March 27th – BBB and Crystal Palace

Today was Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique day for my niece.  We get up early and head to DTD as she had the first appointment.  We didn’t have to wait too long before the fairy godmothers in training opened the doors and let us in.

When it was all done, my niece looked amazing.  Here she is with her brother, Gabe:IMG_0987
She and Gabe got to open World of Disney!

We were also informed of the Princess Parade at 2pm, so we decide to do some other things in DTD while we wait for that.

First, we have breakfast at Earl of Sandwich, after which we go to Characters in Flight, as my sister and her kids wanted to go on that.

IMG_0035After they got off, we snacked on some Wetzel’s Pretzel’s before going back to the Marketplace for the parade.

After the parade, we enjoyed some music being played by young musicians there, and then went back to the room before heading to the MK for reservations my sister had made at Crystal Palace for dinner.

 

We get to the bus stop about one hour before our reservation, but wind up waiting 50 minutes for an MK bus to arrive, while there were about 3-4 Epcot buses, 2-3 Animal Kingdom buses, and a couple of Hollywood Studios’ buses.  My sister calls and talks to them, finds out they’ll hold the reservation for 20 minutes, and by that time an MK bus finally arrives.  When we get to the MK, through bag check and the turnstile, I think we make a new record for powerwalking up Main Street, despite the spring break crowds.

We have a great time there and then head back to the resort once done:

IMG_0990

After my sister and the kids go home, my Mom stays at the resort and I head back to the MK to catch ‘Celebrate the Magic’, as I wanted to see that in person.

 

IMG_0055IMG_0993

Posted in Disney, Vacation | Leave a comment

March 26th — Epcot

Today, we went to Epcot to change my pass to the new style so I could use the new “turnstiles”.  At least I got to keep Donald Duck on my card.  We then went to ride Mission: Space green side, I took my niece and nephew while my sis waited with my Mom.

After the ride, we head over to World Showcase and ride the Maelstrom, and then we rode the Monorail over to the Contemporary for lunch, as my sister had to run help with something and we were going to meet her after.  I like the food at the Contempo Cafe.  My Mom and I then take the kids back to Epcot and have some fun in Innoventions, then Journey into Imagination, then we meet up with my sister again and ride The Seas with Nemo, see Turtle Talk, and do some shopping for my aunt who was watching our dog back home.

We then go and watch Captain EO for a blast into the past, and by this time my Mom was getting tired so we head back to the hotel while my sister takes the kids home.  All in all, a relaxing trip so far, despite the crowds.

Posted in Disney, Vacation | Leave a comment

March 25th – Magic Kingdom

Well, Mom and I eat at The Artist’s Palette again for breakfast, before meeting Julie and the kids at the room.  We then hop on a bus to the Magic Kingdom!

They went to the new Mickey entrances to the park, as they headed over to Epcot and got my Mom’s pass changed over, but I still had the old pass.  I had trouble entering the park for the first time in a while, but I eventually did and met up with the others.  We then stop at City Hall for a Guest Assistance Card for my Mom, then go over to the New Fantasyland!  Even with the construction of the mine train ride, I really am liking the look!

By this time, it was almost noon and we are all hungry.  We check the wait for Be Our Guest, and it was 45 minutes, so we decide to wait.  Well, it really didn’t feel like 45 minutes, more like 20-25 minutes from where we were on the main pathway to when we entered the building.  After finding a seat on the main ballroom (the West Wing was full) we get our meal delivered to us in a rolling tray.  This is awesome!

The food was incredible!  I had some sort of steak sandwich (I forgot what everyone else had).  We then went on the Little Mermaid, and the animatronics looked great.  After that it was a ride on Small World, followed by Haunted Mansion.  Man, was the park packed!  We then head over to Tomorrowland and ride the TTA.  After that, they were having a dance party there, so we join in, and at one point they play the Chicken Dance!  Mom had a ball doing that!

We were wiped out after that and went back to the resort and ate dinner at Artist’s Palette, and then back to the room.  I make another quick trip to the MK, while Mom relaxed for bed.  I liked the “Celebrate the Magic” Castle show, but I kinda liked ‘The Magic, the Memories, and You” a bit more.  I went back to the resort just as wishes was starting, and had a good night’s sleep now that I was using my CPAP again.

Next up, Epcot!

Posted in Disney, Vacation | Leave a comment

March 23rd and 24th – Travel and Disneyquest

A quick recap of yesterday – as I didn’t post anything about yesterday.

We got to the airport, but our flight was delayed for an hour due to weather related issues.  One bumpy and otherwise good flight later (the crew was good), we were touching down in Orlando!
We get to the DME station and get shown onto a bus right away.  We leave about 10 minutes later and our resort was the first stop, where Julie and the kids were waiting for us!

We check in and get our room, in the Congress Park section of the Saratoga Springs resort.  Our view is of Downtown Disney, I can see DisneyQuest right out of the window.

After we get settled, we head over to Rainforest Cafe for our traditional kick off dinner.  Mom and I were starving as we hadn’t eaten since breakfast (and the pretzels on the plane don’t count).

After dinner, we head back to the room, and our luggage arrived (thanks Disney’s Magical Express).  We gave the kids their presents and they went home while we settled in after the long day.

The next morning, my Mom, Julie, and Belle went off on their own, while I took Gabe over to DisneyQuest.  He got in no problem, due to him having a premium annual pass, while I got 4 bucks off with my annual pass.  We had a bunch of fun playing Fix It Felix, Jr., along with other assorted games (he kicked my butt in Mighty Ducks pinball slam), and when we were ready to leave, we find it raining outside.  We got soaked headed back to the busses, but we got back to the room quickly and watched Hotel Transylvania.

The next day we are headed to the Magic Kingdom!  I can’t wait to check out Be Our Guest.

Posted in Disney, Vacation | Leave a comment

Disney Trip to SSR 3/23 to 3/30

Going to fly out tomorrow on Airtran.  We’re all packed, with the exception of the last minute items (toothbrushes, my CPAP machine, etc.).

My niece has sent us a ‘Flat Stanley’ that we’re taking with us back to Florida.  We’ll be sending them photos and writing up an adventure through Disney World.  I’m looking forward to our traditional first dinner after we arrive at the Rainforest Cafe.

I found that while the spa is closed for refurbishment at the resort, the gym appears to still be open, so at least I’ll be able to get some excercise in (not to mention what I’ll be doing at the parks and swimming).  I can’t wait to check out SeaWorld, too — can you believe I’ve never been there in all my visits to Florida?

Time to get to bed, gotta get up at 6:30 for our flight!

Posted in Disney, Vacation | Leave a comment

Disney Trip to SSR 3/23 to 3/30

Walt Disney World Trip

March 23rd through March 30th, 2013

Resort: Saratoga Springs
Cast: My Mom and Myself
Visiting my Sister, Niece and Nephew who live down there now

As this trip approached, I got more and more excited for it, as I was starting to get stressed out at work and needed the time off.  At least it’s during spring break, so things should be ok without me there.  Here’s a picture of my Mom and I on St. Thomas:

My Mom and I on St. Thomas.

My nephew is looking forward to me taking him to DisneyQuest, and my niece is going to Bibbidy Bobbidy Boutique for the first time!

I want to get my pic with Donald while I’m wearing my Donald hat, and we’re going to try out Tony’s Town Square restaurant and the Whispering Canyon Cafe at the Wilderness Lodge.

Our packing actually started around the middle of last month, my Mom was getting excited too.  After all she’s been through, she deserves this even more so.

Here’s to having fun!

Posted in Disney, Vacation | Leave a comment

Less than 9 days to go!

Well, we are going to Disney World in less than 9 days, staying at Saratoga Springs, and I am pumped!

Looking forward to eating at Rainforest to kick off the trip, Tony’s Town Square, Crystal Palace, and Whispering Canyon (a first for me)!  I’m also excited to get to check out Epcot’s Flower and Garden festival.  Weather currently shows in the 70s/80s for the week we’re there.  Much better weather than what we’ve been having here in Chicago.

Got my copy of Wreck-It Ralph delivered a day before it came out in stores.  I love this movie!  Lots of great video game references and a terrific story and soundtrack.  Maybe I can get a pic with Ralph and Vanellope at the parks when I’m there.

Bought my first ticket to a Cubs game, May 4th versus the Cincinnati Reds.  I’m also still looking forward to my next cruise on the Disney Fantasy.

Off on another tangent, got my new car radio working again, so now I can easily listen to stuff on my MP3 player/phone.

Time to hit the sack.

Posted in Disney, Random Thoughts, Vacation | Leave a comment