Our first real, big, family vacation! Day Seven

[BrerGnat]

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Cast:
Me
DH
DS 5 Max
DS 4 Lucas

Today was our last full day. I couldn't believe it was almost over already. And, I secretly told myself that the *next* trip would be longer. DH actually woke up feeling good today! We were all up around 7:45am, which was a record for us. We quickly dressed and got all our stuff together and headed to the lounge for a quick breakfast. Well, it was supposed to be quick, but Lucas (the angel that he is...) had a massive tantrum in the lounge because they had the Playhouse Disney channel on and when Mickey Mouse Clubhouse was over, he wanted to watch "another one", and he couldn't (he usually watches these on our DVR at home, and didn't understand that I had NO control over the programming). So, we had to take him out of there (he was screaming and crying and carrying on) and finish breakfast in the room.

So, when we finally made it out to the bus, it was still early. We headed straight for the MK, and arrived around 9:30. The boys were, thankfully, better able to deal with MK today. No meltdowns. We took our time heading up Main Street, taking some pictures along the way. We took one of Max in front of the MK Railroad window on Main Street, where it has this quote from Walt Disney: "I just want it to look like nothing else in the world. And it should be surrounded by a train." This was such a perfect quote to describe Max. Like many kids with Autism, Max LOVES trains. He is obsessed. We thought this picture was great! We took one of Lucas in front of the Pirate Ship window, and the quote was "Rascals, scoundrels, villains, and knaves." That was perfect too. After we got some Photopass pics done, we veered off into Adventureland. I wanted to try the Aladdin Carpet ride (couldn't bring myself to ever ride this, but I knew the boys would LOVE it, so here goes). As anticipated, they did love it. Max, especially, loved trying to aim our carpet at just the right height to get squirted by the camel. After that, he had some fun positioning himself in the spray zone of the camel that spits into the street. Sufficiently wet, we decided to head over to Frontierland, which sent Max into a slight panic (he saw BTMRR and freaked!). We reassured him that we were heading to "the playground" next. We actually diverted him to the shooting arcade, which I have also NEVER done. So, we loaded up three rifles with money and DH, Max, and I took some shots. Of course, DH took his time and hit a target on EVERY shot...show off Expert Rifleman...

We then headed towards Fantasyland and straight to Pooh's Playful Spot, which Max was relieved to come across. As we were parking the stroller, Lucas spotted Pooh and Tigger, and said "Pooh bear hug!", so I asked him if he wanted to give him a hug, and he said "Yeah!", so we got in the long, long line to do so. 30 min later, Lucas gave Pooh and Tigger the biggest hugs ever! He didn't want to let go. He said "Nice Pooh bear..." "Nice Tigger..." It was very cute, and DH and Max came over just in time to get in the Photopass picture, which turned out pretty funny because Max is NOT into the characters, so he is totally separated from the rest of us.

While Lucas and I had been waiting, DH and Max had ridden the teacups and dumbo, and Max had taken a stab at pulling out the sword in the stone (got a great Photopass pic of that too!). Lucas, though, wanted to ride the carousel, so we all did that together, then we split up (I forget why). We all met at the castle hub, and took some more pictures and decided it was a good time to head out. It was almost lunchtime, and since our breakfast had been cut short, we were all getting hungry. We decided to head over to Poly and try to get into Kona as a walk in. We took the monorail over there and were able to get in with a 10 min wait. Unfortunately, at this point Max was NOT happy. We had told him on the monorail that Kona had Mac and Cheese on the kids menu for him (from menus online, I was pretty confident about this), but when we got there, the menu did NOT have it! Ugh...luckily they did have Mickey ravioli and tomato sauce, which is something he eats, so we convinced him to have that instead, and pointed out that dessert was an ice cream sundae (he was interested in THAT!). Kona ended up being a VERY good lunch choice. We had an excellent server and all our food was really good! DH had the crusted chicken (macadamia nut?) with a mango sauce and he loved it! I had the BBQ Pork Big Island tacos and they were really good as well! Lucas enjoyed his hamburger and fries, and even Max ate all his pasta! The huge hit was the ice cream sundaes for the kids dessert. These were really cool "make your own" type, and the boys LOVED them! I had a slice of the coconut cream kiki tart, and it was YUM!!! This ended up being one of my favorite meals. It was nice and relaxed, and the boys were well behaved, and the food and service was outstanding. Kona never disappoints me!

We wanted to visit the Wedding Pavilion next, and decided to walk over there via the walking path from Poly. We arrived at the Wedding Pavilion in short order and took a moment to reflect on all that had happened in our lives since we were married there almost 9 years ago! We had Max take our picture in the "picture spot" arch. He did a good job; the picture came out nice! We then put the boys up there and took their picture, and we tried our best to explain to the boys that we got married there (and what that means...still don't think they "got" it). It was nice to go back, and so we were able to check that one off the list of "to do's" for today. We headed for the GF, so we could catch the monorail to the TTC and then head to Epcot.

The trip to Epcot was a pleasant one and we headed into Future World for a brief ride on SSE and some playground time, before heading back to BC for some POOL TIME!!! It was hot today (finally!) and we wanted to make the most of the afternoon. We spent a wonderful 2 hours at the pool. We discovered the "lazy river" on this day and had a ball in there! The boys loved it and DH and I took turns swimming against the current for exercise and diving down to the bottom of the 8ft section (wish I had discovered this earlier in the trip). We had such a good time playing as a family. The boys were having a blast and there was a DJ playing great fun music which added to the enjoyment. I felt so relaxed by this time, and it was such a joy seeing everyone so happy. We reluctantly pulled ourselves out of the pool (both boys actually cried about it) and headed up to the room to get showered and changed for our evening at Epcot.

[BrerGnat]

We headed out and into Epcot, first stopping for a Photopass pic on the boardwalk of the four of us. Once in Epcot, we did some more playground (at Max's request) and then took one last ride on SSE. At that point, we decided to split up for dinner. DH took Max to the Seasons food court for mac and cheese and I took Lucas to Electric Umbrella for some chicken nuggets. I split the meal with Lucas and we met back up with DH and Max over at the Land, where we decided to take the boat ride. There was no line, so we walked right on. The boys seemed to like this ride. Max got a kick out of seeing the cucumber "trees" (he loves cucumbers). Lucas liked seeing the Mickey pumpkins. After the boat ride, it was getting dark and I wanted to show Max the fiber optic sidewalks outside of Innoventions, so we went over there. As I expected, Max was totally into this! He didn't want to leave. We pulled him away and caught the Fountain of Nations show along the way to World Showcase. Max loved how the water was all lit up now with different colors! (He is going to LOVE World of Color at DCA...I can't wait to take him this summer). We headed over to WS, and by now it was almost 8pm. We had exactly one hour to get around the lake and book it out of there before the fireworks had a chance to freak Lucas out again. We didn't really stop much at all, except for some drinks! DH got a fiesta margarita at Mexico, which he loved! I recalled that Japan had sno cones (kaki gori) and told Max we would get him one. He had wanted one the day before at Blizzard Beach, but the stand was closed when we were heading out. So, off to Japan we went, in search of sno cones. On the way, we joked about the House music blasting from the Italy pavilion, and we both did some "fist pumpin"-Jersey Shore style. I blame that behavior on the Fiesta Margarita...

Max enjoyed his kaki gori (he got rainbow) in Japan and by this point, Lucas was close to falling asleep in his stroller. I told DH we better get going, as it was 8:45. But first, I wanted a Grey Goose slush from France, so DH stood in line for one for me while I took the boys over to the fountain in France to wait. The line was LONG! Took DH 10 min to return. But, it was worth it. Mmmmm....Grey Goose slushie.... It was 9pm now, and they were dimming the lights for Illuminations. We were on the bridge from France to the UK when the show started. We stopped for a second, just to see what Max's reaction would be (last time he had "seen" fireworks was from our balcony at the Grand Californian hotel in DLR, and he did NOT like them, even from a distance). But, he was not scared this time! He said "look at all the colored lights in the sky" and he seemed genuinely interested in watching. Lucas, though, not so much, so DH took him and started heading out, when Max decided he wanted to go with DH. DH had told Lucas and Max that we were going back to the hotel to get cookies in the lounge prior to the show starting, and THAT was the plan (in Max's head). Once there is a plan, you can't change it. This seemed to be an inner struggle for Max. On the one hand, the fireworks were cool, and he wanted to see them. On the other, the PLAN was to go back to the hotel. So, in the end, he went with the plan. We were stopped on the way out...apparently you can't take alcoholic drinks out of the park, so DH took the boys back to the resort while I enjoyed Illuminations from the fence by the water while sipping my slushie.

After the show, I took my time heading back to the resort, sort of enjoying the solitude and the ambiance of night time around Crescent Lake. It's SUCH a beautiful area and I felt so thankful to have been able to stay there this trip. I met back up with DH and the boys in the room, where they were getting ready for bed. We put the boys down and started the un-fun chore of packing up. We got it done and headed to bed around 11:30. Our flight tomorrow was not until 3pm, so we would be able to take it slow the next morning.

It had been a wonderful last day, and I went to sleep happy.

[KylesMom]

Another day that things seemed to run pretty smoothly! Out of the resort early, success at MK (love the pics you snagged), a great lunch at Kona, a visit to your wedding spot, swimming and a Fiesta Magarita & Grey Goose Slushie at Epcot. Doesn't get much better. It seems as though the boys are getting a handle on this "Disney World" stuff. I agree - you've traveled so far, next time you're gonna need to stay longer!

Although it's a necessary evil (and I try to keep up, so to speak) the night before departure, trying to pack everything up is difficult at best. I always wonder how we're going to get everything home!

In anticipation of the stress that may come tomorrow afternoon with the flight, I hope you're able to get a good last nights' sleep. Thanks for sharing another gem of a day!

P.S. - sounds like you were able to get some great PhotoPass pics today!

[vizsla]

Thanks for the report.

[buzznwoodysmom]

Another fun day in WDW. I'm glad you guys seemed to have "gotten the hang of it" with the boys. I think your next trip will be even better. The boys will be older and know more what to expect. So sad your trip is coming to an end. Time to start planning for the next one!!

[princessgirls]

Awesome Day Natalie and family!

I always love my meals at the Kona Kafe too. Never had anything bad there.

Thanks for your report!

Julie

[DizNee143]

what an incredible last full day in the parks!!
my hubby is the same way when we went to the shooting arcade..he got every shot he took!!! i was lucky to get about half the ones i did..lol..

lol..i literally did lol while at work reading the part about your jersey shore fist pumping!!!

again sounds like you all really did have a great day doing everything!!!

[faline]

Terrific day! Glad your husband was finally feeling well enough to enjoy the day! Perhaps you'll be able to watch Illuminations as a family in the not-too-distant future!

[offwego]

I'm so glad your day turned out so well! That's a lovely way to spend the day at the end of your trip. Thank you for sharing it with us.

[pdrlkr]

Thanks for the Report!

[pdrlkr]

Thanks for the Report!