“Bubble” - licious – A Northern Family's Disney Tale! UPDATED 8/27/09 (LAST CHAPTER)!

[MICKEY4EVER!]

I'm so glad you posted those pics of WL. Brings me "home".

And I just love the skywriter over WL, too. I've seen him twice before when we went there and saw him write a name in the sky. I didn't see him when we went to Saratoga, though.

Anyways, congrats to hubby joining the Dis team! It's so much fun on here. We're like a little family!

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

Another great review and update!! Oh did I love Ohana's it was fantastic!!! Ken my hubby says you're giving him a bad name LOL (He will never show face on here unless its a cute picture of him I have posted LOL)!!!!!

I can't wait to read more Kim you have done such a great job and I can't wait for life to settle down (June 23rd LOL) and we can talk more my lady so much to catch up on LOL!

JENNY!!!

Hey Girl! I've missed you! Thanks for dropping by! So good to hear from you!
Yes we do need to catch up! Hope you are enjoying your time at "Home"!

I'm so glad you posted those pics of WL. Brings me "home".

And I just love the skywriter over WL, too. I've seen him twice before when we went there and saw him write a name in the sky. I didn't see him when we went to Saratoga, though.

Anyways, congrats to hubby joining the Dis team! It's so much fun on here. We're like a little family!

We really enjoyed WL too! I am excited about the possibility of trying other resorts though! As nice as WL is with all its great amenities, I just didn't feel "at home" there! We are really hoping to try POFQ nest time, which was our origianl choice for this year but once the 4/3 deal came out, POFQ wasn't available under that deal for our dates!


I just want to say a big THANK YOU to all of you for making Ken feel so welcome here! I kept telling him about all my "friends" on here! I knew I could count on all of you to make him feel welcome! We are like a family!

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

Hello Ken!!! Glad to have you! I would love for my hubby to follow suit!!! You may inspire him.

Hey Shawna! Thanks to you to for making Ken feel so welcomed here on the DIS! You are so kind!

 

[MICKEY4EVER!]

We really enjoyed WL too! I am excited about the possibility of trying other resorts though! As nice as WL is with all its great amenities, I just didn't feel "at home" there! We are really hoping to try POFQ nest time, which was our origianl choice for this year but once the 4/3 deal came out, POFQ wasn't available under that deal for our dates!

You know, WL isn't for everyone. You'll find your one perfect "home" before you know it! I stayed at SSR for the first time in March, and though it was a lovely resort, I didn't like it as much as Wilderness and found myself missing it terribly.

I can't wait to hear the rest of this story, and I look forward to future trippies, too!

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

You know, WL isn't for everyone. You'll find your one perfect "home" before you know it! I stayed at SSR for the first time in March, and though it was a lovely resort, I didn't like it as much as Wilderness and found myself missing it terribly.

I can't wait to hear the rest of this story, and I look forward to future trippies, too!

I know that some day I will step onto the Property of a Disney Resort and feel instantly "at home"! hmmm, I wonder which one it will be!? I know for certain it will NOT be one of the Values. Too many people there!

I am working on writing the next couple of chapters. Hopefully I will be able to post another before too long! Maybe tomorrow or Wednesday! Keep checking back!

 

[mickeystoontown]

We really enjoyed WL too! I am excited about the possibility of trying other resorts though! As nice as WL is with all its great amenities, I just didn't feel "at home" there! We are really hoping to try POFQ nest time, which was our origianl choice for this year but once the 4/3 deal came out, POFQ wasn't available under that deal for our dates!


I just want to say a big THANK YOU to all of you for making Ken feel so welcome here! I kept telling him about all my "friends" on here! I knew I could count on all of you to make him feel welcome! We are like a family!

It's funny that you say that WL didn't feel like "home" to you because it felt too much like "home" to us when we drove over for a visit to WL. We had originally booked at stay at WL. Later, we changed it to Pop when our family decided they were coming along. Then, we had to cancel the entire trip. When we rebooked, we stayed at the CBR. But, we decided one day to drive over to WL and to Pop and tour the resorts. We liked the look of Pop because it was over-the-top cute. We thought that the WL was pretty but it felt too much like our own home. We live in a log house and our decorating is much the same as WL. So, all in all, I am glad we saved the extra $1,000.00 it would have cost to stay at WL. I can see why some people absolutely love it though because it is a beautiful resort.

Since you're still searching for your "I'm home!" resort, it give you an excuse to keep coming back. If that's the case, I may not ever find my home away from home.

Ken is getting a wonderful reception here on the boards. Tell him Hi for us!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Hey there! I'm so glad your TR is still going! Love the WL pictures. We almost booked it for our 12/09 trip but went with BLT at a 40% discount. We plan to swing by WL to check out Christmas decorations too.

Welcome to Ken!! I love hearing your input! It seems that spouses often have different details to share. Maybe I could get my DH to co-author a TR. He loves to lurk and read the DIS and tell me what to say. I should get him his own account!
I'm still looking for "MY" resort. I'm thinking it must be the Poly! So far I've walked through it, eaten breakfast at Ohana once and that is it. I'll need to explore it more. I definitely want to stay there someday. Will need a good discount or a better paying job first!

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

Thanks for being so patient everyone! I am currently working on the next chapter and should have it up by this evening! Hope you all are having a good day!

 

[Firestarter]

Allow me to enter my 0.12 renminbi on the issue of our 'Home' resort.

My dear darling spouse had her heart on staying at Port Orleans. It helped that it was the only resort that I was interested in. (Please forgive my attitude as I had never been to Disney World and was working from promotional materials for decision making).

When it came out that the deal excluded her desired resort she was... despondent. I suggested that we look at other resorts, and see how much it would be to upgrade.

She found a few options and ran them by me. Being somewhat a distracted person I couldn't differentiate between the stream of resort names, so instead of revealing my ignorance and incapability of paying attention I asked:

"Do any of them have gyms?"

I had recently (last August) begun to attend a gym regularly and didn't want to become a 90 lb weakling after reaching the heady pinnacle of 95 lbs.

Sure enough the Wilderness Resort, or as I referred to it until the trip, the 'one with the gym', was our choice.

Having stayed at Pop Century, the Sports themed one (again how well I pay attention), and the Wilderness Lodge I know which one was home to me. I will be somewhat sad to not stay there again.

It was so breathtaking and had an awesome ambiance. The fireplaces, the woodwork, the towering atrium. My breath would have been taken away if I hadn't been obsessively fretting about my children plummeting. It was my pace of life.

That said it was noisy until 10 pm each evening. Nothing like an empty column to add echo to a boisterous restaurant. The only other drawback is that it isn't on the monorail line. For that reason the contemporary would be the top of my list for home, as I am functionally obsessed having the monorail stop IN the building is a major plus.

And being a snob I wouldn't want to stay at a value resort. They are nicer (and way more fun) than most hotels I've stayed in, but the sprawling grounds and sheer number of people is a turn-off.

You'll have to ask me again after the next trip.

btw, I can be at home in many different conditions: basement apartments, a cabin in the woods, or the middle rack in the bow of a Destroyer. It's not the bed, but the environment and the people around that make it more 'home' like for me.

Also btw, thanks again for the warm welcomes! It's fun to be on board!

 

[MICKEY4EVER!]

Allow me to enter my 0.12 renminbi on the issue of our 'Home' resort.

My dear darling spouse had her heart on staying at Port Orleans. It helped that it was the only resort that I was interested in. (Please forgive my attitude as I had never been to Disney World and was working from promotional materials for decision making).

When it came out that the deal excluded her desired resort she was... despondent. I suggested that we look at other resorts, and see how much it would be to upgrade.

She found a few options and ran them by me. Being somewhat a distracted person I couldn't differentiate between the stream of resort names, so instead of revealing my ignorance and incapability of paying attention I asked:

"Do any of them have gyms?"

I had recently (last August) begun to attend a gym regularly and didn't want to become a 90 lb weakling after reaching the heady pinnacle of 95 lbs.

Sure enough the Wilderness Resort, or as I referred to it until the trip, the 'one with the gym', was our choice.

Having stayed at Pop Century, the Sports themed one (again how well I pay attention), and the Wilderness Lodge I know which one was home to me. I will be somewhat sad to not stay there again.

It was so breathtaking and had an awesome ambiance. The fireplaces, the woodwork, the towering atrium. My breath would have been taken away if I hadn't been obsessively fretting about my children plummeting. It was my pace of life.

That said it was noisy until 10 pm each evening. Nothing like an empty column to add echo to a boisterous restaurant. The only other drawback is that it isn't on the monorail line. For that reason the contemporary would be the top of my list for home, as I am functionally obsessed having the monorail stop IN the building is a major plus.

And being a snob I wouldn't want to stay at a value resort. They are nicer (and way more fun) than most hotels I've stayed in, but the sprawling grounds and sheer number of people is a turn-off.

You'll have to ask me again after the next trip.

btw, I can be at home in many different conditions: basement apartments, a cabin in the woods, or the middle rack in the bow of a Destroyer. It's not the bed, but the environment and the people around that make it more 'home' like for me.

Also btw, thanks again for the warm welcomes! It's fun to be on board!

Sounds like you got the same things from Wilderness that I did. I just love that resort!!! It just makes you think you're in the mountains somewhere.

You mentioned that the sprawling grounds of the value resorts was a turn off. It was a turn off for me at Saratoga Springs (which had 5 (FIVE!!!) bus stops! It was drop-dead gorgeous, don't get me wrong, but too difficult to get anywhere and we had to stop at four different stops before we could get off the bus. Not fun...

Anyways, welcome to the boards. Your family is just so sweet and you sound like you're all really close. And I think we are all enjoying your adventure at Disney!

 

[denise5374]

I made it through all the pages of your report today and I thoroughly enjoyed it...Thanks for sharing your trip! Your girls are so cute!!

Denise

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

Chapter 24: And the race is on....let the hopping begin!

Date: January 26th
Time: 7am
Place: Wilderness Lodge

Our day started just the same as so many before! Get up, get dressed, tidy the room and go downstairs for breakfast! On the way out to the bus stop we had to stop and take a picture of our morning tradition of rubbing Humphrey the Bear's nose! We then caught the bus to DHS to begin our amazing adventure in to the world of park hopping!

We arrived at DHS to find it a little more crowded than our previuos day! We arrived at the same we did before but the crowds were noticeably larger! We used the washrooms and then secured our place in line! We again enjoyed the opening act and then made our dash in to ride TSM!

This time we chose to do the standby line! I rushed ahead to grab fastpasses for all of us and then I was to find the rest of my family in line! I got the Fps and then began to hunt the line for my family. I expected to find them within the first 100 or people as we had been near the from t of the crowd coming in to the park! I didn't seee them anywhere! I wondered if one of the girls had needed to make a stop at the washroom. I decided to head that way in case my assistance was needed!

I spotted them coming towards we right away and I motioned for them to get into line immediately! (I'll explain why they were tardy in a few moments.) The standby line was miraculously only at 35 minutes! We had not yet done the stand by line so we had missed seeing Mr. Potato Head and all the other fun distractions! We had only done the FP line 2x the other day!

Normally I cannot stand waiting in line for anything (even grocery shopping) for more than 10 – 15 mins! I will say that the line for Toy Story Mania was meant to be waited in! From the time we took our place in the line until we set foot in the ride vehicle we waited for about 40 mins. I can honestly say that it only felt like maybe 15! There are so many fun things to see, do and look at that I never felt impatient!

We once again enjoyed the ride and were very glad that we had thought to get FPs BEFORE getting in line! Our return time was for 1030am. The return time AFTER coming out of TSM was for 2pm! We were only planning on staying until about noon or so! Phew!

Now to explain my family's tardiness! It seems that right after I bounded ahead to grab us some Fastpasses, they bumped into Miss Minnie Mouse! She had no line and the girls had been wanting to meet her really badly! They stopped for the meet and since I had the photopass card, they got another and then came to meet me!

On our previuos day at DHS we had been unsuccessful at being able to see The Little Mermaid. It was supposed to have been down for refurbishment starting on the 24th so I was certain that we had missed our chance. Well, the Disney Magic was working for us on that particular day because as we left the TSM building, we saw a line forming at The Little Mermaid building! It was OPEN!!!!!

We got in line but ended up having to wait as we had just mised out on seeinf the show at 930! So we had to wait for a half an hour to see the next one. I have to say that after reading so much about the show and hearing so many reviews that I guess I expected more than what I saw. I was underwhelmed. I much preferred Beauty and the Beast! I am glad that we were able to see it but in this case once will definitely be enough!

Ken wanted to try for a FP for ToT so off he dashed to have alook while the girls and I window shopped for a few minutes. Unfortunately, he was unsuccessful because the FP return time for ToT was well past noo and we were planning on leavinag by 12:30pm. Oh Darn. Next time we will make it a priority for him to get on ToT!

We decided to go have a walk through One Man's Dream to finish the time before our return to TSM. WOW! This exhibit is really neat! I could've wandered around in there for hours! It was really cool to see how Walt Disney's Drem became a reality! If you haven't done this exhibit, I highly recommend it!

Once we were done with that we returned to have last crack at TSM! We decided that on this go round we would let the girls sit together and Ken and I would team up! So FUN!! I could ride that over and over and over again! On exiting the ride for the last time, I noted the time on my watch (it was 10:50am) and then looked to see what the FP status was. The return time for Fastpasses was 6:30pm and the standby line was at 70 minutes!

We wandered in the direction of Star Tours as Ken and Emily were hoping for one last ride on that one as well. Not to be done! The Standby line was at 25 mins! We wanted to have some lunch and then head over to Epcot! Oh well, there's always next time! We wandered in the direction of Pizza Planet and stopped outside the Muppets Theatre so I could take some pictures that I had forgotten to the previous day.

With that done we headed into Toy Story Pizza Planet to grab some lunch! It was not quite 11:30 yet but the lines were already getting longish. We checked the menu boards, decided on what we wanted and then half of us went upstairs to find a table while the other half stayed behind to wait for the food. Again I wondered why I had read so many blasé reviews on the pizza here. I found it to be quite tasty and filling! The salad was great too! No complaints from me!

Once we had stuffed ourselves we made our way out of the park and down to the boat dock. We were Epcot bound! It was a beautiful warm day and the boat ride was so lovely! I had never seen any of the Epcot area resorts before so having a quick peek at some of them was really neat! SAB looks REALLY COOL!

It was no too long of a ride, maybe 20 mins in total. I suppose we could have walked there quicker but our feet needed the rest! The breezes from the water was really refreshing! We will definitely be doing that again on a future trip! A very relaxing ride!

Once we arrived at Epcot, we entered through the International Gateway and then backtracked to Canada. The plan for today was to hit EVERY country! We had brought along the girls Guide to the Magic book and we were determined to have each country's section stamped and autographed!

It was about 1pm and we had an ADR @ Nine Dragons at 6:30 pm! We had 5 and a half hours to hit 11 countires! So, to begin, we headed ”home” to Canada! It is kind of surreal to see so many of my country's national wonders all on the same small piece of land! I had not yet seen the new Circlevision show with Martin Short so this is what we did first!

I think Disney did an excellent job at capturing the “Spirit” of Canada. Canada really is all about the people! We really are a unique bunch up here! I felt very patriotic watching that film and will gladly see it again on any future trips we may have! I LOVE the “My Canada” song! It is on the 4Parks;One World CD and I could listen to it over and over again!

After a frustrating search, we finally found the Kidcot Station. There were no other people waiting in line so while the girls were colouring, Ken and I had a lovely chat with the Cms who were working there! They were both University students and were very much enjoying their year in Disney! It was so nice to chat with some “familiar” people! A little taste of home!

We next moved onto the United Kingdom section. Ken had been thinking about having a beer here but decided against it after he saw the prices! The girls really enoyed this country's offerings! The loved the maze and we were able to meet with some very special friends! On the way into one of the shops I saw something that captured my attention...

NO JOKES! It was totally just like that! How could I not take a picture! TOO FUNNY!

In one of the shops the girls each found and purchased a unique souvenir. The meaning of their names printed on beautiful backgrounds with their choice of matte colour! They are about 11x14! We plan to have them custom framed very soon and will hang them in the girls rooms!

After making the purchases we found our way to the Kidcot spot to get the book signed and to let the girls colou their masks! In the little room right next to where the Station is we saw some very familiar faces getting ready for a meet and greet! We were the only ones there so we were first in line to see these friends! These are some of my favourite pictures of the whole trip!

We said TTFN to our friends and headed out the back way to the Hedge maze! HOW COOL! The girls absolutely loved this! They would have gladly played there for hours! They really had a lot of fun playing hide and seek in there!

They were interested in the possibility of getting to meet Mary Poppins so we went around the front to see when the next meet time was. It wasn't until much later in the day so we decided to save that one for another trip! The girls enjoyed a good time of Hopscotch instead!

We certainly did do a lot of hopping on this day!

 

[Dancegrl624]

What a great update! We might have to take that boat ride from DHS to Epcot next week (I can't believe I'm saying that!). It sounds quite lovely.

 

[KathyRN137]

We certainly did do a lot of hopping on this day!

Now I know you must've read about rubbing Humphrey's nose here on the DIS!! That nose gets rubbed so much... I wonder how often they need to re-paint it!!

I was just going to say something about the park-hopping when you posted the last pic, then I saw your final line!

Ken, I'm not surprised you loved the WL... My DH loved it, too! It has a wonderful outdoorsy feel to it that makes it seem both cozy and majestic at the same time!


Kathy

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

What a great update! We might have to take that boat ride from DHS to Epcot next week (I can't believe I'm saying that!). It sounds quite lovely.

If you are planning to go from DHS to Epcot or the other way round, I would recommend taking the boat! It is a great way to get from point A to point B while giving your feet a much needed rest!

OMGosh! 1 more week Meghan! I am SO excited for you!

Now I know you must've read about rubbing Humphrey's nose here on the DIS!! That nose gets rubbed so much... I wonder how often they need to re-paint it!!

As a matter of fact, I did read about it on here!

I was just going to say something about the park-hopping when you posted the last pic, then I saw your final line!

Great minds think alike!

Ken, I'm not surprised you loved the WL... My DH loved it, too! It has a wonderful outdoorsy feel to it that makes it seem both cozy and majestic at the same time!

I'll let Ken respond to that one!
Kathy

Thanks so much to all of you who continue to read along as I write out this adventure! It is helping me to enjoy the memories of this trip so much more! It is also keeping me from getting too excited about the probability of another trip! You all keep reading and I will keep writing!

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Ken and Kim~
My husband sounds like you for resort picks!! He wants a gym, has became a deluxe snob and wants to be on that monorail line, or at the BC where we are soooo close to the IG at Epcot.Must be a guy thing!!
Loved the update---ya'll got lots done in one day, I am impressed. Isn't the UK just the prettiest place? I love the gardens, cottages, and everything about it. I love the characters that hang out there as well. Your little girls look precioius in every pic you post!!

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

Ken and Kim~
My husband sounds like you for resort picks!! He wants a gym, has became a deluxe snob and wants to be on that monorail line, or at the BC where we are soooo close to the IG at Epcot.Must be a guy thing!!
Loved the update---ya'll got lots done in one day, I am impressed. Isn't the UK just the prettiest place? I love the gardens, cottages, and everything about it. I love the characters that hang out there as well. Your little girls look precioius in every pic you post!!

My Ultimate Disney Dream is to stay at the Poly and spend HOURS AND HOURS scouring every little nook and cranny of the World Showcase! There is just so much there to look at. It is nearly impossible to appreciate any of it when you have children in tow! I love the idea of the Poly because of all the great transportation options! Monorail to MK and Epcot, boats to MK and buses to Animal Kingdom!

I know there are many people who prefer to drive themselves around but I enjoy being able to relax and let someone else do the driving! I think that going in January has spoiled us for any other time of the year! Everybody keeps making comments about how much we got done! We really did, didn't we? I would hate to see what the busier times are like!

 

[patriceo1]

Thanks for the trip report. I really am enjoying it.

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

I made it through all the pages of your report today and I thoroughly enjoyed it...Thanks for sharing your trip! Your girls are so cute!!

Denise

Thanks for the trip report. I really am enjoying it.

Thanks so much for joining in on the fun! I really do appreciate every single person who takes the time to read along on my family's adventure! My ultimate goal in doing this is that my story will help others in planning their own "perfect family vacation" !

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

Well, it is raining here in Thunder Bay today! Whenever it rains I get the Disney bug BAD! I want to plan, plan, plan! I hit the boards like crazy and check all my fave Disney sites! I know that rain is good and it does great things for the earth (like keeping forest fires at bay!) but I just feel so melancholy on these days! I need something to cheer me up! Hope everyone is having a good day! The next chapter should be up sometime this weekend!