[gcbdad]

Cast of Characters

Myself - Dad
DW – 6 Months Pregnant
DD7 – 7th Birthday
DD5 – 5 Year Old
DS5 – 5 Year Old
DMIL
DBIL

First the bad news.
On the day before our trip, Thursday 8/14, our lovable 1 year old Bichon Freise, TinkerBelle, ran away. We looked everywhere; called everyone we knew locally, put up fliers and changed our answering machine message for callers about a lost dog to call our cell phone. Since we were leaving early on Friday morning, we didn’t know what else to do. As of right now, no luck. Family crushed, especially DD7 since she accidentally left the door ajar. I keep on telling her that she is not to blame and that everything will be okay but she keeps tearing up. The good news was that we were heading to WDW to celebrate DD’s 7th birthday for 2 days and our passes were out of the summer blackout.



Friday 8/15 – Brandon, Florida (60 Miles West of Lake Buena Vista)

The skies were overcast and rain was on the horizon. I had packed the van with most of the items on Thursday night so we could just get up and go. We got the kids up at 5:30 and got everyone dressed. We gave them a small bowl of fruit as a wake me up and then gave DD7 her Birthday gifts from us to start the magic for her special day. She got an Ariel doll with changes of clothes in a carrying case (like a Polly Pocket Doll), A Disney Princess Radio and an Ariel Candy dispenser. Everyone needed a boost due to the news from the previous day. The presents seemed to be working. We loaded up the van and headed off to pick up DMIL. We picked up DMIL and were on the road towards WDW by 6:50. Now to make the trek to WDW from the west coast of Florida, the only way to go is I-4. This stretch of interstate is known to be a high traffic and accident route. It is always busy and this being rush hour on a workday the traffic was as busy as expected.
We have a PS for 8:30 at 1900 Park Fair for DD7’s Birthday breakfast. We decided to park at the TTC because we can take the monorail to the Grand Floridian then hop back on to the TTC for another monorail to EPCOT. We get to the Grand Floridian at 8:10 and decide to see if we can get seated right away. When we get to the counter the CM asks us which one of us was DD7 because she had a call for her. My DD answers up and the CM calls a number and Goofy comes on and sings and wishes her a Happy Birthday. She is in awe. She asks me “How did Goofy know it was my Birthday” I told her that I mentioned it when I made the PS and they must have told him. Now she is beaming and the day is starting off great. We get seated and our server brings over a special placemat that has all of the Princesses autographs on it. My DD loves it. We then head off to the Buffet and all sit down. We were greeted by Tigger, The Mad Hatter, Alice and Winnie the Pooh. When Alice headed over, it was a special treat. Although not a real princess, my DD’s think that she is. This was the moment that our server brought out a cupcake with a candle for DD7 and everyone sings Happy Birthday to her. Sitting there I just stared at DD7 and a tear came to my eye. My Little girl was so happy. The look of sheer joy on her face just touched me. One of the Disney moments that keep me coming back. We decided to leave and while walking out we noticed that Mary Poppins was in the entryway greeting people. All of the kids run up to her and she gives them all a big hug. I mention DD7’s birthday and she gives her special attention. I check my watch and it is 9:15 so we head to the gift shop to look around before we have to meet DBIL at 10:00 in EPCOT.
We meet DBIL at the front gate to EPCOT and the kids get their hugs and we go in. I immediately head over to get a double stroller. First up is the big ball, Spaceship Earth. DS5 is really leery about allot of rides and he remembers that this was dark so he and I sit this one out. DS5 and I sit and wait for the rest of the family by the big fountain and watch everyone line up for the Mission Space Pin that was available. I thought about it but didn’t want to wait in line. When the ride is over everyone walks towards us and then we head to Ice Station Cool. Now it is overcast but really hot so this feels great. Especially the small snow that falls on you as you walk in. It is at that point that I remember that we forgot to get the Birthday Button for DD7 at Guest relations. I leave everyone there and I quickly go get the button. I pin on DD7’s button and we head to Journey of Imagination…..with Figment. We ride Figment and play in the What If Labs after the ride. We next go to the Living Seas and check out all of the sea life. We go to the LAND and see Food Rocks then everyone says that they are hungry. DD7 had said that she wanted to eat in Germany. This was because DMIL is from Berlin and she want to treat Omi to a meal. Grandmother in German is Omi or Oma. My mother is also German. She is Oma and DMIL is Omi. As we start for the World Showcase, the thunder and lightning starts. We just make it to Germany and the rains hit. We decided that we were not going to eat in the Biergarten because the little ones wouldn’t eat the buffet and the expense wasn’t worth it. So we ate at the counter service instead. After a god meal of Frankfurters, Bratwurst and sauerkraut, we decided to look at the shops and wait out the rain. The rain started dying down so we donned our ponchos and headed to France. DD7 had to get a picture with Belle and the Beast if they were there. As luck would have it they were waiting for us when we arrived. All 3 kids loved this although DD7 was in heaven since Belle is her favorite Disney Princess. Next it’s on to Great Britain for some shopping. Of course we had to see who was there and Eeyore and Tigger were there for the kids. The rain was coming and going and the ponchos were going on and coming off. We were pacing ourselves due to the weather and DW who in her condition wasn’t in the mood to run around. DS5 had been asking for the pirate ship for a while so we decided to go to Norway for some playtime on the boat. I had mentioned earlier that we get a double stroller. We are able to sit all 3 kids in it with two in the back and one in the middle up front. While on the way to Norway both DD’s fell asleep so DS had the boat to himself. I think the rain had something to do with this. DBIL spoke up and mentioned that he had to leave. He lives in Orlando and being single and being that it was a Friday night I think he had other plans besides spending the evening with his nieces and nephew. It was a little after 4 and we were tired of the rain so we all decided to head out and go to our hotel. Now the kids were not happy because they thought we were going home. I finally convinced them that it would be okay because we had a surprise for them. We took the monorail back to TTC, walked to our van and drove to the Holiday Inn Main Gate East. Now, I usually stay on site, but I had planned for us to stay the day then just need a place with a bed. I found a deal that the kids ate free and it came with 2 free adult breakfasts. I figured that this was a $30.00 value so we decided on Holiday Inn. I didn’t mention that originally DMIL was going to meet up with a friend and leave for home that evening but that fell through so she was going to try and get a room by us a the Holiday Inn. We had a Kids Suite on the 1st floor by the pool and she was right above us on the 2nd floor. We unpacked and freshened up and decided to go to DTD for a few hours. We walked through the World of Disney store and the kids picked up a few souvenirs. Then we hit the Lego Store and Once upon a Toy. For the past 3 years whenever we go to WDW and hit DTD the kids have to go on the little train ride. Funny, we go to theme parks but little rides like this are always amongst their favorites. It was now around 7:30 and we decided that we needed to eat. It was Friday night and I knew that we probably couldn’t get in any place without a long wait so we headed for the van and went back towards the Hotel. We decided to stop at a Red Lobster next to our hotel. DD7 loves this restaurant so we decided it was a go. We had a very nice meal and the waiter took my hints and found out that it was a special birthday. So he came back with a piece of cake and some friends to sing their version of Happy Birthday. We headed back to the hotel and DD5 decided that she wanted to sleep with DMIL so we split up and went to bed.


Saturday – 8/16 – Kissimmee, Florida (WDW Vicinity)

We wake up at 7:30 and start the line to the bathroom for morning showers. After we are all showered and in our clothes we call DMIL and make sure that we are already to pack up and head to breakfast. When we all get together the kids were asking if we could stay and not go home. We then dropped the surprise on them that we were going to the MK that day. They were so happy that they started jumping and yelling. We loaded up and went to the hotel restaurant for breakfast. The 6 of us all had the buffet (with 5 of them being free) so the bill was only $6.00. After eating a better than average breakfast buffet we checked out and headed to the TTC to head to the MK. When we got to the ticket counters we realized that DMIL needed a ticket. The lines were long so we decided to split up. I gave DW a Walkie Talkie and she waited with DMIL for a ticket. I took the kids on the ferry to the MK. The ferry ride was nice. This was the first time the kids took this ride. We usually go on the monorail. We arrived and went to the stand out front to pre-pay for a double stroller. We went through the security table and went to get our stroller. As we approached Main Street, DD5 yells out, “There’s Sleeping Beauty”. She was one of the characters greeting guests. We immediately got in line because she is DD5’s favorite Disney Princess. Just before we go to Aurora, my Walkie Talkie went off and DW and DMIL were right behind us. I swapped with DW and we got an autograph and picture with our kids and Princess Aurora, who by the way was in blue. This is the first time that we saw Sleeping Beauty/Aurora at a character meet and greet at WDW. We then headed down Main Street towards FantasyLand. First we hit Peter Pan for Fast Passes and then rode IASW twice while waiting for our Fast Pass time. We headed towards Dumbo but the kids decided that they wanted to go on the Tea Cups instead. With DW & DD7 sitting this one out we rode the Tea Cups with me making sure that we didn’t spin too fast. Then it was off to ToonTown for the BarnStormer. DD7 and I were in one car while DMIL and DD5 were in the next. I explained to DMIL that this was a kid's ride so she agreed to go on. The whole ride she kept on saying “this is a kid's ride?” I mentioned before the DS5 is not too adventurous when it comes to theme parks rides and attractions so he waited with DW. We then went to FrontierLand to look for signs of Davey Crockett. DS5 is on this Davey Crockett kick and he really wanted to go to the shooting gallery and get a souvenir gun. I found “Old Betsy” and purchased it for him. His whole trip was just made. We then went to the Country Bear Jamboree. I think I mentioned that it was very hot so we tried to hit the air-conditioned attractions as much as possible. Now it was time for lunch. We decided to eat at the Columbia Harbour House. In our opinion, this is the best Counter Service Restaurant at the MK. The kids had a Bologna Sandwich with crackers. I had a Ham sandwich and DW & DMIL had an Albacore Tuna Sandwich. Both of these were on a special kind of bread. We were trying to avoid the Chicken strips and get something a little healthier. After lunch we headed to TomorrowLand. I got Fast Passes for Buzz Lightyear and we had an hour to kill. So we went on the old faithful, TTA. Everyone loves this ride. When it was over we still had time and we noticed that CoP was open so with DS5 and myself waiting outside, the rest of the family went for the attraction. While we waited Davey Crockett and myself shot several aliens with Old Betsy to keep the area safe for all guests. When the family came out DW decided to sit for a while and the rest of us went to Mickey’s Star Traders to kill time. We tried on every hat imaginable then I checked the watch and it was time. We headed to Buzz Lightyear and even the Fast Pass line had a wait. We got on in about 10 minutes and without the help of Old Betsy made sure that Zurg would not cause any trouble while we were around. Next we headed over to Story Book Garden but we missed the show and the next show was an hour and a half away. DD7 wanted to go back on the BarnStormer so she and I headed off to ToonTown and everyone else hit TinkerBell’s shop in FantasyLand for a little something. After shopping the family met up with DD7 and myself and we decided to take the train around the MK from the ToonTown station. The ride was nice and the soft breeze was refreshing. DS5 was alert to any attackers and would have had Old Betsy available if need be. When we hit the station in FrontierLand DW decided that she was overheating and would stay on the train and go to Main Street to rest in the air conditioning of the Town Hall building. The rest of us got off in ToonTown and loaded up in the stroller and headed to AdventureLand. DD5 had fallen asleep so she was out. While walking the thunder and lightning started and the skies grew dark. We decided to get a drink and wait it out in the sit down area across from PoC. This would give DD5 a chance to nap while we rested and had a cool drink. I celled DW on the Walkie Talkie and she was doing fine sitting in a chair in the waiting area to Tony’s restaurant. DW later told me that she actually fell asleep for a catnap. It was now around 5:20. The skies looked ominous and we went to Main Street to meet up with DW. We met and DW looked spent. She tried to put on a good front but she is 6 months pregnant and did I mention that it was hot! I made an executive decision that we needed to head on home. Of course the kids were not happy but I told them that we had passes and would come back again soon. As a matter of fact I promised that we would come back on or around September 18th, my 40th birthday. They finally agreed. We hopped on the monorail and went to the TTC to pick up our van. Hit the interstate and said goodbye to WDW. For any of you that have driven to WDW, from the west coast of Florida, there is a power pole in the shape of Mouse Ears along I-4. We always say hello and goodbye when we see it. We made the hour-long drive home. Dropped off DMIL stopping long enough for her to give DD7 her birthday present, A Hello Kitty Boom Box, (What no Disney Version?) and went home. All in all we had a nice trip. We knew that we had passes and could come back pretty much whenever we wanted so seeing everything was not necessary. Besides I didn’t want to push DW too much. She needed the slower pace that we took.

[goofygal1975]

For any of you that have driven to WDW, from the west coast of Florida, there is a power pole in the shape of Mouse Ears along I-4. We always say hello and goodbye when we see it.

We do the same thing!! Haha. As soon as we see it we always sing "We're going to Disney World!!" Then when we leave we always say bye to mickey!

What a wonderful trip your family had!! You can't beat that price and the discount on the breakfast!! WOW! I know your kids were just so excited to find out they were getting to go for a 2nd day to the parks!!!! I'm so glad that you had a wonderful time. I also hope you have luck in bringing home your TinkerBelle!

You are SuperDad to your kids now!! What a wonderful bday for your daughter!!

[jmouse]

Sounds like a superfun birthday trip! How were the rooms at the Holiday Inn Main Gate East?

Have you found your Tinkerbelle? I do hope she finds her way home. Have you checked the local animal shelters, the paper's lost & found ads?

[mickaholic4077]

Sounds like you had a great trip. Next time,you should valet your car at Grand Floridian if you're going to MK. It only costs 6 dollars versus the 7 dollars at the TTC. Just go to the tolls at the right and say you have PS's at one of the restaurants.

[preidel24]

Sounds like a wonderful birthday. I can't wait to get there for my DS 9th birthday bash. We booked the Illumination birthday cruise for him and his best friend (they will be there the same time as us). How did you like the Holiday Inn Main Gate I have us booked there for the two days before our FTP starts (we are doing that other orlando park). I got a rate of 45.00 there so I don't except (disney deluxe) just clean and comfortable. Glad you all had a wonderful time and let me be the first to wish you a eraly Happy birthday. I turn 40 on Nov 23 one week after we return home from disney.

I hope you guys find Tinkerbelle when we lost our lab Max the kids were just heartsick. They still talk about it sometime. I'll send some pixie dust your way so she can find her way safely home.

Paula

[ajbdk5]

WOW, gcbdad you are a world champion DisneyDad!:)

Sounds like a WONDERFUL time...boy did you fit it all in!;)

I loved the parts where you and "Davey Crockett" sat out a few rides...so sweet! My younger DS is the same way.



I hope you find Tinkerbelle!:cry:
Did you call the local Police station?
I will say a prayer, how is your DD doing?
Good luck!

Amy

[tiggerlover1971]

sounds like you had a great time and I am so glad you found tinkerbelle( I read you other thread ;) :) :) I also know bdays are great at disney... I saw my husbands face when we went in july .