Can We Do Magic Now? A 2016 TR Adventure. *Complete and DL Paris TR Link Added

[Steppesister]

Fun morning at AK! My favorite park too. I love going there just to wander and find new details that are hidden all over the place. Probably a good call on NOT going with the kids to IaBL and you NOT doing EE. Too risky for what you'd been through.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Yay you all made it to a park together!!
Love that your dad is doing his best to sell ITTBAB to you all I'm glad he went on it and had a good time anyway
The expression on Landon's wee face is priceless! He has already perfected 'the look' at such a tender age too!

 

[afwdwfan]

I am only too happy to put on some Epcot music and jump into the Disney universe for a short while.

Sounds like Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow would have been an appropriate soundtrack.

Well. That’s not where we were headed that morning. When I made Fastpasses and ADRs, I was going along with the assumption that all 6 of us would have experienced Epcot the day before. I had also already reserved us a pre-park opening breakfast at Crystal Palace later in the week.

Remember that.
It’s important.

Uh oh... something tells me this isn't a good important.

The first order of business after getting the kiddos settled into their seats was to grab a few Photopass pictures.

I needed solid proof that we were all together!

And in a park!!!!!!

Nothing like a grown 6 foot man sporting a miniscule Cars backpack to entertain you first thing in the morning…

Come on... you've got to get the poor guy a bigger backpack or at least put a hook on the stroller so he can hang it.

Let’s get a closer look at that expression:

Ok, that's priceless.

So, my dad went off to do his thing (which he ended up loving to pieces) while my mom, Alex, and I got the kids in line.

Your dad and his bugs. Oh well, at least he was willing to go off on his own and it was something he enjoyed. Whatever it takes, right?

About the time the two of us had retrieved our stroller from where it was parked and found a seat in the shade, Alex rejoined us with both kids. Landon had gotten squirmy, and the line still hadn’t moved. So he bowed out, too.

Blah... that sucks. It's never fun to waste time first thing in the morning like that. Was it a situation where maybe the characters were a little late getting to work that morning?

Except maybe in the Rivers of Light area.

Is that show ever going to happen?

It hasn't opened and it is already time for a refurb.

As much as I wanted to ride Everest, it wasn’t going to be happening that morning. I’ve done some foolish things in my younger years, but I like to think I’m a tad bit older and wiser now. At least, I was smart enough that morning to know going on a roller coaster on a completely empty stomach and still suffering from a teensy bit of dehydration would be terrible. A perfect recipe for disaster.

You know... some of us just don't get wiser when we get older. I'd have probably gone on it anyway.

 

[khertz]

Ugh, that first day after the stomach virus is still a little rocky. I'm glad you made it out to a park, and better yet, that everyone was up to going out that morning!

Your dad trying to sell everyone on Tough to Be a Bug is pretty unintentionally hilarious! Don't leave the rope drop plans to him anytime soon... lmao Sorry your plan for seeing Mickey & Minnie didn't go well though. That's a bummer. Just think, you could have been hanging out with the Bugs instead!

 

[SarahDisney]

I finally found time to sit down and read through your report (I've been starting and then not getting to it for a while now).

I love that you guys got to take 2 trips in 2016 (and you got to go with both sides of the family!). So fun!

I'm sorry to hear that you got sick on your first park day and had to miss out on the fun, but it looks like Landon really enjoyed having some special time with his grandparents. I'm sure you would have preferred to have the whole family together ... but sometimes you just have to make the best of a bad situation. Even at Disney, things happen sometimes .

I think Animal Kingdom is an excellent first park for Evie! Yes, it may be hotter than the surface of the sun ... but it's also a good place to just walk around and spend some time together with the occasional fun distraction. You guys got some interesting pictures, even if the morning didn't go exactly as planned...

 

[amazingact21]

Oh my!!!

I love the descriptions of your photos- the stories behind the pictures.

Also, adorable diaper backpack. That made me smile, too.

I'm glad you were all able to be together at a park, but mutiny already on the first attraction(s)? Yikes.

BTW- Animal Kingdom was my boys' first park, too on a very short trip to Disney with friends (1/2 day AK, day at SeaWorld, 1 day MK/EP)

Landon's expression cracked me up in the Photopass pictures. He has zero poker face, so when he's miserable everybody knows it. I always think it's hilarious when I see photos of kids looking absolutely miserable in what's supposed to be the happiest place on Earth.

Hooray for AK! Who says the MK has to be first?

Well to each their own I suppose.

I wouldn't hold your breath on that one.

I was really excited when I first heard about Rivers of Light, now I'm over it. There's nothing that can live up to the hype now.

Fun morning at AK! My favorite park too. I love going there just to wander and find new details that are hidden all over the place. Probably a good call on NOT going with the kids to IaBL and you NOT doing EE. Too risky for what you'd been through.

I wish more people loved AK like we do. I guess that just means less crowds for us. Even though I've been to the park a dozen times, I still feel like I've barely scratched the surface of all there is to see. I made my husband promise me that when we finally get our "no kids" Disney vacation, I can spend as much time in AK as I want. My children love the park, but they get antsy if we aren't moving or seeing something.

 

[amazingact21]

Yay you all made it to a park together!!
Love that your dad is doing his best to sell ITTBAB to you all I'm glad he went on it and had a good time anyway
The expression on Landon's wee face is priceless! He has already perfected 'the look' at such a tender age too!

I was happy my dad enjoyed the show so much. I guess, in the end, it doesn't matter what you're doing in Disney, so long as you love it. I know I have strange things that I consider Must Do's that some people don't mind skipping. Like walking under Spaceship Earth at night. I don't know why, but I don't consider it a true Disney trip until I get to do that...

Oh, Landon has that look down pat. He's a pro at it now, and he usually pulls it out when his sister is playing with one of his toys and I'm forcing him to not steal it from her.

Sounds like Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow would have been an appropriate soundtrack.

Uh oh... something tells me this isn't a good important.

And in a park!!!!!!

Come on... you've got to get the poor guy a bigger backpack or at least put a hook on the stroller so he can hang it.

Never! That backpack was sweet retribution for all the silly things he's made me do in our lives. Besides, if I can spend 9 months waddling around like a duck and then another 3 sporting spit-up stained shirts in the name of motherhood, then Alex can prance around with the tiny bag as the symbol of fatherhood. And just wait until Evie gets older. Since he'll be returning from his deployment right around the "princess dress and purse and shoes" phase, I'm going to make him tote that mess around. Easy payback for the 6 month daddy break.

Ok, that's priceless.

Your dad and his bugs. Oh well, at least he was willing to go off on his own and it was something he enjoyed. Whatever it takes, right?

Blah... that sucks. It's never fun to waste time first thing in the morning like that. Was it a situation where maybe the characters were a little late getting to work that morning?

It hasn't opened and it is already time for a refurb.

You know... some of us just don't get wiser when we get older. I'd have probably gone on it anyway.

I really didn't care if my dad stayed with us or not; if anything I was highly amused that he got a kick out the ITTBAB show. But that's my dad, he doesn't follow the norms. He also thinks Mission:Space is the best coaster at Disney. I think it's just because he can live out his boyhood dream of being an astronaut.

Ugh, that first day after the stomach virus is still a little rocky. I'm glad you made it out to a park, and better yet, that everyone was up to going out that morning!

Your dad trying to sell everyone on Tough to Be a Bug is pretty unintentionally hilarious! Don't leave the rope drop plans to him anytime soon... lmao Sorry your plan for seeing Mickey & Minnie didn't go well though. That's a bummer. Just think, you could have been hanging out with the Bugs instead!

My dad was cracking me up with his insistence. I forgot that he tends to like the more off the wall, random things Disney has to offer.
Oh jeez, if the plans were left to my dad, we'd be riding Mission:Space first thing in the morning and then spending the whole afternoon watching fish. With maybe a Spaceship Earth thrown in for good measure. I love my dad, but his Disney preferences are pretty boring!

I finally found time to sit down and read through your report (I've been starting and then not getting to it for a while now).

I love that you guys got to take 2 trips in 2016 (and you got to go with both sides of the family!). So fun!

I'm sorry to hear that you got sick on your first park day and had to miss out on the fun, but it looks like Landon really enjoyed having some special time with his grandparents. I'm sure you would have preferred to have the whole family together ... but sometimes you just have to make the best of a bad situation. Even at Disney, things happen sometimes .

I think Animal Kingdom is an excellent first park for Evie! Yes, it may be hotter than the surface of the sun ... but it's also a good place to just walk around and spend some time together with the occasional fun distraction. You guys got some interesting pictures, even if the morning didn't go exactly as planned...

Thanks for reading!
It was really fun getting to experience Disney with two different groups. I loved watching my mom, whose a Disney veteran and comparing her experience with my mother in-law, who had never gone with us before. When you visit Disney as much as we do, sometimes the best part of a trip is experiencing those you love's reactions to everything.

 

[amazingact21]

Hey everyone! I hope you all are enjoying the holiday season and not becoming too overwhelmed with all the craziness that comes with it. I know I was feeling pretty overwhelmed a few weeks ago, but now that all my presents are wrapped and the holiday goodies bakes, things should be pretty settled from now on. Landon’s been waking up each morning and coming into my room shouting, “5 days ‘til Christmas, 4 days ‘til Christmas, etc etc.” It’s pretty adorable, and I am really looking forward to his reaction on Christmas morning. As it is, he keeps telling me, “If we can leave cookies out for Santa, then that means I get cookies, too.”

Can’t argue with that logic…


I haven’t talked much about my family’s traveling adventures here, simply because I write about them on my blog and don’t want to sound repetitive here on the boards, but I am feeling kind of excited about our journeys and figured I’d talk about what’s been happening and what’s still in store for us.


So far, my merry band has explored the beautiful Eifel region of Germany:

This area is stunningly beautiful; it consists of the mighty Rhine River and vineyards set on the sides of mountains. And the festivities here are endless. We had balloon fests, wine fests, pig fests in the warmer months, and now we have Christmas markets in every large village around.

You haven’t lived until you’ve walked around a chilly cobblestoned street with a warm cup of gluhwein in your hands.


Last September, we ventured into France and went to Disneyland Paris for a few days.


In October, we got to go to London as a raffle prize.

(Not going to pass judgement until we have to leave Germany, but so far this has been my absolute favorite place.)


So, what’s next for my family?

Well, in March we will be traveling with my mother and father in-law, my sister in-law and her boyfriend to:


ROME!!!!


Yes, yes, yes, we will be headed to Italy.

How flipping exciting is that?!


My sister in-law is coming to Europe to visit and travel around the same time my MIL and FIL decided to come, and they both discussed crisscrossing their time so that we’d all be at my house.

And while I love hanging out at my place just as much as the next guy, I threw out the suggestion that we all congregate in Rome, where my SIL had already planned on going.

I don’t think anyone can blame me for that idea.

Because while Germany would be interesting for my family, to me it’s just home. And I’d much rather use the extra hands to help with the kids while traveling and create experiences with loved ones in a really memorable spot.


Everyone was on board with the plan, and around Thanksgiving my sister in-law FaceTimed me and we spent an afternoon finding an AirBnB location that would work for our group dynamic.

The place we got looks amazing.


It’s a 3 bedroom, 3 bath apartment with balconies in 2 of the rooms, a washer, and a full kitchen.

The couch pulls out to a sleeper sofa, and that’s where Landon will be bunking. There’s a bedroom (the one without the balcony) right next to the couch, so that’ll be the room Alex and I share. Evie will sleep in a provided cot, and I have no doubt Landon will end up crawling into our bed in the middle of the night. My kids don’t like to be far away when traveling – I think unknown places frighten them a tad – so this was the best setup for us.

Maybe if we’re really really lucky, Landon will ignore us and go bother his aunt or grandparents instead. It’s quite possible, he loves their attention.


I really loved this place for the fact that each bedroom had a bathroom, so each family gets their own space in case we start to feel cramped. (We’ll be staying here 4 nights total.)

Plus, there’s an alcove not pictured on the right side of room that hosts a loveseat and television. So we will be able to keep Landon’s bed pulled out during the day since there will still be another sitting area for people to use.


I cannot wait.

I’m trying not to talk about it too much on my social media, because I don’t want to make the other sibling in-laws jealous, but I can’t stop thinking about how great it’ll be.

Evie is going to love having an entire apartment to roam around (versus a hotel room), Landon’s going think he won the jackpot with all the pizza and gelato he’s going to get to eat, and Alex and I? Well, we are going to get some time to ourselves.

We’re going to get to go on a date.

In Italy.


What?!

How is this my life?


Of course, I do feel like some time to ourselves is warranted since for 6 months in 2017 Alex will be gone for work. Blegh.

The downside of the job.

However, there’s been chatter that my dad wants to come see me, and there’s no way he’s making the trip without my mother. And if my mom comes back, then she is going to want to go to either London or Rome. (Yeah, I have/will travel/ed to the two places in Europe she has yet to see.) So, another potential trip could happen.


And then when Dad returns to me and the kids, we’ll probably all head to Disneyland Paris again. We want to do a longer trip, probably 4 nights/5 days and try some of the stuff we did not get to do this past fall.

Then, there’s a ton of smaller ventures my family will get to do that doesn’t require vacation time. Belgium is number 1 on my list, because I need to stockpile my pantry with their chocolate. If I’m gonna be on single parent duty, I’m going to need some good chocolate paired with some Mosel wine to get me through it.

There’s a big city about 2 hours away that we haven’t visited yet, so if the weather warms up then we’ll take the kids to the zoo located there.

And then there’s always the Shades of Green of Germany located here that we could check out for the snow. (The resort is owned by the same people that run Shades of Green.)

Busy, busy times ahead!


But enough about my European fun, let’s get back to Disney World! Where my dad watched It’s Tough to be a Bug and Alex took two turns on Expedition Everest.


March 1st, 2016:

Our next Fastpass for the day was Kilimanjaro Safari. The line for this was astounding. It weaved well past the entrance and required a Cast Member to stand at the end and direct people in the right direction. My dad got a little scared; he thought for sure it would an hour wait to get through, but it seemed the holdup was due to the fact that CMs were individually scanning people’s MagicBands rather than using a tapstile. That made it bottleneck there at the beginning but it was a quick walkthrough after that point.

After dropping off our stroller (I love that you get to keep it with you for awhile. The less time carrying a heavy baby, the better.) we made it to the loading to area. My mom was on camera duty for the time being, and she was on the same wave as Alex, trying to take lots of photos.


My dad carried around a word search puzzle in his pocket and pulled it out every time we were stopped for more than 10 seconds.

That’s my father for you…


Evie seemed interested in her surroundings when we were boarded a jeep:



Alex tried to take a family selfie, but clearly my heart wasn’t in it.




The safari was good but not memorable. Nothing exceptionally cool happened, our guide was average, and the animals were pretty mellow.






Near the end of the ride, though, it got bumpy. Really bumpy. I don’t know if it was because we were sitting in the back row, or because we weren’t feeling great to begin with, or if that was the new setup, but it was downright crazy. We were getting thrown around like rag dolls. My dad, whose back was hurting after EE, looked miserable. And I was cradling Evie’s head against me for dear life, afraid for her poor noggin. It was brutal!


Once we got off, we all needed a rest and some water, so we headed to a bench and took a break.

These guys came out and preformed while we were there:


It was fun to watch them, and I could’ve stayed longer, but our final FP was due.


It was for Festival of the Lion King, and this was the first time any of us were seeing it in the new theater.

I loved the queue area with all its displays, but I was surprised to find that the Fastpass seating took up 3 of the 4 bleachers. Poor standby. Did anybody make it in with that few availability?

Definitely let me know that booking a FP for it is a must on my AK days.


For this attraction, Evie cuddled with my mom while Landon stuck to me. He gets very clingy when he’s sick, and I think having me out of commission all day yesterday made him want some Mom time. Alex tried taking him off my hands, but he wasn’t having it. He wanted in my lap and my lap alone. So Alex settled for camera duty.



When Landon saw Simba and Pumbaa on stage, he kept trying to wriggle out of arms and make a break for them. He didn’t understand.


It was characters at Disney.

That meant he could go up and take photos with them, right?


We hadn’t thought about that conundrum beforehand.


Fortunately, once the singing began he gave up his struggle and settled down to watch. (I did keep having to hold onto his legs, though, because he kept dancing and swinging his feet, causing him to hit the ladies in front of us. Thankfully they were good sports about it.)





Evie had fallen asleep before the show, but when the music started she woke up and seemed fascinated by everything.



She’s going to keep the FotLK love alive. Like mother, like daughter this was her favorite Disney show.

(Never mind that it was the ONLY Disney show she saw. Semantics…)


My dad really loved it, too.



I heard him mumble under his breathe “Now THIS is cool,” about halfway through.


Music to my Disney loving ears.

It’s pretty satisfying seeing what you hope to accomplish come to fruition. I had thought long and hard about what, when, and how to plan each of these park days, and I got concrete proof that I had done a good job with the schedule.


Hooray!


When fotLK ended, all of us were pretty hungry and my mom wanted to go to Pizzafari, so that’s where we headed. I had a brilliant moment on the walk. The no solid food since Sunday paired with all the activity I had done that morning caused me to almost black out on the walk over. I had one of those instances where I started weaving and my vision was starting to go black on my peripherals. A lot worse probably would’ve happened if my mom hadn’t grabbed me from behind and supported me for a second.


I thank my lucky stars that I wasn’t holding Evie at the time.

I was pretty embarrassed about what had almost happened and brushed it off. I was mortified just thinking about the sight I would have made had I fallen in the middle of Animal Kingdom. That would have been a lasting memory.

Young mom pulls up some ground and takes a nap right in the middle of a theme park.

Ugh.

Not good.

I did manage to make it the restaurant in one piece, though, and my mom helped me get the kids to a table while the men ordered some food.

We were all pretty boring. Alex, Landon, and I got pepperoni pizzas, and my mom got the vegetarian one. I ended up just picking at my crust and eating my side of grapes. Landon only ate his grapes, as well.


For him to turn down pizza indicated to Alex and me that he was REALLY sick. That’s his favorite meal in the whole world; it told us that we needed to keep an eye on him.


After lunch, everyone was in agreement that it was time to head back to the room for a break. My parents wanted to do some laundry, and I wanted a nap. Besides, we had an early dinner booked and wanted to be fresh for it.


Up Next…107 Shrimp and Water

 

[Imagineer5]

First of all, I would love to see your blog! It sounds like you've had an amazing year!! We visited Germany in 2013 with Aria when she was about 18 months old and had an AMAZING time (also visited Holland and Italy on that trip). We loved every stop that we made, but Burg Eltz will still in our minds as our favorite castle we've ever been to! not sure how far it is from where you are, but if you haven't visited it I would def go! (Do you have a car?). We loved the Rhine (we were in Oberwesel). Also loved Rothenburg despite the tourism factor, and Neuschwanstein and Howenschwangau were both outstanding too.

Your apartment in Rome sounds wonderful. I would LOVE to have the opportunity to spend a few years in Europe! Are you just spending the 4 nights in Rome? Any other visits planned? We did 18 nights in Italy in 2010 and have been back to Lake Como since then as it's my favorite place in the WORLD (currently anyway!). But we did love Rome.


***

Back to the TR!

Sounds like a fun safari and show, loved Evie's face during the show! Glad you didn't fall and get hurt, but sad about the illness and feeling crappy.

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Hey everyone! I hope you all are enjoying the holiday season and not becoming too overwhelmed with all the craziness that comes with it.

Me Overwhelmed? I have NO idea what you are talking about!

Last September, we ventured into France and went to Disneyland Paris for a few days.

So how does it compare for you?

We’re going to get to go on a date.

In Italy.

Good for you!!!!

Of course, I do feel like some time to ourselves is warranted since for 6 months in 2017 Alex will be gone for work. Blegh.

The downside of the job.

Belgium is number 1 on my list, because I need to stockpile my pantry with their chocolate. If I’m gonna be on single parent duty, I’m going to need some good chocolate paired with some Mosel wine to get me through it.

My dad carried around a word search puzzle in his pocket and pulled it out every time we were stopped for more than 10 seconds.

That’s my father for you…

I was pretty embarrassed about what had almost happened and brushed it off. I was mortified just thinking about the sight I would have made had I fallen in the middle of Animal Kingdom. That would have been a lasting memory.

Young mom pulls up some ground and takes a nap right in the middle of a theme park.

You wouldn't be the first to pass out at DIsney. They take pretty good care of you when you do too. I got to watch as a girl in my brother's chorus fainted off the back of a set of bleachers at Epcot on Mother's day one year. She was thankfully okay. If I remember correctly I believe her issue was heat exhaustion.

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

I love hearing about your travels in Europe. You have to take advantage while living there. Please post about the Italy trip. That's one place I've always wanted to go to. Maybe one day.

 

[Heidi Lou]

I would love to follow your blog! Can you give the site?

 

[amazingact21]

First of all, I would love to see your blog!

I would love to follow your blog! Can you give the site?

It's An Awfully Big Military Adventure

 

[amazingact21]

We visited Germany in 2013 with Aria when she was about 18 months old and had an AMAZING time (also visited Holland and Italy on that trip). We loved every stop that we made, but Burg Eltz will still in our minds as our favorite castle we've ever been to! not sure how far it is from where you are, but if you haven't visited it I would def go! (Do you have a car?). We loved the Rhine (we were in Oberwesel). Also loved Rothenburg despite the tourism factor, and Neuschwanstein and Howenschwangau were both outstanding too.

Your apartment in Rome sounds wonderful. I would LOVE to have the opportunity to spend a few years in Europe! Are you just spending the 4 nights in Rome? Any other visits planned? We did 18 nights in Italy in 2010 and have been back to Lake Como since then as it's my favorite place in the WORLD (currently anyway!).

Burg Eltz is right down the road from us. We had planned on visiting it this past fall, but life just got away and we didn't make it there before they closed for the winter. However, that's number one on our list of day trips once the weather warms up.
We do have cars. We live in a small village about 5 minutes from where Alex works, so we need the transportation to get around. Plus, the military shipped our primary vehicle free of charge for us, so it made sense to keep it. Although, driving the CR-V on these roads can be an adventure at times.
Neuschwanstein is also high on our to-do list. My brother and sister in-law have gone twice since they've lived here and keep telling us we need to go. It's located less than half an hour away from that military resort I talked about, so whenever we hit up Edelweiss, we'll go to the castle while we're there.

Yeah, this spring will only be 4 nights. Alex can't take too much time of work, and his family has other locations they want to visit. His parents will be meeting us at our house after spending some time in Berlin, and his sister will be off to Paris and then Barcelona. So, we had to plan it according to everyone else's schedules. I have a friend stationed in Italy, though, and a whole group of wonderful girls I have met here are moving there this month, so I already figured we'll take one more trip to the country before we leave since I have connections there.
Alex promised me he'd take me to Florence, so that will still need to happen.
18 nights in Italy sounds amazing! Plenty of time to enjoy yourselves.

So how does it compare for you?

Like everything, it had its pros and cons. The food and customer service was severely lacking, but some of the attractions at DLP were better, in my opinion.
If you go into with an open mind and the knowledge that it's NOT WDW, then it was really nice. But that being said, while it is a good alternative to have over here during my Orlando drought, it will never be "home" to me.

They take pretty good care of you when you do too. I got to watch as a girl in my brother's chorus fainted off the back of a set of bleachers at Epcot on Mother's day one year. She was thankfully okay. If I remember correctly I believe her issue was heat exhaustion

Oh dear! I'm glad to hear she was all right and that she got the care she needed. That sounds scary.

I love hearing about your travels in Europe. You have to take advantage while living there. Please post about the Italy trip. That's one place I've always wanted to go to. Maybe one day.

Everyone told us when we found out we'd be moving here that 3 years wasn't enough time to see all of Europe, and I now see how true that is. I can't believe it's already been 6 months; the laundry list of places we want to see is nuts!
I will most likely talk about my Italy trip. I can't see myself not wanting to share in my experience.
I really hope you get to go one day! Once you're here everything is pretty easy and manageable, it's just getting those darn international flights that's the hardest!

 

[SarahDisney]

Rome sounds like such a great place to go visit! My dad went there when he was a kid and he talks about it sometimes - I think he really enjoyed it. I'd love to go there some time ... I'd also love to go to London, and Paris ... there are really a lot of places in Europe that I'd like to go eventually.

I'm not a fan of the bumpiness on the safari. As much as I love the safari, that bumpiness really kinda cancels out some of the enjoyment ... I don't like wondering if I'm going to injure myself just by sitting in a safari truck and getting thrown around. Not a fan.

On a more positive note ...Evie has excellent taste in Disney shows. FotLK is a fantastic choice for her favorite show! (It totally doesn't matter that she didn't see any other shows)
And I'm glad your dad liked it to ... it's always nice to hear the not-exactly-Disney-fanatic enjoying something!

 

[amazingact21]

Rome sounds like such a great place to go visit! My dad went there when he was a kid and he talks about it sometimes - I think he really enjoyed it. I'd love to go there some time ... I'd also love to go to London, and Paris ... there are really a lot of places in Europe that I'd like to go eventually.

I'm not a fan of the bumpiness on the safari. As much as I love the safari, that bumpiness really kinda cancels out some of the enjoyment ... I don't like wondering if I'm going to injure myself just by sitting in a safari truck and getting thrown around. Not a fan.

On a more positive note ...Evie has excellent taste in Disney shows. FotLK is a fantastic choice for her favorite show! (It totally doesn't matter that she didn't see any other shows)
And I'm glad your dad liked it to ... it's always nice to hear the not-exactly-Disney-fanatic enjoying something!

I'm extremely grateful I got this opportunity to live over here in Europe and experience these places. Since the kids aren't in school yet, Alex and I can pick up and go whenever we want, and we've been surprised at how easy it is to get from one place to another. It's like traveling from state to state in the U.S.

I wish they'd take away the bumpy element on the safari. They don't need any parlor tricks on this attraction. People enjoy it enough simply seeing all the animals. If folks wanted rough rides, they'd head over to Dinosaur.

 

[khertz]

Yes, yes, yes, we will be headed to Italy.

How flipping exciting is that?!

YAAAAAYYYYYYY!!!! So so so excited for y'all!!! I can't wait for the day I get back to Rome. So much good food and beautiful things to see!! If you can, I really highly suggest the twilight walking food tour we did in Trastevere. It would be so fun for a date night!

After dropping off our stroller (I love that you get to keep it with you for awhile. The less time carrying a heavy baby, the better.) we made it to the loading to area.

That is the best thing about that queue. I wish they did it for more of them!

Near the end of the ride, though, it got bumpy. Really bumpy. I don’t know if it was because we were sitting in the back row, or because we weren’t feeling great to begin with, or if that was the new setup, but it was downright crazy. We were getting thrown around like rag dolls.

It has to be the back row. I sat back there once before kids, and I swore I was going to fly out of the back of the truck! I'll never forget that experience. Since going with kids, I now request to be in the first few rows for that reason. It's downright scary!

I heard him mumble under his breathe “Now THIS is cool,” about halfway through.

How awesome!!!

Not so awesome that you weren't feeling so hot before lunch. Getting sick at Disney is so tough!!

 

[Dugette]

I could just picture it now. One of us standing at our designated meet up spot, the other walking right past...
Hopefully Landon and Izzy got their directional capabilities from their fathers and can help us out if/when that time arrives. (Which I really hope it will someday!)

I hope this happens someday too! (Well, except that we maybe find each other successfully. )

This February trip was not good. Don’t get me wrong, it had its moments, and it’s because of those that I’m prefacing our April vacation with our Feb. experience. However, to put it bluntly, it was the worst Disney trip we have ever had, and I can’t even pretend to say I’m glad we did it. It was the stuff of nightmares. This next post is one of the only two really fun recaps.

Sorry it was such a challenging trip.

I had my hubby, my two precious babies, a handful of my in-laws whom I hadn’t seen since our last Disney trip, and my mom and dad next to me. Life was good. How many chances as an adult do you get the ability to sit by so many loved ones? Now that I’m in Germany and far away from extended family, this memory means a lot more to me. What I wouldn’t give to orchestrate another big family dinner, especially with Thanksgiving next week.

That's gotta be so challenging to be so far away from family. I'm glad they have been coming out to visit you, though.

For everyone who didn’t read my last report, let’s just say my kid is quite the fan of the live entertainment at Disney World. The little man gets his jam on. Hard. And only stops because his mean old parents force him to.

Haha, if we ever do meet up, they will have to have a dance party. I have a number of videos from this last trip of Izzy showing off her "moves".

Before kids, Alex used to ooh and ahh over motorcycles.

Now he has resorted to strollers.

The exciting life of a dad…

That's awesome.

By 1 a.m., though, I was hit with the awful stomach bug.

Oh no!

Catching that horrendous thing is terrible enough, catching it on your Disney vacation. In a Pop Century room. Just downright cruel.

And on your first day too, ugh! That's awful!

After lunch, my mom and dad used the Fastpass I had booked everyone and met some friends at the character spot. Not going to lie, when my mom told me how great the character interactions went, and I logged on and saw the photographs, I got a little sad at missing it all. I handled me not getting any park time fine, but knowing I missed the opportunity to see my son so happy stunk.

That would be really tough. Luckily, when I was down with the stomach bug, it was pre-Izzy (2010) - that would have been really hard to miss out on things with her. I had a hard enough time missing out on Le Cellier. So glad this wasn't your only WDW trip and you were back fairly soon.

So, Zebra Domes and fireworks, not a total Disney loss for Alex.

Not bad at all!

Hold up, hold up, have to spend twelve minutes putting the kids in the stroller after completing our bus ride.

Nothing like a grown 6 foot man sporting a miniscule Cars backpack to entertain you first thing in the morning…

I haven’t talked much about my family’s traveling adventures here, simply because I write about them on my blog and don’t want to sound repetitive here on the boards, but I am feeling kind of excited about our journeys and figured I’d talk about what’s been happening and what’s still in store for us.

I'm so glad you went over them here, as I am also behind on your blog! (I am basically behind on everything there is).

Last September, we ventured into France and went to Disneyland Paris for a few days.

Now there are some happy kids!

ROME!!!!


Yes, yes, yes, we will be headed to Italy.

How flipping exciting is that?!

VERY!

Evie is going to love having an entire apartment to roam around (versus a hotel room), Landon’s going think he won the jackpot with all the pizza and gelato he’s going to get to eat, and Alex and I? Well, we are going to get some time to ourselves.

We’re going to get to go on a date.

In Italy.


What?!

How is this my life?

That all sounds amazing to me! I hope it's wonderful! We honeymooned in Italy, but I actually haven't been to Rome (we went north). Gotta get there someday!

Then, there’s a ton of smaller ventures my family will get to do that doesn’t require vacation time. Belgium is number 1 on my list, because I need to stockpile my pantry with their chocolate. If I’m gonna be on single parent duty, I’m going to need some good chocolate paired with some Mosel wine to get me through it.

Ha, love this!

I loved the queue area with all its displays, but I was surprised to find that the Fastpass seating took up 3 of the 4 bleachers. Poor standby. Did anybody make it in with that few availability?

Huh, we actually got into Lion King really last minute. They just showed us to a row as the show was starting. Maybe we were lucky.

When Landon saw Simba and Pumbaa on stage, he kept trying to wriggle out of arms and make a break for them. He didn’t understand.


It was characters at Disney.

That meant he could go up and take photos with them, right?


We hadn’t thought about that conundrum beforehand.

Haha, I know what that's like.

 

[Steppesister]

Hey There, Darlin', apologies for being so absent. The Holidays really left me spinning without much free time. But I think now that they are over, I can get back to regular commenting and keeping up.

Yes, yes, yes, we will be headed to Italy.

How flipping exciting is that?!

Indeed!!! How super duper exciting! WOOT!!

She is so dang cute!! Just precious.

I heard him mumble under his breathe “Now THIS is cool,” about halfway through.

YUS!!! Disney Win Moment!

When fotLK ended, all of us were pretty hungry and my mom wanted to go to Pizzafari, so that’s where we headed. I had a brilliant moment on the walk. The no solid food since Sunday paired with all the activity I had done that morning caused me to almost black out on the walk over. I had one of those instances where I started weaving and my vision was starting to go black on my peripherals. A lot worse probably would’ve happened if my mom hadn’t grabbed me from behind and supported me for a second.

NOT GOOD!!!!! Holy crap, I'd have died! If that ever happens again, SIT DOWN!

 

[amazingact21]

YAAAAAYYYYYYY!!!! So so so excited for y'all!!! I can't wait for the day I get back to Rome. So much good food and beautiful things to see!! If you can, I really highly suggest the twilight walking food tour we did in Trastevere. It would be so fun for a date night!

I'll keep that in mind! I am so excited to be going to Italy. By mid March, Alex and I will have visited Numbers 1 and 2 on my bucket list for traveling within the first year of living in Germany. This has just been the most incredible opportunity. As much as I miss the states and REALLY miss my family and friends, I wouldn't trade this time for the world.

I hope this happens someday too! (Well, except that we maybe find each other successfully. )

One day, I'm sure our paths will cross! We go to Disney too often not to. And once Evie turns 3 and we're back in the states, I want to try and take a Disney cruise every other year or so. Due to Alex's work and life we aren't planning on going back to WDW until we move back, but hey, if you ever debated visiting DL Paris....we're here until summer 2019. We only live 5 hours away from the park, so a meetup would be easy. Plus, if you guys wanted to venture into Germany you'd always be welcome.

That's gotta be so challenging to be so far away from family. I'm glad they have been coming out to visit you, though.

It's been really hard, being away from everything familiar. The holidays, especially, were tough. However, yeah, we've had a lot of family come out. The military travel agency gives great rates for immediate family, so it's really reasonable for everyone to do.

Haha, if we ever do meet up, they will have to have a dance party. I have a number of videos from this last trip of Izzy showing off her "moves".

And on your first day too, ugh! That's awful!

That would be really tough. Luckily, when I was down with the stomach bug, it was pre-Izzy (2010) - that would have been really hard to miss out on things with her. I had a hard enough time missing out on Le Cellier. So glad this wasn't your only WDW trip and you were back fairly soon.

I think if I hadn't had kids the getting sick bit wouldn't have been a big deal. But knowing it was Evie's first time in the parks and Landon was seeing mickey without me stunk!


Okay, I'll be back later the DIS is about to go down for the night!