Monday, December 20, 2010

Bye, Belle

We spent our last day at Disney World in Epcot. If you want to see beautiful pictures of flowers and princess topiaries, go to my old posts because this time all the flowers were covered with blankets.

The first thing we did was ride Soarin'. Then we went to the character spot to take pictures with Mickey and Minnie and company. Jackson acted like he couldn't care less about this but look at this picture! He gave every last one a big hug and nearly knocked Goofy down.



We had a hard time booking any character meals that worked with our schedule, so we ended up doing the princess storybook breakfast. I thought I could teach Annabeth who all the princesses were in time, but I was lacking in zeal.

I put Annabeth in her Alice in Wonderland costume from Halloween. Here she is waiting patiently with Nana to see Belle.


The cast members who play the princesses are amazing at their jobs. Belle greeted Annabeth by name and the only way she could have known it was by listening to us talk to her while in line. I couldn't tell what Annabeth was thinking, but when we walked away she said in a sweet baby girl voice, "Bye, Belle." Melt my heart. She also said, "Princess."


Then Annabeth got her food.


And we realized that our princess was still in progress.



What a dainty flower.


Cinderella was the first to stop by our table. Like a wise woman, she kept her distance from grubby little Alice.


Snow White has the best dress, doesn't she?


Ariel got a smile out of AB.


It was nice of my boys to put up with all the princess business.


Next we did the Finding Nemo ride and Turtle Talk with Crush. Jackson was crushed when he wasn't called on to ask a question. I was secretly relieved. When we asked him what question he wanted to ask, he said he wanted to tell Crush about his new shoes. Awesome. We watched the dolphins in the aquariums for a while and then we headed to the Test Track. We gave this one two thumbs up.


Annabeth fell asleep in the stroller.


Our final mission was to find Alice. We heard she was in England, so we stalked it until she showed up. Annabeth had Babies with her when she approached Alice, and to my horror, Alice took the gunky thing and laid it on her lap, calling it "quite curious." What a servant. I didn't even want to touch it by then.



Alice told Annabeth she must have gotten some jam on her nose.


On the way out we were feeling very snacky, so we stopped by the caramel shop in Germany. It was OUT OF CONTROL. It smelled so good in there. Cozy bought some hot caramel popcorn that had just come out of the skillet. We also got a gingerbread man and some apple cider in America. To top it all off, homegirl was craving some Mexican food like any good Texan who's been out of her homeland more than 24 hours. Even though my family had a horrible meal in Mexico when I was in 8th grade, I was willing to risk it! We got a huge plate of nachos and churros. Delish! We left happy and with stomach aches.

On the way back to our hotel room, Jackson let out a huge burp. There was a lifeguard nearby and he was laughing so hard and congratulating Jackson on his manly achievement. He said, "God bless you, Buddy." Then I asked if I could take his picture because it was so weird seeing lifeguards in snowsuits. The pools were heated but not enough for the Arctic blast of 2010. We did see some crazy people swimming though.



Cozy, Jackson and Curtis went back to Magic Kingdom that night but Annabeth and I were too tired to leave the room. This is when she finally decided to put on her hat and gloves. I gasped when I saw her face because I felt like I was looking at myself as a child.



We stayed in the 1950's section at the Pop Century. Lady and the Tramp were always there to greet us. I couldn't stop singing "We are Siamese if you please."





We had a late breakfast before leaving on Thursday morning and it was so crowded, there weren't even enough tables to eat inside. That's when I had to admit that Curt's Earliness Project was legit.

Also, I miss my special mug and instant hot chocolate.


If you stay at a hotel on the Disney property, there are lots of perks. One of the best things is the transportation. This is the Disney's Magical Express bus that takes you to and from the airport. We even got to check our bags and get our boarding passes before leaving the hotel.



Abe was in quite a mood. I guess she didn't want to leave. When Curtis pointed out that we had literally moved everything out of reach from her at lunch, we died laughing. This picture is a treasure.


If you're thinking of visiting Disney World soon, the number one thing I'd tell you is to pay $22 for a membership at www.tourguidemike.com. It's worth every penny and you would spend more buying the Disney guide books at Barnes and Noble. He helps you plan (strategize, really) your itinerary based on the dates you'll be going and how historically crowded it is at that time. And he gives tips on where to stay, what to eat, what to do and when, etc. If you use his strategies, you won't wait longer than 15 or 20 minutes at any ride. Just do it!

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

another GREAT resource is www.disboards.com !!

Erin Ward said...

Poor Annabeth is going to love those pictures someday with all the pretty princesses... and her poor little nose. Ha!
And by the way, now "We are Siamese if you please." is stuck in my head. Thanks a lot. :)

FitzandMolly said...

I love how she is much more interested in her food than Cinderella!

The Johnsons said...

I laughed out loud at Annabeth conked out in the stroller! Ha! So glad your family had a fun time at Disney! Happy early 30th to your hubby!

Brittny said...

I love reading about your trip! We had record low temps when we were there 2 years ago so I totally understood how you felt! I took my daughter (2 years old) to the same breakfast this past October when we went back and loved it! She knew nothing about princesses and was barefoot by the time we got to the table. She refused to let me put a bow, or anything, in her hair and ate like a grown man would, but she loved it! had the biggest smile on herface when each princess came to meet her, except Snow White, didn't care for her and just kept shoving eggs in her mouth. Glad you had a great trip and survived the cold here in Florida!

Kelli said...

I have lived all of your recaps!! What a great trip. It makes me super excited for our Disney trip.... Only a year and a half away! Ha!

Terrie and Carley said...

Thanks Amanda for the website. We are heading to Disney in late February.

Amanda said...

Brittny, I'm laughing so hard about "she ate like a grown man." Best comment ever.

Beth said...

Looks like you guys had a great trip. We went in October for my daughter's 4th birthday and it was like living it all over again. :D Next time check out the dinner at 1900 Park Fare, the Step Sisters steal the show. :D

AKat said...

Aww! I loved your Disney recap posts! I can't wait to go one day. AB is just darling and her clothes make me want a baby girl right now! Haha. When did Jackson grow up?! Oh, my word.

And, as if my opinion matters, you and Annabeth look so much alike. I always thought you and Jackson favored, but AB takes the cake! (Of course, I see Curtis in both, too, but WOW. You and AB are two peas in a pod!)

Lauren said...

Those Lady & The Tramp pictures make me SO happy. My favorite Disney movie, haha!!!! :)

Whittaker Woman said...

I am so happy you posted this. I've been waiting to hear about the breakfast! I'm so happy Annabeth did well! H

Kristen Maddux said...

"What a dainty flower"...You are a crack up, Amanda!!

Tara22 said...

Another great Disney resource if you have an iPhone is Undercover Tourist. It is a great app for planning your trip. Our whole family had this on their phone during our trip in September and it was fabulous! Line wait times, food and menus, make reservations, excellent maps, and find a friend. We created a group on the app for our family and could locate each other with the GPS in the phone. It was excellent!

Ashley Beth said...

Too precious! Looks like the Jones family eats like our family-often and messily! Makes me want to take our kiddos to Disneyland soon!

As a side note, I just received Curtis' "Deepening A Father's Heart" journal and am planning on giving it as a stocking stuffer to my hubby. I was very impressed as I flipped through it. Tell that guy of yours that he did an excellent job at digging into God's Word and presenting it in a very applicable format. :)

Have a blessed Christmas, Jones family!

katiegfromtennessee said...

Amanda, your pictures are cracking me up!:) Especially the one of Annabeth asleep in her stroller, too funny:)!

The Hulens said...

I have loved reading about your Disney trip...brought back so many good memories, as we went this past April with my in-laws. I have said this before after reading your blog, but I'll say it again...I'm convinced we live parallel lives...ha! My children are similar in age to yours (boy then girl) and they seem to have similar personalities : ) You use the word, "Awesome," like I do too. Anyway, hope y'all are recovering from a fun and busy trip! Oh yeah, my parents took me and my brothers to Disney when I was in 1st grade...went in Jan. and it was so cold, we had to stop on Main St. to purchase some winter gear.

Ashley said...

I am cracking up reading this! Partly due to the pic of Annabeth at the table, because I have a little girl with quite a 'tude on her, and so I can only imagine. The other thing cracking me up is how long it took me to figure out what Earliness was...oh my gosh, duh! Looks like y'all had a great time and made some happy family memories.

Susy said...

Thanks for the tips! I am dying to take my almost 2 year old, but we may be saving for a while before we can go. I agree that staying in the park is prob the way to go!

mrs shortcake said...

I am SO excited for the day that Baby Shortcake is old enough for a Disney Theme Park! Merry Christmas!

Mindy said...

Great Pictures and I have to say I am so happy to hear that others know of Tour Guide Mike. We went to Disney a couple of years ago. Hubs used him website to plan our itenierary and I must say that even though it was April - the only line we stood in was to see the Pixies.

labride said...

Don't you just love Epcot! We went on our honeymoon. Needless to say Test Track scared the mess out of me, but so did the space stimulator.

Holly said...

Ok, Amanda, just had to comment on this one. I've loved your Disney posts and my husband and I cracked up when you posted the "Disney Dorks" one. I have been calling him a Disney Dork for years. He plans our Disney vacations down to the hour, with a special notebook for every different category. Hilarious, but SO great to actually have once we are there! We absolutely love Disney and planning is half the fun! I also had to comment and let you know that our best friends were there last week as well. Looking at your photos, it seems you had almost the same itinerary ... I was hoping we might see them in the background of some of your pics :) And then I see today that you also stayed at the same resort... too funny! And by the way, we love Pop Century, too. We stayed in the 60's last time. Glad your family had a great vacation! :)

Ashley E. said...

We are in Disney right now!!! It was SO cold the day we did Magic Kingdom!!! Glad y'all got to see all the princessess!!!

Candy said...

LOVE your blog, don't think I've ever commented though! :) Thanks so much for sharing your Disney trip. We are leaving on Sunday and I have your blog open, Tourguidemike and Disney website as I sit and plan out our days! :)