3rd Trip: With 3 kids and an Entourage **3/24 Update - Final Thoughts
- Thread starter BlueEyes78
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BlueEyes78
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2009
- Messages
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More more! I'm leaving for my trip in 13 days and your report is awesome
Welcome! And thanks for patience. I am normally a MUCH faster writer but we've been dealing with illness in our house for about 4 weeks straight. Bleecch! I'm working on the DHS day now and hope to get something up today or tomorrow.
I have always wanted to go in October, I think you will have a blast!
BlueEyes78
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2009
- Messages
- 172
DHS, Part 1: Where's my camera? Where's my ticket??
We had heard that DHS often does, at least during the high season, a “soft open.” So we were all up by 7:30, getting the kids ready, grabbing cameras (mostly), tickets and lanyards. We threw some snacks in the cooler and were on our way by just after 8. I went with Shelli and Audrey to help navigate and Shawn brought the kids just behind us. Half-way there Shelli was kicking herself, realizing she’d left her awesome video camera behind. The good news – she was on Megan duty this morning and would be leaving and coming back after the morning nap. So not an entire loss. More good news – she was feeling pretty good this morning! Yea for 24-hour bugs!
We had our first – and what turned out to be the best – experience with the Triple A Diamond parking pass this morning. I wasn’t sure how it worked, but when we got to the parking attendant, we just showed him the pass and he waved us up to the front row of parking. Easily worth the $5. We thought it would work that way all week. More to come!
We got up to the gates right around 8:45 and they had just opened. We picked what we hoped was the shortest line and decided we’d lather the kids up at the first opportunity (on our last trip, when we got there before 9 we had plenty of time to do sunscreen while waiting for rope drop).
Did I mention today was Perry day? We were all decked out in our Perry gear, but Megan easily had the best outfit - this little onesie says, "He's a platypus. He doesn't do much." It made me giggle every time I looked at her!
Someone was very excited about being a ticket-holder for the first time (and we made sure he got Goofy!):
Shawn had to wait for all of us to make it through so he could accomplish his mission of a solo TSMM run. Like a relay runner he was off like a shot as the rest of us navigated the stroller down Sunset Blvd. Caden kept insisting that ToT had shrunk since he last saw it, but I think it’s that he’s done Drop Zone (264 foot vertical drop) at Kings Island!
Connor wasn’t terribly enthusiastic about riding it, but he really wasn’t hesitant either. He put up no fuss as we got into line. At first I was afraid it would be a bit of a wait, but I didn’t realize they hadn’t actually opened the rope yet. After a couple of minutes they got it open, and we obtained our parent swap and were on our way.
While we were gone, Megan ate prunes! Yum. Shelli posted the cutest video of her, but I don't have it on my computer yet, so I'll have to add it here later.
Audrey was a little freaked out by the prospect of her first ride but she was keeping it together for Connor’s sake. We were in the boiler room with the first crowd of riders and on our way.
Connor didn’t like the electrocuted people part, but he really liked my favorite part: The DROP. I think we got 4 or 5.
Success!
Shawn was already back by the time we got out, with 10:20 FP in hand for TSMM. I was really hoping Shelli could ride it, but Megs was short on sleep so it didn’t look like it was going to work out this morning. Shawn headed over to RnRc with Audrey and Caden and we tagged along to get our parent swap…but no dice. It was having technical troubles. So we burned a few minutes there trying to figure out what was going on. We couldn’t grab a FP since we had other ones, and so we decided to hit our next to-do: Star Tours. We stopped for a photo op on the way:
And then kept on. The boys were approached by some cast members about whether or not they wanted to defeat the dark side in the Training Academy. I was kind of surprised because it was after 9:30 and I’d heard they were all gone first thing in the morning. I hadn’t really considered it for the boys because Connor is only 4, and Caden gets massive performance anxiety in unrehearsed situations. He was immediately against it, but surprisingly Connor expressed interest. The next time wasn’t until the afternoon, and it was right in the middle of our lunch reservations. I felt bad because Connor hardly ever wants to do something that Caden doesn’t, and I really wanted it to work out for him. It kept gnawing at my mind while we headed on towards ST. There was no line at all, we basically walked up and got on. That surprised me.
I hadn’t ridden it in at least 15 years, and I thought it was awesome. The boys immediately wanted to ride it again, but then of course got sidetracked in the gift shop. We reminded them that they had a budget for souveniers, and they could use it to make light sabers but that would leave nothing for Pokemon. Dejected, they both chose Pokemon. Audrey did make a nifty light saber though.
While we waited for her, Shelli headed out to the parking lot (it was already closing in on 10), and I had a conference with Shawn. We decided to see if there were any spots left open for the academy, and surprisingly Caden agreed to do it. We headed in, and signed them up for the 3:45 return time. We hadn’t originally planned on staying that long, but figured our lunch at Sci-Fi would take at least an hour, which would only leave another hour to kill. And I could always take Megs back for a second nap and Shawn could record it for me.
We cut through the Streets of Hollywood in search of the Phineas and Ferb to our Perry(s). We were thrilled to find them in a virtually deserted area and only waited a couple of minutes to see them.
Afterwards the boys both spent $7 on a Perry keychain. We wandered around the practically empty Streets of America and got a couple of nifty shots. This is one of my faves from the trip:
I walked right by the lamp post I was looking for, but Audrey found it!
We briefly got in line for the Backlot tour, because I thought our FP weren't open until 10:45, but then Shawn reminded me that it was actually 10:20. We could ride now! I've never actually waited in line for TSMM, but I've heard it's cool. We got right on!
I sure love this goofy kid:
Ready to get down to business:
How sad is it that Shawn took pictures 75% of the time and still nearly beat me?? For some reason it felt harder to use the pull string this time. Have they changed the ride somehow since 2010?
Audrey was really wanting to ride the Backlot Tour (though Connor was not since all he remembered from our last trip was the truck being on fire and scaring the bejesus about of him). I promised Connor he could sit on the far side of the tram and we’d all protect him from the truck. Not sure Caden was on board with that! The standby line was just 15 minutes.
Shawn checked his phone and saw that RnRC was operating (love that Disney Mobile Magic app - smartphone users, get it!!) and decided to go snag post-Jedi Academy fast passes. About that time Shelli sent me this:
Awwww! Apparently she went right to bed, no problems. I think she was still worn out from yesterday.
Shawn grabbed two evening TSMM passes for Shelli and Audrey on his way over (can’t believe they were still around at 10:45!), and when he did so realized that he still had Shelli’s ticket. I called her to check in and let her know. Apparently she had been going insane looking for it and had frantically been Googling “What do I do if I lost my Disney ticket????” She was obviously relieved.
Well, we survived the Backlot Tour but our dreams of the Jedi Academy did not. Upon emerging and coming face-to-face with a seven-foot-tall Darth Vader costume (albeit enclosed in glass), Connor had a minor panic-attack and decided he was NOT ready to face the dark side. I was somewhat relieved that this would free up our afternoon, but for some reason, Connor backing out made Caden even more determined to do it. SHRUG. I figured we’d cross that bridge when we came to it.
A very bored Shawn was still hanging out at RnRc texting me every time the FP times changed. He was waiting for the 3:20 to 4:20 window. Audrey decided to get her mom an Oscar that said “World’s Greatest Mom’ as a gift (her quote was, “I think she’ll like it. You know how moms get…they get all happy and stuff when their kids buy them a present.”) – such a sweet kid!
We stepped outside the gift shop, and there were Mike and Sully, with no line! Lot of turquoise in this shot! Connor was keeping an eye on Sully:
We went to grab the stroller and have some snacks (it had been hours since breakfast at this point and our ADR was still more than an hour away) and found that Shawn had taken it! With our fans! And our food! Oh, well. To pass the time, we decided to hit Honey I Shrunk the Kids, pretty much the boys’ favorite playground anywhere. And this was the awesome part of having a 13-year old supernanny along. I tried to play with the boys last time we were here, but it was hard to keep up, ducking through two-foot tunnels most of the time. Granted, Audrey is taller than I am, but as a 13-year old this didn’t seem to bother her as much as it did me.
I sat in a shady spot and watched them go! Apparently I was very hungry because my texts to Shawn from this time period say things like "Need food now." "Your wife is wilting." Although to be perfectly fair, I don't feel like it was as hot as our last August trip. It could be that I've grown accustomed to it, since we had many 100+ degree days in Ohio this summer!
Shawn showed up a short while later (he got stuck by a parade), with the fans and some snacks he’d bought. Several bottles of water, bags of Wheat Thins, and 2 bananas later we were all feeling pretty good.
Play, boys, play! Wear yourselves out!
Around 12:45 I headed to the entrance to meet Shelli, who was bringing the baby back for lunch – hers and ours. The rest of them decided to do Star Tours again since the boys loved it so much. There was no wait (still!). Shawn told me that the scenes were different this time around. I had no idea about that. Shelli was able to use Diamond parking again so she had a short trek in from the lot. She passed Megan off to me and went off to meet the group, while I went to Guest Relations where I heard the nursing room was. There was a nice, dimly lit room with some high chairs and a fridge and microwave, and I was about to plunk down on a couch and get started when I saw a curtained off-area to one side. Opening the curtain I found this:
What a nice spot! It was quiet, dim, and wonderfully air conditioned! I don’t know if there is a more peaceful place anywhere in Disney! It was like I'd left the park entirely. I was in my own little island of peace and solitude. Highly recommend for nursing moms!
Next up - Lunch at the Sci Fi and a wet afternoon...
We had heard that DHS often does, at least during the high season, a “soft open.” So we were all up by 7:30, getting the kids ready, grabbing cameras (mostly), tickets and lanyards. We threw some snacks in the cooler and were on our way by just after 8. I went with Shelli and Audrey to help navigate and Shawn brought the kids just behind us. Half-way there Shelli was kicking herself, realizing she’d left her awesome video camera behind. The good news – she was on Megan duty this morning and would be leaving and coming back after the morning nap. So not an entire loss. More good news – she was feeling pretty good this morning! Yea for 24-hour bugs!
We had our first – and what turned out to be the best – experience with the Triple A Diamond parking pass this morning. I wasn’t sure how it worked, but when we got to the parking attendant, we just showed him the pass and he waved us up to the front row of parking. Easily worth the $5. We thought it would work that way all week. More to come!
We got up to the gates right around 8:45 and they had just opened. We picked what we hoped was the shortest line and decided we’d lather the kids up at the first opportunity (on our last trip, when we got there before 9 we had plenty of time to do sunscreen while waiting for rope drop).
Did I mention today was Perry day? We were all decked out in our Perry gear, but Megan easily had the best outfit - this little onesie says, "He's a platypus. He doesn't do much." It made me giggle every time I looked at her!
Someone was very excited about being a ticket-holder for the first time (and we made sure he got Goofy!):
Shawn had to wait for all of us to make it through so he could accomplish his mission of a solo TSMM run. Like a relay runner he was off like a shot as the rest of us navigated the stroller down Sunset Blvd. Caden kept insisting that ToT had shrunk since he last saw it, but I think it’s that he’s done Drop Zone (264 foot vertical drop) at Kings Island!
Connor wasn’t terribly enthusiastic about riding it, but he really wasn’t hesitant either. He put up no fuss as we got into line. At first I was afraid it would be a bit of a wait, but I didn’t realize they hadn’t actually opened the rope yet. After a couple of minutes they got it open, and we obtained our parent swap and were on our way.
While we were gone, Megan ate prunes! Yum. Shelli posted the cutest video of her, but I don't have it on my computer yet, so I'll have to add it here later.
Audrey was a little freaked out by the prospect of her first ride but she was keeping it together for Connor’s sake. We were in the boiler room with the first crowd of riders and on our way.
Connor didn’t like the electrocuted people part, but he really liked my favorite part: The DROP. I think we got 4 or 5.
Success!
Shawn was already back by the time we got out, with 10:20 FP in hand for TSMM. I was really hoping Shelli could ride it, but Megs was short on sleep so it didn’t look like it was going to work out this morning. Shawn headed over to RnRc with Audrey and Caden and we tagged along to get our parent swap…but no dice. It was having technical troubles. So we burned a few minutes there trying to figure out what was going on. We couldn’t grab a FP since we had other ones, and so we decided to hit our next to-do: Star Tours. We stopped for a photo op on the way:
And then kept on. The boys were approached by some cast members about whether or not they wanted to defeat the dark side in the Training Academy. I was kind of surprised because it was after 9:30 and I’d heard they were all gone first thing in the morning. I hadn’t really considered it for the boys because Connor is only 4, and Caden gets massive performance anxiety in unrehearsed situations. He was immediately against it, but surprisingly Connor expressed interest. The next time wasn’t until the afternoon, and it was right in the middle of our lunch reservations. I felt bad because Connor hardly ever wants to do something that Caden doesn’t, and I really wanted it to work out for him. It kept gnawing at my mind while we headed on towards ST. There was no line at all, we basically walked up and got on. That surprised me.
I hadn’t ridden it in at least 15 years, and I thought it was awesome. The boys immediately wanted to ride it again, but then of course got sidetracked in the gift shop. We reminded them that they had a budget for souveniers, and they could use it to make light sabers but that would leave nothing for Pokemon. Dejected, they both chose Pokemon. Audrey did make a nifty light saber though.
While we waited for her, Shelli headed out to the parking lot (it was already closing in on 10), and I had a conference with Shawn. We decided to see if there were any spots left open for the academy, and surprisingly Caden agreed to do it. We headed in, and signed them up for the 3:45 return time. We hadn’t originally planned on staying that long, but figured our lunch at Sci-Fi would take at least an hour, which would only leave another hour to kill. And I could always take Megs back for a second nap and Shawn could record it for me.
We cut through the Streets of Hollywood in search of the Phineas and Ferb to our Perry(s). We were thrilled to find them in a virtually deserted area and only waited a couple of minutes to see them.
Afterwards the boys both spent $7 on a Perry keychain. We wandered around the practically empty Streets of America and got a couple of nifty shots. This is one of my faves from the trip:
I walked right by the lamp post I was looking for, but Audrey found it!
We briefly got in line for the Backlot tour, because I thought our FP weren't open until 10:45, but then Shawn reminded me that it was actually 10:20. We could ride now! I've never actually waited in line for TSMM, but I've heard it's cool. We got right on!
I sure love this goofy kid:
Ready to get down to business:
How sad is it that Shawn took pictures 75% of the time and still nearly beat me?? For some reason it felt harder to use the pull string this time. Have they changed the ride somehow since 2010?
Audrey was really wanting to ride the Backlot Tour (though Connor was not since all he remembered from our last trip was the truck being on fire and scaring the bejesus about of him). I promised Connor he could sit on the far side of the tram and we’d all protect him from the truck. Not sure Caden was on board with that! The standby line was just 15 minutes.
Shawn checked his phone and saw that RnRC was operating (love that Disney Mobile Magic app - smartphone users, get it!!) and decided to go snag post-Jedi Academy fast passes. About that time Shelli sent me this:
Awwww! Apparently she went right to bed, no problems. I think she was still worn out from yesterday.
Shawn grabbed two evening TSMM passes for Shelli and Audrey on his way over (can’t believe they were still around at 10:45!), and when he did so realized that he still had Shelli’s ticket. I called her to check in and let her know. Apparently she had been going insane looking for it and had frantically been Googling “What do I do if I lost my Disney ticket????” She was obviously relieved.
Well, we survived the Backlot Tour but our dreams of the Jedi Academy did not. Upon emerging and coming face-to-face with a seven-foot-tall Darth Vader costume (albeit enclosed in glass), Connor had a minor panic-attack and decided he was NOT ready to face the dark side. I was somewhat relieved that this would free up our afternoon, but for some reason, Connor backing out made Caden even more determined to do it. SHRUG. I figured we’d cross that bridge when we came to it.
A very bored Shawn was still hanging out at RnRc texting me every time the FP times changed. He was waiting for the 3:20 to 4:20 window. Audrey decided to get her mom an Oscar that said “World’s Greatest Mom’ as a gift (her quote was, “I think she’ll like it. You know how moms get…they get all happy and stuff when their kids buy them a present.”) – such a sweet kid!
We stepped outside the gift shop, and there were Mike and Sully, with no line! Lot of turquoise in this shot! Connor was keeping an eye on Sully:
We went to grab the stroller and have some snacks (it had been hours since breakfast at this point and our ADR was still more than an hour away) and found that Shawn had taken it! With our fans! And our food! Oh, well. To pass the time, we decided to hit Honey I Shrunk the Kids, pretty much the boys’ favorite playground anywhere. And this was the awesome part of having a 13-year old supernanny along. I tried to play with the boys last time we were here, but it was hard to keep up, ducking through two-foot tunnels most of the time. Granted, Audrey is taller than I am, but as a 13-year old this didn’t seem to bother her as much as it did me.
I sat in a shady spot and watched them go! Apparently I was very hungry because my texts to Shawn from this time period say things like "Need food now." "Your wife is wilting." Although to be perfectly fair, I don't feel like it was as hot as our last August trip. It could be that I've grown accustomed to it, since we had many 100+ degree days in Ohio this summer!
Shawn showed up a short while later (he got stuck by a parade), with the fans and some snacks he’d bought. Several bottles of water, bags of Wheat Thins, and 2 bananas later we were all feeling pretty good.
Play, boys, play! Wear yourselves out!
Around 12:45 I headed to the entrance to meet Shelli, who was bringing the baby back for lunch – hers and ours. The rest of them decided to do Star Tours again since the boys loved it so much. There was no wait (still!). Shawn told me that the scenes were different this time around. I had no idea about that. Shelli was able to use Diamond parking again so she had a short trek in from the lot. She passed Megan off to me and went off to meet the group, while I went to Guest Relations where I heard the nursing room was. There was a nice, dimly lit room with some high chairs and a fridge and microwave, and I was about to plunk down on a couch and get started when I saw a curtained off-area to one side. Opening the curtain I found this:
What a nice spot! It was quiet, dim, and wonderfully air conditioned! I don’t know if there is a more peaceful place anywhere in Disney! It was like I'd left the park entirely. I was in my own little island of peace and solitude. Highly recommend for nursing moms!
Next up - Lunch at the Sci Fi and a wet afternoon...
BlueEyes78
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2009
- Messages
- 172
Check ebay. They're hard to come by outside the parks, but sometimes "locals" sell Disney merchandise for a profit. That's where DH and I got mine!
I love the matching shirts!! I may have to copycat your timing for this trip next year. I love no crowds!! As for this year I am going early December so I can try to copycat your family pic with Santa in front of the castle. I still absolutely love it!! 
BlueEyes78
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2009
- Messages
- 172
Unfortunately while the baby and I were resting and cuddling, Shawn was not having such a good time with the very tired, hungry boys. They were checking in for our ADR and apparently could not stop photo-bombing people who were posing in the car out front of the Sci-Fi. Both Shawn and the boys were a bit frazzled when I got there.
When's MOM gonna get here??:
With me there, they could officially check us in, and we didnt have to wait more than five minutes before getting taken to our 3-row car. I didnt know they had 3 rows, so that was pretty sweet! I also wasnt sure what theyd do about Megan, but they just pulled her high chair up to the side of the car which was perfect. We let the boys sit up front and be the drivers.
They both ordered the chicken breasts with tomato soup with a sundae. I got the turkey club sandwich with cucumber salad:
Shawn got the veggie burger with sweet potato fries:
Both Shelli and Audrey got an Angus burger. I have to admit I was intrigued by that heart-attack-on-a-plate burger they offer now, but no one would share it with me!
We got a kick out of the old sci-fi movie reel ("She didn't think she'd be this frightened on her wedding night!") and the boys enjoyed the cartoons. I like the technology of the future reels from the 50s the best. One showed a kitchen cabinet where the bottom lowered out so you could get your dishes. It took up the exact amount of space as your normal kitchen cabinet, and basically saved you the trouble of OPENING THE CABINET so I'm not sure what the inventors were going for here.
The reel was about 45 minutes long, and it wasnt quite over when our meals arrived. I think we waited about 20 minutes for the food. It was OK. Nothing to gush over, nothing to really complain about either. The portions are huge though, Shelli and Audrey both realized they could easily have split the Angus and been full. For dessert I got the Oreo shake which was very good, but I didn't realize how full I was until it arrived! Luckily I WAS able to find someone to share that with me! Our server was very sweet (she kept referring to the kids as princes and to Audrey as Princess) and did a fantastic job.
We were very glad she was a good server when, in looking at our receipt that night, we realized shed been tipped twice!
Apparently gratuity is included in parties of 6 or more. Beware!!! So we hope she really needed that money!
Well the sci-fi is a huge and very enclosed restaurant. So much so, that apparently one cannot hear a raging torrential downpour that is going on while inside. We got outside about 3 and found our completely drenched stroller (with the awesome rain cover wed purchased just for the trip folded neatly in its bag in the basket). It was too wet to to put Megan into, so we just carried her over to the Muppets. It was only drizzling by then, so the walk wasnt too wet. In fact, I stayed dry well into the show.
Whatcha sayin' mom? Feeling dry? I can fix that!
About half way through it, I felt a slow heat creep along my lap and up my stomach. I had just been thinking that I should have changed Megs in the restaurant and that I should be sure to do it after the show. Too late! Both she and I were covered in pee by the end of the show!
We put her changing pad in the stroller to change her afterwards, and then just let her ride around sitting in that (it was warm, and she was wet anyway now!). I hadn't brought a spare outfit for her so we just left her onesie unbuttoned, and I certainly hadn't brought a spare outfit for me so I figured I'd just tell anyone who smelled me that I'd gotten freaked out on ToT!
We swung by the Jedi Academy which did not appear to be operating (Im guessing due to the weather) so that problem was solved for us. The plan was to hit ToT with our parent swaps and then head home. Connor decided that while he may ride it again at some point, today was not the day. He was having more fun running though puddles anyway!
So this time Shawn rode it with Caden and Audrey. He doesn't particularly care for sudden drops, but he likes to ride with his kids. I think he looks hilariously concerned in the ride photo:
And then, with 10 minutes left on the RnRc FP, Audrey and Caden ran over to ride that. It was his first upside-down roller coaster, but he said he loved it cause it was dark, and since he couldnt see the loops coming he didnt know when to be scared!
Audrey looks a bit MORE than concerned on the take off, while Caden is taking the "duck and cover" approach:
We waited for them at the exit for what seemed to be forever apparently someone had lost their lunch on the ride ahead of them and so it shut down temporarily. After they were done, we decided to take our very wet and tired, and in Megans case somewhat stinky kids home and let Shelli and Audrey enjoy some mom/daughter time. It was starting to rain a bit more when we left, but the weather had really cooled off. It was overcast the rest of the evening and felt really nice!
We got back around 5 and put Megan down (in some clean clothes), and let the boys swim while we grilled out hot dogs.
Dinner by the lake:
The tentative plan was to return to the park for Fantasmic that evening but after being in the park non-stop till 4:30, we were all done. We texted the Supernannies and told them not to worry about coming back to watch Megan, we were just going to hang out and let the boys swim and get to bed early. We had all the kids in bed by the time the Supernannies returned, and we all sat around talking about every political issue under the sun (amicably) until about 1 a.m.
Despite an almost lost ticket, forgotten camera, some photobombing, rain, and some pee, we considered DHS as great success and hoped the rest of the week would go as well. Unfortunately, this may have been our highest point, but we didnt know that yet!
High/Lows for the day:
Me: ToT with Connor/Getting peed on
Caden: Rock N Roller Coaster/rain (he hates getting wet outside of a pool)
Shawn: ToT (that's what he said. I say, the picture doesn't lie)/veggie burger
Audrey: ToT/almost having heat exhaustion in the playground
Shelli: Getting to experience DHS both as a Supernanny and a grown-up in the evening/thinking she had lost her ticket
Connor: Star Tours/watching the ToT characters get electrocuted
Megan: Eating prunes on Sunset Blvd/Getting changed in a soaked stroller
When's MOM gonna get here??:
With me there, they could officially check us in, and we didnt have to wait more than five minutes before getting taken to our 3-row car. I didnt know they had 3 rows, so that was pretty sweet! I also wasnt sure what theyd do about Megan, but they just pulled her high chair up to the side of the car which was perfect. We let the boys sit up front and be the drivers.
They both ordered the chicken breasts with tomato soup with a sundae. I got the turkey club sandwich with cucumber salad:
Shawn got the veggie burger with sweet potato fries:
Both Shelli and Audrey got an Angus burger. I have to admit I was intrigued by that heart-attack-on-a-plate burger they offer now, but no one would share it with me!
We got a kick out of the old sci-fi movie reel ("She didn't think she'd be this frightened on her wedding night!") and the boys enjoyed the cartoons. I like the technology of the future reels from the 50s the best. One showed a kitchen cabinet where the bottom lowered out so you could get your dishes. It took up the exact amount of space as your normal kitchen cabinet, and basically saved you the trouble of OPENING THE CABINET so I'm not sure what the inventors were going for here.
The reel was about 45 minutes long, and it wasnt quite over when our meals arrived. I think we waited about 20 minutes for the food. It was OK. Nothing to gush over, nothing to really complain about either. The portions are huge though, Shelli and Audrey both realized they could easily have split the Angus and been full. For dessert I got the Oreo shake which was very good, but I didn't realize how full I was until it arrived! Luckily I WAS able to find someone to share that with me! Our server was very sweet (she kept referring to the kids as princes and to Audrey as Princess) and did a fantastic job.We were very glad she was a good server when, in looking at our receipt that night, we realized shed been tipped twice!
Apparently gratuity is included in parties of 6 or more. Beware!!! So we hope she really needed that money!Well the sci-fi is a huge and very enclosed restaurant. So much so, that apparently one cannot hear a raging torrential downpour that is going on while inside. We got outside about 3 and found our completely drenched stroller (with the awesome rain cover wed purchased just for the trip folded neatly in its bag in the basket). It was too wet to to put Megan into, so we just carried her over to the Muppets. It was only drizzling by then, so the walk wasnt too wet. In fact, I stayed dry well into the show.
Whatcha sayin' mom? Feeling dry? I can fix that!
About half way through it, I felt a slow heat creep along my lap and up my stomach. I had just been thinking that I should have changed Megs in the restaurant and that I should be sure to do it after the show. Too late! Both she and I were covered in pee by the end of the show!
We put her changing pad in the stroller to change her afterwards, and then just let her ride around sitting in that (it was warm, and she was wet anyway now!). I hadn't brought a spare outfit for her so we just left her onesie unbuttoned, and I certainly hadn't brought a spare outfit for me so I figured I'd just tell anyone who smelled me that I'd gotten freaked out on ToT!
We swung by the Jedi Academy which did not appear to be operating (Im guessing due to the weather) so that problem was solved for us. The plan was to hit ToT with our parent swaps and then head home. Connor decided that while he may ride it again at some point, today was not the day. He was having more fun running though puddles anyway!
So this time Shawn rode it with Caden and Audrey. He doesn't particularly care for sudden drops, but he likes to ride with his kids. I think he looks hilariously concerned in the ride photo:
And then, with 10 minutes left on the RnRc FP, Audrey and Caden ran over to ride that. It was his first upside-down roller coaster, but he said he loved it cause it was dark, and since he couldnt see the loops coming he didnt know when to be scared!
Audrey looks a bit MORE than concerned on the take off, while Caden is taking the "duck and cover" approach:
We waited for them at the exit for what seemed to be forever apparently someone had lost their lunch on the ride ahead of them and so it shut down temporarily. After they were done, we decided to take our very wet and tired, and in Megans case somewhat stinky kids home and let Shelli and Audrey enjoy some mom/daughter time. It was starting to rain a bit more when we left, but the weather had really cooled off. It was overcast the rest of the evening and felt really nice!
We got back around 5 and put Megan down (in some clean clothes), and let the boys swim while we grilled out hot dogs.
Dinner by the lake:
The tentative plan was to return to the park for Fantasmic that evening but after being in the park non-stop till 4:30, we were all done. We texted the Supernannies and told them not to worry about coming back to watch Megan, we were just going to hang out and let the boys swim and get to bed early. We had all the kids in bed by the time the Supernannies returned, and we all sat around talking about every political issue under the sun (amicably) until about 1 a.m.
Despite an almost lost ticket, forgotten camera, some photobombing, rain, and some pee, we considered DHS as great success and hoped the rest of the week would go as well. Unfortunately, this may have been our highest point, but we didnt know that yet!
High/Lows for the day:
Me: ToT with Connor/Getting peed on
Caden: Rock N Roller Coaster/rain (he hates getting wet outside of a pool)
Shawn: ToT (that's what he said. I say, the picture doesn't lie
)/veggie burgerAudrey: ToT/almost having heat exhaustion in the playground
Shelli: Getting to experience DHS both as a Supernanny and a grown-up in the evening/thinking she had lost her ticket
Connor: Star Tours/watching the ToT characters get electrocuted
Megan: Eating prunes on Sunset Blvd/Getting changed in a soaked stroller
BlueEyes78
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2009
- Messages
- 172
Two things I should mention that happened at DHS.
1) While Shelli and I were waiting for the rest of the gang at ToT, she mentioned that Megans blanket was in her car. She gave me her spare car key so I could grab it when we left.
2) When packing up the night before, I found that Connors dog tag from his lanyard had fallen off at some point during the day. He was very unhappy about this.
Caden woke up before 7 and decided to make some noise until Connor joined him in the hilarity. So much for our sleeping in day! Not an auspicious beginning.
We had 9:30 reservations at Chef Mickeys to give us plenty of time to get ready to go. Being up before 7, that was no problem! Shelli passed off her super cam to Audrey as we left and then realized, as she went through her bags to get it, that her wallet was missing. She couldnt figure out where it had been put after making a purchase at DHS the night before. After ransacking her room, I believe she found it in her car. Lost count for day: 1 Found count for day: 1
As we were driving through the back entrance of Disney, I got a phone call from a staff member at DHS asking if I had a son named Connor. The dog tags had been found in the HISTK playground. Found category takes the lead early in Day 2!!
We were at the Contemporary by 9:15 and we were checked in quickly. We just had one family ahead of us in line for pictures and then we were up!
I couldnt believe how much food there was, and I love how they throw in a dessert cart at the end. Brownies and Rice Krispie treats for breakfast? Sure, why not! Were at Disney!
Ready to chow down!
Connor loved the Mickey Ears Waffles of course (you can see he saved the "ears" part for last):
Cadens favorite was the sausage gravy and biscuits.
They both they tried a lot of other things as well. They love fresh fruit which was abundant on the buffet. My personal favorite dish was the spinach quiche. Here is my plate (heh. that donut hole looks like a butt).
It seems like once the characters got to our room, they were hitting our table pretty quickly, one after the other. So there was a lot of chewing, and then camera grabbing, and then swallowing, and then smiling as much as the boys loved the pictures, I was relieved when they were all through so I could sit and relax!
My favorite moment from the pictures was when Caden, who had been buttering some pancakes, leaped up and ran towards Donald in joy when he saw him (with his knife brandished) and Donald had a little freak-out. We had to remind him to put the cutlery down before approaching the characters!
My favorite picture from the morning has no characters in it except my own:
I tried something called a cheese blintz because I had heard of them but had never tried one. One bite was enough. Maybe they dont make good ones there, or maybe it turns out I just think cheese blintzes are nasty.
While we were eating, I saw this pop up on Shelli's Facebook page with the caption: "My family went to Chef Mickey's for a buffet breakfast and I'm stuck at the house with organic prunes and half a banana? Sigh."
We had some time to kill afterwards and we had promised the boys a monorail ride. Since we were at the Contemporary, now seemed to be a good time. We rode the resort loop and checked out Magic Kingdom on the way.
The boys in one of their favorite places in the World:
MK was a red light today and looked it. We were planning on stopping by later, but just me, Shawn and Miss Megan for her haircut, so we were hoping the crowds wouldnt be too much of an issue for us.
We were back home by 11:30 and the boys promptly headed out to the pool for some afternoon fun. I did hear later that Shelli tried to play them some pool tunes, but they demanded the soundtrack from Narnia and Gettysburg, and then proceeded to act out the final Battle from the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in the pool. My kids are weird!
Megan was woken and fed, and then we had to take some BEFORE shots:
In going through the photos from the morning, Shawn was VERY bummed to find out that he had the camera set on manual focus when he thought it had been on auto, so almost all his photos from the morning were blurry. So all the ones I posted here were from my iPhone. He's been taking classes and gotten pretty good at photography so he was ticked at himself that he missed all the character shots. But he got it all fixed up for the afternoon, and we were off.
We got to the TTC by 12:15 or so, but as were pulling in we realized our AAA Diamond pass card was missing. The Lost category has tied it up! We ransacked the car but couldnt find it in time to get the good parking, so we were consigned to the tram. We knew we lost some time here and were getting a bit nervous about our 1:00 reservations.
Luckily it was just the three of us so we booked it from the tram to the monorail but there was a HUGE line and only one track open. As we were waiting the ferry approached so we hopped out of line and booked it to the dock. We made sure we got close to the rope on the other side so we could get through security fast on the other side. Shawn was sure we wouldnt make it at this point, but its like a five minute ride. We were in the gates by 12:55. The parade was blocking the route to the barber shop, but our first priority was to get fastpasses for our Princess to see the Princesses anyway. However, the machine was down. It took a few minutes for the CM to get it going, and we did get 2:30 Fastpasses finally. And a bonus FP for Dumbo at 3:30 which we doubted wed be around to use.
C'mon guys, let's get rid of this mop-top already!
We checked in at the Barber shop just a couple of minutes after 1, but they were letting walk-ins come in so we got in right away. Megan was assigned to Gus, a sweet old man who immediately tried to get her to warm up to him. We put her in the chair and he put a Mickey sticker on her toe to amuse her, and smiled and spoke very quietly to her. She just stared at him.
I know that stare, and it does not precede good times. And sure enough, the face began to crumple. She took a big breath and I should have warned everyone in a 100-foot vicinity to duck and cover.
She may be small, but the girl has lungs. She let out a horrifying scream and immediately tried to clamber off the seat into my arms. I had quite a job keeping her from flinging herself off the seat as Gus hurriedly backed off and did his very best to give her a nice haircut without coming into her line of sight again.
He did a great job but I really wish theyd let the child sit on a parents lap, I think it would have been a lot less traumatic.
I finally hit on the brilliant idea of giving her some juice which did help a little, as long as she didnt see Gus!
All done (and mostly better):
The little Minnie dress was adorable but velvet is a bit much on an August afternoon in Florida, so after we got her calmed down (the whole thing took less than 5 minutes), we changed her into a sundress and headed for some Dole whips. Id never had one but I figured theyd cheer anyone up.
On the way we happened to run across Mary Poppins before anyone had noticed her and she spent a few minutes cooing at our freshly shorn girl.
First Visit picture!
Then it was off for whips. I took Megan down to the Magic Carpets to bathe in some camel spit while Shawn waited in line, then we found a nice table in the shade to eat at. They were tasty but I think just about anything cold would be AWESOME when it's 90+ degrees in the mid-afternoon in Orlando. We got orange, maybe that's not the flavor everyone raves about, but I wasn't sure what all the fuss was about. It was orange ice cream.
All better now:
We had some time to kill and decided to see if Small World was an option, and headed back to Fantasyland. Unfortunately both that and Dumbo had a 40+ minute wait. So we decided to do the carousel. At least she got to do something. While we were on the carousel, we saw a kid pull the sword from the stone, which Id heard about but never seen. I thought it was like a one-or-two guests a day occurrence, but there were like six kids in line and every single one of them pulled that sucker out. Kind of ruins the magic!
This picture is a bit blurry because of the motion, but I loved the look on her face:
It was super hot so we decided to go hang out in the Princesses air-conditioned hall and wait for our FP window. We only had about another 20 minutes. Megan crawled around and drank some juice and chatted with complete strangers until it was time.
We headed through the line and when we got back to the last waiting room we saw there were about four families ahead of us in the FP line, and another 15 or so in the regular line, and it looked like they were alternating between the two. One father whod been waiting awhile told us it was 2-3 minutes per family, so we figured we had another 25 minute wait and she was not up for that. So we headed out and gave our FP away. Shawn went to guest relations to get Meg a 1st Visit pin, and as Megan and I stood around waiting, Sleeping Beauty set up shop right next to us. I hopped into the quickly-forming line. Shawn got out just in time. Megan really seemed enchanted by Aurora, and really liked grabbing at that hair!
May I touch?
We headed home and found the boys in a post-swimming coma, playing on Shellis iPad. We put Megan down and I decided to lay down for a little while myself. I dont know why I wore a dark shirt and didnt put my hair up for that little trip, but I was so HOT and just wanted a nap.
Meanwhile, Shawn decided that the Triple A pass HAD to have fallen into the console of the rental minivan. Yes, I feel the need to remind my readers that this was a rental. For some reason, Shelli actually HAD a screwdriver on her, and so he did THIS to our rental:
And ta-da. Yes, indeedy, the pass had slid through a tiny crack and gotten stuck back behind the cupholder. The FOUND column is making a comeback!
I dont remember too much more about the evening my notes say that we grilled chicken, and I remember we sat down and ate dinner together. Then my notes say Connor crazy. So Im thinking that this is when we reaped the consequences of his brother waking him before 7 that day! We put him down to sleep and I went swimming with Caden and Megan and then spent some time in the hot tub.
Also, I remember Shawn working his way through the house looking for our $50 prepaid visa that we had planned to use at the parks and had turned up missing.
Guess what? That screwdriver came in handy again, and sure enough, it was right back where the Diamond pass had been. Im just glad I married a man who can put stuff together after he tears it apart!!
Next up was our family day at the Magic Kingdom. We had a LOT we wanted to get done in the morning...and what would get lost this time???
1) While Shelli and I were waiting for the rest of the gang at ToT, she mentioned that Megans blanket was in her car. She gave me her spare car key so I could grab it when we left.
2) When packing up the night before, I found that Connors dog tag from his lanyard had fallen off at some point during the day. He was very unhappy about this.
Caden woke up before 7 and decided to make some noise until Connor joined him in the hilarity. So much for our sleeping in day! Not an auspicious beginning.
We had 9:30 reservations at Chef Mickeys to give us plenty of time to get ready to go. Being up before 7, that was no problem! Shelli passed off her super cam to Audrey as we left and then realized, as she went through her bags to get it, that her wallet was missing. She couldnt figure out where it had been put after making a purchase at DHS the night before. After ransacking her room, I believe she found it in her car. Lost count for day: 1 Found count for day: 1
As we were driving through the back entrance of Disney, I got a phone call from a staff member at DHS asking if I had a son named Connor. The dog tags had been found in the HISTK playground. Found category takes the lead early in Day 2!!
We were at the Contemporary by 9:15 and we were checked in quickly. We just had one family ahead of us in line for pictures and then we were up!
I couldnt believe how much food there was, and I love how they throw in a dessert cart at the end. Brownies and Rice Krispie treats for breakfast? Sure, why not! Were at Disney!
Ready to chow down!
Connor loved the Mickey Ears Waffles of course (you can see he saved the "ears" part for last):
Cadens favorite was the sausage gravy and biscuits.
They both they tried a lot of other things as well. They love fresh fruit which was abundant on the buffet. My personal favorite dish was the spinach quiche. Here is my plate (heh. that donut hole looks like a butt).
It seems like once the characters got to our room, they were hitting our table pretty quickly, one after the other. So there was a lot of chewing, and then camera grabbing, and then swallowing, and then smiling as much as the boys loved the pictures, I was relieved when they were all through so I could sit and relax!
My favorite moment from the pictures was when Caden, who had been buttering some pancakes, leaped up and ran towards Donald in joy when he saw him (with his knife brandished) and Donald had a little freak-out. We had to remind him to put the cutlery down before approaching the characters!
My favorite picture from the morning has no characters in it except my own:
I tried something called a cheese blintz because I had heard of them but had never tried one. One bite was enough. Maybe they dont make good ones there, or maybe it turns out I just think cheese blintzes are nasty.
While we were eating, I saw this pop up on Shelli's Facebook page with the caption: "My family went to Chef Mickey's for a buffet breakfast and I'm stuck at the house with organic prunes and half a banana? Sigh."
We had some time to kill afterwards and we had promised the boys a monorail ride. Since we were at the Contemporary, now seemed to be a good time. We rode the resort loop and checked out Magic Kingdom on the way.
The boys in one of their favorite places in the World:
MK was a red light today and looked it. We were planning on stopping by later, but just me, Shawn and Miss Megan for her haircut, so we were hoping the crowds wouldnt be too much of an issue for us.
We were back home by 11:30 and the boys promptly headed out to the pool for some afternoon fun. I did hear later that Shelli tried to play them some pool tunes, but they demanded the soundtrack from Narnia and Gettysburg, and then proceeded to act out the final Battle from the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in the pool. My kids are weird!
Megan was woken and fed, and then we had to take some BEFORE shots:
In going through the photos from the morning, Shawn was VERY bummed to find out that he had the camera set on manual focus when he thought it had been on auto, so almost all his photos from the morning were blurry. So all the ones I posted here were from my iPhone. He's been taking classes and gotten pretty good at photography so he was ticked at himself that he missed all the character shots. But he got it all fixed up for the afternoon, and we were off.
We got to the TTC by 12:15 or so, but as were pulling in we realized our AAA Diamond pass card was missing. The Lost category has tied it up! We ransacked the car but couldnt find it in time to get the good parking, so we were consigned to the tram. We knew we lost some time here and were getting a bit nervous about our 1:00 reservations.
Luckily it was just the three of us so we booked it from the tram to the monorail but there was a HUGE line and only one track open. As we were waiting the ferry approached so we hopped out of line and booked it to the dock. We made sure we got close to the rope on the other side so we could get through security fast on the other side. Shawn was sure we wouldnt make it at this point, but its like a five minute ride. We were in the gates by 12:55. The parade was blocking the route to the barber shop, but our first priority was to get fastpasses for our Princess to see the Princesses anyway. However, the machine was down. It took a few minutes for the CM to get it going, and we did get 2:30 Fastpasses finally. And a bonus FP for Dumbo at 3:30 which we doubted wed be around to use.
C'mon guys, let's get rid of this mop-top already!
We checked in at the Barber shop just a couple of minutes after 1, but they were letting walk-ins come in so we got in right away. Megan was assigned to Gus, a sweet old man who immediately tried to get her to warm up to him. We put her in the chair and he put a Mickey sticker on her toe to amuse her, and smiled and spoke very quietly to her. She just stared at him.
I know that stare, and it does not precede good times. And sure enough, the face began to crumple. She took a big breath and I should have warned everyone in a 100-foot vicinity to duck and cover.
She may be small, but the girl has lungs. She let out a horrifying scream and immediately tried to clamber off the seat into my arms. I had quite a job keeping her from flinging herself off the seat as Gus hurriedly backed off and did his very best to give her a nice haircut without coming into her line of sight again.
He did a great job but I really wish theyd let the child sit on a parents lap, I think it would have been a lot less traumatic.
I finally hit on the brilliant idea of giving her some juice which did help a little, as long as she didnt see Gus!
All done (and mostly better):
The little Minnie dress was adorable but velvet is a bit much on an August afternoon in Florida, so after we got her calmed down (the whole thing took less than 5 minutes), we changed her into a sundress and headed for some Dole whips. Id never had one but I figured theyd cheer anyone up.
On the way we happened to run across Mary Poppins before anyone had noticed her and she spent a few minutes cooing at our freshly shorn girl.
First Visit picture!
Then it was off for whips. I took Megan down to the Magic Carpets to bathe in some camel spit while Shawn waited in line, then we found a nice table in the shade to eat at. They were tasty but I think just about anything cold would be AWESOME when it's 90+ degrees in the mid-afternoon in Orlando. We got orange, maybe that's not the flavor everyone raves about, but I wasn't sure what all the fuss was about. It was orange ice cream.
All better now:
We had some time to kill and decided to see if Small World was an option, and headed back to Fantasyland. Unfortunately both that and Dumbo had a 40+ minute wait. So we decided to do the carousel. At least she got to do something. While we were on the carousel, we saw a kid pull the sword from the stone, which Id heard about but never seen. I thought it was like a one-or-two guests a day occurrence, but there were like six kids in line and every single one of them pulled that sucker out. Kind of ruins the magic!
This picture is a bit blurry because of the motion, but I loved the look on her face:
It was super hot so we decided to go hang out in the Princesses air-conditioned hall and wait for our FP window. We only had about another 20 minutes. Megan crawled around and drank some juice and chatted with complete strangers until it was time.
We headed through the line and when we got back to the last waiting room we saw there were about four families ahead of us in the FP line, and another 15 or so in the regular line, and it looked like they were alternating between the two. One father whod been waiting awhile told us it was 2-3 minutes per family, so we figured we had another 25 minute wait and she was not up for that. So we headed out and gave our FP away. Shawn went to guest relations to get Meg a 1st Visit pin, and as Megan and I stood around waiting, Sleeping Beauty set up shop right next to us. I hopped into the quickly-forming line. Shawn got out just in time. Megan really seemed enchanted by Aurora, and really liked grabbing at that hair!
May I touch?
We headed home and found the boys in a post-swimming coma, playing on Shellis iPad. We put Megan down and I decided to lay down for a little while myself. I dont know why I wore a dark shirt and didnt put my hair up for that little trip, but I was so HOT and just wanted a nap.
Meanwhile, Shawn decided that the Triple A pass HAD to have fallen into the console of the rental minivan. Yes, I feel the need to remind my readers that this was a rental. For some reason, Shelli actually HAD a screwdriver on her, and so he did THIS to our rental:
And ta-da. Yes, indeedy, the pass had slid through a tiny crack and gotten stuck back behind the cupholder. The FOUND column is making a comeback!
I dont remember too much more about the evening my notes say that we grilled chicken, and I remember we sat down and ate dinner together. Then my notes say Connor crazy. So Im thinking that this is when we reaped the consequences of his brother waking him before 7 that day! We put him down to sleep and I went swimming with Caden and Megan and then spent some time in the hot tub.
Also, I remember Shawn working his way through the house looking for our $50 prepaid visa that we had planned to use at the parks and had turned up missing.
Guess what? That screwdriver came in handy again, and sure enough, it was right back where the Diamond pass had been. Im just glad I married a man who can put stuff together after he tears it apart!!
Next up was our family day at the Magic Kingdom. We had a LOT we wanted to get done in the morning...and what would get lost this time???
BlueEyes78
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2009
- Messages
- 172
Thanks, Reberella. Love your DIS name, wish I'd thought of that one!
Glad you're enjoying the report!
Glad you're enjoying the report!
BlueEyes78
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2009
- Messages
- 172
Hey, look, I'm back! October was CRAZY. But you all know that, right?
A little explanation on the chapter title. I had to throw that in one day (and why not a Magic Kingdom day) because Mr. Supernanny is NOT a Disney fan. And on their last trip anytime the family ran into crowds or spent a ridiculous amount of money on something like a banana he would say sullenly "Are you feelin' the magic, Shel? Are you feelin' it?" And we got a kick out of saying that every time (in a deep gruff voice) every chance we got. Unfortunately it was not in a good way on this day!
The day started out OK. Everyone was up on time for our first group day at Magic Kingdom. It was supposed to be a green light day today, but we wanted to get there before the early rope drop. When we got to the TTC and showed our diamond pass we were told that the special parking was the first two rows only and it was full. And we got the impression that the first two rows were pretty much first come, first serve, so not sure how the Diamond pass does you any good in that situation.
But we werent too far back, and after getting burned by the monorail the day before (and nearly missing rope drop on our last trip due to a monorail delay), we bypassed the monorail line and were standing at the rope for the next ferry at 8:35.
This boy is ready to feel the magic!
It arrived at 8:40 and we were at the bag check by 8:45. There was already a pretty substantial crowd just behind the bag check and we were going to take a risk and NOT do the Dumbo dash this year planning to do it later in the afternoon (with or without a fastpass) or the following day, which was scheduled as make up for anything we missed. We made plans to get down Main Street however we had to (figuring that it would be impossible to stay together going through the turnstiles and it was!) and meet up at Peter Pan first thing.
Shelli and Audrey had never seen the train show, so I was glad they got to experience that for the first time. We were through the gates before 9 and at Peter Pan by five after, meeting up at the stroller park. There was no line to speak of, and it just took us about five minutes to move through the turnstiles and line up.
A less shaggy Megan is ready for the first ride of the day!
Ready for a trip to Neverland!
Shelli took Connor, Audrey took Caden, and Megan rode with Shawn and I. She seemed to like it, but its hard to tell in the dark!
Next up was Small World which also had no wait yet. We were on our second ride at 9:15! So far this was beating the old Dumbo Dash plan (which had us on our first ride at 9:20 and our second at 9:45). Megan did enjoy that for sure, and the boys loved finding all the hidden Mickeys!
The boys were much more interested in the Mountains than the rest of Fantasyland so we decided to go there next and see what our FP plan should be. When we arrived the lines were both at 10 minutes! Shelli, Audrey, me, and the boys got in line for Splash Mountain while Shawn took Megan on a FP mission. His goal was to get 3 FP for Space Mountain and 3 for Buzz Lightyear. We could present Megan at both, get a parent swap, and then everyone could ride both quickly.
Right about the time we were getting on Splash (9:40), Shawn got both sets of FP 10:20 for Buzz and 10:40 for Splash. The plan was working thus far!
We had a wonderful time with Briar Rabbit (my first time riding it in the summer when the splashes feel good!!), and I was pleasantly surprised to see no geyser drenching people at the first lift hill!
Shawn was waiting for us at the exit, ready to switch Megan off to Shelli for her morning prunes, while the rest of us rode Big Thunder. He mentioned to me as we got in line that he could not find Shellis spare key in his pocket he was pretty sure when he pulled out his phone to text me the FP times that it had fallen out. Whatll they charge us? $20? I said. Probably, but Ill check with lost and found anyway. Please note that.
We were off of the Mountain by just after 10. So a fantastic first hour! 4 rides down, including two major roller coasters, and 2 fastpasses obtained. In August! This was working out so much better than Id hoped. Wait for it!
We had twenty minutes till our first FP window opened so we decided to ride Pirates.
Here is a picture Shawn took on the walk over that I was unaware of until I saw it on Facebook later. Love it! This one will show up in some slideshow at one of their weddings or college graduations and make me cry buckets.
There was about a 15 minutes wait and then we took a little cantaloupe break before we headed across Main Street to Tomorrowland.
We were going to do Buzz first and get our parent swap, but when we got there, a poor woman was laying there surrounded by paramedics...she had passed out and/or thrown up right at the FP entrance and it was closed off. They told us to come back in a few minutes so Caden, Audrey and I headed for Space Mountain while Shawn decided to canvas the area between them (now packed) for his lost key. Megan had some juice. Connor was bored. Rinse, later, repeat.
We had a fantastic time on Space LOVE that ride!
But the good times were over. When we exited I was met by a very distraught Shawn who had made the mistake of calling the rental car company and had been told that the fee for a lost key is not about $20. It is $350. Does that seem excessive to anyone else???
He was running through what ADRS we should cancel to pay for it, and pretty much his morning was ruined. Even though hed called lost and found and theyd had no keys turned in, he wanted to go there anyway and wait just to make himself feel better. He told us to go ahead and ride Buzz without him.
Without him there, we had Megan, but only 3 (expired) fastpasses for five of us. We explained our predicament to the very friendly CM there who slipped us five current ones and we were on our way. As an FYI here, turns out that you can't do parent swap for Buzz because you can just take the baby. But it all worked out!
When we got inside Caden reminded me that he had to pee, which he had first told me in line for Space Mountain, but in the following confusion, I had forgotten to get him to the bathroom. I asked if he could hold it just five minutes and he said he wasnt sure. And then he started dancing and whining.
And then the ride shut down, and we were pretty much trapped in the tiny queues right before the loading. It was turning into a bit of a nightmare where everything that could go wrong was and there was very little I could do about any of it. And I was just about positive this incident was going to end in a spectacularly poor and wet fashion.
After about ten minutes (which seemed MUCH longer) we did finally get on the ride.
Megan is an excellent driver. And Shelli has her game face on.
Caden did forget about his bladder long enough to do some shooting:
When we got out, Shelli and Audrey went to take Caden to the nearest mens room. I thought Connor was with them and went to get our ride picture. After I got it, I started to walk out and realized that the kid monopolizing the Zurg cage looked familiar. I just saw him out of the corner of my eye, and Im so glad I did. Because it was my son who Id assumed was long gone!! Im SO glad I realized it before I ran out to find the others!
We met up with Shawn who had had no luck at the lost and found and was dejectedly unpacking lunch at a nearby table. The CMs had tried to cheering him up by telling him hed be surprised by how often lost keys turn up but it did little to improve his mood.
Megan was well past the morning nap now (it was 12:30) and seemed to be OK, so I was wondering if we could try Dumbo or something else in fantasy land, but for Shawn the morning was shot. It was hot and the boys were really wanting to swim so we decided to call it a day. We had some Mickey Ears to cheer us up.
Megan adores them!
We all pretended to be cheerful for our castle shot (except Connor who was done at this point):
The rest of us exited the park but Shawn couldnt leave until hed given it one more shot. He went back to Guest Services while we sat around in the shade outside the park. He was gone awhile so I actually allowed myself to be hopeful and entertained a few fantasies of seeing him come out of the gate with an ear-to-ear grin. I didn't hold my breath though. I was pretty sure, with the way this day was going, that he was just stuck in a long line.
When he finally did emerge, it was with a look of disbelief, as he slowly raised the shiny key over his head.
We were overjoyed! Apparently when he got to the desk the CM, remembering him, asked coyly, How magical has your day been today sir? to which Shawn responded glumly Not very.Well, she said, brandishing the key, It just got a bit more magical. Im shocked that Shawn didnt jump the counter and give her a kiss!
So it was with much lighter spirits that we boarded the ferry for the trip home. We got home around 1:30 and of course the boys hit the pool and spent almost of the rest of the day there.
The rest of us rested up, and Shelli edited a video of our Splash Mountain ride. We were due for an ADR at OHanas but the day had pretty much emotionally and physically exhausted us. We hated the idea of the cancellation fee, but Shawn decided to call and bite the bullet rather than push the boys. He explained the situation to the reservation desk and I dont know if we had a sympathetic operator or if it really was a computer error, but she said, Hey, thats strange, it didnt charge you a fee. What a nice surprise! So that was a bit more magic to help out!
A storm started to move in, putting an end to pool time, and we decided the best way to end the day would be a big juicy burger. All the Fuddruckers in our area closed years ago, so we always fit in a trip there on Orlando vacations. We had to take the highway to get there. Isnt it funny how when youre on vacation you forget that the rest of the world still has rush hour?
So we got on the highway in the middle of rush hour and a torrential downpour, but the burger at the end of the ride made it all worth while! At least for me, I love this place!
The boys even got some balloon hats out of the deal!
We went home, and Shawn and the boys went to bed while Shelli and Audrey and I watched Raising Arizona on her iPad. Laughter truly is the best medicine sometimes! Right, Megan?
The plan now was for the two of us to take the kids back to Magic Kingdom in the afternoon after a more relaxing morning. Hopefully, the worst was behind us!!
Oh my goodness! You are having some horrible luck with losing things this trip... but a lot of good luck with finding them 
We had quite the experience one year just before the electical parade when my daughter realized she had to pee bad and the parade was coming and we couldn't move!! Ahhh!!!Got the mom of the year award for that one!
We had quite the experience one year just before the electical parade when my daughter realized she had to pee bad and the parade was coming and we couldn't move!! Ahhh!!!Got the mom of the year award for that one!
BlueEyes78
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2009
- Messages
- 172
WOW! Christmas is upon us! Can you believe it? I was just realizing it's been four months since our trip now which is just unbelievable! Hope everyone out there is doing well!
Now, back to the TR that I WILL eventually complete!! Where was I??
Ah yes. We needed a morning to recover. We woke up and had a nice leisurely breakfast. Shelli and Audrey decided to hit Magic Kingdom to do the stuff they hadn’t been able to, while our clan was chilling out this morning. Oh, did I mention that as I organized our stuff the night before, we realized that Caden had lost his dog tag at MK? Yep. I’m not even keeping track anymore!
Shawn took the boys to the clubhouse pool while I decided to lay down and read in the quiet house. They weren’t there too long. Caden didn’t like that it was shallow, and Connor wasn’t tall enough to go down the slide. SO they headed home, back to the private, warmer pool.
Just after lunch the Supernannies returned, I put Megan down for her nap, and we were back to the Magic Kingdom with the boys.
We had originally planned the Pirate adventure which they had seemed excited about, but they weren’t really interested in it anymore. They just wanted swords and said they’d prefer we just buy those. So, we cancelled that too. I’m noticing another pattern (but at least we’re saving money on this one!).
On the way to MK, we got a call that the dog tags had been found. They were at the TTC lost-and-found so we decided to drop in on the way out and pick them up, just to keep the “found” tally even with the “lost.”
We got to the Magic Kingdom around 2:15. It was peak-crowd time but not horrendous today – another green light day. We stopped at the baby care center just next to Crystal Palace where I was permitted to store my pump. For free. Score!
The boys were draped in their frog-togs as the crowd wasn’t the only thing at its peak – it was SUPER hot. Connor was already a bit cranky in the heat, and declared there would be NO more posing for pictures! Caden was still up for it, though.
Around 3 we boarded the raft for the island. I am not normally prone to claustrophobia, but being packed onto this raft (literally body to body) with about two dozen other people, in close to 100 degree heat with those gasoline fumes pumping in your face is NOT a pleasant experience. No one smells good in such close quarters, and I’m not a fan of having other people’s sweat on me. Ewww.
We got onto the island and explored a bit. Haha, Connor, gotcha!
I’d been once in high school so remembered virtually nothing. Not too many others were around. We went through a cave that freaked Connor out a bit but we promised him it was too small to get lost in. At least it was relatively cool in there!
The boys loved the bridges, of course!
We went to Aunt Polly’s hoping to get a snack, but Aunt Polly’s is just a couple of vending machines and picnic tables.
So we explored some more and finished up by letting the boys plan in the fort for awhile. Once they were done running around the top, we refreshed our frog togs in the drinking fountain and caught the next ferry back. It was equally crowded and gross. Luckily it’s like a two-minute ride.
We hoofed it over to the Haunted Mansion which we hadn’t gotten to do the day before. Connor believed he was brave enough to not need the chicken exit this year, once I explained it was no different than the Boo Mansion ride at Kings Island. The line said 20 minutes, and when we got to the part where you could split off and go through the graveyard or go straight to the door, we chose in the interests of everyone and skipped it. So I’m afraid I can’t give a review of the new line features, but maybe we’ll try it someday when the boys are old enough to appreciate gimmicks over wait time! So we did the ride and Connor handled it very well. I was most amused by the ghost in the car trick at the end – the ghost kept switching faces with me! I hadn’t seen that one before.
By the time we got done with the island and the line for HM, the boys had guzzled every water bottle I’d brought along for the day. It was still deathly hot and stomachs were growling since Aunt Polly’s was a bust. Time for a turkey leg! Num num num num num! These are SO good in normal circumstances, but when you’re starving they’re phenomenal!
Next up was the new Dumbo ride. I was super-psyched to see the new queue and we were not disappointed. There was a 15 minute wait (and this was at 4:30 in the afternoon). We were handed a “pager” like what you get at a restaurant and shown into the tent immediately. Where it was air conditioned! We waited about 5 minutes to be let into the play area and it was amazing. Why in the world no one thought of this before is beyond me. Shawn and I hung out in the “bleacher” area for the parents and had some granola bars. The only downside is that there does not appear to be any cell phone connectivity in there so surfing on the iPhones was not an option. Maybe that’s on purpose so parents will pay more attention to their kids?
It’s dim inside, but there’s lots of climbing apparatuses and things to keep the kids busy. The fifteen minutes flew by, and before we knew it our pager was sounding.
From here on out, the day went south. First off, Connor did NOT want to leave. He was exhausted and hot and could not be reasoned with. He did not care that they could not let more of the line in until we were out, and we basically had to drag him out kicking and screaming.
I had my hands so full with him that I did not recognize for a few minutes that Caden had begun coughing and was not stopping. At first I thought he had just swallowed wrong. We gave him water but it got worse. He said it was a tickle that did not go away.Ruh-roh Shaggy.
If I haven't mentioned it yet in this TR, Caden is severally allergic to all things nut-related. He’d only had a granola bar and a couple of pieces of the turkey leg, so we couldn’t think of anything nutty that he’d ingested. To be sure we pulled a Benadryl out of our bag and the last of our water and dosed him up. All this time we were being directed to our Dumbo queue as the flight before finished its last lap and began to descend and unload. The cough persisted and I anxiously searched his face for hives. I did see a few small marks on his cheeks, and I swear his lips looked swollen.
The last place I wanted to be if he went into anaphylactic shock was in a flying elephant circling above Fantasyland. So we made a quick judgment call and nixed Dumbo. It was off to the first-aid station.
Shawn carried Caden who was starting to panic a bit (his one experience with peanuts 4 years ago was traumatic enough to stay with him). Connor was crying too but not for Caden. He was still mad that we were leaving the DUmbo play area behind. We got to the infirmary where mainly we just wanted someone who knew what they were looking for to look in this throat (for signs of swelling, etc.). The nurses there were very kind but explained that they were not permitted to diagnose (or even rule out) an allergic reaction. Only the paramedics could do this, and if they were called, Caden would have to go to the hospital. Not a big fan of that policy, but it is what it is.
They said since we had an epipen on us and he was breathing OK at the moment, the best thing to do would be to give him lots of water, and let him sit and just let the Benadryl do its job. If things didn’t improve in 20 minutes, we could make the call.
It was well past time for me to pump and I was starting to feel it. Caden was calm and dutifully drinking his water and Connor had at least realized the gravity of the situation enough to settle down himself, so Shawn assured me he had it under control and sent me next door to do what I needed to do.
Once inside, I was directed to the feeding room, which I was expecting to be similar to the one at Animal Kingdom. There were no private areas, though, just a big dark room with rockers. And one very unhappy individual who was holding a sleeping toddler who frantically motioned for me to get out as soon as I went in, shushing me. I’ve been in that situation before – where a child who desperately needs sleep FINALLY drifts off only to have noises immediately made – and I was kind of taken aback by how angry she looked at my appearance, so I backed out. I asked the staff member if perhaps there was another place I could go, but he told me it was there or nowhere, and that room was not meant for sleeping.
Resigned, I snuck in as quietly as possible and hooked up my battery pack to the pump. Which, overall is very quiet but of course not silent. I just had to shrug apologetically at her and do what I needed to do. I don’t think she was thrilled. But the child must have been out cold and did not wake (I’d hate to see what she’d have done to me if he had!).
By the time I was done, the 20 minutes had passed and Shawn texted me that Caden was doing fine. With all that happened we decided to call it a day. At least we got two things crossed off the list! We were definitely NOT feeling the magic, though. Since we’re 99% sure he did not eat anything peanut, if it was in fact an allergic reaction, the only theory we had was that some little kid had been running around with peanut-butter hands in the playground and Caden had touched some and possibly put his hands near his mouth or nose. It’s never something that occurred to me before, but I guess it could happen.
A storm was moving in as we headed back out Main Street. We stopped briefly at the candy store to get the boys giant suckers, and took the ferry back to the TTC. Shelli texted me that Megan had a good nap but was refusing her bottle. The way this day was going, I wasn’t surprised.
We got back to the TTC and I headed for the lost-and-found. Surprise! BOTH dog tags were there, so I killed two birds with one stone.
We got into the car just before it started to pour, so at least luck favored us there! We texted to let them know we were on our way, so Shelli started dinner. By the time we got home, our Brinner was nearly done (mmm, bacon!).
All seven of us sat down and had a nice dinner but Caden was well under the effects of Benadryl by then. He went straight to bed after dinner. Connor was up a bit longer, and then we put him down. I went in to check on them before I settled in for the night, and found that Connor had waited until we left and then crawled into bed to snuggle on his under-the-weather buddy. Sometimes he’s so sweet I forget all about his capacity for crankiness!
After that adventure we were all more than willing to call it a day. We crossed our fingers as we drifted off that Epcot would go better. It had to, right??
We just got home from our Disney trip today
We did Tom Sawyers Island for the first time. The kids loved the forts and the gubns in there. I had no clue what was even over there! We also had to visit first aid for the first time. DS3 all of a sudden started bleeding from a pin point spot on his leg and it wouldn't stop. Couldn't belive so much blood could come out of such a tiny spot and soak so many napkins!! No clue what it was. He said it didn't hurt and it bled for over 5 minutes big time! Glad to hear the reaction calmed down for you guys. We loved Dumbo and went on it at least 5 times!!
We did Tom Sawyers Island for the first time. The kids loved the forts and the gubns in there. I had no clue what was even over there! We also had to visit first aid for the first time. DS3 all of a sudden started bleeding from a pin point spot on his leg and it wouldn't stop. Couldn't belive so much blood could come out of such a tiny spot and soak so many napkins!! No clue what it was. He said it didn't hurt and it bled for over 5 minutes big time! Glad to hear the reaction calmed down for you guys. We loved Dumbo and went on it at least 5 times!!
BlueEyes78
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2009
- Messages
- 172
Sorry I did not respond sooner! How were the crowds when you went?
That is so weird about your son, like he got "stuck" with something!
Are you writing a TR?
That is so weird about your son, like he got "stuck" with something!
Are you writing a TR?
The crowds were great the first weekend and the first half of the week then it got a little busy but nothing major. We didn't even see a drop of rain while we were there! Such an amazing trip!!
The lady at first aid thought maybe he got stung or bit by some sort of something while we watched the parade in Frontierland near some plants of some sort(weeds maybe).
BlueEyes78
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2009
- Messages
- 172
We had taken it easy after our trip to first aid and wanted to get an early start today for one reason only – it was Connor’s first time on Soarin’!
We got to Epcot in plenty of time and were about a dozen people back in one of the turnstile lines. They opened around 8:45 and we headed off to the 2nd rope going towards The Land. I have a feeling most people were doing the same since Test Track was down.
Shawn took the wheel since he didn’t feel I did as well as could be done with the stroller on our last Soarin’ run! I had a hard time keeping up with him, I think he was using the stroller to plow the road!
We grabbed a parent swap and Shawn settled in to handle Prune Duty in the food court while the rest of us rode. This was a major ride that Shelli could actually do despite her neck problems, so Shawn was anxious to let her have the first go. The afternoon was slated for World Showcase time, and she was not at all interested in that so I was planning on heading back later in the morning. We were ready for takeoff at 9:15!
Somebody is excited!
Connor absolutely loved it as I knew he would. Still one of my favorites in the whole park. The film is getting a bit old though, there are some distracting black marks at times.
We rode so early that I was hoping we could catch Crush’s first show. We ran over to the Seas and hopped onto the Nemo ride (just cause it’s so much more fun to get in that way, and there was no line). We got in just as they were opening the doors for the 9:40 show. Caden, after his experience from last time decided to sit with the adults. But Connor was bound and determined to ask himself a question. I was 50% hoping he’d get called on so he would not miss out on the opportunity his big brother had, and 50% hoping he’d get passed over to avoid another public panic.
Three or four kids got called on and it was winding down and his little hand was just held as high as he could hold it, and low and behold, he got the last question! When they first gave him the mic he kind of just sighed like he was prepping himself and I was so afraid he would freeze, but he didn’t! He came through and asked such an awesome question that I was sure Audrey had “fed” it to him, but she told us later it was all him. SO proud of our little guy! Here’s the video:
http://youtu.be/6HTsFbd09Sk
After that I told the others I’d take Megan outside to change her very wet diaper and give her some snacks while they enjoyed the aquariums. They don’t do much for me, but apparently I did miss a dolphin feeding!
Megan feedings are cute too:
When everyone got out a bit after 10, I had to pose for my “every trip” shot by The Seas. Had a hard time getting Megan to stop looking at those birds, but a good picture just the same!
We were so close to the leaping fountains and very hot already so we went over there to let the boys play, and then went to Club Cool for some refreshing Beverly before Shelli headed out. I have some every time just to see if I was remembering correctly – surely nothing could taste THAT bad…but it really does! Caden had fun guzzling the watermelon drink. I really like that one as well, and the honey one from Israel.
Shelli volunteered to take Megan home for her morning nap at this point and Connor was begging to ride Spaceship Earth. I thought Caden might be itching to do Mission Space but he was still feeling a bit drained and “off” from the incident yesterday, so he was fine skipping in. He was already kind of done for the day.
We got our family photo before Shelli headed out and Shawn went with her to the parking lot to grab his camera which he had forgotten. But not LOST, I want to point that out.
There was about a 25 minute wait for Spaceship Earth. I had been prepping Connor for how to sit up in the car to get his picture done, but it didn’t take one for us, and gave us some generic character instead! Major bummer after the wait. I looked and looked for us at the end, but it had never taken one. And the whole reason he wanted to ride was to email the silly picture home!
We met up with Shawn, ate our packed lunch (except for Shawn who was holding out for Schwarma after watching the Avengers) and went back to the Land for our second ride on Soarin.
Soarin' with Dad!
Connor was also asking to ride Living with the Land, and while I’m not a fan, this trip really is for them…and it’s great that Connor can actually DO things now so Audrey and I rode that with him. Caden was pretty whiny and for some reason decided that waiting in the food court with his dad was preferable to waiting 10 minutes in line and riding something. Not sure I follow that logic, but that’s what he did.
By now it was 1:00 and the heat was intense (again, I know you’re tired of reading it). We had very specific goals in the World Showcase and we decided to get in and get out. My first goal was the French Bakery. Connor was really tired and we still had the stroller (to store our lunch and stuff), so in the interests of time we let him ride in that (he’s only a pound or two over the weight limit!). We got to France and I headed in to browse while the others kept on for Japan. After much browsing, I decided that despite my penchant for Chocolate (and the mousse was tempting), I had to try the famous Napoleons. I found the Pokemon store and settled in a shady spot while the others shopped inside, and ate my Napoleon.
Mmmm, it was good!
Audrey got her Domo (she’d been saving all year for it) and the boys each got two small stuffed Pokemon.
Caden was not complaining but was obviously not feeling well so we didn’t want to make him walk all the way back around in the heat. There was a little bit of time to wait for the boat back to Futureland, and Shawn had just enough time to grab some Schwarma. He busted it out on the boat and oh my goodness I could not stop stealing bites. I don’t know if it was the heat and all the exhaustion or if it’s actually that good, but it was AMAZING. I didn’t stop long enough to take a picture!
We ran into Stitch on the way out who wanted to play with their new toys and pretended he would keep them, but luckily the boys realized he was kidding and there was no meltdown.
Uh...you are giving it back, right Stitch?
We got home just before 3 and Audrey and Connor got in the pool right away.
Kiss through the glass:
Caden was still “off” and felt very warm to the touch. He told us he wanted to lie down so we sent him into our room since we knew Connor would be in and out of his own. I went in to check on him and he was OUT COLD. Nuts, now I knew something was up. Shawn went out to get a thermometer and I laid in bed to read while Caden napped. About two hours later he rolled over and said, “When did you get here Mom? I just can’t get to sleep.” He was surprised to hear he’d been knocked out for as long as he had. I took his temperature and it was 103.
GREAT. We had our anniversary date night planned for that night, but he wasn’t throwing up or anything and was a little “perkier” after his nap. We gave him some ibuprofen and Shelli assured us it was all under control.
But feeling more than a little guilty, we headed out to the California Grille for our 7:20 ADR.
We got to Epcot in plenty of time and were about a dozen people back in one of the turnstile lines. They opened around 8:45 and we headed off to the 2nd rope going towards The Land. I have a feeling most people were doing the same since Test Track was down.
Shawn took the wheel since he didn’t feel I did as well as could be done with the stroller on our last Soarin’ run! I had a hard time keeping up with him, I think he was using the stroller to plow the road!
We grabbed a parent swap and Shawn settled in to handle Prune Duty in the food court while the rest of us rode. This was a major ride that Shelli could actually do despite her neck problems, so Shawn was anxious to let her have the first go. The afternoon was slated for World Showcase time, and she was not at all interested in that so I was planning on heading back later in the morning. We were ready for takeoff at 9:15!
Somebody is excited!
Connor absolutely loved it as I knew he would. Still one of my favorites in the whole park. The film is getting a bit old though, there are some distracting black marks at times.
We rode so early that I was hoping we could catch Crush’s first show. We ran over to the Seas and hopped onto the Nemo ride (just cause it’s so much more fun to get in that way, and there was no line). We got in just as they were opening the doors for the 9:40 show. Caden, after his experience from last time decided to sit with the adults. But Connor was bound and determined to ask himself a question. I was 50% hoping he’d get called on so he would not miss out on the opportunity his big brother had, and 50% hoping he’d get passed over to avoid another public panic.
Three or four kids got called on and it was winding down and his little hand was just held as high as he could hold it, and low and behold, he got the last question! When they first gave him the mic he kind of just sighed like he was prepping himself and I was so afraid he would freeze, but he didn’t! He came through and asked such an awesome question that I was sure Audrey had “fed” it to him, but she told us later it was all him. SO proud of our little guy! Here’s the video:
http://youtu.be/6HTsFbd09Sk
After that I told the others I’d take Megan outside to change her very wet diaper and give her some snacks while they enjoyed the aquariums. They don’t do much for me, but apparently I did miss a dolphin feeding!
Megan feedings are cute too:
When everyone got out a bit after 10, I had to pose for my “every trip” shot by The Seas. Had a hard time getting Megan to stop looking at those birds, but a good picture just the same!
We were so close to the leaping fountains and very hot already so we went over there to let the boys play, and then went to Club Cool for some refreshing Beverly before Shelli headed out. I have some every time just to see if I was remembering correctly – surely nothing could taste THAT bad…but it really does! Caden had fun guzzling the watermelon drink. I really like that one as well, and the honey one from Israel.
Shelli volunteered to take Megan home for her morning nap at this point and Connor was begging to ride Spaceship Earth. I thought Caden might be itching to do Mission Space but he was still feeling a bit drained and “off” from the incident yesterday, so he was fine skipping in. He was already kind of done for the day.
We got our family photo before Shelli headed out and Shawn went with her to the parking lot to grab his camera which he had forgotten. But not LOST, I want to point that out.
There was about a 25 minute wait for Spaceship Earth. I had been prepping Connor for how to sit up in the car to get his picture done, but it didn’t take one for us, and gave us some generic character instead! Major bummer after the wait. I looked and looked for us at the end, but it had never taken one. And the whole reason he wanted to ride was to email the silly picture home!
We met up with Shawn, ate our packed lunch (except for Shawn who was holding out for Schwarma after watching the Avengers) and went back to the Land for our second ride on Soarin.
Soarin' with Dad!
Connor was also asking to ride Living with the Land, and while I’m not a fan, this trip really is for them…and it’s great that Connor can actually DO things now so Audrey and I rode that with him. Caden was pretty whiny and for some reason decided that waiting in the food court with his dad was preferable to waiting 10 minutes in line and riding something. Not sure I follow that logic, but that’s what he did.
By now it was 1:00 and the heat was intense (again, I know you’re tired of reading it). We had very specific goals in the World Showcase and we decided to get in and get out. My first goal was the French Bakery. Connor was really tired and we still had the stroller (to store our lunch and stuff), so in the interests of time we let him ride in that (he’s only a pound or two over the weight limit!). We got to France and I headed in to browse while the others kept on for Japan. After much browsing, I decided that despite my penchant for Chocolate (and the mousse was tempting), I had to try the famous Napoleons. I found the Pokemon store and settled in a shady spot while the others shopped inside, and ate my Napoleon.
Mmmm, it was good!
Audrey got her Domo (she’d been saving all year for it) and the boys each got two small stuffed Pokemon.
Caden was not complaining but was obviously not feeling well so we didn’t want to make him walk all the way back around in the heat. There was a little bit of time to wait for the boat back to Futureland, and Shawn had just enough time to grab some Schwarma. He busted it out on the boat and oh my goodness I could not stop stealing bites. I don’t know if it was the heat and all the exhaustion or if it’s actually that good, but it was AMAZING. I didn’t stop long enough to take a picture!
We ran into Stitch on the way out who wanted to play with their new toys and pretended he would keep them, but luckily the boys realized he was kidding and there was no meltdown.
Uh...you are giving it back, right Stitch?
We got home just before 3 and Audrey and Connor got in the pool right away.
Kiss through the glass:
Caden was still “off” and felt very warm to the touch. He told us he wanted to lie down so we sent him into our room since we knew Connor would be in and out of his own. I went in to check on him and he was OUT COLD. Nuts, now I knew something was up. Shawn went out to get a thermometer and I laid in bed to read while Caden napped. About two hours later he rolled over and said, “When did you get here Mom? I just can’t get to sleep.” He was surprised to hear he’d been knocked out for as long as he had. I took his temperature and it was 103.
GREAT. We had our anniversary date night planned for that night, but he wasn’t throwing up or anything and was a little “perkier” after his nap. We gave him some ibuprofen and Shelli assured us it was all under control.
But feeling more than a little guilty, we headed out to the California Grille for our 7:20 ADR.
BlueEyes78
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2009
- Messages
- 172
We headed to the California Grille for the first time ever. After checking in at the lobby of the Contemporary we headed up to the restaurant on the top floor. We had arrived early so sat at the bar for a few minutes taking in the atmosphere. It is really beautiful, an open space with tons of windows and natural light with breathtaking views all around. We were soon shown to our table, and were excited to see that we had a window table looking out over Magic Kingdom. Unfortunately the forecast called for rain so we werent sure if the 10:00 fireworks would be a go or not.
Sure enough before we ordered, the black clouds started rolling in. But from our vantage point, we got a pretty good show, just a different one than expected. We could see the storm rolling across the lagoon, just a curtain of rain flying towards us, and the lightening was pretty amazing through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
The reason we had chosen the Grille was because of the sushi. Shawn LOVES sushi but he rarely orders it because of his shellfish allergy. He had been communicating with the chef for quite sometime and had been guaranteed that his allergy was on record and he would be made completely, 100% shell-fish free sushi. So he got a sushi plate, and I got the seasonal soup, which I believe was a southwestern corn chowder.
For the main course, I ordered the Florida grouper, which is prepared differently in each season also. I wish I could remember the presentation, but I do know it was in a delicious Dijon sauce! Shawn went with the beef tenderloin which I believe is a permanent fixture on the menu.
As we ate the storm gradually became less and less violent and dramatic and evolved to a steady rain. Through the mist we saw the castle begin to glow as dusk fell, and it made for a really romantic setting.
We finished our meal a bit earlier than we thought we would so note to those hoping to see the fireworks, a 7:00 reservation is probably a bit early.
We ordered dessert blackberry tart w/ lemon ice cream for Shawn, and their version of my favorite dessert (that I order whenever I see), a molten chocolate cake. Pretty hard to screw that up as long as it doesnt get too dry on the outside. Theirs was very good.
It was around 9 when we finished, and it did look to be clearing up, and we were welcome to stay and head up to the terrace for fireworks, but we felt bad going on a 3+ hour date with a sick kid back at the condo. So we decided to head out and try to do the fireworks on another trip.
Overall it was a beautiful meal, impeccable service, and wed definitely go back again!
Sure enough before we ordered, the black clouds started rolling in. But from our vantage point, we got a pretty good show, just a different one than expected. We could see the storm rolling across the lagoon, just a curtain of rain flying towards us, and the lightening was pretty amazing through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
The reason we had chosen the Grille was because of the sushi. Shawn LOVES sushi but he rarely orders it because of his shellfish allergy. He had been communicating with the chef for quite sometime and had been guaranteed that his allergy was on record and he would be made completely, 100% shell-fish free sushi. So he got a sushi plate, and I got the seasonal soup, which I believe was a southwestern corn chowder.
For the main course, I ordered the Florida grouper, which is prepared differently in each season also. I wish I could remember the presentation, but I do know it was in a delicious Dijon sauce! Shawn went with the beef tenderloin which I believe is a permanent fixture on the menu.
As we ate the storm gradually became less and less violent and dramatic and evolved to a steady rain. Through the mist we saw the castle begin to glow as dusk fell, and it made for a really romantic setting.
We finished our meal a bit earlier than we thought we would so note to those hoping to see the fireworks, a 7:00 reservation is probably a bit early.
We ordered dessert blackberry tart w/ lemon ice cream for Shawn, and their version of my favorite dessert (that I order whenever I see), a molten chocolate cake. Pretty hard to screw that up as long as it doesnt get too dry on the outside. Theirs was very good.
It was around 9 when we finished, and it did look to be clearing up, and we were welcome to stay and head up to the terrace for fireworks, but we felt bad going on a 3+ hour date with a sick kid back at the condo. So we decided to head out and try to do the fireworks on another trip.
Overall it was a beautiful meal, impeccable service, and wed definitely go back again!
BuckeyeBarb
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2009
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- 12
I'm really enjoying your trip report! I can't wait to hear how the rest of your trip goes. We're considering a condo rental for our next multi-generational trip, so I'm especially interested in your comments about WH.
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