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[AprilRenee]

I was thinking Pirates League too but then I remembered that you guys haven't seen the Pirates movies yet. But the boys like the PoTC ride and they seem to love dressing up for Halloween parties. I bet they'd like it!

 

[CAStevens218]

Pirates League seems like a great idea! It might be a little late for reservations though? Worth a shot anyway!

Also, I've always loved the things the Disney florists can do to a room! Of course, those are very expensive! If there is any way you or your husband could get a little alone time in the room, you could leave some birthday surprises from Mickey and the gang for the boys to find!

Hmmmm, what else? When Ben and I go back we want to rent one of the pontoon boats from Downtown Disney and drive it down the river to Port Orleans. We figure we'll grab lunch at Earl of Sandwich and bring it with us on the boat! I saw a blog about this idea somewhere and thought it would be fun!

You could let them try pin trading? But that could become an expensive venture! You can get pretty good deals on EBay though, and with 10 days to go you could get them in on time! Blake might be a bit young for it, (?) but I bet Andrew would love it!

 

[Dugette]

I've been trying to come up with ideas for you, but all I thought of was Pirate's League too. Well, whatever you end up doing, I look forward to hearing about it!

 

[jc040404]

Pirate's League is a great idea! Thanks for that. I'd totally forgotten about it. It's not gonna happen though. I showed some pics to the boys and got two big "No way!" responses. Blake thinks it is "too scary" and Andrew doesn't like the idea of face paint.

Thanks for the ideas! I'm coming up with a few things now and looking at available ADRs at Downtown Disney for one evening. I feel like I waited until the last minute to consider adding something different/special to this visit! Maybe I'll do a Disney cake afterall.

 

[jc040404]

December 23, 2010 * Thursday * Day Seventeen


Touring Plans had this day set at 9.8, and there was AM EMH. It seemed a recipe for disaster, but we went into it anyway. We were armed with a great plan. We’d simply get there early and not expect to accomplish much! I figured it would be the best way to attack this one. The mission? Christmas parade and Holiday Wishes. We might spend the entire day on Main Street, but we would at least manage these two!

Regular park opening was at 8am. I got up super early to get myself ready to go. Eventually, I’d manage to pull my sleepy husband out of bed and get the kids buckled into their carseats. I packed a breakfast of juice and their favorite muffins for whenever they decided to wake up. It went better than expected. With Disney Christmas excitement in mind, everything was easier anyway.

We managed great time, with NO speeding, and were walking into MK right at 8am!

Before moving down Main Street, Andrew was distracted by someone we just had to go visit. This was a big first for us!

Despite their smiles, the boys thought this was awesome The fire chief pointed out the siren and told Andrew to give it a try. He was hesitant at first, so John showed him how it worked. After seeing his father spin it with no problem, he gave it a try.

Blake tried next, but wasn’t as successful. No problem there. He wasn’t a fan of the noise. It was funny since Blake spends most of the day pretending to be a fire engine!

We said goodbye and wandered into Main Street to check something out that everyone wanted to see again. When I finally gave up my quest to find Mickey’s Christmas Carol on dvd, my awesome husband continued to call around to just about every store here. His search was a little more successful and he found a copy somewhere I never shop. Love that man! The boys enjoy it even more than I do! I really think they watched that dvd just about everyday until Christmas. We all wanted to look at all the windows of the Emporium again.

It turned out to be so much fun just doing this for a few minutes. Andrew would tell us what happened in every scene as we did. I loved it!

It was still early

Not noticing these huge crowds that had me worried enough to be here so early, we walked over to see no wait for Buzz’s ride. I couldn’t pass that one up! It seemed that Blake and John could, so they took off to collect FPs in Fantasyland instead. Andrew and I raced inside!

We both did bad.. Really bad! Next time, right?

Andrew had a request as we left the ride. He said we had to ride the Peoplemover! Silly boy. We skipped it for now. I had a feeling we’d be enjoying that one more than a couple times later in the day. It could wait for now.

Joining up with Blake and John, we all walked on to Pooh’s ride next. I caught some of my favorite Pooh ride pics this day.

Loved ‘em! We took some time to let the boys run around and play while the crowds were nonexistent, too.

Ready for it?

Hooray!

Since it was so empty, I even took some pics of Pooh’s Thotful Shop... errr.. 100 Acre Goods before heading back into the cold.

The boys finally started to act interested in eating, so we found a table near Dumbo to eat. This is where lack of planning showed itself. I had no idea that a few of the CS places were serving breakfast that day. I would’ve skipped bringing anything had I known. It took us a long while to figure out why FL smelled so good that morning. It was Pinocchio’s! Oops..

Sitting here did prove to be educational anyway. We noticed the name change to Mrs Pott’s Cupboard for the first time.

An hour into our crazy crowded day at MK, we still weren’t seeing any signs of these crowds. We then managed to walk onto Snow White’s ride, took turns at the sword in the stone, a spin on the carousel, and ran over to IASW. Of course, a lot of this rarely has much of a wait, but it did not feel like a 9.8 day.. yet. The longest wait we’d seen so far was PPF, at thirty minutes! There's some more evidence to support making rope drop!

...next post...

 

[jc040404]

^Andrew requested pic

Not really knowing what to do next, John mentioned something that caught his eye earlier. When they ran off to collect Pooh FPs, he and Blake stopped in Sir Mickey’s store. We never had much of a reason to look in here before, but he loved all the detail. We all headed over to check it out together.

Most of our time was spent on the outside windows, but I’ve recently seen some nifty pics in a TR that will have us back in here next time.

While I was taking that last pic, I listened to my little family exploring the merchandise. John found a Mickey statue with “Best Dad” or something like it on the front. He showed it to the boys and asked what they thought. Andrew’s reply?

“Do they have a Best Mom award instead?”

Haha.. I couldn’t control my laughter. Who is the winning parent in this house that day! My poor husband. He really is a great dad, but I couldn’t help myself from rubbing this one in for a bit.

At the other end of the shop, I looked over the holiday antenna toppers. We’d never remembered to buy one for my car. Being two days before Christmas, it was a silly idea at this point. Andrew and I debated over buying a Disney family for the window instead. (We didn't.)

While we were talking, John started up a conversation with the register CM. They were both laughing, so I turned around to see what was going on. What was so funny? The CM’s name was Jack. And he worked in a Jack/Mickey & the Beanstalk themed store. That must make for a rough day of corny guest jokes. I wonder if it’s his real name. He must enjoy it either way!

Our Pooh FP time came due, so we left Jack to go back into the 100 Acre Wood!

Having picture plans in Toontown, this would be our next destination. Along the way, Andrew wanted to see if his girl was out, so we paused to look. It wasn’t his friend, but someone new made us jump in the line anyway. We hadn’t seen the Queen of Hearts out here since our first MNSSHP. Andy-Roo and I both agreed we should catch a pic.

When our turn came, neither boy was much of a fan. Blake was downright scared of her! He didn’t cry or run away, just tried to keep his distance. If brother is okay with something, Blake tries to make himself even braver. He's my tough guy. They both stood and stared, even though she acted really sweet. As tall as this one is, I can see why she’d be a little intimidating

We managed a quick pic, with a little help from the White Rabbit. Nobody wanted near that evil queen!

Let’s get out of here! They were more than ready to get our tushies into Toontown!

My picture goal was waiting at the end of Mickey’s house, so all had another fun trip to look at his Christmas decorations. I took more pics, but I’ll spare you this time.

Well, all but this one.. Blake tried to steal one of Mickey’s presents!

“I was getting it for Mickey!” he claimed when we caught him.. Yeah right, Blakers. You’re not fooling us!

Okay, two more pics because I miss Toontown right now.

My picture mission was Mickey! I knew Mickey and Minnie had special outfits for MVMCP, but couldn’t find any info on whether or not they’d still have them now. I wasn’t counting on it, but this was part of the reason for the stop.

The second reason was that boys had just gotten a package in the mail from my grandmother. It included two matching shirts. I thought a picture in them with Mickey & Minnie would be fun to send her. We waited thirty minutes in line and got these!

Sorry, Gram. It just didn’t work out. They didn’t care about posing or smiling for my pictures. They loved seeing the characters, but wanted to play with them instead. I don’t push too much for perfect character pics. We’d be here all day. It’s tough to get one with both boys paying attention and smiling at the same time!

The boys would shock me when we walked back outside. They wanted to ride the train around the park! I was expecting a couple rounds of the Barnstormer, but this was perfect. We decided to have an in-the-park transportation race. The boys and I were going by train, and John would walk with the stroller. Everyone was to meet at the Frontierland station. Blake thought we had this, but Andrew wasn’t so sure. Is Daddy faster than a train?

This was one of the best train rides ever. Andrew pretended to be Blake’s tour guide and had everyone around us cracking up!

“Now we’re passing by Space Mountain.”

“If you look to the side, you’ll see we’re approaching the front of the park. And over there is the monorail track.”

He had such big hand gestures and sooo much personality in this. It was awesome!

“It’s your lucky day, Blaker, because there is the Celebrate It parade!”

I laughed the entire ride!

As we neared our stop, something brought up Tom Sawyer Island. Is it the train? Maybe I suggested it. I can’t remember exactly, but I’ll never forget Blake’s response!

“I want to go to Toys R Us Island next!”

Silly kid. Toys R Us Island does sound like a fun place!

We jumped out of the train at our stop and slowly made our way down to wait for John. He couldn’t have beaten us, right? Wrong! He was standing with the stroller, tapping his foot and smiling.

“What took you so long?”

I bet our journey was lot more fun!

 

[AprilRenee]

What a fun update!! I can tell you really enjoyed this day! can't wait to hear about the rest of it!

Love love love the pic of Blake by Eyore's house!!
And Andrew being a tour guide on the train? Hilarious!!

 

[CAStevens218]

This looks like a great morning! It really does show the importance of rope drop! Seeing how empty the park could be in the morning right before Christmas makes me less nervous about the possibility of going in late July/early August next year!

The Sir Mickey's store looks so cute! I don't think we've ever stopped in!

I love that Andrew decided to give a tour! Too cute!

 

[snowmanlover]

WOW, you did get up early!! Love how it wasn't crowded for you guys.

Loved the train ride/race with John and Andrew as the tour guide, to cute! John must walk fast!! Bet John won't be asking the kid's if he get's the "best Dad" award anymore! LOL You guys need to make or buy John a "best Dad" award for Father's Day!

Loved the picture of the boys sitting on the fire engine! What a thrill that must have been! I cracked up reading that Andrew wanted to go to "Toys R Us Island"!

No more Mrs. Pott's Cupboard?!! tsk tsk I remember getting ice cream cones there in 1995 that were a mile high, we could hardly hold them!! That's when we took the kids on their "once in a lifetime trip"! We went in 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003 with them!! DH and I went in 2008 without them and 2009 we took DD (DS got married that year!). DH and I are going in Sept.!!!

Love your updates. Can't wait to read about the boys birthday trip coming up!

 

[jc040404]

What a fun update!! I can tell you really enjoyed this day! can't wait to hear about the rest of it!

Love love love the pic of Blake by Eyore's house!!
And Andrew being a tour guide on the train? Hilarious!!

I really think going into this one thinking it would be pretty rough helped make it great. We all had a lot of fun.

The pic of Blake is one of my favorites!

This looks like a great morning! It really does show the importance of rope drop! Seeing how empty the park could be in the morning right before Christmas makes me less nervous about the possibility of going in late July/early August next year!

The Sir Mickey's store looks so cute! I don't think we've ever stopped in!

I love that Andrew decided to give a tour! Too cute!

The lack of crowds had me completely shocked really. It didn't start to look even a little crowded to me until after that second Pooh ride. Standby was at twenty minutes when we got in the FP line. Hope you have the same luck getting there early on your summer visit!

WOW, you did get up early!! Love how it wasn't crowded for you guys.

Loved the train ride/race with John and Andrew as the tour guide, to cute! John must walk fast!! Bet John won't be asking the kid's if he get's the "best Dad" award anymore! LOL You guys need to make or buy John a "best Dad" award for Father's Day!

Loved the picture of the boys sitting on the fire engine! What a thrill that must have been! I cracked up reading that Andrew wanted to go to "Toys R Us Island"!

No more Mrs. Pott's Cupboard?!! tsk tsk I remember getting ice cream cones there in 1995 that were a mile high, we could hardly hold them!! That's when we took the kids on their "once in a lifetime trip"! We went in 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003 with them!! DH and I went in 2008 without them and 2009 we took DD (DS got married that year!). DH and I are going in Sept.!!!

Love your updates. Can't wait to read about the boys birthday trip coming up!

This morning was a lot of fun so far. Getting up that early is nothing if it's for Disney, of course. Have fun in September!

 

[jc040404]

I opened the front of the stroller for Blake to hop in, but he didn’t care for that idea. He rarely does, but this time had a good reason. We were near Splash “Water” Mountain and he had important business. Tall enough for the Barnstormer now, why couldn’t he try this one?

Poor little guy. Even on your tippy toes, you just don’t measure up yet. He was more bothered by this than I expected and didn’t want to leave for a few minutes. Maybe next year, Blakers!

We cheered him up with a stop to check in on his redhead before wandering over to Main Street. It was mostly empty, but we’d try back about two hours before parade time. I expected things would start to fill up around then. Seeing the empty street, we filled Andrew’s Peoplemover request to pass some time.

It’s getting crowded out there!

If we were here, we couldn’t pass up CoP!!

It was pretty disappointing this time. The television at the end wasn’t playing. No crazy space game for Andy-Roo!

The time had come.. Back on Main Street, guests were beginning to claim their spots. It was just under two hours before parade time and we decided to do the same. I dropped my blanket on the ground and started to get settled. We picked the same spot as the year before, forgetting that I wanted to be somewhere else this time. Oh well. Maybe I’ll learn for next year. It was nice for grabbing lunch and being close for restroom trips anyway. As I sat down, Andrew started talking to a CM cleaning up garbage cans.

“We’re waiting for the parade!”

The CM gave a half smile and seemed to find the idea of people lining up this early ridiculous. They talked for a couple of minutes, with his side seeming to support that idea. Thankfully, he never came right out and said it, so I don't think Andrew totally picked up on it. The CM looked down at Andy-Roo before moving on.

“I hope it’s worth it.” he said, with a slight eye roll.

I could tell my husband was getting annoyed at how this man spoke to Andrew. So was I! To catch a spot on Main Street, people do line up crazy early. Almost two hours in front of the castle wouldn’t be my first choice of Disney activities, but you do what you have to. He didn’t need to talk like that to a four year old, especially one who was excited over it.

When the CM finally went away with his cart full of trash, I took everyone’s lunch desires. It wasn’t tough, Casey’s doesn’t have a lot of options. Andrew was my order helper and we both walked over to get some hotdogs. We’d get corndog nuggets for Blake, but he switched his lunch for brother's instead! Neither of them would touch the fries.

The wait wasn’t the most exciting. Blake was tired so he stretched out on the stroller for a break while brother danced in the street.

Eventually, Andrew would ask for icecream so we crossed the street for another treat. That was a crazy place during the parade wait! We were in line for quite some time, but it seemed to be running very well. Until our turn, of course!

Andrew wanted some sort of Mickey ear cone, I think, with John and I getting different sundaes. I went with mint chocolate chip, but my husband would never touch that stuff. I think I stuck with vanilla for him. Whichever it was, they didn’t get it right and presented me with two mint chocolate chips. I pointed it out and the CM politely took it away, to return with yet another incorrect flavor. Haha.. Her face turned red when I pointed out that she still hadn’t gotten it right. Gone from the counter without a word, we got the correct icecream next time. She tossed extra cherries on top before handing it over. I have such luck with The Plaza, restaurant or ice cream shop!

Back outside, someone had stolen my spot!

He was cute, so I let him get away with it for now.

We all enjoyed our icecreams, with Blake sampling some of everything. Those sundaes were crazy huge! We tossed most of it, which I didn't expect. Seeing the lower pricing, I was expecting mouse sized treats, not these monsters!

Nearly at our icecream limit, people started to squeeze in behind me and the person to my left. It was a family with three children that all looked a bit older than Andrew. The dad started out by making sure everyone was okay with this spot. No problem. They didn’t complain and were getting along. As parade time neared, maybe about five minutes before, the girls started to whine.

“Why aren’t WE on the curb?"

"Why can’t weeee be in front??"

"I won’t be able to see ANYTHING here!!"

"They should moooooove."

"This isn’t FAIR!!”

They were all being awful and the whining was only broken to fight with each other. Their father just let them go on, but was obviously angry. Hadn't he gone over their parade spot before any of them sat down? I remembered it. He never once stopped the complaints or reminded them of this. At four minutes after the official parade start time, he lost it.

Just short of outright demanding it, he insisted that we move back behind them, so his kids could sit in front. We had a stroller anyway. Yeah right. My sweet boys were patient and never once complained about waiting for this parade. They had wanted to come to the park this day just to see it and I wasn’t about to allow others in front of them at the last minute. This was even after the “last minute” in a way! John looked at me. We were thinking the same thing. Then he turned to the man.

“No.”

One simple word. We weren't going to play games here.

This made the man furious. Was a one word answer rude? I don’t really think so, but I wouldn’t care anyway. He was horrible to us and completely crazy if he thought it was going to happen. I have enough parade experience to know I shouldn’t worry about it now. People are icky.

After speaking every word in English since arriving behind us, it was nothing but French from here on. Well, he did tell me I was “nasty and mean to children” before the language switch. Why me? I hadn’t said a word. I can only imagine what was said after anyway. Funny how people do this, huh? He should’ve kept his frustrations where they belonged and talked to those girls about their behavior instead of pulling us into it.

We just ignored it. Someday I will experience a parade without a bunch of drama in the wait! If you remember the last year’s Christmas parade, I have no problem letting kids squeeze in if there’s room. I do, however, have a huge problem with demanding, rude parents and kids acting like this.

“The parade is coming!!” Andrew shouted.

Thank goodness. It was finally here.

^Soooo wish we could’ve met him in the park, but he wasn’t out this year.

^Favorite part

The End! The parade was fun and the boys loved every second. They went crazy over Santa at the end! He would be coming to our house sooo soon!!

Was it worth nearly two hours on Main Street again? Seeing how happy watching it made my boys, I’d say yes. We weren't losing any valuable park time to do it. I do really wish they didn’t have to listen to things others say when trying to push in at the last minute.

 

[jc040404]

After the parade, there were people everywhere

We moved towards Fantasyland, and it was shoulder to shoulder the entire time. Now it felt like a near Christmas, 9.8 kind of day!

Dodging guests and strollers, we soon saw FL was out for the day. I hadn’t collected any other FPs and the waits were ridiculous for us. There are a couple of things you can count on in times like this. We were going back to the Peoplemover!

Our early morning was taking its toll on my husband. He actually dozed off on this for the first time!

Andrew wanted a current Space Mountain measurement, so off we went when our ride was done.

^The boys love those things

We all knew the little guy had been growing like crazy, but wouldn’t be quite there just yet.

Nope. Still a couple more to go! Andrew wasn't upset over it, like Blake had been earlier. He knew he wasn't tall enough yet. He then decided to show us what an amazing big brother he is. He started talking to Blake about not being tall enough for things, and how that wasn't bad at all. Disney just wants us to be safe and not get hurt. He went on about his wait to grow to forty inches and how he was now waiting to grow for something, just like Blakers. It was really sweet to listen to. In the end, they both agreed that growing takes times and lots of veggies. I loved it. No matter how mommy and daddy explain things, it must be easier to believe coming from big brother.

In an effort to escape the crowd madness and relax a bit, we took the “secret” path to Toontown. We didn’t see another person the entire time we were back here. Awesome! The boys were both given the freedom to run and play.

As we neared Toontown, we all noticed a train waiting. Both boys hopped up to watch over the fence. When would it move? All of a sudden, they both start counting down together. Amazingly, the train actually moved at their zero! I couldn’t believe it!

Of course, this nspired another train ride request! John wasn’t into it and said he’d find a bench to wait for us to make the loop. I knew what that really meant. He was going to catch a nap in the park while I entertained the children!

Our ride wasn’t quite as exciting this time. The boys were quiet and just watched everything we passed. They were taking this ride time to relax, too. I took some pics near BTMRR.

Back where we began, Blake and Andrew ran off to get their father. We’d spend a long time after just playing in Toontown. The boys were wild about going in Donald’s boat and I wish I’d gotten more pics there. We never really spent much time in it before.

^Really hope they’re planning something like this for the expansion. MK really needs it

Andrew helped lift Blake up

Noticing the time, we rushed back to the front of the park for the castle lighting. Late arriving for that, it was crazy packed so I didn’t get any pictures. John and I were both holding children instead of cameras. It was the same fun story as before, with Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother transforming the castle to look like it was covered in ice. It had gotten much colder as the sun left us, so her line about “this weather” was too funny to me.

Despite a little bump at parade time, this day was going great. We wandered back to CHH to grab some dinner while making plans to camp out in front of the castle next!

 

[jc040404]

During our usual dinner at CHH, we discussed the plan for the rest of the day. I was hoping to see Holiday Wishes, but wasn’t sure the boys were going to make it. While they’d slept the ride to WDW, we were running with no naps. (I didn’t count Blake’s half nap during the parade wait.) I decided to leave it up to them. Worst case, I guessed one of them might fall asleep in the stroller. Both begged to stay for fireworks, so we here to the end.

After our trays were cleaned up, it was back outside to the stroller. The boys cuddled up together under a blanket and were ready to go!

Walking around to the castle, something different caught our ears. What was this? We made it in front just in time to see the Celebrate the Season show ending! I had see some mention of this CtS thing, but didn’t have a clue what it was. It looked like so much fun Consulting our times guide, another show was coming up soon. We all wanted to stay and watch!

^Maybe it's silly, but I love that there's a child wearing Mickey ears on someone's shoulders in this pic. It's soo WDW to me!

The crowd moved off in different directions as the show ended, we picked a spot to wait. I’m not sure what you’d call it, but we were on the side of street opposite the castle, right in front. It would be perfect!

While we waited for the next show, Andrew spoke up about the dance party at Club 626. He said he wanted to check it out, but I didn’t see it happening this late. Wasn’t that going on all day? Silly boy should’ve spoken up sooner! I played a little mommy trick and told him that I wasn’t sure when it would be going on next. Our waiting spot neighbors must’ve been listening to us, because one jumped in with the information! Uh oh.. I’m not sure how I replied, but he got what we were trying and immediately switched to telling the boys how much they’d enjoy CtS.

These waiting spot neighbors turned out to be perfect. It was an older couple and they knew how to do this right. The man was a Magic Kingdom CM! I think he likes impressing guests with this, as he loved sharing info with us. He told us what a great spot we had for CtS, MSEP, and Holiday Wishes following. We should get comfy and stick around. (Okay, he didn’t use the word “comfy” exactly..) He shared his parade time headaches with us, telling of all the crazies they deal with. The stuff we’ve dealt with is nothing compared to all that!

Soon enough, the show started again. I didn’t take any pictures, as I was holding Blake again. Our spot was good, but everyone fills in the street anyway. Andrew stood on the stroller while John got some video. Our cameras aren’t as cool as some others out there. The pics wouldn’t turn out well anyway. This show was great and I’m so glad we stumbled onto it that night. The boys loved the music and all the characters!

Back to waiting, it wouldn’t be long until the MSEP headed our way. Our new CM friend explained how it would come down the street and filled us in on why the turn would make this spot extra special. Everything would slow down right in front of us! We’re not big MSEP fans (Bring back Spectro!) but were definitely looking forward to this.

Andrew went on about how great it would be to see Alice in front of the castle, but wouldn’t last long enough to see it. Nearly parade time, I peaked down into the stroller to see this!

They had wanted to last until fireworks so bad! I was sad that it wasn’t going to happen. This close to the end, We covered them up some more and let them sleep. My babies were beat and nothing was waking them now.

I don’t know if it was not having to entertain the boys, being so cold, or us being tired, too. Whichever, John and I were completely nuts the rest of this Disney day. We laughed over the silliest things and had such a great time.

It began with the Mickey balloons.. Why we found the fact that this huge bunch of balloons was passing in front of the castle so hilarious, I have no idea.

Next was the light in the castle window..

Why was it on? Who was in there? We came up with lots of not DIS-friendly theories.

Then it was the mile wide space savers. A woman and a teenage boy joined our area. She proceeded to drop her bag on the ground to claim their spot. Then she moved several feet away from it? It seemed that there were more in this party and they needed a spot big enough to hold everyone. She kept telling the boy to take one more step over, leaving a huge gap between him and the bag, and her and the bag. It was so silly. Our CM friend had spotted her too, and smiled knowingly at me a couple of times. How could this possibly turn out well? Lucky for her, the rest of the children joined very soon!

As it filled up, we did have one little incident of a late comer playing games. A younger woman repeatedly tried to push me away from my husband. (I’d been half cuddling against him.) I’m not really sure what the goal was. I had nowhere to go so pushing me didn’t make her view any better. She actually had a decent spot anyway. The area never totally filled up. I finally told her that pushing me wasn’t going to make me disappear, as I could see no other reason for it! We’d both be able to see the same. She settled and moved over to the man she was with. I still don’t understand that one! In my silly mood, I just found the whole thing funny. Confusing, but kinda funny.

Finally, MSEP! I didn’t take any pictures.
A few of John's..

Seriously, the only thing I like about this parade is Elliott. He and Pete being in it helped finally convince my children that the movie was really worth watching. They love it now.

Remember pushy lady? As the parade was passing by, I felt something brush my ankle. I looked at John, assuming he’d bumped me with his foot. It happened again, but he hadn’t seemed to move. I looked down. This rates as the craziest parade person ever. Pushy lady was on the ground, trying to crawl between my legs and a wheel of the stroller! She was a tiny girl, but not quite that tiny! She looked up at me. I couldn’t believe this one was happening!

“Absolutely not,” was all I managed to say before I started laughing.

John looked down, too. She went back to her man.

Seriously lady, unless you were planning to climb on one of the parade floats or snuggle in the stroller with the boys, this move wouldn’t really change your view. She was just as close as we were! As a rule, I think it’s awful to post pictures on here of people you think are rude, dumb, or look funny. However, I’m so very tempted to post a crowd shot with her in it. She looked so normal. What a wild experience!

With the parade done, it was only a matter of time until the sky filled with Holiday Wishes! I so wished the boys were up for it, but it turned out okay. I wasn’t impressed at all with this show.

Video Ending!


Whatever the big flash is, it was pretty nifty.

That was the end. Everyone started to push to the front of the park. We didn’t join and just took our time. Our goal was to simply make it to the Emporium to warm up a little.

Exiting on the other side, something was softly falling from the sky.

“It’s snowing!” John exclaimed.

“It’s not real snow.”

“It’s snowed here before.”

“It’s not snowing, honey.”

After daring him to taste it, he agreed that this wasn’t real snow. It was adorable that he thought it was. Realizing his mistake, John tried to play it off as if he was just messing with me. Silly man. In his defense, he really didn’t know that this was done at MK, too. (I'm reminded of this night everytime I see someone's TR title now! )

We moved into the monorail lines next. A CM at the top was doing silly magic tricks for guests during the wait. We were talking about it as we took our spot to wait for our turn to board. Another CM standing here caught our conversation and joined in.

He'd next compliment us on the wheel decoration of the stroller. That made me laugh because I knew he was just being nice. For our June 2009 visit, I'd covered the spokes with birthday and star wire garland. It was cute back then. This day, not so much! I thanked him all the same, mentioning that we didn't use the double much now. I really don't know why I added that bit, but it seemed to inspire a question in him.

"You guys are from Tampa?"

Huh?? We're not from Tampa, but it was crazy that he'd mention somewhere sooo close. I was confused and asked why he'd picked there. He claimed it was just a guess. Why Tampa? It was eerie weird to me! This is totally paranoid Jessica coming out, but I was shocked by it.

The End! The boys woke up at the TTC for potty breaks, but quickly fell asleep in the car again. In case you were worrying, they were both toasty warm under their blankets. We definitely made a coffee stop on the way home that night. It was such a great Disney day!

Up Next!! A new love begins.. DHS! Jedi & Mermaid fun!

 

[CAStevens218]

Hooray for my shoutout! LOL I'm sure John was not the only one to make this mistake this December! It was soooo cold!!

I think my jaw hit the desk when I was reading about the crazy woman you had during the MSEP! Crawling under you? I'm really not sure what I would have done! AND the people during the Christmas parade in the afternoon! Unfortunately I think parade drama is inevitable! There are crazies everywhere!!

On a happier note, I loved your pictures of the Christmas parade! We loved it when we got to see it! I loved the Donald and Daisy float with them all cuddled up on a sleigh ride! And I agree, I was definitely disappointed the Scrooge wasn't out for meet and greets, I wanted to meet him too.

How adorable is the picture of the boys sleeping in the stroller! So precious!!!

 

[PirateKate]

That day sounds like so much fun, considering it was a 9.8 day. I'm very impressed by how nicely your boys waited for the parade. Too bad all the crazies were out.

I love to see two boys sleeping in the stroller. I'm sure it was fun to get to watch the MSEP and Holiday Wishes. I thought Holiday Wishes was good, but I've never seen Hallowishes to compare it to.

 

[jc040404]

Hooray for my shoutout! LOL I'm sure John was not the only one to make this mistake this December! It was soooo cold!!

I think my jaw hit the desk when I was reading about the crazy woman you had during the MSEP! Crawling under you? I'm really not sure what I would have done! AND the people during the Christmas parade in the afternoon! Unfortunately I think parade drama is inevitable! There are crazies everywhere!!

On a happier note, I loved your pictures of the Christmas parade! We loved it when we got to see it! I loved the Donald and Daisy float with them all cuddled up on a sleigh ride! And I agree, I was definitely disappointed the Scrooge wasn't out for meet and greets, I wanted to meet him too.

How adorable is the picture of the boys sleeping in the stroller! So precious!!!

Crazy lady was something else. I was already in a stupid mood, so laughing was about all I could do. She was wearing Minnie ears, too. I almost wish I'd still had my camera out at that point, but my hands were ice. I don't think anyone will ever top her!

In 2009, Donald even had a Christmas tree lot with Scrooge! I so wish we'd waited in that line instead of skipping. I LOVE Scrooge, but mostly because of Ducktales. I think of him everytime I see a really shiny dime. That show was great!

That day sounds like so much fun, considering it was a 9.8 day. I'm very impressed by how nicely your boys waited for the parade. Too bad all the crazies were out.

I love to see two boys sleeping in the stroller. I'm sure it was fun to get to watch the MSEP and Holiday Wishes. I thought Holiday Wishes was good, but I've never seen Hallowishes to compare it to.

Holiday Wishes wasn't bad, but just not as impressive as I was expecting. The music actually felt boring in a way. HalloWishes is still the winner for me, provided they don't cut back on it this year. Did you stick around for Wishes at all on your most recent trip? It feels like they cut out a few more fireworks everytime I see it!

 

[jane2073]

Sounds like a perfect day!!
Excellent job on standing your ground for the parade! (Both times!)

It is funny but since January, we have been to DHS more often than any other park. It has become our new favorite!

 

[Dugette]

Just caught up on the last several updates. What a great day for a 9.8 day! Good to know that rope drop still works on those crazy days. I can't believe all the parade/waiting for stuff drama! I guess that's one of the benefits of how we rarely staked out spots to wait for things...didn't have to deal with those people. So different seeing the daytime pics of the parade (and the Mickey's Christmas Carol windows). Love how Andrew narrated the train ride--I bet that was adorable to the guests listening to his spiel. Glad that the Peoplemover was still w/o a line...love that thing! Very sweet how Andrew talked to Blake about not being tall enough for rides yet. Glad you were in a goofy mood by the time that crazy lady tried to crawl under you...not as traumatic when you're laughing, I guess. And, wow, you guys start spending time at DHS...different! Looking forward to hearing about it!

 

[jc040404]

Sounds like a perfect day!!
Excellent job on standing your ground for the parade! (Both times!)

It is funny but since January, we have been to DHS more often than any other park. It has become our new favorite!

DHS is great! We'll start enjoying it more as the year goes on, but we do still spend way too much time at MK.

Just caught up on the last several updates. What a great day for a 9.8 day! Good to know that rope drop still works on those crazy days. I can't believe all the parade/waiting for stuff drama! I guess that's one of the benefits of how we rarely staked out spots to wait for things...didn't have to deal with those people. So different seeing the daytime pics of the parade (and the Mickey's Christmas Carol windows). Love how Andrew narrated the train ride--I bet that was adorable to the guests listening to his spiel. Glad that the Peoplemover was still w/o a line...love that thing! Very sweet how Andrew talked to Blake about not being tall enough for rides yet. Glad you were in a goofy mood by the time that crazy lady tried to crawl under you...not as traumatic when you're laughing, I guess. And, wow, you guys start spending time at DHS...different! Looking forward to hearing about it!

Thinking about it, I don't know what the line situation was at the Peoplemover. It's actually bugging me right now that I can't recall that. Oh well. Even if there is a line, you never wait very long there anyway.

DHS is wild for us, huh? No wonder I started burning out on Disney. We were in a huge MK rut!

 

[jc040404]

January 13th, 2011 * this is where I quit writing the day of the week * Day Eighteen


Happy New Year!! It's 2011 now!

We were Disney free for way too long, waiting for the crowds to go away and dealing with life issues. Everyone was ready to head back to visit Mickey. But where?

During a very heated lightsaber battle between Blake and Andrew one day, a thought hit me. Andrew is four now! Our last set of passes had expired the day before his 4th birthday. He had never tried the Jedi Training Academy yet! I immediately started doing research!

Figuring out how to get him in this was an adventure. The process had changed not terribly long before, but everyone was reporting different stories. That’s the good and bad part of using the DIS, I guess. Everyone wants to share their experiences, but they don’t always have the most current info! (Like my TR..haha..) After a bit of searching, I thought I had it figured out and we were off!

In my dream world, all the road signs would be made in these colors.

No matter how long I live in Florida, I will always love nice, neat rows of palm trees!

We made it to DHS before rope drop and joined the mess on the street waiting to make the TSM run. This is where my family split up. I kissed two of my boys goodbye and they began to make their way through the mess. Blake and I waited with the stroller. The plan was for John and Andy-Roo to go sign up for Jedi training, while Blake and I collected a set of TSM FPs.

Watching my boys disappear into a store ahead, I surveyed this crowd. This was the first time I’d ever had stroller control in such a mess. This was even the first I’d ever tried to get TSM FPs in the morning! Being in control of my husband’s park jobs, I wasn’t sure if we’d survive! Guests pushed their way into each other, each trying to be first in line when the stampede began. I wasn’t about to have any part in that and concentrated on not running over feet. It was wild to see how many people tried to jump my stroller. Amazingly, we made it to the FP line without a problem.

The plan had Blake and me going back to wait near Star Tours for the rest of our family. I quickly saw this wasn’t happening. That FP line was wild and we were in for quite a wait. Blake was in a quiet, people watching mood, so he didn’t mind it. He’d slept the ride here, so I think he was really not fully into this day just yet. I listened to all the silly conversations around me, saw people give up and leave, and slowly made it closer and closer. Before I even made it to the machine, John and Andrew were at our side! I couldn’t believe it! I made sure to thank John for all the times he’s done this for us before.

Andrew had managed to be pretty close to the front of the sign up line, so his time wouldn’t be terribly far off. We wandered over to the very deserted Streets of America.

It was nifty being all alone out here, like something out of the Twilight Zone. The abandoned town feeling was eerie. Ever see the “Stopover in a Quiet Town” episode? (one of my favorites) Same kind of thing. John and I had fun recalling it until signs of life interrupted our game. I didn’t hear any little girls giggling anyway.

Needing to be back by Star Tours soon enough, we decided to warm in the shop until the last possible minute. This morning was pretty cold!

wearing gloves cold even!

We had a nice time looking over all the Star Wars stuff. Andrew played with a lightsaber. He needed some practice on how to work these things. The "lightsabers" the boys play with at home are the ones the MK GS CMs gave them in the last Disney year. Remeber the broken penny machine? That was a sweet memory.

We planned to stop later in the day and get him one. I wasn't about to leave it in the stroller, but I don't like carrying stuff around all day either. Can you have things sent to the front for pick up at all the parks? I never can remember to do this and we end up forgetting to go back and get whatever we’d planned. Same thing happened this day. We never did make it around to buy that lightsaber!

Blake loves Mister Potato Head!

9:55! It was time for Andy-Roo to report for training!

**TR Spoiler!! The new ride is awesome!! You probably already knew that. Andrew and I LOVED it!!**

In case he was shrinking, I guess?

Noticing the stormtroopers out, I asked Blake if he wanted to meet one. It was HUGE no to that one. He was comfortable in his stroller and didn’t intend to move unless he had to!

Blake and I found a spot in front of the stage to wait while John got Andrew checked in. A few had already claimed spots, which I guessed were the “better” locations, but this didn’t have us staring into the sun. While we waited, the woman next to me asked if I’d stroller sit for a moment. I found that a little odd, but agreed. She had a Disney rented stroller. Later she told me that someone had stolen their personal stroller the day before. That was awful. People can be so icky sometimes.

A little warning, I took bunches of pictures of this. Andrew was so excited to get to do it that I didn’t want to miss a second! You’re going to see a lot of them.

Andrew looked so tiny compared to most of these kids!

For quite a while, we were just waiting. Andrew told the boys around him that I was his mommy. I thought that was pretty cute. They didn’t seem to be very impressed with this news though. Haha..

I got Blake to perk up a little with some picture time.

A CM would eventually start passing out robes to all of the children. I loved how all the fathers rushed over at once to help out!

He couldn’t wait!

When the children joined the stage, we really lucked out. Andrew was led to his spot first, right in front of us! I thought this would be great for catching some pictures of him. Unfortunately, he would stay turned toward the middle of the group for much of it.

Checking out his “training” lightsaber!

That lightsaber would cause a bit of trouble for Andy-Roo. He just couldn’t seem to work the silly thing! When they were first instructed to activate them, Andrew was trying his best, but didn’t manage to get it to pop out. At first, it seemed like he was pushing the button the wrong way. Later, I know his gloves were giving some issues. He wasn’t alone. The other smaller boy needed help, too. Both boys figured it out in time.

We’d never been in the area to see this before, so none of us had a clue what was going to happen next. I purposely avoided watching any youtube videos, too. The show was so much fun not knowing what to expect. I had no idea it was so funny!

...pic limit...