[Donna B]

Day 5
We have tickets for MNSSHP for tonite so we decide to take it easy during the day, hopefully resting we help the boys stay up later. We also are moving to the Villas because when I made my reservations the Lodge wasn't available, but that's O.K. I am getting a great rate on the 2 bedroom villa and I get to experience what all you DVC people get. So we slept in alittle bit and decided to do Downtown Disney, I haven't bought any souvenirs. My Mom is pretty much worn out(heat, back bothering her) so she decides to just hang out at pool and will check in periodically with front desk to see if room is ready. DH, DS's and I have great time at DD. We stop at Ghiradelli's for sundaes since we skipped breakfast(gotta love vacation meals). And I bought tons of stuff at World of Disney, that place is huge. Also bought a great Pooh and Friends picture at the Art of Disney store, I didn't buy the frame though because I think I can get a very nice frame for under $250 around my home. Left DD about 3:30, also forgot that temper boy took a lovely nap in his stroller for about 2 hours after we ate the sundaes. Got back to WL and my mom was already in the villa. The villa was plenty big and very nice. The room was a far trek from the elevator but that was alright. I went down to gift shop and bought a couple of Tombstone pizzas for dinner, great having an oven in the room and a regular size refrigerator. DH started doing some wash, how convenient with washer/dryer in room. For once I was not going to come home from vacation with dirty clothes. Got to halloween party about 8 p.m., for selling a limited amount of tickets the place was packed. No, I wasn't really surprised by the crowds but it was hard to adjust after spending the week with very little crowds. We walked around collecting candy from the designated spots, and got on the Flying carpets and jungle cruise which we hadn't gotten on yet. The lines were just short enough(about ten minutes wait) to avoid temper boy's wrath. We saw the fireworks which were really great. The boys really enjoyed them. At this point we were alittle tired and it was hard to move around with the 2 strollers, it was about 10:15 so we staked out a place to watch the parade. We got a great spot in front of the castle and we got there only 15 minutes before it started, temper boy passed out. He will sleep through anything and the parade was very loud at times. We really enjoyed the parade and Mikey (my 5 yr. old) had a great time. This was his first parade and the villains didn't scare him, he can be very sensitive at times so I was worried. We went back to the villa and got everybody to bed. DH and I did another load of wash while we sat on balcony with a couple of drinks. I could stay here forever.:)

Day 6
It is our last full day here, and surprisingly it hasn't flown by for us like other vacations do. We have 9:15 PS at Chef Mickey's. Another great character meal, I am glad I made a few of these PS's because both boys loved the characters. The food was good, we didn't wait long to be seated. We had to wait awhile for Pluto to get to us but that was the only down part of the meal. DH and I were worried that he had left because that was the only character that Mikey had'nt seen yet that he really wanted to see. But he finally showed up and everything was good. We were debating about what to do, we could see by going to the Contemporary that MK was packed and it was another scorcher of a day. Even though it was our last day we decided to skip the parks and do boats and bikes and pool at WL. Of course Mikey was thrilled because the slide was his favorite part(almost, he did really like the rides) of the vacation. We rented a canopy boat and toured the lagoon. It was a really nice and relaxing ride. We drove by the Polynesian, Grand Floridian and the entrance for MK. Temper boy enjoyed riding the"Captain's boat", I don't know where these kids pick up their sayings but he was adorable all week pointing at the boats and calling them "Captain's boat" and saluting the drivers and calling them Captain. He fell asleep before we got back to the dock, so DH and Mikey took out a water mouse and I took Billy back to room for nap. I got him to fall back to sleep after about a half hour, and met DH and DS at pool. We had a great time going down the slide over and over again. Stayed at pool for about 2 hours, went back to villa to change for dinner. PS at 1900 Park Fare. Now this meal was for me because my dream is to stay at Grand Floridian some year and I really enjoy this restaurant. And they had Pooh characters, Eeyore is my favorite. DH even told the boys to behave for Mommy's special meal, not that that would really work LOL. We got there 45 min. late, I misjudged the transportation, but they were fine with us being late. Waited about 10 minutes and were seated. My mom had decided not to come, I think this trip was too much for her but she said she enjoyed just getting away. We got up to the buffet, and we were juggling the plates for us and the kids so of course I dropped a plate and had the whole restaurant staring at me. Oh well, noone was hurt. The food was great, the service was alittle slow. We waited over 20 minutes for waitress so that we could order a second drink. By the time we got her attention we were pretty much done eating. Normally that wouldn't bother me but as I said earlier we are on a time limit for eating, temper boy was getting antsy. We avoided any real tantrum, finished eating and drinking and decided to walk around the property. I am not much of a fancy person, prefer comfortable clothes and don't eat at any real fancy restaurants, but there is just something about the Grand Floridian that gets to me. I don't know if I would even fell comfortable staying there, but that is my dream and DH says he will make it happen for me. Maybe for our big 10 year anniversary trip in 2 years. Went back to villa, finished wash.

Day 7
The sad time has arrived. Got up about 8:30 to do last minute packing. Tiffany Town Car picked us up at 11 and plane left at 1:40p.m. Temper boy slept through whole flight.

I have to say that this trip had its ups and downs, but it was a great trip. I suffered through my knee pain and the heat was horrible but we were at Disney. :)
I think my mom should have skipped it because of her back but she enjoyed it even though she stayed at the WL alot. But the WL is so beautiful it is like a vacation itself.
We didn't do everything that I thought we would but I think we had a good combination of parks and resting and exploring the hotel. Looking forward to next trip, we may do a short trip next year but we are definately doing a big anniversary trip in 2 years. Thanks for reading.

[trishb]

What a great trip report! Thank you for taking the time to share with us!
I was wondering about your mom's age? If you don't mind sharing with me. I'm taking my mom with me this trip to help with my little boy. Any insights or tips would be helpful, too!
Thanks:)

[Donna B]

Trish, I don't mind your question at all. My Mom is 57 but like I said she has a back problem. She has degenerative arthritis and a broken vertabrae. She has been out of work for almost a year and is retiring early due to her problem. She has also put on some weight due to being inactive. We had planned the trip before her back got real bad and she still wanted to go. She was not used to the walking and like I said the heat affected all of us. I felt bad that she didn't see much but she enjoyed spending time with us, especially her grandsons.

[dab]

Donna thanks for the very thorough report. I've been busy and haven't been checking the boards as often as I like. You sure gave me some fun reading!! Sounds like having the full kitchen and washer/dryer was a big help to you. I am seriously considering the WLvillas for our Dec. 2003 trip so your report was helpful.

[Donna B]

dab, I am glad you liked the report. It's hard to actually sit down and write down what you did for a week. I would definitely check out the villas, they are very nice and quiet. Certainly big enough for a group of 5 or more.