How I Survived 11 Days at WDW with a Disney-Resistant Husband **2/20 THE END **

[SoonerGirl]

Awwww, I think that is so sweet that Chris was excited about all the things in AG store! Daddy's will do all kinds of things we wouldn't think they would for their little girls

Hope you had a great day of soccer! We spent most of the day at the football fields. From 9am until 3pm, and it was crazy hot - 100 degrees, no breeze - I was sooooo ready to get home!

 

[cdotla]

I think you are going at the Disney vacation from the wrong angle. You need to get DD to beg her Daddy to take her to Disney World and then give him the sad face everytime he is ready to bolt for the exit.

Awwww, I think that is so sweet that Chris was excited about all the things in AG store! Daddy's will do all kinds of things we wouldn't think they would for their little girls

Hope you had a great day of soccer! We spent most of the day at the football fields. From 9am until 3pm, and it was crazy hot - 100 degrees, no breeze - I was sooooo ready to get home!

Soccor was very fun yesterday! Hot, but fun!

 

[seamama71]

So sweet about DH in the AG store
You have me hoping for a little girl!!!

 

[cdotla]

So sweet about DH in the AG store
You have me hoping for a little girl!!!

Girls are definitely fun! But there is something to what they say about the connections between girls and their fathers and sons and their mothers. My little guy can pull my heartstrings like no other!

 

[cdotla]

Another Rope Drop at the Magic Kingdom

The next morning came bright and early. At 6:45am we were up and at it, getting ourselves ready to head back to the Magic Kingdom for our 8am breakfast reservation at Crystal Palace. Our 2nd time visiting there this trip! Once again, there were no complaints from Chris this morning....he was very happy to be getting back to his favourite breakfast place on property.

My in-laws decided they would be sleeping in and not visiting the Parks today so we were back to being just a family of 4.

Given that we were visiting the MK, and would therefore have to drive our car to the TTC, and take the monorail or boat from there over to the MK, we decided to take the bus instead. We arrived at the bus stop around 7:30, a bit later than we should have, but fortunately for us, within 2 minutes of arriving at the bus stop, we were on our way to the Magic Kingdom. We ended up making a brief stop to pick up more guests at the Boardwalk, and then before we knew it, we were pulling up at the Magic Kingdom.

By the time we went through bag check, and the turnstiles, and made our way down Main Street, we ended up arriving at Crystal Palace at about 8:10am, about 5 minutes late for our 8:05am reservation. Fortunately though, most of the morning rush had been cleared out by this time, so we were instantly shown to our table.

Once again, we had a fabulous breakfast. Delicious food, and we ended up having the same great server that we had 4 days earlier on our 1st visit. And fortunately we also got a chance to have our photos taken with Tiger, who we missed on our last visit.

We wrapped things up at Crystal Palace just in time for Rope Drop. As we had already participated in the "Dumbo Dash" on our first day at the Magic Kingdom, we immediately headed over into Tomorrowland. This would be Declan's first time on Space Mountain, and of course, he was very excited. Not surprisingly, we discovered another Park favourite!

After that, we headed over to the Speedway. This attraction can get backlogged very quickly, so it is always a good idea to hit it as early as possible. Even shortly after park opening, there were a fair bit of people ahead of us in line and we probably had to wait at least 10 minutes to get on.

While this ride gets a lot of flak, both the kids and I love it. Chris - not so much! I expect the 2mph speed limit probably bores him!

I tried to take a picture of Declan & I on the ride, but this is the best I did:

After our "race" around the speedway, we headed off towards the Tea Cups and stopped to take a picture with the Randy Pausch memorial. I had a photo of this from a past trip at night, but wanted a shot in daylight.

Like many others, Chris and I were both moved so much by his story, and we each read the book, the Last Lecture. There are so many good life lessons in that book! If you have never heard about Randy Pausch or his heartwarming Last Lecture, you can read about it on his website: http://www.thelastlecture.com/extras.htm
There is also a link on that website to the YouTube video of his original lecture, which has got to be one of the most compelling, powerful and inspiring talks I have ever seen.

After snapping a quick photo of the memorial, we headed over to the entrance of Toontown for Rope Drop. One of my supreme frustrations about Toontown Rope Drop is the fact that you never know when it is going to happen. The posted time is never the same as the time that Cast Members will give you, which is never the same as the actual Rope Drop. I have seen it open as early as 9:30am or as late as 9:50am. Of course, the time that it is "supposed" to open is 9:45am.

By the time we arrived at the Toontown entrance around 9:40am, there were already quite a few people gathered around. I had a couple of ideas for what we could do here once it opened. First - if Goofy was out, I thought it would be fun to try to get on the 1st Barnstormer to ride along with Goofy in the same "plane".

I also thought about suggesting to do Pixie Hollow, but I quickly dismissed that thought. The fairies wouldn't be high on Declan's list of priorities, and the crazy line up to get to them (even when you arrive 1st thing after rope drop) can be very long. I knew waiting in another long line would not go over well with Chris, plus I already had these photos of Katie with the fairies from our past trip:

However, I thought that both kids would enjoy meeting Mickey and Minnie in the Judge's Tent, so that was to be our destination of choice if we didn't see Goofy at rope drop.

Unfortunately, I hadn't started to realize at that point just how little patience Chris has for lines. There were probably about 20-30 people gathered around the Toontown Rope Drop entrance, and we were about 10 or so people from the front. Chris started saying something to the effect of "All we ever do is wait in lines here", but I was kinda too busy to pay much attention between zipping up this bag or that, putting away tickets, taking out the camcorderer, ect., ect.

After a couple minutes standing there in line, while I had my head burried deep in the underneath compartment of the double jogging stroller trying to dig sunscreen for the kids out of the backpack, I heard Chris mutter something and finally looked up to see him walking away.

I called out to him as I had no idea where he was going, but it was very noisy and he was already a good distance away and couldn't hear me.

I then asked the kids what he had said, and they hadn't heard him either. I have a vague recollection that they may have been fighting over elbow room in the stroller at the time.

So now what was I supposed to do? It was 9:45am and Rope Drop would be happening any minute. I had no idea where Chris was going, or when he would be back. Neither of us had any cell phones. If I left the line to try and find him, we would lose our spots, and neither the ride on the Barnstormer with Goofy or the photos in the Judges Tent would happen as we would not be able to wait in the 45 minute line ups that form later in the day.

I thought of the possibilities. He may have left for the washroom. He may have gone to buy a drink. He may have had enough of the line and went to sit down. He may have had enough of the Park and went to catch a bus back to the Resort. Unlikely...but I couldn't completely rule it out.

I looked around at other families around us in line, most of whom all seemed excited and happy with the Rope Drop moment that was about to occur and wished for the countless time on this trip that my family could share a love of the parks like that.

Ultimately I decided to stick it out in the line. I had everything I needed - room key, park tickets, cameras, stroller, park backpack, ect. Hopefully Chris would be back, but if he wasn't, we would stick around until our Lunch ADR at the Plaza as planned and then make our way back to the Beach Club.

I kept looking over my shoulder and trying to scan the crowd for Chris right up until Rope Drop. Finally, the CMs came and the final rope drop countdown began. Then, we were off.

Unfortunately, there was no sign of Goofy at Rope Drop, like we have seen on past trips. So it wasn't looking good for a Goofy ride-along opportunity.

As we got up to the stroller parking outside the Barnstromer and Mickey and Minnie's House, Chris showed up. I knew at this point that making our way into the Judges' Tent to wait in a line for photos with Mickey and Minnie was not going to be something he would want to do. So although there was no Goofy in sight, we still set out for the Barnstormer and managed to be the first ones in line to ride. Although the kids had already tackled the 3 Mountains, they still enjoyed the more modest Barnstormer ride. So much so that we did it 2 times in a row.

UP NEXT: Adventures with Pirates and Tiki Birds

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Too funny about Chris and the American Girl store! If only we could figure out what he likes about it and try to translate it Disney.

Looks like another fun morning at MK! Glad you got to see Tigger. He's my favorite!

I'm regretting not spending more time in Toon Town now that it's going away.

Can't wait to hear how you liked The Plaza for lunch!

 

[klacey1]

I had to make sure to take a picture of the Pausch quote on our last trip, too. We've watched the Last Lecture on YouTube many times-- I tear up at the end everytime when he mentions his children.
Love Katie's Tiana outfit! Is it from Etsy??

 

[SoonerGirl]

I absolutely adore Katie's outfit, that is so cute! I need a girl.....

Thanks for the info on Randy Pausch, I must live under a rock or something because I've never heard of the book or his lecture, I'm going to check it out though!

Looks like you had another great breakfast with Pooh! I'm looking forward to your review of The Plaza, I've yet to eat there but have been considering it more and more lately.

 

[mermaid764]

Thanks for the info on Randy Paush, I'd never heard of him before seeing it on your TR but enjoyed getting to read about it on the website...what a touching story.

Sorry to hear about Chris walking away but luckily he made it back in time to meet up with you guys.

I'm looking forward to hearing what you guys think of the Plaza

 

[dismagiclover]

Another great breakfast with Pooh Bear! I love hitting Goofy's Barnstormer early! Absolutely no lines (which is clearly best for Chris) Can't wait to hear your Plaza review. That is my favorite place to eat in the Magic Kingdom. In fact that is where I'm having my birthday dinner in January!

 

[norybell]

Hi! I read all of your TR in one day, and am loving it!

I grew up going to WDW every few years with an extremely Disney-resistant dad, and I already know that my DH (who's never been -- I'm not even going to bother trying until we have kids to bring along) won't be crazy about it. So I feel for you!

My Disney-resistant dad, for what it's worth, somehow ended up raising four Disney-crazed daughters! (OK, maybe that was more my mom's doing...)

Can't wait for the next installment!

 

[cdotla]

Too funny about Chris and the American Girl store! If only we could figure out what he likes about it and try to translate it Disney.

Looks like another fun morning at MK! Glad you got to see Tigger. He's my favorite!

I'm regretting not spending more time in Toon Town now that it's going away.

Can't wait to hear how you liked The Plaza for lunch!

Chris was all over meeting Tigger too...Randy Pausch's book has obviously made an impact on him!

Can you believe we never got in Mickey and Minnie's houses during our trip to see them once again before Toontown closes? Although there is a rumour they are being relocated.

I should have another update with our Plaza lunch review up shortly!

I had to make sure to take a picture of the Pausch quote on our last trip, too. We've watched the Last Lecture on YouTube many times-- I tear up at the end everytime when he mentions his children.
Love Katie's Tiana outfit! Is it from Etsy??

The Last Lecture really is amazing isn't it? So simple, but so true!

Katie Tiana outfit was actually purchased off eBay. Although I am sure the designer is likely on etsy too.

I absolutely adore Katie's outfit, that is so cute! I need a girl.....

Thanks for the info on Randy Pausch, I must live under a rock or something because I've never heard of the book or his lecture, I'm going to check it out though!

Looks like you had another great breakfast with Pooh! I'm looking forward to your review of The Plaza, I've yet to eat there but have been considering it more and more lately.

You know Michelle - I debated about whether or not to bother posting the link to Randy Pausch's website, figuring that by now everyone had likely heard of him. I am so glad that I did, because even if you are the only one reading my report who heard about him from me, it was worth it! I know you will LOVE it. And show it to your husband too. (As you know, our DHs seem to be very similar, and the Last Lecture really resonanted with mine!)

As for the Plaza Restaurant - you really should try it on your next trip. But it is good that you didn't go their while we were both at the parks that 1st week of May...you'll find out why soon!

Thanks for the info on Randy Paush, I'd never heard of him before seeing it on your TR but enjoyed getting to read about it on the website...what a touching story.

Sorry to hear about Chris walking away but luckily he made it back in time to meet up with you guys.

I'm looking forward to hearing what you guys think of the Plaza

Oh, I am so glad you discovered Randy Pausch from reading my TR!

If you haven't taken the time to listen to the you tube video of his Lecture, you really should do so. It is so moving!

And his book is an excellent read. I am one of these people who never seem to be able to read a book because I have so much on the go with the kids and struggle just to keep up at home. However, when I started reading it I couldn't put it down. It is so easy to read, and refocuses you on the truly worthwhile things in life. And vacations at Disney are right up there on his list!

Another great breakfast with Pooh Bear! I love hitting Goofy's Barnstormer early! Absolutely no lines (which is clearly best for Chris) Can't wait to hear your Plaza review. That is my favorite place to eat in the Magic Kingdom. In fact that is where I'm having my birthday dinner in January!

Love the Plaza...just not so much this visit. I will let you know why soon!

 

[cdotla]

Hi! I read all of your TR in one day, and am loving it!

I grew up going to WDW every few years with an extremely Disney-resistant dad, and I already know that my DH (who's never been -- I'm not even going to bother trying until we have kids to bring along) won't be crazy about it. So I feel for you!

My Disney-resistant dad, for what it's worth, somehow ended up raising four Disney-crazed daughters! (OK, maybe that was more my mom's doing...)

Can't wait for the next installment!

Wow! The whole TR in one day! Hopefully those links on the 1st page came in handy for you!

Welcome!!! And thanks so much for posting! I really appreciate hearing your story about the 4 Disney-crazed daughters born to a resister! I am hoping mine turn out the same...I am already grooming/encouraging them to be part of the College Program!

 

[cdotla]

Before our company arrived this afternoon, Chris & I spent some time hanging a large new canvas painting in our living room. UPS just delivered it on Friday.

Here it is:

Wanna know who the artist is? None other than my Mother-in-Law! I am so proud of her! She has been taking an art class in Montreal, and this is the first painting of this scale and size that she has done. She sent us a picture of it and we loved it, so she agreed to ship it to us.

She is very proud of it, and so are we!

 

[Queenofallthings]

That is an absolutely beautiful print....what a talented lady! BTW, I love your living room, it's so bright a cheery!!!

 

[MaryAz]

Great updates. I am glad your Hubby likes the AG stuff. Mine does too. Yay for another good meal at CP. Thanks for posting where the Randy P tribute is. I will have to take a pic on our next trip. Such an inspiring man he was. I continue to be a litte sad for you as you tell about the "less magical" parts of the trip. I am glad you were able to have fun anyway.

 

[brookelizabeth]

Beautiful! Did she always do or enjoy art, or was the course completely on a whim? She's obviously talented!!!

 

[pinkle]

I absolutely love your white furniture!!!! Where did you get it? Is it easy to keep clean (slipcovers?)

 

[WDW Fan]

First off let me say that you have the patience of a Saint!!! It must feel frustrating for you when Chris loses his patience with any lines at WDW because, let's face it, that is all part of the experience at WDW Hopefully, on your next trip, he'll find more enjoyment and have more patience since your friends will be around you. I loved the picture that your MIL painted and the colors look absolutely perfect in your living room! You really have an eye for decorating because your living room looks so inviting. Looking forward to hearing about your lunch at The Plaza. I hope you didn't have too long of a wait to get in though.

 

[dismagiclover]

That is a beautiful painting and I'm actually an art history teacher so I speak with authority It fits perfectly in that space and matches the walls as well. Did you have to repaint or was that just lucky?