4 Parks + 5 Staples in the Baby's Head = 9 Magical Days!! (9/17 The Last Hurrah!)

[thecapells]

Sorry you had such a bad time at the BBQ. I really dislike the way Disney does this and on some of the rides like HM when you leave the stretching room.

Ok, you now have me wanting to go to Ohana's. Sounds like a great time! And that one picture of the family is fantastic.

Yeah, I couldn't believe that the BBQ was a Disney event. Very disappointing.
It's like night and day with 'Ohana!! Your not-so-little one would love it since there's so much to do!

 

[thecapells]

Just because we left ‘Ohana did not mean our travels were over.
We were basically in no rush this morning as we had finished most everything on our list already.
All that was left was Toontown and that doesn’t open until 10:00 or a little earlier.
So we decided to stroll the Polynesian and really take it in.
We usually do that before 'Ohana but since we arrived late this morning, we decided to tour afterwards.
Here’s a shot of the kids discovering Lilo and Stitch’s surfboard in 2006:

And, of course, the kids found the surfboard again:

DD definitely had the picture bug today as she started posing like a princess every couple of steps and asking for her picture.
Here’s one with little X

And then by the waterfalls

I couldn’t believe we were able to get all three of them there but the Disney Magic was with us today:

And then they found the Tiki Drummer

But the biggest surprise of all was getting all 3 kids to sit still at the same time long enough for us to get a pic.
We found a passerby and pleaded for a quick photo of Mom and me.
These are so rare with the little ones running around, I'm glad it turned out good.

Then, I was on a mission.
I knew there were plenty of good photo ops in BOUTIKI just from checking out photos on the DIS.
So I wanted to find them all!

I think this is a really cool little detail. It’s so not necessary but it’d just yet another wonderful little Disney touch.
I just love how they seem to be playing Tiki Hide ‘n’ Seekie!

And don’t forget Big Kahuna Mickey and all his royal subjects:

Back in the lobby, our princess found the Hidden Mickey

And I found this cool old cartoon framed on the wall

With all this talk of Kahuna and Princesses, I couldn’t leave out our Queen:

Finally, it was time to leave the tropics.
And we left in style of course.
Where else can you leave the jungle via a monorail?

We stayed in our Polynesian attire hoping to grab some nice pics at the Magic Kingdom.
However, the sun was too strong and the kids couldn’t see without squinting.
This is the best we could do:

But at least I was able to crop out the Railroad Station from one of them:

It's funny because at the beginning of our trip, the front gates were covered in oranges and pumpkins were a'plenty.
But here, on our last day, you can see the Xmas decorations are out.
The Magic Kingdom had been totally transformed in a manner of days from fall to winter.
Now let's see what happened inside!
Stayed tuned for our last trek inside the Happiest Place on Earth!
(at least for this trip)

 

[luckylady]

Very cool that you got to see two diffrent"seasons" at the world. Looks like you have a budding model on your hands. Kids are just to cute.

 

[Leshaface]

Love your pics!! Your kids are absolutely adorable!

I have a question: That pic that you took in Boutiki with Mickey playing on that guitar(forgetting the correct name) and minnie doing the hula, do you remember what episode that is off of??

We have that episode somewhere around the house on VHS, recorded off tv but would like to get it the legal way!

 

[thecapells]

Love your pics!! Your kids are absolutely adorable!

I have a question: That pic that you took in Boutiki with Mickey playing on that guitar(forgetting the correct name) and minnie doing the hula, do you remember what episode that is off of??

We have that episode somewhere around the house on VHS, recorded off tv but would like to get it the legal way!

Honestly I have no idea but it probably said so next to the frame.
I just thought it was a perfect addition to the Poly since the theming was so appropriate.
Sorry...

 

[All7OfUs]

You did EXACTLY what I want to do next time: take a ton of pictures of the ramdom coolness of the Poly!! Like you say, there are just oodles of really cool photo ops there.

I just have to say, you guys are way stylin' in your matching Haw. attire!!! Feeling like I need to do something about that for next year's trip.

Dude!!! Another TR. I'm dying to see what the title is going to be!!

 

[thecapells]

You did EXACTLY what I want to do next time: take a ton of pictures of the ramdom coolness of the Poly!! Like you say, there are just oodles of really cool photo ops there.

I just have to say, you guys are way stylin' in your matching Haw. attire!!! Feeling like I need to do something about that for next year's trip.

Dude!!! Another TR. I'm dying to see what the title is going to be!!

Uh oh, apparently I've set the bar too high if you're already looking forward to the new title!

I'm glad you liked the Poly outfits - they were definitely my favs!
We just love everything about our Poly experiences!!
I didn't want to leave but we promised the kids we'd go to Toontown so...

 

[thecapells]

We headed into the park and stopped off at the restrooms by City Hall to change out of our Polynesian outfits.
We went in pairs which led to some time just sitting on the benches and waiting.
To our surprise we were joined by the Town Councilman of Main Street!

I forgot the gentleman’s name but he spoke with us at length asking questions about where we’re from and if we’ve been enjoying ourselves.
He stayed perfectly in character and spoke of the Magic Kingdom.
He told us how he is not only a Town Council member, but the Town Council itself (apparently there’s only 1 member).
It was a great little treat and totally unexpected.
He capped off our interaction by formally making us Honorary Citizens of the Magic Kingdom.
He presented us each with an official pin

How cool is that?
Well, for X, the fun was just beginning as next we headed up the ramp to the Main Street Railroad Station.
Since Toontown was the only thing left on our agenda, what better way to get there than the train?
Especially when little X is a train fanatic!!
Unfortunately, Lilo and Stitch had sufficiently tired out the little guy and he was passed out in the stroller.

With the GAC card, we were able to roll the stroller onto the railroad and not wake him up which was a huge plus.
And we all got set for a nice ride around the park!

The train ride was a lot more fun during the day compared to our similar venture earlier in the trip at night.
We got some nice views of Big Thunder Mountain

And this one is pretty funny (at least to me).
I never noticed all of the animals in the foreground of the track.
I guess we went by too fast but they’re pretty life-like…

And then we talked about Pocahontas as we explained the Indian village to the kids.

And then Mom shot some wildlife.
Keep your hands inside the vehicle at all times…

It was a nice relaxing trip around the parks and a nice refresher.
All too soon we arrived at our destination – Mickey’s Toontown Fair

I’m not a big fan of this area but the kids had expressed interest in coming back and giving it a try.
So here we are – and what a good decision it was.
Get ready for a large dose of pixie dust to end our vacation!
Stay tuned…

 

[thecapells]

We headed straight to the County Bounty to check on the line for the Fairies.
DD had refused to change into her Tink outfit but decided she’d wear her Tink tutu over her Ariel t-shirt.

I didn’t expect the line to be short and figured I could wait while the kids played in Toon Park.

The CM saw our GAC and the sleeping X and told us to go ahead to a side room (the posted wait was about 40-60 minutes).
We came to the next CM and they weren’t sure what we were doing.
We weren’t sure either – we explained that the previous CM sent us this way.
We weren’t expecting special treatment but we didn't want to wake X up.
And we couldn’t split up since we needed one parent to watch the other two kids (in case there was a potty emergency).
I was hoping they’d mark my place on line and allow me to sit with X on the side.
Which is what they did.

The waiting room was really nicely designed with large benches (complete with Hidden Mickey’s making up the armrest and leg)

Several more CM’s then came out to see what we were doing.
After explaining it several times and talking to CM’s and their managers (not sure why the controversy),
we were ushered into the hallway towards Pixie Hollow.
We didn’t expect to get in so soon but we weren’t going to complain either.
We were just too excited to get a chance to meet the fairies!
I had prepped the kids as they had seen Tinkerbell about a week before we left.
DS wasn’t too excited but DD was busting!

Upon entrance, the walls are decorated with a pretty Neverland forest theme.

And you can see tiny fairies flying by overhead.

We began our walk down the pathway.
As you proceed, the scenery gets bigger as you “shrink” down to pixie size.
Mom captured several shots showing how small we were getting.
First, here's DD normal size in comparison to the tree on the wall:

Then she sizes up to a ladybug as we get smaller...

And how about shrinking to the size of a mushroom?

Then the moment arrived.
The doors opened at the end of the hallway and we, along with 2 other families, entered the core of Pixie Hollow.
Wow.
Disney outdid themselves here.
As far as Meet & Greets, this is, by far, the most themed one in existence.
Three fairies ushered us in and each one took a family by the hand to their spot.
Photopass photographers began to shoot at will and handed out little “pixie-sized” Photopass cards complete with strap to wear on your wrist.

Poor X slept through the experience but I doubt he would have grasped the situation.
I think Mom and I were just as excited to finally meet the fairies!!
Here they come...

 

[thecapells]

Rosetta, the Garden Fairy was our first stop.
She took her time with DD as DD pointed out Ariel on her shirt

They discussed princesses and fairies and DD was just in heaven.

After much interaction, Rosetta posed with DD:

We even managed to get DS to take a picture.

Rosetta was just like she stepped out of the movie.
From her accent to her movements, she played the part perfect.
We really were in Pixie Hollow.

Then, we flew off after Rosetta as she led us to her friends.

On the way, I tried to get glimpses of Pixie Hollow:

 

[thecapells]

Iridessa, the Light Fairy, was next.
We "flew" by her stack of coins

and her baby picture

And then arrived at Iridessa herself.
Much like Rosetta, Iridessa was perfectly in character in both expressions, costume, and attitude.
Iridessa was drawn to the sparkling circles on DD’s skirt

And they chatted for some time as well

Before a perfect pixie pose

Iridessa then had to coax DS over

But she got him to smile for a pic:

 

[thecapells]

Then we were ushered over to the last area:

And DD couldn’t contain herself any longer.
She broke into a run when she saw who was next!
Tinker Bell!!!

She almost bowled over Tink as she charged jumping into the biggest hug you’ve ever seen!

And then they posed for the most precious pixie pictures possible!

Now it was DS’ turn but DD had to run back for one last hug:

DS actually wanted pictures with Tinker Bell but he wasn’t sure how to stand next to her:

Finally (after some prodding) he gave her a hug:

And now before we left, Mom and Dad wanted in with Ms. Tink.
If there was ever an occasion that called out for Family Photo, it was meeting Tinker Bell.

This was such a big deal, I spliced together some video I took with some audio from the movie and the best of our pictures. Here ya go:


Then our experience came to an end.
It was time to leave Pixie Hollow and return to our normal sizes.
On the way out, a CM handed us several sheets of stickers from the new Tinker Bell movie:

While I wouldn’t wait hours for this experience, it definitely was a blast.
I’ve never seen the characters interact so much with each family.
And they stayed so much in character that it really was a lot of fun.
But we were back in our world now and still had plenty left to do.
Good-bye Tink!

Now, I realize that you can’t much more magical than actually meeting Tinker Bell herself.
But we do have some more left in our trip.
Stay tuned for some playtime, some missing children, and a tour of a certain mouse house!

 

[PrncessA]

Wow you convinced me! I had decided unless lines were VERY short by chance we would skip Tinkerbell. Not now though, DD is in LOVE with Tinkerbell and your daughter's reaction sealed the deal for me. Now we have to schedule it in. Do you know if it usually opens the same time as Toontown?

 

[thecapells]

Wow you convinced me! I had decided unless lines were VERY short by chance we would skip Tinkerbell. Not now though, DD is in LOVE with Tinkerbell and your daughter's reaction sealed the deal for me. Now we have to schedule it in. Do you know if it usually opens the same time as Toontown?

Yeah, Pixie Hollow (located within the County Bounty) opens at the same time as ToonTown.
From what I've heard, that's usually about 9:45 (even though is says 10:00).
If you get on line about 9/9:15, you have a decent shot with not too much wait.
And the CM's should lead you over there upon opening.
Good luck!

 

[dawnbu40]

Great update! Meeting the fairies is always fun and your pp pictures absolutely captured that magic!

 

[All7OfUs]

That was some serious character interaction!! I adore it when you get characters that know and understand HOW to act their character and play it up! VERY FUN!

I think this must have been one of your (collectively) most moments in your trip

 

[BellaBaby]

Very cute and love the video!!

What is the GAC card?

 

[3girls4me05]

Fairies! I love the pictures. Great shots. I can't wait till we can go back and meet those wonderful fairies.

 

[thecapells]

That was some serious character interaction!! I adore it when you get characters that know and understand HOW to act their character and play it up! VERY FUN!

I think this must have been one of your (collectively) most moments in your trip

It was definitely up there!

Very cute and love the video!!

What is the GAC card?

GAC = Guest Assistance Card.
We got one for Mom's ankle (she has a hole in her Achilles tendon) as well as X's ankles (they are very weak).
We didn't want for either of them to have to stand for extended periods of time after walking all day on them.

Fairies! I love the pictures. Great shots. I can't wait till we can go back and meet those wonderful fairies.

It was definitely worth it!

Great update! Meeting the fairies is always fun and your pp pictures absolutely captured that magic!

Thank you!
I think the pictures definitely came out great!

 

[thecapells]

We headed out of the County Bounty and decided to check out Donald’s Boat first.

It was a quick visit but I thought the map of the Quack Sea inside was really cool – a nice little detail.

We didn’t want to get wet so we didn’t stay too long. But keep in mind that DD explored a bit here.
That will come back to haunt us later.

Next it was time to get some wiggles out in Toon Park.

DS was a bit big for this little playground but spent his time climbing the structures

And he always enjoys a good slide

DD strutted her climbing abilities as well!

After they got out some wiggles, we decided to check out Mickey’s Country House.
The level of detail starts way before the porch.
From the Hidden Mickeys on the gate

to the Mickey Mailbox

You definitely knew whose house this was.
And it was even all decorated for the holidays!

Inside the tour starts with Mickey’s Bedroom

The little pictures on the walls and all the details in here are great.
Next was the Living Room

Complete with stockings hung over the fireplace for everyone!

The Game Room had ping pong and the Mickey Checkers was a fun little touch as well

Surprisingly, the kitchen is a disaster area.

You wonder what happened until you notice the blueprints

The remodeling job is apparently performed by Donald and Goofy.
That should explain the mess.

Next you head outside and are greeted with a very familiar doghouse

The trail then heads around towards the Judge’s Tent.
However, you can veer off and head through Mickey’s Garage and back into Toontown.
We chose to head back as we’ve met Mickey several times this trip.

DD wanted to visit Minnie’s Country House next but DS didn’t care.
So we headed back to Toon Park and Mom headed to Minnie’s House with DD.
I’ll leave that story to her…