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Alison M. Bartlett -- December 2000 -- Walt Disney World (CBR)12/19/00--01/01/01 Just a warning, This is my trip journal so it's very detailed and lengthy. This is our second trip to WDW , the first trip was in April 1999. Cast:
Day 1 Dec 19th Well, after a few incidents (I hurt my hip, Noah had an allergic reaction the day before we are supposed to leave, ) we are finally here: Dec 19th. The day I have been waiting for since April '99. We stayed at a Motel 6 near the airport last night so we wouldn't have to get up at 3am, good move! We wake up at 5:30. get ready and are at the long-term parking by 6:40am. All seems fine till we are in line to check into the flight and I realize I left my fanny pack with my ID, credit cards etc. on the shuttle bus, I flag down another of their shuttles, after a few radio calls an about 15 minutes I have my fanny pack back, yeah, we check into the flight, we have a 10 minute delay and the flight itself was very rough, we are fighting 150 mile per hour winds due to a bad storm front, we end up getting in almost an hour late, it's chilly and windy. almost like home, lol. Tony from Tiffany Towncar is there and gets us swiftly to CBR with a quick stop at a Publix to pick up a few things. Check-in at CBR goes well, our room is ready, yeah, we are placed in Aruba, I wasn't able to fax my room requests due to the software not working on my computer, oh well, We are in Building 55 room 5538, it's beautiful. so much for all the bad things I've heard about CBR, the whole place is gorgeous!!! We walk over to Old Port Royale, it's about a 7 minute walk, no big deal. We take a quick look around, I love the Calypso Christmas music. We then hop the bus to MK. we go to guest services and buy our AP's, it was really fast, that I like! It's raining now, YUCK. I had let Noah grab the child's Mickey poncho from the room, my mother and I had the cheap ones I brought with us. We walk down Main St USA (singing of course, lol) I have to go through the castle to make it feel real, we get to the other side and it's barely sprinkling, yeah! We have 1 1/2 hours till our PS at the Crystal Palace so we go to It's A Small World, the wait was about 10 minutes. we get off and it's stopped raining but it's still damp and chilly, at least the sun is out though. We head towards Liberty Square, The riverboat is there so we hop on (we missed this last trip due to refurbishment). After this we go do The Swiss Family Tree House then off to our favorite ride The People Mover (the Tomorrowland Transit Authority). We get done then head over to the Crystal Palace. we have a 20 minute wait before we are seated. We have a great meal, I love their buffet!! As we leave we see the last bits of The Main Street Electrical Parade. We hop the bus back to CBR, get off at Calypso to go to the store and get a 2 liter of soda for the room ($3.50!!!!!!!!) We got a few postcards and I bought a hat. We head back to the room to unpack and we are all in bed by 9:30!!! Day 2 Dec 20th COLD!!! Wake-up call at 6:05 am, We lay around for a few minutes then get-up ready and out of the room. We have a 10 minute wait for the bus to AK. We are at AK by 7:40, it's absolutely FREEZING this morning, luckily we brought vests and layers to wear and also gloves and hats. We get through the gates and a bunch of characters are there. Noah gets about 5 autographs with no lines, yeah! It's fairly quiet because it's so cold. We head right to the Safari, it's a walk-on, yippee. We see tons of animals, they are all trying to warm up in the sun. Next we do the Pangani Exploration trail then we head over to tusker House bakery to warm up and have some breakfast. next we walked right on to It's Tough to Be a Bug, Noah freaked out and spent most of the show on the floor, lol, It's one of my faves, hopefully I'll be able to see it for once without missing parts cause Noah gets scared! We head to Dinoland USA next. My mother took Noah to the play area while I did Dinosaur. I loved it!! Then Noah dug bones for awhile, not too long though cause it was cold in that area! After we left Dinoland we headed to Asia and did the Maharajah Jungle Trek, we didn't see many animals, it was too cold for them. Next we walked right in to Flights of Wonder, I personally liked the old "show" better. but this was good anyway. Once this was done Noah was beat so we left AK (it was only 11:30 am), as we are leaving hordes of people are coming into the park. We went back to CBR, got our mugs and walked over to the food court, got some food to split and looked around the store then walked back to the room. By now it's 1:40 and we rest until 3pm. We get up and get to the bus stop around 3:15, it's off to Epcot. We walk right on to Spaceship Earth. just as we reach the top and are being turned to the side the ride stops, it's down for like 8 minutes, fun. it starts back up and we head back "down", right before we are turned back forward it stops again, this time for only about 3 minutes, we spent awhile doing the Global neighborhood stuff (Noah loves the tell-n-vision). Next we head off to "Imagination", it's a walk-on, I'm not overly impressed. but Noah loves it. After this we head over to "The land", we do the boat ride, no wait, Next we ate. of course, lol. We did "Food Rocks" , Noah loves this, I dread it!!! Next we head over to "The Living seas", Noah loves this too. While on the "ride" it stops, seems to be a running theme for us, lol, it's back running in 5 minutes though. Next we head over to "universe of Energy" we missed it last trip, seems we'll miss it this time too, Noah freaks when the announcement comes on and say small children may be frightened! We decide enough is enough for one day, we hop the monorail and do the roundtrip to the TTC and back to Epcot, then hop the bus back to CBR, We have a snack and it's off to bed!! Day 3 Dec 21st Chilly in the Am and PM but nice mid day Wake-up call at 7:30am, Noah and I get ready then walk over to the food court for breakfast while my mother showers. We bring the food back to the room , eat and head for the bus stop. Off to Epcot, our favorite park! We plan to do World Showcase today so we rent Noah a stroller, this is the only day out of 14 he rides in one. and actually he really didn't even need it! After we get him settled we head over to Test Track, I go through the singles line in about 5 minutes bypassing an hour wait! My mother takes Noah over to Innoventions, apparently that was a mistake, lol, We have the Motorola TalkAbouts (thanks to my sister who works for them!!)so we've been able to keep in touch whenever we separate. Test Track was GREAT, my only regret is I didn't get the chance to do it again! After this we got a souvenir bucket of popcorn, yummy! We then head to Ice Station Cool, Gotta love a free drink from WDW!! Noah, being the ever wise guy, tried Beverly after I tell him it's gross and guess what, he likes it, wait LOVES it. YUCKY!!!! he must have drank 6 glasses!!! Next it's off to World Showcase, My mother had gotten Noah his passport while I was on Test Track. On our way there we happen upon the character bus so Noah gets a ton of autographs!! We enter WS and it's off to Canada. The Funstop isn't open yet so Noah gets his passport stamped and signed in the store. We look around but skip the movie, we did this one last trip. I've been dying to try a Beavertail so we all split a Cinnamon and Sugar one. we stop to listen to Papa Noel. YUMMY. Next we head to Millennium Village, what a great place!!! We spend almost 2 hours in there (if only I knew then how much time I was going to end up spending there, lol). We golfed in Scotland, Noah ran through the "banging things" in Brazil, we did the Simulator movie in Israel. we ate of course, lol. We did Sweden, the first of many trips through there, lol. After the Village we headed to the UK, The Fun Stop isn't open yet, UGH, Next it's France, yeah their Funstop is open so Noah starts on his mask. We eat, of course, lol.(it's amazing we didn't gain 10 lbs while gone, ) we try a crepe, YUMMY. Next is Morocco, we look around. Noah works on his mask, Next off to Japan, we listen to their Holiday Story and then go through the magical toys exhibit, very kewl! Noah works on his mask. Now it's time for America, Noah does more of his mask of course, Santa is there but Noah isn't interested. We head into the building just in time to see the last few minutes of the music group (not sure of their name. they are younger kids, very good!), We see The American Adventure, such a good show! Now we are off to Italy, after a nice look around Noah works on his mask and then we drink, lol, this time we can't eat another bite so we opt for Cappuccino, yummy! Off to Germany, we watch the little village for a few, Noah takes pictures (he loves to stop and take pictures with his camera). They have yodelers right next to the Funstop, My ears are STILL ringing, lol, We breeze past the outpost, no shopping allowed, we are waiting until our Candlelight Processional day and we get 15% off! We go through China, watch a bit of the acrobatics. On to Norway, First thing we get in line for the Maelstrom. about a 25 minute wait, we all love this ride! We wander through the store and I get a picture of Noah next to the big troll, I have the same picture from last trip, I can't wait to compare them!! We get outside just a ToN starts, We go onto the "porch" of the Stave Church Display for the PERFECT unobstructed view, I even rest my camcorder on the sill and tape it! Noah then did more of his mask and then played on the Viking ship for awhile, then off to Mexico. We saw the 3 kings, got Autographs and pictures then went in the "El Rio del Tiempo" we didn't do this last trip, it was nice. Then Noah did the Funstop and finished off his mask! We left WS and I headed to try test Track again, the singles line was tooooo long so I opted to head to "the wonders of life " I forgot the TalkAbout so I couldn't tell my mother where I went so I did Body Wars (missed this whole place last trip) then met back up with them. I brought them back up there with me. We played and did Cranium Command, Then we left. I got off at Aruba while my mother and Noah stay on the bus and get off at the food court. I grab the refill mugs and head over there. I got there and my mother informed me Noah almost got killed on the bus. I guess he was "performing" on the back stairs as they where getting off and fell and the bus driver didn't notice and shut the doors with him in them!!!! My mother pulled him out quick, thank God, unfortunately she never thought to stop the bus and inform the driver what he had done (they have a huge mirror there is no reason he should not have seen my son) and she never saw the same driver again so I could give him a piece of my mind! Noah did live through it though. That night he was sooo wound up though from riding in the stroller all day he was a pain to try to get to go to sleep. But by 11 we where all asleep, YEAH!!! Day 4 Dec 22nd clear but cool Wake-up call at 6:30. Noah eats a bit, we have an early lunch so no one wants to eat a lot. We are at the bus by 8am. We get to MGM and go to the rope drop by 8:40, we wait till the rope drops then head to "Little Mermaid", well Noah has a complete meltdown, this is what not getting enough sleep does. and this kid is a mouthy monster when he gets in a mood (can't imagine where he gets that from, lol. he's my child through and through), well he knows damn well that I am not going to do much punishing him in front of thousands of people so he plays it to the hilt, well I am mad by now and I say that's it and I walk towards the exit, and we actually leave the park, okay this gets his attention, if we aren't in the park that means no Indiana Jones for him, well he snaps out of it fast and he head back in, well now the park has more than a few people in it, oh well! We skip "the little mermaid" for now, I don't want to start him up again! We head to The Great Movie Ride. It's a walk-on, yeah, and we get the Gangster this time!! YIPPIE! Next a 5 minute wait for "Muppets 3-D", Noah only wore the glasses for a little bit, but he enjoyed the show. After this we go do Indiana Jones. It' about 5 minutes before the show starts we are all the way up top, but that's ok. Noah LOVES this show and has been waiting to do it again since last trip!! At the store near the exit he buys a Wooden Snake (UGH). We have PS at "50's prime time Cafe'" We had a blast!! One of the CM's made a big deal about the snake so him and Noah had fun scaring all the girls while we waited for our table. Our waitress was nice, the food was god but they give you wayyyyy too much, no clean plate stickers here :( After we ate we headed towards the Backlot Tour and ended up at Hunchback just as it was starting, we got great seats and LOVED the show, we missed this last trip. After this we did the Backlot Tour Noah loves the canyon. Once we are off of that I go get Fastpasses for Star Tours while Noah plays at the Honey I Shrunk the Audience play set. We let him play awhile then go do "Star Tours" then we go get Fastpasses of "the Little Mermaid". while we wait Noah gets to see Mickey Mouse, YEAH!!! Then as we exit that we see "Andy Mation" the Balloonimator", we watch him do a Minnie Mouse from balloons, WOW is all I can say, this guy is good and funny! Once he's done it's time for our Little Mermaid Fastpasses, after this we walk "briskly" to the last showing of "Beauty and the beast" I love this show. We sit on the far left in the first row of the side rows, no one in front of us , yeah!! Next we head back across the park to Pizza Planet for Dinner , we all split a Buzz meal, then we go see the "Osborne Lights". .very nice! I plan to do this again when I have the camcorder. We leave after this, after all the park was closing, lol, it' back to CBR and off to bed, yeah!! Noah is totally wiped out, but after his initial meltdown he was fine! Day 5 Dec 23rd Wake-up call at 5:30, YUCK, we didn't make it out of bed till 6 though. Up ready and on the bus by 7am, yippee, we're off to EE at MK. We are in the park at 7:30, we stop at the Main St Bakery for a quick on the go breakfast. We head right for Buzz Lightyear, Noah must have ridden this 30 times last trip! Next Noah and my mother go on the "People Mover" while I go do Alien Encounter WOW. the preshow is a bit stupid but the "Encounter " was AWESOME!!! I was a little nervous when they "locked" us in, They guy next to me was stupid, right before they start his kid freaks out so he gets him out of the restraint then gets himself out, what an idiot, I thought the CM was gonna strangle him! Well after this we go on the "Tomorrowland Speedway" and true to form on this trip the ride shuts down with us on, lol one of the CM's crashed a car while trying to get it on the track!!! we are stuck on the track for like 20 minutes, 20 minutes of listening to the recorded message that we are approaching the finish line!!!! Finally we are off the dumb thing, and we head to the Tea Cups, I reluctantly go on, I swear I am still feeling it!! Next a walk-on for Pooh, this ride wasn't open when we where here last time, I LOVE it, Next we see Rafiki at the Character Festival. Then we walk on to "Snow White" and then over to the Carousel, we never rode this last trip, Noah tries the Sword, no luck of course. After this we go do "peter pan" we all love this ride! Then we head over to the "Haunted Mansion", we've never seen the pre-show because of my cousin being with us last trip, she was in a wheel chair the whole trip, well Noah freaked out when the lights went out, we literally had to drag him on the ride, once in the "car" he was fine, he just rode with his eyes closed like last trip, lol Once he recovered from that we took him to Tom Sawyer Island, another place we missed last trip. We found a paintbrush so we got the skip the line pass, yeah. There was no line for Splash Mountain so I walked on to that (Noah wanted nothing to do with this ride) then I used the pass to skip an hour line at Big Thunder Mountain, WOW, I love this ride. missed it last trip!!! While I was on BTM Noah and my mother went on the railroad for a complete circuit. When they go off it was SOOOOO crowded so we left. Instead of getting the bus for CBR we got on the one for Dixie Landings (we stayed there last trip) and took the boat to Downtown Disney. We did some shopping and then went back to CBR. We did some much needed laundry, while that was running Noah and I walked over to The Customs House and got our Hoop Dee DOO Revue Tickets and out Candlelight Processional stuff. Went to help my mother get the laundry then we hopped a bus to MGM for Fantasmic. We ended up with front row center stage seats!!!! last trip we where up in the very top due to the wheelchair! We where also right near a cart that was selling all the light-up stuff. Noah had bought a Pooh light-up that twists a few days before (anyone that's been there recently knows what I am talking about) but he really wanted a Sorcerer Mickey so the lady working the cart let him swap his ! he was SOOO happy!! Well the show was GREAT cold though and we got a bit damp, I forgot the ponchos!! Luckily the fire warmed us up and dried us out, lol. After the show we go through the Osborne lights again, this time I have the camcorder, then we go back to CBR. We are all exhausted from 5 non-stop day so I don't set a wake-up for the morning! Day 6 Dec 24th Christmas Eve No wake-up call today, YEAH! We are all awake by 8:30 am. We get ready and all go to the food court for a "real" breakfast. After we eat my mother heads back to the room while I take Noah to the arcade and then to the Playground. After that Noah wants to go swimming, it's still a little chilly but I let him go. We start out at the quiet pool near the room then head over to the main pool. He didn't go on the slide, he said it went to fast. After swimming we decided to rent a water mouse, we had a blast doing this!! Once we turned it in we went back to the room to chill out. After a few hours of relaxing we head to MK. We went on the Carousel of progress, a first for us, Noah loved this! Then came the "people mover" again and then "The Timekeeper" another first for us. Then we headed over to Liberty Square and saw "the hall of Presidents" I love this, When we exited the crowds where unreal so we left. We took the boat over to Ft. Wilderness and hung around till the 7:15 Hoop Dee Doo Revue show. What a GREAT show, We had the best time!!! We had table 24 (made Noah happy since his favorite Nascar driver is Jeff Gordon) which was so close to the stage it was great!!! The food was ok, the butter they use was great and the chicken was really good, but then again you have to love food slammed on the table in a cast-iron bucket eh? lol This show will definately become a must do on every trip!! After the show we hopped the bus to the TTC then the Monorail to MK and the bus back to CBR. We met a really nice family on the bus (hello Jason (otherwise known as Daniel Boone) and Chelsea and family if your out there) whom we ended up seeing again on Christmas day but then not again after that :( We all sang Christmas songs the whole bus ride back to CBR, We have no wake-up call again in the morning so we are all very happy!! lol. Day 7 Dec 25th Christmas day We are all awake by 7:30, Noah is so excited to see if Santa found us, he did!! He got a few things, Santa never brings much to us, just enough to remind us of the true meaning of Christmas. After this Noah discovers a mesh stocking hanging on the outside door handle, seems all the rooms have one. It is full of Disney hard candies, lolipops and stick candy. Noah is very happy now. lol We told housekeeping they could have today off from our room, might as well make there Christmas a little easier. We go get a bus around 11am heading for Epcot. We go through "Ice Station Cool" so Noah can have his Beverly, YUCK! Next we went and rode "Imagination". The park is packed but this ride has almost no wait. We plan to just kinda stroll around since we've already done this park. We head towards World Showcase. We spend a little time in Canada then of course Millennium Village , Noah want to go see the Snowman in Sweden again. After that we go to the UK for Fish n Chips. My mother has been waiting for that since our last trip! After we eat we stroll around WS. We go into Japan, Noah wants to see the Toy Exhibit again. Then we continue our "journey", it's nice to be able to look around with out having to stop at the Funstops or worry about the Passport. We get to China and decide to see their Circle Vision movie. It's really nice except one of the screens is not working so it made it kinda weird. After the movie we go through "The many faces" exhibit, very nice. We continue walking and then decide to take the boat across the lagoon, we've never done this and we still have time before our PS at Le Cellier. We get to France and the Living Statue is out, We had a blast watching him. He got a hold of one girls pocketbook strap and wouldn't let it go for a few minutes, she finally had to kiss him on the cheek to be let go of. Now we headed back to Canada for our PS at Le Cellier. On our way there they announce they have cancelled the 4pm ToN parade. My plan was to check in early since we where going to the 6:45 Candlelight Processional (we had the dinner package), we checked in at 4:05 even though out PS wasn't till 4:30, by 4:15 we where seated, YEAH!! The meal was GREAT and it was really nice not eating at a buffet or food court or vender for once! We get done with our meals and head towards America, well I had forgotten about the 6pm parade. We were gonna get caught up in it!! Then they announce that they have cancelled that one too, it's so windy today someone was liable to get hurt! We get to the American Gardens Theatre and get right in line, they let us in and we get second row seats, WOW what a show, it finally felt like Christmas now. Gary Sinise did an amazing job. Once we left we headed to Mouse Gears to use our 15% discount, we did some serious shopping, yeah finally!! LOL. Next we opted for "Spaceship Earth" again, guess what, it stopped in the same spot as last time for about 5 minutes, UGH!!LOL, After this we left the park. we waited for like 20 minutes for a bus back, by then they needed 3 buses to get the crowd that had been waiting back to CBR!!! We all crashed by 11pm! Day 8 Dec 26th Wake-up call at 5:30, YUCK!! I hung up and went back to sleep! We planned to go to MK (Dec 25th-31st all the park where opened at 7:30 am for resort guests) but since no one got up till 8:30 and we didn't get out to the bus till after 10 we decided to head over to Animal Kingdom. The park we really busy but since we didn't have much left to do we didn't mind. We headed right for "Festival of the Lion King" with a brief stop at a Pin Station, Noah discovered this after getting his Candlelight Processional Lanyard and pin. We saw the show. all I can say is WOW, we saw this twice last trip and I can say that show alone is worth going to AK for. After this we headed to Kali River Rapids, we didn't go on this last trip. It is still a bit chilly so there is no wait, I go alone though because Noah's not thrilled with the idea of this ride. I throw on my poncho grab my TalkAbout and off I go. While in line I meat up with a really nice family from west of Boston (I live in Mass also but the other end of the state). anyway they also have their poncho's on and they advise me to take off my sneakers so I do. We end up on the same raft, what a great ride!!! A couple of kids that are on it get SOAKED!!! (oh yeah if you wear a poncho don't forget to hike your pants up to you knees to keep them dry too). After this we decide to ride again, by now it's warming up so we actually have a little wait. This time no one got drenched until the end, my son was manning the Elephant sprayer button on the bridge and when he saw us coming he drenched us! LOL. After I get my shoes back on we head to the train to Conservation station (when did this become Rafiki's planet watch??) the line is enormous to even get on the train and we must wait about 25 minutes but that's no big deal. we get over there and explore, Noah ends up getting a "Tron" pin given to him from one of the managers! kewl beans!! After we fully explore and play the games we leave AK. We got back to CBR and Noah and I walk the whole path around the resort, it's so peaceful and pretty! We went back to the room and relaxed and went off to bed early, yeah!! Day 9 Dec 27th Wake-up call at 5:30am, icky, lol. we moved in slow motion but we all got up and got moving. We got up to the bus stop around 7 and waited for a bud. (it seemed to be another running theme of this vacation, the only busses that came where for anything but where we where going, sometimes 2 or 3 for each park before one for us, lol). Finally we get squashed onto a very packed bus-which ended up letting us off at the bus turn around in the MK parking lot instead of our bus stop(which always seems to be the last one at all the parks, lol) because he wasn't going back to CBR. Kewl we are now a lot closer to the gates!! We get up to the gate about 3 minutes before they let us in. Noah and I RUN towards Dumbo (he's been wanting to ride this and if you don't get on early forget it!!). My mother heads to the bakery to grab us some breakfast. We end up getting the first ride on Dumbo of the day, very kewl! After that we met my mother and ate our breakfast while walking. We head over to Pooh and ride twice, I love this ride, especially with NO lines!! After that we head over to Tomorrowland for a ride on Buzz, then I go on Astro Orbiter while Noah and my mother go on the People Mover, it's a chilly morning so my ride was COLD!! I'm done before they are so while I wait I buy Noah a new Buzz Lightyear T-shirt at the Kiosk. he has outgrown last years shirt! I also got him a Buzz pin, I think I won some serious brownie points for that!! Next we headed back over to Fantasyland for "Peter Pan". It's now about 10 minutes till they let us in to Liberty Square and Frontier and Adventureland so we wait at the rope drop near the old skyway entrance. Once they let us in we headed towards Adventureland (the massive crowds all went toward big Thunder and Splash) we where virtually alone in Adventureland. We walked onto "Jungle Cruise", there was only like 8 of us on the boat. Noah got to "drive" the boat. he did this last trips o he was thrilled to do it again!! Next we rode "pirates of the Caribbean", no wait, I LOVE IT!! Once we where done Noah went and drove the remote boats near Jungle Cruise. he wanted to drive again but I told him no, So we headed off to the "Tiki Room", this cornball show is a personal favorite. I've never seen the original show but I love this one! Next we go over and she the "Country bear jamboree" Christmas show, not one of my faves but Noah loves it. We are all very hungry and tired by now so we hop over to "The Diamond Horseshoe Salon", it was 10 minutes before show time. We grabbed a bite to eat and got really good seats and settled in. Noah got to pick a Christmas song for us all to sing. the show was good, of course. By now the park is getting crowded. We get on the train and head to "Mickey's Toontown Fair" It had gotten fairly warm so I let Noah play in "Donald's boat" for awhile. Now the crowds where unreal so we skipped everything else, made a quick tour of the store and then headed back through "Fantasyland". Just as we are approaching this the "Sword in the Stone" ceremony was going on so we go watch. Noah was a bit upset cause he didn't get picked , but he got over it quick! Next we went and saw "Legend of The Lion King", This is a good show, but I hate the preshow are, people can get so rude when you pile them all in a room and turn the lights down! Noah almost got trampled a few times. Next it's almost parade time so we decide to find a spot and watch it. We cross the bridge from Adventureland to the hub and go along the fence there, they have a walk-way roped off we stand just along the fence where we won't get told to move. I run and get us 2 Dole Whips before the parade starts, YUMMY!! Once the parade hits us they move the rope to close off the walk-way and then all the kids got to be up closer, we saw the whole thing perfectly while it was on the bridge from Liberty Square! After this we make the mistake of heading back through Frontierland, the place is packed! there is a 2 hours Standby line for Splash and the line just to get a Fastpass has to be 1/2 hour long! We hop the Train to Main Street and escaped ! We got back to CBR and we brought Noah swimming at the main pool while I got my hair wrap done. We then ate at the food Court, we got Pizza, it was good but wayyyy too big for us. We get back to the room and turn in, Noah and I are getting up early to go to MK then head off to the Grand Floridian for his Pirate Cruise! Day 10 Dec 28th Wake-up call at 5:30, nope, I reset it for 6:30 . I got and showered, I wasn't feeling very well though. I did end up sick but today was Noah's Pirate Cruise so I pushed myself to get going. I got Noah up and ready, well it's raining out, GREAT, I forewarn Noah they may cancel his Pirate Cruise, he's sad but he says he can deal with it. Well still get on the bus for Mk and by now it's pouring, UGH, we take the Monorail over to The Grand Floridian, it's no longer raining, yippee! My mother is planning to meet us so we can check the Resort out while he's out on his cruise. Well it starts POURING again so they cancel the cruise, Noah is heart broken but deals with it well, no tears or anything just a crushed look. We head back to the monorail, as we are ready to board I notice the driver is on the platform, hummmm I ask the nearest CM if we can ride up front, YES!!!! So now Noah is a bit happier!!! It's absolutely pouring and gross out, I'm glad he's not out on the lake in this! We get our Co-Pilot licenses and head to the buses to get back to CBR. We get back to the room and luckily housekeeping has been here already. We all get out of our wet clothes, I am feeling a bit better but still feel the need to rest so Noah and I climb in bed and chill out for a long while. My mother braves the weather and goes to the food court to grab some food. After we eat and rest a bit more Noah and I go to the laundry room to dry out his sneakers, I swear he stepped in every puddle from the bus stop to our room. He's a bit hard to deal with, he's upset about the Pirate Cruise so he's taking it out on me. We have 5:15 PS at 1900 Park Fare and Noah is adamant about the fact that since he didn't get to do his cruise we don't get to go to dinner, yeah whatever kid. lol. After the shoes are dry we get redressed and head back to MK, it starts POURING on the way there. good thing we have no intentions of going in the park! A few people on the bus start complaining, oh well, it is nasty out though, Cold, raining and windy! We pull on our Poncho's once we get off the bus and then we head towards the Monorail. We have some time to waste so we get off at the Polynesian to look around, it's really nice but I don't think it's my style. We get back on the monorail and go back to the Grand Floridian. We had a great time at 1900 park fare, the characters interact very well. Noah DOES NOT like the Queen of Hearts at ALL, she scared him bad last trip near the Tea Cups and he wants nothing to do with her, Luckily she didn't come in the dinning room at all (except the occasional time she'd open the glass doors and knock a hat of a guest, lol). We did have to go to the bathroom once and I had to carry Noah and she tried to come near him and I had this look like "please no" so she backed off. The food was great! Noah ate his money worth in Mussels alone, he doesn't like "normal" kid food, Won't touch Mac-n-Cheese or French fries. . He prefers shrimp, steamers, mussels, duck etc, lol. We left the GF and guess what, we got to ride up front AGAIN, it was dark out now so this ride was really kewl! We got back to MK and my mother went and got a bus to CBR while Noah and I hopped to Boat to Wilderness Lodge (it had stopped raining and totally cleared up by now, it was still chilly though). All Noah wanted for Christmas was to rent a cabin and have Hot Cocoa by the fireplace, well I told him the cabin was out but I could do the fireplace and hot Cocoa! We had a great time talking and enjoying each other's company. The Lodge is nice but I'm not crazy about the multi floors of rooms, I like the way CBR and DxL are set up better. Well anyway Noah was so happy, he said I made his Christmas dream come true! Wow kids sure know how to get ya, eh? We left the Lodge and went back to MK, Since it's cleared up and I am still feeling a bit bad for him about the Pirate Cruise we go into the park with the purpose of getting him some Pirate gear! We head to Adventureland to go to the store after the Pirates of the Caribbean, we detoured at Jungle Cruise, Noah didn't get to drive but we had a great driver this time and it was neat to ride this in the dark. After this we bought his pirate gear, then we head over to Frontierland and ended up getting great seats for the Main Street Electrical Parade. It's chilly so we sit on one poncho and cover our legs with the other 2. Once this is over we head back through Adventureland and stop on the bridge to watch the fireworks. we get a great place and I lay out a poncho so Noah ends up watching them laying down leaning on the backpack, oh what comfort! We got to see Tinkerbell fly, that was great, when we saw the fireworks last trip she didn't fly because of the wind! Well, now we left the park, Noah is more than a bit tired. We get on a jam packed bus, ugh. a very polite young man (had to be no more than 14) gave up his seat for us and Noah promptly fell asleep!( just goes to show what comes around goes around. I put Noah on my lap many times on the bus so someone who needed to sit could!) We didn't get back to the room till 11 but Noah was great and went right back to sleep, yeah, we had such a great night together!! Day 11 Dec 29th I can not believe we only have 3 full days left, where did the time go? Today I let my mother and Noah get up while I "sleep" in. I enjoyed just laying in bed pretending I was asleep. They went off to the food court then I got up and did my journal from the day before and just enjoyed the peace! Once they got back(they didn't even bring me any food. :( ) We head off to MGM, WOW. it's absolutely PACKED, this park is too small for this many people. We to get FP for Indiana Jones and it's for 5 hours later, that's it we leave! We hop the bus for Epcot, at least here people can spread out more! we get there and it's busy, but we don't mind at all. We go through Ice Station Cool, Noah gets his Beverly. We head over to "The Living Seas, we actually have to wait to get in. wow! After this we go over to Canada and we each get our own Beavertail. Then we head to Millennium Village, Noah loves this place. We get to Brazil and this time Noah really wants to play soccer so we decide to wait until the next game, well this was the best thing we could have done this day. While waiting Noah started talking to one of the CM's, telling her how he played Soccer and his team was Brazil. Well the CM (Vivi) and Noah instantly clicked, they had a connection that I was amazed by. We play soccer and they are talking and playing (BTW she's 21 ). She gives him one of the paddles and then gives him a "Walt Disney World Magical Millennium Moments" award thing. WOW! We plan to go watch one of the shows, but we aren't impressed, Noah wants to go see Vivi again, this time he gives her his e-mail address so they can write each other. they spend a bunch of time together, Next he decided he wants to get his passport done , we forgot to get it done in Millennium Village, and he really wants Vivi to write in it (I swear he is going to be a major heart breaker!), well that's back in our room! I want to get the Millennium Moments thing in a safe place so I head back to the room while my mother and Noah hang out. I get back in just over 1 hour (would have been faster but I think our bus driver was a TURTLE!!!). We head back into millennium village (they had seen the 4pm ToN parade right across from the very end and my mother said it was awesome because the performs really ham it up there!). In the foyer he gets a lot of spaces written in. One of the girls from Ethiopia gives him a Mickey Sticker for him and an extra one to give his best friend. We get to Brazil and Vivi is on break. We go to the food court and eat, lol, then I notice all the stuff in the store is 50% off so Noah buys a Brazil shirt and hat, he put the shirt on over his other stuff (it's a men's small so it is HUGE on my 39 lb son, lol) We now he looks way too cute with the shirt on and the hat!! We head back to Brazil and Vivi is so glad to see him again, The other CM's had told here we came back and she was worried we had gone!!. They play for awhile, then we do the soccer thing, she write him a message on the paddle she had given him. They are so sweet to watch, you can tell she isn't faking at all. She really adores him and vise versa! He has her to sign his passport and she gives him her e-mail address, then we leave as it's time to go have a real dinner and stake out a spot for Illuminations 2000. After we leave we go have Fish n Chips then head off to ride Spaceship Earth, it doesn't stop this time!!! Next we go on Imagination. AGAIN. lol, He buys himself a "Figment" stuffed animal (figment has a lanyard so Noah puts his Figment pin on it!). Now it's time to get a spot of the show. Once we have our spot I go get coffee and we still have awhile till the show so Noah and I go back so he can see Vivi again. They spend a few minutes together. by now the whole Brazil group knows him and they are all playing and such, Noah is loving this!! Noah and Vivi say goodbye. he's crying, she has tears in her eyes, he gives her our mailing address and vice versa cause I took a picture of them together! We go back to our spot, my mother's been sitting there alone. the show is great, I have nothing to compare it to since we never say Illuminations last trip. After the show we head back to CBR, yeah, we are cold and tired. Day 12 Dec 30th Well we didn't get to sleep till after midnight last night, UGH, somehow Noah and I still managed to get up and be at MGM by 10:20 am, the park is crowded but nothing like yesterday! We go right to "Indiana Jones" and get out FP, it's for the 12:30 show, much better!!! While we wait for our return time (12:05) we go and do "The Backstage Pass" that was neat, Noah enjoyed it. Next we go to the ABC commissary, YUCK. what a waste of money! It was COLD so we at least got a little warm in there. lol. We headed back to Indiana Jones and got in the Fastpass line. We ended up in the second row center, YES! Noah is SOOO excited now!! This show is great and at least the pyrotechnics warmed us a bit, lol. We left the park and guess where we went, Epcot, lol Noah wants to surprise Vivi again. We go through Innoventions on the way, I'd love to hang around but Noah grows bored, there really isn't much for him to do that he can really understand and enjoy. Now it's off to Millennium Village. We go through the exit so Noah can buy another Brazil shirt and get it on before we get to the kiosk (dumb mommy forgot to bring the other shirt, lol, good thing they had 2 styles!). We get there and Vivi is on break, so we go through Sweden again! We head back to Brazil and we spot Vivi just walking into the building so Noah runs to her! he gives her the figment he bought her. She bought him a pop-up Millennium Village she was going to mail us but instead gave it to him! I took a few more pictures. We play a few games of soccer . We now leave, it's after 4pm and we never told my mother we'd be gone this long. They say goodbye . I promise Noah he can come back the next day, our last full day and the last time he can see her. We stop back at Image Works and do a picture of the two of us to send out to a few people. Luckily I didn't have to ride Imagination again! We head back to CBR. We get back to the room. my mother has enjoyed her free time, Noah and I go over to the store, we buy our CBR t-shirts and grab some food to bring back to the room. I start packing a few things, I'm a bit depressed but I am ready to go home (can you say too much family togetherness, lol). Noah is very sad, he doesn't want to leave at all. He says he's going to miss Vivi and he doesn't think they should close Millennium Village! We crashed by 9pm, yeah!!! Day 13 Dec 31st New Years Eve We have no intentions of trying to brave any of the parks for New Years eve but I did promise Noah one last trip to Millennium Village. Well when we leave the room at 10 am the wind chill is 10 degrees. wow! I feel like I'm at home (I live in Massachusetts) . My mother is not joining us again today, she's planning on going to Downtown to shop. We wait a very long time for a bus. Once we get a bus and jam ourselves on it the driver informs us the delay is due to the fact that there is an hour long line of cars at the Epcot gates!!! They are detouring the Disney Buses through the cast members parking lot, this gets us so much closer to the entrance than if we had gone to our bus stop! There are no lines at the turnstiles, this is good! The place is packed though, no big deal we have only one goal in mind anyway! We get in the park and head to Image Works, Noah wants to buy Vivi a little Figment stuffed animal like his. On our way there we "run" into Frances the robot and the "Dr" that is with him, cute but I'm not fond of the way the Dr talks to the robot and hits him. Noah gets his picture taken with him then we are off to Image Works. Noah gets the Figment and I also get a Disney World 2000 frame for one of the pictures of Noah and Vivi. We get into Millennium Village and Noah bounds off for Vivi. There are tons of CM's from Brazil here today. Vivi tells us even more are coming at 12:30. Noah and I haven't eaten so we go get an Apple Blossom then I buy Noah a t-shirt with the Brazilian flag and "celebrate the future hand in hand" on it for all the CM's in Brazil to write on. We go back to Brazil. They are playing soccer like every 10 minutes today and a few of the male CM's are here (they normally work the food court Vivi told us) and they are making the whole thing hysterical to watch. by now though I can play blindfolded and could do their whole speeches , lol, Vivi is the first one to sign Noah shirt and she wrangles everyone else to do it also. the CM's put Noah up on the "stage" as their helper then he helps collect the paddles. Another CM writes on another paddle for Noah. At 12:30 the place gets infested with Brazilian CM's all wearing the soccer warm up suits! The dance, Noah right along with them, lol, then they all get together for pictures. they even bring Noah in for that, Noah is loving all this attention! I take a ton of pictures. It's now time for Vivi to go on her break and I take this as our cue to leave. She asks if we will be coming back but I tell her no, we really need to get back and pack. Needless to say there where a lot of tears and hugging when we left. We promised to write and she did also. Noah is so sad I had to carry him out. (I'm tearing up as I write this). On our way out of the park we stop and get the limited edition new years eve and day pins. We wave our final goodbye to Epcot, our very favorite place! As we are leaving the CM at the turnstiles informs us that they have already begun closing the park to non-resort guests so we'd better be sure we really want to leave before we exit in case they close the park completely! We have no plans to come back so it's no big deal. We get back to CBR, my mother isn't back yet and Housekeeping hasn't been to our room so Noah and I go over to the store to buy a few more gifts. We come back and still no housekeeping so we go out into the courtyard to play with the DVC football he had been given in MGM. We meet up with my mother on the way, she had a good time shopping but she said it was so crowded. We played for awhile then went for another walk and by the time we got back housekeeping had been there and gone, yeah. We walk in and the Pterodactyl Noah had gotten at AK was hanging from the lamps with the wooden snake in it mouth, it was so funny!!! Noah and my mother go off to do the last of the laundry while I work on the journal then I finish packing everything I can. I go help get the laundry and we all get back to the room. Noah has a major meltdown, foot stomping screaming yelling etc, I REALLY feel bad for whomever had the room below us. He knows there isn't much I can do about it either ESP when we are at the parks. I let him get it out of his system and then he is fine. I swear I spent most of my vacation telling him to stop jumping off the bed, stop stomping his feet, not to be hanging on the ropes and railings at the parks, UGH. lol, I am so ready to go home. Noah goes back to school on the 2nd and my mother goes back to work on the 2nd but I don't go back till the 5th so I get some peace. yeah!!!! Well we all get to bed rather well because we HAVE to get up at 5:30 tomorrow, no resetting the wake-up, lol! Day 14 January 1 2001 our last day Well today I have mixed emotions. I'm glad we are going home but I am sad to leave. I am also sad for Noah. I've been thinking maybe I should not have let him get so attached to Vivi. He is so sad to be leaving her and he knows he can't see her today because WS opens to late. He is happy though that he made such a great friend so maybe letting him get attached was ok, I don't know for sure but what's done is done right? We get our wake-up call at 5:30 , for once we all actually get up! I had showered the night before so I get dressed then get Noah up and dressed. We are supposed to have express check out but we won't be coming back to the room so we wont get out itemized check-out so Noah and I head to the customs house while my mother showers and gets ready. She also calls Bell services to get the luggage and store it for us. Noah and I get back with our "bill" (we spent $300 less than our last trip and we where here 4 days longer this time. YEAH) . The buses are supposed to start running at 7 so we get up to the bus stop at 7:01, lol, we get on an EMPTY bus to MK (the 3 of us are the only ones one it!!). After a quiet ride we get to MK, for an earl entry day the place is DEAD maybe 200 people are here, kewl beans!! I'm guessing most people are too hung over to get up this early, yippee! LOL. We get in and head down Main Street, and stop at the Bakery of course, we grab our breakfast and head over to ride Buzz Lightyear, we ride twice, it stopped for a few minutes the second time so we took that as our cue not to ride again, lol. Next we try our luck at the Speedway, The seat are FREEZING and have frost on them but Noah and I ride with no wait. As we get in the car and start up I notice the same CM who crashed last time we rode and I start to worry we are going to end up stuck again, but we ride without incident. Next Noah and my mother ride the Tea-Cups, I'm still spinning from the first time we rode so I sit this one out! Next we ride Pooh, twice, I videotape it this time. I also buy a Pooh honey squeeze bottle at the store to bring home. I LOVE honey and having a Pooh jar is so kewl!! next we go off and do Dumbo, Noah thinks it's funny to make it go up and down really fast, UGH, I swear this kid thinks it's amusing to watch me go green. lol We then head over to ride "peter pan" . Of course we have to ride "It's a small world" one last time before the trip is over (it's cold out and warm in here so that's ok, lol). Then we decide one last trip on "Peter Pan" I tape it this time as I am not sure if I taped it last trip. Now head over to Frontierland and I ride Big Thunder Mountain again, this is really great ride! Then we head to Adventureland for one last "Jungle Cruise", our skipper was really fun, the boat was almost empty this time! Next we head over to Mickey's Toontown fair. My mother takes Noah through Mickey and Minnie's houses while I go ride the Barnstormer, I feel a bit silly going on this alone but Noah will not go on it so heck! I get done before they do so I grab a Cappuccino then once they get back Noah gets his face painted, he's been wanting this done since he first saw it at MGM so I let him, he had exactly enough money left to do it, he was happy. he got it done up like the Genie, it was cute! We hop the train to go to Main St and leave when I remember we didn't ride The People Mover!! So we get off at Mina Street and start walking back towards Tomorrowland when I spot the Horse drawn Trolley and we get on, yippee!!!! We ride up to the Castle, Noah waving at everyone the whole trip! I had also forgotten to take a picture of him in front of the Castle so this is what we did now then we did our very last ride of the trip, The People Mover, our all time favorite! After this ride we head out, with a quick stop for a fast hot dog and soda to eat on the way! We leave the MK and wave goodbye to everything, Noah's little face looks so sad (mine too I bet, ) We head back to CBR and hang out at the Customs House watching Toy Story 2 while we wait for Tiffany Towncar to come and get us. I call the airlines and our flight is now 40 minutes delayed, ugh, then I call again right before we go outside and its now 1 hour and 15 minutes delayed, ugh! We head outside and Nelson (I think that's what he said) was there 10 minutes early, Tony had gotten tied up with another pick-up . Nelson was very talkative and we had a nice ride back to the Airport. We sky capped our luggage , got our gate number and where off. We got over to the gate and settled in, well Noah and I go for a walk and when we come back my mother is gathering our stuff, they've moved our gate . They had major mechanical problems with the plane, great! they still won't give out our boarding passes yet, they aren't sure when we are leaving!!! Finally they tell us the plane we are now taking will arrive at 4:40pm and we should be leaving at 5. They check us in and give out our boarding passes and seating assignments. Finally at 4:50 they announce the flight is overbooked and if anyone gives up there seat they will reschedule them and they get a free ticket good for 1 year. If Noah didn't have to go to school in the morning I would have jumped up and said YES! We start boarding at 4:55 and it takes FOREVER! We have the VERY last row of seats yeah, closer to the bathroom for Noah, lol, At 5:25 we are finally taxiing on the runway, 2 hours late but at least we got to leave! We have a smooth flight (Much better than the flight down) and we make it to Hartford in just over 2 hours, gotta love those winds working for you instead of against you! We get back to the Long term parking and get our car and make the 1 1/2 hour trip back home! I am so glad to be home, and it seems our cat is glad to see us! We had a great trip and I will miss the place but I am very happy to get back to my own bed , my own home , my boyfriend and yes even work, lol. Luckily I don't have to go back in until the 5th due to the type of schedule I work! Reflections of my trip. Phrases I said way too much : "Noah stop" " Noah get off that " "Damn it's cold". The cold kept us from doing a few things on the trip. We didn't get the chance to fully enjoy CBR as most of the time we spent there it was too chilly to swim or use the boats or bike ride. CBR was a great place to stay, Aruba was so quiet (except for Noah's meltdowns that is, LOL). The place is beautiful and I can't wait to stay there again (when it's warmer of course!). I heard so many bad things about CBR I was expecting the worst, But I was very pleased to be wrong, it could be we aren't as picky as some or we don't expect perfection just because it's Disney as some seem to. We saw some wear at both CBR and at all the parks, but what can you really expect from a place that has thousands of people using it everyday! The parks where clean, the CM's where polite and nice , a few CM's even went above and beyond. We aren't squeaky wheel so we don't need much attention and we don't ask for more than kindness and respect, and of course a clean bathroom. lol. One of the highlights of our trip would have to be the fact that my son can read now. Every attraction and ride we went on he was so intrigued and him being able to read it all himself was priceless! Also the fact that he is an amazing walker was great( he could out walk most adults I know) Last trip he was 4 1/2 and that almost 2 years has made a huge difference. Last trip he was in a stroller the whole trip, this time we rented one day and that really wasn't even needed. I also planned ahead of time to go with the flow when it came to Noah. He's not a bad kid, but he has his moments, and normally they come at the very moment you can't deal with them, lol, We had a few meltdowns but I think considering the fact that we dragged him around for 14 days straight he did amazingly well, he never once complained his feet hurt or his legs hurt or he was bored (he sat through a lot of stuff he had no real interest it!). We made a deal with him when the trip started, he does a few things we want to do and we'll do a few things he wants to do (like sit through Food Rocks for him! LOL). I also did the same thing this trip as last trip. I made him up an envelope for each day of our trip and split his spending money evenly in them . he had $15 a day to spend on pretty much whatever he wanted (I drew the line on candy though). I bought him food, snacks. and a few t-shirts, he bought anything else he wanted. We had no problems with money from him and I never heard "but mommy I neeeeeed it" lol! Another highlight was of course the friendship that bloomed in Brazil. We have already heard from Noah's friend Vivi since we've gotten back (she's currently on the Disney cruise and then she heads back to Brazil on Tuesday). This amazing young CM made a huge impact on my son's life (and mine in turn). This trip I made a vow to myself not to see the trip through a viewfinder. I spent most of the 10 days of my last trip watching everything either on the LCD screen of the camcorder or through the viewfinder of my cameras. I did take a lot of pictures (10 less rolls than last year though) but I tried not to take them of the same non changing things (i.e., The Tree of Life ). I videotaped very few things. I didn't even bring it to the parks unless I had something special planned. The biggest disappointment of the trip was not for me but for Noah. Mother nature decided to rain torrents on the one special day I had planned for him. and his pirate cruise was cancelled. I have lived and learned and next trip I will plan this activity sooner in the trip so that if something happens we can reschedule. So all in all we had an amazing 2 weeks in Disney World, it is something I know we will not soon forget no matter how long we have to wait to get back there. Thank you all for reading my report, I hope you enjoyed and maybe learned a thing or two from it! Alison M. Bartlett WDW4Christmas@aol.com Mail a Comment to Alison M. Bartlett |
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