Adventures at 40"! May 2014 TR *COMPLETE* 9/10 **NEW** Italy ABD TR link posted 9/29

[FancyNancy]

Your son has gotten so big! I mostly lurked on your last TR but I have resolved to start commenting more on TR's I'm following Subbing

 

[Imagineer5]

What an awesome way to get to wdw - with a stop at the beach! Too bad dinner wasn't great have you used the trip advisor app? I've found it is great for finding good restaurants near where I am.

So excited for you guys at wilderness lodge!! Yay!! Can't wait for more!

 

[missangelalexis]

Sounds like a nice time on the beach! So nice of the family to let DS use their toys. Sorry about dinner Very disappointing!

Dunkin Donuts certainly IS necessary

YAY you made it! Wilderness Lodge!!

 

[skier_pete]

That is so awesome! I'm so glad you guys got to stay at the Wilderness Lodge! That is a resort I've wanted to stay at since we first went there for breakfast in 1997, Though I admit it doesn't top our list of DVC resorts to try first, it's only a matter of time.

Looking forward to your opinions. I love the idea of the boat to MK.

Separate from Disney trips, I was just informed that it is likely I will be sent down to Baton Rouge for a plant start-up in late-August/September. Not sure how far you and Dustin live from Baton Rouge but if it happens would love to meet you guys in RL - though not sure how much free time I would actually have just yet.

 

[KelleyK75]

Yay for arriving at Wilderness Lodge!! The beach looked awesome, but boo to the dinner. At least you made up for it with Dunkin Donuts for breakfast.

 

[saintstickets]

02-017 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
We parked under the overhang in front so we could go inside to check in before unloading our luggage. Oh my gosh, I could barely contain my excitement!! We were here, and not just to visit, we were staying!!

WL is so beautiful. I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did! Looking forward to more of your TR.

 

[shan23877]

Sorry that dinner was a disappointment. It sounds like your beach time was a lot of fun though-very nice of those people to share their sand toys!

Yay! You've arrived! I need to double check the dates you were there, but I'm pretty sure I know the rain you speak of It rained ALL day the 1st and the 2nd.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

that sounds like a fun time on the beach and that was definitely nice of that family to let your son use their beach toys. and I definitely chuckled at the "jumpin' jellyfish!" line

Bummer about your dinner place, sounds pretty, um, not good

But yeah for being at Disney and getting to go through the MK turnstiles to get to your resort!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Wow, Disney magic on the beach. So nice of that guy to share his toys. (Taken out of context, that doesn't sound so good, lol)

Aww love the photo of the names in the sand.

Oooh breakfast of champions right there!!!

And YAYYAYAYAYAYAYA Disney. I have a plan (in my head anyway) of at least a short stay at WL so I will be reading very closely of your thoughts.

 

[khertz]

Ok so I failed miserably at keeping up with your other TR, so instead of trying to get caught up on that one, I'm going to start fresh with this one!

I really want to go to Destin someday (I always think it's Desitin, like the baby rash stuff!)...I saw it on House Hunters once and I thought it looked so beautiful!

The resort you guys stayed at was beautiful! And huge! It was like an apartment!

The beach looks so nice, I can't even imagine what it must be like to have a beach with real sand (here in CT, we have the beach, but we have Long Island blocking us, so our sand is mostly little rocks...I want perfect white sand!)

OMG I forgot you were staying in the Wilderness Lodge! My home!!! I hope you loved it almost as much as I do, that place is pure magic!

Can't wait to read more!

Destin is great for a beach trip! It's a popular beach for people from around here to flock to, along with Gulf Shores in Alabama and Pensacola beach because it has prettier sand and water than what we have in Louisiana and it's not a far drive.

I'm glad to have you following along!

Yay for your arrival!!

Too bad that the dinner was yucky and there was so much rain, though. The beach looked nice and how sweet of that family to share their sand toys!

Looking forward to the WL and the beginning of the WDW part of your trip!

We had a couple of low moments on our road trip, but overall it was not nearly as bad as I had been expecting it to be. I think it helps that DS is older and can entertain himself a little better.

Your son has gotten so big! I mostly lurked on your last TR but I have resolved to start commenting more on TR's I'm following Subbing

Welcome! He has definitely gotten a lot bigger since my first TR with him in it! It's still hard for me to believe how much he has grown in three and a half years.

What an awesome way to get to wdw - with a stop at the beach! Too bad dinner wasn't great have you used the trip advisor app? I've found it is great for finding good restaurants near where I am.

So excited for you guys at wilderness lodge!! Yay!! Can't wait for more!

It was definitely nice to break up the trip with a stop at the beach. I'll have to use the Trip Advisor app next time. We kind of just went with what was closest and it was a waste. Now I will know better!

Sounds like a nice time on the beach! So nice of the family to let DS use their toys. Sorry about dinner Very disappointing!

Dunkin Donuts certainly IS necessary

YAY you made it! Wilderness Lodge!!

It was such a nice surprise and it definitely made DS happy!

You and my DH (and DS!) can definitely agree on that! I like donuts well enough, but the two of them are obsessed.

That is so awesome! I'm so glad you guys got to stay at the Wilderness Lodge! That is a resort I've wanted to stay at since we first went there for breakfast in 1997, Though I admit it doesn't top our list of DVC resorts to try first, it's only a matter of time.

Looking forward to your opinions. I love the idea of the boat to MK.

Separate from Disney trips, I was just informed that it is likely I will be sent down to Baton Rouge for a plant start-up in late-August/September. Not sure how far you and Dustin live from Baton Rouge but if it happens would love to meet you guys in RL - though not sure how much free time I would actually have just yet.

My first exposure to WL was also a meal, although it was dinner rather than breakfast. The lobby took my breath away! I have wanted to stay there ever since, so needless to say, I was pretty darn excited that it was finally happening!

That would be so great! You'll have to keep me posted. We are only an hour from Baton Rouge!

Yay for arriving at Wilderness Lodge!! The beach looked awesome, but boo to the dinner. At least you made up for it with Dunkin Donuts for breakfast.

The donuts definitely made up for the pitiful dinner the night before! You just can't go wrong with DD.

 

[khertz]

WL is so beautiful. I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did! Looking forward to more of your TR.

It is gorgeous! Even in the rain!

Sorry that dinner was a disappointment. It sounds like your beach time was a lot of fun though-very nice of those people to share their sand toys!

Yay! You've arrived! I need to double check the dates you were there, but I'm pretty sure I know the rain you speak of It rained ALL day the 1st and the 2nd.

The beach was a great little detour. And we couldn't believe how nice that family was to leave the toys for DS. He had a blast!

Yep, same dates. We drove through the rain all day on the 2nd, and it seemed to follow us all day on the 3rd as well!

that sounds like a fun time on the beach and that was definitely nice of that family to let your son use their beach toys. and I definitely chuckled at the "jumpin' jellyfish!" line

Bummer about your dinner place, sounds pretty, um, not good

But yeah for being at Disney and getting to go through the MK turnstiles to get to your resort!

I don't really know where he got jumpin jellyfish from, because I can only recall it being something Sebastian says in Little Mermaid. And while he has seen that movie, it was a long time ago and it's not one of his favorites. Wherever he got it from, it was pretty funny at the time!

Yeah, it definitely wasn't. Maybe I am spoiled to seasoned seafood in Louisiana though.

That was one of the most exciting parts of the whole weekend, sleeping inside the MK entrance gate!!

Wow, Disney magic on the beach. So nice of that guy to share his toys. (Taken out of context, that doesn't sound so good, lol)

Aww love the photo of the names in the sand.

Oooh breakfast of champions right there!!!

And YAYYAYAYAYAYAYA Disney. I have a plan (in my head anyway) of at least a short stay at WL so I will be reading very closely of your thoughts.

Maybe they were DISers?! Spreading that Disney magic everywhere. And yeah, when you put it that way you make it seem like I appreciated the kindness of a guy rolling up in his solid paneled van saying, "Hey kid, you wanna come see my toys?" But I know what you REALLY meant!

Thanks! DH rolled his eyes a little, but I liked it.

Not that DH ever needs an occasion for donuts for breakfast, but it seemed extra appropriate on vacation!

 

[MEK]

That sand looks so fine and soft! I love how the sand in the gulf is so different from the atlantic sand.

Cute picture with everyone's name.

Too bad dinner was yucky. No wonder you needed dunkin donuts in the morning!

Yay for the WDW entrance , even if it IS in the rain. I remember how excited I was the first time I stayed there, too!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Aw the beach pictures are cute! Glad you encountered nice people who let DS use their toys !

Yikes that restaurant sounds like a mess! Good thing there was delicious Disney food waiting for you.

AH yay you made it to Disney!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Awesome! You've made it to WL! Can't wait to see the photos of the resort. And something tells me that you have lots and lots and lots of photos to share of the resort.

I am 99% sure that WL is where we will stay for our June 2015 in-law family reunion that I'm planning so would love to see what the resort looks like in all its glorious details!

 

[courtneybelle]

Oh my gosh, that picture of you and DS holding hands on the beach!!! You should get that framed!

Sorry dinner was disappointing Disney food isn't too far away, though!!

DUNKIN'!!! I'm glad to see southerners enjoying it.

"My face is not dirty!" Your son is the funniest child on the Internet.

That's so sweet that Dream Along With Mickey calmed him down when I get stressed at school, I put on the Splash Mountain or Tomorrowland loop, and it calms me down so much.

WILDERNESS LODGE!!! So excited to see your room!

 

[stacy~**]

Looks like I showed up right when things are getting good!

Your resort at Destin looks really nice....definitely an overnight stop I could live with.

Love the donut breakfast. I never know if I should eat healthy until I arrive on Disney property to save as many calories as possible OR once "vacation" starts to just go for it.

Can't wait to hear if WL lives up to your expectations. It was our overall family favorite until we stayed at BC in May. Now, I am not so sure but we still really love it!

 

[jdfmommy]

Hi! Add me to the list of people trying to come out of lurkdom. I'm so excited to read this trip report - I just found your most recent one and doesn't most of the last few days reading through the links, thinking, yes! My 3yo is just like that!

We went for 2 days this April and also picked MK & DHS! So reading this is totally going to be like reliving that trip!

Also, just wanted to send a big "thank you" to you for your work - my SIL is an inpatient pediatric oncology nurse. And my son was neutropenic for a while, so we spent a lot of time going back and forth to an outpatient pediatric hematology-oncology clinic for about a year, and those nurses were so awesome! So, yeah, thank you.

 

[tiggerfan77]

Hi, subbing in! My parents are timeshare owners so our trips are always staying off property. We especially love Bonnet Creek as well! I camped out a few times at Disney in college at Fort Wilderness but my first stay at a Disney hotel was about 3 years ago on a mini trip. We stayed at Port Orleans-Riverside! So I can understand your excitement and getting to stay in Disney hotel! I remember squealing when I got my first Mickey towel!

 

[NaughtyQueen]

Caught up so far. Can't wait to read more!

 

[Laura Bell]

Can't wait to read more about you and your lovely family's trip.