Are You Frickin’ Kidding Me? An Aug/Sep Surprise Trip... (12/01) Hakuna Matata

[DonnaBeeGood]

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[BLAZEY]

Glad to hear that Princess K is healthy! Can't wait for the next trip installment! So exciting to have another trip in the works. My sister is in DL right now with her family and all the pictures make me want to go back!

 

[irene_dsc]

This is what the mirror in my kitchen currently looks like:

That's a pretty impressive organizational system.

PrincessK is healthy again and that's been fabulous, but it also means she's back to being very busy. Three nights a week I am out at swimming, gymnastics, and basketball lessons. Once a month on two of those nights I also have CF Chapter and Walk Committee meetings. So those nights are insane.

And I think I'm busy. Actually, last year was busier. But super-glad PrincessK is healthy again, even if that means she's running you ragged.

As you can see it's been a whirlwind few months for us and it's not likely to get better soon.
I promise to do my very best to get an actual trip report update in as soon as possible... I'm just not sure how soon that will be.

Looking forward to it when you can!

 

[pkondz]

Just rumours so far. I'm hearing possibly April 25th for the deal to drop for Visa Holders and 28th for the general public but no one seems to have any idea on what dates may or may not be included.
Our dates are in August so we will likely need some kind of Canadian deal like last year to get them.

Thanks for the heads up.
I guess I'll just wait and see, then.
I think if it comes up during the dates I'm thinking, then it'll make the decision a lot easier.

Hmmm. I think I had one of these when BGirl was playing ball last year. We drove her to another city 3x per week for practice and tournaments every other weekend.
Guess I should have held onto it.

 

[ForeverDance]

Guess What. I’m Still Alive!


That’s right, I didn’t just drop off the face of the earth… well I guess I did figuratively, but literally I am still here.

I can’t even believe how much time has passed. It’s been an absolutely crazy couple of months and at times I have been so overwhelmed.

But I survived and the walk was a success!

I’m really proud of the way it came together and I received many compliments on the organization and activities.

PrincessK and I received a special thank-you and gift at the walk for all our hard work and media outreach.

We even did an interview for CTV London


On a personal note, my awesome family team raised over $5000.

So yeah, it’s been really busy… but now I’m giving myself the summer off which means I should have plenty of time for updating my report!

… Seriously.
I mean it!


I can’t wait to get back into it. And since I have another trip coming up at the end of August my goal is to be done before we leave.

So sit back and relax because this train is about to get motoring!

 

[Saphire5742]

Welcome back!
So glad the walk was a success!
Can't wait to read about the rest of your trip.

 

[DonnaBeeGood]

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[FantasiaMagic]

Welcome back! Looking forward to reading more about your trip!

 

[emij]

Love this trip report!!

 

[ForeverDance]

Welcome back!
So glad the walk was a success!
Can't wait to read about the rest of your trip.

Thank you! I am really looking forward to getting back into this.

Your priorities are in the right place! Glad that you enjoyed the walk and great success for your team!

Thank you very much!

Welcome back! Looking forward to reading more about your trip!

Thank you. I'm looking forward to writing more (and I have... but it's not quite ready yet).

Love this trip report!!

Thank you and thanks for joining in.

 

[Terra Nova guy]

Nice to see something from you again. Congrats on the walk and the awesome fundraising. I know how much of a commitment that can be. My oldest DD has diabetes (diagnosed when she was 12) so we've participated in a couple walks. I know the effort that went into raising just $600 so I can only imagine $5000!

 

[pkondz]

That’s right, I didn’t just drop off the face of the earth… well I guess I did figuratively, but literally I am still here.

Well, hi there stranger!

But I survived and the walk was a success!

Great!

PrincessK and I received a special thank-you and gift at the walk for all our hard work and media outreach.

That's nice.

We even did an interview for CTV London

Cool!

On a personal note, my awesome family team raised over $5000.

Wow! That's really great!

So yeah, it’s been really busy… but now I’m giving myself the summer off which means I should have plenty of time for updating my report!

… Seriously.
I mean it!

I'll hold you to that!

So sit back and relax because this train is about to get motoring!

Woot!

 

[RDawn]

I just found this trip report and am SO glad that I did! I love reading about other's WDW experiences when I cannot be there myself. But now it has gotten so much deeper as you share your little princess' struggles with CF. Kudos to you for organizing a CF walk and the radio ad and news interview were wonderful. My kids were 4 & 6 years old the first time we took them to Disney. My son was 4 & LOVED IASW. He called it the "Little Boat Ride". And he watched youtube videos of the Pooh ride a hundred times before we left... once we were there he was afraid to go in. It had a dark entrance that just freaked him out. PrincessK was very brave to face the Haunted Mansion. Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful, challenging story with us.

 

[ForeverDance]

Nice to see something from you again. Congrats on the walk and the awesome fundraising. I know how much of a commitment that can be. My oldest DD has diabetes (diagnosed when she was 12) so we've participated in a couple walks. I know the effort that went into raising just $600 so I can only imagine $5000!

Thanks and thanks! It is amazing how much work fundraising can be.

Well, hi there stranger!

I'll hold you to that!

You can!

Funny story, for the last few months my work has been really slow which has allowed me a few minutes here and there to do other non-work related things. Since I posted that I was going to get this train going... I have not had a spare moment... well except for now... and honestly it's only because I haven't stopped since 7:30 this morning and I can't deal with another person or issue right now.

In any case, I told Grumpy last night in no uncertain terms that I would be getting the next installment of my trip report up today.... NHL draft or not

I just found this trip report and am SO glad that I did! I love reading about other's WDW experiences when I cannot be there myself. But now it has gotten so much deeper as you share your little princess' struggles with CF. Kudos to you for organizing a CF walk and the radio ad and news interview were wonderful. My kids were 4 & 6 years old the first time we took them to Disney. My son was 4 & LOVED IASW. He called it the "Little Boat Ride". And he watched youtube videos of the Pooh ride a hundred times before we left... once we were there he was afraid to go in. It had a dark entrance that just freaked him out. PrincessK was very brave to face the Haunted Mansion. Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful, challenging story with us.

Thanks for following along. I am so happy to hear that you are enjoying our story.
I honestly thought PrincessK would like IASW. Sure it's not fast or "exciting" but it's interesting and I remember being absolutely in love with it the first time I went.
It's so interesting to see how young kids react to things. I'm always caught off guard.

 

[ForeverDance]

Does This Seem Like a 20 minute Line?
August 25, 2015 – Part 3

We left Haunted Mansion with a clear destination in mind… Big Thunder Mountain!

Ever notice how crowded and congested things get as you move toward Fronteirland? It’s crazy. Doesn’t matter how empty the rest of the park is, as soon as you get to this section it’s wall-to-wall people.

We slowly made our way through the crowd.

As we crossed the bridge heading toward our destination we heard the inevitable screams and then WHOOSH! Water sprayed high in the air.

A little pair of eyes lit up.

“What’s that ride momma?”
“That’s Splash Mountain”
“Can we go on it?”

The answer to that question was actually a little complicated. For two reasons:
1. It was hot as hades out and without even looking I knew the line would be painfully long.
2. Grumpy does not do Splash. He hates it. Period. Actually that’s not entirely accurate. He would be perfectly happy to go on it for the first 11 minutes and 30 seconds. It’s the last 30 seconds that he wants no part of.

I looked at Grumpy. He shrugged… okay so he wasn’t flat out opposed to the two of us going on.

“Let’s see how long the line is”

We made our way over and I don’t remember how long the posted time was… but it was definitely more than 15 or 20 minutes. I could see the people standing out in the winding line and boy did they look hot.

“The wait is very long and it’s too hot for you.”

I turned to Grumpy
“We could use her DAS but what if Thunder Mountain’s line is long? We can’t have two passes at a time.”

We elected to let PrincessK decide. I explained how the pass worked and that if the line for Thunder Mountain was too long that we wouldn’t be able to do that one.

She chose to get the DAS for Splash.
Not that I’m surprised. She was 3 and it was right in front of her.

With a return time for Splash Mountain in hand, we made the short trip over to Thunder Mountain.

The posted wait time was 20 minutes… not too bad. Perfectly acceptable amount of time for PrincessK to be standing in a hot line.

We walked over and begin walking up the ramp. I glanced over at the Fastpass line.

Huh. That looks kinda long.

I had heard reports that with the new fastpass system the lines were longer but that they moved fairly quickly. So I shrugged it off as a byproduct of the new system.

Until I got to the end of the queue for standby.

“Um. Does this seem like a 20 minute line?”

Grumpy surveyed the scene.
“No. More like 30 or so I’d say.”

“You think PrincessK will be okay?”
“Well it’s covered so we aren’t in direct sun. It’s hot, but tolerable. I’m sure 30 minutes will be okay.”

And it probably would have… if it had been 30 minutes.
Or even close to that.

I don’t know how long it was but suffice to say it was a LONG, LONG time.

If it had just been Grumpy and I, I wouldn’t have cared but I was worried about PrincessK. We kept a close eye on her and while she was sweaty, she seemed to be doing okay. But I still worried. A lot.

PrincessK however, did an amazing job of waiting. She talked to the people around us and entertained them with her singing. And she checked out all the little things in the queue. She particularly enjoyed the birds that did funny things when you turned the cranks.

When we rounded the final turn in the queue we could see where the fastpass line joined the standby line. CMs were allowing a very large number of fastpassers into the line. Many more than I had seen in the past. I turned around to look at the fastpass line which still stretched way out past the end of the actual queue.

Something was definitely up.

As we got closer we could hear people from both lines grumbling. The poor CM in charge of the union of the two lines looked stressed. People were complaining almost non-stop but she plastered a smile on her face and kept apologizing saying that they were doing the best they could.

It was then that I realized I had left my CM thank you cards in the car. I mentally kicked myself. She definitely looked like she could use a pick-me-up.

“Looks like you’re having a crazy morning”.

She smiled. It didn’t quite reach her eyes, but it looked at least genuine.
“Sorry about the wait.”

“No worries.”
She did a little double-take.

“We’re going to go on a roller-coaster and it’s going to be scary. Mom and dad took me on the doll ride and it wasn’t scary and I said I wanted something scary so they took me to the haunted house and it was scary but not like I wanted but this one is going to be scary like I want.”

She smiled a little bigger.
“Sounds like you are having a great time”
“We are. It’s my first time here… see?”
(holding up her 1st visit button)

“Mom and dad said we were going camping but we weren’t we were coming here and I got to meet Anna and Elsa and they’re really real! And now we’re going on this one and it’s been a long wait but that’s okay because we got to see the birds… did you know there are birds over there????”

Now the CM was genuinely smiling.

We talked with her for a while. She told us that Thunder Mountain usually runs with 5 trains but one had broken down. With 5 trains one is always in the station loaded and ready to go as soon as the currently running train finishes. Only having 4 trains meant a delay between the arrival of one train and the departure of the next. That was causing all kinds of havoc because they hadn’t adjusted the available fastpasses to deal with the reduction in turnaround time.

All the while we had this conversation the fastpass line was being let through. It was probably a good 5 minutes.

Just before she let the standby line through the CM handed PrincessK a piece of paper.

“You’ve been such a good girl waiting for your turn. You have fun okay”
It was a Thunder Mountain fastpass for up to 3 people for anytime over the next few days.

It was really nice and completely unexpected and I was really kicking myself for forgetting those thank you cards.

Once we joined the combined line it moved pretty quickly and in no time PrincessK was enjoying her first time on the wildest ride in the wilderness.

Grumpy convinced PrincessK to put her hands up… but it didn’t last long before she dropped them to cling to me. Her face looked more scared than happy and I was a little worried that she wasn’t enjoying herself, but when we got off she excitedly exclaimed “that was the best ride ever! Even better than Thunder Run”.

After waiting in that long line we were all pretty hot and I knew we needed to get PrincessK out of the heat for a while. Luckily our time was up for her DAS so we headed over to get in line while Grumpy went to browse the nearby shop.

The fastpass line for Splash Mountain was virtually non-existent and we walked right through to the end.

We hopped into our log and right away PrincessK noticed that the seat was wet. I laughed. “Yep it’s wet… but not as wet as the person that was sitting there”.

“Will we get wet momma?”
“Almost definitely”
“That’s okay, it’s hot so I don’t mind”.

Good thing because at this point the log was already moving and there was no way we were getting out of there.

It turns out it wasn’t much of an issue. I got a little wet from the waterfall that comes just after the first rise but otherwise we made it to the top unscathed.

As we approached the peak PrincessK was getting nervous.

“Hold me tight okay?”
“Okay”
“Don’t let go”
“I won’t”
“Is it okay if I scream?”
“Of course”
“Will you scream?”
“I will if it makes you feel better”
“Yes please”

And so we did.

And despite being scared she loved it!

Surprisingly we didn’t get too wet at the bottom and left feeling refreshed instead of drenched.

We made a quick pit stop on the way out and then found Grumpy browsing around the shop. He listened intently as PrincessK excitedly relived the ride.

Once she was finished regaling Grumpy with a tale we decided to head to Cosmic Rays for some lunch. We made our way across the park, walked in the doors, and almost as quickly walked back out again. It was absolutely JAMMED. It was like everyone in the park decided to have lunch at exactly that same moment in exactly the same place.

We decided to head back to the resort and grab some lunch before checking in to our room.

We made our way out of the park and down to the busses. We barely made it to the stop before a bus was pulling in and soon we were back at the resort.

We got lunch from the food court. The food was fine but on that particular day the CMs working there were very grumpy. They all had sour looks on their faces and watch out if you dared to ask a question. It was pretty awful. Luckily that was the only day we experienced that type of CM attitude.

After lunch our room was ready. I’d seen pictures of the Finding Nemo suites online but seeing it in person was so much better.

PrincessK's bed.

Main bathroom

Kitchenette and sitting area... and what would become BGirl's bed.

Other half of sitting area

Our bed.

Our bathroom.

Our view.

As you can see PrincessK felt that she needed to be in every picture. For a while I attempted to take some without her but she was pretty determined. Eventually I just gave up.

By the time we got into our room it was after 3pm. There wasn’t time for a nap so we made our way down to the pool for a quick swim.

Well Grumpy and I swam. PrincessK clung to us and allowed us to bob up and down with her in our arms. I’m not sure her hair ever got wet.

But mine did… and I discovered something really cool. If you ever get the opportunity to swim at the Nemo pool at AoA make sure to pay attention when you go underwater. You’re in for a neat surprise.

After refreshing ourselves in the pool we went back to the room to get ready for our evening. We had something really special planned and I couldn’t wait to get going.



Up Next: Determination Pays Off

 

[Terra Nova guy]

2. Grumpy does not do Splash. He hates it. Period. Actually that’s not entirely accurate. He would be perfectly happy to go on it for the first 11 minutes and 30 seconds. It’s the last 30 seconds that he wants no part of.

It sounds like Grumpy and I are kindred spirits. I did Splash Mountain once about 16 years ago. Never again! Just don't like the big drop.

I’d seen pictures of the Finding Nemo suites online but seeing it in person was so much better.

The Nemo suites were great. We stayed there a few years ago. Last trip we did POR and despite it being a lovely resort, we still think about the Nemo suite and kind of wish we had gone back there.

If you ever get the opportunity to swim at the Nemo pool at AoA make sure to pay attention when you go underwater. You’re in for a neat surprise.

Yes, that's a great tip. I spent a fair bit of time underwater with DD

 

[irene_dsc]

How sweet of the CM! But it sounds like PrincessK did a great job of cheering her up on a hot, annoying day, so well deserved pixie dust!

I've never seen the Nemo rooms before - they look cool!

 

[DonnaBeeGood]

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[ForeverDance]

It sounds like Grumpy and I are kindred spirits. I did Splash Mountain once about 16 years ago. Never again! Just don't like the big drop.

Basically the same story with him. He's done it once and won't do it again.

The Nemo suites were great. We stayed there a few years ago. Last trip we did POR and despite it being a lovely resort, we still think about the Nemo suite and kind of wish we had gone back there.

This is my worry: that I'll be disappointed with the other resorts. We are staying at All Star Sports next due to budget concerns and I'm already frustrated with the lack of kitchenette... I might be ruined for other resorts now

Yes, that's a great tip. I spent a fair bit of time underwater with DD

How sweet of the CM! But it sounds like PrincessK did a great job of cheering her up on a hot, annoying day, so well deserved pixie dust!

That's PrincessK. She is just a cheery girl. Honestly, the happiest, sweetest, most upbeat and appreciative little girl. I'm so blessed.

I've never seen the Nemo rooms before - they look cool!

They definitely are! If you have the funds, I'd definitely recommend them.

Wow, great descriptions - I can almost feel the heat just from reading about the line up at BTMR!

Yeah, it was a crazy hot day. But we had fun non-the-less.

I think I would be asking the same questions as Princess K. I've never made it on the actual ride - the anticipation freaked me out too much at the time. Maybe I need a ride buddy...

A ride buddy is always a good plan. Or just scream really loud. When I was little I had an aunt who would take me to the amusement park and she always said that if you are scared you should scream as loud as you can and then it's not as scary. I don't know if that's true but I went on everything

 

[pkondz]

We left Haunted Mansion with a clear destination in mind… Big Thunder Mountain!

Good destination to have!

Ever notice how crowded and congested things get as you move toward Fronteirland? It’s crazy. Doesn’t matter how empty the rest of the park is, as soon as you get to this section it’s wall-to-wall people.

Odd. It's not like there are any good rides back there....

“What’s that ride momma?”
“That’s Splash Mountain”
“Can we go on it?”

Smart girl.

2. Grumpy does not do Splash. He hates it. Period. Actually that’s not entirely accurate. He would be perfectly happy to go on it for the first 11 minutes and 30 seconds. It’s the last 30 seconds that he wants no part of.

Yeah. No one likes that whole "waiting to disembark" part.

She chose to get the DAS for Splash.
Not that I’m surprised. She was 3 and it was right in front of her.

We walked over and begin walking up the ramp. I glanced over at the Fastpass line.

Huh. That looks kinda long.

Uh, oh...

If it had just been Grumpy and I, I wouldn’t have cared but I was worried about PrincessK. We kept a close eye on her and while she was sweaty, she seemed to be doing okay. But I still worried. A lot.

I can't even imagine.
Well... I can, sort of.
But still.

She talked to the people around us and entertained them with her singing.

As we got closer we could hear people from both lines grumbling. The poor CM in charge of the union of the two lines looked stressed. People were complaining almost non-stop but she plastered a smile on her face and kept apologizing saying that they were doing the best they could.

Tough job. I feel for her.
What are ya gonna do?

“Mom and dad said we were going camping but we weren’t we were coming here and I got to meet Anna and Elsa and they’re really real! And now we’re going on this one and it’s been a long wait but that’s okay because we got to see the birds… did you know there are birds over there????”

That kid's pretty wonderful. Just lettin' ya know.

“You’ve been such a good girl waiting for your turn. You have fun okay”
It was a Thunder Mountain fastpass for up to 3 people for anytime over the next few days.

Nice!

Grumpy convinced PrincessK to put her hands up… but it didn’t last long before she dropped them to cling to me.

but when we got off she excitedly exclaimed “that was the best ride ever! Even better than Thunder Run”.

And smart. She's smart, too.

The fastpass line for Splash Mountain was virtually non-existent and we walked right through to the end.

Excellent! You were due that after the long BTMRR wait.

“Will we get wet momma?”
“Almost definitely”
“That’s okay, it’s hot so I don’t mind”.

That's some kid you've got there.
I'd keep her if I was you.

Great shot!

And despite being scared she loved it!

Like I said. Smart kid.

Surprisingly we didn’t get too wet at the bottom and left feeling refreshed instead of drenched.

Benefits of sitting in the rear of the log.

We barely made it to the stop before a bus was pulling in and soon we were back at the resort.

Good timing!

The food was fine but on that particular day the CMs working there were very grumpy.

I'd rather have grumpy than sneezy, to be honest.
Because I don't want a visit from doc.

I’d seen pictures of the Finding Nemo suites online but seeing it in person was so much better.

I hadn't seen any pics! Thanks!

Our view.

Nice view!

As you can see PrincessK felt that she needed to be in every picture.

Sure. Why not.

If you ever get the opportunity to swim at the Nemo pool at AoA make sure to pay attention when you go underwater. You’re in for a neat surprise.