Peekaboo, I see Pluto! A 1st Birthday TR; Wrapping up PTR and TR 10/02!

[Maestra99]

Missy! First of all, a very Happy Birthday to you!!!! Welcome to the 30 club. I hope you had a very magical birthday and enjoyed your special dinner!

I wasn't feeling too well this evening, but I finally sat down to relax and your update perked me right up. Your pictures are so amazing! Seriously, Franklin, you are very talented and capture the magic so beautifully. That first picture of the welcome arch literally made me get chill bumps.

I've actually never heard of the "magic" fastpass- how fun! And thanks for showing a peek of the new FL progress. Is that castle in the background Beast's castle? Is that where the Be Our Guest restaurant will be? I obviously need to read up on what's going on out there!

Bummer about the speedway, but I'm glad to see Tanner enjoyed all the other rides!

[IheartDDuck]

I'm late, but I'm here!

I'm such a ding dong about the Photopass cards you had asked me for! I got two of them, but then I misplaced them and just found them again today. What a ding bat.

Tanner is so adorable! I can't wait to hear about this trip.

[PirateKate]

Tanner looks like he's having so much fun on all the rides! At that age, MK is the perfect park for them.

I love his Lightning McQueen hoodie.

[dara00]

happy birthday! great photos. I never noticed all that detail on peter pan's flight while riding the super quick ride!

I'm a rope drop person for sure. this past trip we did it and got so much done!

[teekathepony]

Oh wow, what a great start to the day! You guys got a lot done already. Glad Tanner was enjoying himself.
I always get up really early in WDW, between 5-7am depending on the day before, but I never seem to make it anywhere for rope drop! I don't really try either. I tend to want to get there just after RD so I don't have to deal with the initial crowd.

Happy Birthday!
I hope you had a great day!

[natebenma]

MISSY!!!

Hope you had a fantastic night out!

I used to be a member of the 30 club but they kicked me out about 16 years ago!

That is so cute that Tanner woke you up. Is he an early riser typically?

Where is everyone else at the arch?

Too bad the monorail was down. It has probably been 20 years since I have been on one of the Ferry boats. I like the lovely view coming in from the water, though, if not the speed!

What an amazing morning at the MK- perfect for a one year old!

A kinder, gentler ride on Tea Cups (my speed), playing at Pooh, being lullabied into napland by some of Disney's finest at Philharmagic, enchanted horses, pirates and lost boys and colorful, worldy, singing dolls. Tanner is still too young to realize they are a bit creepy (especially if you have read Kingdom Keepers)

One again, I love the scene of nightime London from Peter Pan. Thanks for posting that! That view has always brought a lump to my throat. It is so very beautiful and magical!

Oh, and Rope Drop... I'm not aware that there is any other way to visit the Disney parks!

[marDgreen88]

Wow... that brown box is quite awful looking! Goodness! I mean I totally understand that it's necessary to keep everything looking nice, but I wish they didn't have so much going on at once! I just want to see MK in one piece!

Hahaha... I bet he'll have a lot in the Pooh Q when he's older! But I totally understand, it's so much fun to play in even if you're an adult. Who says the kids should have all the fun?

How cute is he in that video? So adorable! Hope you had an awesome birthday! Yesterday was my HALF birthday... which means that your half birthday is my birthday! Aw yeah, hooray for being born on the 21st! Hahha. Anyways... yeah, I hope you had a great one!

[brookelizabeth]

I hope you had a wonderful birthday!!!

My favorite resort? The Boardwalk! (so far, we haven't stayed at them all yet...) I would LOVE to own some points there and Franklin truly captured the beauty of it all.

What a fun morning in Fantasyland! Sorry you missed the Welcome Show though! I hate that feeling when you are 5 minutes too late...but, at least you could still take advantage of the low crowds.

Originally Posted by Missyrose

Our lunch was so much fun! And for as adorable as Henry comes across in your TRs, he's even MORE adorable in person. You've got a great little man there. [/CENTER]

Aw, thank you!

[Missyrose]

Hi friends! Thank you to EVERYONE for your birthday wishes! I had a truly magical day. I woke up to flowers and balloons from Franklin.



He says the woman blowing up the balloons gave him a funny look when he asked for a Disney Princess balloon to go with 30th Birthday balloons!

He also baked cupcakes for me! Isn't he the best?!?!?

We went to lunch at a cute French bistro near our house and enjoyed crepes and wine out on the patio.

Then that night we went out to dinner with friends and then went to one of those uber-cool bowling alleys that's more like a club or upscale bar. It was such a fun evening!

Originally Posted by Reberella

I LOOOVVVEEE the Boardwalk!
I stayed there a few years ago and it's tied with Beach Club as my favorite resort!
It's just beautiful and fun and all that good stuff!
So glad you like your new "home"!

I definitely love my new "home." And I can't wait to try BCV someday to make the comparison. I know lots of people that just adore Beach Club, including the queen of the Beach Clubbers -- Dee!

Originally Posted by Maestra99

Missy! First of all, a very Happy Birthday to you!!!! Welcome to the 30 club. I hope you had a very magical birthday and enjoyed your special dinner!

Thank you!!! I had a wonderful birthday. Dinner was AMAZING, filled with good foods and great friends!

Originally Posted by Maestra99

I wasn't feeling too well this evening, but I finally sat down to relax and your update perked me right up. Your pictures are so amazing! Seriously, Franklin, you are very talented and capture the magic so beautifully. That first picture of the welcome arch literally made me get chill bumps.

Awww, I'm glad the update could make you feel a bit better. I totally agree about Franklin's pictures, he really knows how to capture the Disney magic!

Originally Posted by Maestra99

I've actually never heard of the "magic" fastpass- how fun! And thanks for showing a peek of the new FL progress. Is that castle in the background Beast's castle? Is that where the Be Our Guest restaurant will be? I obviously need to read up on what's going on out there!

Bummer about the speedway, but I'm glad to see Tanner enjoyed all the other rides!

I think they give the "magic" FPs for Mickey's Philharmagic at Peter Pan and also Winnie the Pooh.

There's going to be a whole Beauty and the Beast section of the new Fantasyland. It's supposed to include Gaston's Tavern, Be Our Guest (which will be a CS at lunch and TS at dinner) and Beast's castle that will house Belle's storybook meet and greet. I cannot wait to see everything! With trips planned for October and January, I'm hoping we should get to see a decent chunk of the additions, fingers crossed!

The Speedway was a total Disney planner fail on my part, I'm such a Type-A planner, I couldn't believe I spaced on those restrictions.

Originally Posted by IheartDDuck

I'm late, but I'm here!

I'm such a ding dong about the Photopass cards you had asked me for! I got two of them, but then I misplaced them and just found them again today. What a ding bat.

Tanner is so adorable! I can't wait to hear about this trip.

Yay! I'm so glad you made it over here! Don't worry about the Photopass cards, there were so many other things I was able to put in the goody bags, I don't think anyone would have thought there was something missing. Thanks for trying, though!

Tanner is super adorable, he makes the perfect star for a TR!

Originally Posted by PirateKate

Tanner looks like he's having so much fun on all the rides! At that age, MK is the perfect park for them.

I love his Lightning McQueen hoodie.

He loved all the rides! Lots of giggling and smiling that morning, which just made my heart melt.

The Lightning McQueen hoodie was part of a set I found at Target, it came with a Cars T-shirt too!

Originally Posted by dara00

happy birthday! great photos. I never noticed all that detail on peter pan's flight while riding the super quick ride!

I'm a rope drop person for sure. this past trip we did it and got so much done!

Thanks for the birthday wishes! You're right, there are so many details that we sometimes just miss on the dark rides.

I'm someone who works at night, so my days don't usually start until 11 a.m., so it makes it all the more surprising that I'm a rope drop person at Disney.

But getting to the parks before the masses get out of bed makes the day so much better, I couldn't even think of sleeping in on a park day! The only exception to this rule may be on our Halloween party day in October, I think we may sleep in a bit and get to MK around lunchtime. But it's a party day, so the crowd numbers don't look too terrible.

Originally Posted by teekathepony

Oh wow, what a great start to the day! You guys got a lot done already. Glad Tanner was enjoying himself.
I always get up really early in WDW, between 5-7am depending on the day before, but I never seem to make it anywhere for rope drop! I don't really try either. I tend to want to get there just after RD so I don't have to deal with the initial crowd.

Happy Birthday!
I hope you had a great day!

Thank you! I had a truly wonderful birthday!

I think getting there just after RD can be just as good as getting there at RD. Like you saw on this MK morning, we were able to pretty much walk on everything we wanted to ride, even though we got there just after RD. As long as you're there in the first hour the park is open, you're usually in a good position to get stuff done before the crowds descend.

Originally Posted by natebenma

MISSY!!!

Hope you had a fantastic night out!

I used to be a member of the 30 club but they kicked me out about 16 years ago!

It was wonderful night, especially since I don't usually have Saturday nights off. It was so lovely to be out on the town instead of trapped in my office!

Originally Posted by natebenma

That is so cute that Tanner woke you up. Is he an early riser typically?

Yep, he tends to wake up earlyish and then takes a morning nap around 10 or 11.

Originally Posted by natebenma

Where is everyone else at the arch?

Clearly it was our own private entrance that day!

Originally Posted by natebenma

Too bad the monorail was down. It has probably been 20 years since I have been on one of the Ferry boats. I like the lovely view coming in from the water, though, if not the speed!

It was VERY scenic to arrive at MK that way, but the speed leaves a lot to be desired. Sigh. As go-with-the-flow as I've tried to be on recent trips, it was so frustrating to be so close to making it to the welcome show, but have a transportation issue blow it.

Originally Posted by natebenma

What an amazing morning at the MK- perfect for a one year old!

A kinder, gentler ride on Tea Cups (my speed), playing at Pooh, being lullabied into napland by some of Disney's finest at Philharmagic, enchanted horses, pirates and lost boys and colorful, worldy, singing dolls. Tanner is still too young to realize they are a bit creepy (especially if you have read Kingdom Keepers)

One again, I love the scene of nightime London from Peter Pan. Thanks for posting that! That view has always brought a lump to my throat. It is so very beautiful and magical!

Oh, and Rope Drop... I'm not aware that there is any other way to visit the Disney parks!

Your family is so amazing at commando touring, I can only bow down to you guys!

I know I'm an adult, so the mountains should be the center of my MK attention. But I love Fantasyland. It's such classic Disney.

I love how awesome Franklin's pictures of PP turned out. But just like always, there's stuff he wants to change next time we go. Seriously, getting perfect photos of that ride is his white whale.

Originally Posted by marDgreen88

Wow... that brown box is quite awful looking! Goodness! I mean I totally understand that it's necessary to keep everything looking nice, but I wish they didn't have so much going on at once! I just want to see MK in one piece!

I totally agree. I know the refurbs are necessary and there's never a perfect time to do it. But I just think of those poor families who have saved for years and this is their "Once in a Lifetime" trip to WDW and to have a big brown box blocking your photos of the castle? In the words of "Despicable Me's" Gru: Not cool. I can deal with the refurbs because I know I'll be back over and over again, but not everyone is like us crazies on these boards!

Originally Posted by marDgreen88

Hahaha... I bet he'll have a lot in the Pooh Q when he's older! But I totally understand, it's so much fun to play in even if you're an adult. Who says the kids should have all the fun?

Us adults had so much fun in that queue! They did an awesome job with it!

Originally Posted by marDgreen88

How cute is he in that video? So adorable! Hope you had an awesome birthday! Yesterday was my HALF birthday... which means that your half birthday is my birthday! Aw yeah, hooray for being born on the 21st! Hahha. Anyways... yeah, I hope you had a great one!

I love the video of Tanner on the carousel, he was so excited to ride! That's so funny that my birthday is your half birthday, very cool!

Originally Posted by brookelizabeth

I hope you had a wonderful birthday!!!

My favorite resort? The Boardwalk! (so far, we haven't stayed at them all yet...) I would LOVE to own some points there and Franklin truly captured the beauty of it all.

I had a magical birthday, thanks!

I'm so in love with the photos Franklin took of Boardwalk, I made one of them my Facebook cover photo!

You hit the nail on the head of why I love DVC, the chance to try all of these different resorts! We WILL stay in them all, someday!

Originally Posted by brookelizabeth

What a fun morning in Fantasyland! Sorry you missed the Welcome Show though! I hate that feeling when you are 5 minutes too late...but, at least you could still take advantage of the low crowds.

Low crowds were right! Fantasyland was practically empty for two full hours. It was heavenly.

[wdwfanatic316]

Really enjoying your TR! Can't wait to read more! And congrats on the BW dvc purchase! I'm a BCV owner myself, and I have to say the BW resorts are the best!

[Missyrose]

Hi friends! My apologies for putting this up so late at night. But I took advantage of a slow few hours at work and wanted to get this two-part chapter up for you before I left for Boston in the morning! Franklin has a conference up there this week, so I’m meeting him up there for my days off.

There is one goal I had in mind when conceiving of this trip: I NEED to go to my first game ever at Fenway Park. I know, I know, for as big a sports fan as I am, taking 30 years to get to Fenway is blasphemy. But I cannot wait to check it out! But back to your regularly scheduled TR update...

We last left off taking a quick potty break after a Fantasyland blitz. Franklin took off for Splash Mountain Fastpasses, but the posted return time would come due smack dab in the middle of our lunch ADR. Franklin called me to confer. He said the standby wait time was 15 minutes, and we had a half-hour until lunch (cue the ominous foreshadowing music) so I sent Keith and Lala over to Frontierland to get their Splash on.

I took Tanner and Kotkham up to Main Street to wait. As I’m pushing the stroller through the hub, Kotkham is cruising alongside Tanner when she yells, “Where’s his shoe?”

I stopped dead in my tracks. Sure, the first time Lala leaves me alone with Tanner for 15 minutes, we lose an article of clothing. Luckily, when I peeked into the stroller, Tanner’s right shoe was indeed off his foot, but he was holding it up like a trophy. He thought he was hilarious!

We made ourselves at home at the tables they have set up outside The Plaza. We were hoping Tanner would fall asleep for a few minutes since he never took a morning nap of any consequence. I was gently rocking the stroller back and forth, but grandma decided Tanner would fall asleep better if she held him.

There was a photopass person who happened to walk by and took some cute candid shots of the two of them.





Soon the clock struck 12 and it was time to check in for our ADR. I figured we’d have a bit of a wait because every TR I’ve ever read that includes lunch at The Plaza has always said how far behind they tend to run at the height of lunchtime. The CM checked me in and handed me a pager.

I tried calling Franklin to see where they were, but he didn’t answer and neither did Keith or Lala. Oh well, but at least we had the cushion of waiting for our table, right?

Wrong! No more than five minutes later, the pager went off. I was busy putting a sound-asleep Tanner back in his stroller as the pager started to buzz.

The very kind Plaza CM said they could hold the table for about 10 minutes and when I asked if there was room for us to roll the stroller into the restaurant so we didn’t have to wake Tanner, she said we might have to wait a bit longer for a table that could accommodate that.

A longer wait? Music to my ears. And finally a few minutes later, Franklin called and said the Splash crew was crossing through the hub. Just as they arrived, the CM said our table was ready. As we were about to roll the stroller inside, Tanner peeked his head out the side. So much for a nap!

New Restaurant Alert! This was our very first time eating at The Plaza and I have to say we were very impressed. The food was very reasonably priced and our meals didn't cost much more than a counter service lunch. Now the one thing that surprised me about The Plaza was how small the restaurant is. But we enjoyed the decor and food very much. Speaking of food, let’s get down to the good stuff: the food porn.

Franklin had the tuna salad sandwich and a root beer float.





I had the Philly cheesesteak and an iced tea.



Lala and Kothkham split the cheesesteak and each had an orange soda.



That’s hot La.

Keith had the club sandwich and a root beer.



And Tanner was pretty happy with his bottle, a little applesauce and whatever fries the little fry monster could get his hands on.



Tanner had perked up quite a bit after his nano-snooze.



He even turned around to listen as the Mayor of Main Street made his announcements.



Everyone in the restaurant sang Happy Birthday to Tanner and he got a birthday cupcake.



Still not a cupcake fan. He looks so distrustful of the cupcake.



There is one rule when it comes to eating at The Plaza, you MUST eat dessert. So we did! Franklin and I got a hot fudge sundae.



And Dee, I did a special comparison for you... The sundae at The Plaza was just as good (if not better) than the super-delicious sundae at Sci-Fi Dine-In. I think The Plaza’s sundae had a little bit more fudge, which is very important when you share a sundae.

Keith and Lala split a brownie sundae.



Continued in the next post.

[Missyrose]

As the waitress brought the check, Lala and I took Tanner up to the baby care center so she could change him. Franklin’s job was to get Mickey and Minnie FPs.

We met back up outside the Town Square and Franklin reported that we had about 20 minutes to kill before our FPs came due.

What better way is there to kill time at Disney than shopping! Off to the Emporium we went.

I had made a quick shopping list in my head. Franklin had lost his Mickey sweatshirt, so he needed a new one. I wanted to buy presents for my friend Kelley’s two boys, Ryan and Jack, who you may remember from my last TR. And I also needed to get a small birthday present for a friend of mine’s 7-year-old daughter.

We found all of that (Franklin found a Mickey sweatshirt he really liked -- miracle! -- Ryan and Jack got a Tangled playset and a set of play food that was all your favorite Disney World foods -- popcorn, Mickey bar, turkey leg, etc. -- and Avery got a cute pink Minnie crystal necklace.)
But what is any good Disney shopping trip if you don’t find a few things that weren’t on the list.

I found a cute Disney sweatshirt hoodie that I liked because it was more subtly Disney



Franklin also got a Dumbo T-shirt that says “all the girls think I’m fly” (sorry for this crappy photo, I stole it from an eBay listing).



We were waaaaaaaaaaaaay over than the minimum to buy the “special gifts” that come with purchases, so we bought two fleece castle throws -- one for home and one for our eventual Owner’s Locker.



After piling all our purchases into the stroller and ECV, it was time to meet Minnie and Mickey.
The standby wait was only 5 minutes, so I guess we didn’t really need FPs after all. There was just one family ahead of us.

Tanner’s eyes lit up when he saw Mickey and immediately reached for his nose. Minnie played peekaboo with him, Tanner was in heaven!





Mom was also pretty excited to meet her man Mickey.



Family picture with the head mice!



Then we all joined in.



Franklin and I then took the best Mickey and Minnie photo we’ve ever taken. Side note, this Minnie was really short. Because I'm a short person, but she was REALLY short.



Mickey was a bit mad that someone ELSE adorned Franklin’s chest that day.



Even Kotkham got in on the fun.



With one happy crew, we exited Mickey’s dressing room and came back around the corner to hop in line for the princesses.The posted wait for princesses was 15 minutes, which didn’t seem too bad. We waited a few mins in outside queue, then we were brought into the meet and greet room.
While we waited in line, we watched all the adorable meet and greets going on ahead of us.





Tanner, however, was not as entertained. He passed out in Keith’s arms! The no-nap day had finally caught up with him.
With no little prince to meet his princesses, we left the line.



The princesses will be waiting to meet him on his next trip.

With Tanner out like a light, we decided to get another shopping excursion in. I had said Franklin and I wanted to buy Tanner his first Mickey ears, so we all headed over to the Chapeau to pick them out. The CMs were so helpful in that store! We picked out a set of “original” ears and took them to the register to check out. Of course we needed to get Tanner’s name embroidered on it, and when one CM asked which stitching we wanted (traditional was free, fun or script cost $3) another stepped in and asked if this was Tanner’s first visit to Disney World, I said yes. He said “then pick whichever stitching you’d like, it’s on the house.” Such a lovely little sprinkle of pixie dust!

By this time, it was pretty warm out. Franklin was a little cranky, and after seeing how worn out everyone got yesterday being on the go, I made the executive decision to get some snacks and head out of the park for a bit.

First stop on the snack express? Main Street Confectionery.



I got my beloved yellow-cake, pink-icing cupcake (see this PTR chapter for reference of this love affair).



Franklin got a rice krispy treat dipped in chocolate and covered in Reese’s Pieces, which you can see over on the side of this photo (but really I wanted to show you the adorable rice krispy treats they made to look like turkey legs).



Our next stop was further down Main Street, Casey’s to be exact. It was time for my corndog nuggets!



With deep-fried goodness in hand, we made our way with the stroller and the scooter to the ferry (the monorail was closed from 11:30 to 6 every day of our trip).





I was one happy girl with my favorite Disney snack!

With Tanner tucked away in bed for a nap, the big kids grabbed a beer and headed out the splash pool. No swimming, just soaking our sore feet.
We had a couple of hours to kill before dinner.

That’s where we’ll end for this time, but we’ve got a yummy “under the sea” dinner and a gorgeous fireworks show coming up next!

Franklin and I are slowly learning the joy of taking a midday break. Do you guys take breaks? Or is it commando touring all the way for you?

[Maestra99]

Great update! I love Tanner's Dumbo shirt (and Franklin's, too)! Dumbo was a huge favorite of mine as a child. I also am loving your hoodie - I agree, it's subtle but still "Disney!" And how nice of you to buy goodies for your friends' kids! I'm sure they loved it all.

The Plaza looks yummy, especially the desserts. And the photos of Tanner smiling at Mickey & Minnie made me smile too! I'm glad he had such a good time with the characters. And you look cute rockin' your Minnie ears!

You have now inspired me to try the corn dog nuggets!

I hope you have a blast in Boston!

[marDgreen88]

Wow, the food at the Plaza looks great! YUM.

HAHAHA that Dumbo shirt is hilarious. The Mickey and Minnie photos are absolutely adorable. Tanner looks so happy and excited!

THAT CUPCAKE LOOKS AMAZING. Do you watch Once Upon A Time, by chance? It's totally reminding me of the Hansel and Gretel episode.

Hope you have a good trip to Boston!

[mmeb144]

Originally Posted by Missyrose

Franklin and I are slowly learning the joy of taking a midday break. Do you guys take breaks? Or is it commando touring all the way for you?

We take the breaks. Love spending time at that expensive resort! Besides a nap never hurt anyone...

Thanks for the pics of the food! It looked so yummy!