Somebody's Gonna Pee in a Cup, West Coast - Link to new TR 1/21

[Captain_Oblivious]

It was around 4:30 am when DD came running into our bedroom screaming.

Just when you think you're finally past the sleepless nights...

Turns out that DS was wrapped up, completely buried in blankets and when DD woke up and couldn’t see him, she thought he was gone.

Well, the good news is that she cared enough to think it was a problem!

In the Design Studio, we let DS design our car. It had incredible scores for power and capability, but seemed to lack a bit in the other areas.

Aw, come on. That looks incredibly environmentally-friendly.

I had it saved on my phone… but it must have been on the phone’s memory instead of the SD card. We’ll save that story for Disneyland…

D'oh!

But there was a big problem. The Beverly dispenser was out of order.

D'oh!

She clearly knew what I was trying to do, so she handed the cup to FiL and told him to try it. I think it is safe to say that he wasn’t a fan.

Well, it's good to see that you're trying to be on good terms with the in-laws.

DS absolutely loved it. He ran out the exit yelling about the golf ball to FiL.

Nice! Paints a great picture of his excitement.

The lady sitting next to DW was nursing the baby. And um… wow, it was all out there.

C'mon, we all know the drill...this is why you have a blanket in the diaper bag.

Ellen’s Energy Adventure was out because… well, dark and dinosaurs.

And I didn’t need a nap yet.

Very true, but then you immediately climbed onto Journey Into Imagination.

We ended up ordering a kids cheese pizza for DS and a mezzo metro pepperoni for the rest of us to share.

Yes. I realize that is probably too much pizza for 4 ½ people to eat.

On a normal day, DS won’t eat pizza with pepperoni or anything on it. DD will. Which is why we just ordered him a kids cheese pizza and figured she’d eat a piece of our pepperoni.

When he got our food, DS was mad. He didn’t want a pizza with the red sauce on it. He doesn’t like red sauce.

He only likes it on every other slice of pizza he’s ever had… but whatever.

He was just being grumpy and refusing to eat. DD on the other hand, decided that she didn’t want pizza with pepperoni on it today.

We ended up taking DS’s pizza and gave it to her. She ended up downing the whole thing. Then DS started to get mad because he didn’t have anything to eat. So we gave him a slice of pepperoni. Complete with his dreaded red sauce.

He ate every bite and wanted more.

Seriously… I love our kids, but they can drive me nuts sometimes.

This is the kind of stuff that sends me in to a HULK SMASH mode. Or reminds me to buy a taser. Or promise that the next trip will be adults-only.

We always get a family picture here at some point. This has to be my favorite from the whole trip.

Excellent shot!

We got in the water and holy crap!


It. Was. Cold!!!!!

Wow, I have to think something was wrong with the heaters in that case.

There’s just something unsettling about laying in bed and hearing fireworks.


It just feels like I failed.

Yes. Yes, you did.

Um, I mean, I know that feeling. It does feel very, very wrong.

 

[glennbo123]

I was going to tease you about the lack of pictures, but the last one made up for it -- GREAT family photo!

Hey, I think it's great that you have a built-in Bubby alarm! Our middle kid used to sleepwalk when she was about your daughter's age, and that would scare us to death, so I can relate a little bit.

You are so right -- Club Cool has such a sticky floor, it makes me think of a dive bar.

I've got Via Napoli on the list for this summer, based solely on your recommendations, so it better not disappoint.

 

[MissMaryQC]

What a great Epcot day! Even with sleeping in you guys got so much done!

Sorry you weren't able to ride Mission Space, maybe when DS is a bit bigger? I love that ride, but I usually ride alone; not a popular one in my family.

I've never been to Via Napoli but I've heard good things. Sorry the kids were being particular, for lack of a better term. I hear they start to do that; since DD is only 6 months old we have yet to experience this wonderful moment!

Sorry your server was meh, you're not having good service luck with meals so far this trip.

I love the family photo; great picture of all you guys!

How odd that your Nemo pool was cold but the Cars one wasn't. I wonder if something was broken; I can't fathom that one pool is heated and the other isn't.

I TOTALLY understand about the failure feeling. Hearing fireworks from my resort bed is not cool; I'm an open to close girl myself. I guess it's different with the kids though. Those little cuties sure do change everything!

 

[Adgie128]

I'm caught up, from beginning to this update! Love the humor you're bringing to trip reporting. Great job so far. Looking forward to more!

 

[Leshaface]

I was assuming the machines were just broken due to internal corrosion or something.

Did you happen to see if there was plenty of Beverly available when you went?

There was plenty of Beverly, but running out of one of them, I think it was China.

And no, this was not one of those peripheral vision type scenarios.

Covering all your bases with me I see.

This statement makes no sense at all... ashamed??? I think the word you're looking for is proud!

Well, when you look like this, ashamed is the most fitting word.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Hi Andy! I'm obviously late to the party but joining in now. Your TR report was recommended to me by several other DISers - for being a great TR in and of itself, but also because we are currently planning our first trip to Disneyland and thought this could be a good TR to follow for ideas and advice.

***********
Note: Kinda made random comments as reading through your report so I suspect there may be awkward transitions between them


Nice tetris skills with the car (or as we say: "teaching it to fit")

Always great when you see those arches and vacation is truly beginning

That's awesome you got upgraded to the Cars Suite - those suites seem really nice at AoA - and sounds like the whole process of checking in was quick and painless

We did a walking tour of AoA and my kids insisted on getting a picture with every. single. Cars. car.

*Disneyland*
Sorry to hear of your back pain and then your son puking - hope everyone was doing ok! Also the added stress from the Star Wars Race - hope it worked out. Oh no - and then Trader Sam's was closed ?!?!?!?

Ack - that Peter Pan pirate ship photo has me really eager to see Fantasmic! at DL now!

*back to Disney World*

wow - MGM sounds crazy that night! Glad you got into the FP+ line - that show seems to always be full!

Glad you got to see the Osborne lights as they came on, but my goodness that scene after! You getting rammed in the back of the legs and your wife getting knocked over?!?!? Clearly everyone got the true meaning of the season

Oh no - your poor daughters finger! And to be caught in the crowd and not really able to do anything must have been terrible! Glad that TSMM was still fun and helped the mood a bit.

And sounds like that nightime swim was good as well. Sometimes it is nice when the water is warmer than the air temp - probably helped your muscles relax a bit too

"We drove to the TTC and naturally, when we arrived we found that the monorail wasn’t open yet." - of course it wouldn't be I mean, that would have fit into your plan for the morning

Clearly 4 years old is too old for a boy to spend time with princesses. Now just give him a cup of Joe, a racing form, and a brief case and let him be!

That does sounds scary losing track of the kids at ETwB - especially when you couldn't see DD - but glad it worked out in the end and she made for a very cute Chip. (the cup, not the rodent)

We ate at Garden Grill for the first time our last trip and really enjoyed it - I was pleasantly surprised how much we enjoyed the food. The kids loved how the restaurant rotated over the Living with Land areas. That is one of our favorite rides and definitely would like to do the Behind the Seeds tour someday.

I too have nostalgic memories of Figment (that was the one Disney stuffed animal I had as a kid) but wish they would bring back the dreamfinder. Actually I'd love for them to fully update the ride using technology like they have at Phantom Manor in Hong Kong Disneyland.

Cute pictures from the Pooh and Tigger meet. I love the setting for that M&G

I'm excited to see what they put in place of Maestrom but am taking a bit of a "wait and see" approach before making my final decree on the concept as a whole. I just hope they don't totally alter the original purpose of the World Showcase. In some ways I am actually more OK with Avatarland - not that I love Avatar or anything just think that the end result could be really cool and the theme does kinda fit AK

Glad you enjoed the Mine Train - I wish they had the ride photos when we were there though. My daughter absolutely loved that one and in some ways I think it is an "easier" coaster than the Barnstormer

Don't you have any idea the level of crowds and lines that could appear at the Tree House without warning?!?!?!? I mean I am prettty sure the order of popular attractions at MK is 1. Coaster with the Possum and 2. Tree House. And you have the nerve to try and cut her off?!?!?!?!

Aw, glad you DD finally got a chance to see Awful! Who, for the purpose of that show, apparently tripled in size

One of the worst things that has happened as a result of FP+ is that several of the rides, which were not designed to have two separate queues (e.g., Pirates) now have much longer waits. I think MK has enough attractions to take FP+ off some of these rides, but guess they want to give people more options and spread out the crowds a bit.

Ah, good story about the title of your report - well, I mean, to read, I wouldn't want to have experienced it .... especially if I was "Skipper"

My daughter didn't like Everest either - though not because of the yeti but because the ride shook her cheeks too much

That sounds so frustrating trying to get your fires. Hate when that happens that to go outside of their system is like everyone loses their mind and you can't do that. I actually give credit to the CM who was earning his ears for being polite and eventually getting your fries

Definitely something magical about riding the carousel in a Cinderella dress ... not that I have personal experience

and that is such a cute picture of DD looking up at the real Cinderella

We ate at CRT for the first time last trip (had been pushing it off since figured it wasn't something we would do more than once). We did breakfast (slightly less sticker shock) and were really, really happy with it. Had a great time and the food was quite good - and we had a ton as they kept brining more. Glad to hear you enjoyed your meal - nothing worse than paying a ton of money and feeling dissatisfied

We've always had great interractions with Ariel - not sure what it is but she seems to be able to show more personality or something. Though we also had a great meet with Anna so maybe it is just the red hair

I am wondering if people in the past had hid out in the rest rooms to try and sneak into party time. Which is kinda sad but I guess the CM has to do what he has to do (well, I am assuming it was a he )

How cool to run into Mary Poppins with Bert and the penguin!

Fully agree how different BTMRR is at night - I still want to try out the Mine Train at night and see if a similar situation exists there

Glad to hear DS loved Soarin' so much - that really must be such a cool experience for a kid!

It was nice of nursing mom to put on some clothes for the camera - and avoid a "Disney after dark" moment

"He didn’t want a pizza with the red sauce on it. He doesn’t like red sauce. He only likes it on every other slice of pizza he’s ever had" ... yeah, sounds about right

Nice with the free popcorn! And very nice family picture as well!

 

[franandaj]

I had never even considered the idea that a kid might get up and leave the hotel room! That's scary!

Sounds like you had a rather relaxed day of touring. Nice that your DS enjoyed Soarin' so much!

Via Napoli is one of our favorite places too, but it didn't make the cut this trip as our friend really didn't want to eat at an Italian/Pizza Joint. Although we can just go out to Naples at DTD which is pretty similar.

Interesting that you were in bed before the fireworks!

 

[Steppesister]

Saw an update, so will have to get back here ASAP. Just wanted to let you know I know it's there and will read and comment soon.

 

[afwdwfan]

Just when you think you're finally past the sleepless nights...

I know. It almost felt like I was writing one of your TR updates.

I guess your usually start a couple of hours earlier though.

Well, the good news is that she cared enough to think it was a problem!

The silver lining...

Aw, come on. That looks incredibly environmentally-friendly.

Um... it goes anywhere fast and doesn't need roads. So less time running = environmentally friendly.

D'oh!

My track record with phones on vacations really hasn't been good the past couple of years.

D'oh!

I don't see how they could possibly let that happen.

Well, it's good to see that you're trying to be on good terms with the in-laws.

Notice who gave them the cup...

Nice! Paints a great picture of his excitement.

He really loved it. Getting "hit" by the golf ball and flying in over Disneyland really got him excited about it all.

C'mon, we all know the drill...this is why you have a blanket in the diaper bag.

Very true, but then you immediately climbed onto Journey Into Imagination.

It's not a long enough ride to fall asleep.

I mean, 45 minutes of Ellen. Who could possibly stay awake?

This is the kind of stuff that sends me in to a HULK SMASH mode. Or reminds me to buy a taser. Or promise that the next trip will be adults-only.

I want an adults only trip.

Excellent shot!

Thanks!

Wow, I have to think something was wrong with the heaters in that case.

Hmmm... could have been.

Yes. Yes, you did.

Um, I mean, I know that feeling. It does feel very, very wrong.

I was going to tease you about the lack of pictures, but the last one made up for it -- GREAT family photo!

Thanks. I'd hate to disappoint. Although, I'm getting pretty used to it.

Hey, I think it's great that you have a built-in Bubby alarm! Our middle kid used to sleepwalk when she was about your daughter's age, and that would scare us to death, so I can relate a little bit.

Yeah. DS has been known to do that on occasion too, so honestly, I don't know why we didn't put something in front of the door sooner.

You are so right -- Club Cool has such a sticky floor, it makes me think of a dive bar.

That's a good way to put it.

I've got Via Napoli on the list for this summer, based solely on your recommendations, so it better not disappoint.

Er... um... well, I hope it doesn't disappoint! If it does, I'll blame it on the decline in the Disney dining experience in general.

 

[afwdwfan]

What a great Epcot day! Even with sleeping in you guys got so much done!

We accomplished our goals and had a good relaxed day.

Sorry you weren't able to ride Mission Space, maybe when DS is a bit bigger? I love that ride, but I usually ride alone; not a popular one in my family.

Yeah, he might ride it eventually. I enjoy the ride, but I'm usually riding solo. It just wasn't really worth making everybody wait just so I could do it this time though.

I've never been to Via Napoli but I've heard good things. Sorry the kids were being particular, for lack of a better term. I hear they start to do that; since DD is only 6 months old we have yet to experience this wonderful moment!

6 months... eh, it'll be here before you know it.

Sorry your server was meh, you're not having good service luck with meals so far this trip.

Yeah, I was really dissatisfied with our dining experiences on this trip, in general. With a few exceptions, most of our meals either had lackluster service or some disappointing food quality. I've heard people complaining about declines in the food quality for the past 5 or 6 years, but we've never really experienced it until this trip.

I love the family photo; great picture of all you guys!

Thanks!

How odd that your Nemo pool was cold but the Cars one wasn't. I wonder if something was broken; I can't fathom that one pool is heated and the other isn't.

Yeah, I'm sure it was heated. It wasn't "icebergs floating on the water" cold, but it was certainly colder than the smaller cars pool. Could have been something wrong with the heater, or maybe just a large enough volume of water that it is harder to keep up?

I TOTALLY understand about the failure feeling. Hearing fireworks from my resort bed is not cool; I'm an open to close girl myself. I guess it's different with the kids though. Those little cuties sure do change everything!

It changes EVERYTHING!

I'm caught up, from beginning to this update! Love the humor you're bringing to trip reporting. Great job so far. Looking forward to more!

Welcome! I'm glad you stopped by and are enjoying it!

There was plenty of Beverly, but running out of one of them, I think it was China.

I was just disappointed they'd changed the menu since last time. They got rid of my favorite and none of them really stuck out to me this time. The Beverly might have actually been my favorite.

Covering all your bases with me I see.

Just making sure it's clear.

Well, when you look like this, ashamed is the most fitting word.

Yeah... still not a problem.

 

[afwdwfan]

Hi Andy! I'm obviously late to the party but joining in now. Your TR report was recommended to me by several other DISers - for being a great TR in and of itself, but also because we are currently planning our first trip to Disneyland and thought this could be a good TR to follow for ideas and advice.

Hi! Welcome! Who recommended it? I want to make sure they get their commission. 25% of nothing.

Note: Kinda made random comments as reading through your report so I suspect there may be awkward transitions between them

Just like most of my updates.

Nice tetris skills with the car (or as we say: "teaching it to fit")

Always great when you see those arches and vacation is truly beginning

But just enjoy driving under them. Don't stop to photograph it!

That's awesome you got upgraded to the Cars Suite - those suites seem really nice at AoA - and sounds like the whole process of checking in was quick and painless

It really was a smooth process. We walked in, there were plenty of CM's to take care of everyone. It was very easy.

We did a walking tour of AoA and my kids insisted on getting a picture with every. single. Cars. car.

Sounds about right.

*Disneyland*
Sorry to hear of your back pain and then your son puking - hope everyone was doing ok! Also the added stress from the Star Wars Race - hope it worked out. Oh no - and then Trader Sam's was closed ?!?!?!?

The first day really had me questioning why we even scheduled the trip. It was pretty depressing. Thankfully it got better.

Ack - that Peter Pan pirate ship photo has me really eager to see Fantasmic! at DL now!

Um... yeah. I like the theater set up - you know, having seats and being able to get up to get a snack, go to the restroom, etc, while waiting - better at WDW. But the DL show just blows it away.

wow - MGM sounds crazy that night! Glad you got into the FP+ line - that show seems to always be full!

It was definitely full when we were there!

Glad you got to see the Osborne lights as they came on, but my goodness that scene after! You getting rammed in the back of the legs and your wife getting knocked over?!?!? Clearly everyone got the true meaning of the season

Yeah, it really put a damper on the spirit.

Oh no - your poor daughters finger! And to be caught in the crowd and not really able to do anything must have been terrible! Glad that TSMM was still fun and helped the mood a bit.

Yeah, thankfully it wasn't worse. I know it had to hurt and probably surprised her as much as anything. We tried to use it as a learning experience for her though too, to keep her hands inside the stroller.

And sounds like that nightime swim was good as well. Sometimes it is nice when the water is warmer than the air temp - probably helped your muscles relax a bit too

Yeah, I think that was a big part of it. It really helped me de-stress.

"We drove to the TTC and naturally, when we arrived we found that the monorail wasn’t open yet." - of course it wouldn't be I mean, that would have fit into your plan for the morning

Heck, nothing else is going according to plan.

Clearly 4 years old is too old for a boy to spend time with princesses. Now just give him a cup of Joe, a racing form, and a brief case and let him be!

That does sounds scary losing track of the kids at ETwB - especially when you couldn't see DD - but glad it worked out in the end and she made for a very cute Chip. (the cup, not the rodent)

it worked out fine in the end. And had we known exactly how the process worked when they opened the magic portal, we could have probably positioned ourselves better or something

We ate at Garden Grill for the first time our last trip and really enjoyed it - I was pleasantly surprised how much we enjoyed the food. The kids loved how the restaurant rotated over the Living with Land areas. That is one of our favorite rides and definitely would like to do the Behind the Seeds tour someday.

Yes... yes to everything you said.

I too have nostalgic memories of Figment (that was the one Disney stuffed animal I had as a kid) but wish they would bring back the dreamfinder. Actually I'd love for them to fully update the ride using technology like they have at Phantom Manor in Hong Kong Disneyland.

Go talk to the Imagineers... now!

Cute pictures from the Pooh and Tigger meet. I love the setting for that M&G

I'm excited to see what they put in place of Maestrom but am taking a bit of a "wait and see" approach before making my final decree on the concept as a whole. I just hope they don't totally alter the original purpose of the World Showcase. In some ways I am actually more OK with Avatarland - not that I love Avatar or anything just think that the end result could be really cool and the theme does kinda fit AK

Valid point. I think they can make it work without changing the purpose of WS. But depending on how they do it, this could be a concern.

As for Avatarland. Yeah. I guess I'll wait and see. I'll check it out when it is done and I'll ride the rides. But I just don't think it will ever change my lack of interest in the source material.

Glad you enjoed the Mine Train - I wish they had the ride photos when we were there though. My daughter absolutely loved that one and in some ways I think it is an "easier" coaster than the Barnstormer

True. It doesn't really seem high. It just follows the contours of the mountains.

Don't you have any idea the level of crowds and lines that could appear at the Tree House without warning?!?!?!? I mean I am prettty sure the order of popular attractions at MK is 1. Coaster with the Possum and 2. Tree House. And you have the nerve to try and cut her off?!?!?!?!

I know. I'd hate to see what she wrote about me in her TR.

Aw, glad you DD finally got a chance to see Awful! Who, for the purpose of that show, apparently tripled in size

One of the worst things that has happened as a result of FP+ is that several of the rides, which were not designed to have two separate queues (e.g., Pirates) now have much longer waits. I think MK has enough attractions to take FP+ off some of these rides, but guess they want to give people more options and spread out the crowds a bit.

Exactly!

Ah, good story about the title of your report - well, I mean, to read, I wouldn't want to have experienced it .... especially if I was "Skipper"

It really didn't traumatize anyone on the boat. Except for Skipper. When it didn't delay our trip much, it just ended up being funny.

My daughter didn't like Everest either - though not because of the yeti but because the ride shook her cheeks too much

That sounds so frustrating trying to get your fires. Hate when that happens that to go outside of their system is like everyone loses their mind and you can't do that. I actually give credit to the CM who was earning his ears for being polite and eventually getting your fries

Yeah. I couldn't take it out on him. He did the best he could, given the circumstances.

Definitely something magical about riding the carousel in a Cinderella dress ... not that I have personal experience

Yeah, I wouldn't know about that one.

and that is such a cute picture of DD looking up at the real Cinderella

Thanks!

We ate at CRT for the first time last trip (had been pushing it off since figured it wasn't something we would do more than once). We did breakfast (slightly less sticker shock) and were really, really happy with it. Had a great time and the food was quite good - and we had a ton as they kept brining more. Glad to hear you enjoyed your meal - nothing worse than paying a ton of money and feeling dissatisfied

Yeah. I definitely don't think the meal was worth the price of admission. But the experience as a whole... it works.

We've always had great interractions with Ariel - not sure what it is but she seems to be able to show more personality or something. Though we also had a great meet with Anna so maybe it is just the red hair

Hmmm... I'll buy it. We've actually never taken the time to meet Merida. That's our next must do. We've got to confirm or dispel this theory.

I am wondering if people in the past had hid out in the rest rooms to try and sneak into party time. Which is kinda sad but I guess the CM has to do what he has to do (well, I am assuming it was a he )

I'm sure they have. I even thought in the past about how easy it would have been to stay in the park to see the parade without a band. They really stepped the enforcement up this year.

How cool to run into Mary Poppins with Bert and the penguin!

I guess we lucked out!

Fully agree how different BTMRR is at night - I still want to try out the Mine Train at night and see if a similar situation exists there

Yeah, me too! The lines just didn't die down enough for me to want to try it this time though!

Glad to hear DS loved Soarin' so much - that really must be such a cool experience for a kid!

Yeah, he was pretty proud of it!

It was nice of nursing mom to put on some clothes for the camera - and avoid a "Disney after dark" moment

"He didn’t want a pizza with the red sauce on it. He doesn’t like red sauce. He only likes it on every other slice of pizza he’s ever had" ... yeah, sounds about right

Just another day...

Nice with the free popcorn! And very nice family picture as well!

Thanks!

 

[afwdwfan]

I had never even considered the idea that a kid might get up and leave the hotel room! That's scary!

Thankfully he didn't... but yeah, I was kind of wishing there had been some high, child proof lock or something.

Sounds like you had a rather relaxed day of touring. Nice that your DS enjoyed Soarin' so much!

Yeah, it was definitely a departure from our normal park day. He really enjoyed it!

Via Napoli is one of our favorite places too, but it didn't make the cut this trip as our friend really didn't want to eat at an Italian/Pizza Joint. Although we can just go out to Naples at DTD which is pretty similar.

We visited Naples too. Very good. I'd be much less inclined to go to VN every trip if we had an offshoot of it so close to home.

Interesting that you were in bed before the fireworks!

Interesting... I'm not sure that's the right word...

Saw an update, so will have to get back here ASAP. Just wanted to let you know I know it's there and will read and comment soon.

I know you're busy, not a problem. You probably wont' be very happy with me if I get my next update posted later today though...

 

[afwdwfan]

Sweet Emotion

We woke up bright and early on Thursday morning, just as planned. Even DW was getting up and moving. At least not as far behind schedule as most days.

We had an 8:00 ADR at Hollywood & Vine. Our plan was to be leaving the resort at 7:00 to get there early. I felt like that was leaving plenty of wiggle room for us.

We were all ready to go. I think it was 7:15 or so, but still plenty of time to get to DHS and get checked in for our ADR. We were heading out the door when it finally dawned on me that this morning was kind of odd. MiL and FiL are usually ready before DW and come over to our room while we’re waiting for her to get read to go. They hadn’t made it to our room yet.

We went and knocked on their door. And knocked some more. FiL came to the door and said that MiL thought we were leaving at 8. He said he thought we were leaving at 7 and the ADR was 8, but she seemed pretty sure of it so he just went along with it. She had just woke up so FiL said to just go on without them. DW told him to take the bus to DHS and meet us there.

We got to DHS at about 7:50. We drove into the parking lot and there was nobody out directing you where to park. They had cones and signs up though, so my options were limited unless I wanted to take out cones. I followed the signs and drove until I found a row that wasn’t blocked by cones. As it turned out, it was in CM parking. I knew I shouldn’t park there, but we were running late, and I literally followed the signs they had posted. So if they didn’t like it, that’s their own fault. I was glad to have a short walk anyway.

I just hoped our vehicle would still be there at the end of the day.

DW had been texting back and forth with MiL and as we were pulling into the parking lot, she got a text that they were at the bus stop waiting for a bus.

DW wanted to wait for them, so we went to the CM checking everyone in. He said we could wait for them, and there would be no penalty. But we weren’t getting checked in or stepping foot through the gate until they got there.

Great.

We did the walk of shame back from the front of the ADR line and found a vacant ticket booth to lean against while we waited.

More texts were exchanged and they were still waiting for the bus.

Then DW took some pictures of the kids

Then the bus was there, but they couldn’t get on yet.


Finally on the bus.


Then they were on the bus, sitting at the stoplight waiting to leave AoA.


Still sitting at the stoplight…


Still sitting at the stoplight…



By this time, it’s already 8:10. We’re 10 minutes late for our pre-RD ADR and the park opens in less than an hour. With the shows we wanted to see our plans are absolutely jam packed for the day. I was pacing, getting stressed and just starting to get downright ticked off.

The bus finally got there. I don’t even know what time. I think I’d given up looking at the clock because it was just making me mad. We saw them get off the bus and instead of following the crowd going to the right, they turned and went left.



We were trying to wave and yell at them, but they didn’t hear us. They were on a mission.



Power walking the wrong direction.



DW finally got MiL to answer her phone and got them turned around.



When we were walking into the park, we got the whole bus story. They were waiting at the bus stop with a family who had an 8:15 ADR for H&V. They told MiL and FiL that they had been waiting at the bus stop since 7 am. The first bus never even got there until almost 8. Then the bus wasn’t close enough to the curb or something, so the bus driver had to wiggle the bus back and forth to reposition it before they were allowed to get on.

After they were on, they sat at the stop light to exit AoA for what FiL said was about 15 minutes. He said the bus driver didn’t look like he pulled up far enough to trigger the light to change. He said a car actually passed the bus and as soon as the car got in front of the bus the light changed so they could go.


Sounds like the bus driver might have needed some driver education.


I needed a drink.


Anyway, they were finally there. We headed over to the early entry line and the CM remembered us and got us checked in quickly. We headed into the park, and thankfully only waited a minute or 2 before we were called into the restaurant.

Our drinks were brought to us and we took turns heading to the buffet. The characters didn’t seem to be anywhere near us yet, but I’d just returned with a plate for DS and was getting a plate for myself when Doc came to our table. Missed that one, but I was able to at least see them from the buffet line.

Just after Doc moved on, it was time for the dance party with the characters. The kids headed up to dance with their favorite characters and DD was quick to find Sofia.

After they came back to the table, it wasn’t long before we were being visited by the characters.

They loved Sofia

​

They were ok with Handy Manny. Really never have watched his show, but he was there…

​

Doc came back again

​

And DS finally got to see Jake!

The characters were all great and both of our kids were really excited to see some of their favorites. As you can see, DS clearly loves Jake and DD is a Sofia fan. DS even insisted on wearing his Halloween costume from 2 years ago. It had to be a little bit too “fat guy in a little coat” to be comfortable, but he was happy. And Jake really loved his hair.

We really enjoyed our meal here. We last ate at H&V for dinner in 2008. The meal we had back then was absolutely horrible. The hot food was cold and the cold food was hot on the buffet. DW said she never wanted to go back there again. Had it not been for the opportunity to see Doc, Sofia and Jake, H&V never would have even been on our radar. I have to say that we really enjoyed our breakfast here. I don’t know if they’ve made improvements to the restaurant since our last visit, or if it is the simple fact that breakfast food is pretty hard to screw up. But we thought the meal was great and we loaded up.

By the time the characters rotated through, it was surprisingly only about 9:10. Thanks to the wonderful FP+ tier system, we couldn’t book FP+ for both RnRC and TSMM. The plan was to eat breakfast at 8, head out the door by 9 and go straight to RnRC. We were only a few minutes behind, despite our really late start so I was eager to get going.

I was trying to get the kids ready to move out of the restaurant when DW said she wanted to get another plate.

I developed a nervous tick.

It was about 9:30 when we finally got out of H&V. I’d looked at the app in H&V while I was waiting on DW and it said the wait for RnRC was already 45 minutes. I didn’t think it was likely that long already. TSMM wasn’t even showing that long of a wait yet. I was going to check it out and see.






When we walked around the corner into the courtyard in front of RnRC, the display above the Standby line said 60 minutes…



and then changed to 100 minutes.



I have no idea if that was right or not. I’m assuming not. The switchbacks outside were all full, but I still don’t see how it could have been that long already. Either way, it was going to be a long line and we just didn’t have time to wait. The Standby line was too long, the Single Rider line was closed and we really needed to keep to a pretty strict schedule to see all the shows we wanted to see.

RnRC is my absolute favorite ride at Disney World. We had a jam packed day planned, and at this point, I didn’t see how we’d have any time to work it in later.


My mood went from slightly grumpy, to “don’t even talk to me, look at me, or breathe the air in my general vicinity.”


We had FP+ for Disney Jr, but we needed to find something to do. ToT would have been cutting it close by the time we did Rider Swap. Great Movie Ride would be cutting it close even if we got on without waiting. I wasn’t in the mood to just stand around doing nothing, so I checked showtimes and it looked like we could fit in the Little Mermaid show that was getting ready to start and we’d be walking out the exit right during the middle of our FP+ window. I haven’t seen the Mermaid show in years, and DW has never seen it so we walked over to check it out.

Just what I want to do during the first hour DHS is open. Watch the Little Mermaid show.

We enjoyed it though. It really is a good show.

We headed out the door and walked across the courtyard and walked right into the theater for Disney Junior with about 5 minutes left on our FP+ window.

The kids, as always, loved the show.

​

I, as always, hated trying to fold my legs up to sit on the stupid floor.

After Disney Jr. ended, we had to continue with our whirlwind tour to see the next show. We made our way across the park towards Indiana Jones, and after a quick restroom break, we entered the theater just before show time. We found seats on the far right hand side of the theater about 5 - 10 rows up. But not enough seats for us to all sit together. I sat on the end of one row, DW sat behind me with DS and then MiL, FiL and DD sat about 2 rows behind her.

That is how tight our schedule was for that day. We literally just made it in there before the show started. Thankfully we made it when we did, because I noticed there was a bit of a crowd standing back up at the top of the theater. A few minutes into the show, a group of about 10 people in DW’s row got up and left, so we all ended up moving so that we could sit together.

The whole walk over to see Indiana Jones, DS was complaining. He didn’t want to see anymore shows. He wanted to ride Dumbo. I was having a hard enough time explaining to him why he couldn’t ride Dumbo then and there without getting to the point that there really aren’t any rides for him to ride in DHS, unless he wants to get over his fear of the dark.

When it was said and done though, he loved it. We gave him a hard time about it the rest of the day when he’d talk about the show.

We had a bit of a break at this point in the day. It was “lunch” time, but since we’d had a rather filling buffet for breakfast and we had a Fantasmic! reservation coming up at 3:15 we were just going to have some snacks instead of a full lunch.

I don’t know about everybody else, but when I’m in DHS and want a snack there’s really no question where I’m going or what I’m getting.

Starring Rolls

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcake.

I’ll eat that for lunch anytime.

We still had plenty of snack credits to use, so DW and the kids got a couple of cupcakes to share. They knew better than to ask for any of mine. She let each of the kids pick and we ended up with an Anna cupcake and an Elsa cupcake. DW had a little bit of both of them… and I tried them too. They ended up being way too rich and the kids didn’t eat hardly any of them. We pulled some goldfish out of the bag for them to snack on.

I hate to say it, but although I love the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcake, I thought this particular one was on the dry side. The Anna and Elsa cupcakes were considerably more moist and tasted fresher. But it was still chocolate and peanut butter. And by definition, it was still awesome.

Our next FP+ was coming up soon, but we had a few minutes, so DW wanted to look through Mickey’s of Hollywood after we took our snack break. I, once again, struck out on finding a “Christmas sweater” T-shirt that would fit me and I headed outside to find a spot off to the side to sit and wait.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

As it turned out, it was in CM parking.

Hey, might as well run with this and see if you can get any other perks while you're at it.

But we weren’t getting checked in or stepping foot through the gate until they got there.

Urge to kill...rising...

Then DW took some pictures of the kids

Looking good!

I was pacing, getting stressed and just starting to get downright ticked off.

CM's quietly notified security.

We were trying to wave and yell at them, but they didn’t hear us. They were on a mission.

Power walking the wrong direction.

Then the bus wasn’t close enough to the curb or something, so the bus driver had to wiggle the bus back and forth to reposition it before they were allowed to get on.

After they were on, they sat at the stop light to exit AoA for what FiL said was about 15 minutes. He said the bus driver didn’t look like he pulled up far enough to trigger the light to change. He said a car actually passed the bus and as soon as the car got in front of the bus the light changed so they could go.


Sounds like the bus driver might have needed some driver education.

Did he bear any resemblance to the captain of the boat the other night?

I needed a drink.

I was trying to get the kids ready to move out of the restaurant when DW said she wanted to get another plate.

​

I developed a nervous tick.

This has moved past "annoying coincidence" and into Conspiracy mode.

I didn’t think it was likely that long already. TSMM wasn’t even showing that long of a wait yet. I was going to check it out and see.


When we walked around the corner into the courtyard in front of RnRC, the display above the Standby line said 60 minutes…

and then changed to 100 minutes.

That's it! They ARE all out to get you!

My mood went from slightly grumpy, to “don’t even talk to me, look at me, or breathe the air in my general vicinity.”

May we blink?

Just what I want to do during the first hour DHS is open. Watch the Little Mermaid show.

Well, it was either that or the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids playground.

The whole walk over to see Indiana Jones, DS was complaining. He didn’t want to see anymore shows. He wanted to ride Dumbo.

Time for a life lesson, kid. Compared to RnRC, Dumbo stinks.

When it was said and done though, he loved it. We gave him a hard time about it the rest of the day when he’d talk about the show.

Thank goodness. I knew Indiana Jones would save the day.

 

[SarahDisney]

One of my biggest fears is being late for an ADR ... and being late for a pre-RD ADR is even more nerve-wracking. I don't know how you managed to stay calm.

I feel like you guys really didn't have the best transportation experiences. First a possibly impaired boat driver crashes the boat, then a bus driver who doesn't know how to pull in properly or get the stoplight to change... insane.

Love the pictures of the kids and characters. Someone looks thrilled to be dancing with Sofia!
DS's Jake costume looks awesome!

Sorry to hear that you missed RnRC. Standby lines for that can get crazy! I don't know why they close the Single Rider line sometimes, but it really sucks.
One of my big problems with DHS (as much as I do love it) is that when you want to see many of the shows, it's hard to schedule them all and there's almost no room for flexibility. I'm glad the kids enjoyed the shows, though!

Sorry to hear your cupcake wasn't as good as usual ... but it's chocolate peanut butter, so even if it's bad, it's still awesome.

Sorry you couldn't find the Christmas Sweater T-Shirt ... I find that it is harder to find the larger sizes sometimes. I guess they sell out faster ...

 

[Gracefulskinny]

When we were walking into the park, we got the whole bus story. They were waiting at the bus stop with a family who had an 8:15 ADR for H&V. They told MiL and FiL that they had been waiting at the bus stop since 7 am. The first bus never even got there until almost 8. Then the bus wasn’t close enough to the curb or something, so the bus driver had to wiggle the bus back and forth to reposition it before they were allowed to get on.

THis is making me nervous. I REALLY hope this doesn't happen to us!

The characters didn’t seem to be anywhere near us yet, but I’d just returned with a plate for DS and was getting a plate for myself when Doc came to our table. Missed that one, but I was able to at least see them from the buffet line.

Note to self send DH for the first round of plates just incase!

The characters were all great and both of our kids were really excited to see some of their favorites.

THis is getting aqctually looking forward to this meal.

It had to be a little bit too “fat guy in a little coat” to be comfortable, but he was happy.

Well as long as he's happy!

Had it not been for the opportunity to see Doc, Sofia and Jake, H&V never would have even been on our radar.

The very reason its on our agenda as well. Got to let Little Miss get her Doc Love.

I have to say that we really enjoyed our breakfast here. I don’t know if they’ve made improvements to the restaurant since our last visit, or if it is the simple fact that breakfast food is pretty hard to screw up. But we thought the meal was great and we loaded up.

Thats nice to know. From what I heard I have been bracing myself for a mediocre meal at best.

By the time the characters rotated through, it was surprisingly only about 9:10.

When did you end up getting in there? Thats not bad.

I was trying to get the kids ready to move out of the restaurant when DW said she wanted to get another plate.

I developed a nervous tick.

It was about 9:30 when we finally got out of H&V.

Well you get husband points for not rushing her through her meal!

RnRC is my absolute favorite ride at Disney World. We had a jam packed day planned, and at this point, I didn’t see how we’d have any time to work it in later.

Always hard when plans like that fail.

Just what I want to do during the first hour DHS is open. Watch the Little Mermaid show.

Why ever not?!?

We headed out the door and walked across the courtyard and walked right into the theater for Disney Junior with about 5 minutes left on our FP+ window.

The kids, as always, loved the show.

Glad that you can cut it that close and get good seats.

They knew better than to ask for any of mine.

 

[Leshaface]

Starting the morning with your blood pressure about to burst before breakfast, is not the best start. But glad breakfast was good and your kids enjoyed the characters. Yep, we had a TERRIBLE experience in 2008 too and had sworn it off. But now with DS it is quickly making its way up as an option.

“fat guy in a little coat”

Still looks good on him, however next year, he may be rocking the Chris Farley look.

DW said she wanted to get another plate

RnRC is my absolute favorite ride at Disney World. We had a jam packed day planned, and at this point, I didn’t see how we’d have any time to work it in later.

DH's too! I felt awful, the ride was down our entire DHS day and we only usually devote one full day for DHS. We attempted to go back to DHS after dinner at Epcot one night, but because it's considered the slow season in January, the park closed early

Just what I want to do during the first hour DHS is open. Watch the Little Mermaid show.

Doesn't it seem like such a waste? But it is a time filler so you made the best decision.

I, as always, hated trying to fold my legs up to sit on the stupid floor.

I always crack up at seeing grown men trying to sit Indian style on the floor! You guys look so uncomfortable trying to push your knees down

Starring Rolls

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcake.

YEEESS! Hopefully that kind of made up for your morning!

 

[afwdwfan]

Hey, might as well run with this and see if you can get any other perks while you're at it.

Well, it didn't get me in the gate early...

Urge to kill...rising...

Rising almost as fast as my blood pressure.

Looking good!

They were pretty happy, regardless.

CM's quietly notified security.

Oh, they were already watching...

Did he bear any resemblance to the captain of the boat the other night?

Good question. I wasn't on the bus, but I'd say that's a strong possibility.

This has moved past "annoying coincidence" and into Conspiracy mode.

I knew it!

That's it! They ARE all out to get you!

Even the CM's...

May we blink?

+1

Well, it was either that or the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids playground.

Or um... yeah, I guess that's about it.

Time for a life lesson, kid. Compared to RnRC, Dumbo stinks.

But it is dark. So there's that.

Thank goodness. I knew Indiana Jones would save the day.

Doesn't he always?

 

[afwdwfan]

One of my biggest fears is being late for an ADR ... and being late for a pre-RD ADR is even more nerve-wracking. I don't know how you managed to stay calm.

Well, if it makes you feel better, we were told you can show up late and they won't penalize you. But you'd better show up.

And I wasn't calm. I was pretty frustrated and I was voicing it a bit. Not one of my finer mornings.

I feel like you guys really didn't have the best transportation experiences. First a possibly impaired boat driver crashes the boat, then a bus driver who doesn't know how to pull in properly or get the stoplight to change... insane.

At least I didn't get to experience the bus ride myself. But yeah, we weren't having the best of luck.

Love the pictures of the kids and characters. Someone looks thrilled to be dancing with Sofia!
DS's Jake costume looks awesome!

Oh yeah, she loves Sofia. She has 3 or 4 Sofias hanging on the walls in her room. Including a big Fathead one she got for Christmas.

Sorry to hear that you missed RnRC. Standby lines for that can get crazy! I don't know why they close the Single Rider line sometimes, but it really sucks.
One of my big problems with DHS (as much as I do love it) is that when you want to see many of the shows, it's hard to schedule them all and there's almost no room for flexibility. I'm glad the kids enjoyed the shows, though!

Yeah, I love DHS too. I could spend a couple of days there easily just getting a few rides on some of my favorite attractions and seeing some shows. But it is a logistical nightmare if you don't have a couple of days basically dedicated to the park.

In the past it hasn't been a big deal, because my priorities have been the rides and maybe 1 or 2 shows. This time we wanted to see more of the shows and it just made everything difficult.

I don't know what it was about RnRC, but Single Rider was closed all day, I think. We checked back a few times and never saw it open.

Sorry to hear your cupcake wasn't as good as usual ... but it's chocolate peanut butter, so even if it's bad, it's still awesome.

It was still very good. I'll get another next time.

Sorry you couldn't find the Christmas Sweater T-Shirt ... I find that it is harder to find the larger sizes sometimes. I guess they sell out faster ...

Yeah, I needed XL, and had no luck finding it. Saw a couple of L's but really S and M was all they had in abundance.

 

[SarahDisney]

And I wasn't calm. I was pretty frustrated and I was voicing it a bit. Not one of my finer mornings.

Is it mean that this made me feel better? I hate when people are so calm when everything is going down ... it makes me feel bad when I get annoyed. You're only human, and humans are allowed to get frustrated sometimes.

Yeah, I needed XL, and had no luck finding it. Saw a couple of L's but really S and M was all they had in abundance.

Sometimes they have the larger sizes in the back, but not always (and sometimes it's hard to track down a CM to ask). I've had to track down CMs and ask a few times when I was looking for a large ... sometimes they have it, sometimes I have to settle for the medium.