Heat, Humidity, and Our Favorite Disney Dog Was a Thug! LINK TO NEW PTR!!

[RGirl]

I'm commenting!!!!

NO WAY!!!!!

First, how adorable are Willow and Cindy together? The little girl dress really looks a lot like the real one. I love that.

You know, that was one of the ones that I got at the disney store on-line - I thought it was really pretty!

I'm sorry Willow had a few 'moments' at WDW. It's so frustrating when you're there. How can they be cranky in the happiest place on earth?? For the recortd, I would have made Maddie stand in that line to see Ariel too.

Oh, I know! I just don't understand how all the nastiness and grumpiness can follow us to WDW! I am pretty sure we had more good times than not, but it was kind of a close call this trip!

Yay! for an awesome CRT lunch! I think we're going to do lunch there next time.

You know, we have only ever done lunch there for some reason. I know a lot of people prefer the early breakfast or the dinner at the castle, but we have consistently had a GREAT time at lunch, so I think we will continue to do that.

Love the pic of Willow watching Dream Along With Mickey. Cool perspective!

Aww - thanks.

Pool time sounds really nice! I know a lot of people think that slide is creepy, but I think it's fun!

Willow thought it was AWESOME! I have a mild clown fear, but I don't get that vibe at all from the slide - I think it's hilarious.

A 90 minute nap?

That time change is a KILLER.

all caught up! Looking forward to more

Thanks! Hoping to get more posted soon - it is a challenge to juggle the 5,000 pictures from this two-week extravaganza!

You don't DIS for a weekend and look what happens..

Hey Christine! It's so dang hard to keep up, isn't it??

Willow sounds like my kind of character hunter. We routinely fill 3-4 books per trip. Of course I still have to get the pictures made to go in them!

That's awesome! On one of our trips, the CM at the register was so impressed with how quickly she had filled her first book that he gave us the second one "on the Mouse." It was so sweet. I hear ya on getting the pictures done - you have to find just the right one to go with each autograph, get them ordered, sized perfectly, etc. GAH!

I know a lot of people knock the food at CRT but when we ate there last October it was very good and we had some of the best princess interaction that we have ever had! Maybe they are putting the A princess team in there.

We have never had a bad meal there. And this was almost certainly the best princess interaction we have ever had - and we have done CRT and Akershus on each trip. It was a GREAT lunch!

Go Roni on loosing 50 pounds! That is very impressive!

Thanks! I really need to get my act together now and lose the vacation weight though. Ugh....

1PM in August in Florida and everyone is melting! I grew up there and won’t go back in the summer. I think people who tell me they enjoy the heat are just crazy…

I think so too!! It was just AWFUL - and this first day was our coolest day. It got UGLY after this.

I have to laugh at baby Goofy. I think between my two girls we have every “baby” they make. They do still actually care for them.

That is so cute! The baby Goofy thing was so odd and funny. It still sleeps with her every night though, so she made a good souvenir choice.

I love the clown pool! Our room this last trip looked right out onto it! Oh the memories! Smart move getting that nap in. Hopefully she gets over the grumps fast and you enjoy your ADR.

Willow totally loved that pool too! I have to say - it was a pretty great pool. I probably should have been smart enough to spend more time at it on this trip.

Great update!
Your daughter is an ADORABLE princess, and how cute is that photo of her all snuggled up with baby Goofy taking a nap.
Thanks for sharing!

Thanks! She sure is a sweetheart when she's fast asleep!

And btw - I started my trip report too. It's over at the cruise boards and called "Get off the ship"

Oh yay!!!! I will go over and check it out! I totally forget that there is a TR board over there (despite having posted a TR on it! ).

 

[jwgm2012]

Hi there!
just started following along and love your report! Willow is adorable and you are one crazy momma with all your super organizing! I use the saying "ever-lovin' mind" all the time so knew you had to be good peoples... LOL
Can't wait for the rest - Willow is such a spunky princess - you can see it in her dimpled smile!

gina

 

[Jackiemarie21]

I am all caught up now!
The BWI looks great! I always thought that slide was pretty cool, but I like clowns. I know some people think its kind of creepy!

I love how Willow loves the princesses so much she just had to stop, that is pure love!

Even at Willow's age a good nap is necessary sometimes in Disney!

Looking forward to hearing about your dinner!

 

[IheartDDuck]

Awww, Willow in that one picture with Mickey is like "yeah...okay Mom, I'm done....."

Napping in Disney is completely acceptable. Whether you are 6 or 32. Because dude, I nap.

 

[RGirl]

Hi there!
just started following along and love your report! Willow is adorable and you are one crazy momma with all your super organizing! I use the saying "ever-lovin' mind" all the time so knew you had to be good peoples... LOL
Can't wait for the rest - Willow is such a spunky princess - you can see it in her dimpled smile!

Welcome Gina! Thanks so much for joining in! Willow is definitely full of personality! Hopefully an update tonight!

I am all caught up now!
The BWI looks great! I always thought that slide was pretty cool, but I like clowns. I know some people think its kind of creepy!

I think clowns are creepy, but I don't mind the slide. I actually think it fits the area and the theme perfectly. It really is an AWESOME pool.

I love how Willow loves the princesses so much she just had to stop, that is pure love!

You know, she can never get enough of them. Usually, when we aren't there during the soul-sucking heat of August, she will meet any given princess 4 or five times! Thank goodness we had the cruise so she could make up for any lack of repeat meets.

Even at Willow's age a good nap is necessary sometimes in Disney!

It really was a necessity several times on this trip. The time change is really hard to begin with, and then the heat and crowds just exhaust a person.

Looking forward to hearing about your dinner!

Hoping to get an update posted tonight.

Awww, Willow in that one picture with Mickey is like "yeah...okay Mom, I'm done....."

Napping in Disney is completely acceptable. Whether you are 6 or 32. Because dude, I nap.

Naps are GOOD! And with that three-hour time change, they are necessary too!

 

[RGirl]

Some Fancy Dining in the Wilderness​

When I last left you, we were getting ready for some more dining. We got all cleaned up and dressed for dinner and headed out to the bus stop at about 5:35. Our ADR at Artist Point was for 7:10, but I knew that transportation could take a while, so I wanted to get started early - plus we had never been to the WL before and wanted to see it.

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About 2 minutes after we arrived at the bus stop, a bus to the MK pulled up. Yep - Baby Goofy was going to dinner with us. Are you surprised????

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We stopped at the Swan and the Dolphin and then proceeded to the MK. DD called her grandparents back home to check in. (I wonder if this was the moment in the trip that caused her to ask me at one point when she could get her own phone. )

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Now, because we were so early, we were planning to zip into the MK and get FPs for Space Mountain to use after dinner (given the FP time that was currently listed on the WDW app). However, on our ride over, I noticed that DD was seeming more and more tired and wasnt looking all that good. I decided that we would just go straight to the WL and see if we could get in for our ADR early; maybe DD needed to eat since she really hadnt eaten hardly any lunch or breakfast.

When we got off the bus, we headed directly to the resort boat dock where we had a very short wait for a boat.

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This was a beautiful way to travel to our dinner.

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And the grounds of the resort were gorgeous.

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Unfortunately, there wasnt much of an opportunity to look around just now because DD was getting grumpier and grumpier and just acting weird. I started worrying that she might be getting sick. But then it occurred to me that she probably just hadnt had enough water for all the heat and humidity that wed been experiencing all day. I am pretty sure that she was starting to get dehydrated. I didnt want that to happen, so we went straight to Artist Point to see if we could check in early. That was no problem at all - we were seated right away, and the hostess immediately brought DD some ice water with a Mickey straw. Thankfully, DD perked up as quickly as she could drink, so I think that was definitely the issue. We talked about how we needed to be sure to drink a lot more water when we were in the parks.

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Up Next: Some Fancy Dining in the Wilderness Cont.

 

[RGirl]

Some Fancy Dining in the Wilderness Cont.​

Our meal here was absolutely fantastic. Our server was a gem - very attentive and kind. The chef paid me a visit to go over the menu, and I was able to order exactly what I wanted. I will provide a few pics and comments below, and if you would like more detailed info, menus, etc., I have posted all of that on my dining review, linked below.

I was once again able to get a huge bottle of Pellegrino as my DP beverage.

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I also ordered a wine flight, which was kind of funny. We are from the Pacific Northwest, so “sampling” wines from there that I can have anytime was kind of amusing. But they were all good!

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Our server brought some bread for DD without being asked. He also brought me some nicely warmed gluten-free rolls. And butter and olive oil too.

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For my appetizer, I had the Smokey Portobello Soup. It was delicious.

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DD had the watermelon, which she always enjoys.

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DD was looking much happier.

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DD had the grilled chicken for her entree. (She wasn’t thrilled to find no nuggets or mac and cheese on the menu - you know, she was really into her “vacation eating” at this point - but she survived.)

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I had the Seared Diver Scallops, and they were amazing.

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DD was so in love with that white chocolate Mickey puzzle that she ordered it for her dessert again tonight. The AP version came with different cookies.

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Amazingly, I have no idea what my dessert was! I do know that it was good though.

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After dinner, we checked out the WL a bit. It is stunning. I have never had much interest in this place since it is designed after lodges where I actually live, but after visiting here, I would absolutely love to stay here on a future trip. It is just beautiful.

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DD then wanted to look around outside for a bit, so we did that. As beautiful as the interior of the WL is, the real draw for this place, I think, is the surrounding area. We were just in awe of how beautiful it was. DD got really into taking pictures here as well. Here are some of mine.

And some of DD’s pictures from this evening. First up, me at dinner, of course!


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Our awesome server!

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Actually, I'm thinking she may have taken better pics than I did!

Next Up: Some Late-Night Fun with Friends

 

[chattadisser]

Willow takes great pics! Too funny about her wanting a phone. I think every kid does. I was explaining one day to mine about phone booths and she just looked at me like I had two heads. How could it be that everyone didn't have a phone with them at all times?? It was incomprehensible! Then it just made me feel old!

I've always wondered if people that are from the area that the resort is themed after would like it or if it would feel too much like home? Like WL and POFQ.

Glad you had a good meal. The food looks delicious and I just ate breakfast!

Christine

 

[dismagiclover]

My kids have been dehydrated at Disney before. I still always have to make sure they drink enough. I'm glad you caught it before it got worse. I love all the WL pictures. That really is a lovely resort. So relaxing. Plus I love the boat ride. That is the best form of transportation!

 

[DisneyJo]

Phew thank goodness Willow perked up after having some water, we're all too busy at the parks to remember to drink much so it's easy to get dehydrated. Plus who wants to miss ride time with trips to the loo

I love Willow's photos, the one of the water is especially good, you have a budding photographer there

 

[Pixiedust530]

Willow takes great pictures...and you can definitely see how she perked up after getting a little water to rehydrate!

It looks like you had an amazing dinner at Artist Point and OMG...Wilderness Lodge looks just beautiful!!! We are going to WL for dinner at Whispering Canyon Cafe on our trip in a couple weeks. I can't wait to have a look around!

 

[Jackiemarie21]

Your update makes me want to stay at the Wilderness lodge! It looks so pretty! Looks like a great dinner!

Its amazing what being dehydrated can do to those little ones! Charlotte got a little dehydrated one day and I think that added to her crabbiness! We are just not used to being outside so much in such extreme heat so she needed waay more water than she was actually drinking! Once we started to make sure she had plenty of water things were much better!

I can not believe how young kids are now with cell phones! I am sure there are tons of kiddos way younger than your DD with them! My two year old, knows how to work the I-Pad all by herself. It sickens me and at the same time she has learned a lot from age-apportion apps. I am very torn about this!

 

[BeckyEsq]

I love the dress and fancy headband your daughter wore to dinner! Loved the pics of the WL too. We stayed there in 2006 and I really enjoyed it. I can still remember the taste of that Portobello soup even though I haven't had it since. lol

 

[RGirl]

Willow takes great pics! Too funny about her wanting a phone. I think every kid does. I was explaining one day to mine about phone booths and she just looked at me like I had two heads. How could it be that everyone didn't have a phone with them at all times?? It was incomprehensible! Then it just made me feel old!

I just burst into laughter when she said that to me about a phone. She had NO idea why I was laughing. I too have tried to explain to her about how phones were connected to the wall when I was a kid - she doesn't get it.

I've always wondered if people that are from the area that the resort is themed after would like it or if it would feel too much like home? Like WL and POFQ.

To me, it just felt like an incredible Disney version of really nice places around here - so not the kinds of places we would just be hanging out every day. Same thing with AKL - the first time I went in there was with my mom, and both of us were struck by how much it reminded us of places we stayed on a trip to Kenya but just bigger and more Disney, you know? I would totally stay at WL after visiting there.

Glad you had a good meal. The food looks delicious and I just ate breakfast!

It really was a GREAT meal.

My kids have been dehydrated at Disney before. I still always have to make sure they drink enough. I'm glad you caught it before it got worse. I love all the WL pictures. That really is a lovely resort. So relaxing. Plus I love the boat ride. That is the best form of transportation!

It's really easy for dehydration to happen there when it's NOT hotter than the surface of the sun just because you forget to drink being so busy. So it's no surprise that she was feeling the effects. We instituted a new rule whereby we would take out our water bottles and drink every time we were in a line.

I agree! One of the things that sold it for me was that beautiful boat ride.

Phew thank goodness Willow perked up after having some water, we're all too busy at the parks to remember to drink much so it's easy to get dehydrated. Plus who wants to miss ride time with trips to the loo

Yep! I was glad to figure out what was going on too. We made sure to drink water whenever we were line after that.

I love Willow's photos, the one of the water is especially good, you have a budding photographer there

Thanks! I was kind of surprised when I was uploading these particular photos! I mean, first, they weren't selfies for a change. And second, they were pretty darn good!

 

[RGirl]

Willow takes great pictures...and you can definitely see how she perked up after getting a little water to rehydrate!

Thanks! I thought those were great pics.

It looks like you had an amazing dinner at Artist Point and OMG...Wilderness Lodge looks just beautiful!!! We are going to WL for dinner at Whispering Canyon Cafe on our trip in a couple weeks. I can't wait to have a look around!

Oh, I hope you enjoy WL as much as we did! I think WCC sounds like so much fun - now that I know how worth it the trip to WL is, I am definitely going to make an ADR there at some point.

Your update makes me want to stay at the Wilderness lodge! It looks so pretty! Looks like a great dinner!

It makes me want to go back there!

Its amazing what being dehydrated can do to those little ones! Charlotte got a little dehydrated one day and I think that added to her crabbiness! We are just not used to being outside so much in such extreme heat so she needed waay more water than she was actually drinking! Once we started to make sure she had plenty of water things were much better!

Amazing what a difference it makes, isn't it? And so hard to keep up when it's that HOT!

I can not believe how young kids are now with cell phones! I am sure there are tons of kiddos way younger than your DD with them! My two year old, knows how to work the I-Pad all by herself. It sickens me and at the same time she has learned a lot from age-apportion apps. I am very torn about this!

It is a fine line for sure! One thing I am certain of though is that my 6 year old will NOT be getting a cell phone!

I love the dress and fancy headband your daughter wore to dinner! Loved the pics of the WL too. We stayed there in 2006 and I really enjoyed it. I can still remember the taste of that Portobello soup even though I haven't had it since. lol

Thanks! She has this thing for maxi dresses, so I made her several recently (just learned to sew this spring) and that is one of her favorites. Did you love staying at WL? Or was transportation a headache?

 

[RGirl]

Some Late-Night Fun with Friends​

When I last left off, we had enjoyed a wonderful meal at AP and explored the WL a bit. Soon, however, we were wanting to head back to the MK - I was hoping we would finally see Wishes. (We have a long history of fireworks FAILs.) Unfortunately, we just missed a boat to the MK. It was about 8:30 at this point.

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Eventually, another boat came along, and we managed to arrive at the MK a little before 9:00. Parade crowds were swarming.

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But we had a very specific destination in mind, so we slipped into the shops on Main Street and made our way through that way - much less crowded and also cooler! We veered off towards Tomorrowland, avoiding more parade crowds.

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We zipped through there and straight back to Storybook Circus!

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Where were we headed? Another spin on Dumbo? A fourth ride on the Barnstormer? Nope - we were headed to Pete’s Silly Sideshow to meet some of DD’s favorite friends! DD, always a Pluto girl, for some reason became OBSESSED with Goofy on this trip, so she was super-excited for this meet-and-greet. And basically no one was there. The wait time was 5 minutes, I think. As you all know, this is a new-ish meet-and-greet spot. On one side, you can meet Goofy and then Donald, and on the other, you can meet Daisy and then Minnie. They are all wearing super-cute circus-themed attire.

DD had a blast with Goofy and Baby Goofy. Unfortunately, all the PP pictures from her meet with Goofy are missing from my account, so you are stuck with my poorly lit ones instead.

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As you can see, Goofy was very impressed with his autograph page.

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He played around quite a bit with DD, pretending like he couldn’t find her and such.

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And Goofy’s autograph page:

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Donald was next. DD had a lot of fun with him too.

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And Donald’s page:

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Up Next: Some Late-Night Fun with Friends Cont.

 

[RGirl]

Some Late-Night Fun with Friends Cont.​

After meeting with Donald, we had to exit and go back around to the front in order to visit with Daisy and Minnie. So that’s just what we did! For those of you who haven’t ventured in here, you can kind of see what it is like in this photo - this is looking towards Goofy and Donald’s sign while in line to meet Daisy and Minnie.

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Daisy was as adorable as ever.

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And Daisy’s autograph page:

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This is what Daisy’s area looked like:

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Next up was Minnie! She is just too darn cute! And so were her surroundings.

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Minnie too loved her autograph page:

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And Minnie’s page:

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In the dump shop, DD spotted the last Pluto pillow pet on a shelf and was just dying to get it. I hadn’t bought her any souvenirs yet (yeah - I’m realizing as I type that this was still just the first day!), so I decided I would buy this one for her instead of her having to use her own souvenir money. We had it sent back to the resort. This was a great purchase - it is so soft and comfy, and DD has slept with it every night since she got it.

Up Next: Some More Late-Night Adventures

 

[IheartDDuck]

Of course Baby Goofy came to dinner! He would have come with me too you know.

I'm glad Willow perked up when she got to the restaurant and got some water. It's so easy for that to happen in WDW when it's so hot!

Oh, those scallops look amazing. I lurrrrvvvveeee scallops.

I'm going to say that is chocolate mousse with meringue on top. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Though I clearly might be wrong......

I love the new meet and greet area, except for the lighting, because only the PP pictures turn out well. Boo!

I want a pillow pet so badly. And every time we go, I want to get one and I don't. I need to get one!

 

[STLMickeyMom]

our daughter has fallen in love with Goofy too! I love the pictures of willow and goofy together. we missed them in this spot last time, but I can't wait to meet them next time. it looks so cute and I love Minnie's outfit!!

WL looks so pretty and the grounds look amazing! I keep wanting to try whispering canyon but we haven't ventured over there yet. another thing to put on the to do list!

I saw that you said you made willow's dress! it's so cute! I love making stuff for our girls and figure I better enjoy it before they get to the age where that's embarrassing!

 

[dizneeat]

Your autograph book is great! No wonder the characters loved their pages.

Sorry for missing the boat and then having to battle the crowds. We usually cut through the shops as well - a lot less crowded if everyone is out for the parade.
This is where I LOVE DLRP - they have a breezeway behind the shops - EASY to cut through during anythings that's on on main street.

Willow is so cute with the characters and they are dressed so nicely. We have never been in there - guess we should next time.