Let's Watch the Hallucination Show on the Castle- A May '14 TR *12/3 PTR Link to Real Life News

[amazingact21]

August 18th, 2014:


Once my mom and Landon woke up from their catnaps, we all were experiencing a similar feeling.

Hunger!


We hadn’t eaten since our Crystal Palace breakfast, and our stomachs were rumbling, trying to get us to put some more delicious Disney food in our bellies.

Since we’d gone to my personal favorite park earlier in the day, it was only fair we venture over to my Mom’s beloved Disney park for the evening.


I voted we test out the AKL buses and utilize the resort’s transportation rather than drive. And I couldn’t resist taking a shot of the lobby as we walked out.



Seeing that sight never got old, no matter how many times I ventured through that area during our stay. That lobby managed to be grand without oppressive and busy yet welcoming. I’ve sat in my fair share of Disney resort lobbies, and I don’t think any of them made me feel as at ease as AKL’s did.




When my mom and I got to the bus stop, we were pleased to see that there were a few benches set up on one side of the sidewalk, a nice overhang to keep cool under, and the bus stops separated by locations. My biggest gripe about the Polynesian resort was it was just one tiny stop where everyone mingled together. Forming a line in that place is a madhouse in compared to AKL.


I thought Landon would want to walk around or climb on the benches while we waited, but he seemed content sitting in his grandma’s lap.






Could I get a smile, Landon?



All right, no smirk, but at least he was looking potentially happier than when he was at breakfast.

I was taking that little bit of positivity and running with it.






We waited about ten minutes for a bus to pull up and within 5 minutes we were at a sight my mom will never get sick of:



The entrance to Epcot!




I love Epcot, and it used to be my favorite park, but since having kids and discovering the sheer number of things to do in the MK, my preferences have shifted. That being said, if Alex and I ever made it back to Disney sans kiddos then Epcot would be our go-to place and the location we’d spend the most time at.



The very first thing on our agenda after getting into Epcot and getting situated was grabbing a bite to eat.


And naturally, I led my mom to my favorite quick service restaurant in Future World.

Sunshine Seasons!

Or, as my mom would call it: “That place right outside Soarin’.”




In my mom’s world, everything in Epcot is in relation to that attraction. It is the center of the Epcot world.

Test Track….opposite side of Future World from Soarin’.

Nemo…the indoor place we hit up after Soarin’.

The World Showcase….the half of the park that doesn’t have Soarin’.





One big perk to having the MagicBands is the ability to link room charges to the band. It allowed my mom and I to split up once inside the Land. I took Landon and the diaper bag and went to find a seat and high chair for all of us while my mom went and picked up the food. Since she needed two entrees and drinks and something for the kid, not having to deal with any bags or worry about digging out a wallet really helped her out.


I spotted a fairly empty area in the back of the restaurant and an extremely nice Cast Member helped pull a chair over for Landon.


He immediately went to town on some Puffs.




But it wasn’t long before my mom found us with our meal.


We both got a personal favorite of mine – the turkey sandwich:




The Chipotle sauce and Monterey Jack cheese adds a nice kick to the meat. However, if Disney wanted to cut the bread a little thinner I wouldn’t complain. There were a few bites where I felt like I was getting a mouthful of bread and nothing else.



Landon wasn’t a huge Mac and Cheese fan at the time of the trip. And if he did it eat, he only ate homemade style or types with shell noodles. To this day he still hates the taste of any brand that uses elbow noodles. I’m not sure why, perhaps those types don’t have as thick a sauce? Who knows…but the menu options for a kid weren’t great at Sunshine Seasons so I told my mom to risk it and buy him some pasta.


And to our complete amazement, he dug in!



It was a complete anomaly for 2 reasons. The first: he hasn’t eaten that kind of Mac and Cheese since. I guess the Disney version tastes amazing and worth choking down the noodles.

The second: this was the last meal that Landon really cooperated with us. Of course, we didn’t know that at the time, but my mom and I were enjoying our final peaceful meal. At the very least this was the last one on vacation where Landon willingly ate his entrée, fruit, and drank most of his milk.




Another Disney dinner under our belts, my mom and I meandered back out of the Land and towards something that would keep Landon entertained for a bit.

f1 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr



The sun was still up by the time we walked into Nemo, so we figured we’d kill time walking around the aquarium and letting the last of the day’s heat mellow out.

It must’ve been feeding time recently, because the fish were active and all of us got to see the tanks busier than ever before.

The highlight for us?

Getting to watch the enormous stingray swim back and forth past our viewing window:

f2 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr


This big guy took up the majority of the glass when he passed us, and while Landon was indifferent to the scene, my mom and I were enjoying it greatly. It seems like every time we go into the aquarium portion of the building we see something new and cool.


Which is sort of ironic, because living where we do, sea life is in no short supply for us. We have a local aquarium we could visit and see most – if not more – of those same creatures. My younger brother is in the process of earning his degree in Marine Biology, because he’s grown up around the subject for so long he had time to develop a passion for it.

But you put something similar in Epcot and there we all are….watching away.

I don’t always make sense…




Landon was looking tired when we made it back outside, so I ran and got the stroller, and my mom and I began walking around the open areas to see if he’d pass out.

I couldn’t resist taking some photos of the setting sun, which I guess still hadn’t made its way below the horizon while we were inside.



If August wasn’t so hot and humid, it’d be a beautiful time to visit Disney.



Landon was close to sleep, but he wasn’t quite there yet, so my mom and I headed towards the World Showcase. If Landon was going to sleep on us, then the two of us would much rather be in that part of the park.


I don’t know what Disney was doing along the pathway from Nemo to the right side of WS, but they had us all walking through a small forest.




It wouldn’t have been bad if they’d made the path wider, but there were times that everyone had to walk single file, and even then people passing us going in the opposite direction had to turn sideways to get past the stroller.

It was an adventure.

But we made it.

f3 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr



My mom and I proceeded to wander to the left. We passed by Mexico and Norway, debating for a second whether or not to get some school bread. Ultimately, I declined. I wanted something a little sweeter for dessert.

On and on we strolled while Landon finally fell asleep until we came to Germany and needed a break from the heat.

Caramel was just the sweet item I was craving that night, so our first stop was in to the sweet shop to buy some treats and a couple bottles of water.

f4 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr


And then, spur of the moment, I asked my mom if she wanted to peruse the shop attached to the Karamel Kluche. Neither of us had ever been in there before, and as soon as we stepped through the opening into it, we realized our mistake.

I can’t think of the exact name of the company that makes the items, but it was a giant china shop with a large variety of figurines for sale.


My mother is a lifelong collector of crystal figurines; she has a beautiful china cabinet display in her home, so this store was right up her alley.

And the uniqueness and creativity of the merchandise made it enjoyable for me to look around and examine.


These Toy Story guys were too cute:

f5 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr



And I absolutely loved the patriotic Mickeys.

One of my favorite Ariel figurines that I’ve seen.

But, without a doubt, my favorite item for sale was this guy:

f6 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr


Thinking back to this trip, I’m surprised I didn’t buy him. Collecting giraffes is my thing, so I find it hard to believe I’d pass it up. All I can think is that even with Alex’s birthday gift card, it was little more than I was willing to spend that week.

Maybe if I ever go back in and he’s still there…



My mom did not have the same kind of control that I did.

It’s rare that she spends more than a buck here or there on souvenirs while in Disney. Souvenirs just aren’t her thing. She loves to look around and see what’s being offered, but she doesn’t care to splurge on herself in that way.

Except in Germany’s china shop.

While looking around, she discovered a figurine of Mickey Mouse sleeping under a palm tree.


Two of her favorite things combined. (Disney and the beach.)

It was like it was made for her!


I told her she could not NOT buy it.

My mom couldn’t resist it. She got it.

I wish I’d taken a picture of it, because it’s really cute and fits in perfectly with the rest of her set. Maybe the next time I go over to her house I’ll have to snap a quick pic…




After our purchase, my mom and I found a spot in the pavilion to sit down, drink the remainder of our water, and dig into our food.


I had picked a caramel peanut butter cookie:

f7 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr


But it was so rich and so big that I could only eat half of it and had to take the rest back to the room with us.




My mom got the caramel brownie:



And she said it was delicious.




Near the end of our snack eating, Landon woke up and he woke up mad. He was really irritable and wanted nothing to do with the water we offered him or his snack food we were pulling out the bag.


As a parent, I can tell when Landon’s having one of those, “I just woke up and need some time to orient myself before I am sociable” days, and when he’s having a “nothing is going to make me happy. I’m grumpy and wanna stay that way forever,” times.


One look at Landon and I knew he was experiencing the latter.


So rather than deal with that beast in the parks, I told my mom I needed to get Landon back to the room. I told her she could stay and watch IllumiNations if she wanted, but she declined. She said she’d gotten to enjoy the parks and was ready to call it a night.


So back to Animal Kingdom Lodge we went.

At barely 8 o’clock.

The joys of traveling with a toddler.



Landon’s mood did not improve as the night wore on. It took me almost an hour and a half to get him to sleep that night and he woke up at least 4-5 times. Even bringing him into bed with me he kept waking up and screaming and causing quite a scene.


There was no sleep to be had for us two that night.

(My mom had her spare earplugs so she was good.)



I woke up the following morning more tired than when I’d gone to bed.

Not a good omen for the day.





Up Next…Who Knew a Kid Could be So Crabby?

 

[JPFamilyMom]

oh man, sorry Landon gave you such a rough night.
But you got some awesome pictures at Epcot.
So funny, my younger sibling is also going for a degree in marine biology. And we all live in Florida now, we were all born in California, but my Dad is retired Navy, so we've been in several states.
Can't wait to see how your next day went.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I definitely get how your mom uses Soarin' as the reference point for the rest of EPCOT, I am sure a lot of us do that for various things. I think I definitely do that for the Studios which isn't set up like the typical hub and spoke so easy to say direct things in relation to Toy Story or something like that

I must say, having tried the Mac & Cheese at Sunshine Seasons it is pretty stellar Mac & Cheese, so that might be why he liked it so much

Too bad he woke up so crabby. Peter can be like that where he wakes up and just wails and nothing will make him happy - sounds like this was really bad and just never got better throughout the night which is no fun. Hope the lack of sleep didn't negatively impact things too much the next day

 

[cindianne320]

Poor Landon. (And poor Mommy!) I hope things get better, but from the title of the next thread, that doesn't seems to be the case.

 

[MEK]

Oh No! Nothing worse than not getting a good night's sleep and then having to deal with August weather. Speaking of that - thanks for reminding me about the August weather I am going to be experiencing not long from now.

So sorry Landon had a bad night. He looks so cute enjoying his mac and cheese.

Those pictures of the fountain in the setting sun are so neat. Love them! You really got a lot of great pictures of my favorite park. It doesn't even look that crowded.

Yum to the caramel cookie!

 

[amazingact21]

oh man, sorry Landon gave you such a rough night.
But you got some awesome pictures at Epcot.
So funny, my younger sibling is also going for a degree in marine biology. And we all live in Florida now, we were all born in California, but my Dad is retired Navy, so we've been in several states.
Can't wait to see how your next day went.

How funny. I lived in a different part of FL when I was growing up. Like you, my dad's retired military, so we traveled to several states. It's an interesting life..


I have blocked out those bad nights from my memory. Now that Landon is old enough to go to bed at a regular time and wake up within a 45 minute window, I've gotten quite used to the regular sleep.

I definitely get how your mom uses Soarin' as the reference point for the rest of EPCOT, I am sure a lot of us do that for various things. I think I definitely do that for the Studios which isn't set up like the typical hub and spoke so easy to say direct things in relation to Toy Story or something like that

I must say, having tried the Mac & Cheese at Sunshine Seasons it is pretty stellar Mac & Cheese, so that might be why he liked it so much

Too bad he woke up so crabby. Peter can be like that where he wakes up and just wails and nothing will make him happy - sounds like this was really bad and just never got better throughout the night which is no fun. Hope the lack of sleep didn't negatively impact things too much the next day

DHS definitely has an odd setup. I usually tell people, "Go to the right for the coasters or straight to the back for TSMM."


I've heard good things about that Mac and Cheese. Must be pretty tasty. Then again, most of the stuff I've tasted at Sunshine Seasons has been really good, so I'm not surprised.



Some kids wake up better than others. In the mornings, Landon's a peach. He loves waking up and seeing what I've got in store for him for the day. But naptime...that's up for debate.

Poor Landon. (And poor Mommy!) I hope things get better, but from the title of the next thread, that doesn't seems to be the case.

I'd be lying if I said I missed all those sleepless nights babies and toddlers provide. It's going to be quite a shock to the system to go back to those rough nights come this winter.

This was definitely Landon's worst trip to Disney. My mom and I had a run for our money, and it all really started the following day. But, at least we were in Disney!

 

[KatMark]

I'll have to keep in mind that turkey sandwich on our next visit...it looks quite yummy. Mark loves that candy shop in Germany (I'm not a big caramel fan).

I do love that shop and those items...I just wish my wallet did.

Oh no...not another rough night with Landon. I'm sorry for your lack of sleep and it doesn't sound like the next day is going to be very promising.

 

[Dugette]

I hate trying to take photos of the recreation areas when there are people around, because it looks weird, snapping photos of folks when they are in their bathing suits. I always feel like such a creeper when I do it, so my courage only allowed me to take a pic of some empty seats.

I totally get it, though.

Jacquie and her daughter Shanleigh, AKA Queenofallthings here on the DIS. If you don’t know, Jacquie might not be on the boards as much as she used to, but her reports were one of the first ones I ever read when I joined, and her kindness, happiness, and joy at going to Disney with her daughter came through so well in her writing, that she was a favorite DISer to read. In fact, it was all her stories about how special the parks were to her when experienced with her daughter that made me think about taking a trip with just my mom back in 2012.

I don't know her/didn't follow her, but I love that you met one of the TR writers who first got you into the DIS TRs. That must have been really cool!

Moral of my rambling: if you have the opportunity to meet a fellow DISer, take it! I can still remember all my meets, and it makes you feel even more involved in their reports and writing once you get back.

I agree! I love that I met several on this last trip!

Man, thinking about that half hour on the balcony really makes me miss Animal Kingdom Lodge. By the end of this report, I’m going to talk myself into another AKL stay if I’m not careful!

I know, that's just the best part. If Disney World wasn't nearby, I'd just be tempted to stay out there on the balcony all day long.

Seeing that sight never got old for me, no matter how many times I ventured through that area during our stay. That lobby managed to be grand without oppressive and busy yet welcoming. I’ve sat in my fair share of Disney resort lobbies, and I don’t think any of them made me feel at ease as AKL’s did.

It is a really wonderful and comfortable lobby.

My biggest gripe about the Polynesian resort was it was just one tiny stop where everyone mingled together. Forming a line in that place is a madhouse in compared to AKL.

YES!!! Ugh, the Poly bus stop drove me nuts! Luckily you can get to two parks via monorail.

He immediately went to town on some Puffs.

Oh, so no banana in that container?

Of course, we didn’t know that at the time, but my mom and I were enjoying our final peaceful meal.

I'm sorry to hear that.

Yum! And I love the sleeping Landon in the background.

Landon’s mood did not improve as the night wore on. It took me almost an hour and a half to get him to sleep that night and he woke up at least 4-5 times. Even bringing him into bed with me he kept waking up and screaming and causing quite a scene.

Ugh, that sounds awful. I'm with you - I don't miss those days/nights at all. It's rough.

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Landon’s mood did not improve as the night wore on. It took me almost an hour and a half to get him to sleep that night and he woke up at least 4-5 times. Even bringing him into bed with me he kept waking up and screaming and causing quite a scene.

Yikes... From the clues you are putting out there I'm going to guess he was cutting teeth at the time.

I woke up the following morning more tired than when I’d gone to bed.

Poor Mommy. THose are rough days.

 

[ariel1025]

Oy on the crabby Landon, I'm sorry I can totally feel your pain - my Ellie is either the happiest toddler on the block or the biggest bear you've ever seen. I guess the littles don't get the memo about there being no bad moods at Disney

 

[marDgreen88]

I completely agree with you on the lobby at AKL. It's just so inviting and beautiful. And the SMELL.

Glad your mom got to go to her beloved Soarin' park!

I don't think I knew about that store near the caramel store either! Though, come to think of it, I've never been to the caramel store. So yeah. That would explain it. Hahaha.

Oof. Sorry about your sleepless night. Sounds awful.

 

[khertz]

Ohh, poor Landon. As hot and miserable as I am in the August heat as an adult when I can prepare for it, I have to imagine it's harder on a little one! Sorry that resulted in him having such a rough night.

Isn't it so funny to look back and realize that was the last peaceful meal of the trip? I can remember pinpointing moments like that with Paxton on previous trips. And if we had only just known then what was to come, we could have savored it longer!!

 

[afwdwfan]

All right, no smirk, but at least he was looking potentially happier than when he was at breakfast.

Well, he's sitting on Grandma's lap and somewhat content... better than the alternative, even if you can't coax a smile.

Sunshine Seasons!




Or, as my mom would call it: “That place right outside Soarin’.”

Well, yeah, that works too!

In my mom’s world, everything in Epcot is in relation to that attraction. It is the center of the Epcot world.




Test Track….opposite side of Future World from Soarin’.




Nemo…the indoor place we hit up after Soarin’.






The World Showcase….the half of the park that doesn’t have Soarin’.

And to our complete amazement, he dug in!

The kid must have really been hungry!

But that Disney mac & cheese really is good. I know I sampled some from our kids' plates.

I don’t always make sense…

None of us do.

These Toy Story guys were too cute:

Holy cow! Look at those price tags! You went in there with a toddler??????

My mom did not have the same kind of control that I did.

While looking around, she discovered a figurine of Mickey Mouse sleeping under a palm tree.




Two of her favorite things combined. (Disney and the beach.)




It was like it was made for her!

Ok, that doesn't seem like too much of a control issue. Or lack of control issue for that matter. She limited herself to one, so I can't fault her for buying something that really meant something to her!

So back to Animal Kingdom Lodge we went.




At barely 8 o’clock.






The joys of traveling with a toddler.

This is one aspect of it that I really, really hate.

I woke up the following morning more tired than when I’d gone to bed.

Oh no... I hate it when that happens.

 

[amazingact21]

Oh No! Nothing worse than not getting a good night's sleep and then having to deal with August weather. Speaking of that - thanks for reminding me about the August weather I am going to be experiencing not long from now.

So sorry Landon had a bad night. He looks so cute enjoying his mac and cheese.

Those pictures of the fountain in the setting sun are so neat. Love them! You really got a lot of great pictures of my favorite park. It doesn't even look that crowded.

Yum to the caramel cookie!

August is hot, but it's not unbearable. The great thing about Disney is that there is plenty of shade and indoor locations you can go into to get away from the heat. And August was pretty empty! Barely any crowds. While not ideal, I'd easily go back to the parks that time of year again. It'll be even easier without toddlers, too. Having to carry around that extra body heat really didn't help. I'm sure you'll have a great time!

I'll have to keep in mind that turkey sandwich on our next visit...it looks quite yummy. Mark loves that candy shop in Germany (I'm not a big caramel fan).

I do love that shop and those items...I just wish my wallet did.

Oh no...not another rough night with Landon. I'm sorry for your lack of sleep and it doesn't sound like the next day is going to be very promising.

The turkey sandwich is one of my favorite quick service items in the parks. There's something similar at Panera, but the one at Disney is ten times better. I try and get it at least once every trip. (I had to skip it in July. Midwife ordered me to avoid lunch meats due to high blood pressure.)

Those crystal figurines are gorgeous, but they are definitely expensive!

I totally get it, though.


I don't know her/didn't follow her, but I love that you met one of the TR writers who first got you into the DIS TRs. That must have been really cool!


I agree! I love that I met several on this last trip!


I know, that's just the best part. If Disney World wasn't nearby, I'd just be tempted to stay out there on the balcony all day long.


It is a really wonderful and comfortable lobby.


YES!!! Ugh, the Poly bus stop drove me nuts! Luckily you can get to two parks via monorail.


Oh, so no banana in that container?


I'm sorry to hear that.


Yum! And I love the sleeping Landon in the background.


Ugh, that sounds awful. I'm with you - I don't miss those days/nights at all. It's rough.

I always planned on taking a long weekend to a Disney deluxe resort for a duel anniversary/birthday trip before we moved simply so Alex and I could take the time to sit out on the balcony and relax. Being only 6 hours away, it was one of those "to-do's." And I was actually planning on that this year. But then, obviously, plans changed. I know if things go the way we want them to and we move next summer, I'm going to regret not getting that trip!


The Poly bus stop stresses me out. We stayed at Shades in July, meaning we could walk to the Poly and catch a monorail, but one morning the monorail was down for maintenance. So we had everyone and their brother waiting for buses for all 4 parks. It was madness!


Haha, no banana in that Puff container.


It's so nice to have the kids older and sleeping better. Just this morning Landon slept in until 8am. I am growing to cry a little bit going back to the sleep deprivation life come this fall.

 

[amazingact21]

Yikes... From the clues you are putting out there I'm going to guess he was cutting teeth at the time.

Poor Mommy. THose are rough days.

I definitely don't miss those days. While those baby/toddler days are so much fun and they are so adorable at that age, I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy having Landon being a little older and capable of telling me what's wrong. Of course, that comes with its own set of fun issues. Hello, 2 year old attitude!

Oy on the crabby Landon, I'm sorry I can totally feel your pain - my Ellie is either the happiest toddler on the block or the biggest bear you've ever seen. I guess the littles don't get the memo about there being no bad moods at Disney

It's funny how kids can be one extreme or the other. When things are going well, life is grand. But when they have a bad day....whew. Nobody has a good day!

I completely agree with you on the lobby at AKL. It's just so inviting and beautiful. And the SMELL.

Glad your mom got to go to her beloved Soarin' park!

I don't think I knew about that store near the caramel store either! Though, come to think of it, I've never been to the caramel store. So yeah. That would explain it. Hahaha.

Oof. Sorry about your sleepless night. Sounds awful.

Oh, you have to try out the caramel store! It''s delicious! There's not one bad tasting thing in there. And depending on how much you like/dislike caramel, you can get snacks with a lot of caramel in it or stuff with barely anything. And, actually, I hate popcorn. Just not my thing. But I LOVE the caramel popcorn from there. It's that good.

 

[amazingact21]

Ohh, poor Landon. As hot and miserable as I am in the August heat as an adult when I can prepare for it, I have to imagine it's harder on a little one! Sorry that resulted in him having such a rough night.

Isn't it so funny to look back and realize that was the last peaceful meal of the trip? I can remember pinpointing moments like that with Paxton on previous trips. And if we had only just known then what was to come, we could have savored it longer!!

What cracks me up about Landon is that he typically could care less how hot it is outside. He wants to go the park or play in the pool or the yard all the time, and I'm standing at the door going, "Can't we do a puzzle or read a book, kiddo? I don't wanna go out there!" This summer has been so rough for me. I had to buy a handheld fan to use, because I've got the kid that wants to play with basketball set at 3 in the afternoon. Ugh...

Well, he's sitting on Grandma's lap and somewhat content... better than the alternative, even if you can't coax a smile.

Well, yeah, that works too!



The kid must have really been hungry!

But that Disney mac & cheese really is good. I know I sampled some from our kids' plates.

None of us do.

Holy cow! Look at those price tags! You went in there with a toddler??????



Ok, that doesn't seem like too much of a control issue. Or lack of control issue for that matter. She limited herself to one, so I can't fault her for buying something that really meant something to her!

This is one aspect of it that I really, really hate.

Oh no... I hate it when that happens.

I've heard good things about the Disney Mac and Cheese, so it must have been good enough to get past a picky toddler's palate.



Landon was asleep when we went into that shop, but I can say that I was on edge navigating the stroller around! I was glad I didn't have a big bulky stroller, otherwise I might not have even gone in there for fear of turning and hitting a display.

 

[amazingact21]

For anyone still sticking around this trip report, here I am with another update.

Finally.

Life’s been a little crazy around here lately, so I haven’t had much time to get on the DISboards. I’m hoping that changes come September. Alex has a ton of leave time he has to use up by the end of the month, so I should have some extra help with Landon. Perhaps that means I’ll get some more free time to read and write updates.


More than likely I’ll just end up using it to rest on the couch…


I’ve got about 2 months left before this new baby should make their appearance, and that mainly means I’m too tired and lazy to do anything productive.

But a girl can dream, right?



Plus, it’d be nice to finish this thing up before then. That way I only have 1 trip I’m completely behind on writing.






August 19th, 2014:


I won’t lie.

One of the reasons I’ve been hesitant to write is due to the fact that from this point on in the trip, more things were bad than good. It’s easy to talk about the magical experiences one has in the parks. Heck, that’s why we write these things in the first place.


But it’s an entirely different ball game to sit down and remember the not so great times you had on a vacation. They are the sort of stuff you like to throw in the back recesses of your mind and forget about. The stories that you conveniently wipe from your memory when thinking about taking a future trip.


Because let’s be honest, if you could remember all those awful times then you wouldn’t be so anxious to plan another trip to the location of the crime, so to speak.


On the other hand, what good is a trip report that’s sugar coated and only a half- truth.

This stuff happened on this particular trip and there’s no getting around it.

So on with the good, the bad, and the ugly!




The 19th was early morning extra magic hours at Epcot, and since Landon had me up at the crack of dawn anyways, my mom and I left bright and early for the park.


Landon was not a fan of the carseat.




My mom was sitting in the back with the kiddo, trying her best to put him in a good mood, while I dealt with some aggravating car problems.
Early morning sunshine combined with condensation on the windshield equaled quite the fun driving experience.


Guess it was a good thing this icon was big enough to guide me:






My mom, Landon, and I parked and lined up with the handful of other guests waiting to get into the park. Despite it being a few minutes before 8 am, the sun was making it horribly hot and humid out. We were all sweating up a storm just standing in line.

The joys of August.



Landon quickly became that unhappy toddler that can be heard and seen in every cluster of people.


I equated it to him not sleeping well, being uncomfortably hot out, and bored out of his mind.



Poor guy.


He threw a tantrum when I got him out of the stroller, then wiggled as hard as he could out of my arms when I attempted to hold him.


He was starting to make a scene and as a parent, I knew Landon was getting into one of those moments where nothing but a long crying and screaming spout would get it all out of his system.


Since we were around a bunch of poor innocent folks who didn’t do anything to deserve the wrath of Landon, I gave him my phone to play with.


I’m pretty strict about screen time at home. Even now Landon gets very little, but on that morning, I was too tired to deal with the glares of angry strangers.




Thanks, Candy Crush for saving the day!





8 o’clock rolled around, and my mom and I headed to the same place as everyone else.

As if my mother would use her precious Magic Hours for anything else…



We got into the Land, and I told my mom to go ahead and ride Soarin’. There were several empty benches at the exit of the ride with a huge empty area where the old Fastpass kiosks used to be.


In other words, the perfect place for me and a persnickety toddler to set up camp.






Other guests kept the boy entertained for a few minutes.




And then a sticker found inside our park bag did the trick:






It took my mom about 40 minutes to get through the attraction, and when she rejoined me, I suggested we go get a Rider Swap pass and then let her use the Fastpass she had for 9-10am.


I think she felt a little guilty about leaving me again, but I assured her I was fine. In all honesty, with Landon’s short temper, it was easiest to sit and let him do whatever he wanted. He seemed to be pretty happy to be in the air conditioning and not having to follow an adult’s agenda.


Although, during my mom’s second ride through, he did have another short crying fit and needed some milk and a couple minute’s nap in my arms.


I was starting to think I took a vacation on the sun, I was always so hot. (A sleeping baby’s body heat is insane. Add that to a lot more guests milling about and the general summer temperature and I was a hot mess.)


By the time my mom came out from her second ride on Soarin’ I was ready to grab a snack and something cool to drink.





I got the cheese Danish and iced coffee and my mom got the hot coffee and cinnamon roll.


Landon got Puffs.


On a scale of 1 to 10 on the bad mood scale, Landon was about an 8. He wasn’t having an outright meltdown, but it was clear he was having a miserable time. Typically, he was all smiles and waves and patience, but on that morning, he just wanted to sit and cuddle with either me or my mom and pretend he was anywhere but in Epcot.



It didn’t take a genius to realize that taking him on an attraction was out of the question. Taking him out in the August heat would have been asking for trouble, too.


So my mom urged me to go use my Fastpass while she took over baby duty for awhile.


I told her I couldn’t leave her up the creek like that. Landon could’ve turned on her in an instant and there would be nothing she could do to stop it.


So she compromised. She told me to we should go back to the bench areas and sit down for a few minutes and I should see if I could get the toddler to take another nap.

Despite him having a catnap not 20 minutes earlier, I looked over at him sitting next to me in the booth and he appeared pretty sleepy.


What the heck…it was worth a shot.




And surprisingly enough, it worked like a charm. A little rocking, a little singing, and BOOM….

Sleeping baby.




And believe it or not, after the poor night’s sleep, crabby morning, constant napping, and unwillingness to run around much, my mom and I STILL didn’t suspect anything other than a bad mood.

Yeah.

Looking back on this morning, I feel like a dummy.


Hindsight….



Anyways, I took my turn on Soarin’





While the attraction was fun, as always (I just love the soundtrack) I appreciated the time alone more than anything. It was like catching a big breath of fresh air before I delved back into patient parent role.


When I came back to my mom, Landon was still asleep. I didn’t want to wake him up when we didn’t need to, so I checked the time and saw my mom still had plenty of time to use our Rider Swap before we needed to head towards our lunch ADR.


To summarize:

My mom and I spent the first 3 hours of our morning in one location inside the park, getting in 4 turns on Soarin’.


That might sound crazy, to waste almost half a day in one tiny corner of Epcot, but the two of us wouldn’t have had it any other way. We escaped the heat, we kept an unhappy kid mollified, and my mom got the opportunity to ride her favorite attractions multiple times.



But the time had finally come to leave the Land. We needed to make our way to Future World.

My mom was in charge of the camera while I pushed the stroller.
She got an awesome photo of:

The fence.


I always love going through my photos after my mom’s had the controls.




Joking aside, she did manage to get a couple shots that showed how empty the Showcase was:




It was wonderful how empty the parks were during our visit. I was afraid we’d still be encountering the summer vacationers or the pre-Labor Day visitors, but it was the exact opposite. No place was ever congested and the wait times were always manageable.



It made me pretty hopeful that when Landon is much older Alex and I will be able to take more birthday/anniversary trips without being completely miserable with the temperatures and crowd levels.


My mom and I were going to be cutting it close getting to lunch on time, but our second Fastpasses for the day had come due, and there was no way we could pass on it.



It was our last ever ride on Maelstrom!


I’m really relieved I got the chance to experience the attraction one more time before it closed that fall. I know a lot of people were on the fence about their feelings for the ride, but I was in the camp of loving it. It was actually one of my favorite rides. It was more for nostalgia’s sake than anything else - Maelstrom was one of the attractions I can remember going on when I was a child – but either way, I was incredibly sad to step aboard my Viking ship for the final time.



We tried to capture was going to be my “every trip picture documentation of time passing by” photo, but it ended up blurry.


My poor son.

He had fussed at the start of the ride, especially when we were ascending the track and it was pitch black. And the drop had added to his foul mood.


As a mother, I wasn’t winning any brownie points with him that day.

Perhaps some delicious food would turn the tides.

Because, you know, what could possibly go wrong with strapping a bad tempered toddler into a high chair for an hour long meal with nothing but his imagination and crayons to entertain himself?





Up Next….I Don’t Care, I’m Still Enjoying this Sugar

 

[cindianne320]

Poor, poor Landon! I'm sorry that this day was not going well, and by the sound of it, about to get worse!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

oh, poor guy - always tough in those situations where you just don't know what to do ... and he could be just as bad back in the room or where ever so you don't want to totally give up on the parks. And hey, if the downside is 4 runs on Soarin' not the worst thing ever

Glad you got one last ride on Maelstrom - I was sad we didn't get it in our last trip that it was open but the wait was crazy. I liked the concept of the ride and definitely had some nostalgic feelings as well ... plus any ride that you can quote multiple things from ("Back, back, over the falls!", "Norway's spirit will always be adventure.")

I Don’t Care, I’m Still Enjoying this Sugar

... clearly needs to be on a t-shirt

 

[amazingact21]

Poor, poor Landon! I'm sorry that this day was not going well, and by the sound of it, about to get worse!

That was definitely the worst mood Landon's ever been in. If my mom and I weren't so oblivious, we would've put two and two together and realized something more than hot weather was up. But...live and learn. I'll never make that mistake again!

oh, poor guy - always tough in those situations where you just don't know what to do ... and he could be just as bad back in the room or where ever so you don't want to totally give up on the parks. And hey, if the downside is 4 runs on Soarin' not the worst thing ever

Glad you got one last ride on Maelstrom - I was sad we didn't get it in our last trip that it was open but the wait was crazy. I liked the concept of the ride and definitely had some nostalgic feelings as well ... plus any ride that you can quote multiple things from ("Back, back, over the falls!", "Norway's spirit will always be adventure.")

... clearly needs to be on a t-shirt

4 runs on Soarin' was pretty fun. And it was definitely not something I could have done with Alex there. He isn't a huge fan of the attraction, and he would've gotten bored pretty quickly just sitting around. So it was cool to experience something unique with my mom.


I agree, Maelstrom had great quotability. I'm sure the new Frozen ride will be fun and draw a bigger audience, but I think I'll always miss the original. Not to mention, it was convienent having an attraction that usually only had a 10-15 minute wait in the World Showcase. Kind of broke up the monotony of walking/sightseeing and let you sit for a few minutes. I seriously doubt the new Frozen attraction will ever get to be consistently short.