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

[Steppesister]

Finished brushing up on why hummingbirds hum. Who knew?!

I think you had a marvelous morning at MK! Who doesn't like the Tea Cups, or the TTA, or The Laugh Floor?! All worthy contenders for perfect rides to start the day.

I need to do a BUNCH more research on BOG, and lunch there is sounding actually quite tempting. Over dinner that is. The venue itself sounds (and looks) amazing.

Your FP fiasco sounds like a total PITA. I hope that by the time my trip rolls around things will change so that completely blocked out shenanigans aren't still happening.

Great to get to hang out here for a small spell! Hope all is well in your world, Andy!

 

[RGirl]

There were no pictures of the packing job this time. We had to rearrange things so we could get the stroller out when we arrived at the parks and that meant closing the hatch as quick as possible while things were still in motion and finding a place to settle.

Yeah, I know what this is like…..

Awwww - love DD with Zurg!! And then both together - even cuter!

Love the People Mover. Thinking no Space for DS was definitely the right call though!

How awesome that they used DS’s joke - he must have LOVED that. And I can only imagine how awesome it was for you that DD picked up a booger joke to tell and retell. Sweet!!!

Love your 7DMT photo!

Glad to hear that you like BoG for lunch. We had dinner there in 2013 (our last trip to WDW), and it was sadly pretty disappointing except for the decor and The Beast. I think we’ll be having lunch there this trip, so hopefully, that will be better, although Willow will be disappointed that there is no Beast (she LOVES the Beast).

Wow - what you had to go through for the A&E FP+ is disturbing. I love how you used your own personal FP+ for A&E though.

 

[afwdwfan]

This would have made me so very happy!

Yeah... I mean 40 minutes earlier and hitting rope drop would have been ideal... but I'll take it.

At least you tried and that's all that matters

Trial and error... trial and error.

What kind of meal is that? And is this something you don't have to heat up?

It is a Gerber toddler meal. Pasta and vegetables. They are intended to be heated up, but it's pre-cooked and preserved anyway, so no, we didn't heat them up in WDW. She doesn't like her food hot anyway, so even if we heat one up at home, we put it in the microwave for like 10 seconds.

Absolutely love BOG! I've now gotten to experience lunch and dinner. Aside from getting a beer with my meal at dinner, i'm leaning more towards lunch. Same atmosphere but cheaper? Yes please!

Having not tried dinner yet, this is kind of my assumption of how I'd feel about it.

Yeah, I probably wouldn't have wanted to see your DME screen either with all those FP's all over the place

It was a mess...

Great update. Mama Melrose experience sounds terrible. Glad you were able to ride Rocking Roller Coaster.

It was easily the worst meal of the trip. But yes, Fantasmic and then RnRC to finish the day really made up for it!

I'm a little behind. We went to Little Rock, Ar for a robotics regional and I'm still trying to get caught up.

Cool! Does someone in your family compete? The local 4-H program here enters a big robotics competition every year. I'm always fascinated by what they build and I wish

I hate this part of the trip.

Yeah for the monorail ride to the park. So glad it worked out this time.

It's about time!

This is so cute. My big kids like to stop for this too.

At what age does it get difficult to fit between the bars?

Love that the CM helped with his fear.

The CM's make all the difference.

Good for him. My middle child had her joke used once too.

It was pretty special to him.

This had me laughing.

I'm glad I can unintentionally entertain.

Lucky you. I had to fight with everyone else on 2/25 for our ADR. After it started working right I was able to get 2 for when we're there. I'm soooooo looking forward to this lunch. I love desert.

Awesome! I'm glad it worked out of you!

This is the perfect father/daughter time..

 

[afwdwfan]

Finished brushing up on why hummingbirds hum. Who knew?!

Well, our 4 year old (at the time) did.

I think you had a marvelous morning at MK! Who doesn't like the Tea Cups, or the TTA, or The Laugh Floor?! All worthy contenders for perfect rides to start the day.

Oh yeah. Perfect. I mean who wants to ride one of the mountains?

I need to do a BUNCH more research on BOG, and lunch there is sounding actually quite tempting. Over dinner that is. The venue itself sounds (and looks) amazing.

The venue is phenomenal. If all else fails, you need to get there to check it out. I've seen other people mentioning getting a lunch ADR just to go in and get dessert and check the place out. I think at the very least, you should consider doing that. As I've said, I haven't had dinner there, but the lunch is very good and more budget friendly.

Your FP fiasco sounds like a total PITA. I hope that by the time my trip rolls around things will change so that completely blocked out shenanigans aren't still happening.

I hope it changes, but in this case, it was just an attraction that is hugely popular and the FP+ goes fast. As long as this FP+ is in demand, I think things like that could be an issue. Thankfully, people seem to be having better luck getting them now than I had when booking ours.

Great to get to hang out here for a small spell! Hope all is well in your world, Andy!

Things are great! I'm glad you had a chance to catch your breath and Dis.

Yeah, I know what this is like…..

It's fun, isn't it?

Awwww - love DD with Zurg!! And then both together - even cuter!

I was really surprised she was the one who wanted to go get her picture taken there, after she saw the other kids doing it.

Love the People Mover. Thinking no Space for DS was definitely the right call though!

I think it was for the best.

How awesome that they used DS’s joke - he must have LOVED that. And I can only imagine how awesome it was for you that DD picked up a booger joke to tell and retell. Sweet!!!

He was excited about it. And the booger joke was kind of funny... at first.

Love your 7DMT photo!

I'm glad I didn't disappoint.

Glad to hear that you like BoG for lunch. We had dinner there in 2013 (our last trip to WDW), and it was sadly pretty disappointing except for the decor and The Beast. I think we’ll be having lunch there this trip, so hopefully, that will be better, although Willow will be disappointed that there is no Beast (she LOVES the Beast).

Between myself, DW, my parents and her parents on various visits since it has opened, I think we've had just about every item available on the lunch menu and everyone has had nothing but good things to say about the food. I hope you enjoy your lunch, but it does kind of stink that you have to miss out on Beast.

Wow - what you had to go through for the A&E FP+ is disturbing. I love how you used your own personal FP+ for A&E though.

It was a real PITA, but I'm glad that we were at least able to make it work so that the kids could see A&E.

 

[natebenma]

Why Does a Hummingbird Hum?


But someone wanted her picture with Zurg after she saw other kids doing it.

​

Someone else was more hesitant to join her, but he finally entered the cell when the CM working in there shot Zurg with a freeze ray and promised he couldn’t move.

​

You know you have to get this same picture every time you go to Disneyworld with the kids.

Up until the point when they refuse to participate.

I have one with the boys in the cage with Zurg (Bad Cow) from when the boys were 6 and 3 but unfortunately on our next trip (10 and 7) and all subsequent ones, they wouldn't pose for me. But there is still hope for you!!!

Great morning at MK!!!

It's nice to get in some low-pressure rides on Buzz, TTA and to visit the Laugh Floor. Congrats on having your joke used!!!

Too funny on your Mine Train photo!
Not sure I would be able to hold down a meal after so many rides on the teacups- ok- one ride would do me in.

Thanks to friends, I was able to eat at BOG for lunch in August- I made a poor decision on my meal and dessert, though. Now I need a do-over.

That was great advice (and follow-through) on the A&E FP. Nicely done.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

ah, I love the "packing the car so precariously that the closed door is keeping everything in" - definitely been there, done that .... but you made excellent time which is all that really matters.

I assume at this point your daughter is still dizzy after all those trips on the tea cups!

Which actually probably makes it funnier than it would have been otherwise.

... IMHO - much, much funnier with you looking and pointing the wrong way

We to have only done BOG for lunch but fully agree that it is a really quality place for a quick service meal and that for the quality of the food the pricing is reasonable - it can get a bit crazy at times but still a great option for lunch. Will be interesting to see how it goes with having to get an ADR for a quick service location and if other places adopt this as well

We were in the exact same boat with the A&E in that I couldn't get all of us together and so booked us as parties ofr 1 or 2 and then kept checking for alternate times until we were able to get everyone to at least have an overlapping time. Sounds like a great solution to go on your time with just your daughter

 

[vamassey1]

Cool! Does someone in your family compete? The local 4-H program here enters a big robotics competition every year. I'm always fascinated by what they build and I wish

My youngest is a member of a FIRST robotics team. This is her second year and we're really enjoying. It is amazing what these kids can build. We have another regional in New Orleans next weekend.

At what age does it get difficult to fit between the bars?

I'll have to let you know. Oldest won't be with us for our MK days but middle and youngest will. The middle child is 24 and youngest is 15.

 

[afwdwfan]

You know you have to get this same picture every time you go to Disneyworld with the kids.

Up until the point when they refuse to participate.

I thought we were already at the point where they refuse???

I have one with the boys in the cage with Zurg (Bad Cow) from when the boys were 6 and 3 but unfortunately on our next trip (10 and 7) and all subsequent ones, they wouldn't pose for me. But there is still hope for you!!!

We'll see. Need to get another trip planned before we can even worry about it though...

Great morning at MK!!!

It's nice to get in some low-pressure rides on Buzz, TTA and to visit the Laugh Floor. Congrats on having your joke used!!!

It was a nice morning. That's why I always like to hit the ground running at the beginning of the trip and then slow it down towards the end.

Too funny on your Mine Train photo!

I'm glad everybody enjoys my screw up.

Not sure I would be able to hold down a meal after so many rides on the teacups- ok- one ride would do me in.

Eh... it isn't too bad. She can't spin the cup, so at least that's one less axis we're spinning on.

Thanks to friends, I was able to eat at BOG for lunch in August- I made a poor decision on my meal and dessert, though. Now I need a do-over.

I hope you like this one better! I really haven't ever been disappointed by my meals there.

That was great advice (and follow-through) on the A&E FP. Nicely done.

I was glad I found out about that tip, but I was disappointed in myself not knowing about it beforehand... Maybe if I'd tried it that way at 12:01 when I first started, I'd have been able to get us all an overlapping window.

ah, I love the "packing the car so precariously that the closed door is keeping everything in" - definitely been there, done that .... but you made excellent time which is all that really matters.

All about getting to the park... at least until you have to waste more time re-packing.

I assume at this point your daughter is still dizzy after all those trips on the tea cups!

I'm not sure she knows what dizzy is.

... IMHO - much, much funnier with you looking and pointing the wrong way

Thanks. I'm glad I could amuse everyone with that one.

We to have only done BOG for lunch but fully agree that it is a really quality place for a quick service meal and that for the quality of the food the pricing is reasonable - it can get a bit crazy at times but still a great option for lunch. Will be interesting to see how it goes with having to get an ADR for a quick service location and if other places adopt this as well

You're right... I mean it is really crazy all the time. Even with FP+ (and likely now ADR) you're probably going to be waiting in line for a few minutes to order. But frankly, they have a pretty good set up there... you really don't wait much longer in line than you would at a place like Pecos Bills. And here you get to listen to the knights talk and they bring you your food so you don't have to balance your tray while looking for a seat.

We were in the exact same boat with the A&E in that I couldn't get all of us together and so booked us as parties ofr 1 or 2 and then kept checking for alternate times until we were able to get everyone to at least have an overlapping time. Sounds like a great solution to go on your time with just your daughter

Yeah, it worked out well. Everybody else got to take their time enjoying lunch, and she got to see them twice!

I'll have to let you know. Oldest won't be with us for our MK days but middle and youngest will. The middle child is 24 and youngest is 15.

Maybe the bars are farther apart than I thought they were.

 

[afwdwfan]

Do They Sell Collision Waivers for Scooters?

DD and I headed out of BoG and over to meet Anna & Elsa. We arrived and I scanned my FP+. I’d heard horror stories about the FP+ line sometimes being fairly long… you know, maybe not 6 hours like the standby line, but maybe longer than you might typically expect for FP+.

Fortunately, we were taken into the room with A&E immediately and we were the 4th group in line.

In front of us though, was an interesting family. It was cracking me up.

First of all… I know that they probably only had one opportunity to meet A&E, and they were trying to take full advantage of the opportunity. And I have no problem with that. Take as many pictures as you want, as far as I’m concerned. But it was entertaining watching them.

The family was Mom, Dad, Sister and Brother. I’d say sister was somewhere around 6 or 7. Brother was probably 3 or 4. Well, I noticed sister was wearing an Elsa dress. I then noticed Mom was in a panic saying something about how Anna wasn’t supposed to be first and she started frantically tearing through a bag.

Out comes an Anna dress.

And they strip sister down and change her right there in front of everyone.

Not that big of a deal… but they were surrounded by strangers. And you just never know what kind of people could be around in a public place like that.

Well, it was finally their turn and sister goes up to meet Anna alone first. They had a nice interaction and got some great pictures. Then brother joined them. Then they all went for a big family photo. By the time they took the family photos though, I think sister was done. Sister kept taking her cape off and making funny faces for the pictures. Mom was getting irate. I mean the picture would be taken, then mom would storm around and give her that “mom death glare” while putting the cape back on. Then she’d get back behind sister and stand there looking at the camera with her biggest, fakest smile she could muster. As she was looking at the camera, sister would slowly slide her hand up to her neck, and slowly and quietly unfasten her cape. I’d love to have seen their Memory Maker account, because just before every picture was snapped, sister sister made a goofy face and her cape was about halfway to the floor during about every flash.

I was struggling to keep from laughing.

After they finished, DD went up to meet Anna. I just stayed back and let her talk to Anna and let the PP photographer do her thing while I tried to get a few cell phone pictures. But the PP photographer and I had to watch where we stepped. Because the family in front of us didn’t go more than a few steps away from Anna before they started the process of transforming sister back into Elsa. It was quite impressive. Almost like a NASCAR pit crew.

But really… I mean if you’re going to change dresses for the individual princesses, that’s great. I don’t have a problem with it from that side of things. It is a tough FP+ to get. I’m sure this was their one chance to meet them so, by all means, take full advantage of it! But at least have her wear something under the dresses. I know that might get hot, but go to a restroom and change into something else afterwards.

Anyway…

DD loved talking to Anna. She was definitely the better of the two in my opinion. Anna talked to DD about having a snowball fight and they talked about Olaf. DD just loved it. She kind of got shy and didn’t really say much back to Anna… which kind of surprised me. But I think she was just star struck. She stood there and took in every word Anna said to her.

​

When we finished with Anna we went over to wait our turn to see Elsa. The family in front of us was going through their whole routine once again. I’m telling you, it was comedy gold. Sister was just a perfect angel when it was just her or she was with her brother, but as soon as mom joined them… it’s like she was just determined to ruin every picture. And I’m pretty sure she succeeded.

DD then got to meet Elsa. There really wasn’t anything too memorable about it. Elsa talked to her for just a few seconds, and I couldn’t really hear any of it. She didn’t spend quite as much time trying to talk and interact with DD as Anna did. But they took pictures together and DD still loved it all anyway.

​

When we finished up, we headed out and I called DW to see where they were. They still hadn’t left BoG, so DD and I headed back that way to get the stroller and meet them at the end of the bridge.

We met up with everyone and decided to head over to see Mickey’s Philharmagic. We’d done pretty much all of the rides in MK, with the exception of Haunted Mansion at this point, so our goal now was to take our time and see the shows.


A side note on Haunted Mansion - we hadn’t planned to ride it. It was supposed to be closed the whole time we were there, but ended up opening a couple of days early. We knew that there was no way that DS would ride it, so DW and I were ok with skipping because we pretty much had already come to terms with the fact that we wouldn’t ride it when we saw it was closed. But we were really trying to get MiL and FiL to go on their own and try to ride it at some point during the day, and they never would.



Anyway, I usually try to game plan my attack on MK this way. I know we’ll be there multiple days, so we always try to do our must do rides and anything that tends to have longer waits early on in the trip. Then we can hit the attractions that never have a wait at a more relaxed pace later. And since we expected, and were finding, this Friday to be a more crowded day than our previous days in MK it worked out fantastic that we tended to be going the opposite direction of most everyone else.

Philharmagic is a favorite show of mine. I enjoy it and the kids absolutely loved it. I think it was easily DD’s favorite 3D show. Even though it was still hard to get her to understand that it is easier to see if you look through the glasses.

The next show on the agenda was one for FiL and myself. Hall of Presidents. Again, we wanted to make sure he he enjoyed the trip and I knew this was one he’d get something out of.

We stopped by the Tangled restrooms for a quick break. And yeah, the rumors are true. Pretty cool area for just stroller parking and restrooms. I still say Rapunzel got the shaft though, just getting restrooms instead of an attraction or at least a meet and greet under her tower or something.

We headed across the walkway towards Liberty Square. I noticed CM’s standing outside the new Haunted Mansion shop with some of the pictures that change from a portrait of a happy, healthy person to a fleshless skull. Pretty cool effect.

I checked out the CM's offerings with a quick glance, but since I was pushing the stroller, I was making sure that I kept my attention focused forward. And I'm thankful that I did.




You know those big pillars in the middle of the walkway as you walk underneath the covered part?




There was a lady riding one of the Disney ECV's. She was looking at the pictures too. She clearly didn't see the column right in front of her.




She nailed it. Head on. Square contact. I’m talking she went from 4 mph (however fast they go) to 0 in the blink of an eye.




I’m bad.



It was all I could do to keep myself from laughing out loud.



It was a pretty big impact, but she seemed to be ok. I think they only thing she hurt was her pride.



It may be one of those “you had to be there” type of stories, but it was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen and heard. It was one of the Disney Issued ECV’s and the impact was impressive enough from a visual standpoint, but the sound that went along with it… it sounded like something bigger than a scooter hit something bigger than a building.


Anyway, we managed to avoid the posts ourselves and made our way over to HoP. There was still a bit of time until the next show, so DW went over to the Christmas store for a few minutes while we waited.

We watched the show, and as I expected, I think FiL and MiL really enjoyed it. DW was about to strangle me… this is the first time I’ve ever got her to go in HoP. DS fell asleep during the show, but DD managed to stay awake.

We headed outside and loaded the kids into the stroller. We decided to take a little stroll up to Main Street. DW and I always enjoy getting some ice cream from the Plaza, and we hadn’t stopped by yet on this trip. We got there and it was pretty crowded all around on Main Street. I told DW what I wanted and I took the kids on over to Tomorrowland Terrace to find a table for us to sit and eat our ice cream. Surprisingly, there were several tables around there being used. Seems people were carrying food over from Casey’s Corner. Wish we had thought of that in the past.

We enjoyed our snacks while DS continued to nap.

DD doesn’t like ice cream, so she had some fruit snacks. After sitting and relaxing for a bit, we decided to do some more relaxing. We headed over to Carousel of Progress so that MiL and FiL would get a chance to experience another Disney classic attraction. I carried DS inside and he stayed asleep the whole time.

DD had her sippy cup with her in the theater and dropped it during one of the scenes. It rolled down about 4 rows towards the front, so we had to look for it after the show ended before we could leave, but we were able to find it and get it back.

It was almost time for everyone else to go see Anna & Elsa, but we still had a little bit of time to kill. We’d wanted to see the new Festival of Fantasy parade, but it just never worked out all week. We were always out of the park for our break at 3pm on our MK days. This time we grabbed a spot right on the corner in Liberty Square near Fantasyland and waited for the parade to start. We had a front row spot, but we knew we’d have to leave before the parade was over. MiL and FiL had gone off to find a spot to sit down. DS woke up and wasn’t exactly in the mood to sit and watch a parade so we sent him over to sit with them. A family with 3 little kids walked up and parked their stroller right behind us just before the parade started. DD had climbed out of ours and it was essentially nothing but a placeholder for us at this point in time. I told the mom behind us that we wouldn’t be able to stay for the whole parade, and I was getting ready to move our stroller if they wanted to move up and take our spot. I don’t think she quite got what I was saying so I had to explain a couple of times, but they were glad to get a front row spot, I think.

Since it was just DW, DD and myself, we just stood back and watched the start of the parade.

We saw maybe the first 3 or 4 floats… I don’t remember the exact order of all of them or which one we saw last, but I know we saw the Tangled float, which was really cool. And we saw Ariel’s float. But with a window of only 3:15 - 3:20 for everyone to use their FP+ to see Anna and Elsa, we needed to be heading that direction!

I didn’t get to go in this time, so I’ll just let you guys make the story up as you go. I’m not as good as Mark at coming up with creative stories to fill in the gaps so I’ll just let you look at the pictures.

The photopass photographer either didn’t take many pictures or they didn’t spend much time with Anna. This is all we got.

​

But DW did catch this one. Anna seemed to be living up to her fun loving personality. Or she had gas. I’m not sure which one it was.

​

Then we have Queen Elsa where no posed photographs were taken…

​

I think it is safe to say that DD enjoyed seeing them again, and DS seemed to be in a decent mood and enjoyed them also.

When they came out, it was getting close to the end of our time in MK. We still hadn’t seen Country Bear Jamboree, and still intended to do so. But we had time for one last ride before we did it. The kids got to pick and the winner was…







Not Teacups.







Not Dumbo









It’s a Small World.



Naturally.

We survived our cruise and headed off to see the Country Bears.

After another stop at Rapunzel’s restrooms, of course. I'm telling you... that place is nice.

We walked past the HM gift shop and noticed that CM’s were no longer standing outside showing off those pictures. Maybe it was becoming a liability issue.


We headed in to see the Country Bears, and we found our seats near the end of the row underneath the talking taxidermy. Just before the show started, everyone in our group started getting phone calls. BiL was trying to get a hold of MiL. So he called her. Then he called FiL. Then he called DW. MiL finally got up and left during the show and called him from out in the hallway. It turned out to be nothing important. We really didn’t have anyone sitting near us and the phones were all on vibrate so I don’t think it was a distraction to anybody, but the whispering among the 3 of them and then MiL getting up to leave definitely had all of us distracted and I can’t say that anyone was probably paying much attention to the show at that point out of concern that it seemed like something bad might have happened at home given how urgently it seemed that he needed to talk to someone.

Anyway, I think the kids enjoyed the show. It was music so I’m sure there was dancing and they were happy. I don’t really remember.

We headed out of the theater and got the stroller. The kids climbed in and we took the shortcut to Adventureland and headed towards Main Street. We took one last stroll through the Emporium… I made one last request for the Christmas sweater T-shirts in XL, to no avail.

There were still a few snack credits left, so MiL and I headed over to the confectionary. I grabbed some fudge for the drive home. MiL got a cookie or something. We headed back out to Town Square in time to catch the tail end of the flag ceremony.

Hmm… just like the end of our 2012 trip. A new tradition in the works?

We headed underneath the train tracks and on our way to the monorail. It was a sad moment to be walking out of MK for the last time this trip, but we still had some Disney magic ahead of us. There was a dinner ADR to get to with some good friends and with this trip mostly behind us, DW and I were getting excited for our trip out west!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

The story of the family in front of you at A&E is hysterical! I love kids - if they're bugged, they'll find a crafty way to get back at you. I bet the mom was less than pleased at their family pictures.

Your daughter's pictures with Anna and Elsa are fabulous! What a treat that she got to meet them twice.

The lady with her scooter - whoops! I admit that I probably would've laughed, too.

I actually like the Hall of Presidents (and I adore the Carousel of Progress!). I'm not as big a fan of It's a Small World, but I do it once each trip.

It sounds like you had a wonderful last day in the parks.

 

[KatMark]

Andy, the pictures of your DD with Anna and Elsa are absolutely priceless. I can't pick a favorite.

Not only am I over the girl with the changing clothes and ruining her mother's picture, but the woman who ran into the pillar. I'm glad she wasn't hurt, but it is funny.

We missed Mickey's Philharmagic in September as it was closed. I'm looking foward to catching it a few times this year.

It's too bad you didn't get to see the whole parade.

DS looks as if he is saying in the second picture with Anna, "not again with the Princesses." But then he seems to warm up.

Really? Carrousel of Progress (I would have been with your son...sleeping through it) and It's A Small World? What torture.

 

[SarahDisney]

And they strip sister down and change her right there in front of everyone.

Reading the story, I figured it was awkward, but I was sure the little girl must have been wearing something under the dress, until I read ...

But at least have her wear something under the dresses.

Yeah. I understand that you really want your kid to be wearing the right dress in each picture (although, really, I would have done it the other way so that you have Anna & Elsa in each picture) ... but public nudity is not cool, even for kids.
Absolutely hysterical to read about, though.

DD loved talking to Anna. She was definitely the better of the two in my opinion. Anna talked to DD about having a snowball fight and they talked about Olaf. DD just loved it. She kind of got shy and didn’t really say much back to Anna… which kind of surprised me. But I think she was just star struck. She stood there and took in every word Anna said to her.

I found that both times we saw them - Anna was better both times, and she talks so much that even if you don't respond, she just keeps talking. I think she's probably used to kids that are too star struck to talk!

All of the pictures with Anna & Elsa are great, but I think this is my favorite - it's just a random intimate unplanned moment.

Anyway, I usually try to game plan my attack on MK this way. I know we’ll be there multiple days, so we always try to do our must do rides and anything that tends to have longer waits early on in the trip. Then we can hit the attractions that never have a wait at a more relaxed pace later. And since we expected, and were finding, this Friday to be a more crowded day than our previous days in MK it worked out fantastic that we tended to be going the opposite direction of most everyone else.

That's a good plan! Having never done multiple days at MK (at least not before a few weeks ago), I never would have thought of doing it this way (I probably would have tried to split the must dos), but it makes a lot of sense. Glad to hear it worked out for you!

We stopped by the Tangled restrooms for a quick break. And yeah, the rumors are true. Pretty cool area for just stroller parking and restrooms. I still say Rapunzel got the shaft though, just getting restrooms instead of an attraction or at least a meet and greet under her tower or something.

Totally agree! I love whole area, but I wish they had a Rapunzel M&G or show/ride/something there!

It was all I could do to keep myself from laughing out loud.

Yeah, I would have actually laughed out loud (probably even if someone got hurt). It's kinda funny.

DD doesn’t like ice cream, so she had some fruit snacks.

Really? She doesn't like ice cream? What kind of child are you raising?

You're looking at the parade, she's looking at the camera. This entertains me.

Overall, it sounds like a nice and fairly relaxing last park day. It's great that you still had some magic to look forward to (and having a trip out West planned is always a nice way to "extend" the magic!)

 

[glennbo123]

Yeah, that's a little odd to have your kid change dresses with everyone to see and not have something underneath.

And the ECV story...imagine if that had been a person she ran into rather than a column! Holy moly. It's been a while since I've read a good ECV story, seems they used to be more commonplace. Maybe I'm just not in the right forums.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Well, I noticed sister was wearing an Elsa dress. I then noticed Mom was in a panic saying something about how Anna wasn’t supposed to be first and she started frantically tearing through a bag.

Out comes an Anna dress.

And they strip sister down and change her right there in front of everyone.

Wow. I never knew what a serious business this was.

I mean the picture would be taken, then mom would storm around and give her that “mom death glare” while putting the cape back on. Then she’d get back behind sister and stand there looking at the camera with her biggest, fakest smile she could muster. As she was looking at the camera, sister would slowly slide her hand up to her neck, and slowly and quietly unfasten her cape. I’d love to have seen their Memory Maker account, because just before every picture was snapped, sister sister made a goofy face and her cape was about halfway to the floor during about every flash.

I was struggling to keep from laughing.

H-E-double hockey sticks has no fury like a mom prevented from achieving the perfect family photo.

But really… I mean if you’re going to change dresses for the individual princesses, that’s great. I don’t have a problem with it from that side of things. It is a tough FP+ to get. I’m sure this was their one chance to meet them so, by all means, take full advantage of it! But at least have her wear something under the dresses. I know that might get hot, but go to a restroom and change into something else afterwards.

But..that would take effort! And would be considerate of others.

I’m telling you, it was comedy gold. Sister was just a perfect angel when it was just her or she was with her brother, but as soon as mom joined them… it’s like she was just determined to ruin every picture. And I’m pretty sure she succeeded.

Love it!

I think it was easily DD’s favorite 3D show. Even though it was still hard to get her to understand that it is easier to see if you look through the glasses.

I'm impressed. My kids always freaked out.

Hall of Presidents. Again, we wanted to make sure he he enjoyed the trip and I knew this was one he’d get something out of.

And you could take a nap. Win-win.

I still say Rapunzel got the shaft though, just getting restrooms instead of an attraction or at least a meet and greet under her tower or something.

Hey, it's the Rapunzel crapper! Take a picture, honey.

You know those big pillars in the middle of the walkway as you walk underneath the covered part?


There was a lady riding one of the Disney ECV's. She was looking at the pictures too. She clearly didn't see the column right in front of her.

She nailed it. Head on. Square contact. I’m talking she went from 4 mph (however fast they go) to 0 in the blink of an eye.

I guess I'm a terrible person too.

DD doesn’t like ice cream

What?? What is she, a communist or something?

I don’t think she quite got what I was saying so I had to explain a couple of times, but they were glad to get a front row spot, I think.

Nice work with the pixie dust there.

I’m not as good as Mark at coming up with creative stories to fill in the gaps so I’ll just let you look at the pictures.

Aw, come on. There has to be an exploding helicopter in there somewhere. Or a fart joke.

Anna seemed to be living up to her fun loving personality. Or she had gas. I’m not sure which one it was.

There it is! I'm proud of you. She definitely made a run for the border.

We still hadn’t seen Country Bear Jamboree, and still intended to do so.

Why?

The kids got to pick and the winner was…


Not Teacups.

Not Dumbo


It’s a Small World.

Naturally.

I'm so, so sorry.

We headed back out to Town Square in time to catch the tail end of the flag ceremony.

Hmm… just like the end of our 2012 trip. A new tradition in the works?

I like it!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Oh gosh, I am laughing so hard thinking of that family in front of you waiting to meet A&E. Reminds me of those scenes where the parent is yelling at the kids to "quit what you are doing and have this prescribed fun dangit!!!!"

Though I can kinda get the mom wanting to get a nice family picture part - but still, clearly the kid did not want the cape. The changing down to skivies in public part, that I don't quite get.

but as soon as mom joined them… it’s like she was just determined to ruin every picture

bet there are fun times ahead for them as that child gets older

Even though it was still hard to get her to understand that it is easier to see if you look through the glasses.

Well, yeah, if you want to do it the easy way

yup - Anna is definitely doing all she can to not toot

It was a sad moment to be walking out of MK for the last time this trip

That is always a sad part and I definitely get a bit emotional - nice that you still had a Disney activity for that evening though


Obviously it was not intended but I think things really worked out well to have that separate FP+ with A&E as seems like your daughter really enjoyed having the time along with them and you got some really cute pictures out of it

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Not that big of a deal… but they were surrounded by strangers. And you just never know what kind of people could be around in a public place like that.

A valid point I'm not sure I've ever considered.

Well, it was finally their turn and sister goes up to meet Anna alone first. They had a nice interaction and got some great pictures. Then brother joined them. Then they all went for a big family photo. By the time they took the family photos though, I think sister was done. Sister kept taking her cape off and making funny faces for the pictures. Mom was getting irate. I mean the picture would be taken, then mom would storm around and give her that “mom death glare” while putting the cape back on. Then she’d get back behind sister and stand there looking at the camera with her biggest, fakest smile she could muster. As she was looking at the camera, sister would slowly slide her hand up to her neck, and slowly and quietly unfasten her cape. I’d love to have seen their Memory Maker account, because just before every picture was snapped, sister sister made a goofy face and her cape was about halfway to the floor during about every flash.

Sounds like a mom trying too hard for perfection. I think as parents we all get caught in that trap every now and then.

After they finished, DD went up to meet Anna. I just stayed back and let her talk to Anna and let the PP photographer do her thing while I tried to get a few cell phone pictures. But the PP photographer and I had to watch where we stepped. Because the family in front of us didn’t go more than a few steps away from Anna before they started the process of transforming sister back into Elsa. It was quite impressive. Almost like a NASCAR pit crew.

That poor girl.

The next show on the agenda was one for FiL and myself. Hall of Presidents. Again, we wanted to make sure he he enjoyed the trip and I knew this was one he’d get something out of.

How did the little's handle this one?

We stopped by the Tangled restrooms for a quick break. And yeah, the rumors are true. Pretty cool area for just stroller parking and restrooms. I still say Rapunzel got the shaft though, just getting restrooms instead of an attraction or at least a meet and greet under her tower or something.

Poor Rapunzel!

You know those big pillars in the middle of the walkway as you walk underneath the covered part?

I have a feeling I know where this is going.

There was a lady riding one of the Disney ECV's. She was looking at the pictures too. She clearly didn't see the column right in front of her.

Uh Oh here we go....

She nailed it. Head on. Square contact. I’m talking she went from 4 mph (however fast they go) to 0 in the blink of an eye.

Well it least she didn't hurt herself!

DD doesn’t like ice cream

too each their own I supose.

But DW did catch this one. Anna seemed to be living up to her fun loving personality. Or she had gas. I’m not sure which one it was.

​

Then we have Queen Elsa where no posed photographs were taken…

It’s a Small World.



Naturally.

The bane of every Daddy's existence!

We really didn’t have anyone sitting near us and the phones were all on vibrate so I don’t think it was a distraction to anybody, but the whispering among the 3 of them and then MiL getting up to leave definitely had all of us distracted and I can’t say that anyone was probably paying much attention to the show at that point out of concern that it seemed like something bad might have happened at home given how urgently it seemed that he needed to talk to someone.

I hate when this happens.

Hmm… just like the end of our 2012 trip. A new tradition in the works?

Sounds like a good tradition to me.

 

[afwdwfan]

The story of the family in front of you at A&E is hysterical! I love kids - if they're bugged, they'll find a crafty way to get back at you. I bet the mom was less than pleased at their family pictures.

It was very entertaining! She was definitely trying to push her mom's buttons, and I'd say she was doing a very good job.

Your daughter's pictures with Anna and Elsa are fabulous! What a treat that she got to meet them twice.

It worked out well, really! She loves her princesses.

The lady with her scooter - whoops! I admit that I probably would've laughed, too.

It was really unbelievable how hard she hit it.

I actually like the Hall of Presidents (and I adore the Carousel of Progress!). I'm not as big a fan of It's a Small World, but I do it once each trip.

I enjoy those shows too. I took DD into HoP by myself on our last trip. I knew DW didn't want to go in there, and DD was napping, so I just took her out of the stroller and went in to see the show.

IASW... well, like you, I have to do it once each trip. I enjoy it for the tradition and nostalgia it represents. But...

It sounds like you had a wonderful last day in the parks.

It was perfect. Well, not as perfect as it would have been had we ridden BTMRR again, but still pretty good.

Andy, the pictures of your DD with Anna and Elsa are absolutely priceless. I can't pick a favorite.

Thanks!

Not only am I over the girl with the changing clothes and ruining her mother's picture, but the woman who ran into the pillar. I'm glad she wasn't hurt, but it is funny.

I definitely had some comic relief that afternoon.

We missed Mickey's Philharmagic in September as it was closed. I'm looking foward to catching it a few times this year.

I really enjoy that show. I love how they integrate all the classic films into the story. And really, I think it appeals to me so much because it is the films that all came out when I was growing up.

It's too bad you didn't get to see the whole parade.

I know! I really wanted to see the dragon! I could see it coming out of the backstage area over by Splash, but I had to leave before it ever got close enough to see it in detail.

DS looks as if he is saying in the second picture with Anna, "not again with the Princesses." But then he seems to warm up.

Yeah, it looked like he did pretty well with that m&g.

Really? Carrousel of Progress (I would have been with your son...sleeping through it) and It's A Small World? What torture.

You know, I get how CoP can be boring. But I just love that show. Something about the simplicity of it, and again, the nostalgia thing. "There's a great big beautiful tomorrow!!!"

 

[Vernie822]

I'm all caught up - great updates. So weird that you couldn't get a FP+ at 60 days +7 for all of you! I'm glad your DD got her one on one meet and greet though, how cute. Those pictures are adorable.

We really enjoyed the FOF parade. We were just there and I think I saw it 3 times, haha.

The ECV lady - I probably would have burst into laughter, lol. Not to be mean but I'm sure it was quite the sight!

 

[afwdwfan]

Reading the story, I figured it was awkward, but I was sure the little girl must have been wearing something under the dress, until I read ...

Yeah. I understand that you really want your kid to be wearing the right dress in each picture (although, really, I would have done it the other way so that you have Anna & Elsa in each picture) ... but public nudity is not cool, even for kids.
Absolutely hysterical to read about, though.

Yeah... I guess I didn't look close enough... she might have had shorts on or something, I don't really know. But the main point is, I just wouldn't want to strip my kids down publically to the degree that they did. I mean really, anybody can get a ticket into Disney World. Just because there are a lot of kids and families around doesn't mean that less scrupulous people aren't.

I found that both times we saw them - Anna was better both times, and she talks so much that even if you don't respond, she just keeps talking. I think she's probably used to kids that are too star struck to talk!

I think part of it is just the personalities as well. Elsa in the film is more independent and shuts others out. Anna is just fun loving and care free. I'd certainly think the source material would make it much easier to be Anna.

All of the pictures with Anna & Elsa are great, but I think this is my favorite - it's just a random intimate unplanned moment.

I really like it too!

That's a good plan! Having never done multiple days at MK (at least not before a few weeks ago), I never would have thought of doing it this way (I probably would have tried to split the must dos), but it makes a lot of sense. Glad to hear it worked out for you!

The other bonus is that if you do the must do's first, you can use that last day to work in some unplanned re-rides too without a whole lot of pressure or worrying about missing out on something.

Totally agree! I love whole area, but I wish they had a Rapunzel M&G or show/ride/something there!

Yeah, I would have actually laughed out loud (probably even if someone got hurt). It's kinda funny.

Yeah... who am I kidding. She could have broken a leg and I'd still think it was funny. I mean I would at least have to check on her and help... but the visual of how abruptly that scooter stopped was just too good. I think the back end of the scooter even the ground.

Really? She doesn't like ice cream? What kind of child are you raising?

I don't know... I think it is the texture or something. She just never will eat it. She LOVES milk. She likes popsicles. She just won't eat ice cream.

You're looking at the parade, she's looking at the camera. This entertains me.

Well, you know I don't like to look at cameras...

Overall, it sounds like a nice and fairly relaxing last park day. It's great that you still had some magic to look forward to (and having a trip out West planned is always a nice way to "extend" the magic!)

It was a great final park day!

Yeah, that's a little odd to have your kid change dresses with everyone to see and not have something underneath.

I don't know... she could have had shorts on at least, I really didn't pay that close attention. But it was kind of a shock to see them doing that publically like that. You just never know who you might be around.

And the ECV story...imagine if that had been a person she ran into rather than a column! Holy moly. It's been a while since I've read a good ECV story, seems they used to be more commonplace. Maybe I'm just not in the right forums.

Check out @Leshaface 's TR for another good one.

 

[jedijill]

I stopped getting email notifications and I got way behind! Looks like you had a fantastic trip so far!

Jill in CO