My AP-ALOOZA Continues (WE RENEWED!!) ~ NEW TR link posted!

[TheMaxRebo]

such a bummer that you weren't feeling well - but all things considered it seems like you were making the best of it ... and taking things easy (and finding AC locations) was porbably better than leaving and then worrying about getting back in time and perhaps having to rush some - plus the walk of course.

Those are great spots for the parade and then for the show. Really glad that you (and Duggette said the same) felt the package was worth it

BTW - Aria did a great job pretending to be cold in that one magic shot photo with Olaf

I think sometimes the servers at the restaurants where there are antics (50's, WCC, etc.) can kinda sense when people maybe aren't feeling well or just not in to it and tone it down a bit, so that might have been why

 

[Dugette]

First off, sorry that you were so sick! Being sick at Disney is the worst. I was bedridden for a day or two of our first trip in 2010 and it's torture to be at WDW and not be able to fully enjoy it. You were quite the trooper to get through this day, though! And we had a great time hanging out with you guys, despite that.

Then our first order of the day was to head to Oaken’s Trading Post. Unfortunately this also meant walking with the TSMM craziness which was INSANE

Oh, so THAT'S where the TSMM folks were! I remember thinking that it wasn't as bad as it used to be, but I guess I was just far enough behind you to avoid the most commando of TSMM hopefuls.

We were making a fortress of some sort

Looks like Aria was much more creative in the snow than Izzy (we made a...pile?) Glad the cold snow felt good on your forehead. This Frozen day was just the right thing for the way you were feeling, I guess.

For one, the reserved area for the parade was in the SHADE! Combine that with Mickey ice cream bars, and the most amazing thing I would eat today – frozen lemonade which REALLY helped my stomach, and I was happy to sit and relax there for a good 50 minutes or so before the parade even started. Aria was very happy too of course!

So glad that the shade and frozen lemonade got you through. That frozen lemonade was really refreshing!

It’s going to be weird seeing DHS without the hat!

Yes, that's going to be so odd to see in May. I will probably be even more lost than normal.

Izzy really enjoyed her mickey ice cream bar!

I love that picture! Obviously, I wasn't snapping pics at that time, so I have nothing to capture just how messy she was. She liked it right up until it got too melty and then she was DONE. Frozen lemonade (and all those wet wipes) to the rescue, though.

though the spinning wasn’t doing me any good.

Ooooh, I didn't even think of that. Glad you made it through okay.

I don’t know if we ever got a photo of all 4 of us in our Olaf shirts?!!

Ha, good point. I don't think we did. I have one of the three of you at lunch, but that's it. We did both take PP pics, though, so maybe if we stitch them together...

Izzy wasn’t asleep yet and kept playing with things- first the Frozen lanyard so I put that under the stroller and then her cute shoes, so I took those away too LOL! She fell asleep before Dugette got back though so guess that worked.

Thanks so much for getting her down for a nap! I mean, you're not feeling good in the first place, but you're doing the hard work for me while I go ride something that you can't. I think I might owe you a favor in May.

I'm interested to see how you spent your day until we met up again.

 

[lilluv117]

Yayy!!! Another update! Although I'm sorry you felt so sick.

You got such a good spot for the parade! And hooray for shade! I must say, you look great for feeling the way you did! And the girls are adorable.

You are a baby whisperer when it comes to naps. Lol. I'm hoping my kids still nap when we go in August/September.

 

[khertz]

So sorry you weren't feeling well! It definitely makes it hard to enjoy yourself, especially since it was just you and Aria at first. But it seems like you did a good job taking it easy and still being able to have fun. I'm still a little bummed we missed out on Frozen Summer Fun but we did get to experience some of the activities in DL. I don't blame you for not wanting to lose that prime parking spot though. Getting through the parking lot later in the day can be a chore whether you are walking or taking the tram.

 

[Imagineer5]

such a bummer that you weren't feeling well - but all things considered it seems like you were making the best of it ... and taking things easy (and finding AC locations) was porbably better than leaving and then worrying about getting back in time and perhaps having to rush some - plus the walk of course.

Those are great spots for the parade and then for the show. Really glad that you (and Duggette said the same) felt the package was worth it

BTW - Aria did a great job pretending to be cold in that one magic shot photo with Olaf

I think sometimes the servers at the restaurants where there are antics (50's, WCC, etc.) can kinda sense when people maybe aren't feeling well or just not in to it and tone it down a bit, so that might have been why

Yeah I was surprised she was into the magic shot! That is true, I was probably giving quite the look all day long so the server picked up on that.

First off, sorry that you were so sick! Being sick at Disney is the worst. I was bedridden for a day or two of our first trip in 2010 and it's torture to be at WDW and not be able to fully enjoy it. You were quite the trooper to get through this day, though! And we had a great time hanging out with you guys, despite that.


Oh, so THAT'S where the TSMM folks were! I remember thinking that it wasn't as bad as it used to be, but I guess I was just far enough behind you to avoid the most commando of TSMM hopefuls.


Looks like Aria was much more creative in the snow than Izzy (we made a...pile?) Glad the cold snow felt good on your forehead. This Frozen day was just the right thing for the way you were feeling, I guess.


So glad that the shade and frozen lemonade got you through. That frozen lemonade was really refreshing!


Yes, that's going to be so odd to see in May. I will probably be even more lost than normal.


I love that picture! Obviously, I wasn't snapping pics at that time, so I have nothing to capture just how messy she was. She liked it right up until it got too melty and then she was DONE. Frozen lemonade (and all those wet wipes) to the rescue, though.


Ooooh, I didn't even think of that. Glad you made it through okay.


Ha, good point. I don't think we did. I have one of the three of you at lunch, but that's it. We did both take PP pics, though, so maybe if we stitch them together...


Thanks so much for getting her down for a nap! I mean, you're not feeling good in the first place, but you're doing the hard work for me while I go ride something that you can't. I think I might owe you a favor in May.

I'm interested to see how you spent your day until we met up again.

I will say, DHS is the one park that my sense of direction is always screwed up. That left side of the park is just a mess of streets and it just doesn't make sense in my head! (though it's also the park I've spent the least amount of time in). You had a MUCH more eventful nap & afternoon time than I did, believe me!

Yayy!!! Another update! Although I'm sorry you felt so sick.

You got such a good spot for the parade! And hooray for shade! I must say, you look great for feeling the way you did! And the girls are adorable.

You are a baby whisperer when it comes to naps. Lol. I'm hoping my kids still nap when we go in August/September.

Aw thank you!! I perked up a bit with the lemonade, I think it was the first thing I attempted to eat all day. I hope they nap too!

So sorry you weren't feeling well! It definitely makes it hard to enjoy yourself, especially since it was just you and Aria at first. But it seems like you did a good job taking it easy and still being able to have fun. I'm still a little bummed we missed out on Frozen Summer Fun but we did get to experience some of the activities in DL. I don't blame you for not wanting to lose that prime parking spot though. Getting through the parking lot later in the day can be a chore whether you are walking or taking the tram.

Yeah with the backpack and super heavy stroller I never take the tram, though I did envision doing that this afternoon but never ended up leaving. That is good you were able to see some of the frozen stuff at DL! It was fun to make a full day out of it with the special package - I was so glad I was able to add on another day just to focus on that.

 

[schmass]

I'm so sorry that you were sick - being sick on vacation is the worst!

The Frozen events/parade look so cool. And how fun that you got to meet up with Dugette and Izzy and experience it together!

I'm glad that 50's PTC had chicken soup on the menu for you. We are going there next month and I'm looking forward to our meal there. We haven't been in several years!

 

[Imagineer5]

I'm so sorry that you were sick - being sick on vacation is the worst!

The Frozen events/parade look so cool. And how fun that you got to meet up with Dugette and Izzy and experience it together!

I'm glad that 50's PTC had chicken soup on the menu for you. We are going there next month and I'm looking forward to our meal there. We haven't been in several years!

Yeah it wasn't fun! But the frozen stuff was and 50's chicken noodle soup is going to become a craving of mine when I have a tummy ache, it was just PERFECT timing. Hope you have a great visit there.

 

[Imagineer5]

Another “must” for me today was to check out Characterpalooza which is why I didn’t ever plan to leave for nap time. I’ve said it before, but DHS has a serious lack of inside, air conditioned space you can bring a stroller. It’s basically just the shops. I knew of one spot though that I *knew* I was not supposed to bring in the stroller but I figured I’d try anyway – the Art of Animation but going in through the Art shop at the exit. I quickly snuck in there and then made my way inside – I thought it might be fun to check out the computer stations and did have a quick chance to get Cinderella as my character…before a CM came over and kicked me out. He did, however, say that I could sit on the benches closer to the exit/shop, so that is where I headed.

I sat there for about 2 hours just playing on my phone, catching up on facebook and all that. It was nice to have the time to just relax, but I was getting antsy so I uncovered Aria’s stroller in hopes she’d wake up soon (she had a good 2.5 hour nap!). (SORRY this is an incredible uneventful time!)

That worked out great and she woke up soon after and we made a quick bathroom stop which is when I realized we missed some torrential downpours! I thought Aria would enjoy a quick visit with Jake and Sofia so we headed back inside and found them to the left of the Art of Animation entrance with absolutely no one around.
First she met Sofia who was really sweet as usual

Then Jake who was awesome as usual! He even danced with Aria! There was no photopass but the CM handler took our photo.

Then we had a bit of time before our FP for the Disney Junior show so we went back inside and played on the computers a bit, Aria enjoyed the coloring and then she got Belle as the character she is most like.

From there we headed to the FP area for the Disney Junior show and soon we were inside and aria was enjoying the show.

Next on the agenda was Characterpalooza! There were a ton of people already waiting around for the characters to come out – this is definitely no secret anymore. We happened to be right where Jessie came out, and would have been first in line had it not been for a rude family who literally cut off Aria as she was going up to her (and there were many people already lined up behind us). But soon Aria took her turn and met Jessie which was pretty cool as I’ve never waited for her in the MK.

I looked around trying to find a short-ish line and chose to meet Mary Poppins, as the lines were crazy and it was just CHAOS. There was no rhyme or reason to some of the snaking lines and people didn’t even know whose line they were in. I think this was my first AND last characterpalooza! Unless I am just in the right spot at the right time. Anyway we finally met Mary Poppins and she was really sweet – she asked Aria if she had an umbrella so they had a cute little talk about that.

We also saw the queen of hearts, Pinocchio and gepetto, Belle and Maleficent but the lines were just crazy.
Now it was time to grab something for “dinner”. My stomach was still on edge but definitely feeling hungry, so we ended up stopping at a little cart and we shared some nachos and a super pretzel. That really hit the spot! Side note - Pinocchios on our cruise had the soft pretzels as snacks - what a GREAT mid-day "free" treat!!

We headed to use our 2nd TSMM FP (thank you, DH’s magic band) and then I took Aria to the play area waiting for our Frozen Sing a Long time to open up.

Soon after we headed over to the theater and got pretty good seats. I texted back and forth with Dugette and was worried they weren’t going to make it in time but they did. The show was really cute (and we saw it again in October with DH and he absolutely loved it!). Great Disney humor which is fun for adults and kids alike!

Aria loved the falling snow!

 

[Imagineer5]

After the show, Dugette and I met up again in line for the Cars meet

And then headed over to the Frozen Fireworks dessert party. We grabbed a short table up in the front of the area which had a fun glow cube on it which they played with, and we quickly grabbed platefuls of desserts. I even tested the limits of my stomach with one of the Frozen drinks, but it was the only one I had – wasn’t quite ready for that yet!

Love how the girls were so happy to have a bowl of FRUIT! (there was chocolate to pour on the fruit but I left it plain)

The music was so fun and the girls were having quite the little dance party! Side note - in the last few weeks Aria has been breaking out into dance just about anywhere. She never was a huge dancer (I'm honestly not into music so rarely play it - DH is), so this is totally new. Like, at the mall she'll just start dancing while walking or break it down in a shop. It's pretty hilarious.

At some point they thought it would be fun to lie on the ground, and I am not really a germophobe so I didn’t really care – the table next to us who had a maybe, 6 year old girl? Seemed disgusted though. The girl wanted to get on the ground with them and the parents absolutely refused. About 30 minutes later and the girl was on the floor with Aria and Izzy though, so the parents lost that battle.

Anyway it was just a super fun night! Shortly before the Fireworks started we noticed we were VERY close to the stage, so we abandoned our table and moved to the other side of the reserved area and ended up with a pretty good view of the fireworks. It was beautiful!

Then we joined the masses leaving the park and very quickly were separated from Dugette. Once outside I looked around and didn’t see her anywhere. So we said goodbyes via text and I headed to the car and back to Kidani…with another 25+ minute scramble for a parking spot while Aria slept soundly in her car seat. Traffic jam at exit:

 

[Imagineer5]

Monday September 1st – we fly home today, boo! Since we were at the AKL we had breakfast reservations for Boma! Our flight wasn’t until about 1:30 so we had some time to have a nice breakfast and pool time before heading to the airport. Thankfully my little Disney Bug was 100% gone and I was feeling great! Ready to fill up on some delicious tater tots, hahah! The goat cheese eggs are delicious as well.

At one point I went up to the buffet leaving aria to eat her breakfast (to get some fruit or something) and I always kept an eye on her but I noticed a CM come over and stand by our table until I came back. She smiled so it didn’t seem awkward, just nice that she was looking out for Aria.
Boma used to be a hard to get ressie but I haven’t had any issues lately – and look how empty! - It was one of the most delicious breakfasts I've had at Disney though!

Our server was adamant that we visit him again especially after I said we’d be back in October – but I didn’t have the heart to tell him that we were staying elsewhere. He was really nice though!
After breakfast we went right over to the Kidani pool area for some more splash fun before some final showers and packing up.

Next stop was the airport boo! Thank you TSA pre-check, we were through in a flash though. I’m going to miss the Resort Airline Check in by not staying onsite in May! The guy in front of me in this line did NOT want to stand in the X box apparently!

I apparently wasn’t paying attention at all though, and took the wrong airport monorail to our gate, so we ended up getting 3 rides on it today! I always have to sit up front (well, Aria always gets to sit while I take her photo).

Oops, heading back…

For lunch we did Sbarro pizza and Aria was full of energy so she got to run off some steam in some empty areas of the airport

Checking out our plane

but soon it was time to line up and fold the stroller and all that fun - I did ask the gate agent if anyone could help me carry something but she was not very nice and acted super rude about her resounding NO! So I got to lug the 5000 lb stroller and car seat and backpack and leftover pizza and drinks down the tarmac. Aria is so cute being such a big girl and strolling her rolling "suitcase" down all the way to our seats, though.

As soon as we got on the plane I buckled her into her car seat and covered her with a muslin blanket and she was out – so I got to use a free Southwest drink coupon and listen to a book from Audible – lovely easy flight home!

As we landed I uncovered her so she might wake up on her own and that worked out pretty well

I have to say, it is SO easy leaving Disney when you know you’ll be returning for another long trip in just 5 short weeks! hahah


And that's a wrap! Thank you SO much for reading along with my August mommy/daughter trip. It was another AMAZING trip and I can't wait to do it again - whenever that may be! We are saving up to move to a better town with a 1000x better school district (it's either that or pay for private school) so I will most likely reduce my trips in the future - however, I do plan to make at least 1 trip prior to May 2016 since, you know, I have this AP sitting here! Hopefully more, though - we'll see. I'm always on the lookout for deals! I'm currently leaning to a late January trip for Aria's 4th birthday as well as possibly a late-April trip (2016) so it's a bit warmer. For this year, I might look at a late July or early August trip if I can swing it. With France eating up 19 days of September (SO excited!) I don't know another time I'll be able to go as my leave is basically all accounted for!

 

[Dugette]

I thought it might be fun to check out the computer stations and did have a quick chance to get Cinderella as my character

I've never done that. I wonder what I'd get? Might have to have that on the list of DHS time-killers for May.

before a CM came over and kicked me out. He did, however, say that I could sit on the benches closer to the exit/shop, so that is where I headed.

Boo on getting kicked out! Glad there was another spot that worked, though. So funny to think about us over at Epcot while you were sitting there. And, yes, you missed quite a downpour!

But soon Aria took her turn and met Jessie which was pretty cool as I’ve never waited for her in the MK.

Oh, cool. That's a good reminder that I have to add Jessie to the list for May (I guess at MK, unless we hit a characterpalooza and get lucky with her there). Izzy loves her these days (well, she loves Buzz and Woody too). Glad you had a nice meet, despite the line-crasher.

Anyway we finally met Mary Poppins and she was really sweet – she asked Aria if she had an umbrella so they had a cute little talk about that.

Aw, it would have been so cute if Aria had her umbrella with her for that! Still really cute that they chatted about umbrellas.

Side note - Pinocchios on our cruise had the soft pretzels as snacks - what a GREAT mid-day "free" treat!!

Interesting. I wonder if they are on the Dream?

I texted back and forth with Dugette and was worried they weren’t going to make it in time but they did.

Well, if you consider a few minutes late "on time", then yes. Next time, I will see the first 7 minutes of the show. And hopefully not be seated in the back with a pillar in the way. The pics from your seats are SO much better than the view we ended up with.

and we saw it again in October with DH and he absolutely loved it!

Who's DH was this?! Kidding, that's great that Andrew loves a Disney show. It is really well-done and enjoyable for all ages.

Love how Izzy is staring into Lightning McQueen's eyes! That also reminds me that she will surely want to meet them again. She has a couple of Lightning McQueen cars and calls them by name. And seems amused by the decal of Mater on her wall.

The music was so fun and the girls were having quite the little dance party! Side note - in the last few weeks Aria has been breaking out into dance just about anywhere. She never was a huge dancer (I'm honestly not into music so rarely play it - DH is), so this is totally new. Like, at the mall she'll just start dancing while walking or break it down in a shop. It's pretty hilarious.

This ended up being a really fun event - more than I'd anticipated. The girls were just having such a good time, it ended up being fairly relaxing and I was able to enjoy the treats. That's so cute that Aria is so into dancing now. Izzy always has been - I remember her being under 1 and rocking out whenever we walked into a place that was playing music. I'm not a dancer at all, so she must have inherited that from Dug.

At some point they thought it would be fun to lie on the ground, and I am not really a germophobe so I didn’t really care – the table next to us who had a maybe, 6 year old girl? Seemed disgusted though.

Not a germophobe here either. I didn't realize the people next to us were disgusted. Guess I wasn't paying attention. Funny that their daughter ended up on the ground with the girls.

Thankfully my little Disney Bug was 100% gone and I was feeling great!

Yay! I'm glad it didn't last long for you. Maybe it was food poisoning after all and just I got the Disney Bug, since I was sick for a few days when I got home. Who knows.

The goat cheese eggs are delicious as well.

Mmmmm, love those!

Boma used to be a hard to get ressie but I haven’t had any issues lately – and look how empty! - It was one of the most delicious breakfasts I've had at Disney though!

We love Boma breakfast too. AKL may be far from the parks (except AK), but it has such great dining options that it's near the top of my list of favorite resorts (well, and the animals help too). I think it would be the perfect place to stay pre or post-cruise, if you don't have park tickets. Just spend a couple nights and eat at Boma, Sanaa, and Jiko, swim in the pool, check out the animals.....sounds nice!

I’m going to miss the Resort Airline Check in by not staying onsite in May!

I'm going to miss it too, since we'll be on a non-participating airline in May! I'm so spoiled with that now.

I apparently wasn’t paying attention at all though, and took the wrong airport monorail to our gate, so we ended up getting 3 rides on it today!

This sounds like something I would do!

For lunch we did Sbarro pizza

Izzy is a weirdo and still doesn't like pizza. Just won't eat it. Silly kid!

I did ask the gate agent if anyone could help me carry something but she was not very nice and acted super rude about her resounding NO! So I got to lug the 5000 lb stroller and car seat and backpack and leftover pizza and drinks down the tarmac.

Booooooo to that gate agent! I'm impressed you managed all that stuff. I'd have probably ended up dumping the pizza and drinks. Glad that Aria was a helper, at least. I wish my stroller bag had wheels! And mine's not even as heavy as yours!

As soon as we got on the plane I buckled her into her car seat and covered her with a muslin blanket and she was out – so I got to use a free Southwest drink coupon and listen to a book from Audible – lovely easy flight home!

That is awesome! I love that you just totally cover her and she's out! Sounds like a pleasant flight for Mommy!

Thank you SO much for reading along with my August mommy/daughter trip. It was another AMAZING trip and I can't wait to do it again

I can see why you love your mommy/daughter trips! It's really a fun bonding experience to have that one-on-one time in a amazing place.

We are saving up to move to a better town with a 1000x better school district (it's either that or pay for private school)

Good luck with your moving plans! Makes me glad we live in a good district. I doubt we could even sell our house and have enough to pay off our mortgage if we needed to move (buying in 2007 lost us a ton of value almost immediately). Anyway, I hope you are still able to work in enough Disney trips to keep you happy and get your money's worth out of the AP. So, which trip are you writing about next?

 

[Imagineer5]

Good luck with your moving plans! Makes me glad we live in a good district. I doubt we could even sell our house and have enough to pay off our mortgage if we needed to move (buying in 2007 lost us a ton of value almost immediately). Anyway, I hope you are still able to work in enough Disney trips to keep you happy and get your money's worth out of the AP. So, which trip are you writing about next?

We bought in December 2006 - hence "saving up" to move. we still have zero equity if we sold today just because of how high we bought. Otherwise we'd have already moved. So now working on getting 20% down for a house in a better area with more of what we want which is no small feat. I hate saving lol! But today we'd be lucky if we broke even selling our house, so we are waiting 2-4 years. Just need to be good $$ wise and stay on track. There's still room for small/inexpensive trips but not 5 each year....

 

[UnderTheRialto]

Thanks for wrapping up your tr! I hope you continue with your October trip!

FYI I went to characterpalooza by the ToT exits twice this year (Jan and Mar) and both times would have had plenty of opportunity to meet all the characters. So try it again next time.

 

[schmass]

Your recap of your DHS day is making me so excited for our trip. We only have a 1/2 day there, and I'm kind of wishing we had more time since Rory will really like a lot of the shows/character meets there.

The Frozen dessert party looks like so much fun. That is great that the girls were so excited about the fruit. It makes me happy when kids are excited to eat healthy foods!

That is so cute about Aria dancing all the time!

The bathing suit that Aria is wearing on your last day is the cutest suit I have ever seen!

I'm sad your trip is over, but looking forward to reading about the next one!

Are you moving to a town close to where you are, or moving up closer to Boston?

 

[khertz]

The pics with Jake & Sofia are so cute!

Characterpalooza sounds totally chaotic. I don't know if we have been lucky that it hasn't been that crazy when we went or if the word is starting to get out about it and it's not as unknown as it used to be. It seems like with the location always on the move (I'm reading a Nov TR where it took place over by the ToT exit) it would be hard for the casual Disney fan to keep up with. But maybe not??

The Frozen dessert party looks like so much fun! And the girls look like they definitely had a fantastic time.

Aw, departure day is always so sad! I'm glad you were feeling better by then though and able to enjoy your last Disney meal before leaving. So awesome that you & Aria get to take these mommy/daughter trips. Overall I'm glad DH loves Disney World just as much as I do, but it does mean any chance of a mommy/son (or future mommy/daughter) trip is out the window. He would always want to come!! Are you doing a DCL TR?

 

[Imagineer5]

Thanks for wrapping up your tr! I hope you continue with your October trip!

FYI I went to characterpalooza by the ToT exits twice this year (Jan and Mar) and both times would have had plenty of opportunity to meet all the characters. So try it again next time.

Interesting about Characterpalooza working out so well for you. Ours was in the streets of America - maybe ToT is a better spot for some reason? I'll have to keep an eye on it next time we're in DHS at the right time.

Your recap of your DHS day is making me so excited for our trip. We only have a 1/2 day there, and I'm kind of wishing we had more time since Rory will really like a lot of the shows/character meets there.

The Frozen dessert party looks like so much fun. That is great that the girls were so excited about the fruit. It makes me happy when kids are excited to eat healthy foods!

That is so cute about Aria dancing all the time!

The bathing suit that Aria is wearing on your last day is the cutest suit I have ever seen!

I'm sad your trip is over, but looking forward to reading about the next one!

Are you moving to a town close to where you are, or moving up closer to Boston?

1/2 day at DHS is generally all we give DHS (even on our upcoming 11-nighter we're only spending a half day there lol). I think it's enough. I added in this extra day solely for the frozen fun and am very glad we did, but it isn't something I'd do each trip (though if they offered the Frozen package again when we'll be there, I'd do it again).

We are looking at a couple towns with much better school systems - slightly closer to Boston but not much. DH is hoping to reduce his commute slightly (he drives to Lexington) and I don't want to increase my drive at all - so if we can get close to Rt 24 in Easton or West Bridgewater then that'd be ideal. We're looking at Mansfield and Norton as well. DH would like Sharon or even more north, but as it is I handle EVERYTHING with Aria - drop off, pick up, taking to ballet, swim, doctors - so I really don't want to add more than 5 minutes to my commute (I drive to Newport, RI).

The pics with Jake & Sofia are so cute!

Characterpalooza sounds totally chaotic. I don't know if we have been lucky that it hasn't been that crazy when we went or if the word is starting to get out about it and it's not as unknown as it used to be. It seems like with the location always on the move (I'm reading a Nov TR where it took place over by the ToT exit) it would be hard for the casual Disney fan to keep up with. But maybe not??

The Frozen dessert party looks like so much fun! And the girls look like they definitely had a fantastic time.

Aw, departure day is always so sad! I'm glad you were feeling better by then though and able to enjoy your last Disney meal before leaving. So awesome that you & Aria get to take these mommy/daughter trips. Overall I'm glad DH loves Disney World just as much as I do, but it does mean any chance of a mommy/son (or future mommy/daughter) trip is out the window. He would always want to come!! Are you doing a DCL TR?

I think Kenny the pirate has really made Characterpalooza well known. It was so chaotic and just NO fun! Boo.

I think my TR plans will include a short October Tr (considering my 1300 photos were never found, but we still had an AWESOME trip and LOVED staying at VGF). Then yes I plan to do a Cruise TR. I'll get October done pretty quickly once I upload pics (never even put them on FB, lol).

 

[schmass]

We are looking at a couple towns with much better school systems - slightly closer to Boston but not much. DH is hoping to reduce his commute slightly (he drives to Lexington) and I don't want to increase my drive at all - so if we can get close to Rt 24 in Easton or West Bridgewater then that'd be ideal. We're looking at Mansfield and Norton as well. DH would like Sharon or even more north, but as it is I handle EVERYTHING with Aria - drop off, pick up, taking to ballet, swim, doctors - so I really don't want to add more than 5 minutes to my commute (I drive to Newport, RI).

Wow, your DH drives to Lexington and you drive to Newport? That is quite the distance between your two workplaces. Lexington is pretty close to where I live - that must be some commute for him! Good luck with your decisions/househunting, etc. It can be stressful!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Always frustrating to find places in Disney that don't allow strollers - but I do understand that if they did it would be even more crowded and harder to naviagte so I get it but still can be frustrating especially when you have to wake a sleeping child (Land pavillion, I am looking at you!)

Not the best themed area they had Jake and Sophia go to with the rain - but no lines is great!

I hear people lament how at Disneyland there are still times you find characters just strolling around but not at Disney World - but with stories like you had for Characterpalloza you can understand why they have things so organized now for most of the characters. Glad you at least got to see a couple.

You had great seats for the Frozen Singalong! It is such a fun show and love that some of the jokes are definitely skewing a bit older so that it isn't just for little kids

Glad you ahd such a nice time with Dugette and Izzy at the firworks area - looks like a lot of fun. Smart move heading back a bit so you had a clear view of the fireworks

I love how in the above picture it is about 98% minivans


So glad you were feeling better the next day. Obviously being sick at Disney is no fun, but traveling while sick would have been worse, I am sure. Your breakfast looks really good. We've only done Boma once (for dinner several years ago) and while we liked it, wasn't one of our favorites. Might have to think about breakfast some time though.

Glad other than the rude gate agent the trip home was pretty smooth.

Best of luck with the house hunt/move.

 

[lilluv117]

Just wanted to add that my experience with Characterpalooza this past December was great! It was at the TOT exit location & I don't think the location is well known yet. Plus, there's not really people wandering around in that area that might happen to catch it. Maybe that makes for less chaos? Give it a try there. I remember thinking that it would now be a must do from now on and I had 2 little ones by myself. Just an FYI, they don't allow strollers inside that Characterpalooza location. (They open up a door in the fence and it is held in there.)

 

[Imagineer5]

Wow, your DH drives to Lexington and you drive to Newport? That is quite the distance between your two workplaces. Lexington is pretty close to where I live - that must be some commute for him! Good luck with your decisions/househunting, etc. It can be stressful!

Yes our commutes are crazy. We had our job offers when still living in Baltimore ( I was getting a masters at Johns Hopkins) and came up for a weekend to look at houses in between our two offices. By sunday we had an offer on our house - didn't really do the research into schools and all that, nor did we know much about the area. It has a REALLY bad reputation, though our area is actually really nice / we live on the "farmland" side of town and all our neighbors are great, but schools are really terrible. The thing we will actually miss the most is our daycare provider, which won't be an issue for Aria as she'll be in school but any future kiddos will have to be placed elsewhere once we move.

Always frustrating to find places in Disney that don't allow strollers - but I do understand that if they did it would be even more crowded and harder to naviagte so I get it but still can be frustrating especially when you have to wake a sleeping child (Land pavillion, I am looking at you!)

Not the best themed area they had Jake and Sophia go to with the rain - but no lines is great!

I hear people lament how at Disneyland there are still times you find characters just strolling around but not at Disney World - but with stories like you had for Characterpalloza you can understand why they have things so organized now for most of the characters. Glad you at least got to see a couple.

You had great seats for the Frozen Singalong! It is such a fun show and love that some of the jokes are definitely skewing a bit older so that it isn't just for little kids

Glad you ahd such a nice time with Dugette and Izzy at the firworks area - looks like a lot of fun. Smart move heading back a bit so you had a clear view of the fireworks



I love how in the above picture it is about 98% minivans


So glad you were feeling better the next day. Obviously being sick at Disney is no fun, but traveling while sick would have been worse, I am sure. Your breakfast looks really good. We've only done Boma once (for dinner several years ago) and while we liked it, wasn't one of our favorites. Might have to think about breakfast some time though.

Glad other than the rude gate agent the trip home was pretty smooth.

Best of luck with the house hunt/move.

I like things being organized, haha! So yes it was a mess. On the cruise actually, we managed to hit two characters at Castaway key with zero line which was unannounced, and all the other ones were announced with quite the lines - so I guess right place, right time type of things can be great...but I am not usually in the right place at the right time! haha.

Just wanted to add that my experience with Characterpalooza this past December was great! It was at the TOT exit location & I don't think the location is well known yet. Plus, there's not really people wandering around in that area that might happen to catch it. Maybe that makes for less chaos? Give it a try there. I remember thinking that it would now be a must do from now on and I had 2 little ones by myself. Just an FYI, they don't allow strollers inside that Characterpalooza location. (They open up a door in the fence and it is held in there.)

Okay it sounds like the ToT exit is the place to be for this thing haha! I like that it is more hidden than the streets of America - though 95% of those people DEF knew it was coming since they were milling around waiting too. Thanks for the tips though! I think we only have 1 morning at DHS in May, but i'll keep it in mind if we end up there later on.