From the World of Adults to the World of Kids, Fifth Birthday Trip is Over!!

Got an email from Photopass that they will replace the damaged PhotoPass CD. I am so happy. No other updates today. Will try to get one in tomorrow.
 
I'm all caught up! So glad that your photopass CD is being replaced! The dessert party looks like fine and a great way to end an evening! I'm happy to hear nursing in the world went so well for you, I'll be nursing Ellie when we go in July and I'm not sure with the heat how we will manage a cover, I'm hoping to develop some gracefulness about it in the next few months!
 
I'm all caught up! So glad that your photopass CD is being replaced! The dessert party looks like fine and a great way to end an evening! I'm happy to hear nursing in the world went so well for you, I'll be nursing Ellie when we go in July and I'm not sure with the heat how we will manage a cover, I'm hoping to develop some gracefulness about it in the next few months!

The Photopass resolution makes me happy. Thank you. The dessert party was awesome. I will do it again. Even with the breathable nursing blankets (from Sears), it is way too hot to nurse in the heat. There are plenty of places to nurse inside, so I think you will be fine. If you want to nurse without a cover and are brave enough to do it, I think you will be graceful enough to handle it. I am excited about the Cars Hotel suites opening up for you.
 
Got an email from Photopass that they will replace the damaged PhotoPass CD. I am so happy. No other updates today. Will try to get one in tomorrow.

That's awesome! I'm so glad you'll have those pictures.
 

After five days of celebrating, it was finally Xander’s fifth birthday. My baby is five! As usual, Connor was up first before anyone else and in a great mood. Xander was still tired, but we had to wake him. Mickey was on the phone to give him a wake-up call. This perked him up right away. Our entire family was in a great mood and ready to start the day. It was still a little early, so we enjoyed each other for a few minutes. The boys are great brothers who love one another very much.

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We got dressed and went down to the bus stop. Not surprisingly, there was a wait for the bus, and we were the only ones at the bus stop for a while. Luckily, we got moving earlier this morning, so we were still making good timing. Our breakfast reservation was for 8am once again. The line to enter the park was not too bad for the first hour pre-opening breakfast yet. Right at 8am, the line opened. Since our plans to exit breakfast at park opening had failed on all three other attempts, we agreed we would not even try this morning. It was Xander’s birthday, and we were just going to enjoy the day. We stopped and had his first professional shot of the day.

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Our destination was Donald’s Safari Breakfast. We walked up immediately and took our pictures with Donald Duck. After less than a five minute wait, they were ready to seat us. It was the shortest wait of all four parks to get seated for our pre-park opening breakfast. This was also the friendliest staff we encountered. They asked us where we were from, which got quite a few people talking about trips. The young man who seated us was planning a trip here for his 21st birthday. My husband was so sweet and gave him his card. We did not know at the time that he would leave that job about 2.5 weeks after we returned from our trip. Hopefully, the CM still had a nice time.

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Other than Boma, this is my favorite Disney breakfast buffet. They are similar, but Boma gets the edge. The restaurant has traditional fare, but it also has some African specialties which are delicious. Crap loves the juice mixture they serve here, but Xander and I do not. Connor nursed through all of the characters this time around. Mickey was the first character to come around, and Xander was really happy to see him. We all joked about how Mickey had just called him, and now he was here having breakfast with him.

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Our waiter gave Xander his birthday card after Mickey left. He had received a few throughout the week. This one really seemed to make him the most happy, because it was actually his birthday. It was the first official gift he received on his birthday. He was so into the card that he hardly noticed Daisy when she came around.

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By the time Goofy came by, Xander had seen the card for a while and was done eating. He actually got up to greet him.

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Breakfast was over and we’d seen all of the characters, but the CM who sells the pictures we took up front had not come by yet. Unless they are horrible, we always buy them. On top of that, it was Xander’s birthday. I think we got skipped, because people who came in way after us had already received their pictures. Crap tracked down a CM to find our pictures. It took a little while, but a CM finally arrived with them. The photographer knew it was Xander’s birthday, so he took a picture of just him in addition to the group picture. I did not know until the pictures arrived, but he also took a picture of just Connor. The CM told us that they all found Connor too adorable, so he could not resist taking an extra picture. She gave us the extra pictures in 4x6 format for the same regular price.

As you see above, the pictures were also included on our CD. That really was an extra bit of Disney Magic. Since it did take a while to find and receive our pictures, it was after park opening by the time we entered the park. We were prepared for something like that, because we had not made it once. It really was the theme of our trip. There was no bus when the monorail was down on the first park day. Connor needed a diaper change on the second park day. We waited to see Tigger on the third park day. It was appropriate that we had to wait to purchase our pictures on the fourth park day. Crap went and grabbed fastpasses for Expedition Everest. We waited for him near the safari, so we could all ride together. When he got back with the fastpasses, we entered a 15 minute standby line to ride the safari.

The safari ride was the bumpiest we’d ever been on. Crap was actually taking pictures believe it or not, so I was trying to hold Connor and Xander as we were bouncing all over the place. Poor Xander was literally shifting from Crap’s side of the seat to my side when I was not holding him. Since it was so bumpy, I needed to place both hands on Connor’s head at times. Too bad we did not get a calmer driver. I actually caught air twice during the ride, so that jolted Connor more than I would have liked. Other than the bumpy ride, the safari was amazing as always. We saw a lot of animals, which Connor really seemed interested. Shockingly, Xander was not into it as much. He loves animals, so I was surprised he did not enjoy it more. There really are a lot of great pictures, so I am going to post some here and post more in the very next post.

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Safari pictures continue in the next post.
 
More pictures from the Safari Ride Continued from the previous Post:
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what great photos of the safari! Your TR is making me even more excited for our upcoming trip! :cool1:
 
How nice to have a Mickey wake-up call on your birthday! What a nice surprise for Xander.

We loved Tusker House as well, and will definitely go back for breakfast. I liked the juice a lot, but DD and DH didn't care much for it. How nice of the CMs to take extra photos! You got some really cute ones.

Sorry that the Safari was so bumpy, I'd have been holding tight to the baby's head too! I'm glad that Crap was taking photos because he got some really nice ones! I really like the crocodile photo.
 
what great photos of the safari! Your TR is making me even more excited for our upcoming trip! :cool1:

We love the photos too, so I had to make two updates for them. I am excited to read about your trip.

How nice to have a Mickey wake-up call on your birthday! What a nice surprise for Xander.

We loved Tusker House as well, and will definitely go back for breakfast. I liked the juice a lot, but DD and DH didn't care much for it. How nice of the CMs to take extra photos! You got some really cute ones.

Sorry that the Safari was so bumpy, I'd have been holding tight to the baby's head too! I'm glad that Crap was taking photos because he got some really nice ones! I really like the crocodile photo.

Xander loved that Mickey called him. It was awesome. That alone is worth staying onsite even if the transportation was a mess. Well, we love the dining plan too.

I am picky when it comes to juice, and Xander does not like any juice at all. Crap made him try it, and he confirmed it. He tried it the trip before that too, but I do not think he remembered. It was really nice of them to take the extra pictures. The staff there was so awesome.

I was shocked at how bumpy it was. It had never been that bumpy before. Each driver goes through the course a little differently though. The croc is one of my favorites too. Xander's favorite animal is the giraffe, so I was happy he got to see some on his birthday.

 
During the Safari, Connor made it known that he wanted to nurse. Unfortunately, this was not an ideal place to nurse him. When we exited, we started walking and looking for a place to nurse him. We stumbled upon the Flights of Wonder show, and it had just started. I figured that was as good a place as any, and we had not watched the show in years. This was Xander’s first time watching it as well. He had a hard time sitting still through this one. Despite his proclivity to stand during the show, he claimed to enjoy it. There are moments where you are not allowed to get up, because the birds fly through the seating area. Luckily, he never stood up while the birds were flying around. Our seats were off to stage left or the right, so it probably would have been okay anyway.

When we first sat down before Connor started nursing, he did watch and seem to enjoy a small part of the show.

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Connor was nursing through most of the show, so I had a hard time controlling Xander. Our section was nearly empty, but I hope the few people behind us were not bothered by this. Crap was actually taking pictures during the show and got a lot of them. He did not notice or was unable to assist me with the standing situation. Xander was probably just filled with excitement, because it was his birthday. This was the first and last time the whole trip that he somewhat misbehaved through a show. I warned Xander that we would leave the show if he stood again after the third time he did it. When he stood for the fourth time, I gathered my family and quietly headed toward the exit. A CM had us wait for a bird to pass before we were allowed to leave. Turns out the show was almost at the end anyway, because everyone exited before we even loaded the kids in the stroller.

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I enjoyed the show. It is a show that I do not need to see each trip, but our Must Dos for this park were very small this time around. We had a lot of free time. Since we only had one day here this trip, we opted to skip the Wildlife Express Train to the Conservation Station and Affection Section. Xander enjoyed that last trip, but it takes a long time to get there, explore and get back. When Connor is a little bigger or we have more than one AK park day, we will go back there again. None of us had any interest in riding Kali River Rapids. On the previous trip, Xander and I got soaked. He was not fond of the ride. Xander was still too short for the Primeval Whirl, so we skipped that as well. Our window for the Expedition Everest opened up, so we walked over there.

Of course, we stopped to take some Photopass pictures along the way.

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I was not sure if Connor was still hungry or not, since he was still nursing when we abruptly left the show. Crap took Xander on the ride first while I sat off to the side and nursed Connor. This was fastpass number one for the day and nine for the trip. He only nursed for a few minutes and played with the family seated next to us for a while. The family left, and he found a new group to keep him company. Both of my kids are overly friendly and love to play with people, even strangers. After enjoying this family for a while, Crap and Xander exited the ride. Xander did not like it and said he did not want to ride it again. We had a rider swap pass. The ride took longer than I thought it would even for them to return even with a fastpass. If I used the rider swap pass, we may have missed the next Nemo show. I like Expedition Everest, but it was not on my must list.

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It was still a bit early when we arrived at the theater. Crap ran and got fastpasses for Dinosaur. This was on our must list, and we waited a while to enter. Almost immediately after we entered the show, Connor started fussing. I tried nursing him, which usually calms him down. He would not nurse, then he started crying. Crap walked outside with him. After a bit of time went by and they did not return, I walked outside to check on them. Connor is not usually hard to calm down. Xander was the hard child, and Connor is usually easier to calm. Luckily, they were right outside the door, so I did not have to leave the show completely. They both seemed fine, so I asked them to come back in.

Connor started fussing as soon as we sat down again. This time, nursing helped him for a little bit. When he started crying a second time, we all just left the show. I am not sure what happened during that show with him. That had never happened before and never happened again after that. He seemed fine as soon as we walked out too. For some reason, he just did not want to be in there watching the show. The rest of us all really enjoyed the pieces of show we got to see.

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Next up was the number one thing on Xander’s must list.
 
Sorry that you didn't get to actually watch either of the shows! That's life with little ones I suppose :lmao:

Too bad that Xander didn't enjoy EE, we tried to get Maddie to ride it, but she was 1 inch too short.

Can't wait to hear more about you AK day!
 
Sorry that you didn't get to actually watch either of the shows! That's life with little ones I suppose :lmao:

Too bad that Xander didn't enjoy EE, we tried to get Maddie to ride it, but she was 1 inch too short.

Can't wait to hear more about you AK day!

It was an interesting day with the shows. They each had their moments during those first two shows. We had to leave another show early before the day was over, so you will see which kid broke the tie.

Xander really did not/ does not enjoy any of the more adult type rides. I think his effort to be a big boy and try them over powers his fear. It does make me proud that he is willing to try them before deciding he does not like them, but I cannot think of one that he ever really liked. If I had to pick the one he did the best on, I would say it was Star Tours or Soarin (although Soarin may not be an adult one despite the height limit). He was an 1/8" too short on the previous trip for rides, so he missed out a quite a few of them. Maddie will get there soon.
 
too bad you didn't get to watch the shows. Zachary would not have dared to go on EE, I don't think! Good for Xander for trying it!
 
too bad you didn't get to watch the shows. Zachary would not have dared to go on EE, I don't think! Good for Xander for trying it!

I would have liked to finish the shows. As Shannon said, it is just part of being a parent. Xander probably will not ride EE again. My concern is that his desire to try them so young may result in a life long fear of coasters. I do not want to discouarge him though. He should make the decision one way or the other on his own.
 
OMG, that picture of Connor and Xander together in the bed is so precious! I love that they have the same facial expression going on.:goodvibes

Great pictures on the Safari. I've only been on it once and for the same reason, we had the driver that was in a big hurry. Unfortunately, our pictures were pretty crappy. Maybe next time.

Sorry to hear Connor did not want to see Nemo. I always wonder what triggers off little babies like that.:confused3
 
OMG, that picture of Connor and Xander together in the bed is so precious! I love that they have the same facial expression going on.:goodvibes

Great pictures on the Safari. I've only been on it once and for the same reason, we had the driver that was in a big hurry. Unfortunately, our pictures were pretty crappy. Maybe next time.

Sorry to hear Connor did not want to see Nemo. I always wonder what triggers off little babies like that.:confused3

I love that picture of Xander and Connor too. It was the cover photo on my Facebook page for a long time, because I love that they are making the same cute face.

I am terrible at taking pictures, so DH is to thank for the safari pictures. That was the first time we ever got a rough driver on the safari. If that happened on my first ride ever, I may have been reluctant to ride again as well.

I wonder what babies are thinking at times too. He really did not want to be in that show, but I guess we will never know why.
 
Very nice photos of you and your family during your breakfast. I got to remind myself whenever I go back to WDW maybe next year when the FL expansion is completed, I got to try these different restaurants at each park.

Great photos from Kilimanjaro Safari. I'm sorry to hear that Xander didn't enjoy KS. I do remember on my last trip in December that our driver on KS was really going fast and was kind of bumpy.

You got to watch Flights of Wonder which is something I have never done at AK. FoW reminds me of a show at Marine World Africa USA which was a somewhat zoo that had animals, fish, killer whales dolphins, seals etc. which we go to a lot until Six Flags bought them out and now is Six Flags Discovery Kingdom at Vallejo. We got to see a lot of different birds, so my family never got the chance to see the show since it resembles a lot like FoW.

I'm sorry to hear that Xander didn't like EE. When he gets older, he will enjoy EE and the adult roller coasters. I was just like the same thing when I didn't enjoy riding the roller coasters at DL when I was a child. Now I have no problem riding them as long I don't do too many. What rides do you think he will like when you go to the DLR next month?

Very nice update to your TR and can't wait to read more.
 
I was just like the same thing when I didn't enjoy riding the roller coasters at DL when I was a child. Now I have no problem riding them as long I don't do too many.

I loved roller coasters as a kid. Still love them now, but get a lot nervous than I ever did. I have a strange fear of heights, where some things bother me, but others don't.

I hope Xander does continue to enjoy them, so that you and Crap get to!
 
Very nice photos of you and your family during your breakfast. I got to remind myself whenever I go back to WDW maybe next year when the FL expansion is completed, I got to try these different restaurants at each park.

Great photos from Kilimanjaro Safari. I'm sorry to hear that Xander didn't enjoy KS. I do remember on my last trip in December that our driver on KS was really going fast and was kind of bumpy.

You got to watch Flights of Wonder which is something I have never done at AK. FoW reminds me of a show at Marine World Africa USA which was a somewhat zoo that had animals, fish, killer whales dolphins, seals etc. which we go to a lot until Six Flags bought them out and now is Six Flags Discovery Kingdom at Vallejo. We got to see a lot of different birds, so my family never got the chance to see the show since it resembles a lot like FoW.

I'm sorry to hear that Xander didn't like EE. When he gets older, he will enjoy EE and the adult roller coasters. I was just like the same thing when I didn't enjoy riding the roller coasters at DL when I was a child. Now I have no problem riding them as long I don't do too many. What rides do you think he will like when you go to the DLR next month?

Very nice update to your TR and can't wait to read more.

Thank you. I am glad we got good shots at breakfast. Donald's Safari Breakfast is my favorite park breakfast, so I would say start there. The FL expansion will be a site to see when it is finished.

I definitely prefer the slower drivers on the safari. What is the hurry after all? Xander may have liked it more if he was not thrown all around the car. Poor baby.

DH lived in Vallejo for a while but has never mentioned the place you are referring to. I may have to check that out some day. Flights of Wonder is a cool show to see at least once. We've only seen it almost twice (since we did not quite see it all on this trip).

I can tell you that DH and I have loved coasters our entire life. You may be right about Xander being a late bloomer, but we just do not know. At least he tries them all first, which is good since there are people who refuse to even try them. The summer the viper opened at Magic Mountain, I was barely tall enough to ride. There was no way I was not going to ride, since I was so excited about it. Cast members measured me at the bottom, but the ones at the top said I was too short. They were about to send me away when I pleaded with them to measure me again. The second time they measured me, I got the okay and was so thrilled. It is still my favorite coaster experience even though my big brother was too chicken to ride alone and stole my Dad from riding with me. I rode it alone and have ridden better rides since, but I will always remember that.

Xander has been to Dl five times, so he has ridden all of the currrent rides that his height allows. As long as the lines are not too long, I would like to ride all of the new ones and any he is tall enough for this time but was not last time. I am hoping he likes all of them but realize he will probably not be too fond of the more adult type rides.




I loved roller coasters as a kid. Still love them now, but get a lot nervous than I ever did. I have a strange fear of heights, where some things bother me, but others don't.

I hope Xander does continue to enjoy them, so that you and Crap get to!

DH and I are big coaster fans too, so we were dreaming of the day the whole family could ride them together. The only thing about rides that changed from when I was a kid is I no longer like rides that just spin and spin like the untame version of Mission Space and Gravatron type rides. I am fine with the teacups. Neither my husband nor I have a fear of heights, so the higher the coaster the better.

Hopefully, he starts liking them.
 




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