"ENCHANTED TALES with ROB" - A Birthday/Christmas DISer Celebration! **NEW TR LINK**

[geckodani]

I love the Canadia flag!

 

[librarygeek]

OMG they were incredible!!!!!! I will never miss them again. I'm looking forward to seeing their normal set. Do you have that video??? I'd love to see it! Maybe on FB?


Thanks, but BOOOOOOO to missing you again. Awww gee thanks Becky! It looks like the Niagara mini TR may be a bit longer than I originally thought, so it may well carry on until the next trip, lol.

The video was on Instagram, but I think it did eventually make its way onto FB... I'll see if I can find it and tag you!

And I know, it seems we keep missing each other! One of these days our trips will coincide!

 

[gracer9977]

The Frozen merchandise was out.

I have not been on the Dis in a few months. So many things going on but now I am back and SOOOO far behind on your TR but I am getting caught up again. On page 91 so far.

Just have to say I am loving all of your updates and there are so many things I would reply to but the list was too long so I will just say everything I have read so far sounds AMAZING!!!

Looking at this picture of Frozen Merchandise is like looking at a picture of the real pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Everything in that picture is on a first come first grab basis. I would kill for those Anna and Elsa Animator Dolls that I have been stalking on the Disney Store site for months. Those costumes are gone the minute they are put on the rack, if they even make it that far. It's absolutely crazy how totally popular Frozen is right now, even all these months later.

I have to say that when I was there in January I waited over 2 hours to meet Anna and Elsa. We had breakfast in Akershaus which was at the time next to the meet and greet. My niece and I left breakfast at 9:15am and walked 10 feet to get in line and we were the last people to get the 11am M&G. The couple directly behind us was the start of the 12pm M&G. 15 minutes after park opening and we were already in line behind 30 people. By the time the M&G opened at 11am there were people in line that would not meet them till after 4pm. It was NUTS!!!! Initially I was just in line to save a place for my kids and my nieces to meet them but after standing there all that time I was getting my picture with them too.

Okay off to read more of your excellent TR!!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

I love the Canadia flag!

Isn't it genius Dani??? I wish I could take credit, but it was all 100% Riley.

The video was on Instagram, but I think it did eventually make its way onto FB... I'll see if I can find it and tag you!

And I know, it seems we keep missing each other! One of these days our trips will coincide!

Sa-weet!!!! I just watched it Becky. AWESOME!!!! Just AWESOME!! Thank you so much for letting me know.

God I know. Trip after trip. But yes, eventually the stars will align I'm sure.

I have not been on the Dis in a few months. So many things going on but now I am back and SOOOO far behind on your TR but I am getting caught up again. On page 91 so far.

Just have to say I am loving all of your updates and there are so many things I would reply to but the list was too long so I will just say everything I have read so far sounds AMAZING!!!

Looking at this picture of Frozen Merchandise is like looking at a picture of the real pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Everything in that picture is on a first come first grab basis. I would kill for those Anna and Elsa Animator Dolls that I have been stalking on the Disney Store site for months. Those costumes are gone the minute they are put on the rack, if they even make it that far. It's absolutely crazy how totally popular Frozen is right now, even all these months later.

I have to say that when I was there in January I waited over 2 hours to meet Anna and Elsa. We had breakfast in Akershaus which was at the time next to the meet and greet. My niece and I left breakfast at 9:15am and walked 10 feet to get in line and we were the last people to get the 11am M&G. The couple directly behind us was the start of the 12pm M&G. 15 minutes after park opening and we were already in line behind 30 people. By the time the M&G opened at 11am there were people in line that would not meet them till after 4pm. It was NUTS!!!! Initially I was just in line to save a place for my kids and my nieces to meet them but after standing there all that time I was getting my picture with them too.

Okay off to read more of your excellent TR!!

Aww that's ok. I know how busy life can be. So nice to have you back though.

Thank you!!! It was the trip of a lifetime for sure.

Oh I know. It's so funny to look at that picture now knowing how rare this stuff is today. I should have bought one of everything!!! Heck, if I bought it all I could probably retire, lol

It was like that even in early December. It's crazy to think about how much worse it got. I don't know that I've ever seen anything quite like it. It's a true phenomenon. They've even now split them up at MK. You still meet both, but separately. Hottest FP I can think of.

YAY!!!! I truly hope it lives up to expectations. But fair warning... It's about to get VERY emotional.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

"DON'T CRY BECAUSE IT'S OVER, SMILE BECAUSE IT HAPPENED"
A Very Merry Intermission - July 18, 2014 Part 1



Seven Months... Seven LONG months.
And Three LONG months since this trip was planned and booked, but the day was finally here.
Today I would be seeing Carrie again, meeting Hailey for the first time in person, and also seeing my special little Riley.
Carrie and I had kept this a secret this whole time.

My day started early, as in 3am early.
My wonderful parents took me to the airport because they're awesome even though I told them they didn't have to.

I arrived in plenty of time, and I had done online check in, so there was nothing to do but wait.
We parked ourselves at Tim Horton's (of course) since I didn't feel the need to go through security just yet.
It was still early and there was pretty much no line at all.

That was a HUGE mistake.

Apparently there was a school trip of some sort occurring around the same time,
And the security line went from zero to insanity in moments.

My flight was at 6:40am and I stupidly was in the back of the security line at 6am... And the line was not moving.

I... Was... PANICKED!!!!!

All the planning, all the preparation, all the anticipation was quickly fading away.

I'll not leave you in suspense though, as they FINALLY opened more check points and I arrived at the gate just as they were boarding.

Hey, at least I didn't have to wait.

I took my seat on my WestJet flight and the very first photo of the trip was procured.

I know... Shocking! You can take the DisneyKid out of Disney but, well, you know.

It had been a while since I'd flown on a Canadian airline, so I was super surprised to actually receive a free snack.

Less than 2 hours later, I landed in Toronto, and the very first thing I saw, appropriately, was this.

Again, you can take the DisneyKid out of Disney, but MY GOD I would LOVE to ride in that some day.

I admit that I stared at that and daydreamed for a while and daydreamed about getting on, but I had somewhere even more important to be.
And I was super excited to get there.

I got my rental car (booked using my company's corp rate which saved me about half) and hit the Toronto highways en route to Niagara Falls.

I'll say this now... I honestly would prefer to drive in LA than here. INSANE!!!!

Nonetheless, I made it in one piece and parked my car in Carrie and my previously worked out area.
Seriously, the parking lots in the tourist area are SUPER CHEAP as in $5 for the WHOLE DAY!!!

I was finally ready to see everyone again and I was busting, but I did get a quick pic of my rental which affectionately became known as BUMBLE BEE.

I texted Carrie to let her know I arrived and they had just arrived as well and were currently in Build a Bear...
Just one street down from where I was standing.

I was also busting for an altogether different reason.
So I popped into Starbucks for a washroom break and Carrie texted that she was currently outside Starbucks... Small World.

She came inside and we were reunited... Now to surprise the girls.

She went ahead of me and into Build a Bear where she told Riley to go outside.
Seeing her through the door made me realize how much I truly missed her, and also how much she'd grown in those 7 months apart.

STOP GROWING UP!!!

And then... Well... Not much reaction at all... At least at first.

I was disappointed, but then I realized that all this was really sprung on her out of nowhere and I don't think it was all processing initially.

The other thing about Riley is she is very shy and not one to let her emotions go wild (unlike her little sister Hailey, lol).
She also told me later that she had literally just gotten up before heading to the Falls, so she wasn't totally processing things as I alluded to earlier.
The best description is probably sensory overload... She just didn't know how to react.... Rest assured, she got over that quickly.

Carrie had already told her they were going to the Zoo and Canada's Wonderland that weekend; Now she was informed that I was coming too.

(photo courtesy of Carrie)

THAT got a reaction and she was VERY excited.

And poor little Hailey had no idea what was going on until she was informed who I was.
Then she got VERY excited.

And I finally got the picture I had been waiting months for, and I could not have been happier.

(photo courtesy of Carrie)

The first order of business was food as we were all starving, so we headed down Clifton Hill to Wendy's for lunch.

There was a lot of debate about whether this owl was real or not.
They swear they'd never seen it before AND that they saw it move, so I have no reason to argue.

We got our food, but my priority was to get a photo with my phone so I could post the reunion on Facebook.

I had also brought some gifts which I gave out at this point, but with no photo evidence.
So to summarize, I had a Jim Shore Chip and Dale for Carrie (which she already had... CRAP!),
A stuffed Hello Kitty, stuffed Ariel, Minnie Mouse keychain for Hailey and,
A stuffed Hello Kitty, stuffed Tink, porcelain Hello Kitty, and a Darth Vader bobblehead for Riley.

We finished up our meal, and headed down the hill (after I ran all the stuff back to the car so they wouldn't have to carry it around).

It was time to see the Falls!!!

We headed down the hill towards one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

On the way, the girls spotted the "Tippy Bus", so I made sure to get a photo.

And then… I saw it for the very first time.

On the walk, Hailey wanted to pose beside the "butt tree", so I obliged with a photo.

Hailey was feeling the heat by this point, so I told them they could grab some shade under a tree while I walked down to see the Canadia Falls.
Carrie asked Riley if she wanted to come with me, and she did (YAY), so the two of us continued on.

I caught a glimpse of the Canadia tour boat,

As well as the iconic Maid of the Mist.

It was so nice to catch up with Riley on our little walk and have a little alone time, and I really think it helped us reconnect completely after 7 months,
So I attempted a selfie with the Falls in the background to commemorate this special and joyous occasion.

Thankfully a nice couple offered to take a photo for us as well, and fortunately they used my camera to do it.

TO BE CONTINUED…
​

 

[JulieODC]

Great start to your mini TR within a TR! Looks like you had perfect weather!!

And that Disney plane is so cool!!

 

[scrpbookr]

What a fun getaway and reunion! I'm looking forward to reading about the rest of it!

 

[shan23877]

I have not been on the Dis in a few months. So many things going on but now I am back and SOOOO far behind on your TR but I am getting caught up again. On page 91 so far.

Just have to say I am loving all of your updates and there are so many things I would reply to but the list was too long so I will just say everything I have read so far sounds AMAZING!!!

Looking at this picture of Frozen Merchandise is like looking at a picture of the real pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Everything in that picture is on a first come first grab basis. I would kill for those Anna and Elsa Animator Dolls that I have been stalking on the Disney Store site for months. Those costumes are gone the minute they are put on the rack, if they even make it that far. It's absolutely crazy how totally popular Frozen is right now, even all these months later.

I have to say that when I was there in January I waited over 2 hours to meet Anna and Elsa. We had breakfast in Akershaus which was at the time next to the meet and greet. My niece and I left breakfast at 9:15am and walked 10 feet to get in line and we were the last people to get the 11am M&G. The couple directly behind us was the start of the 12pm M&G. 15 minutes after park opening and we were already in line behind 30 people. By the time the M&G opened at 11am there were people in line that would not meet them till after 4pm. It was NUTS!!!! Initially I was just in line to save a place for my kids and my nieces to meet them but after standing there all that time I was getting my picture with them too.

Okay off to read more of your excellent TR!!

Loved your comparison to the pot of gold!

If I may-- If you have a Disney Store near your home, try to pop in during the week. We were looking on the website for the Animator's Dolls for a while. Our local Disney Store had all 3 when we went in! They even had a few coronation dresses.

Now backpacks and lunch boxes on the other hand... This mommy went to Amazon.

 

[shan23877]

Sounds like your reunion trip was off to a great start!

I can't wait to hear more!

 

[amazingact21]

Aside from the almost missing your flight bit, it sounds like you were off to a good start! The plane with the Disney art looks much cooler than the stock pictures I've seen before. If that doesn't make you want to go to Disney, I don't know what will....



Aww, YAY, the reunion! Kids can be more reserved than adults, so it was good of you to understand that and not take Riley's shyness personally. Some people would have let that set the tone for the entire trip.



Niagra Falls looks amazing, as expected.

 

[missangelalexis]

So glad you're posting about this trip! Sounds like it's off to a great start. Love your pictures of the Falls. So glad you and Riley got some alone time together

 

[MonsterWDWmom]

That was such a great reaction!

Okay the Disney reminders are awesome! I applaud you for having the restraint to not jump on that Sorcerer Mickey plane

The Falls look perfect and it looks like your reunion is off to a great start!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Great start to your mini-TR .... though I guess if that security line hadn't started moving it would have been a micro-TR

Glad you made it safely and that everything worked out with meeting up with them. I am sure that was a lot of sensory overload for Riley so even better that you did get some 1:1 time with her walking over to Canadia Falls - probably easier to take it all in then

I thought your selfie came out good! (or, since there is more than one person in it, a We-sie - as Alice calls it)

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Great start to your mini TR within a TR! Looks like you had perfect weather!!

And that Disney plane is so cool!!

Thanks Julie. That first day, the weather was glorious. Day 2... Not so much.

OMG I was so excited to see it. I had actually seen a video of the unveiling a short time ago, so to see it in person was pretty amazing. It is beautiful.

What a fun getaway and reunion! I'm looking forward to reading about the rest of it!

Aww thanks Brenda. It was a short strip, but lots of fun packed in.

Loved your comparison to the pot of gold!

If I may-- If you have a Disney Store near your home, try to pop in during the week. We were looking on the website for the Animator's Dolls for a while. Our local Disney Store had all 3 when we went in! They even had a few coronation dresses.

Now backpacks and lunch boxes on the other hand... This mommy went to Amazon.

It's so true too. Who knew?

Great advice Shannon!!! Thanks for sharing!

Sounds like your reunion trip was off to a great start!

I can't wait to hear more!

It sure was Shannon (save for the almost critical missing the flight issue, lol).

YAY!!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Aside from the almost missing your flight bit, it sounds like you were off to a good start! The plane with the Disney art looks much cooler than the stock pictures I've seen before. If that doesn't make you want to go to Disney, I don't know what will....

Aww, YAY, the reunion! Kids can be more reserved than adults, so it was good of you to understand that and not take Riley's shyness personally. Some people would have let that set the tone for the entire trip.

Niagra Falls looks amazing, as expected.

Haha, yes, getting that almost bad part out the way early, lol. Stupid lines. Definitely a good start. OMG isn't that plane wicked???? Literally the first thing I saw when we landed, as it looked to have just landed as well.

That's exactly true Alicia, and believe me, the shyness did not last any time at all (as you will see as we progress). She was genuinely excited, she's just not a jump up and down, rah rah type of person. That's just her personality. We were right back to "Disney mode" in no time at all though.

It really is spectacular. I'll have some ever better pictures later.

So glad you're posting about this trip! Sounds like it's off to a great start. Love your pictures of the Falls. So glad you and Riley got some alone time together

Thanks Alexis. I figure there was quite a lot of Disney connections (much more to come) that it still fit on a Disney Trip board. The Falls are stunning, they really are. Oh my goodness me too. We were already back to normal by that point, but it was still so nice to have that little bit of time.

That was such a great reaction!

Okay the Disney reminders are awesome! I applaud you for having the restraint to not jump on that Sorcerer Mickey plane

The Falls look perfect and it looks like your reunion is off to a great start!

I thought it was too. It's hard to capture in a photo, but she was pretty excited.

It was not easy. If I wasn't visiting who I was, I may well have jumped on board.

They are AMAZING!! I was so happy to finally see them in person. Just awesome. And yup, reunion off to a great start, and getting better by the moment.

Great start to your mini-TR .... though I guess if that security line hadn't started moving it would have been a micro-TR

Glad you made it safely and that everything worked out with meeting up with them. I am sure that was a lot of sensory overload for Riley so even better that you did get some 1:1 time with her walking over to Canadia Falls - probably easier to take it all in then

I thought your selfie came out good! (or, since there is more than one person in it, a We-sie - as Alice calls it)

Thanks Phil. Yeah, very true. I really was panicked especially where it was just such a stupid mistake on my part.

Yup, everything went as planned. And yeah, that's really just her personality. Believe me, I got more than enough proof that she was happy I was there.

Haha, considering I am pretty horrible at those, I guess it's not too bad.

 

[katt789]

Somehow I missed the udpates in the falls!!

Love the surprise! Glad that they were excited, and yay for presents!!

I've never been out to the falls (been to the maritimes twice, once when I was 2 and once for gymanstics, and only been to TO for my interview bhahaha) it's gorgeous and I definitely want to go someday, but that adventure will come in the future!

 

[gracer9977]

Looks like you had a wonderful time at Niagara Falls and Canada's Wonderland. I grew up in Erie, PA about an hour away from the falls. My friends and I liked to cross the bridge to the Canadian side so we could drink at the age of 18.

So wonderful that you have stayed such good friends with Carrie and her girls and such great memories you are all making.

 

[Teresa Pitman]

This is so cool! I live just a couple of hours from the Falls (Guelph, Ontario) so we've been there many times. It's still an amazing sigh to see all that water rushing over the edge, though.

Can't wait to read the rest!

TP

 

[ElenaJane]

I think I would have had the same reaction as Riley did to the surprise! Just trying to process what the heck is going on at first!

I have never been to the falls, but that is on my list of to-dos some day. Grand Canyon is on the list as well. Will points out we could check these things off the to-do list if we did less WDW vacations. Fat chance!

 

[gracer9977]

Loved your comparison to the pot of gold!

If I may-- If you have a Disney Store near your home, try to pop in during the week. We were looking on the website for the Animator's Dolls for a while. Our local Disney Store had all 3 when we went in! They even had a few coronation dresses.

Now backpacks and lunch boxes on the other hand... This mommy went to Amazon.

Thanks so much for the info, unfortunately my closest Disney Store is about 1 1/2 hours from me so I called to see if they had any of the dolls before I made that long drive. They have nothing Frozen except for some t-shirts and a beach towel.

I'll just keep watching and waiting and hoping that eventually they will release a few more and I will be able to snag them. Just crazy how hard it is to get Frozen items.

I will check out Amazon for the book bag, I know my daughter wants a Frozen one for school this year.