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

[Dugette]

I’m with you on putting off updating until figuring out the new DIS! There are a couple of things where I’m waiting to see if they fix them or not. (Plus, I’ve had a really busy/late work week AND am sick, so there’s that too). Glad you worked up the courage to do an update!


Wow, what a coaster-filled morning!


Whoa, line-cutting at the treehouse, huh? People get crazy at Disney.

 

[shan23877]

How could you? Cutting in line at the treehouse? You should be ashamed of yourself!

I am always slow to get ready in the morning-except at WDW. It's too important! I'm sure you were frustrated.

Love your DD's sparkly Minnie dress! Adorable!

The back and forth with FP+ is rough. I'm sure if I sat down and plotted things out I could do it better than I did last time, but since you only get more once you've used the first 3 I feel compelled to squeeze them all in early. Add that to dining and park day planning 6 months out and planning these trips is exhausting!

I am with you boys, I LOVE BTMRR! So much fun!

Can't wait to hear what happens next!

 

[afwdwfan]

Keep fighting the good fight, Andy.

It feels like a losing one though...

That's my fear every single time we get to a bus stop there.

Heck, that's my expectation.

Wow, you're really a glutton for punishment there.

If it keeps the 2 year old happy, it's what you do.

And by the way, I can at least get by with holding the wheel steady so we at least aren't spinning on that axis.

Gotta say, from the picture you don't seem to be too thrilled about it either.

Yeah, not the best picture is it? I kind of spaced on the camera. I wanted to do something funny, but it ended up being more of an "oh crap, I forgot."

I can answer that, if you really want me to.

Hey, he's a boy who notices and enjoys the details. Future Imagineer.

I can support that career ambition.

Ok, I'm sorry, but I couldn't help but burst out laughing at this. You're worried about the line, at all places, for the Swiss Family Treehouse? I was there in the middle of peak season in July and didn't even see a line there. Wow.

I know. Really. It was just ridiculous. She really must have been having a rough day.

Great shot!

Thanks. (I didn't take it)

Congratulations! You're going through the aging process!

Yeah, yeah... I know.

Andy,
Sorry I am a month behind...all caught up now.
I felt the way you did at HS...too crowded!!

Yeah, it was just crazy. Everybody must have decided they needed to go there that evening.

Love that Pixie Dust...A room upgrade to a Cars Suite

Yeah... it was really amazing. Always nice to get exactly what you wanted all along without ever even having to ask.

Hope your back is improving and that you had a great time in California. We loved it when we went in 2008.

The medicine they gave me helped. My back was probably back to about 100% by the time we got to Disneyland. We had a good trip, but definitely had our share of hiccups.

We rode the bus one day this trip but drove all the others. Was much more convienient with the wheelchair and Morgan can score on Parking spacesCan't wait for more and I hope I keep up this time.
Lee

It is a tough call sometimes. The bus can be a huge advantage for getting to MK, but sometimes you just never know what kind of lines you'll run into waiting for the bus when you're ready to leave. I basically just assume that whatever mode of transportation I choose, it will be the wrong call.

Seems like Tea Cups first thing is a habit with you guys!

I'm telling you, it was her favorite ride. She was always asking and I was always promising we'd do it later. Gotta make good on the promise at some point!

For the record - I didn't have very much swinging when I went on it, and my sister and I are almost the same size. Although that might have been in part due to the people in front of us (a mom and kid if I remember correctly ... so there was a weight differential there).

Yeah, I kind of watched the cars to see if I noticed it, but I really didn't see a lot.

Good thing he didn't do it then - that ride is not good for people who don't like the dark. I always use it as "proof" that I'm not afraid of the dark - if I was afraid of the dark, I wouldn't love Space Mountain quite so much.

Good point.

Sounds like a smart plan, really.

It is... and isn't. My plan was to use FP+ to try to knock out the other headliners that morning since we'd done Fantasyland the day prior. It worked, but it was a lot of excessive walking.

AWESOME! That is so hysterical & adorable!

I love the "silly" pictures ... and I love DD's Minnie dress!

Thanks! She had plenty of Minnie and princess outfits for this trip... I think we were all covered in glitter by the end of the week.

Um, I think crazy might be an appropriate word as well. You can't cut someone who is not on line. Seriously, people, act like humans.

Yeah, she was a little over the top. But whatever. I really didn't care, it was just kind of funny.

I love this picture!!

Thanks... I didn't take it, but thanks.

So, I guess you'll be flying down next trip?
That or you're getting old. I've found that lately I haven't been doing as well on no sleep as I used to back when I was younger.

No. I'm getting old. And after I talk about our California trip, you'll see that we have no plans to fly with our kids until they're like 20.

 

[afwdwfan]

Hi Andy! A first time reader of your TRs here! Looks like a fun trip so far, you're little ones are adorable! You are right about Epcot being cold in the winter, we had to leave on a particularly chilly night in November because we just couldn't warm up!

Welcome! Glad you stopped by! I knew I was on to something. I'm getting a lot of agreement about that EPCOT cold factor.

Yes...but he's most likely to do what ever he wants and not fuss about the things we're doing.

Good point.

I've noticed that too. For the first time since the board switch I'm seeing my signature.

Hmm... I never had trouble with my signature. But I've had some other batty things going on. Truthfully, I think the switch has gone relatively well. I haven't noticed any major issues, just some minor bugs here and there... and the fact that I've got to figure out a new set of tools to use.

All caught up- brave soul on the tiki room. Hubs refused this trip, he said once was enough for a lifetime!

You know, it isn't at the top of my must do list, by any means. But I've been going to Disney World since I was 3. Everybody loves the Tiki Room when they're little, so I don't mind going back. Yeah, it's cheesy and basically a chance to rest now, but it is still classic Disney.

You DD is the cutest, I loved her outfit for MK. I appreciate the play area near splash for the non riding kids, better than chasing them around the streets I guess

Thanks! Yeah, that play area is nice. I'm glad they have places like that in the parks for the little kids.

I am with you on rope drop! As far back as I can remember we have always gone to the parks at opening, but we're morning people!

I am a morning person too. But even if you aren't you can do more in the first hour the parks are open than you can do in a whole afternoon. It is a no brainer.

The picture of you and DS on 7DMT are really cute; he looks so pumped. I've been hearing it's too short, which stinks, but I'm still psyched to go!

Thanks. He loved the train with the jewels, as he called it. It really is a lot shorter than I thought it would be. I guess I expected more indoor scenes with characters than it had, but it really was a fun ride. I guess I wouldn't say I was disappointed in the least.

SM would probably have scred DS if he's afraid of the dark. Sis had a flip out in the queue one year cause of the dark, I feel like it got darker in the mid 1990s. And what's up with the dude in the first row on your SM pic?

I think it got quite a bit darker even 3 or 4 years ago when they did the last refurb where they added the games to the queue.

Poor DD not being tall enough, I remember those days, well not personally, but I remember when Sis was too short!

She'll get there one of these days. We try to use that to convince her to eat when she doesn't want to.

What a cow at SFRTH. What is wrong with people? You're in the happiest place on earth, take a chill pill.

I just thought it was humorous that she was so worked up about "cutting" at that attraction in particular.

Hey, I'm with DW. Vacations are for sleeping in.

Unless you're at WDW. Then get your butt out of bed and make it to Rope Drop!

This trip will be the first time we try to make RD. I know my boys will be ready and willing. I just hope I can drag myself out of the room.

Good luck!

The look on the guy's face on your Space Mountain ride?

That was pretty classic.

It stinks to get old, doesn't it? Those all-nighters aren't as easy as they were in college.

I'm going to say 33 is the magical age. I'm getting hurt doing nothing, can't handle lack of sleep like I used to... just getting rough.

 

[afwdwfan]

Ok... I think this catches me up on replies. This new format screws with my eyes a little bit so if I missed you let me know.

I’m with you on putting off updating until figuring out the new DIS! There are a couple of things where I’m waiting to see if they fix them or not. (Plus, I’ve had a really busy/late work week AND am sick, so there’s that too). Glad you worked up the courage to do an update!

Yuck... I hope you get better and things calm down.

I always try to type my updates in word so I can save and modify them. Then I just copy and paste them here. I had all the format codes saved to my word document so I just have to update the text and picture links when I do a new update. Everything I did before translated over to the new format fine except the "center" code around the pictures, so it was really fairly painless. I expected more problems than I had.

Wow, what a coaster-filled morning!

Yes, it was!

Whoa, line-cutting at the treehouse, huh? People get crazy at Disney.

I know, I know... I shouldn't have been in such a hurry.

How could you? Cutting in line at the treehouse? You should be ashamed of yourself!

Hey, by letting her go in front of us, It cost us a whole 30 seconds! Do you have any idea how critical that time is in Disney World???

I am always slow to get ready in the morning-except at WDW. It's too important! I'm sure you were frustrated.

Love your DD's sparkly Minnie dress! Adorable!

Thanks. She has plenty of Disney princessy dresses as you'll see. And all our clothes ended up covered in glitter. But I'm not telling you anything you don't know...

The back and forth with FP+ is rough. I'm sure if I sat down and plotted things out I could do it better than I did last time, but since you only get more once you've used the first 3 I feel compelled to squeeze them all in early. Add that to dining and park day planning 6 months out and planning these trips is exhausting!

You're absolutely right. That's exactly the process I was going through and fighting with in planning our days and FP+. On top of that, they changed the park hours and opened MK an hour earlier after our FP+ reservations were made, so I was even going back trying to reschedule some of them.

I am with you boys, I LOVE BTMRR! So much fun!

I still say that RnRC is my all around favorite, but BTMRR is hands down number 2 and my MK favorite.

Can't wait to hear what happens next!

Thanks. I'm going to work on it later today. Don't know when it will be posted, but I'm going to at least get started on it.

 

[SarahDisney]

No. I'm getting old. And after I talk about our California trip, you'll see that we have no plans to fly with our kids until they're like 20.

I remember that you mentioned they didn't do so well on the flight there. I guess they weren't much better on the flight home...

Ok... I think this catches me up on replies. This new format screws with my eyes a little bit so if I missed you let me know.

New format is definitely an adjustment ... but I'm sure you'll adjust eventually (maybe)!

 

[KatMark]

Who Needs Rope Drop??


Ok, the new DIS is screwing with me... I've been putting off posting this for 2 days, but here it goes. And if you've posted an update this week that I've not found yet, I apologize. I like some of the changes they've made, but I'm still struggling with some details. I'm sure we'll all get there eventually!

Those of you who have followed my past TR’s know that I am very adamant about rope drop being one of the most important details when it comes to touring Disney World. I always hit rope drop. After day 1, MiL was even commenting later in the morning that it was a good thing we got there when we did to get so much done before the lines built up. DW, I know, agrees with me and knows it is important.

Yet somehow, getting her out of bed in time for it is still next to impossible.

If she understands this, why is it so hard to get her out of bed? It's not like you are newbies.

Thanks to the fact that we had 2 bathrooms in the suite, I was able to give the kids a bath while DW showered. Or so I thought. The kids and I were ready and eating our breakfast. MiL and FiL were ready to go and sitting on the kids’ bed waiting. DW… well, she was eventually ready to go.

I decided since we were off to a later start that we’d just take the bus instead of driving. We were going to MK and as much as I hate taking our stroller on the bus, I figured we’d have to park pretty far back if we drove and then we’d have to go through the TTC, so the bus seemed like the most efficient option.

Smart move.


The park opened at 8 am which is just about the time that we were entering the line for the bus at AoA. Just as we got in line a bus pulled up, but there were enough people in front of us that we were the first family cut off from being able to get on. Thankfully, a pretty big line had already formed behind us and they had one of the new articulated buses pulling into the MK stop literally seconds after the bus pulled away. We got on and I told DW to take the kids to find a seat while I stood off to the side with the stroller. I think we were on our way by about 8:30 or so.

Not too bad considering.

We got into the park and kind of took our time heading in. We had FP+ for 7DMT at 9:05 and since it was close to time, I figured we’d just make that the first stop. We parked the stroller and went to get rider swap. MiL, FiL, DW and DS went on ahead to ride while I waited with DD.


Wanna guess what we did while we waited?


If you guessed Tea Cups… you would be correct. It worked out really well. We finished riding the Tea Cups and walked back over to 7DMT just as everyone else was walking out the exit. DS and I headed into the mine for a ride.

She likes her Tea Cups for sure.

​

Great pic. Did you get the video?

I have to say that I really enjoyed the ride. I thought it was fun, but while I had heard it was short, I didn’t realize how short it was until I experienced it. I really do wish it was longer, but it is a fun ride and makes a nice transition coaster between Barnstormer and BTMRR.

As I said, it fits in perfectly in the New Fantasyland.

As for the swinging cars… if you weigh about 230 and ride with your 4 year old son, that car ain’t swinging. You’re going to be spending the entire ride tilting slightly to the side that your fat butt is on.

That explains why our car didn't swing.

While we were riding everyone else headed off to ride Barnstormer with hardly any wait. I called when we couldn’t find them at the stroller or Tea Cups and they were just getting off. I told them to meet us near the Tea Cups and we’d head over to Space Mountain.

DS was just tall enough to ride Space, but he is terrified of dark. I told him exactly what the ride was and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to ride or not. We went ahead to check his height, and he was tall enough, but still uncertain. Since he wasn’t sure, DW and I told MiL and FiL to go ahead. We didn’t have FP+ so they were going into the Standby line with a 15 minute posted wait. We grabbed a Rider Swap pass and continued talking to DS about whether he wanted to ride or not. MiL and FiL got back and DS decided he’d try it. When we walked to the entrance though, he must have been slouching because even though he was tall enough 20 minutes earlier, he wasn’t tall enough now. He went back over to MiL and FiL and DW and I continued on into the queue. In hindsight, it really is best that he didn’t ride. Because when I say he doesn’t like the dark, he really, really doesn’t like the dark. I don’t think he’d have enjoyed it very much as we’d learn from another experience later.

Probably a very good thing.

​

After our trip through space, our next FP+ was for BTMRR. Nothing like walking clear across the park folks.


Who’s the idiot who came up with this idea?




Again, we grabbed a rider swap. DD and I waited, as usual, while everyone else rode. We headed over to Splash to check on the line, but it was closed. I took her to the play area under the railroad station, but we were only there a few minutes before she needed a diaper. We took care of that and then headed back over to the BTMRR exit area in time to see everyone else riding.

They finished and DS and I headed off to ride again with the Rider Swap. DD wasn’t very happy about it. She wanted to ride and the explanation that she isn’t tall enough didn’t sit very well. DW finally distracted her somehow and DS and I went to ride.

She should be tall enough next trip, yes?

He really loves BTMRR just about as much as I do. It was a lot of fun riding it with him! His favorite part?

The possum that hangs from the tree branch.

Yes, that is what BTMRR is if you ask him… it’s the train with the possum in the tree.

Well at least he remember what is on each ride.

Splash Mountain was still closed, so we decided we might as well grab some lunch since it was about 11 am. We headed back to the stroller and took some silly pictures…

​

Great moments...you can see they are having a lot of fun.

Then we decided we’d go try out Tortuga Tavern. This was the first time we’ve ever been there, and I have to say, I enjoyed it. I had a burrito and they have a fixin’s bar very similar to that at Peco’s Bill. I loaded my burrito to the point that I could barely fold the tortilla up. But it was good, I’d definitely go back if I ever see it open again. DW had the taco salad and enjoyed hers as well.

I don't think that has ever been open when I've been there.

When we finished eating we went to use our FP+ for pirates, only to find out it was closed. We planned to take a break and return to MK later, so I got on the app and rescheduled for later that evening.

We hadn’t seen the Tiki Birds yet, so we decided this was as good a time as any to see it. It is a fun show. I enjoy getting off my feet for a while, and the kids absolutely love it. After the birds made us disappear, we naturally had to ride the Magic Carpets since they were right there. It was still just after noon but we decided that we should probably head out of the park and try to take a longer break.

It's a corny show, but it's "Disney" and we enjoy it.

On the way out we thought we’d try to see the Swiss Family Tree House though. DW had never been on it and it had been years since I had. I can’t say that I missed it, but it was nice to walk through and check it out.

We did get yelled at by some lady as we were approaching the entrance. Obviously, there was no line… we walked up to the entrance and started to walk in, but she yelled at us for cutting…

She was standing several feet back from the entrance waiting on someone to join her group so they could go in and she apparently felt like we were cutting. You know, since there were maybe already 20 in the attraction, I guess the thought of 6 more in front of her group was just unbearable, so let’s just create a log jam here in the middle of the walkway at the entrance. I really didn’t care and we had the kids so I knew we’d be slow so I let her go, but seriously, whatever… Can you say Beeotch?


I know I did.

I would have said it loud enough for her to hear me.


We toured the treehouse and headed out of the park. I don’t remember if this picture was taken on our way out for this break, but let’s just say it was since this update could use another picture…

​

Awesome picture, Andy.

We got on a bus with plenty of seats for all of us and were quickly on our way. We had about 3 hours to spend back at AoA, but here’s how tired I was. Normally if we have a 2 or 3 hour break, I wait until DW and the kids lay down for naps and I’m out the door. This time, I might have been the first one asleep. The drive through the night on our way down really took a little more out of me this trip than it has in trips past.



[/QUOTE]

​

Glad you got a bus right away. Obviously you needed that nap as well as the kids.

​

​

 

[afwdwfan]

If she understands this, why is it so hard to get her out of bed? It's not like you are newbies.

That's the million dollar question. She agrees with me about getting there for the first couple of hours and take a break mid day, but the execution is lacking.

Smart move.

Every once in a while...

Not too bad considering.

I guess not. But we were still over an hour behind schedule.

She likes her Tea Cups for sure.

Well at least he remember what is on each ride.

That he does. Usually the most obscure detail.

Great moments...you can see they are having a lot of fun.

They were having a good time and actually getting along for each other for once.

I don't think that has ever been open when I've been there.

I've seen it open once before. We were walking by just after we finished eating at Pecos Bill's and made a note to come back later in the week. Every time we returned, it was closed.

Glad you got a bus right away. Obviously you needed that nap as well as the kids.

Yeah... that was just weird. I never nap.

 

[franandaj]

That's too bad you didn't get quite as early a start as you wanted but at least others in your party saw the light And I hope that helped for future rope drop days. That is so frustrating to get cut off and have to wait for the next bus, at least it wasn't a long wait.

The 7DMT is a fun little coaster. I've only rode it with "other" folks and I seem to remember it swaying just fine. I'll have to pay attention to that when I ride it in a couple months!

Sorry your DD didn't take the "not tall enough" excuse very well, but soon she will be there and you can always remind her of that day when she gets older.

Lunch sounded pretty good we are always looking for new places to eat at MK, seems it has a limited amount of choices and we always end up at the same places.

Beautiful castle shot!

 

[natebenma]

Rope drop is an absolute must for us- fortunately we have always been early risers typically both at home and on vacation, even the teens, so getting to park for opening is not a problem. Even at Harry Potter World and Disneyland with 7 am openings. However it is not easy for us to make it to park closing.

Wow! The teacups! I can't do that one at all.

Glad your son enjoyed the Mine Train. Sounds like a good call on Space Mtn, though.

I love the ride with the possum hanging from the tree, too! Your little guy has great taste.

The silly pictures are too precious!

Ever since my traumatic incident at the Tiki Birds where I lost my son (while he was in my arms), I haven't been able to face that attraction again. Yeah. That's my story.

Just don't cut in front of me when I NEED to see the Swiss Family kitchen, NOW!

Nice job hitting Tortuga Tavern when it was open. I hear it is kind of on Brigadoon hours.

Gorgeous picture of the castle, whoever took it.

 

[jedijill]

Resubscribing. Looks like a fun morning at MK even though you had to wait and missed rope drop.

Jill in CO

 

[afwdwfan]

That's too bad you didn't get quite as early a start as you wanted but at least others in your party saw the light And I hope that helped for future rope drop days. That is so frustrating to get cut off and have to wait for the next bus, at least it wasn't a long wait.

Yeah... we'll see how much it helps...

The 7DMT is a fun little coaster. I've only rode it with "other" folks and I seem to remember it swaying just fine. I'll have to pay attention to that when I ride it in a couple months!

I didn't notice it too much when I looked at other cars. I just remember getting in with DS, particularly the time we rode with the other seat in our car empty... and we just leaned to my side pretty much the whole time.

Sorry your DD didn't take the "not tall enough" excuse very well, but soon she will be there and you can always remind her of that day when she gets older.

She might get taller one of these days. She isn't very big for her age. She acts older than she is, but there are kids a year younger than her who are taller than she is.

Lunch sounded pretty good we are always looking for new places to eat at MK, seems it has a limited amount of choices and we always end up at the same places.

It was good. We'd wanted to try it for a while, and I was glad we finally had a chance. It didn't disappoint.

Beautiful castle shot!

Thanks. DW took it.

Rope drop is an absolute must for us- fortunately we have always been early risers typically both at home and on vacation, even the teens, so getting to park for opening is not a problem. Even at Harry Potter World and Disneyland with 7 am openings. However it is not easy for us to make it to park closing.

The 7am EMH at Disneyland was a struggle for us... even though I was still on Easter time and I was up at like 3:30 am.

Park close can be tough if you're there all day from RD to close. That used to be how I rolled, but since we had the kids, we always try to work in a break to make it to park close.

Wow! The teacups! I can't do that one at all.

Dramamine helps considerably.

Glad your son enjoyed the Mine Train. Sounds like a good call on Space Mtn, though.

Yeah, probably worked out for the best.

I love the ride with the possum hanging from the tree, too! Your little guy has great taste.

The silly pictures are too precious!

Thanks! It was just one of those fun moments.

Ever since my traumatic incident at the Tiki Birds where I lost my son (while he was in my arms), I haven't been able to face that attraction again. Yeah. That's my story.

Just don't cut in front of me when I NEED to see the Swiss Family kitchen, NOW!

It's not like it has been sitting in the same spot for 40 years or so...

Nice job hitting Tortuga Tavern when it was open. I hear it is kind of on Brigadoon hours.

Yeah, I hope they're going to try to keep it open more now. I mean, we weren't there on a week that was considered "busy" by crowd standards, but who knows...

Gorgeous picture of the castle, whoever took it.

Thanks. It was DW. Most of the pictures are hers or from Photopass. I only took a few with my phone, mostly at the resort.

Resubscribing. Looks like a fun morning at MK even though you had to wait and missed rope drop.

Yeah, we managed to have a good morning despite the late start.

 

[afwdwfan]

Somebody’s Gonna Pee In a Cup
I'm probably not going to be around much tomorrow or this weekend... so you get 2 updates in 2 days.


I napped for a little more than an hour and decided to go get something to drink and grab a snack. I walked to the Ink and Paint shop to look around and ended up buying an Art of Animation magnet. I then went into Landscape of Flavors to get a snack and fill some mugs at the drink station. I ended up with a Mickey cupcake… it was pretty good.

On the way back, I passed MiL and FiL. They were out walking around the resort and heading to get their mugs filled as well. I told them I was headed back to get everyone ready and we’d leave at about 4:15.

We didn’t have any issues with getting everyone awake from naps and ready to go. We were refreshed and on our way to Wilderness Lodge for dinner at Whispering Canyon!

We love visiting WL. We stayed there in 2011 and it is still my favorite resort. AoA is a close second now, but I just love WL. We always make it a point to visit there, especially around Christmas time to see the big tree. We’ve had great meals and experiences at WCC, so it is always convenient to eat dinner there and spend some time at WL.

Our ADR was at 5PM. Since it was the first seating for dinner, we were quickly led in to our table. Our server (I don’t remember her name) was very good and attentive to us, but she wasn’t really getting in on the shenanigans of some of the other servers. Truthfully, that was just fine with us. We just wanted to eat a nice dinner, but it was entertaining watching a couple of the other servers in the area. They were in rare form.

We all had the skillet with the bottomless milkshake for our drink under the dining plan. It was good, but the food wasn’t quite as good as on our previous trips. The ribs are usually my favorite part of the meal, but they were just a little overcooked and too dry. The sausage was probably my favorite of the meats this time around, and it is usually not something I eat too much of. I think DS ate just about all of the corn. DD, for some unknown reason, loves salad. I think she basically got a plate full of salad and that was what she had to eat. They brought out the dessert platter at the end and this time we all had enough appetite left to finish it off. I don’t remember what it was and we didn’t get food pictures so I think it is safe to say it was nothing outstanding, but it wasn’t bad either.

All in all, I love WCC, and we’ll definitely be back. We’ve always had exceptional service there, this time included. But the food wasn’t as good as past visits. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t quite as good as what we’re used to having.

After dinner, we headed into the gift shop and walked around the lobby a bit.

We headed out past the pool and saw the new splash area they were still in the process of completing. It wasn’t close to time for the geyser so we went on down to the dock to wait for a boat. We arrived just as a boat was pulling away. So we waited. And we waited. And watched 2 boats come and go for the Fort Wilderness/Contemporary loop. And finally a boat came to the dock for MK. But it was one of the small ones. Not nearly big enough to fit everyone waiting on the dock, but we were lucky enough to make it on board. Since it was a small boat, we had to get the kids out of the stroller and by the time we boarded there were no seats with an open area in front of them. So I sat with a folded double stroller in my lap.

We had an uneventful cruise to MK and made it in the park just in time to catch the tail end of the 6:45 Dream Along With Mickey, so we decided to stake out a spot for the 7:30 Frozen Holiday Wish. We didn’t have an ideal view, but we were able to get near the center of the hub where the kids could sit on our shoulders and see the show. And yes, DD was excited that Awful played a big role in this show.

I have to say, that while it seems odd that Elsa lights Cinderella’s castle instead of the Fairy Godmother, I think this show was very well done and amazing to see. I loved how they integrated the projections and the lights to give the castle the effect of being frozen.

After Elsa finished freezing the castle, it was time for our Pirates FP+. We headed over and holy cow… I don’t think I’d ever seen as big of a line as there was then. I think the standby was posted at 30 minutes, but we’d just walk right past those suckers with our FP+.

Or so I thought. We ended up waiting 20 minutes to get on a boat in the FP line. It was nuts. I’d assume it was partially due to the ride being closed earlier, maybe? But I did notice the lines tended to be fairly long there the whole week. FP+ has not been kind to this ride, that is for certain.

We enjoyed the cruise. Well, the adults did. We had to point out funny things to DS to keep him distracted. Again… dark ride.

Despite all that, it was still Pirates, and one of my favorite rides. Being a classic Disney ride, MiL and FiL were both pretty excited, I think, to have ridden it. They had nothing but good things to say about it.

It was probably around 8:30 so we decided to go find a spot to see the Main Street Electric Parade, since it was our main objective for the evening. Main Street was pretty crowded when we entered the park to see the Frozen show, so we figured it was probably going to be packed by a half hour before the parade. Instead, we cut across to Frontierland and found a front row spot near Country Bear Jamboree.

After we secured our spot, MiL and FiL sat down next to the stroller while DW and I headed off to grab some snacks. We were near the tail end of the parade, so it took a while to get to us, but we had a great spot to watch it and I know we didn’t wait near as long as we would have on Main Street. The parade was fun and the kids enjoyed it, but I’ll just let the pictures do the talking… since this is one of the few things that actually got photographed.

After the parade ended, we decided to head over to Main Street and find a spot to watch the projection show and Wishes. On our way there, CM’s re-routed us through the backstage area, just after we got past Crystal Palace. We told them we weren’t trying to exit, and that we just wanted to go to Main Street. We were basically told to just go that way anyway and then we could head back up Main Street from Town Square… so we ventured backstage for the first time ever. Definitely kills a little bit of the magic, but oh well.

As we were walking backstage we could hear the projection show starting. So much for our plans…

We got to Town Square and the projection show was still going. We found a spot off to the side near the Christmas tree. Not ideal, but we could see the castle and at least hear the soundtrack. The crowd cleared out a little bit after the projection show ended, so we moved a little bit to find a spot a little more central. We found an area with some space around us. Naturally, right before Wishes started, someone with a balloon parked themselves right in front of us. They didn’t hang around too long though and we were able to enjoy the show.

Wishes is probably my favorite show at Disney World. I love the soundtrack and the fireworks. I love the perimeter fireworks of Holiday Wishes, but the soundtrack of Wishes is just something special. We always have to see Wishes at least once during a trip, even if we’ll be at the Christmas party another night.

When the fireworks ended, we headed straight for the exit and we had a head start on the crowd since we were already in Town Square. We headed back down to the boat docks to catch a boat to Wilderness Lodge. There were only a few people in line in front of us, and there was already a boat sitting at the dock. I didn’t know it at the time, but it turns out they were doing a shift change and a new captain was taking control of the boat.

Thankfully, this was one of the bigger boats so we could just roll the stroller into the boat. I headed to the open area in the middle of the boat where they have the doors on the side so there’s some extra space between the rows. I stood there with the stroller while DW, MiL and FiL got a seat in the back row of the boat. We loaded up and a crew member (we’ll call him Gilligan) leaned out the front door to undo the ropes. The captain (we’ll call him Skipper) was moving the boat to give Gilligan some slack to work with. Gilligan got the rope free, but he was still hanging halfway out the door when the motors gunned and the boat headed straight forward.

This is odd. I don’t remember this ever happening before.

The engines slowed, but I could see we were still moving towards the wall at the edge of the lake. We were going to crash into the MK!

I looked at Gilligan, and he’s still standing next to a wide open door with rope in his hand and a perplexed look on his face.

Clearly, this isn’t supposed to be happening.

Skipper fired the engines up again and we started to turn just slightly.

Ok, maybe we’re just going to do a 180 and turn around… I’m not sure there’s enough room, but the guy driving this boat is a pro, right???

Right???

The engine slows down and then Skipper guns it again. Our forward momentum stopped and we were running wide open in reverse.

When we got back to WL, someone sitting in the front of the boat said he was braced for impact at this point, and we couldn’t have been more than 6 inches away from hitting the wall before we started backing up..

Remember that slight turn I’d mentioned? Yeah, we no longer had open water behind us.
FiL said he looked at me and could see in my eyes that something was about to happen…

I was standing there watching and we were headed straight for the dock we just left. I had one hand gripping the stroller and another holding on tight to the seat in front of me.

All of a sudden… BOOOM!!

We slammed into the dock and the platform that you walk out on to board the boat rose about 2 feet out of the water. Everybody who was half asleep on the boat was now very much awake.

I was prepared for it, and able to maintain my balance. DS just about fell out of the stroller, but he was fine. There weren’t many others standing on the boat, but those of us who were, managed to stay up.

Skipper regained control of the boat and slowly got us back in line with the dock and Gilligan tied us back up.

2 men who looked to be fairly important were running down the dock towards the boat. One got on the boat and went straight up the stairs to Skipper. The other walked through the boat and talked to all the passengers asking if everyone was ok. Thankfully there were no injuries.

I’m worried at this point, because we just wanted to get back to the room and get to bed. I figured we’d be forced to get off the boat and ride a bus or wait for another boat or something like that at the very least. Another thought that crossed my mind was that with Disney and any concern about liability, they might make everyone get checked out by a medic or something. I just wasn’t sure at all what to expect.

The CM who came through the boat was hanging over the back, apparently surveying the damage, while the other was still upstairs with Skipper. FiL caught my attention and asked if we were ok. I just nodded my head and started laughing. That is when I nodded towards the front of the boat and said “ I think somebody’s gonna get to go pee in a cup tonight.”


So, now you have the TR title story. I’m sorry to disappoint some of you.


The CM’s apparently determined that the boat was still safe to operate. The 2 who came on the boat, ushered Skipper off and a new captain came on board to take us safely to WL with no more problems. We even got to see the Electric Water Pageant as we sailed right past it.

As we were pulling away from the dock, I could see Skipper and the 2 men who came onto the boat having a pretty animated conversation. I’d hate to be that guy right about then.

We made it back to Wilderness Lodge and quickly we were on our way back to AoA. We had a smooth drive, but the parking lot was pretty full. The kids were asleep, so I drove everyone up to our building so they wouldn’t have to walk as far. I went out and parked the Suburban and took this picture on the way back in. I really do love AoA.

 

[jedijill]

Love WL especially at Christmas! MK decorated for Christmas is one of my favorite sights. That is a crazy story about the boat! Glad no one was hurt and I think you were right about someone peeing in a cup!

Jill in CO

 

[SarahDisney]

We didn’t have any issues with getting everyone awake from naps and ready to go.

That's always a good thing!

Our ADR was at 5PM. Since it was the first seating for dinner, we were quickly led in to our table. Our server (I don’t remember her name) was very good and attentive to us, but she wasn’t really getting in on the shenanigans of some of the other servers. Truthfully, that was just fine with us. We just wanted to eat a nice dinner, but it was entertaining watching a couple of the other servers in the area. They were in rare form.

I've never done WCC, but one day I want to go just to watch the server/guest interactions (I would definitely want the server who doesn't get into too much, though)/

All in all, I love WCC, and we’ll definitely be back. We’ve always had exceptional service there, this time included. But the food wasn’t as good as past visits. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t quite as good as what we’re used to having.

Sorry to hear the food wasn't good, but glad you enjoyed!

And yes, DD was excited that Awful played a big role in this show.

Yay! More Awful!

Or so I thought. We ended up waiting 20 minutes to get on a boat in the FP line. It was nuts. I’d assume it was partially due to the ride being closed earlier, maybe? But I did notice the lines tended to be fairly long there the whole week. FP+ has not been kind to this ride, that is for certain.

Hmm ... when I did it with FP+ there was no line (and we went out in a half-empty boat, but that's a different story). I'm thinking the earlier closure may have been at least a partial reason.

It was probably around 8:30 so we decided to go find a spot to see the Main Street Electric Parade, since it was our main objective for the evening. Main Street was pretty crowded when we entered the park to see the Frozen show, so we figured it was probably going to be packed by a half hour before the parade. Instead, we cut across to Frontierland and found a front row spot near Country Bear Jamboree.

I love watching MSEP from Fronteirland - I think it's a little less crowded than Main Street and even though the parade gets there later, it's still a great place to sit and watch (unless you have a bunch of high school kids sitting behind you constantly repeating "Red Robin ... yum" - that happened to me once). You got some great pictures from the parade!

That is when I nodded towards the front of the boat and said “ I think somebody’s gonna get to go pee in a cup tonight.”

Huh. I was assuming drunk, but I guess that's also a possibility. Either way, definitely seems like he was either impaired or had no idea how to drive the boat.

We even got to see the Electric Water Pageant as we sailed right past it.

Nice fringe benefit of the boat crash ... I guess that's the silver lining here!

As we were pulling away from the dock, I could see Skipper and the 2 men who came onto the boat having a pretty animated conversation. I’d hate to be that guy right about then.

Yeah ... I'm guessing he wasn't getting any bonuses for that shift's work.

Sounds like a good end to the night - and I love that late night AoA picture!

 

[princessbelle2015]

You accomplished a lot of things at MK. Your picture of the castle at night is beautiful. I am glad everyone on the boat was okay. I work at a Marian and you would be surprised at the number of people who run into and on top of docks.

 

[cstorm65]

You all had a great evening...and how many people can say they crashed into the Magic Kingdom boat dock?!! Glad you made it back safely though. Can't wait for more!

 

[pkondz]

Well looky here. Appears I've got a mite bit of catching up to do...

Ok, the new DIS is screwing with me... I've been putting off posting this for 2 days, but here it goes.

Better you than me!
(My turn will come soon enough! )

Yet somehow, getting her out of bed in time for it is still next to impossible.

Give it up man. You'll give yourself an ulcer!

Wanna guess what we did while we waited?

Dole Whip floats!
Frozen meet and greet!
Bungee jump off the castle!

If you guessed Tea Cups… you would be correct.

So close!

I had heard it was short, I didn’t realize how short it was until I experienced it. I really do wish it was longer, but it is a fun ride and makes a nice transition coaster between Barnstormer and BTMRR.

Hadn't heard that it was short. At least now I'll be informed vs disappointed.

As for the swinging cars… if you weigh about 230 and ride with your 4 year old son, that car ain’t swinging. You’re going to be spending the entire ride tilting slightly to the side that your fat butt is on.

Oh. Ah well, I've never been on a swinging coaster before, so I won't miss what I've never had, right?

When we walked to the entrance though, he must have been slouching because even though he was tall enough 20 minutes earlier, he wasn’t tall enough now.

Hmmmm..... that seems rather convenient, no?
"I'm not sure if I want to ride this... Oh, darn! I must've shrunk!"

He went back over to MiL and FiL and DW and I continued on into the queue. In hindsight, it really is best that he didn’t ride. Because when I say he doesn’t like the dark, he really, really doesn’t like the dark. I don’t think he’d have enjoyed it very much as we’d learn from another experience later.

Queue ominous music...

Nothing like walking clear across the park folks.

Who’s the idiot who came up with this idea?

Disney is not for the timid, or the weak, mister!!

We headed over to Splash to check on the line, but it was closed. I took her to the play area under the railroad station, but we were only there a few minutes before she needed a diaper.

Lots of people need diapers changed when they see the Splash drop, so I totally get it.

Yes, that is what BTMRR is if you ask him… it’s the train with the possum in the tree.

Then we decided we’d go try out Tortuga Tavern. This was the first time we’ve ever been there, and I have to say, I enjoyed it. I had a burrito and they have a fixin’s bar very similar to that at Peco’s Bill.

Good to know, thanks.

When we finished eating we went to use our FP+ for pirates, only to find out it was closed.

Splash and Pirates closed?
That bites.

we naturally had to ride the Magic Carpets since they were right there.

I'm sorry to hear that. I feel your pain.

We did get yelled at by some lady as we were approaching the entrance. Obviously, there was no line… we walked up to the entrance and started to walk in, but she yelled at us for cutting…

She was standing several feet back from the entrance waiting on someone to join her group so they could go in and she apparently felt like we were cutting.

I wonder what she would've said if you'd apologized and then told her to go ahead.
"I can't we're waiting for someone."
"Ah." You would say. "But we are not, buh bye."

Can you say Beeotch?

Yes. Yes I can.

I know I did.

Atta boy. (With hands placed firmly over kidlets' ears.)

Normally if we have a 2 or 3 hour break, I wait until DW and the kids lay down for naps and I’m out the door. This time, I might have been the first one asleep. The drive through the night on our way down really took a little more out of me this trip than it has in trips past.

Plus stress plus Disney plus....
Yeah. Not surprised.

We were refreshed and on our way to Wilderness Lodge for dinner at Whispering Canyon!

Woot! Great place to take kids!

We love visiting WL. We stayed there in 2011

Oooo... Colour me envious!

but she wasn’t really getting in on the shenanigans of some of the other servers. Truthfully, that was just fine with us. We just wanted to eat a nice dinner, but it was entertaining watching a couple of the other servers in the area. They were in rare form.

I was going to say, "too bad", but since you were fine with just watching, it's all good.

We headed out past the pool and saw the new splash area they were still in the process of completing.

Didn't know about that.

I have to say, that while it seems odd that Elsa lights Cinderella’s castle instead of the Fairy Godmother, I think this show was very well done and amazing to see. I loved how they integrated the projections and the lights to give the castle the effect of being frozen.

It certainly looks impressive, though.

We ended up waiting 20 minutes to get on a boat in the FP line. It was nuts. I’d assume it was partially due to the ride being closed earlier, maybe?

You're probably right.

CM’s re-routed us through the backstage area, just after we got past Crystal Palace. We told them we weren’t trying to exit, and that we just wanted to go to Main Street. We were basically told to just go that way anyway and then we could head back up Main Street from Town Square… so we ventured backstage for the first time ever. Definitely kills a little bit of the magic, but oh well.

Huh. I think I might've heard about this, but you're the first person I know that it's actually happened to.

We always have to see Wishes at least once during a trip,

the guy driving this boat is a pro, right???

Right???

All of a sudden… BOOOM!!

We slammed into the dock and the platform that you walk out on to board the boat rose about 2 feet out of the water. Everybody who was half asleep on the boat was now very much awake.

Holy smokes!

That is when I nodded towards the front of the boat and said “ I think somebody’s gonna get to go pee in a cup tonight.”

So that's where the title's from!

So, now you have the TR title story. I’m sorry to disappoint some of you.

Not at all! That's funny!

The 2 who came on the boat, ushered Skipper off and a new captain came on board to take us safely to WL with no more problems.
As we were pulling away from the dock, I could see Skipper and the 2 men who came onto the boat having a pretty animated conversation. I’d hate to be that guy right about then.

Perhaps they keel hauled him?
Ever been told what that actually was?
Not pleasant.
Thanks for the update(s)!

 

[franandaj]

Sorry that WCC wasn't all it used to be. Seems like a lot of that is going around. We're having breakfast there Ina couple months, first time dining there.

Sounds like a jam packed night at MK, but that boat crash sounds crazy! I totally relate to the TR title, kind of like the time we got stuck in a Disney elevator, you never think about the last time you went unless all of a sudden you have no options!

Nice you finally made it home and not too late.

 

[Dugette]

I always try to type my updates in word so I can save and modify them. Then I just copy and paste them here. I had all the format codes saved to my word document so I just have to update the text and picture links when I do a new update. Everything I did before translated over to the new format fine except the "center" code around the pictures, so it was really fairly painless. I expected more problems than I had.

I type most of my updates in Word too, but there were some conversion issues (apparently) with punctuation that came over from Word, so some of my posts are pretty messed-up looking. Either a bunch of characters instead of an apostrophe or no punctuation at all (and some are fine ). There is a thread on the tech support board about it, so I'm hopeful that they can fix it. If you look at my last post on my PTR from before the conversion, you'll see what I mean. That is smart to save the format codes in Word. I never did that, but I could also format my posts in my sleep after all these TRs in the same exact font.