Escape From Craziness to Pandora, Po Boys, and Oppressive Heat - Finished & New TR Link 12/28

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

DS1 also decided it would be a great time to crawl and lay all over DW, she is not real happy about it though!

You need to let your wife know, that if he is a snuggler, it doesn't go away with age.... Gwen still ALWAYS wants to snuggle with me and ironically alot of times, in restaurants! What is up with that?!?

We had come up with a deal that we would just buy one reasonably priced thing for each other in the parks for our anniversary, so DS1 and I looked around. Not sure why I snapped a picture of this “Mine” stuff, but definitely not an anniversary gift. This actually would fit DS1 right now, it is one of his favorite words.

Ha! I thought intersting gift.... But you never know. There could have been meaning behind it...

Love the mug! I think I looked at that one a bunch of times.

 

[cstorm65]

You need to let your wife know, that if he is a snuggler, it doesn't go away with age.... Gwen still ALWAYS wants to snuggle with me and ironically alot of times, in restaurants! What is up with that?!?

I know, its funny. They never want to sit with you at home as they are always down playing, but go in public and they hang all over you!

Ha! I thought intersting gift.... But you never know. There could have been meaning behind it...

Hey, maybe it would have been a good gift! I'm guessing I took the pic because DS1 loved that word at the time...well, he still loved that word and now he's 2 and 1/2 years old.

Love the mug! I think I looked at that one a bunch of times.

She drinks in it every day. She's not a real big morning person either so that kind of capture that part of her personality too.

 

[cstorm65]

Day 11 - Part 3 - THAT COSTS HOW MUCH?

As I was shopping for an anniversary gift DW and DS5 were having some fun on Test Track.

They had a really great ride. DS5 really loved this ride on the trip. He is really into cars and things so the whole car design process is really fun to him. He also loved the exit area where you get to play more with the car you designed and see all of the big cars. He also wanted to spend some of his souvenir money on these:

We headed out and DS5 wanted to cotton candy and we hadn’t really gotten any snacks today so we stopped as we crossed through the water fountain area. Of course I get up, order a cotton candy, and the lady hands it to me and says, “This one’s on Mickey today.” Not sure what we did or how that happened, but that is just Disney for you. DS5 was so happy!

It was time to head out for a break and we were back at the bus stop at 12:20, but for whatever reason we didn’t get a bus until 12:55 is what I have written in my notes. Not sure what the deal was there. Any way: Nap time!!

We were back by 1:05 and the boys were fast asleep by 1:30. DS1 had fallen asleep at the park not too long before so it wasn’t a huge surprise when he woke up at 2:15. So I grabbed him and we went for a walk. I had been wanting to walk over and check out Riverside so that is what we did. It was a fun little walk, although it would be a whole lot more fun if it wasn’t in the heat of summer!

We took our time and were back over in the French Quarter area around 3:30, but he was getting hungry so we headed in to Sassagoula Floatworks to get him a bite to eat. We decided on some mac ‘n cheese which we hadn’t tried yet there I don’t think and DS1 loved it! I mean he tore it up. As we ordered I just asked for a side of mac ‘n cheese as I didn’t want a whole kids meal at this time of day. They gave us a big bowl of it and then I got up and they only charged us $3 for it. I mean it was a big bowl and I was just dumbfounded thinking, “That costs how much?” I was expecting $5-$6 for as big of a bowl as it was. But always nice to get a surprise like that!

Anyways he loved it and ate almost all of this adult sized bowl of mac ‘n cheese. DS5 woke up around 4:30 and we got ready to head to the park. DW had our anniversary button ready to go!

We got to the bus stop at about 5:40 and noticed it was looking like there would be a lot of rain tonight, so we’ll see how the night goes. DS1 was ready to go...

...but it wasn’t long before he wanted out of the stroller!

Up Next: An Early End to the Evening​

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

She drinks in it every day. She's not a real big morning person either so that kind of capture that part of her personality too.

She needs the haggard look Minnie Mug! I have it and Gwen reminds me all the time that, that is what I look like in the morning. So loving...

He also wanted to spend some of his souvenir money on these:

Things my girls could care less about! Ha!

“This one’s on Mickey today.” Not sure what we did or how that happened, but that is just Disney for you. DS5 was so happy!

Disney Magic! Love it!

I had been wanting to walk over and check out Riverside so that is what we did. It was a fun little walk, although it would be a whole lot more fun if it wasn’t in the heat of summer!

How long was the walk? I thought about doing this wen we were there but I wasn' sure how long of a walk it would have been.

hilarious! He looks like Get me out of this death trap!

 

[cstorm65]

Things my girls could care less about! Ha!

Well, we've got about 150 cars of that size to deal with! And on our trip a couple of weeks ago we added about 20 to the collection!

Disney Magic! Love it!

It was great and it was almost better because there wasn't even a reason for it. She was just being nice!

How long was the walk? I thought about doing this wen we were there but I wasn' sure how long of a walk it would have been.

It's probably only 3 minutes from the edge of French Quarter to the first part of Riverside. I would say 10-12 minutes or so from the main building of one to the other though. Not a bad walk at all! I've heard people on the side of Riverside closest to French Quarter actually use the FQ bus stop as it is almost as close any of the Riverside stops and the FQ stop is always first if they are sharing a bus.

hilarious! He looks like Get me out of this death trap!

Hey, on day 11 of a trip he is understandably tired of being strapped in to a stroller!

 

[cstorm65]

Day 11 - Part 4 - AN EARLY END TO THE EVENING

We finished off with DS1 really wanting out of the stroller and finally a bus came at around 6:00. It was about a 20 minute wait which was definitely one of our longer waits of the trip, but we made it to the MK by 6:15 or so and were in the park shortly thereafter.

As we got in the park we noticed it was looking quite dark. I even grabbed a couple of shots of the castle with the darkening skies in the background.

We went on with the first thing on our plan which was for DW and DS5 to use a FP at Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. As you can see they had a great ride:

After this we headed back to Main Street as DW wanted to grab some food at Casey’s before we headed back for me and the boys to eat at Pecos Bills. While DW was waiting on her food we saw these shirts that we kind of liked and talked about getting. I guess we found other stuff because we never went back and got them though.

It was at this point the rain started up a little bit so I don’t have hardly any other pictures of stuff on this night. We got back to Pecos Bills around 7:15. DW snapped a pic along the way of her in her favorite raincoat which we bout at Disney World the first time we ever came.

At Pecos Bills I got the nachos and enjoyed it, of course they still had guacamole on the toppings bar at this point so it was a great deal! The boys split an order of corn dog nuggets from the kids menu. It was about this time of the night though that DS5 started showing how tired he was and started not acting really well. You guys all know that at some point in all trips the kids just have a day like this where they reach their breaking point and make some bad choices. Today was DS5’s day and DW and I always say if this happens we are heading back and ending the night and so that is what we did. First, they need the sleep and second, DS5 can learn if he makes those choices we won’t reward him with a night in the parks.

I think the rain was also contributing to this as a rainy night in the park is a lot harder with a stroller and a one year old so it ended up being a good decision. So, by 8:15 we were on a bus back to French Quarter and the boys were fast asleep by 9:00. Again, sorry about the lack of pictures on this evening.

Up Next: The Back Row...Seriously?​

 

[cstorm65]

Day 12 - Part 1 - The Back Row...Seriously?

After having to end our previous day early to help the boys act a little better we were back awake by 8:00 this morning. Not only were we not heading to a rope drop this morning, we weren’t even planning on stepping foot into a park this day. We were just planning on getting in some rest, relaxation, and get to bed at a decent time as our final park day is tomorrow. Our only set in stone plans for the day was breakfast at one of our favorite places. So at 9:20 we arrived at the bus stop to head to the Magic Kingdom so we could make it to breakfast. The boys were already feeling better this morning!

We waited about five minutes is all and a charter bus pulled up to take people to the Magic Kingdom. We were the first people on this bus and DS5 got on first and marched us right to the back row.

The boys thought this seat was so cool, unfortunately DW did not. Of course we weren’t going into a park so it wasn’t a big deal. We were at the Magic Kingdom by 9:45, but we weren’t going inside.

We were heading here:

The views from the boat dock at the Magic Kingdom are always great!

Here comes our boat:

DW and DS5 were ready for a nice, relaxing ride to breakfast.

And we got some great pictures this morning as we left the Magic Kingdom.

Before long we were seeing these new beauties. Little did we know at that point that within a year we would be DVC owners at Copper Creek!

By 10:15 we were arriving at Wilderness Lodge for one of our favorite breakfasts at Disney World!

Up Next: The Best Biscuits and Gravy Ever​

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Looks like they had a great time! Great ride photo!

At Pecos Bills I got the nachos and enjoyed it, of course they still had guacamole on the toppings bar at this point so it was a great deal!

So, do they not have the guacamole out anymore? Do you get some with your order or none at all? I LOVE guac.... This is sad news..

First, they need the sleep and second, DS5 can learn if he makes those choices we won’t reward him with a night in the parks.

Good Parents! It's really hard to do in Disney but worth it in the long run!

We were the first people on this bus and DS5 got on first and marched us right to the back row.

ugh my girls love the back seats as well. I don't understand it.

 

[cstorm65]

Looks like they had a great time! Great ride photo!

I know! I feel like that ride always gets good photos. Not sure why, but it seems like they have the cameras in the best spots compared to some other rides.

So, do they not have the guacamole out anymore? Do you get some with your order or none at all? I LOVE guac.... This is sad news..

They have it, but you have to order it. I want to say it was like $3 for about 2 tablespoons full. You have to add it on with your order. It is definitely a negative compared to what the toppings bar used to be.

Good Parents! It's really hard to do in Disney but worth it in the long run!

It's hard to do, but sometimes you just have to do it and know it will benefit you on the next day if they get some rest!

ugh my girls love the back seats as well. I don't understand it.

It was even worse since it was a charter bus because it takes people forever to get off of those things!

 

[rdkeim]

Just stopping by to say I'm enjoying your TR! Your boys are adorable!

 

[cstorm65]

Just stopping by to say I'm enjoying your TR! Your boys are adorable!

Thank you! And thanks for stopping by and saying hi!!

 

[cstorm65]

Day 12 - Part 2 - The Best Biscuits and Gravy Ever

We had just arrived at Wilderness Lodge and were ready for what is always one of our favorite meals at Disney World, especially for DW, this is her favorite place! We love the walk up to this resort!

It was about 10:20 at this point and we stopped to take a few pictures in the lobby area as DS1 was kind of mesmerized by some of the stuff here.

At about 10:30 we check in right on time for our breakfast ADR here:

The boys always love playing with these:

We were seated with five minutes and our awesome breakfast got underway. We’ve done breakfast here four times now in the past five years and the food is always awesome! DW just loves this place!

Sorry for the bad food picture and I’m not sure how I only got one picture taken. I’m sure it had to do with a one year old and a five year old and trying to keep them wrangled and seated!

The food was great as always. The biscuits and gravy are the star we think. The biscuits are perfect, light and flakey, and the gravy always has great flavor. DW is a huge biscuits and gravy fan which is probably why she loves this place so much. I’m also a big fan of the meat items here. The bacon is always great and the sausage is so tasty. The potatoes are the weakest part of this meal for me and this time they were a little undercooked. I’d like them better if they were a little more crispy, but I certainly didn’t have any trouble getting full!

The only main disappointment this time was that our waitress wasn’t really all that fun. She said a couple of rude (“funny”) things, but we didn’t really get any of the antics that other people were getting. I’m sure it all depends on the day and the server, but it was a little disappointing. But it was still and great meal and we’ll definitely be back!

By 11:30 we were headed to a bus and like I said in the last update we weren’t evening going to a park today, but we did think we’d stop and visit Disney Springs for a bit. The bus came by 11:45, so not to bad of a wait considering DS busses can take a while sometimes. DS1 got to entertaining himself with my hat on the ride:

Overall it was a nice relaxing morning with a great breakfast. And relaxation is the key to the rest of the day as well. We shall see how we make it!

Up Next: “Mommy, My Ice Cream is Melting Too Fast”​

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Wilderness Lodge is the best! I would stay there every time I think. But they have updated there room categories, and supply is pretty low for regular rooms. It is mostly DVC now. Which isn't a problem for you know!

I love this picture... The little man checking it all out.

The boys always love playing with these:

That table inspired my girls to ask for some for Christmas the year we first went.

I said in the last update we weren’t evening going to a park today, but we did think we’d stop and visit Disney Springs for a bit. The bus came by 11:45, so not to bad of a wait considering DS busses can take a while

Funny you say that. I feel like we have waited a few mornings for a park bus and ONLY see DS buses. Maybe Wilderness Lodge likes DS.....

Up Next: “Mommy, My Ice Cream is Melting Too Fast”

Seriously this is why Gwen doesn't eat Ice Cream! She gets anxious that it will all melt before she can eat it all.

 

[cstorm65]

Wilderness Lodge is the best! I would stay there every time I think. But they have updated there room categories, and supply is pretty low for regular rooms. It is mostly DVC now. Which isn't a problem for you know!

Not a problem for us!!! It is something though that I think will get interesting in the future with Disney taking large chunks of regular hotel rooms our of inventory and converting them to new DVC "resorts". Like they did at Jambo House, the Poly and now Wilderness Lodge. Now, if only they would do that at the Yacht Club I'd buy more DVC points right now!

I love this picture... The little man checking it all out.

He was enthralled with this lobby.

That table inspired my girls to ask for some for Christmas the year we first went.

DS6 has been asking for some since our trip a few weeks ago.

Funny you say that. I feel like we have waited a few mornings for a park bus and ONLY see DS buses. Maybe Wilderness Lodge likes DS.....

Busses are so crazy. I feel like the system actually works really well for as many destinations there are and the huge number of people you have to move. Sometimes the wait gets long, but for the most part is works pretty well all things considered.

Seriously this is why Gwen doesn't eat Ice Cream! She gets anxious that it will all melt before she can eat it all.

I have the same fear! DW will tell you that if I got to get us ice cream to bring home there are only 2-3 places that are within five minutes of our house I will go to because to me it isn't worth it if the ice cream is melted before I get it home to enjoy it!

 

[cstorm65]

Day 12 - Part 3 - “Mommy, My Ice Cream is Melting Too Fast”

We arrived at Disney Springs by around 12:00. All of the new stuff here is great, especially early in the day like this where you can actually navigate the area with low crowds. We really love what they’ve done with the area you enter the park from the busses. The shopping area is nice, especially the area with all of the water around the different shopping and dining venues. There are just some really great photography opportunities now.

We didn’t really have much of a plan, but when we saw this place we thought it would be a great place to spot, especially as it was extremely hot out today.

We got through the line and we all ended up with some Ice Cream except DS1. Of course as you can see he was saying, “Hey you guys, give me some!”

We did share with him!!

This was a great place to sit and eat our ice cream, but DS5 was having a problem eating fast enough because it was so hot. He finally said, “Mommy, my ice cream is melting too fast.” He didn’t know what to do and we told him you just got to get in there and eat it or it will turn into milk! He tried, but we’ll just say it was a good thing we picked up some napkins.

We had a great view of Raglan Road as we ate.

This restaurant has a nice outdoor seating area, although it was so hot today there wasn’t anyone using it!

After our dessert we headed by World of Disney as there was a polo shirt there I decided I wanted. So we dropped in to pick that up and stopped in a few other places just to browse, but it was obvious the boys were getting tired, so we jumped in the boat line at 1:15. We were boarding in less than five minutes and were heading back toward French Quarter. This boat ride has so many great picture opportunities.

I snapped a pic of the polo I got when we got back to the room.

Once we were back it was about 1:40 and the boys needed naps, but it was nice knowing we had no plans the rest of the day except to just rest. So, by 1:45 they were both lying down and timing was going to be good because it looked the summer afternoon thunderstorm was going to roll through while they were sleeping. Hopefully it would be gone by the time they got up so we could enjoy some swim time.

Up Next: “My Dumbo”​

 

[cstorm65]

Day 12 - Part 4 - “My Dumbo”

We had just gotten the boys down for a nap, which also means DW took a nap herself! While they did that I headed over to Sassagoula to fill my mug and a torrential downpour moved in. So, what else to do but get a snack and enjoy sitting in the main building at French Quarter. I got a great seat looking out on the rain in the courtyard.

After the downpour moved through I headed back to the room to rest a little myself. The paths were certainly rainy!

After nap time we all got our swimsuits on for some fun at the pool. It was a great day for it as the rain had moved out, but it was still cloudy, so not extremely hot. We stopped in the gift shop on the way to the pool just for kicks and giggles! DS1 found some new things he liked!

Then on to the pool area for some swimming. DS1 enjoyed splashing us as you can see here:

DS1 had been kind of scared of all of the water at the splash pad so far on the week, but he finally warmed up a little bit today and played some.

We just loved this pool area and spent a couple of hours here.

Before we knew it it was 6:30 and we were getting kind of hungry. We had no plans for tonight except to rest and relax so we headed to Sassagoula for some food. DS1 loved seeing the horses on the streets here.

We got our food fairly easily this night which is always nice and DW and I both decided to try something from the main dinner window. It services simple stuff at lunch, but big hearty meals at dinner. I ended up with the Southern Classic - Barbecued Ribs - choice of three: Maque Choux, Collard Greens, Mashed Potatoes, Glazed Carrots, Macaroni & Cheese, and Red Beans and Rice - $15.99. This was a ton of food as you can see here:

I mean I didn’t have a chance of eating this and I was hungry! The ribs were good, not great by any means, but certainly good for food court/quick service food. I chose carrots which were good, mac & cheese which is awesome here, and the red beans and rice. I really like red beans and rice normally if it is done well and this was very good, so a big thumbs up on this meal for me.

DW ended up going with the Southern Classic - Fried Chicken - choice of three: Maque Choux, Collard Greens, Mashed Potatoes, Glazed Carrots, Macaroni & Cheese, and Red Beans and Rice - $14.99. And she loved it. We talked about how the batter was very fresh looking like they had done it there in the restaurant. So many times it is just batter and frozen and then the just drop it in the fryer. This was done fresh and was very good. She really liked the mashed potatoes as well.

The boys both had mac & cheese which we’ve already determined that they love here at Sassagoula! DS5 loved sitting over at this table where he could watch cartoons and draw while he ate.

And...that was it for the night. Everyone was tired and it was about 7:45 by the time we made it back to the room. I did take DS5 to swim again while DW and DS1 got ready for bed. She actually put DS1 down while we were swimming so he’d get a good night of rest and after DS5 and I finished swimming he was fast asleep by 9. I went down and grabbed a couple of cookies for DW and I to enjoy before a relatively early bedtime for us as well. Everyone needed to be rested before our last full day tomorrow! It was going to be a great one!

Up Next: Daddy, That’s a Long Line​

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I love that Big Brother is watching over his little brother.

We just loved this pool area and spent a couple of hours here.

It is a great pool! We didn't get to go into the water area, as both girls are too tall.

Sounded like a nice relaxing afternoon/ evening!

 

[cstorm65]

I love that Big Brother is watching over his little brother.

He is pretty sweet about watching out for his little brother most of the time. Of course you know how it is though, sometimes the two of them are at war!

It is a great pool! We didn't get to go into the water area, as both girls are too tall.

Sounded like a nice relaxing afternoon/ evening!

Yes, we were kind of surprised how much we enjoyed the pool area here. We never had trouble finding seats or anything, the splash area was nice, and just overall we enjoyed this pool a lot.

 

[cstorm65]

Day 13 - Part 1 - Daddy, That’s a Long Line

After a nice early bedtime last night we were up by 6:45 and ready for our final full day of magic! We were at the bus stop by 7:20 to head to the Magic Kingdom and DS1 was already getting hydrated!

Our bus picked us up by 7:30 and we were on our way to the Magic Kingdom.

We arrived by 7:45 and were into the park by 7:50 and excited for a final day here:

We had to wait about three minutes at the Tomorrowland entrance for it to open as it was an 8 AM EMH day. We love 8 AM MK openings for the low crowds, but getting up that early is hard for sure. We timed it just right on this day and walking into the park at 7:50 is perfect timing probably for everything unless you just want to ride Seven Dwarfs, in which case you’d want to be a little earlier.

But, we were headed there, instead we were headed here:

After a fun ride on Buzz we were heading back for a run through some of our favorite in Fantasyland, but I couldn’t resist taking a picture of the Space Mountain line. They really need to find a better way to handle this at rope drop, but I’m not sure what they could do to help as everyone has to funnel into the small little entrance. DS5 wanted to ride Space, but when I pointed the line out he changed his tune and said, “Daddy, that is a Loonnggg Line!” I couldn’t agree more!

Instead we headed back and took a spin...or a bounce, through Winnie the Pooh which I somehow managed to not take one picture of! Then we headed back to take a ride on Dumbo and Barnstormer. There was still no one hardly back in this area of the park so we were able to get on both rides really easily. The boys loved both of them. DS1 and DW messed around on this Dumbo while DS5 and I rode Barnstormer.

DS5 enjoyed Barnstormer even though he also likes the bigger coasters now.

Here we go!!

I hate the exit to this ride though. It take forever to wind through all of this little area. DS5 was pretending like he was in jail!

Next we went on Dumbo. The boys like this, although DS5 is to the age he likes Magic Carpets a lot more as he can try and get the camel to spit on all of us!

And our Dumbo ride pics:

We’ve really grown to like the circus area. It is a great place to come early in the day and get on those two rides easily and we also like the meet and greets here which we have plans to come back to later if we can make it!

Up Next: Daddy, Look at My Muscles!​

 

[SweetSerenity]

Still enjoying your report! Have you started one for your latest trip yet?