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

[RGirl]

Ok I was holding my breath when I read " Heading over to Dinoland.....characters" Hmmm is THIS where Pluto is a THUG ?

nope still a sweet interaction playing catch with Puffy fuzzball ( although at first glance the picture looks like he is going to eat it ) I'm starting to think you made up this whole Pluto is a thug thing for a catchy title no way ever buying Pluto as a thug

It's coming - unfortunately - I promise.

Beautiful halloween fairy dress..you keep setting the bar higher & higher for yourself you do realize that

You are correct - I have a serious problem with that. I do it all the time. Always set the bar so high that I don't want to do it again, but I'm stuck.

I fell a bit behind. What a great Tusker House breakfast. I love the characters' outfits there. We're having dinner there at Christmas and I'm sad we won't see the characters.

Oh, Christmas dinner at Tusker House! What a great way to spend the holiday!

That is a pretty impressive costume! Very sophisticated for a fairy.

Thanks! It was on the difficult side, but I felt pretty accomplished when I got it done.

I just started laughing when I saw the stuffed Yeti. We have one of those in our house. His name is Puff Puff and he is worse for the wear. Let me just say he has aged to more of a grayish tone. We're also kind of hit or miss with Animal Kingdom. It can be such a hot and crowded park, but this past trip we had some really good days there.

Yeah, Willow's Puffball is not quite so sparkling white anymore.

 

[RGirl]

Beautiful fairy costume Roni! I'm equally impressed with the handmade autograph book, designed especially for each character in their correct costume at every meeting! You are one dedicated Mom!

Thanks! Both projects were a lot of fun. I did question my sanity any number of times, however…..

Was Willow able to trick or treat in the costume in your area? Where we live the kids have to wear their costumes over their snowsuits. I was pretty impressed with the caliber of costumes this year.

Yes! It had gotten pretty cold the preceding week, but it was actually really warm on Halloween. Willow didn't even have to wear a long-sleeved shirt under the vest. We really lucked out. Our winters are usually pretty mild here, but every once in a while, we have an awful one.

Aww - poor kids having to cover up their costumes or fit them over snowsuits - I always hated that when I was a kid!

Loving your trip report and eagerly awaiting your cruise, although I see you have a ways to go.

Thanks! I am dying to get to the cruise - seems like WDW is taking forever.

Keep up the good work entertaining us!

Thanks! And will do.

Hahaha! 2 SC down, and 4,852,289 to go!

It's so true!!!

Um, that's weird. "Yes, we have mission's here, but don't get one here, go somewhere else!"

Right???? I don't get it.

The boys were OBSESSED with Duffy in July. Like, legitimately obsessed. "When are we going to meet Duffy? When are we going to meet Duffy?" like all the time.

Don't you just love it when they get obsessed like that??? It's such a joy….

Ugh, I'm sorry about your FF reservation! We actually have one there in January. Never been before. I'll let you know if we fare better than you did. That stinks about the cake. What's the point of having the option to have the cakes delivered to restaurants if they're not going to follow through on them?

I hope you have better service than we did. The atmosphere and food were very nice (for the most part), so I'm thinking that your odds of a good experience are pretty high.

Nice going with your instincts with the line at ToT! When my BFF and I went a few years ago, she did not trust my instincts with the lines, but she did after our first experience of me saying "trust me, it's not that long already."

You really do have to pay attention to more than just the posted wait time!

Wow, locked in on ToT! That definitely added to the experience for a lot of guests, I'm sure.

Yes, it certainly "added to the experience"!!!

Whew, last minute save on getting that ADR changed.

I think that little change made a big difference in the success of our day.

I'm telling you, it's true. Worst case scenario when you have a headache, grab some coffee. Caffeine does wonders.

Oh yes - caffeine can do wonders! In many ways!

Joaquin had just become tall enough for Everest too! We were super stoked about that.

Oh, I hope he enjoyed it as much as Willow did!

Your chef really did go all out spoiling you with gluten free treats. That's awesome!

She was so kind! The whole Tusker House experience was wonderful.

Her costume definitely turned out beautiful! Yay on booking the Disneyland Hotel!

Thanks!!! Super-excited to have the hotel booked - makes the trip start to feel more real. Can't wait to actually purchase the APs!

Awww, she got a puffy Yeti, giant, hugely fluffy friend of my little Yeti.

I knew you would love Puffball Yeti!

 

[Nakkira]

I love your TR title.
"Heat, Humidity, Crowds"

While we had a good time, this was pretty much the THEME SONG of our trip.
Thankfully we are good at making the best of things so it did not ruin our trip but yeah, that felt like it should be a part of my title too!

 

[RGirl]

I love your TR title.
"Heat, Humidity, Crowds"

While we had a good time, this was pretty much the THEME SONG of our trip.
Thankfully we are good at making the best of things so it did not ruin our trip but yeah, that felt like it should be a part of my title too!

Welcome! And yes - it was crazy, wasn't it? You really have to work a little harder at having fun when it's that hot, humid and crowded!

 

[RGirl]

Some More Characters​

After a great time with Pluto and Goofy, Dino-Dumbo was up and running, so we did that next.

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After that, despite my best efforts, I accidentally walked us past the Boneyard. I hate this place, but once DD had spotted it, we had to stop. I can’t stand not knowing where the heck she is, and there is no way to keep an eye on your kiddo in here! We agreed to 5 or 10 minutes or something though, so it wasn’t too bad.

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After a brief visit to the Boneyard, we decided it was time to find some more characters! So we headed off in search of a certain bear and his tiger friend.

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We arrived shortly at Pooh’s meet-and-greet spot, and of course, Pooh had to run out for some honey and was soon followed by Tigger. But they returned quickly. Pooh absolutely loved his autograph page and took DD over to a little table to show her his real honey pot, which looked a lot like the one on our page.

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Pooh’s page:

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Tigger was next! He was as bouncy and adorable as ever.

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Tigger’s page:

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Up Next: Did Someone Say “Characters”?

 

[RGirl]

Disney on Ice​

Last weekend, Willow and I and my mom went to see Disney on Ice. I thought I would share some pics with those of you who might be interested.

We live in a very small city, so we had to travel to a city an hour away for this event. Willow had no idea where we were going, but she was excited for a visit to Target. Note what she is wearing - I am not joking when I say she had NO idea we were doing anything Disney this day. This is just what she decided to wear for what she thought was a day of shopping.

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My mom had kindly treated us to this experience, and she had shelled out for the VIP seats approximately two feet away from the ice. Miss Willow was pretty psyched about her better view this year.

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I tried to get a pic to give some sense of how close we were.

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The premise was a talent show of sorts hosted by some of our favorite friends.

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Pinocchio appeared in a brief skit first.

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Unfortunately, he was caught in a lie.

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These ladies were next.

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You can get a sense of what Goofy thought about their performance.

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And then the real show began. A truncated version of The Little Mermaid was first.

Aquata, Andrina, Arista, Atina, Adella, Allana….

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I wanna be where the people are….

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The seaweed is always greener…..

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Darlin’ it’s better, down where it’s wetter….

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You poor unfortunate soul….

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Legs!

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[RGirl]

Disney on Ice Continued​

Our hosts returned to introduce the next act.

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Can you guess?

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There were lots of frying pans.

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I’ve got scars and lumps and bruises….

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She’s got a dream….

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Take it from your mumsy….

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These two didn’t get along very well.

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But these two did.

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There were more frying pans and songs, and then the lanterns.

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Everyone celebrated.

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Willow and her new Beast enjoyed an intermission.

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Mickey was shocked to discover that Minnie had entered him into the show.

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He didn’t know what to do, but he was encouraged to read a story. Can you guess what it was about?

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Pesky brothers.

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Demanding mother who means well.

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An archery contest ensued.

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Much mother/daughter angst, Mickey summarized the rest of the story, and the mother and daughter reunited. Willow was thrilled when the queen came so close and waved at her.

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[RGirl]

Disney on Ice Continued​

This guy appeared shortly thereafter.

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Minnie seems quite impressed.

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Poor Gaston - he had so many talents, he couldn’t decide which to feature.

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Luckily, he had plenty of comfort.

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How can anyone resist his charms?

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How can you read this, there’s no pictures?

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Soon Belle found herself somewhere strange and dark.

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The master was not pleased.

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Be our guest! Be our guest! Put our service to the test….

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Tie your napkin ‘round your neck, cherie, and we’ll provide the rest….

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Don’t believe me? Ask the dishes….

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They can sing, they can dance; after all, Miss, this is France!

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Belle, I have something to show you. But first, you have to close your eyes. It’s a surprise!

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And when we touched, she didn’t shudder at my paw….

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Well, it just so happens that this is the perfect book to read aloud….

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Kill the Beast!

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Tale as old as time….

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And everyone came out for the finale.

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We had a great time! Thank you for letting me share with you!

 

[Luvchefmic]

We used to love to go to Disney on Ice when my DDs were little always had a great time Maximus on ice WOW that looked really cool Nice pictures great seats

Now what did I say way back when about when Willow is lots older and she won't tolerate a slob partner coming to the dinner table ? I mean for goodness sakes look at her " Going to Target" ensemble Your DD is a riot and always makes me smile Thanks so much for sharing her with us

 

[dizneeat]

Thanks for another great update!
I could not remember what the "boneyard" was - yeah, how could I, not somewhere two "oldies" would be so welcome.

Love, love, love all of your Disney on ice pics. This is the closest I will ever get to that performance. Thanks for sharing.

Oh, and BTW, princess Willow just knows how to dress for every occasion.

 

[Jackiemarie21]

I love Willow's shopping attire! She is too funny!
Those seat looked amazing! The show you saw looked awesome, I hope it comes to St. Louis! Great update your DD is too fun.

 

[STLMickeyMom]

We saw this same Disney on ice show when it was here last time. It was so good! But we did not have seats nearly as awesome as yours!! Now I'm even more convinced we need to sit in those seats at least once. I loved those lanterns and your pictures are gorgeous!

Glad to know my DD isn't the only one who wears a princess dress to run errands!

More cute autograph pages!

We've never gone in the boneyard. I don't think our girls have noticed it yet and I'm ok with that. I'm sure someone would get lost in there and we'd have to spend an hour looking for each other.

 

[Nakkira]

Welcome! And yes - it was crazy, wasn't it? You really have to work a little harder at having fun when it's that hot, humid and crowded!

Thankful I am very Good at having a Fun even under difficult circumstances!

 

[RGirl]

We used to love to go to Disney on Ice when my DDs were little always had a great time Maximus on ice WOW that looked really cool Nice pictures great seats

I have great memories of the Ice-Capades with my mom when I was little. So it was fun for all three generations to go together this year. Maximus is definitely the best part of the whole show - he was in the show last year too. Love him!

Now what did I say way back when about when Willow is lots older and she won't tolerate a slob partner coming to the dinner table ? I mean for goodness sakes look at her " Going to Target" ensemble Your DD is a riot and always makes me smile Thanks so much for sharing her with us

You have a point! And thank you - I think she's a pretty great kid.

Thanks for another great update!

You're welcome! Ad thanks so much for sticking in with me - I know it's been kind of slow going lately….

I could not remember what the "boneyard" was - yeah, how could I, not somewhere two "oldies" would be so welcome.

Not knowing the boneyard - definitely one of the biggest pluses about traveling without children, if you ask me!

Love, love, love all of your Disney on ice pics. This is the closest I will ever get to that performance. Thanks for sharing.

I'm so glad you enjoyed them! I wasn't sure whether people would really want to see them, but I figured someone might appreciate the opportunity to get a sense of the show.

Oh, and BTW, princess Willow just knows how to dress for every occasion.

Right?? The child cracks me up!

 

[RGirl]

I love Willow's shopping attire! She is too funny!

She definitely cracks me up! She will go months wearing "normal" clothes, and then one day, she'll get up and have to wear a princess dress. Earlier that day, she had worn her Mary Poppins dress to the YWCA where we were going for her swimming lesson.

Those seat looked amazing! The show you saw looked awesome, I hope it comes to St. Louis! Great update your DD is too fun.

It was a great show! I hope you get and Charlotte get to see it. Our seats were wonderful - it was so nice of my mom to do that for us.

We saw this same Disney on ice show when it was here last time. It was so good! But we did not have seats nearly as awesome as yours!! Now I'm even more convinced we need to sit in those seats at least once. I loved those lanterns and your pictures are gorgeous!

It was a great show, wasn't it? The seats were wonderful - it would be very difficult to go back to regular seats now, however….

Glad to know my DD isn't the only one who wears a princess dress to run errands!

It's great that they are still so able to just be who they are, isn't it? I totally have no problem with it - I don't look forward to the day when she doesn't do things because of what others might think.

More cute autograph pages!

Thanks!

We've never gone in the boneyard. I don't think our girls have noticed it yet and I'm ok with that. I'm sure someone would get lost in there and we'd have to spend an hour looking for each other.

It's awful! Don't EVER tell them about it!!!!

Thankful I am very Good at having a Fun even under difficult circumstances!

That's great! I find that, no matter what, it's not all that hard to have fun at WDW!

I will have to check out your TR and read about all your fun.

 

[RGirl]

Did Someone Say “Characters”?​

After meeting with Pooh and Tigger, we were eager for a meet-and-greet we had never done before! Russell and Dug! Unfortunately, Dug was not out at this time, but we stopped to meet Russell anyway. And we were so glad we did! Because Russell just went nuts for our autograph page. It was so funny - he was showing the PP guy, the hander, insisted it show in the pictures.

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Whoa - look how hot DD was! Poor little thing.

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So, after another great character meet, where do you think we went next? If you guessed “more characters” - you are correct! We needed to stop by Micky and Minnie’s new meet-and-greet spot, of course! We liked their new place - the AC was the best part!!! I loved the photos in here.

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We didn’t have to wait long at all before DD was hanging out with the Main Mice. Puffball Yeti was apparently also quite keen to meet them.

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Their AK autograph pages:

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Up Next: A Detour from Our Character Mission

 

[shan23877]

I have avoided the Boneyard from the moment I heard about it. Glad to know that's we've made the right choice.

How cute is she running errands in her gown? Love it! You got amazing pictures from Disney on Ice! Thanks for sharing them.

I love Russel and Dug! So sweet how much he loved his autograph page!

Great pics of Willow meeting Mickey and Minnie. I love the ones of just her. You can see how beautiful she is and how happy she was to be there.

 

[RGirl]

I have avoided the Boneyard from the moment I heard about it. Glad to know that's we've made the right choice.

You have DEFINITELY made the right choice!!!

How cute is she running errands in her gown? Love it! You got amazing pictures from Disney on Ice! Thanks for sharing them.

Thanks! I am not much of a photographer, but I figured if I took enough pictures, I would end up with some that were decent.

I love Russel and Dug! So sweet how much he loved his autograph page!

It was so cute!!! And his page really wasn't anything special, but he made SUCH a big deal about it and seemed genuinely thrilled. It was really cool.

Great pics of Willow meeting Mickey and Minnie. I love the ones of just her. You can see how beautiful she is and how happy she was to be there.

Awww - thank you! I love it when we get a PP photographer who actually takes a few shots like that. They really show the joy and excitement even more than the actual pics with the characters.

 

[RGirl]

A Detour from Our Character Mission​

After our great meet with Mickey and Minnie, we had to make a slight detour from characters to head back to Asia to use our EE FPs!

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At some point, someone else got control of my camera briefly.

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As you can see, the stand-by wait time was almost an hour.

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We were thrilled to have FPs and zipped on through that queue instead.

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One of our more hilarious ride photos resulted from this EE adventure.

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After our fun ride, we got right back to work on our character hunt. We needed to head over to Camp Minnie-Mickey. We made a quick stop for a Mickey ice cream bar first. Unfortunately, it was melting so fast and we were still not all that hungry, so we each had about 3 bites and threw the rest away.

We started trekking through AK again, but DD was getting super-hot. Because, as you may have heard, it WAS super-hot out! We detoured into a store for some AC for a bit. My pics from in there are too blurry to post. After cooling down a bit, we started out again. DD spotted a photo opportunity along the way and couldn’t pass it up.

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I especially love this one!

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Up Next: Hey, Why Don’t We Meet Some Characters?

 

[shan23877]

Love the photo ops, and that ride pic is amazing. I was so happy we did + when I saw some of our ride photos (and if I ever get my TR updated I can share some!)