Hogwarts & HalloWishes - An October Birthday Surprise (Extra Day in the MK)

[AJRitz]

Somehow I missed your first few updates. Too much to go back and quote, but I loved the surprise video!

What did you think of the hotel? We've only been to Universal once, and I refused to pay $29 for the Express pass. As much as it would kill me, I'm thinking of staying one night over there just to get the Express Pass privilges that come with the room.

I thought the Hard Rock Hotel was nice, but flawed. The common areas are very loud - loud enough to make conversation in the lobby difficult. And I was disappointed in the two "dining" experiences we had.

As I said, the service at The Kitchen for lunch was excruciatingly slow and sloppy. And the couple of times we were in Emack & Bolio's it struck me as poorly kept up and inadequately staffed. At breakfast time, they had only two CSRs in the whole place. One was usually tied up making coffee drinks, leaving only one to deal with customer questions. Meanwhile, at times, no one was at the register. We had to stand around waiting while the CSR making coffee drinks finished making a latte and then walked all the way around the long counter to the front of the shop so we could pay for our breakfast items. When we were in there the night before for ice cream, the service was friendly enough but the area was really unkempt. There were a number of flies in the shop, presumably attracted by melted ice cream that was allowed to linger longer than it should have been before being cleaned up. The pool area does look very nice, but we didn't really have the time/energy to take advantage of that feature.

The Express Pass key was a bonus, but at the time of year we were there, it was mostly unnecessary. We might have felt differently if we were spending more time in the Universal parks - it was helpful on Jimmy Neutron and Shrek 4-D. Our primary reason for staying on property was Early Entry to WWoHP, but as I said, that was vastly overrated as well, since the rides seemed more crowded at WWoHP during Early Entry than they were in the evening (though the shops were much easier to navigate). The boat transportation to and from the parks was a very useful perk for onsite guests.

I guess the clincher for staying on site is that the $29/person/day Express Pass costs add up in a hurry. Especially when you consider that you sort of get an extra day of Express Pass free when you stay on property. They'll activate your card as soon as you check in, even if your room isn't ready, and your card will continue to work until park closing on the day you check out. I think I'd stay on property again, but I'd be very tempted to try another of the hotels, even though Hard Rock probably has the coolest pool of the three options.

What about one loop, but it lasts the entire ride? How would that work for her?

The Bug is a bit of a hyper-rational kid. I think she was just looking for some objective way to measure whether the ride was going to be "too scary" or not. In her mind, ten loops was just too scary. And she could ask the team member on the way in whether there were fewer than ten loops, and get a simple yes or no answer.

My DS was too short to sit in the moving seats, so I sat with him in the stationary ones. From there, the attraction is just nausea inducing. It's like watching the Blair Witch Project on amphetamines. (The movie is on them, no you. But it might have the same effect.)

I feel your pain. Dramamine was my friend throughout the whole trip. The Bug and I would each pop a dramamine every morning as soon as we got to the parks, and managed to avoid any major queasiness. The only ride I really had any issues with at all was Forbidden Journey. It was a good thing I had the dramamine on board for that one.

Best thing about Universal. The voice synthesizer they use for Donkey is spot on. But it was odd interacting with Donkey while Shrek didn't talk at all.

That is a bit odd. It just sort of makes Shrek seem like more of a stupid oaf than he is in the movies (where he bucks the "stupid oaf" stereotype).

 

[FreezinRafiki]

As far as I know, the only AAA discounts at Disney have to do with tickets purchased through AAA when purchasing your Disney package through them. The AAA stores and dining discounts were only at Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure. Even they didn't really "advertise" the discount, but all of the CSRs seemed to know exactly what to do when I requested the AAA discount from them (usually, it involved entering the member number into their terminal, which automatically produced the discount).

When we ate lunch there (In Universal Studios - International Food Court or something like that) the cashier actually asked me if I had a AAA card. Saved me 10% or 20%. I was surprised they asked, but glad they did. I would have never guessed they were a "Show Your Card and Save" place.

 

[hill6]

I can't believe that the housekeeping head person thew away the package. Haven't they ever heard of lost and found. Either she was a scape goat or they kept the contents of the package.

 

[AJRitz]

The day at the Universal parks had been something of a mixed bag. The highs for one kid were lows for the other (Jimmy Neutron, E.T.). After lunch, everyone was hot and cranky and ready for a change. We loaded up the car, plugged "Disney Polynesian" into the GPS, and headed to Disney World. Following the directions in the Email we received from the Poly Itinerary Planning Office, we handed a printout of the Emailed letter to the valet when we pulled up at resort.

They checked and discovered that our room wasn't ready yet, but we could go and hang out in the Concierge Lounge and/or change and use the pool in the meantime. So we turned the car over to the valet and the luggage over to bell services, and got a nice golf cart ride over to the Hawaii longhouse. DW and the kids headed to the concierge lounge for a snack while I sat down with a CL cast member to check in. By the time we were done with the check-in process, our room was ready!

When we entered our room, we were greeted by a Hawaiian-themed towel Mickey, as well as a Halloween towel ghost on the shelf above the TV:

The kids were wiped out from the morning, so as soon as our luggage was delivered we pulled the curtains, shut off the lights, and DW and the kids took a nap. (I spent some time in the CL, surfing the 'net from my iPad with that gorgeous view of Cinderella's castle in the background. They took about a three-hour nap, before it was time to get up for our dinner reservation at 'Ohana. Luckily, we were ready to go a little earlier than expected, and got from Hawaii to the Great Ceremonial Hall a little faster than expected - we ended up arriving just as the Torch Lighting Ceremony was beginning! So we headed out to the sidewalk in front of the GCH and were welcomed to the Polynesian Resort with drums, fire-dancing, and the torch-lighting ceremony.

.

After the ceremony, we went upstairs and checked in for our ADR at 'Ohana almost exactly 15 minutes early. They gave us a buzzer and we wandered around the shops on the 2nd floor of the GCH for a bit. The Bug enjoyed trying on hats.

Our buzzer went off and we were escorted to our table at almost exactly our ADR time. I was initially a bit concerned when I saw that our table was by the windows, on the opposite side of the kitchen from where the activities were going on. But after a few minutes, it was clear this setting was perfect for us. Our waitress came and took our drink orders right away, and DW and I ordered a Lapu Lapu

The welcome bread came out, and the getting-cranky kids were instantly calmed by the tasty pineapple-y, coconutty bread. Just as we were running out of bread, the salad arrived. I liked the salad a lot, but DW and The Bug both thought the dressing was too sweet. The broccoli and noodles arrived next (I think - it's hard to keep track of so much food!). Squeaker ate some noodles, but pretty much made his dinner of the broccoli. The Bug chowed down on the noodles. DW and I agreed that both were very good. Chicken wings and potstickers were next. I'm the only one in the family who eats pork, so I had the potstickers all to myself (and really enjoyed them). I also liked the wings, but DW again thought they were too sweet and they were a touch spicy for the (very sensitive to spicy) Bug.

Somewhere among that cavalcade of foodstuffs, the MC with the ukelele came around collecting children for a parade. The Bug was excited for it, and had a blast. Squeaker was too shy to play, but enjoyed watching the kids march by. The Bug participated in the parade with maracas and also played limbo.

The skewered meats were next. I was the only one eating the pork or the shrimp. I though the flavor of the shrimp was excellent, but they were challenging to peel, due to the spices and juices on the shells. The pork didn't impress me. I was rather dry and not particularly flavorful. The steak and the chicken were both very good. DW enjoyed the steak and chicken. While neither Squeaker nor the Bug were all that fond of the grilled meats, there had been so many food options during the meal that they each found enough to satisfy them. Our waitress was wonderful, checking up on our drinks, offering seconds of anything that had been served, and clearing plates that were taking up space on the table and not being used.

Finally, of course, the piece de resistance (I wish I knew how to make the French accent characters appear) - the banana bread pudding, ice cream and caramel sauce. Even the finicky Squeaker liked dessert!

We finished our evening on the Poly beach, watching the Electric Water Pageant and Wishes, before heading to bed with plans to wake up early in the morning and head to Animal Kingdom.

 

[Rental01]

I'm the only one in the family who eats pork, so I had the potstickers all to myself (and really enjoyed them).

Wha... uh... I mean, they still eat bacon right?

Great TR!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Just catching up...man, that's a lot of heartburn to deal with between not getting your package and you daugher being just short of the required height for the rides. Ugh. The picture of the two of them after E.T. cracked me up, though.

Man, I'd love to stay at the Polynesian Resort sometime. Love the theming there. What did you think of Wishes from the beach? That's a great spot for the show.

 

[AJRitz]

Just catching up...man, that's a lot of heartburn to deal with between not getting your package and you daugher being just short of the required height for the rides. Ugh. The picture of the two of them after E.T. cracked me up, though.

Man, I'd love to stay at the Polynesian Resort sometime. Love the theming there. What did you think of Wishes from the beach? That's a great spot for the show.

The Poly was beautiful and relaxing - and this is likely the last chance we'll have to stay there for a VERY long time. We could only afford it this time because we used a good chunk of a small inheritance that I received from my grandmother about a year ago. We thought of it as a sort of "going away" present from her. Using the money for a trip to Universal/Disney World was sort of the continuation of an inside joke. My grandparents, especially after they moved to the assisted living facility, kept their apartment at about 80 degrees year-round. Going to visit them was referred to in the family as "taking a trip to Florida."

I enjoyed Wishes from the beach, especially because I liked being able to see both the Water Parade and Wishes together. But for me, nothing beats fireworks from Main Street. Somehow, the scale of the fireworks seems diminished by the distance.

 

[AJRitz]

We woke up early Sunday morning, and enjoyed a quick Concierge Lounge breakfast. Squeaker was thrilled to discover that they offered his favorite cereal - Froot Loops. While the breakfast offerings weren't anything really special, they were certainly sufficient to give us a good, quick, start to the day. Beverages were the only disappointment - Polynesian Concierge Level coffee is some of the worst coffee I've ever tasted, and the wonderful pineapple-orange-guava ("POG") juice that is in the CL at other times is not put out for breakfast.

Our timing was nearly perfect. We arrived at the bus stop in front of the Polynesian as the Hollywood Studios bus was pulling away. An Animal Kingdom bus arrived about five minutes later. We walked through the Animal Kingdom turnstile about ten minutes before rope drop, so we got to see the opening show with Mickey, Minnie and Pluto. After that, it was time to test the touring strategies I'd learned while planning the trip.

I set off on the trek to Asia with all of our park tickets to get Everest Fastpasses, while DW and the kids headed for Dinoland. The crowd wasn't bad at all, and I managed to get the Fastpasses and back to Dinoland without much fuss. We thought Squeaker would want to ride Triceratops Spin, but he decided that they ride vehicles were "too big." He was content to just wander around with DW and absorb the atmosphere, while The Bug and enjoyed a walk-on ride on Primeval Whirl (followed immediately by a second ride, since there was no line). Unfortunately, there was one significant flaw in my planning - I didn't realize that The Boneyard doesn't open with the rest of the park. It still wasn't open when we were done Whirling, and The Bug decided to pass on DINOSAUR!, so we left Dinoland and headed for Asia.

The Bug and I rode Everest twice with our four Fastpasses (though we probably could have walked on almost as quickly, given the low crowds) while DW and Squeaker continued exploring.

We met back up with DW and Squeaker, where I made a critical touring mistake. The Bug wanted to ride Kali River Rapids, and rather than put my phone in the plastic bag I'd brought for that purpose, I tucked it into the backpack that DW was carrying. We then separated again. The Bug and I rode Kali and got suitably soaked (The Bug was disappointed she didn't get wetter, so she dunked herself in a nearby fountain after we got off). But when it came time to catch back up with DW and Squeaker, I realized what a mistake leaving my phone in the backpack was. As The Bug and I wandered around looking for them, I noticed that I was developing quite a blister on my left foot. It turns out that Squeaker had found an opportunity to bang on some drums.

Serendipitously, we caught up with DW and Squeaker (who had the backpack, and thus the autograph supplies) just as we happened upon a meet and greet with Terk from Tarzan

The Bug also had a fun character interaction with Flik, who was thrilled with the autograph card that had his name and picture already on it (Squeaker wouldn't go near the characters. It was a recurring theme all week).

Next was Killimanjaro Safari, for which DW and Squeaker had acquired Fastpasses while The Bug and I were on Kali. Even with Fastpass, the Safari was the one thing all day that we had to wait in a line for. While the Safari was cool, I was underwhelmed with it compared to the hype for it. I liked that it was the one ride that we all did together (due to Squeaker's ride aversion), but we didn't much of anything that we couldn't see in an equally open environment at the Kansas City Zoo. (Though I'll admit that the Mama and Baby elephant were pretty darned cool).

After a quick change out of the clothes that were still wet from Kali (and dousing herself in the fountain), The Bug joined in with some African dancers outside of Tusker House.

We were getting worn out and hungry, so we stopped at Pizzafari for lunch. I was hoping for Flame Tree BBQ, but was outvoted. I actually had a pretty darned good chicken Caesar salad though, so I can't complain too much. As we started to head to the park exit after lunch, we happened upon two of the kids' favorite characters, Lilo & Stitch. Squeaker was too shy to approach, but The Bug waited excitedly in line with her autograph cards in her hand. The character interaction with Lilo and Stitch was incredible. First, both characters loved the personalized autograph cards. Lilo preened over how she looked on the card. Stitch was his ornery self, alternately being flirty and then trying to steal The Bug's headband. And when Lilo passed The Bug's marker to Stitch for his autograph, Stitch threw a fit (because the marker was Lilo's color - red, instead of his color - blue). We got a whole show, with The Bug in the middle of it.

Squeaker watched the whole thing warily from the fringes. But Stitch did his best to reach out to him

More on the rest of our day in the next post . . .

 

[Rental01]

I am looking forward to what's next! We had a great time in Animal Kindgom on our last trip.

 

[dvczerfs]

i dont know how i missed this. love the vid!!! i could never do it, i would pop. love dd face on the ride. i love sqeekers. id love to meet donkey myself. im not much into harry portter but i would love to meet donkey. looks like eveyones havin a great time.

 

[AJRitz]

The kids were completely wiped out by the morning in Animal Kingdom. How wiped out? How about this wiped out:

(Sorry for the crappy cell phone picture - clearly I was just about as wiped out as they were).

I had been concerned about our fairly late (7:15 p.m.) dinner ADR at California Grill since I made it. On the way back to the resort on the bus, DW and I decided that the best way to deal with the late ADR was to make it an adults' night out dinner. As soon as we got back to the resort, I went and talked to the Concierge Lounge staff at the Poly about the Neverland Club. I gasped briefly at the cost ($11.25/child/hour x 2 kids = $22.50/hour x 4 hours = $90.00) , but quickly decided that we could use the adult night out at least $100 worth.

While I was at the concierge desk, DW was trying to get the kids to take a nap. The Bug was ready to sleep for a bit, but Squeaker was fighting it HARD. So to keep Squeaker from keeping The Bug awake, DW took Squeaker for a walk. As he dashed into the concierge desk area, DW rolled her eyes for the concierge staffer and said apologetically, "I just can't get him to nap." In response, the staffer smiled and said, "Ma'am, you're at Disney World." For the remainder of the trip, whenever we started to get frustrated by the kids, one of us would turn to the other and simply say, "Ma'am, you're at Disney World."

Once The Bug had gotten in a short nap, we changed and took the kids out to the Volcano Pool. Squeaker appreciated that the "blocano" pool is relatively shallow

He's a pretty good swimmer for a three-year-old, but with the ability to stand up in the pool, he could really play around and enjoy himself. Meanwhile, The Bug was fixated on the slide.

After swimming, we took the kids back to the room and went ahead and got them bathed. A couple of quick notes about the Neverland Club. We hadn't planned on being able to use it, because when I had checked initially the Neverland Club only took kids ages 4-12, and Squeaker wasn't going to be quite old enough (Tikimanpages.com still says ages 4-12). But just before we left I noticed a thread on the disboards that mentioned that the age had been dropped to 3, as long as the child was potty trained (and could use the bathroom himself). Well, Squeaker wasn't completely potty trained, but he could go by himself, and the accidents were fewer and farther in between. So we gambled and put him in underwear and packed him off with his big sister for the Neverland Club. When we checked the kids in at the Neverland Club, they took the kids' dinner orders (both opted for the Mac & Cheese), got a cell phone contact number from us, and then the kids were invited back into the club (they enter by climbing through the "window", like the kids in Peter Pan). During times when there is childcare, parents are not permitted into the Club at all. We were concerned that this might freak out Squeaker, but he and The Bug were both excited for the Neverland Club, and dashed through the window with no hesitation.

It's amazing how quiet the world suddenly became as DW and I walked away from the Neverland Club toward the GCH to pick up the monorail over to the Contemporary. We found the check-in desk for the California Grill with only a bit of random wandering around (the lobby at the Contemporary can be very confusing for the uninitiated). We shared the express elevator to the restaurant with two other couples and were invited to relax at the bar until our table was ready. But after taking about two steps toward the bar, they were ready to seat us. The tables did seem a bit crowded together, but we ended up seated in a nice spot right by the window, across from the bar.

Our waiter was attentive, but never pushy. We had both let ourselves get a bit dehydrated at Animal Kingdom and the pool, so we skipped wine in favor of iced tea. We decided to indulge ourselves with an appetizer. I had an order of sashimi (DW doesn't eat raw fish) and DW ordered the goat cheese ravioli. As we were waiting for our appetizers, one of the waiters announced, "LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, THE CALIFORNIA GRILL PROUDLY PRESENTS, THE CALIFORNIA GRILL SUNSET!" They had every reason to be proud. We glanced up and the sunset from that vantage point was gorgeous.

While the sashimi was very good, I was a little jealous of DW's ravioli. She shared a taste with me, and it was wonderful - probably the tastiest thing we ate there. For our main courses, we both ordered the Filet of Beef. I figured I'd already had my "fish course" with the sashimi. While the filet was very good, it didn't blow me away. I think I'm a little spoiled when it comes to great steaks, coming from a beef town like Kansas City. In retrospect, I probably should've gone with one of the fish entrees.

By this time, we were both stuffed, but dessert is included in the DDP, and those desserts did look sooooooo good . . . we ended up ordering the Valrhonna chocolate cake and something else (I can't remember what it was). The chocolate cake was oustanding - incredibly rich and tasty. When we were done, I felt a bit like Mr. Creosote. If someone had offered me a wafer-thin mint, there could have been real trouble.

We had planned on hanging around to watch the Hallowishes fireworks from the Cali Grill's observation deck, but after going out to the observation deck to look around, we noticed that it was getting pretty chilly up there. And we still had plenty of time to get back to the Poly, so we decided to head back and watch the fireworks from the Concierge Lounge. That turned out to be a good choice. With the kids still at the Neverland Club, we got a taste of the romantic side of the Polynesian Resort. We had a nice view of the fireworks and the Electric Water Pageant, which we could enjoy with a (no extra charge) adult beverage.

I went and picked the kids up from the Neverland Club a bit before 11 p.m. I was afraid that we'd left them too long, but they were reluctant to leave. They were happy to be the last kids there! The Bug had made a large collection of masks of various Disney characters during Arts & Crafts time. Squeaker had made a Stitch mask. And Squeaker was thrilled that the movies for the night were Toy Story 1 & 2. Also, Squeaker managed to make it until pick up time without having a big accident (though he was "damp" by the time we got back to our room ). It wasn't cheap, but the night out was well worth it, and the kids asked if they could go back to "their" Club several times during the rest of the trip.

Next up, the Magic Kingdom (on an EMH night).

 

[dvczerfs]

thats what i look like on the buss' myself. dw and i were going to try the the cg in may on our 25th anv. trip last year but we didnt. that was the first time i ever stayed at the contemp. with a mk view and i dont think we had the tv on at all. we slept with the drapes open and that usualy is the first thing i do is shut the drapes when we are in a hotel room. we layed across the bed watching the sun set, fireworks at the mk and the electric water pag. eveynight. i would get up in the middle of the night just to see what the mk looked like. we loved it!!! we are doing it again for dd grad. present this june. people ask us are we still gonna go now that dd is going off to col. and work etc..? answer, oh yaaa. it was fun watching her grow up there.(25 trips in 17 years) and she is always more than welcome to go with us at anytime, but dw and i will still have a great time with just the two of us for now. may, just maybe, there will be grand kids in the coming years,(better be alot of years) than we will have the stoller and diaper bag again.

 

[FreezinRafiki]

The kids were completely wiped out by the morning in Animal Kingdom. How wiped out? How about this wiped out:

Ahh..the bus nap. We've had plenty of those!

but quickly decided that we could use the adult night out at least $100 worth.

Despite having DW's parents right there, we've never had an adult night out at Disney. Maybe one of these days...

For the remainder of the trip, whenever we started to get frustrated by the kids, one of us would turn to the other and simply say, "Ma'am, you're at Disney World."

Man, would I love to be randomly walking past when your wife said that to you!


Cali Grill sounds cool. It's on our Disney Bucket list. You know, like just about every Disney restaurant.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

As soon as we got back to the resort, I went and talked to the Concierge Lounge staff at the Poly about the Neverland Club. I gasped briefly at the cost ($11.25/child/hour x 2 kids = $22.50/hour x 4 hours = $90.00) , but quickly decided that we could use the adult night out at least $100 worth.

Man, that's pricy. But you're right, sometimes a night out with the wife is worth any cost.

As he dashed into the concierge desk area, DW rolled her eyes for the concierge staffer and said apologetically, "I just can't get him to nap." In response, the staffer smiled and said, "Ma'am, you're at Disney World."

And really, is there any other response that could sum things up as perfectly?

It's amazing how quiet the world suddenly became as DW and I walked away from the Neverland Club toward the GCH to pick up the monorail over to the Contemporary.

Wonder how that happened?

As we were waiting for our appetizers, one of the waiters announced, "LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, THE CALIFORNIA GRILL PROUDLY PRESENTS, THE CALIFORNIA GRILL SUNSET!" They had every reason to be proud. We glanced up and the sunset from that vantage point was gorgeous.

Getting jealous...

By this time, we were both stuffed, but dessert is included in the DDP, and those desserts did look sooooooo good . . . we ended up ordering the Valrhonna chocolate cake and something else (I can't remember what it was). The chocolate cake was oustanding - incredibly rich and tasty.

Jealousy growing...

Seriously, sounds like a great time and a wonderful night.

Despite having DW's parents right there, we've never had an adult night out at Disney. Maybe one of these days...

Totally worth it, Barry. Go for it!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Cali Grill sounds cool. It's on our Disney Bucket list. You know, like just about every Disney restaurant.

Your bucket list still sounds amazingly similar to ours.

 

[AJRitz]

I was a little concerned about our early start this morning, after the late night at the Neverland Club last night. But the morning routine we'd established the day before, getting ready for Animal Kingdom, went off without a hitch and we boarded the monorail to the Magic Kingdom from the TTC right on schedule.

The Magic Kingdom was decked out in its Halloween finery.

We were through the turnstiles nearly half-an-hour before rope drop. The kids started to get fidgety, but it was worth it to see the reaction when the welcome show started

Since it was our first ever visit to the Magic Kingdom, we headed straight for Fantasyland. Just like at Animal Kingdom, I dashed ahead to grab the first Fastpasses for the day - Peter Pan's Flight. I met back up with DW and the kids after they came through the castle. Lady Tremaine, Anastasia and Drizella came out for a Meet and Greet just then, and The Bug was excited to meet them (and there was virtually no wait). We had some fun character interaction, as DW gave The Bug the "personalized" autograph cards for everyone - except for Drizella, whose card she couldn't find. So Drizella got a generic card, and she was mightily offended.

Both kids also just had to take a shot at the Sword in the Stone (they're both fans of the movie).

The plan had been to start with Dumbo, because Squeaker had ridden a similar (though admittedly smaller) spoke-and-wheel type ride at a county fair just a month or so earlier (and LOVED it). But he was in his, "not leaving the rollercoaster" mood, so we adjusted on the fly. The Bug and I went ahead and got in line to ride The Many Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh, while DW and Squeaker explored Fantasyland. By the time we were exiting the ride, Squeaker as ready to try Dumbo, so DW got in line with the kids. (So as not to waste time later, while they were in line for Dumbo, I made a run to Frontierland for two Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Fastpasses and two Splash Mountain Fastpasses).

After that initial reluctance, Squeaker enjoyed the ride.

After Dumbo, The Bug and I used Peter Pan Fastpasses. Squeaker didn't want to ride Peter Pan, but he and DW ended up riding Pooh while we were riding Peter Pan. We rode Pooh one more time, all together, after Peter Pan, and exited to find another of The Bug's favorite characters with a not-to-bad line next to the Carousel

We stopped for an early lunch at Columbia Harbor House, before continuing on to Frontierland. Lunch was good, and CHH was roomy and comfortable. We sat at a table upstairs, by a window, and had a nice view of Liberty Square. It made for a nice break on a day that was hotter than we'd expected. After lunch, The Bug and I headed for Haunted Mansion and the Frontierland Mountains while Squeaker and DW went to check out the Liberty Belle steamboat and Tom Sawyer Island.

Squeaker thought the riverboat was cool, but he didn't want to ride on it, just look at it. Tom Sawyer Island was another story. He gave DW quite the workout, chasing him around the Island. He was especially excited to defend the fort.

Meanwhile, the Bug had a blast on Big Thunder and Splash. Her only disappointment was that she didn't get wetter on Splash (though I was plenty wet). But Haunted Mansion may have been her favorite of the three. I was concerned that she'd be frightened by it, but I found the right "hook" for her on our way in - I told her that the ghosts reminded me of the ghosts at the Death Day party in Harry Potter. Once she had a context, she was perfectly comfortable with the ride.

At this point, it was definitely time to head back to the resort for a rest. The kids were fading hard, and we were planning on coming back for the Main Street Electrical Parade and Wishes after dinner. The Bug didn't want to head back yet, but we bribed her with the promise of ice cream on the way back through the park. Squeaker didn't even last until he got his ice cream.

 

[dvczerfs]

nice update arron!! looks like poor squeakers had a ruff night. i wish i could do that, sit in the stoller and just take a snooze while im there.

 

[afwdwfan]

It's a shame Squeaker doesn't want to do many of the rides, but it looks like you're getting some valuable father/daughter time with your ride partner!

 

[Rental01]

The Color Purple!

Oh wait... wrong TR.

I'm looking forward to the parade and wishes! Love your TR!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Squeaker thought the riverboat was cool, but he didn't want to ride on it, just look at it. Tom Sawyer Island was another story. He gave DW quite the workout, chasing him around the Island. He was especially excited to defend the fort.

Our boys seem very similar--didn't want to do the rides, but they could have stayed on Tom Sawyer's Island all day long. It's really an underrated spot.

Anyway, I'm glad you got such great quality time with your daughter!

The Color Purple!

Oh wait... wrong TR.

I'm looking forward to the parade and wishes! Love your TR!

+1 AJRitz point