~~ Sew your Disney side Alli-son-son!! ~~ Allison's grad trip Jan 2016 ~~ Complete 2/22

[Terkina]

What a bummer that you were so cold. I hope you had some warm clothes with you to Florida so you didn't have to be cold the rest of the trip.

 

[lovesdumbo]

They changed the bus routes so that the CR bus shares with WL and the Poly bus shares with the GF. It has been less than a year since they switched the routes.

Thanks for the update. I didn't know about this change.

 

[lovesdumbo]

Looks like you had lots of fun with the characters. Yay for a great Donald! Great photos too!

 

[NJlauren]

I feel so bad for Allison with the nail,how annoying, and blood all the time, ugh!

I love the character meets and photo pass pics! The cold is so different when your supposed to be outside all the time, its different then being home and running in and out of the house or stores.... at least that how I feel.

Trip seems great so far!

 

[FantasiaMagic]

We took our customary Photopass pictures in an empty park - usually the Photopass photographers are lined up all down Main Street, this morning - we had to walk clear to the hub to get to our first one. But we did get some fun photos - even with the dumb crane in the background. Sigh

Oh that darn crane! Well the picture looks very nice nonetheless. That castle always manages to make everything look pretty and magical!

Your CP pictures are adorable! Glad you enjoyed the meal! I still have to try this. The fact that you are able to get into MK early is enough in itself! And that french toast looks delicious!

As we came out of First Aid - I grabbed another guest to take this photo... This guest was VERY unhappy that I asked her to do this, but she reluctantly did it anyways. It was important that I have this picture - in this spot - because I have a "Then & Now" picture in this location with the girls from almost every trip.

Glad you got the picture! Your Then and Now pictures are always fun to see!

I noted in my journal that it was FREEZING - and I needed the mittens that I'd brought with

MITTENS?! Wow! I didn't realize it was that cold!

Sadly - this was our only ride on SM this entire trip... We even let our FPs for later in the morning expire - it was just too cold to ride!

At least you got on once!

Still super cold, I coaxed Allison to wait in a few character lines with me - I love meeting characters, and Allison is a little "too old" for that. Reluctantly - she agreed...

I LOVE character meets. I think no matter how old I get, I will still enjoy them more and more.
I bet one day she will be very happy to have all those character pictures when she's older, if not now!

First up was Woody and Jesse... The line to meet them was quite long - but it ended up only being about 10 minutes.

Adorable!

Allison and Chip laughing as Dale was relieving me of my Donald Gear...

Only at Disney would something like this happen!

We decided that Haunted Mansion was a WARM indoor ride and we really wanted to be warm... No pictures of that though - my phone isn't the best about dark ride photos - so you are better off imagining anyways.

Oh gosh I know what you mean! This always happens to me in the Peter Pan ride! No matter how hard I try to take a semi-good picture in there, it never wants to come out good for me!

Then - one of my best Meet n' Greets with Donald... Donald is always hit or miss for me - mostly miss, especially when I am wearing my Donald gear... Believe it or not - I try to avoid him when I am dressed like this, because usually my M&G are awful - this is a rare exception. And then - to get the Photopass photographer to actually capture it is a feat unto itself too... I was very lucky this day!

D, this is precious! How magical

Loving all the character photos, everything came out great!

 

[DMGeurts]

Here's a good mid-day now n' then photo set for you all...

August 2013

January 2016

D~

 

[Wood Nymph]

Sadly - this was our only ride on SM this entire trip... We even let our FPs for later in the morning expire - it was just too cold to ride!

It looks like you are huddling together so that you don't get wet, rather than because you are scared. You're lucky this ride was open at all. They usually close it in January for maintenance.

The stand-by wait time for BTMRR was actually 45 minutes! We were not happy - it was a freezing wait, because the windows in the queue don't actually close - and since the building it up high - the wind blows right through. It was a miserably long wait.

The wind can be brutal on a cold day in Florida.

We almost froze to death here... Yup - as a born n' raised MN girl, I am VERY disappointed with my inability to handle the Florida "cold"...

It always feels colder in Florida than at home at the same temperature. They don't heat their buildings well and it is hard to find a place to get warm.

Here's a good mid-day now n' then photo set for you all...

August 2013

You look great in the 2016 picture. Your diet has done wonders for you.

 

[disny_luvr]

I love all your MK pictures! You got some great pictures with the characters, too!

I'm sorry that you were so cold. That can make you feel miserable. In 2010 we went to Disney the week after Thanksgiving to see the Christmas decorations. The first few days were great - warm and sunny. About midweek, a cold front came in and it was cold, terribly cold. We were not prepared at all for the weather. We ended up missing a lot of the evening parades and fireworks because we had to go back to the room; it was just too cold. Out of all our trips, it was probably our least favorite, mainly because of the weather.

I feel like I keep talking about my toe (and I'm sorry), but, I agree to keep the nail as short as possible. I always kept my cut back and would wrap it to keep it from getting caught on anything.

 

[Gracefulskinny]

up - as a born n' raised MN girl, I am VERY disappointed with my inability to handle the Florida "cold"...

Yo yoing temps destroy your built up tolerance for the cold temps. At least that is my experience as a southerner.

The boys did NOT like my Donald gear - proceeded to strip it off of me, give it to the Photopass photographer, and not let me put it back on for the picture... For that matter - they barely let me take it back after our Meet n' Greet was done.

Donald is always hit or miss for me - mostly miss, especially when I am wearing my Donald gear... Believe it or not

how strange!

 

[nolacindy]

Love this picture!!! So stinkin cute.

​

 

[DisMom1981]

Cold Disney or August Disney? Lol. I agree we only had semi cold Disney days in December, but it just doesn't compare to the heat and desire for a/c! Can't there be a happy medium??? Who am I kidding- WDW could be covered in 3 feet of snow and it would still be my happy place!!!!

Love love love the Donald pictures. You work so hard on your outfit coordination it must feel gratifying to have a great meet as a result!!!

 

[DMGeurts]

We saw empty car after empty car come down the flume for Splash - we didn't ride it at all this trip and only rode it once in December. Its one of our favorites too.

I had always thought I wanted to stay at the CR, but honestly its not high on my bucket list anymore. We may do Bay Lake at some point, just because I want to stay at all the DVC resorts, but it won't be anytime soon.

That said, we extended our September trip (actually started 2 days earlier) so we could stay at the WL for 2 nights. I'm looking forward to that.

At BWI - if you come down the main outside staircase on the Lake side, take the passageway off to the left and it takes you right to the pool. You probably walked right past it without realizing it.

I think everyone needs to try the kitchen sink once. There were 4 of us and we couldn't finish it either. Somewhere I read an ingredient list and saw that it had peanut butter sauce on it which I really do not care for, so we requested they leave it off and they did, no problem.

I think you are right about eating all that rich food that we haven't been eating lately being the root cause of the stomach issues. Haven't had a problem since I've been home and back to my normal eating patterns.

I agree - it was just too cold to try and ride splash - once was enough for me. LOL

Good to know - I just found the layout of that resort to be a little confusing - it didn't help that they were doing some major work on the main building, so half of the doors were blocked off.

It was fun - I am glad we did it, I hope to never do it again. LOL

I agree - no issues here either... And I am starting on a Whole30 today too... Gotta get rid of some of this gain over my Nov trip/Christmas/Jan trip.

I guess I didn't know exactly where the bus stop was at TTC. If you were trying to minimize time outside I agree monorail is way to go but you don't show walk from CR bus stop to monorail and if you walk through Poly a bit more there's a shorter path. You'll just have to take me with you to SOG so I can show you.

I love pre opening breakfast at CP. Yum!

How frustrating when you get up early and then are delayed by the monorail. I've had that happen more than once. I think the monorail didn't start til 8:30 due to much need maintenance but they really need to have good bus service.

Did you stay dry on Splash?

I didn't show the walk from the bus stop at CR to the monorail - just because it's minimal... Bus stop to escalator, then ride up escalators to the monorail... Maybe added to the walk at the TTC, it might be the same as the Poly to TTC? But I don't think so... Besides - that 2.5 min stop and 2 min ride to TTC is a nice break to catch your breath. I'd love for you to show me a shorter path at the Poly - and I'd happily take you to SoG too.

I totally agree!

Allison got a little wet - LOL Not me though. :LMAO:

What a bummer that you were so cold. I hope you had some warm clothes with you to Florida so you didn't have to be cold the rest of the trip.

Not really - LOL - our last few days, I looked like such a bum because I didn't have enough warm clothes with me and i was too cheap to buy any. LOL

Thanks for the update. I didn't know about this change.

I didn't know about it either until the CR bus pulled up and told us that.

Looks like you had lots of fun with the characters. Yay for a great Donald! Great photos too!

We did! It was a lot of fun!

I feel so bad for Allison with the nail,how annoying, and blood all the time, ugh!

I love the character meets and photo pass pics! The cold is so different when your supposed to be outside all the time, its different then being home and running in and out of the house or stores.... at least that how I feel.

Trip seems great so far!

Yah - it was pretty painful for her - every time she bumped it, it was like ripping it off all over again.

Thanks! We had a lot of great character meets this time around.

Exactly - it was so cold... We took every opportunity to be indoors that we could.

Thanks - it was a great trip!

Oh that darn crane!: Well the picture looks very nice nonetheless. That castle always manages to make everything look pretty and magical!

Your CP pictures are adorable! Glad you enjoyed the meal! I still have to try this. The fact that you are able to get into MK early is enough in itself! And that french toast looks delicious!

Glad you got the picture! Your Then and Now pictures are always fun to see!

MITTENS?! Wow! I didn't realize it was that cold!
At least you got on once!:

I LOVE character meets. I think no matter how old I get, I will still enjoy them more and more.
I bet one day she will be very happy to have all those character pictures when she's older, if not now!

Adorable!

Only at Disney would something like this happen!

Oh gosh I know what you mean! This always happens to me in the Peter Pan ride! No matter how hard I try to take a semi-good picture in there, it never wants to come out good for me!


D, this is precious! How magical

Loving all the character photos, everything came out great!

Yes - that crane was so annoying... Oh well.

Yup - that is one of the reasons we do this meal so early - I always try for an 8:05-8:10 time, that gives us a few minutes for PP pics, and even if we check in a few minutes late - it's never been a problem. Usually we are done eating by the time the park opens, or very close after. It makes for a great morning.

Ye s- mittens/gloves were necessary... It really helped.

I know - I loved some of our meet n' greets - they were awesome!

Thanks - I am glad you enjoyed! I love hunting down PP photographers!

It looks like you are huddling together so that you don't get wet, rather than because you are scared. You're lucky this ride was open at all. They usually close it in January for maintenance.

The wind can be brutal on a cold day in Florida.

It always feels colder in Florida than at home at the same temperature. They don't heat their buildings well and it is hard to find a place to get warm.


You look great in the 2016 picture. Your diet has done wonders for you.

Hahaha - we sort of were. LOL

It was very brutal - somethign I wasn't expecting at all. Yesterday - it was 40 ° here and I told myself I could handle flip-flops, because 40 is definitely warmer here than in FL. LOL Josh just rolled his eyes at me.

Thank you!

I love all your MK pictures! You got some great pictures with the characters, too!

I'm sorry that you were so cold. That can make you feel miserable. In 2010 we went to Disney the week after Thanksgiving to see the Christmas decorations. The first few days were great - warm and sunny. About midweek, a cold front came in and it was cold, terribly cold. We were not prepared at all for the weather. We ended up missing a lot of the evening parades and fireworks because we had to go back to the room; it was just too cold. Out of all our trips, it was probably our least favorite, mainly because of the weather.

I feel like I keep talking about my toe (and I'm sorry), but, I agree to keep the nail as short as possible. I always kept my cut back and would wrap it to keep it from getting caught on anything.

Thanks - I was so happy with all of them this day!

Yah - it was really cold - I am so bummed about that, but at least it was nice in Nov when we were there, and it was definitely nicer there than it was here at home - they were dealing with -20° while we were in FL. So, I won't complain too much. LOL

Makes sense - talk to me all you want about it... I'll probably be asking questions at some point. LOL

Yo yoing temps destroy your built up tolerance for the cold temps. At least that is my experience as a southerner

how strange!

I agree - I just so thought I would be able to do it much better than I did. Next time - I'll know better. LOL

Love this picture!!! So stinkin cute.

Thanks!!! We had a good photographer - he really caught some great moments!

Cold Disney or August Disney? Lol. I agree we only had semi cold Disney days in December, but it just doesn't compare to the heat and desire for a/c! Can't there be a happy medium??? Who am I kidding- WDW could be covered in 3 feet of snow and it would still be my happy place!!!!

Love love love the Donald pictures. You work so hard on your outfit coordination it must feel gratifying to have a great meet as a result!!!

Hahahah - definitely one extreme to the next. LOL I think I'd rather be cold that that terrible heat of August? Not sure? Neither were really fun, I guess. LOL

Thanks! It was nice to have a good meet with Donald. Now if they would just bring back his classic outfit.

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Not sure if I will get any updates done today? I will try.

D~

 

[rdkeim]

Loving your TR and all the great pictures! You 2 are very photogenic. I feel your pain on the cold temps. My son and I went in Dec. one year. The forecast was sunny and mid-70's. A cold front came thru and they had record setting low temperatures! It got below freezing one night and the next day they were replanting some of the flower beds. I had to buy a jacket and wore my 1 pair of jeans every day. I think if I had to choose, I'd go with hot and humid Your before/after pictures are amazing - you look like a different person!

 

[GraceMonica]

Long time reader of your TRs, finally chiming in!

Mother daughter trips are always awesome! It's great to see you get to take both your daughters on a one-on-one trip!

Being cold in disney is never fun! Last January it was so cold and windy, that I found myself skipping a lot of my usual must dos in favor of more time in the hotel where it was warm. I made great use of the fireplaces at the WL that trip.

 

[JoeyEmmaMomma]

Love your pre park pictures!
And congrats on your weight loss; you look awesome.

 

[AllysonL]

Cold Disney or August Disney? Lol. I agree we only had semi cold Disney days in December, but it just doesn't compare to the heat and desire for a/c! Can't there be a happy medium??? Who am I kidding- WDW could be covered in 3 feet of snow and it would still be my happy place!!!!

Haha!! I was thinking the exact same thing! I've been in August, and I've been in December. No happy medium!

The pictures from CP look lovely! It's been so long since I've eaten there, I can barely remember! It's a must do for next time!

 

[oopsiDAISY]

Whew...all caught up! You girls look like you are having such a great time. That fingernail, though. OUCH! Growing up down there, I do remember that January is so hit or miss with the weather! I can definitely say, I do not envy you being there in the COLD. Me no like cold.

 

[lovegrumpy]

I so wanted cold weather when we went in Dec but we got nice warm weather. It was still hot in Va when we went down. I know the next to times I go its going to be sweating hot weather when we go.

 

[Born 2B a Princess]

Your trip looks so fun so far -- but I'm sorry Allison's finger was still bothering her and that you were cold. It's not fun to be cold at Disney!

 

[DMGeurts]

Day 4 Part 3

We said our good-byes to Monica and headed to our Be Our Guest lunch reservation.

We checked in, and since we'd ordered our meal a week prior to our trip - the CM handed us our little flower and told us to go stand in the line... The line? Oh... Thaaaaaat line? The one that extends across the bridge and into the castle as far as our eyes can see... That line? Yup... Sigh. So, we stood there for a minute or so - not moving...

Then this nice CM noticed my cute little flower and escorted us to the front of the line, into the castle, where we confirmed our order, paid for it and sat down...

We found a perfect little table on the back wall of the ballroom. Where, when you looked out the window, it was snowing... IRL - it was so cold outside, it probably really was.

Allison was VERY impressed with the "order ahead" feature. When we were at home and I was asking her to tell me what she wanted to eat - she was quite annoyed by it. But once she saw the hour long line we avoided - she thought I was the smartest person ever.

I ordered the Carved Prime Chuck Roast Beef Sandwich with fries and Allison ordered the Croque Monsieur with fries, both sandwiches were very good.

Once we were done eating, we headed out of the park for a break at the resort...

We took the express monorail to the TTC and bus to SoG in less than 15 minutes. Niiiiice.

When we got back to the resort, I called the clinic at home about Allison's finger. After a lengthy conversation with the triage nurse, she informed me that she "couldn't triage me, because we were out of the state"... What? No way. Um ~ OK ~ now what? She told me that she could pass a message on to Allison's Dr. and Allison's Dr. could triage... Alrighty - then pass a note on to her Dr. please...

So, then we both took a nice nap.

We woke at 5:30 and out the door by 6:50.

SoG bus to TTC, Monorail to MK.

For - what seemed like the millionth time - I was scanned by security. I didn't make note of it happening every time, but I will say that 9x out of 10, they grabbed me. I was starting to think it was because they wanted to check out all of my awesome gear better. LOL

We were able to get on to the last train for the evening to Fantasy Land.

We had FP for 7DMT - we rode in front - I thought it was pretty awesome, Allison - however - wants to do the back next time. She agreed that it's waaay better at night, but she is convinced that the back is better than the front. She's probably right.

We were hungry, so it was time to hunt down some food. We tried CHH - but we just didn't see anything on the menu that appealed to us tonight. So, we continued to wander... We ended up at Pecos Bills - I had the steak fajitas... Surprisingly - they were very good and the guac wasn't bad... I usually either love guac or hate it - and this was pretty good, I'd have it again.

The CM (Nial) working there was chatting with us - I told him that my fingers were so cold, even with wearing gloves, he felt my finger tips and agreed... A few minutes later, he was back with hot chocolates for both Allison and I. It was super nice and boy was it good... Warmed up my fingers too. Awesome Pixie Dust!

Once our bellies were full, we decided to warm up on Haunted Mansion.

Then, we decided to ride It's a Small World, it was walk on.

Then we did the Tomorrowland Speedway... Allison is a sucky driver - for the record.

A Then & Now for you all - from 2003 (the last time we rode this)... Allison was 5 here...

Thanks to my trip with Suzi - I knew right where the photobooths were in MK... So I took Allison over there and we had some fun. I just love this girl - we have such a fun relationship, and I think it really shows here...

After this - we decided to leave MK, we were cold and tired.

We did a few Photopass pictures on the way out... Most of these photos turned out awful.

We exited the park - no mobs of people, just straggling guests leaving along with us. We took the express monorail to the TTC. When we arrived, we had 12 minutes until the next SoG bus. We were very cold waiting there... Glad I had my gloves.

We were back to our room by 10:30.

We got our clothes/accessories/coffee ready for morning. In bed by 11pm.

Link to Day 5 Part 1

D~​