Island Hopping: A Highly Inappropriate TR. (Boom.)-- Link to NEW TR! 10/8

[katt789]

Yay!! I'm glad that your guy's evening got a lot better! How great that you found such a great parade spot! I've always wondered how far backstage everyone has to start, like, obviously, when you're not in the utilidoors you're in character, but how far back does the dancing start?!

CBR really is a big distance between things, but it's definitely a lot better than CSR! I'm excited to read more!

 

[merbobear]

The pictures of the dress rehearsal are beautiful! Can't wait to see pictures of the actual performance!!

We also bring the dollar store glow sticks, glow bracelets, etc and share them with those around us - or try to at least. I get some of the strangest looks, parents saying no or people outright ignoring us. Idk..maybe they think we are trying to drug them with glowsticks or something, but people seem to turn their noses up an awful lot! Take the freakin pixie dust, people! I do always find some parent who is grateful for the glowing distractions, but sometimes it's tough!

 

[CandleontheWater]

What a wonderful parade viewing spot! I agree its better to be at the begining of the parade, that way you don't have to sit around nearly as long to wait for it to arrive, and you can get out of the craziness faster! I'll have to remember that spot in the future, we usually end up in Frontierland to try and avoid the crowds, but it seems like you guys found the perfect spot where there is less pushing and shoving, but still at the start of the parade.

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

Yay! A New update!

Those are such great photos of the Nutcracker. You must have been so proud of them!

I love the MK at that time. I swear, I've had a super stressful day/week, and just seeing those photos helped mellow me out a bit. It's so amazing.

MSEP! Seriously, what is is about small lights at night that just makes everything so special?

Having just turned 30 (well, almost 6 months ago, but I think that count's as "just"), I totally feel your pain. I love WDW, but every night after the parks, walking around the room is an ordeal. And waking up in the morning is even worse! Once I get going I'm usually ok, but I swear I feel like I age a good 20-30 years while I'm there.

On to day 2!

I guess that feeling I have in Disney is like a preview of how I'll feel in 20-30 years...and I'm not sure BenGay is going to help me at that point!!

Those nutcracker pictures are so sweet. I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to take dance lessons growing up. And it is great that your daughter has made such a special friend through it.

I will say this again… amazing photos! I love them all. And MK really is breathtaking day or night!

Looking forward to more!

Aw, thank! Dance was a special part of my childhood, too. It is amazing how much you can communicate through dance. It's a great outlet for all sorts of emotion.

The ballet pictures are great!!! The girls look wonderful

Yay for your MSEP spot! Looks like the perfect place to watch the parade!

I smile even now just thinking of that spot!

What a GREAT first day!!! I feel ya on the Ben-Gay, I need that and Advil at night when we get back to the room!

YES! And we already had the Advil!

Ahh your girls are so precious in those photos from the ballet! I can't wait to see more!

Okay sooo, you guys are going to my FAVORITE PARK AT THE BEST TIME OF DAY! It's just so beautiful during the evening/dusk. And your photos are just making me wish I was there right now at this very moment. Even though I know the crowds are probably kind of poopy, it still just warms my heart. I'm just missing Disney World a lot right now, even though I KNOW we'll be there soon.. I can't help it.

MSEP is my absolute FAVORITE! Oh man. I'm not a parade/show person but this just blows my socks off. Its vintage music, and lights, I love everything about it. You can even sometimes find me listening to MSEP music randomly at work (it's true). I just love it and wish I could watch it right now.

I think I might have to steal your idea for the parade viewing area if we are having a hard time finding a spot during our next trip! That seems awesomely ideal and not overly crowded!

Oh my gosh, I am putting Ben-gay on my list of things to buy! NO JOKE. In my Disneyland TR, well I'll get to it but let's just say that my feet felt like someone was smashing them with a hammer by hour 15 of our 2nd day. It was awful. The only thing that saved them was the jacuzzi tub we had in our room. I am making sure this time for our WDW trip that I have EVERYTHING I could possibly need for sore muscles and sore feet! At least in WDW you have the time for laidback days though.. Disneyland was pure GOGOGO.

Can't wait for another update from you, lady!

So...still missing it??

Both Brynn and Julia looked beautiful for the nutcracker.

I loved your spot the parade, I'm going to have to keep my eye out for it next time.

Thank you! They loved being in the spotlight.
I hope that spot is as uncrowded next time we're there!

Love the Nutcracker pics!!! The girls are so beautiful!

Jill in CO

THANKS!

Your spot is our absolute most favorite place to watch the parade at MK! I love watching the floats,characters and performers appear from backstage.

Isn't it perfect!?! You should have told me about it sooner!

Great tip on Parade Watching Spot... I am so there... ... Isn't it fun when they think you're awesome for things like handing out the candy? (I have a Dis box too... a lot of those things are so expensive in the parks... and can be reused and bought at Walgreens and CVS, etc...)

BTW the pictures of the girls in Nutcracker are precious... Ems danced too and I love the pictures that I have of her... priceless...

Ben Gay huh? I never thought of that... and despite the scent -I'll bet it felt heavenly...

Well, the BenGay smell was better than the sweaty smell we'd had all day!!

Just started reading your TR and I'm now in love with your family! Your kids are too cute and Brynn already warms my heart! My older sister is now 26 and has multiple diagnoses and suffers from seizures.

It makes me so happy how people with disabilities are so accepting of each other, despite how different their level of functioning may be! My sister has extremely limited verbal abilities and she goes to a community center for people with disabilities that has a karaoke party weekly. A lot of the others who go there are so much higher functioning than she is but they are so accepting anyway and she loves it! One girl saves her a seat each week so they can "sing" together and another boy is so cute and has a crush on her but says "her mom wouldn't like if I kissed her" so he kisses the top of her head! Too cute!

Also I just want to say that we watched MSEP from the exact same spot in January and it was empty for us too! Not sure why it's overlooked as it's now my favorite parade spot! We watched the parade and rushed over to TST and met Mickey and the Princesses with no wait!

Can't wait for your next update!

Awwww, thank you for saying all that and for letting me in on your life and perspective! Sorry it has taken me so long to respond, as well!
I agree with you--people with disabilities have a bigger heart for loving, I think.
What a great idea to go meet the Princesses and MIckey afterwards! I am so stealing that idea!

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

Yay!! I'm glad that your guy's evening got a lot better! How great that you found such a great parade spot! I've always wondered how far backstage everyone has to start, like, obviously, when you're not in the utilidoors you're in character, but how far back does the dancing start?!

CBR really is a big distance between things, but it's definitely a lot better than CSR! I'm excited to read more!

It was waaaaayyyy back there!
I've never ben to CSR, but I've heard it's even bigger because it's a convention resort or whatever. Not sure if that's true, but I don't think I could do bigger than CBR!

The pictures of the dress rehearsal are beautiful! Can't wait to see pictures of the actual performance!!

We also bring the dollar store glow sticks, glow bracelets, etc and share them with those around us - or try to at least. I get some of the strangest looks, parents saying no or people outright ignoring us. Idk..maybe they think we are trying to drug them with glowsticks or something, but people seem to turn their noses up an awful lot! Take the freakin pixie dust, people! I do always find some parent who is grateful for the glowing distractions, but sometimes it's tough!

People are weird sometimes, you're right!! But somehow my kids usually end up charming them.
I don't know why this reminds me of it, but if you've seen Napoleon Dynamite...the part where he's feeding his pet llama (?) and says, "Eat the FOOD!"...reminds me of, "Take the PIXIE DUST!" And I totally imagined you saying it in the voice. Yep. I'm weird.

What a wonderful parade viewing spot! I agree its better to be at the begining of the parade, that way you don't have to sit around nearly as long to wait for it to arrive, and you can get out of the craziness faster! I'll have to remember that spot in the future, we usually end up in Frontierland to try and avoid the crowds, but it seems like you guys found the perfect spot where there is less pushing and shoving, but still at the start of the parade.

We loved it! We were around Frontierland later in the week when it was going on, and it was so much more crowded over there! Give this spot a try!

 

[Holly324]

I just got caught up...I love your pics from the MK at that time of night! Captures the feeling perfectly! Bummer about Chef Mickeys, though. We were there for "breakfast" (it was 11, so I considered it lunch) a couple of years ago, and it went really well. The characters moved kinda fast, but they did pose for all of the pictures that I wanted....lots and lots of pictures! Looking forward to the next installment!

 

[chipper10]

I just found your trip report. I am so happy I did! My son Landon has autism, so it's helpful to see how others do Disney. We went to Disney in May and I was just not prepared. We are going back this May and I am hoping it goes much better. I think bring headphones for him would really help. Sometimes he would just get too overwhelmed by the people in line for the rides that we just couldn't go anything. I think we pretty much only saw the Peoplemover. I am hoping by reading trip reports, I can get more tips and tricks to help Landon.

 

[meggiebeth]

Jumping in!! Now to catch up. Your family is so cute and I love love love the photos!

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[meggiebeth]

I just found your trip report. I am so happy I did! My son Landon has autism, so it's helpful to see how others do Disney. We went to Disney in May and I was just not prepared. We are going back this May and I am hoping it goes much better. I think bring headphones for him would really help. Sometimes he would just get too overwhelmed by the people in line for the rides that we just couldn't go anything. I think we pretty much only saw the Peoplemover. I am hoping by reading trip reports, I can get more tips and tricks to help Landon.

Did you use a Guest Assistance Card? If not, I would definitely try one next trip. They can work so to allow you to ride rides without having to join the regular queue if that is what overwhelms your son I know this has already been mentioned in the TR but wanted to stress how much of a difference it could make to your vacation

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

I just got caught up...I love your pics from the MK at that time of night! Captures the feeling perfectly! Bummer about Chef Mickeys, though. We were there for "breakfast" (it was 11, so I considered it lunch) a couple of years ago, and it went really well. The characters moved kinda fast, but they did pose for all of the pictures that I wanted....lots and lots of pictures! Looking forward to the next installment!

I'm pretty sure that we'll do breakfast next time. I've heard several people say that they like it much better than dinner there...plus, I'm hoping to be staying within easy access to it!

I just found your trip report. I am so happy I did! My son Landon has autism, so it's helpful to see how others do Disney. We went to Disney in May and I was just not prepared. We are going back this May and I am hoping it goes much better. I think bring headphones for him would really help. Sometimes he would just get too overwhelmed by the people in line for the rides that we just couldn't go anything. I think we pretty much only saw the Peoplemover. I am hoping by reading trip reports, I can get more tips and tricks to help Landon.

WELCOME! So happy to have you reading along! I hope you get some good tips from us; we've kind of had to just learn by doing!

Jumping in!! Now to catch up. Your family is so cute and I love love love the photos!

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

THANK YOU SO MUCH!! I'm about to add a whole day's worth of updates for you to read, too!

Did you use a Guest Assistance Card? If not, I would definitely try one next trip. They can work so to allow you to ride rides without having to join the regular queue if that is what overwhelms your son I know this has already been mentioned in the TR but wanted to stress how much of a difference it could make to your vacation

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

I second this. It helped us SO MUCH this trip. The only place that we didn't need it was Epcot, as things are so wide open and empty there. We won't go back without it for sure.

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

Yes, I've been MIA for a few weeks again...sigh...

wanna know why??
Because my computer has been busy making the most awesome trip video EVER! I'm not exaggerating, people. You are going to be blown away...in a couple of weeks. I don't say that lightly. I am an expert on watching YouTube videos of WDW Trips, and biased or not, ours is by far my favorite! LOL!

To make sure that I get this TR going and try to finish it before my next trip (if that's even possible), I am doing a huge update today. I'm doing several updates, in fact. I'm doing the WHOLE DANG DAY! So just keep clicking those links, even if it takes you a few reading sessions, and read all about our second park day in my very favorite park...

OH, YES! IT'S EPCOT DAY!!

Let me begin by saying that I have no notes for this day. Zero. Let's just say that I intended to make them, but things got in the way (you'll see) and it never happened. Luckily, Brandon took a zillion photos, as this is his favorite picture-taking park, so paired with my memory, I think we're good.
We woke up nice and early. My Ben Gay had worked nicely, and after a hot shower and some stretching, I was feeling ready to go. Having the world's most comfy skirt to wear that day didn't hurt, either. I had laid out everyone's clothes the night before, so all they had to do was hop in them, get their hair yanked around until it was presentable, and get some sunscreen. We always eat at The Land Pavilion, so no need for breakfast.

We were walking through the jungled pathways to our van at about 8:00 for a 9:00 opening, so our timing was great.

We parked in one of the first spots and began our walk towards that Great Big Beautiful Golf Ball in the Sky!

Let's pause to appreciate it for a moment, shall we?

Even though we were there very early, they were already letting people filter in. No rush for Soarin' today! We just slinked on over there, grabbed a Baby Swap pass, and Brynn, Julia, and I were Soarin' over California within moments!

Brandon kept the camera with him, so I have no shots from our wait in line or our ride. But I DO have an impromptu photo shoot of Sawyer having breakfast with Brandon, which is nearly as good, right??

With the girls back at Sunshine Seasons, it was time for our breakfast. I dropped them off with Brandon and ran to grab some grub.

That's a Bounty Platter, two iced mochas, a chocolate milk, and a very sadly leaning strawberry shortcake. That's okay. It tasted just as good as always, even if it was a little droopy.

Julia shoveled a little food into her pie hole before begging Brandon to get back on Soarin', so that left Sawyer, Brynn, and me with some very yummy potatoes and sausage (and some passable Disney bacon). When there's any sort of pig meat on the table, Brynn is willing to forego any planned activities in favor of eating. We ate pleasantly and looked at the balloons overhead while the other two went for another flight.

Pictures!

Julia was okay with pictures here. This is allowed.

And then, against the instructions, Brandon took these:

Julia was LIVID! She is a BIG rule-follower, and even though he wasn't using his flash, she was mad. She stomped back to Sunshine Seasons to tattle on him, while he giggled and laughed at her the whole time!

We headed in the direction of one of our favorite rides, Living with the Land, and her anger was temporarily forgotten. Weirdly enough, there was about a five minute wait here on this morning. I've never waited for it before! And I have to say that their queue is very tight quarters. This was the only line we waited in the whole day, which was a 1.1 on the Touring Plans scale.
Hi, Garden Grill! We'll be eating right there tonight!

Ahhhhh, boat rides. This was the first of many boat rides this trip, as we quickly realized that our children love them, and most importantly SIT STILL on them!

And I took some video.

Still at a lazy pace, we decided to ramble over to another pavilion since we'd had our fill of The Land for now. On to The Seas! From Land to Sea!

(KEEP READING! This is just the beginning of the posts today. Read til you get to the end of the day!)

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

If you recall, Brynn is obsessed with sea creatures, so of course our next stop had to be to visit Nemo and Friends at The Seas!

They had these walls up, which might be for the Next Gen Fastpass thing? Not sure.

And after walking through that ridiculously long (but cool) empty queue, we were soon in a Big Blue World, bouncing off the jellyfish and Finding Nemo.

They all loved it, of course, especially considering how many times we'd watched Finding Nemo in the weeks leading up to the trip.

When our Clam-Mobile spit us out at the end of the ride, we decided to go ahead and wait for Turtle Talk with Crush. There was still a ten minute wait until the next show, but we could look at the aquariums and be at the front of the line, so we didn't mind.

Sawyer kept insisting there was a big shark in the tank, which really freaked out a kid a few years older than him!

Just when the kids were beginning to get antsy, the doors opened, the girls found spots on the seagrass carpet, and the rest of us got front frow seats for Crush.

I have to tell you that it was the BEST Turtle Talk show I've ever seen!
To begin with, the bikini came into the tank with Crush, and he asked a little boy if he knew what it was. He didn't. So Julia, being such a smartie pants, yelled, "It's a piece of clothes!" Brilliant answer. And so "piece of clothes" became Crush's running joke the whole show, which Julia really got a kick out of.

Then, when it was time for him to ask another question, he called on JULIA! Now, most of the time kids ask simple things. What do you eat? What's your favorite color? How old are you? Cute stuff.

But Julia asked...."Does your shell get harder by age?"

And Crush was amazed. "Dude, awesome question!," he said. And the audience kind of did a kind of gasp/giggle that someone so little asked something so detailed. We have it on video. It was awesome, and not just because she is my kid!

By the way, Crush went on to explain that yes, his shell does get harder the older he gets. He had Julia stick out her arm...er, I mean FIN...and told her that his shell is made of the same stuff her fingernails are made of, making her part turtle! She loved that!

After lots of laughter, we decided to take our time and look around in all the tanks at The Seas. We stayed her for a long, long time, just looking at the fish, dolphins, and other sea life. We all had a great time and were so relaxed. This was shaping up to be a wonderful morning!

Before we left, we tried for a picture in Bruce's mouth, because you really can't leave the pavilion without that! There was a line, of course, but that didn't stop not one, but TWO parents shoving their kids up in his mouth ahead of all the other people in line! On the first one, nobody said anything--just sighs and tsks. But the second time it happened, just about everybody in line jumped on the guy! LOL! He picked the wrong moment to be rude for sure!

Sawyer was in the picture, but wouldn't go any further than behind the girls, so this is what we got.

The next stop was at the gift shop. I had been promising Brynn we'd get a stuffed Dory to go with her stuffed Nemo, so that's what she chose. Julia chose a plush of the "Mine Mine Mine" birds, and for Sawyer I got the Nemo bath toys.

WORLD WAR III, people! Once she saw Sawyer with them, Brynn HAD to have them! For the remainder of the day, whichever figure one had, the other wanted. Those two fought over the darn Nemo toys so much that I threatened to take them back to the gift shop. And now that we're home? They are ignored.

Brynn with the infamous Nemo toys.

The World Showcase had been open for a while now, so we decided it would be a good time to get started. The plan was to go clockwise today, then counterclockwise on Thursday, so we set off.

Before we even made it there, we stopped to grab a FP for the Phineas and Ferb Mission. Those FPs aren't tied to the ride system, not that it mattered that day anyway. We were assigned Norway, but they said we could change if we wanted. We stuck with Norway, though, as we were headed that way (eventually).

We were diverted again when the kids all spotted Duffy meeting immediately to the left as we entered WS. Now, I was a big critic of the bear. Obviously he's a(nother) marketing ploy by Disney. I mean, what kid doesn't love a teddy bear? And all those outfits to dress him in?? Cha-CHING!

But...sigh...alas, he's cute, and my kids fell totally in love with him, just as Disney's marketing department intended.

See my kids' faces here? You can't hate that!

Sawyer was just so smitten that he wouldn't look away.

Spoiler Alert!: Later in the week, Sawyer would choose a Duffy bear from the Polynesian gift shop, the one who is dressed for bed. He now cannot sleep at night without him, and they are great pals. Julia chose a "naked" Duffy from the Emporium that Friday. She waited all week to make sure that's what she wanted, and it was. He now sleeps with her every night, as well! She also got his book, and for Christmas she finally got his sailor outfit and even a little mini Duffy keychain for her backpack. Duffy is well-loved, despite my criticisms.

(Keep reading. More in next post!)

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

It was about this time that I noticed a headache coming on. Like everybody, I get them from time to time. Sometimes they're mild, and sometimes they are horrible. For just such an occasion, I had a prescription Maxalt pill (nearly $20 a piece) in my bag for emergency use. At this point, the headache was not requiring that sort of attention. I decided we'd eat lunch and drink lots more water, and hopefully it would subside.

We decided to try a place we've never been before, La Cantina de San Angel in the Mexico Pavilion...or should I say AT the Mexico Pavilion, as it's an outdoor restaurant on the water. (Of course we realized only after getting everyone settled into their seats outside that they were allowing people to sit inside La Hacienda de San Angel during lunch hours...oops, too late.)

Actually, there was a great breeze and fans were going, so it wasn't hot at all under the awning.

While I went to order, Sawyer played with Julia's yellow camera, Brynn played with Dory and pouted about having the Nemo friends taken away, and Julia drank lots of water.

I brought back TONS of food...very, very greasy food. I had the Empanadas de Queso - fresh corn masa (dough) filled with Chihuahua cheese topped with green sauce served with corn tortilla chips $10.75. I liked the flavor of them, but after one I was kind of getting sick of all the grease, and I'm not even a health freak! I live in the south, people! We keep bacon fat in the fridge, for cryin' out loud! But this was too much. I did like the Mexican apple-flavored soda they allow on the dining plan, as well as the cheese sauce for the tortilla chips. YUM!

Brandon had the Tacos de Carne - smoked beef brisket tacos served on fresh handmade corn tortillas with Pico de Gallo, lime and corn tortilla chips $11.99. I have to say that I had a little food envy when I saw his. They really did look and smell delicious, and if we go back (I'm sure we will, as we love Mexican food) I'll be getting this.

I got two kid orders of the Cheese Empanadas, as Sawyer was not old enough to be on the dining plan yet. It is essentially the regular empanada, but without the green sauce. I kind of had to prod them to eat it, as it was something new. Sawyer probably ate more than the others, but all of them chowed down on the grapes that came with it and wanted more.
For dessert, you can choose between churritos with caramel sauce and paletas (popsicles). They give you a ticket so you can come get your dessert when you finish you meal, which I thought was nice. That way, the churros will be hot and the popsicles would be cold.

We opted for churritos, and I brought back our two orders to be quickly devoured by grubby little toddler hands.

This was the time I had planned on updating my trip report journal as we sat, but instead I decided to pop some Advil and hope this headache would leave me alone. Look how miserable my eyes look in this picture! I was in some pain.

While the stroller was already parked and since we were already here, we decided to head into the AIR CONDITIONED Mexico Pavilion for one of our kids' favorite rides, The Three Cabelleros. It's a boat ride. It looks kind of like "it's a small world." And it's a boat ride. Plus, it's a boat ride. We decided to take two turns on it, actually, in hopes that the darkness would help my head.

Don't these guys look like they're feeling the Disney Magic? No? Well, neither was my head.

Well, this is more like it.

Brynn was in awe...of course, she may have offended an entire country when she called it "Mexican Small World."

All that fuss over the Nemo friends? Done. (For now.)

Thanks, Donald.

Go around again? Well, if you insist...

My eyes kind of look like I'm about to pass out, but Sawyer is still enthralled even on the second trip around Mexico!

And then it was time to take potty breaks and head back into the bright sun. Ugh. But I put on a happy face and kept on going. No ruining my kids' vacation!! No way!!

It was starting to get a little cloudy, and I was blessing each cloud that covered the sun!

So, what does a Mama with a headache do when in Mexico? Fiesta Margarita, of course!

Okay, I know it was kind of a dumb choice, but it was on my list of things I had to try this trip, so I got it. It took me FOREVER to drink it, and it became a bother to balance it and go about my Epcot business, but I did try it, and the headache was no worse for the wear.

You want to read more? Oh, okay! More right below this post!

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

Julia was ready to do what she's been waiting for for years--her Phineas and Ferb Mission! (Okay, so it used to be KimPossible, but same concept. She thinks you practically have to be a grown kid to do it, so big step.)

We reported to Norway and got our...Kimmunicator? I don't know what they call them now that the theme has changed!

I couldn't pay attention to a thing the lady was saying, but luckily the little phone thing tells you what to do every step of the way, and it even subtitles it on the screen as it talks. Good for drinking mamas with headaches.

Ours sent us to...

CHINA!

To be honest, we've never really explored this pavilion at all, so today was our chance, and boy did we!

(Oh, and no worries--while Julia and I played the mission, Brynn earned back Nemo access.)

Julia and I played, and Brandon followed us along with his camera. We really just took our time and soaked in the scenery.

Part of the Mission led us inside near the Terracotta Army display (very cool)...

...and when we came out, Mulan was beginning to meet with pretty much no line! SCORE! We were pretty happy about that.

They spoke of cricket friends and dresses, got an autograph, and posed (some with eyes closed) for a picture.

Turns out that this is not her usual meeting place, but as it was misting rain, she moved here to be near cover. Again, bless you, clouds!

After that pause, we continued following Agent P's instructions. Very secretive. Very hush-hush. See Brynn being covert? We're awesome spies like that.

"WHOA! Did you see that!?!" (But I can't tell you, because it's a secret. You have to do the mission to find out.)

Meanwhile, two cast members had taken a liking to Miss Brynn and decided to show her how to use these sticks they had that they were spinning around all over the place. She was so excited to be chosen and concentrated very hard!

And she was great at it! She let them help her, and she had them spinning everywhere, too!

Julia wanted to grab them from her so badly, but she got "the look" from me and backed away until it was her turn.

She thought she could do it herself. Ever the confident one! She soon realized that it's not as easy as it looks!

They stepped in and helped her, too, but not for as long or as well as Brynn.
At that point, we thought we were finished in China, and then we saw Acrobats. This was the neverending trip to China.

Follow along with us...keep reading in the post below!

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

Sooooo, acrobats. That sounds fun, right?

Well, this part was fun.

And then there was a guy who could throw a pot up and catch it. A lot.

Over...

...and over...

...and over.

Seriously? Ridiculous. I get it. You can catch a pot. But I wanted to see all the other performers do their thing, and they were just sitting on the sidelines for all that time.

My kids were getting bored. Heck, I was getting bored. And the guy behind us just couldn't keep his big mouth shut.

I realize that people in the front are supposed to sit so others behind them can see. My butt was plopped down on that hard concrete, my kids were sitting in strollers, and we were all law-abiding citizens. But then it got boring, and Brynn got fidgety and kept wanting to go from stroller to mommy to stroller to mommy.

And then it happened. She had one of her paroxysmal spells. In her case, she hunches over and leans on anything she can grab (the stroller seat, in this case), then tucks her feet so that she's literally standing on the tops of them, holds her breath, tenses every muscle in her body, and waits in that frozen position until it's over. It makes her not exactly sitting, not exactly standing, and you can't get her out of it.

But the guy behind us took that exact moment to loudly proclaim that SOME parents need to get their children to SIT DOWN out of RESPECT for those behind them, and that SOME parents weren't listening to the announcement to sit.

My face was boiling hot, and I shot him the meanest look I have ever given anyone in my entire life. I know he felt the daggars.

And Brandon? He was so mad that he said we had to get out of there NOW before he says something he'll regret to Mr. Respectful.

So we waited until Brynn was back in our world and huffily hauled all our gear and kids right in his path of sight out of that performance.

I didn't need to see that dude thrown another pot anyway.

As we tried to shake off that moment, we let the kids do some drumming at the Africa Outpost.

Sawyer had been sitting for a while, so he was especially happy to get out of the stroller for the drumming, as well as for the time the girls were getting their faces painted.

My girls LOVE face painting. It's kind of strange to me, as usually Brynn doesn't like her face touched at all, period. But look at this--it's like a zen moment for her! I don't get it, but I love it!

Brynn got some sort of Princess Kitty design and Julia's had rainbow and stars, and LOTS of glitter!

With thirty dollars well spent, we moved on to look at the miniature trains in Germany. I've been to Germany several times (the real country, not just the pavilion!), and I love seeing all the really German details they can fit into such tiny pieces!

At about this point, I remember going into a bathroom nearby and splashing some water on my face and staring at myself in the mirror. My head was hurting so bad, and I was just done with World Showcase. I took some more Advil, and we wheeled the kids back to the entrance of WS. We were all in a daze, when all of the sudden Brynn leapt from the stroller and ran towards someone...

And luckily it wasn't a stranger! It was the girls' tap dance teacher and her family!!

We knew they'd be at WDW at the same time as us and had joked about running into each other, but we didn't really expect it to happen! Mrs. Rebeccah had told her husband that if she ran into Brynn it would probably be hanging out around the aquariums or "it's a small world," but not randomly walking by! It was a neat surprise that cheered us all up!

She walked towards WS, and we walked toward Mission: Space, Green Side. Julia had been begging for this, and it was up to me to ride with her. Brandon gets motion sickness. What a cop out!

Brynn was actually asking to go on, though I knew she would hate hate hate it. Luckily, she was just barely too short, so I didn't have to be the bad guy! So while Julia and I rode, she made friends with the birds.

Julia and I returned, and I gave up. I took the Maxalt that I had been saving. If this headache wasn't a headache emergency, I didn't want to know what would be!

We had finally made it to dinner time, an ADR I didn't want to cancel. It was new to us and had great reviews. Will we agree??

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

We crossed Future World and found ourselves where we had begun the day--The Land Pavilion for an early dinner at Garden Grill!

We checked in and were given a pager. The restaurant had just opened, so I doubted we'd be waiting long. While we waited, the girls made some pressed pennies at the machine right outside the restaurant, and those are now in their "treasure" boxes at home! We sat on the benches near the restrooms and were called almost immediately.

They led us to the second level, to the absolute smallest table for a party of 5 that I have ever seen. I wasn't happy with the view (or lack of view), the lack of space, and the fact that there were plenty of the semi-circular booths still open on the first level which would have solved all those problems. However, my head hurt too much to complain. I just wanted to sit.

Our server sat down our plates and bread. SEE? NO ROOM.

The food is all served family style, with separate dishes for adults and kids.
The salad came before our drinks even arrived.

I liked the dressing on it, and the amount of toppings. I love toppings on my salad. I eat so many that it becomes no longer healthy!

This was our table before the huge platters even arrived. There was much shifting when they did come. All in all, it was uncomfortable. And almost immediately, Brynn knocked over her drink. It wasn't her fault--there just was no room to move!

I have to say that I was pretty zoned out during this meal, and after seeing the pictures and videos, it makes me sad. Everybody looks like they had a great time, and I even look like I was faking it pretty well!

The food was pretty good. I admit that I actually enjoyed the mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese from the kids' dish better than the sides on the adult dish. The kids' dessert was cute, as well; it was a cupcake, but baked inside an ice cream waffle cone! Fun to eat! The adult dessert was some sort of berry cobbler with ice cream, and it was delicious, as well. I really can't complain about the food at all. I just wasn't hungry, so I didn't need refills on anything, which we were offered.

They had fun with the characters!

I'm not sure why we don't have more pictures than that. The characters all came around twice and had wonderful interaction with our kids. I think that we just didn't take any pictures on the second go-round!

Even though I don't really recall much about this meal, my kids loved it! They still claim it as one of their favorites!

When we were finished, the headache was still there. The emergency medicine wasn't so wonder-working, after all. Don't misunderstand me, though--I had a WONDERFUL time on this day! I just had to push through it is all!

There was still daylight as we made our way back to the strollers, so for some unknown and idiotic reason, I decided I wanted to ride Mission: Space on the orange side, just to see what it was like. Yep. Alone. Headache and all.

My family was supportive. On the way, we stopped to watch a fountain show, and Julia took one of the pictures that she used this year in her PTA Reflections contest (and got 2nd place!).

(She didn't want her glasses to get wet.)

Sawyer was chillin'.

I went on the Orange side, and I can report that I don't see the point in it. It's just like the other side, but more uncomfortable. It's not more fun. It's not more realistic. Meh.

It was about seven o'clock at this point, and we decided to make our way out of the park. We couldn't leave without a ride on Spaceship Earth, though! That would be sacrilage! I would never hurt Dame Judi Dench's feelings like that.

And so we went back to cave paintings times.

[

Don't read in the dark! You'll make your eyesight worse!

See, this is better. Don't strain to see.

The most photographed scene in Spaceship Earth:

I had made a big deal to Brandon about making sure Brynn got in the ride picture this year. I nagged him and nagged him, because last year she didn't make it in the photo. She made it this year.

I, however, did not!! Sawyer was sitting in my lap, and he's in it instead of me! LOL!

And with that, we made it quickly out of the park and into our beds. My head was hurting so bad that it made it hard to sleep.

I'll go ahead and tell you, though, that when I woke up, the headache was gone completely, and I never had another one for the rest of the week! Maybe all I needed was an early night and some Dame Dench.

I would have to wake up early the next morning for one of our favorite WDW traditions. Won't you join us? It will be quite the celebration!

 

[MissPrice]

Yay for a whole day of updates!! I love your writing style by the way.

I can never decide between MK and EPCOT as to which is my favorite park, but after just reading about your day, I'm going with EPCOT!! I also just got super excited for 3 Caballeros and The Land in 3 days!

I'm sorry about your headache I can't believe you went on MS:Orange and it didn't get worse.

You China pictures are so pretty. It looks like the girls were having fun on their mission. Sorry that guy was such a jerk!!

Looking forward to next update. -Amanda

 

[GrimGrinningStitch]

Yay! A new update! And at my favorite park as well!

It looks like such a fun day. It's funny that you mention you haven't spent much time at the China pavilion, since I've realized that's one area of Epcot I haven't explored at all! I'll have to do that next time.

How is Mission Space? All the reports of motion sickness has put me off form riding it, but I may want to check it out this trip. I'm on the fence.

Boooooo headaches! Having a headache you're trying to push through is one of the worst feelings in the world. Hopefully this was the only time it happened during your trip.

Can't wait to see the video when you get it finished!

 

[danimaroo]

Not only did you update, but it's quite an epic update! YAY!

I'm sorry you got a stupid headache; there's nothing worse than sickness or headaches trying to ruin the Disney magic for you, seriously.

Mission Space... I have not gone on it and probably never will. It just does not interest me to have my face get squished or have my stomach flipping. I just know I wouldn't be able to handle it, wompwomp.

Boat rides are truly a Godsend in Disney parks. Between those and a little PeopleMover action, my feet thank me profusely every time.

That really is the tiniest table they put you guys at! So weird, when we ate there on our honeymoon they put us in one of the big booths! That table looks way too small to start with, nevermind when you're doing a family-style meal. But I love those characters, esp. Farmer Mickey.. Now I'm kind of sad we canceled that ADR, wah.

I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOUR VACATION VIDEO! Seriously excited.

 

[shan23877]

That was one heck of an update! So sorry about the headache. There's little worse than feeling like crap on vacation and not wanting to spoil everyone's fun.

Sorry that lunch in Mexico wasn't great. Will you try it again?

Garden Grill looks good, but I have yet to put it on even a maybe list. Maybe one of these days.

I can't wait to try one of the P&F missions. Did you guys enjoy it?

Love the photos as always.