bus is waiting. The busses at SoG operate on a schedule, the MK bus comes every 15 minutes. It’s nice to know exactly when a bus is coming. We arrive at the Ticket and Transportation Center and take the monorail over to the MK. W are in line about 15 minutes before the gates open—pretty good for a group of 9.

We head right to Fantasyland and Melanie wants to do the Carrousel first, we all hop in line and are on in minutes. We then grab FastPasses for Mickey’s PhilharMagic. I don’t intend to spoil the magic of the show so I only tell the group that the show is great. We hop in line for Dumbo. Nathan decides he wants to ride with Karen so Mike and I get to ride together for the first time in years. After Dumbo we go on Snow White’s Scary Adventure with a small but fast moving queue. It’s about time for Mickey’s PhilharMagic so we head over and wait a few minutes for our FP time to roll around. The rest of the group was just as impresses with the show as we were yesterday. The only problem this time is that we are seated off the very left of the theater and the movie is blurry. I thought it was just me but the rest of the group agrees.

We grabbed FastPasses for Peter Pan’s Flight before Mickey’s PhilharMagic so we head to The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh before our FP time. Nathan didn’t like this ride last year and is not thrilled to go on it but again I kind of tell him he has to and he loves it. It’s funny the difference a year makes. Time for Peter Pan. I love this ride, it is always so magical. We decide to head over to Haunted Mansion before we go any farther. Nathan loves it this year! The Tea Cups are next. Mike decides to sit this one out with Lloyd, spinning and Mike don’t mix these days. Some time in here we did Mickey’s PhilharMagic again and got seats in the middle and the show was much better, not nearly as blurry.

It’s almost noon by now and we have done all of Fantasyland plus HM, not bad for a group of 9. We met several characters this morning and stopped to watch others pass by. We didn’t hurry through any one thing; we seem to be working at a slower pace, perfect for enjoying the magic. The crowds are much larger than yesterday, I am not sure if it’s Extra Magic Hour that is making the difference or maybe yesterday was just a fluke.

We decide lunch is in order—no one has an opinion so the group decides the Plaza Restaurant after hear the description of the restaurant options. The wait is about 20-25 minutes w/o PS so we decide to wait it out. I hang out and listen for our name while the rest of the group heads for some much needed shade. Lunch is great as always and our server went above and beyond keeping us in tea and water. We linger over our meal then head out to Tomorrowland.

We grabbed Fast Passes before lunch and it was about time to save the galaxy so we head to Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. Nathan is excited to go on his favorite ride again and rides with me again. The FP line is about a 15 minute wait but much better than the stand by line. As we are shooting our way through I look over at my husband and discover that he is on the PHONE! I about died. By the end of the ride he is off the phone but has very few points, I guess he can’t talk and shoot and the same time. His picture is a riot, you can clearly see that he is on the phone. (The call came from my best friend, she was just checking up on our trip—I am just glad he had my phone and not me.) After Buzz we hop on the WED Way. By the end of the ride we can see that our beautiful day is coming to a wet end. The rain is coming so we decide to slowly make our way to the front of the park.

[mickaholic4077]

It sounds as if you didn't have any problems dealing with such a large group. I think that's wonderful!

[DisneyTeacher]

We are going to Hoop Dee Doo tonight so we head to the boat dock to catch the launch to Fort Wilderness. It is raining lightly but steady as we pull up to Fort Wilderness. The boat seems like the easiest way to get to the Hoop Dee Doo or Mickey’s Backyard BBQ, it’s a short walk from the dock to either one. We have about an hour before the show starts so we grab rocking chairs on the porch for Trail’s End and put our feet up while Mike takes the kids to the arcade. A CM came over to our little spot and told us we needed to go over and check in and get our ticket. I pop over and it’s an easy process since everything is already paid for. I head back with our group ticket—we are at table 19, I am not sure if this is good or bad since we only made our reservation 60 days ago.

We spend some time enjoying our group and talking with each other. Karen Lloyd talk about how Lloyd is always picked to be in a show if there is audience participation involved. We all have a good laugh at all the shows he has been picked to be in. These are the nicest people in the world; they made this trip possible for us. Lloyd is a disabled vet (the reason we are able to stay at SoG) and keeping up with us isn’t easy for him. I think he enjoys the break more than any of us.

They finally start letting us in at 5 pm on the dot. We hand our ticket over and are shown to a table very close to the stage. Great! We have a great view and we all dig in to the bread and salad like we hadn’t eaten for days. The bread and butter is so good and the salad isn’t bad either. We have plenty of time to enjoy our salads before buckets of fried chicken, ribs, baked beans, and corn are slammed down on our table. I called ahead and asked for chicken strips and fries for the kids and they dig right in as well (my son even ate a bite of chicken!). The food is so good and we all make pigs of our selves. All the while we are eating the show is going on both on the stage and out on the floor with us.

The show is great and we are all cracking up. The kids (both 6) are laughing as much, if not more, than the adults, they are lovin’ it. It’s corny stuff but oh, so funny. Now comes the best part, the cast comes out to pick members of the audience to participate in the show. I can’t believe it but one of them walks right up to our table and picks Lloyd!!! How can one guy get picked so often?? He never goes up when he is picked and this time is no different. We are informed that one person from our table is going to be in the show and we all point to Gary at the same time. He reluctantly heads back stage while the rest of us enjoy the best strawberry short cake I have ever had! I am not kidding, this stuff is great!

We have to wait all the way to the end of the show to see Gary again but it is worth the wait—he comes out in a pink tutu and a halo!! We are all laughing so hard we are crying—it’s priceless to see our high school principal in a tutu dancing on stage. I take several pictures to take back home—these will be great to have on hand. We didn’t get to eat all of our desert because we were waiting for Gary to come on stage so we really have to cram it in as the show ends. If you get the chance this show is well worth the time and money—this is something we will have to do again.

We take the short walk over to the bus stop and get the next bus to the TTC. When we get there Lloyd suggests that we take a ride around on the monorail and see if the light rain lifts. We ride around to Epcot and back and the rain is gone and the skies are clearing. With the rain gone we decide to stick to our plan and head back to the MK for SpectroMagic and the fireworks. We get a great spot in Liberty Square while Gary, Linda, and Kendra head to Space Mountain. We visit while we wait and before I know it our group is reunited and the parade starts. Did I mention I love this parade? For the second time this week a character in SpectroMacic stops to talk to my son, how magical! I have tears in my eyes as the parade ends.

After the parade we move more toward Main Street for Wishes. I cannot express how much I love this show—it’s like none other. From the moment it starts I am lost in it. Wow! Amazing! Unbelievable! We are all impressed and agree it is the best we have ever seen-like nothing else. We blend in with the masses and make our way to the TTC for the SoG bus. There are so many people I am amazed to find all 9 of us made it out together. We decide on the ferry and hop right on. We get a bus and we are showered and in bed before midnight.

Tomorrow—Cinderella’s Royal Table!!!

[crystalrp]

I am loving every bit of your TR! I agree that Hoop Dee Doo is so much fun. Our boys were 12 and 9 when we took them and they were practically in hysterics the whole time! They both laughed till tears streamed down their cheeks. DH and I had more fun watching the boys than the show! It really is a great show to go to.

[DisneyTeacher]

Originally Posted by mickaholic4077

It sounds as if you didn't have any problems dealing with such a large group. I think that's wonderful!

I am always a little scared of traveling with a large group. You just never know how people are going to be, one person can ruin the trip for the whole group. It's easy for one person to always be late, grumpy, or just disagreeable. We had NO problems, everyone was on time and no one was ever in a bad mood. The other two families have vacation together several times but we were new to the mix, however, the trip seem to go smoothly. I would travel with these people again with no second thoughts.

[crystalrp]

From what others have said about travelling with others, sounds like you got really lucky! LOL Glad to hear it all went so smoothly!

[mickaholic4077]

Well,that's good to know. I'm looking forward to hearing about CRT.

[DisneyTeacher]

Day 4

Today is the day I have been waiting for for 90 days! We are taking our little princess to Cinderella’s Royal Table. We have an 8:30 PS and today is not Early Entry so we get to enjoy that magical walk up a nearly empty Main Street. I am not disappointed, it is a magical walk. As we enter the ticket gates it looks like a lot of people, too many to be going to two character breakfasts. As we walk down Main Street most of the crowd turns off at Crystal Palace. That leaves just our group walking up to the castle. It is beautiful, I have never seen the MK empty and I am not disappointed. After a few pictures we are walking our excited princess into the castle.

I get in line while the rest of the group goes in to wait for me. Once again I am a wreck, what if our PS is messed up? We got lucky and scheduled 4 PSs for this meal, we cancelled 3 of them and I had to drop one from this PS when my in-laws backed out of the trip. What if the whole PS was cancelled and I have to go tell our princess that we aren’t going to meet the other princesses? I am so nervous as I finally make my way through the line and up to the desk. I breath a huge sigh of relief when I see my name on the screen—YEA!!!

I find my group and we seated almost right away. We decide to take the stairs up (even Lloyd who has some difficulty with stairs) just so we can have to full effect of the castle. Wow! I am so impressed as we walk in, it’s as beautiful as I dreamed. We are seated in the upper level and enjoy our fruit and basket of bread. In fact, we enjoy the bread so much we ask for more of the sticky rolls. I am amazed at how peaceful the meal is, we are not rushed at all. We are all cracking up at the server next to out table, he is a riot. I am not sure if he is playing a role or if he is really British, either way he is so funny. Our server is not nearly as funny but he does his job. Once our food arrives the princesses start coming, boy are they beautiful! Every one of them is so sweet and is so patient with Melanie. They take sure beautiful pictures, every picture is perfect. Our meal is over way too soon and we head out to the real world, well the MK anyway.

I have read many reports about breakfast in the castle, some good and some not so good. Our experience is magical. From the minute we are seated to the minute we leave we have a wonderful time. None of us have unreal expectations, we just want to take a 6 year old to meet the princesses. The food is good and the princesses are sweet. Melanie, like so many kids, is shy when the characters come around, however, she is still excited to meet them. I have to say that this meal is worth all the work involved in getting it and I hope to do it again next summer with the two princesses we are going with next year.

[DisneyTeacher]

Here is a picture of the castle

[DisneyTeacher]

Here is a picture of the server who was so funny. I wish he had been our server, he was great.

[inluvwithdisney]

Sounds so wonderful!!!!! I am glad you enjoyed your Princess Experience!!!

We did CRT last year and are doing The Princess Storybook this year!!!

[DisneyTeacher]

We call my boys (they chose not to come to breakfast, Nate said it was too girly) and they are finishing up the Indy Speedway and are on their way to the WED Way. We meet up and wait while Melanie takes her turn at driving. We head over to Advertureland to get FastPasses for Big Thunder. We discover it’s broken but we get FPs and head toward Haunted Mansion. This is a walk on and everyone enjoys it. Time for another ride on PoC since Nathan loves it and the others haven’t been on it. After it is too late we discover we are in line with a tour group of teems. They chant and yell the entire time we are in line. Lucky for us we are in different queues and don’t have to listen to it the entire time.

After shopping for some pirate stuff for my son it’s time for our FastPasses on Big Thunder so we head that way. Mike and Nathan are hungry since they missed breakfast so we stop at the McDonald’s cart for some fries for Nate. The rest of the group goes on ahead w/o us and we don’t see them once we get there. We decide to skip it and grab some lunch for Mike. He has never had a turkey leg and now is the time to try it. He gets one and he and Nate find a bench to enjoy their feast while I pop in to the Christmas shop. I love this store and buy several ornaments for our Disney tree.

Now we are really living on the edge, we are going to try a Dole Whip! A turkey leg and a Dole Whip in the same day, can you believe this? I have read a lot about these but have never had one. We each get one and grab a table. After the Dole Whip we head to Main Street for some serious shopping. I buy several things and have them sent back to our resort (I love this perk!). Since it’s just the three of us we decide to head to our favorite resort, Wilderness Lodge. We hop on the launch and are there in no time. We wander around and soak up the peacefulness. Nathan and Mike hit the arcade while I shop a little. I want a WL pin I didn’t get last summer and I grab the Wishes CD. We look around some more and take a few pictures before we head back to SoG to meet the others.

We decide on dinner at Evergreens since tonight is our IllumiNations cruise. I have built this up for months; I hope the others enjoy it as much as we did last summer. We are leaving from the Baordwalk this time so we head over there early for some shopping and fun. The kids spend an hour or so feeding the ducks, fish, and snapping turtle. The rest of us take turns looking around. Our pilot and boat show up and we meet the greatest guy. Our pilot is Jeff and he is great. Right from the start he is funny, he starts out cracking jokes and it never ends. The cruise is perfect and we have the best view in the park. This cruise is a must do for us, it’s awesome. Jeff returns us to the Boardwalk and we say good night to the greatest plot and head to the bakery for some snacks.


Tomorrow—Blizzard Beach

[DisneyTeacher]

I brought tons of glow necklaces & bracelets for the kids. I got 50 bracelets for $8--they were glowing!

[DisneyTeacher]

Here is Jeff, our pilot. If you stay at the Boardwalk you may have seen him there, he works at the pool during the day.