Hang In There Joan-May '14 TR-video links 2/2

[scholastica]

Awww, glad she got her dress! What a lucky duck! She looks gorgeous!

And thank you, I will take you up on the offer for help just as soon as I book my next trip.

 

[lvcourtneyy]

All caught up again!

Aw I'm SO glad Maddie got her coronation dress!

Omg I've watched youtube videos of the Anna and Elsa rope drop madness My number one priority is getting that fast pass at our 60 day mark!

I prefer not to think of it as being smug- just getting the satisfaction that all the hard work and planning you did paid off!

 

[Guatemommy]

Totally subbing! Love your TR - we are also a family of 3 - our DD will be 9 on our next trip in Feb and my BFF, who is 18 years older than me serves as a GMa figure to DD, will be joining us for 3 days of our 7-day trip.

Love your writing style too and the Friends chapter titles!

 

[TanzUnited99]

Wow you guys were up early...only in Disney right?

Lovely photopass pic

Aaw Maddie looks absolutely adorable after her makeover

 

[nilla]

POR’s main bus stop does have one of the TV screens where you can check to see when a bus will arrive, but it wasn’t always turned on.

What? Such a thing exists?

They should rent that Mickey costume from the recital and have him roll out of the train in it on April 1st. Or any day. That costume is AWESOME.

I also think The Penny Savers were plants from Disney Corporate. What better test of a CM's patience?


Great updates!

 

[shan23877]

great update

Thanks!

Aw, yay! She got the dress! I'm one of those "must have plush!" moms. LOL! I have the Anna plush being delivered today. It's getting saved for Christmas, though.

I've joined the ranks again. I'm the Must have Flip Doll and Must have Animator's Dolls Mom now. Isn't it crazy that the demand is still so great??

Not smug at all--just a great Mom who PRE-PLANS!!! Love watching Maddie transform from her normal princess self into Disney Royalty! Hope your day at Magic Kingdom with the princess is amazing! I'm sure there's a great meal coming up!!! Can't wait to read more!

Thanks so much. I sure felt a little smug.

She has the best time at the BBB, I love that she still wants to do it.

I think it'll be next week, but there may be a meal in a castle...

Shannon! How lucky you are! I would love to meet these guys!

It was so cool to see them! I know we won't be getting to the holiday parties any time soon, so this may have been our only chance!

No trip would be complete without this obligatory photo opp!

It's a must for me. I have one from every trip!

I can hear her too! So amazingly delightful Yes, Maddie dreams really do come true!

That was honestly one of my favorite moments of the trip. I could't believe that they had that dress!

She is just beautiful! I'm glad you didn't show the dress until Maddie was unveiled into Princess Maddie! As I didn't remember what the dress looked and it is beautiful on Maddie. I will say that I do like Anna's wardrobe much better than Elsa's.

I do too. The little girls just LOVE all the Elsa stuff though.

It is a little sad that Maddie didn't get this moment... I was hoping that the CM was going sprinkle some pixie dust on Maddie by whisking her through the fastpast line.

I think those poor CMs would have had an angry mob on their hands if they'd tried to sneak us in! LOL We had lots of magic though.

And, Shannon you are absolutely correct... I absolutely loved The One With the Boutique!!

I had a feeling...

Thanks for sharing! Karen[/QUOTE]

Thanks Karen!

And you have every right to be smug. Mary and I were amazed by the number of people we saw earlier this month who if they had just done an hour's research would have saved themselves headache after headache.

So glad that Maddie found her Anna Coronation dress and she looks beautiful all done up.

And more kudos and right to be smug in snaring the FP+ for later in the week. They were definitely worth it in our opinion.

A&E was hands down the best FP that we scheduled. So so worth it.

She was beside herself with joy getting that dress. It was a fun moment.

Thanks Kathy!

So glad she got Anna's dress that she wanted! Yay!

Oh the Penny Savers. I like deals and saving money just as much as anyone. But, really.....figure this out beforehand or just realize you may not always get the best deal when you're in Disney.

They did a great job on her makeover. She looks pretty as ever!

That is so scary about the mob though!! Glad you were able to pull her back so she didn't get trampled, poor baby!

Oh, and that Minnie & Mickey from the dance recital is hilarious!!

And check out my new ticker for next year......I'm already bombarding Roni with questions.

Thanks Amanda, that dress was our first major Magic moment on the trip. She was soooo excited!

The Penny Savers were exhausting. The CM did a great job of keeping the smile on her face the whole time though. yeah, the value of a dollar means something entirely different on Disney property doesn't it?

I'm so excited for you! That's going to be a blast to plan!

glad they had the dress - you can tell she is just beaming after the makeover

I am really surprised you haven't heard of more injuries from the Anna & Elsa Stampede - glad they have now changed it to forcing people to walk behind a rope down Main St. ... I mean "now the the coast is clear" shouldn't be part of a Disney Vacation

Thank you! I wanted you to know that I'm subbed to your PTR, but I'm still catching up!

This was actually with the CM led rope. People were still shoving and jockeying for position behind them though-especially once they got into that tunnel.

you're so right-that should not be a thought at WDW!

Yes! She got the dress! It's gorgeous!

I just got my almost 5 year old an Elsa dress on Amazon for her birthday. It was only $40!

So glad you saved her from the mob. Scary! I can't believe the line was already that long right at opening. Sheesh! Man I hope I can score an FP+. I'll let you know how that goes!

I LOVE the pics of Maddie running up to an empty castle. So awesome. And sorry you were behind the Penny Pinchers. I love a good deal too, but I would have figured it out BEFORE I got there. I'm so glad Maddie still loves the BBB. Our girls did it last time. We surprised them with it. This year though, they asked for the Pirates League makeovers, so they'll be doing that instead. I'm excited, but a little sad they didn't want the BBB. (says the non-girly mom)

Awesome score on the Elsa dress!!!! I went to Amazon this week for the Frozen back pack and lunch box but did not see any reasonable prices.

Please do! I think they're getting easier to get now that they're there from open to close, but I still need to know that you got one!

I sort of wish Mads would do PL, but she's a BBB girl. I'm not girly at all either, but I know I'll be sad when our BBB days are behind us.

Haha, pretty bad, but actually, not quite as bad as I imagined. (AKA I've seen scarier).

This may be a strange thing to comment on, but I like the idea of getting up and showering etc while the others sleep. Much less pressure. I do the same thing. I like to be the first one rolling.

Ahhh, the Roy statue is back in its spot. I know they have to move it to decorate for Halloween/Christmas, but I miss it when its moved off to the side by Town Square Theater. It belongs right there.

at the series of photos of Maddie getting further and further away. OMG too funny. Excited much?

Oh... My... GOD!!! Can you say Disney Magic??? Where Dreams Come True indeed! Maddie knew what was up with that dress. I just love this story so much!!! I was almost jumping up and down just reading about it. No lie. Fist pumping... the works. Chills Shannon... I got chills.

Rob, your comments always make me smile. you are sooo sweet. you really need some youngun's to take to WDW-you just get it.

I like to get my shower out of the way first, but mostly because I'm the one responsible for princess hair once Maddie's up

I love those photos too. Some of my favorites.

Baha, great kid for wanting only scrambled eggs for breakfast! I'd be all "okay mom, I'll wait til mk to eat but i get a cinnamon bun AND a cupcake! " priorities! Lol.

WOW so glad that #1: you stocked up on frozen stuff earlier and #2: you FOUND the dress, I guess it is easier to come by than the elsa merchandise, but WOW, I'm so happy for ya'll! Dreams really do come true! Lol. When we were there in May Sir Mickey's had a TON of Anna stuff but not a lot of Elsa, I still debating buying some of it just to resell up here (my animators dolls went for over $200 for all three, and I probably could've sold elsa for more lol)!

The BBB looks like a blast, and just a perfect time fit for a princess!! Glad you guys get to keep experiencing it! And do let me know if you need help for the invite for next year!

Glad ya didn't get caught in the mad dash! That was a close one!

She SHOCKED me by insisting on eggs. Of course I can't get her to eat them when I make them at home...

Bry suggested that I get a few coronation dresses to sell when we saw them later that week but I just got one for another DISer. They were flying off the shelves. The CM said they'd be gone in 20 minutes. INSANE!

Oh heavens! I can't believe that you got the dress!! That is amazing!!

It was so awesome! Honestly, it was one of my favorite moments of the trip!

Are you kidding??? NO!!!

Subbing in! I cannot believe you found the Anna dress! So happy for Maddie! I can't wait until my DD is old enough for the BBB!

It was Disney Magic at work! I can't wait for you! It really is such a special experience.

How the heck did I miss that you started an new report? Pure luck tonight, as I was bored to tears late on Saturday that I perused the TR boards and found you.

WOW, Maddie's hair has gotten long, she is growing up! How awesome that she found the dress.

We just saw Frozen for the first time on a cruise. Quite honestly, I don't get the fever over this thing, but if it helps my 401K, I'm all for it, LOL.

Looking forward to the next year's worth of chapters

I'm so glad you're here Marita!

Frozen Fever is a very good thing for you! It's a great movie, but I'm shocked at the response to it-and that it's still just as popular almost a year later.

 

[shan23877]

"A quick shower."

Uh, huh.
I live with three, count 'em three women.
There's no such thing as a quick shower.
When you say "quick", do you mean less than 30 minutes?



You only left them five minutes to get ready, didn't you.

I only take 20 minute showers thank you very much. And yeah, Bry can be out the door in about 10 minutes. He's pretty used to it by now.

I'm willing to bet that no matter how old she gets, she'll always have a nice pose for the camera.

I think you're right. Her poses have become more "fun" and less "princess" but she's still all about the camera.

When we were there, I don't think our bus stopped there once.
I was always very pleased with the POR bus service.

I can't think of one excessive wait for buses at POR. Overall I thought the service there was excellent-the boats too!

OMG! Those three pictures with her taking off to the castle!
Priceless!
Especially that last one!

They are some of may favorites. I just love them

Disney is not a place for the meek of money.

It's like a foreign country. The value of the dollar just isn't the same as it is outside of the bubble. They should really have a brochure explaining the conversion rate to first time visitors.

I'm torn.
On the one hand, I'm so glad it wasn't around when my rugrats were little...
On the other.... I wish it was around when my rugrats were little...

Oh Ponz you would have loved it. It doesn't matter how many princess dresses they run around the house in, there's something special about the BBB and the CMs declaring them princesses and treating them like royalty all day. It's awesome.

In the wild kingdom, the mother bear's instincts will always protect her cub.

(whispering announcer) Here we have the pack of wild Anna and Elsa hunters stalking their prey. Notice the smug mama fox slyly holding her young to protect her. They don't need to hunt as they secured their FastPasses weeks ago.

They have less security for an armored truck!

Probably lots of unattended snack carts first thing in the morning. A great time to make up a little of that money conversion rate...

Thanks for the chapter Shantafrass![/QUOTE]

Thanks Ponzerina! Super excited to hear about your road trip!

That side of eggs does sound like a great bargain, indeed

Lucky that they had the dress then if there'd been that problem with dyes.

Maddie looks great Like a proper princess.

And whew. Good thing for FP+. That wait time is cray.

It was a great deal!

We were so happy to get that dress, and she just loved being Princess Anna all day.

I was so happy that we had that FP!

Ah I am so glad that Maddie got her coronation dress! We did BBB again this past trip too, and of course Adison has Frozen Fever just like the rest of the nation (world??). I have also been smug when people are looking for toys...we have several Frozen themed toys from before the movie came out (Target had quite a healthy supply of dolls prior to the theater release date), but I had to try to encourage an open mind when it came to acquiring park exclusive items.

As we stood looking at the dress selections in BBB, I noticed that no Frozen dresses were shown, and of course my heart fell when Adison asked the FGMiT if they had an Anna dress... Well to my surprise, they did have them "in the back," and they secured one in her size to be brought to her dressing room. She did inquire about an Elsa dress, but they handled the let down very nicely and told her that Elsa had accidentally frozen them all and they were still waiting for them to melt (good save, fgmit, way to earn that tip!).

Did Maddie get an Anna wand? They were out when we were there and Adison's wand has Merida on it, though they did have the right crown. Lots and lots of moms stopped me all day to ask where we got the dress (another girl who was at BBB the same time we were was unable to get an Anna dress, so I have to assume they were limited on sizes or maybe we got the last one in stock) and lots of little girls and boys called "Hi Anna!!" as she passed by, so it was extra magical. On the same day Sir Mickey had the A&E topsy turvy/flip dolls in stock and later in our trip we were able to get both of the animator dolls.

Yay! I'm so glad that Addison got the dress too! What an awesome cover by the CM! That's great.

She didn't get an Anna wand. They gave her Aurora I think (which was cool because she didn't have that one). She did get the Anna crown though.

Ugh! Maddie got the Ariel/Aurora flip doll and is dying for the Anna/Elsa one. I'm going to try my darndest to get it for Christmas. And the Animators dolls were not to be found when we were there. She did get the Elsa one at the Disney store last week, but I'm back to hunting the website every day for the Christoph and Anna ones.

Are you joining the Frozen backpack hunt? There are a few on Toy R Us's website, and one on Target I think, but I don't love them. Of course we both want the sparkly blue one that's going for a king's ransom on Amazon and Ebay.

Wow, eggs for $2.76. I'm totally gonna have to remember that!

Wait, what? The Penny Savers were just asking what each thing would cost? What, you couldn't do the research before you got there, you had to ask the questions at the time you arrived? And on top of it, adding it up all different ways. I mean, that's commitment. I think I just don't have the patience for it.

She got the coronation dress! That's so awesome.

I'd totally take a too short dress that fit everywhere else. Good choice.

I did not at any point experience the Anna and Elsa rope drop madness. I too just walked around smug with my FP+ already secured on two days.

The eggs were a great value!

The Penny Savers meant business. I, too, like to figure that stuff out before I go. I wish they would have...

It was crazy! And this was post-follow the CM with the rope too. People were shoving and pushing away behind that rope!

You offer sweet pastries and she chooses protein. How does that happen?

I assume it was just to be contrary. She certainly won't eat eggs when I make them at home.

The pictures of her running up to the front of the castle by herself are great. I certainly hope you have one proudly displayed somewhere for posterity.

I haven't developed them yet, but I have big plans for that last one. I love them.

I'm all about doing the math to figure out what the best deal is, but that's what the DISboards, allears and other similar sites are for!

Hahaha! Exactly! And since she'd scored an 8 am appointment, you know she wasn't a beginner...

And once again, the Disney World magic comes through for Maddie!

Bless that Magic. Of course WDW may be ruining the rest of the world for her....

What a way to experience it.

Trust me-get the Fast Pass.

Late to the party, but following along. I really love the quilt square idea! Can't wait to see it when it's done.

Thanks so much for joining in! I have some more squares to share tonight!

It's good to be smug!

That dress is absolutely beautiful and Maddie looks spectacular.

And I learned something - packages DO save money. Who would have thought?

On that morning it was VERY VERY good to be smug.

Thank you so much! She loves being a princess.

Hahahahaha! Who knew???

Awww, glad she got her dress! What a lucky duck! She looks gorgeous!

And thank you, I will take you up on the offer for help just as soon as I book my next trip.

Thank you so much. she was soooo happy to get that dress.

Awesome!

All caught up again!

Aw I'm SO glad Maddie got her coronation dress!

Omg I've watched youtube videos of the Anna and Elsa rope drop madness My number one priority is getting that fast pass at our 60 day mark!

I prefer not to think of it as being smug- just getting the satisfaction that all the hard work and planning you did paid off!

When is your next trip Courtney? In the fall again? Let me know if you get that FP-it's totally worth it.

Hahaha! Thanks for that. I sort of felt like a jerk...

Totally subbing! Love your TR - we are also a family of 3 - our DD will be 9 on our next trip in Feb and my BFF, who is 18 years older than me serves as a GMa figure to DD, will be joining us for 3 days of our 7-day trip.

Love your writing style too and the Friends chapter titles!

Welcome! Thanks so much for your kind words! Favorite post of the day!!!

It's nice to find trips about families like yours isn't it? It's really helpful in planning.

Wow you guys were up early...only in Disney right?

Lovely photopass pic

Aaw Maddie looks absolutely adorable after her makeover

ONLY in WDW. I am NOT a morning person in the real world LOL

Thanks Tanz. She had so much fun with it.

What? Such a thing exists?

They should rent that Mickey costume from the recital and have him roll out of the train in it on April 1st. Or any day. That costume is AWESOME.

I also think The Penny Savers were plants from Disney Corporate. What better test of a CM's patience?


Great updates!

So glad to have you!

Hahahaha! Isn't creepy Mickey hilarious? They also had a rule that no one could wear their own ears for the finale-I assume it was so that the ones they provided didn't look so bad...

Great point. Maybe the CMs were being "secret shopped" LOL!

 

[shan23877]

The One With the Zoo​

Hey guys! 3 Lilo dresses, 8 princess shirts and the holiday sucked up all my DIS time last week (I should really just have an excuse for not updating ready to paste in for when I need it twice a month).

Maddie has been doing a summer reading challenge at home and last week she cashed in 2 big "prizes" . If you'll indulge me here are some pics of our adventures:

First was a trip to Brookfield Zoo

First she had to get into her map





She led us to the butterfly house








Must have taken a wrong turn because she narrowly escaped being mauled by a tiger





Compared stature with a polar bear






​

And this was super, super cool. My photos are terrible because the area was mobbed (not Anna and Elsa rope drop mobbed, but very crowded). One of the bears was taking a nap pressed right up against the enclosure wall. This was as close as we'll ever get to a bear (I hope).

That's a paw



​

And then we spent a long time watching the baby gorilla (she's climbing the rope)

​

And how did Maddie feel about the zoo?

​

Up Next: Treasures of the Disney Archives at Museum of Science and Industry!

 

[shan23877]

The One With the Museum
​

And then on the 4th we all went downtown to the Museum of Science and Industry which is hosting a special exhibit "Treasury of the Disney Archives" through early August.

Maddie had wayyyy more fun that we thought she would at the museum and we ended up being there for almost 6 hours! It was a ton of fun. In addition to all the regular stuff and the Disney exhibit we also made tiny models of our heads using 3D printers. Super cool!


First we checked out the train. Appropriately located right next to the Disney exhibit

​

Checked out some WWII stuff and a captured German sub (no pics in there because my slight claustrophobia go the better of me. I was just concentrating on breathing)

​

Tiny kitchen where all the meals were prepared. The guide said that there was so little space that the food was stored in EVERY available space-even the bathrooms.

​

Tried our hand at conducting electricity

​

And got caught in a wind storm

​

Then we saw a model of Chicago-and other places. This was a railroad exhibit I think

​

And then it was Disney Time!

The entrance

Walt with Mary Blair (right?)








And now we're going in!


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http://s1239.photobucket.com/user/shanbell23/media/14july4/IMG_7405.jpg.html

 

[shan23877]

The One With the Museum Continued
​

I'll mostly just let the photos do the talking here.

Mock up of the Snow White costume













Models that the animators use for reference when drawing the cells. I'm sure a google search will turn up the name of them, but I'm lazy.








Animator's desk. May have belonged to one of the Nine Old Men, I don't remember. Let's say it did.




Walt's desk











A Net Full of Jello!





Tribute to the Sherman brothers





Mary's bag














The Banks kids' costumes








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[shan23877]

The One With the Museum-Part 3​

Note from P. L. Travers





Original Disneyland mail box








Opening day at DLR



































Lego Castle





WDW opening day (I think)





Loved these next 2. I totally intend to take credit for them


















​

 

[shan23877]

The One With the Museum Part 4​

And after we browsed some costumes we'd be doing this!











​

The Animation Class was not taught by actual Disney animators, but rather by MSI employees who'd been taught by the animators (our guy was a biology major). They did a great job though-even had Disney energy! We did 2 classes, and they encouraged everyone to stay for as many as they'd like. We really enjoyed it and are even more determined to finally got to the class at DHS!

She LOVES Teen Beach Movie (the young man who plays Tanner is her first official celebrity crush)



​

and of course there's a gift shop! LOL! Mads chose a kid's biography about Walt. (Well to be fair she really wanted the $25 box of sand that sticks together, but we agreed to buy the book)

​

After the museum we headed back to the 'burbs where we had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory and Maddie discovered the wonders of cookie dough cheesecake, and then strolled through the outdoor mall next door to it. Luckily that mall has a Disney Store! Maddie got the Elsa Animator's Doll, and I got a shirt on clearance for $7

​

On our way home from the mall we all agreed that no fireworks will ever be that good once you've seen Disney's. Maddie shocked us by saying she didn't really care if we went to see our local display, so we all cuddled up in the family room and watched MK's 4th of July show and Wishes on YouTube.

 

[shan23877]

The One with More Quilt Squares
​

I have found a few hours here and there to get some more work done on Maddie's quilt. I only have 17 squares to go! I did lay out the ones I have done and I'm really excited to finish. I think this is going to turn out super cool. I saw some black and white Mickey fabric this week as well that I hope to convince Maddie will be perfect for the back of the quilt. It's not pink, so I have a battle ahead of me.

​

Thanks for letting me share!



Up Next: More Disney!

 

[shan23877]

The One With the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up​

When we last left off we’d barely survived Anna and Elsa rope drop and were headed into Fantastyland. Our first stop was of course at Castle Couture for photos, which turned out something like this:

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And then we were off!.....To the bathroom. This ended up being a serendipitous bathroom break though. Peter Pan is the one regularly appearing character that we’ve never managed to meet. While Maddie and I were in the ladies’ room he walked right by Bryan waiting outside on his way to his meet and greet location.

So, of course that’s where we went too.

This was a character meet that was absolutely worth the wait. Peter fell backward onto the ground upon discovering that Princess Anna was there to meet him, told Maddie that he knew all about her shoes-Crocs-because Tinkerbell had told him that they’re made by crocodiles biting holes in them, and talked at length about Anna’s sister Elsa freezing Captain Hook for fun. He was amazing. Wendy was great too, telling Maddie how pretty she looked and agreeing with most of Peter’s crazy stories.

​

Having marked one thing off our Must Do list it was finally time for some rides.


I should explain that I made our FP+ selections before Anna and Elsa moved to the Magic Kingdom. So when I made them for this day, I selected FP for Meet Rapunzel and a visiting Princess, Space Mountain, and Big Thunder. When Anna and Elsa FP became available, the MDE app automatically cancelled my Rapunzel and visiting princess FP since that experience no longer existed (it became meet Cinderella and Rapunzel). While I didn’t realize that right away, it wasn’t a big deal because I noticed in time to switch it to Meet Cindy and Rapunzel.


Well, as a way of making it up to us (and many others I assume) a “bonus” FP showed up on our account. It was only good for select attractions in Fantasyland, but there were several choices including Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, Little Mermaid, and Philharmagic. We weren’t required to select our ride ahead of time, we could just go to one of those FP+ entrances and scan our band. So, on that day we had 4 FP!


We headed toward ETwB, but the wait was already an hour. We passed by for now, but did pause for some Beauty and the Beast themed PP pics. ‘Cause you know we don’t pass a photographer without stopping.

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MiL had never ridden the Little Mermaid ride, so that became our first ride of the trip. We’d never been through the standby line, and we were appropriately wowed. Lots of fun touches! We walked right on and enjoyed our ride.

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And since we were in the area… we had to meet Ariel of course! It was about a 20 minute wait. Maddie must have remembered this queue area very well because they led us into the “second room” to meet the mermaid and Maddie told the CM “this isn’t the right way. We go that way to meet Ariel.” Luckily there was a princess to distract her and we didn’t have to try to explain that.


Another side note-Maddie confronted me a few months before our trip and made me confirm her suspicions that the characters aren’t “real”. We did decide that while she’s technically right it’s much more fun to go along with it while we’re at WDW, and she did an admirable job of sticking to that. Honestly the magic didn't seem to be gone for her at all. While we were there she was 100% meeting the real characters.


Ariel was okay, nothing too memorable happened. The girls hugged, we took pictures, the usual.

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Mads has met so many characters by now that she's getting really used to the "love and shove". In fact she's been through it so many times that sometimes she initiates it herself. Many characters had to call her back for more fun on this trip.


By then it was 10:25 a.m. and Maddie was starving. You know what that means dear freinds-- it was time for the first Pre-Snack Carts Opening Mickey Pretzel Hunt of the trip!



Up Next: searching for a pretzel and more Fantasyland

 

[annie170]

Hi Shannon! Following along and enjoying your report.

I live in the Chicago area also, Northwest Indiana, and was considering going to Science and Industry's Disney Exhibit. Thanks for sharing your day there. There appears to be more to it than I figured and I may have to work in a visit before it's gone.

Your quilt squares are so cute! That is such a great idea! Can't wait to see the finished product.

Your daughter is darling and looking forward to reading more!

 

[mickeystoontown]

You've been a busy woman, Shannon! Gotta love making that extra Disney money though. The zoo and museum outtings look like a whole lot of fun and there was some Disney mixed in so I am sure that it made the day even better.

Maddie's pictures with Peter Pan and Wendy are adorable! Peter never seems to let the guests down with his antics. Love his line about Maddie's shoes being bitten by crocodiles hence the name crocs.

 

[amandaw]

Lots of great updates, friend!

Looks like y'all have been having much fun at home between the zoo & the museum. That Disney exhibit really looks fantastic.

The quilt squares are coming along very nicely! It's going to be beautiful when you finish.

And what a nice morning y'all were having in MK. The BBB pictures are so pretty.

Talk about a memorable meet up with Peter Pan! Sounds like it very entertaining and magical. Love his story about the Crocs.

And you even got your 1st ride in for the trip! I'm excited to ride that since it wasn't open yet on our last trip. I've heard the standby line is pretty neat.

Reid is also starting to ask if characters are real.....and not just Disney. People like Spider-Man, Cpt. America, etc. I hate for the magic to already be gone for him so I just ask him if he thinks they're real. He tells me (in an unsure tone) that they are so I tell him if he believes they're real, then they're real. But, I can tell deep inside he's really starting to lose the belief of the magic. Our babies are growing up.

 

[FrozenOne16]

Oh my goodness! I want to see the Disney exhibit so bad! I wonder if it will ever come to a museum near me!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

That Disney Archive Exhibit looks amazing! Some of my favorite items are the actual "princess" books from the beginning of the movies, the EPCOT building stuff, and then anything with Mary Blair!

Your quilt squares are coming out great! That is going to look awesome when it is done! ... no pressure though

What a great meet & greet with Peter Pan - sounds so much fun!

Glad that the magic still held for Maddie on the trip but your story is a reminder of how fast they grow and that they won't be in the princess mode forever. I had a slip up a while ago with my daughter and we had to come to the agreement that Idina Manzell is just really good at singing that Let It Go song which is why they let her sing it on TV while the real Elsa is busy meeting people in WDW

 

[Clarf]

Another side note-Maddie confronted me a few months before our trip and made me confirm her suspicions that the characters aren’t “real”. We did decide that while she’s technically right it’s much more fun to go along with it while we’re at WDW, and she did an admirable job of sticking to that. Honestly the magic didn't seem to be gone for her at all. While we were there she was 100% meeting the real characters.





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I dread this day. I know it's coming, but I dread it. I'm glad Maddie handled it so well!


Love your zoo and museum days. We love both of those places, and we can use our Milwaukee Museum pass to get into any of the Chicago museums, so I think we may have to make a trip before August to see the Disney exhibit! Is there an extra charge for that? No biggie if there is, I just like to be prepared! That would be a fun way to get MORE excited about our trip!

We also love the Brookfield zoo. Their ape house is amazing!

Love your update. I can't wait to ride the Little Mermaid ride, and I seriously can't get over how beautiful that Anna dress is. I almost want one for myself!

Peter Pan seems like so much fun. We've never met him, but this trip for sure! My younger DD would love to talk to him about Crocs!

I make my FP+ resos on Sunday at midnight! I'll let you know if we get A&E!​