I *think* I made DH a lifelong Disney Fan! A June 2017 TR (the end 7/19)

[chunkymonkey]

All caught up now!!

We had split our TT and Soarin FPs because Will is too short to ride, so we knew we could get Child Swap passes for those and we were coming back on Thursday to do Frozen.

Those rider swap passes were awesome! I'm going to borrow a kid next time we go, LOL. We got them for FoP, Soarin, TT, and even Frozen!

Anyway, we got to the pavilion in a somewhat timely manner and headed in to ride Journey Into Imagination. Before I go any further I will tell you that DH says Figment is one of his favorite characters - I may be repeating myself from the intros, so I apologize if I am. The last time he was at Disney, was right after Epcot opened so he says he thinks he just latched onto Figment as his favorite character because maybe they were really promoting him. Regardless, the ride is kind of blah, but I think we all enjoyed it somewhat and (all three of) the boys probably really liked it.

Haha that's funny since my DH does NOT like Figment. Actually he is indifferent about it but he'd rather not ride as he doesn't like the skunk part.

I figured I would just ride after breakfast and the boys could all do Living with the Land. Not that I think LwtL is a bad ride, but I do not have to ride it every trip...lol.

LOL that is the opposite of my DH who rides it at least 3 times on every trip!

After that we headed to ride GMR with our FP. Mom had ridden this in 2016 when the rest of us did TSMM, but the boys and I missed it. So I'm glad we did it this time. One - because DH had never ridden it before and two - it is now closed. I had been reading rumors before the trip so I knew it was a possibility this could be the last trip with it open. It's never been a huge favorite of mine and I am looking forward to something new, but my mom really loved it and I know lots of others did too.

So sad about this. They might as well change the name of DHS to something else as there is nothing Hollywood about this!

I had been conversing with a Special Events CM on the Star Wars thread and he was going to be working the dessert party, so I was excited to finally meet him. When we checked in, he informed us that we would have a special role that evening. We were to lead the Stormtroopers and party guests out to the special viewing area for the fireworks at the party's conclusion! We totally were not expecting that, but it was a wonderful surprise. We had some photos taken and were issued a certificate:

OMG this is awesome! What great pixie dust! So happy for you guys!!

We made our way into the party. We found a low table to put our stuff on and then we took turns getting some treats and drinks. I am going to preface this by saying that we really were not prepared for the party, since we had not done it before, so things didn't go incredibly smooth. I enjoyed it, as did DH but I think it would've worked better if we had been without the boys or they had been older. There wasn't much to do other than drink and eat and the boys really weren't into doing that. I had things for them to color and my phone for them to play with but this might have been a night I should have brought their ipads. Also, we were afraid to leave our table because we didn't really want to give it up but in retrospect, we probably should have done all our eating and drinking and then abandon that area and have a look around Launch Bay and meet the characters. But instead, Chad took Will to meet Chewbacca however once they were almost at the front, Will had a meltdown and they had to leave the line. Chad did end up going to meet Kylo Ren, whom I wasn't interested in because we had done the meet last year and I think his character is kind of a whiny brat, on his own and got some good photos:

I can see how your boys would be bored with the dessert party. I ended up cancelling this because it was too late, and no one was interested except just a few people in our party.
And yes, Kylo continues to be a whiny brat!

As far as the drinks at the party, most were really too sweet, though I think I stuck with the margarita most of the night which was fine. I'm excited to hear they are adding beer and wine to the menu, though. The food seemed wonderful and plentiful but I didn't get to enjoy because our early dinner just wasn't early enough.

I agree the drinks are too sweet. The margarita was probably the best one. I'm really happy to hear about the beer and wine option though! That is more my taste!
I do love the cheese and olive skewers they have there. I can make a meal from this dessert party!

After coming back from attempting the BB-8 meet...by the way, for those keeping count, I didn't meet any of the SW characters...it was time to gather to lead the Stormtroopers out:

That is soooo cool!!

The Special Events CMs gave the boys lender lightsabers and announced that our family would be leading out the crowd! How exciting! It truly was a magical moment that we will treasure for many years to come! Later on that night, we made sure to tweet to @WDWToday about Lou, the truly wonderful CM that had created that magical moment for us. I then heard that the tweet was read out in one of his CM meetings and it went into his file. So, if you guys ever run into a CM that goes above and beyond, and have a Twitter acct, I encourage you to do the same as I think it really means something to the CMs to be recognized for their great work.

Thank you for this! I will remember to do so!! What a special moment for all of you!!

Walking out to the reserved area was fast and furious but it was such a cool experience. Once we arrived, we grabbed a great spot, along with our souvenir Chewy mugs and some waters. The reserved viewing area had really been one of the main reasons for booking the party, just like the HEA one...so we didn't have to stake out a spot an hour or more in advance. Now, I will fully admit, this was not as good as the original Star Wars fireworks show that was playing in 2016, but it was still great, in its own right.

I agree, not as good as the original fireworks. It used to be all about the music and the fireworks and now it's a little too distracting. But the projections are cool. I love the Darth Vader part and the very end montage.

I did get chills from watching this show. I'm a fairly big Star Wars fan and grew up on the movies, so I really enjoyed the projections a lot. The boys managed to fall asleep in the stroller but when it was finally over, AJ woke up and clapped a bunch then immediately went back to sleep.It really was quite funny!

I get chills just from hearing any Star Wars music! I'm so excited this fall because I get to see the Star Wars films being "performed" live with the NY Philharmonic.

After this, there was a mass exodus out of the park and getting to the buses was a nightmare. There were just people pouring by and we couldn't even cut across the crowd to get in line for the WL bus. Not that it mattered because the line was out of the little waiting area anyway. So we just waited it out and eventually after about maybe 15-20 minutes, the crowd slowed a bit and we were able to cross over and into the line. It was fine after that, though we did have to wait for a bus or two. In the end though, that worked out because we were one of the first to board so we had seats. It still was uncomfortable though because the boys were dead asleep and the stroller had to be folded up. Chad was holding the stroller and all the stuff and I had Will in my lap and AJ lying up against me in the seat next to me. Some of the people around us took pity on us and helped us to hold all of our stuff because it was getting hard to keep it all together. They even helped us get all our stuff off the bus. It was a really nice gesture that we were so very thankful for. However, all I will say is we never took another bus to any other park but MK again and I doubt we ever will. So at least it served that purpose!

Ugh we had the same issue when we were leaving the park. We went to catch the Fantasmic and then some of the SW fireworks with my friend and her two girls, and it took us forever to get back to the Poly and the girls were so tired and cranky. I felt so bad for them. They were huge lines, it was crowded, and there were no seats. I'm glad you got some good samaritans to help you out though.

 

[QueenJen]

Just caught up on the last several updates.

First.....

Mama got a Grey Goose Raspberry Lemonade Slushie!

Frozen Coke with Jack Daniels.

How did I not know about this? Both of our trips have been in early December - perhaps this is a seasonal venue. I thought DH sniffed out every possible location for an adult bevy. I would have joined him on this. The Grey Goose slushies are sooooooo yummy. I will think of you (cheers) if we grab a drink here. The Dis is so informative.

Probably good that you were not focused on taking food photos while trying to convert Chad.

Yay for fully converting Chad! I mean, DVC owners (congrats), talking about it to co-workers, mentioning the countdown, wanting to add days to the tickets......I mean the only thing left is for him to suggest you get started on planning an annual trip.

Did you giggle inside (just a little) when he knew what you were thinking about waiting for the bus when you didn't even say a word?

 

[Jfsag123]

Caught up! I cracked up at Chad's pictures with Kylo Ren. Really appreciate your review of the dessert party! We'd been considering trying it next year if it's still going, but we're debating whether or not to bring the kids if we do. You just made that decision for us!

I'm so happy for y'all that you got to have a special moment of leading the storm troopers! It's the times like that that really feed the Disney addiction, as they set it apart from other destinations.

I'm with you on the Muppets, but I suspect that attraction is not long for this world, so it's probably a good thing that your Muppet loving kiddos got to experience it this time.

I'm also with you on not bussing to any parks but MK! Glad that people were at least helpful.

Looking forward to more!

 

[ArielSRL]

Ugh...I hate technology! I am trying to quote and reply to all of you and this computer is giving me fits. It is reacting to the Dis like my iPad does. I'm going to reply to who I can then restart and hope it gets better bc I wanted to do an update tonight.

The same thing happened to me when I got in line for BB-8 during the dessert party! It didn't move at all so I got o

Yeh, it was totally annoying!

I did really love TGMR, but am ready for a change. Walt was about innovation and the ride had its moment in the sun. Enjoyable as I felt it was, it was outdated, by a long shot!

Agreed!

Was he scared of Chewy or just sit of waiting?

Tired of waiting, I think.

I bet! I fear the bus, and am thinking we will be using the Minnie Vans, more than once. Lol!

Hopefully it all works out!

What great Star Wars fireworks pics you got! Sorry the party was a bit of a bust though. What you experienced is why we haven't even tried it yet. Between the cost for kids plus trying to keep them occupied during the party, it definitely seems like much more of an adult encounter. But your viewing area though and getting to lead the stormtroopers. How awesome!

I definitely want to do it again but we might use one of the kids' clubs that night, for the boys.

I remember seeing this on FB, so awesome! Another perk of spending our valuable time on the Dis

You know it!

Got to the bus stops before the masses hit

Smart!

This is exactly what happened to us. We had a 1:30-2-ish lunch reservation and we were all still so stuffed by the time the party came around, I barely ate anything.

Yeh, it might be best just to skip the afternoon/evening meal all together before a dessert party.

OMG! What are you doing with your 4 Chewy Mugs!?!! Ours sit on the top shelf and get used like once every 6 months. And I admit, I think they are a little creepy! I took a survey for the party and I said they need to give you an option of mug

I don't even know where they are. I think Chad gave a couple of them away as gifts. Now they are doing the tie fighter popcorn buckets, I heard.

Ugh, we sadly have had this experience before. Actually twice! Once we were trying to get on the boat back to WL and I had to carry Morgan on the boat, leave her, and grab Gwen and get back on the boat while DH wrangled all the crap we had. Thankfully we had a really nice couple behind us who said they would keep an eye on Morgan and that it was on the boat and not crazy crowded! Our other time was after our firework show and it was pouring rain with tons of people. We were going to wait for the next bus but the nice people on the bus basically made us squeeze in, so we didn't have to wait. It was the longest bus ride from HS to WL! Morgan was practically falling asleep standing up!

Oh no. Both of those situations sound bad!

I am not a huge fan of the GMR either but I'm so happy I was able to ride it before it closed.

Agreed!

That's so awesome that your family was chosen to lead in the party guests! Your pics from the show were great.

Thanks!

Been there done that, it was with POTC for us though.

Oh no!

 

[ArielSRL]

This is HILARIOUS!!!

It really was!

The shop use to have more Muppets stuff.

I was so disappointed with the selection.

I loved the GMR but I love old movies.

I think my mom feels the same.

This is the best! I'm so happy the boys got to do this.

Thank you! They truly enjoyed it!

I have a twitter but rarely use it. I'll have to try to give shout outs next trip.

I think you can drop off compliments to guest services as well, but this was so quick and easy!

These pictures are pretty intense. Chad looks like he's enjoying it.

I think he did! He truly had himself an amazing magical time on this trip!

The busses were horrible our last trip. I'm glad Chad learned the error of his ways.

Me, too!

 

[ArielSRL]

Those rider swap passes were awesome! I'm going to borrow a kid next time we go, LOL. We got them for FoP, Soarin, TT, and even Frozen!

HAHA. They are nice. Except having to do every attraction with height restrictions twice. Ugh. We are going to be out of that though in a couple years. This next trip, I am hoping Will is at least 40 inches so he can ride most things but since we are only doing one park day at MK, we probably won't do much of anything where we need the swap (unless he does not grow 1.5 inches before June). Then by the next June, he should be tall enough for almost everything.

LOL that is the opposite of my DH who rides it at least 3 times on every trip!

My parents, who are green thumbs, love it too. I'm a total black thumb.

OMG this is awesome! What great pixie dust! So happy for you guys!!

Thank you!

I can see how your boys would be bored with the dessert party. I ended up cancelling this because it was too late, and no one was interested except just a few people in our party.

That stinks, but it probably worked out for the best.

And yes, Kylo continues to be a whiny brat!

For sure!

I'm really happy to hear about the beer and wine option though! That is more my taste!
I do love the cheese and olive skewers they have there. I can make a meal from this dessert party!

Agreed on beer and wine and next time I may just make it my meal!

That is soooo cool!!

It truly was!

I get chills just from hearing any Star Wars music! I'm so excited this fall because I get to see the Star Wars films being "performed" live with the NY Philharmonic.

Nice!

Ugh we had the same issue when we were leaving the park. We went to catch the Fantasmic and then some of the SW fireworks with my friend and her two girls, and it took us forever to get back to the Poly and the girls were so tired and cranky. I felt so bad for them. They were huge lines, it was crowded, and there were no seats.

It's the worst!

How did I not know about this? Both of our trips have been in early December - perhaps this is a seasonal venue.

I think it is a seasonal thing.

I thought DH sniffed out every possible location for an adult bevy.

I did the same before our trip! LOL

Probably good that you were not focused on taking food photos while trying to convert Chad.

Yeh, I did have a lot going on.

Yay for fully converting Chad! I mean, DVC owners (congrats), talking about it to co-workers, mentioning the countdown, wanting to add days to the tickets......I mean the only thing left is for him to suggest you get started on planning an annual trip.

He truly got hooked! And we almost are planning annual trips. We are only limited by the number of points we bought and having to occasionally use our money more responsibly. LOL

Did you giggle inside (just a little) when he knew what you were thinking about waiting for the bus when you didn't even say a word?

I probably just smirked! LOL

Really appreciate your review of the dessert party! We'd been considering trying it next year if it's still going, but we're debating whether or not to bring the kids if we do. You just made that decision for us!

If they are really into Star Wars they might be fine. But my boys are not there yet.

I'm so happy for y'all that you got to have a special moment of leading the storm troopers! It's the times like that that really feed the Disney addiction, as they set it apart from other destinations.

It truly was great. And you are right about Disney being very distinct in that respect.

I'm with you on the Muppets, but I suspect that attraction is not long for this world, so it's probably a good thing that your Muppet loving kiddos got to experience it this time.

You may well be correct.

I'm also with you on not bussing to any parks but MK!

Let's hope we never have to do it again!

 

[ArielSRL]

Okay guys...I hate to do it but it is 11:30 and I have to be up in 6 hours. Replying and having to restart and all that jazz took awhile, so it's just too late to get started on an update now. But, I don't have to do early to bed tomorrow night because we get comp time Tuesday morning (from staying an hour late on eclipse day) so, I am going to shoot for an update then.

Thanks for hanging around!

 

[ArielSRL]

Day Four 6/6/2017 ~ Magic Kingdom (part 1)

So I think our day started out similar to our first MK day but maybe we were running a little bit later, but not much. My memory is starting to fail me the further we get away from the trip and the more I am doing with school, but I am relying on photos to help. We got out to the bus stop by around 8am and were on it by 8:10, according to my photos:



We arrived in a timely manner and got through security no problem. We headed down Main Street and took a few PP photos on the way:




After that we headed to The Hub and stopped by the spoke that goes toward Tomorrowland. We had to wait a bit before the Welcome Show, which we really couldn't see from our spots but we had just seen it two days before so no worries. Once the rope actually dropped, we headed toward Space Mountain for me and The People Mover for the boys. I'm not really sure what happened or if there was a delay in opening SM but the line was way back out into Tomorrowland. I stuck it out but it was going to be a lot longer of a wait than I had planned on. I finally made it onto the ride and it was a good ride but not my favorite:


I will most likely skip it in June 2018 since we just have the one day. The boys had ridden around the People Mover a couple of times until they finally had had enough...lol.

Our original plans had had us doing Buzz then the Speedway but Buzz was just too backed up at this point and the Speedway was as well. However, it is one of AJ's favorite rides so I pulled out our handy dandy FP from Crystal Palace and off we went to enjoy:


I think it is hilarious that we can't even see most of Will in this photo...lol.

Next up, I think we decided to go off plan and head to Storybook Circus so Will could jump on his favorite ride, Barnstormer, again. While Chad and Will did that, AJ and I hit Dumbo:


We had initially planned to meet the characters over here but the boys decided on rides instead. After this, we headed back to People Mover...because, why not?


Con't in next post...

 

[ArielSRL]

Day Four 6/6/2017 ~ Magic Kingdom (part 1) con't



Apparently my finger got in the way of the photo. Oh well. It had gotten a little hot so we pulled out the cooling towels for a bit. We didn't really need them very much this trip though, because of the cloudy/rainy days...which was so much different than 2016.

**Hold up, I just realized, I'm fairly certain we did Under the Sea after Storybook Circus. I had had the plan to go back and do Monsters, Inc but after talking it over, we decided to hit up UtS instead. We had missed it on Sunday...but now that means that we still haven't ever done Laugh Floor. Oh well.

Oh and then we got 3 Mickey Bars - one for AJ, Will, and myself - plus a popcorn bucket refill. However, it was fairly hot that day so the icecream and chocolate just ended up melting all over the boys. I had been smart enough to bring plastic throwaway cup tops for them to use when eating the Mickey Bars, except, I forgot to use them. Nice! So we ended up having to stop at Cheshire Cafe, I think, and wipe them down with napkins, wet wipes, you name it! And we ended up having to change Will's shirt. Thank goodness I had an extra!

Anyway, then we did The People Mover. After this, it was time for us to make our way over to Be Our Guest for our lunch but not before stopping for some more PP photos:



We checked in and I don't think we had a very long wait. We had pre-ordered our food, so we were sat almost immediately. I wanted to be sat in the Rose Room (I think that's what it is called) but Chad was just eager to sit, so we sat in the ballroom area. Here is the one photo I took from inside:


The meal was just okay. It had been better in 2016. I am hoping for dinner here in 2019, though.

After lunch, we made our way to Carousel of Progress. DH and I love this classic. I think the boys enjoyed it as well. I had really been wanting to try a cream cheese pretzel, so I think I got one and I got a slushie for AJ and Chad got a coke to drink. Sadly, the cream cheese pretzel did not live up to expectations so I tossed at least half of it. After this we made our way to the Fantasyland RR station and jumped on for a ride to the front of the park. Once our ride on the train was over it was time for a ride on a boat...back to WL for our rest time. I'm not sure if we just rested or we had some pool time but I can't find any bar receipts so I'm thinking that means no pool time. Maybe it rained. Regardless, my memory isn't helping me at all and neither are my photos or my touring plan - both of which I am heavily relying on to do these updates! LOL

And with that, I will stop for now!

Up next: Day Four 6/6/2017 ~ Magic Kingdom (part 2)

 

[buzzrelly]

Just caught up on seven pages of updates!

So there ya have it. Our 702 day countdown got changed to a 322 day countdown in one day. And I am one happy lady! I've even got an initial plan worked out. But I will hold off on that for now, until things are more definite. I mean, I still have a lot of trip reporting to do, right?

Congratulations on becoming a DVC member and moving up your trip by a year!

I stuck it out but it was going to be a lot longer of a wait than I had planned on. I finally made it onto the ride and it was a good ride but not my favorite:

But it's so cool that it looks like you got the ride all to yourself!

Looking forward to reading more!

 

[MissMaryQC]

MK day starting out fun! Is it just me, or do you love the cloudy, but not rainy days at MK? There's not s ton of shade, so I'm a fan.

I'm surprised at the crowds at opening time! Then again it was summer.

It cracks me up that little Will, who can't even be seen on the cars, is your thrill seeker. Adorable!

Love your cute hat btw!

Sorry you didn't like the pretzel, can I ask why? Just underwhelming, or like soggy?

Those mid day breaks seem like a life saver. I hope I planned enough!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I love the little drivers. Wonder why Tomorrowland was so backed up.

We didn't do a lot of the rides that the girls weren't tall enough for or wanted to do. It is just more fun going on rides together.

 

[ariane37]

Nice productive morning at MK!

I had been smart enough to bring plastic throwaway cup tops for them to use when eating the Mickey Bars, except, I forgot to use them. Nice!

That's like me with my little index note cards lol! I only started using them last year but never pull them out once we're there; happy to say I actually did this month! The key thing is we're organized ahead of time

I had really been wanting to try a cream cheese pretzel, so I think I got one and I got a slushie for AJ and Chad got a coke to drink. Sadly, the cream cheese pretzel did not live up to expectations so I tossed at least half of it.

I've been wanting to try this pretzel and almost did earlier this month but I was still a little full so I skipped it again. I'm going to ask what @MissMaryQC did: was it soggy or did it just not taste as good as you thought it would?

 

[vamassey1]

My memory is starting to fail me the further we get away from the trip and the more I am doing with school, but I am relying on photos to help. We got out to the bus stop by around 8am and were on it by 8:10, according to my photos:

I found myself taking pictures with my phone this last trip just to mark where we were. Very cool bus.

We arrived in a timely manner and got through security no problem. We headed down Main Street and took a few PP photos on the way:

Nice Main Street photos.

I stuck it out but it was going to be a lot longer of a wait than I had planned on. I finally made it onto the ride and it was a good ride but not my favorite:

I'm glad you finally got to ride. I only ride this every other trip or so. Too jerky.

Our original plans had had us doing Buzz then the Speedway but Buzz was just too backed up at this point and the Speedway was as well. However, it is one of AJ's favorite rides so I pulled out our handy dandy FP from Crystal Palace and off we went to enjoy:

Good move. Little ones love this ride. Enjoy it while you can.

However, it was fairly hot that day so the icecream and chocolate just ended up melting all over the boys.

I love Mickey bars too but the heat does not. Always a mess to get these in the summer.

The meal was just okay. It had been better in 2016. I am hoping for dinner here in 2019, though.

We seam to eat here every trip now for lunch. It's not the greatest but it is a nice place to cool off. I hope you get that dinner in 2019.

After lunch, we made our way to Carousel of Progress. DH and I love this classic.

We do too!

 

[Jfsag123]

So I think our day started out similar to our first MK day but maybe we were running a little bit later, but not much. My memory is starting to fail me the further we get away from the trip and the more I am doing with school, but I am relying on photos to help. We got out to the bus stop by around 8am and were on it by 8:10, according to my photos:

You got @ariane37's special bus.

After that we headed to The Hub and stopped by the spoke that goes toward Tomorrowland. We had to wait a bit before the Welcome Show, which we really couldn't see from our spots but we had just seen it two days before so no worries. Once the rope actually dropped, we headed toward Space Mountain for me and The People Mover for the boys. I'm not really sure what happened or if there was a delay in opening SM but the line was way back out into Tomorrowland. I stuck it out but it was going to be a lot longer of a wait than I had planned on. I finally made it onto the ride and it was a good ride but not my favorite:
View attachment 265424

I hate when rides are delayed at RD time. It has thrown us off a couple of times. Love your ride pic!

I will most likely skip it in June 2018 since we just have the one day. The boys had ridden around the People Mover a couple of times until they finally had had enough...lol.

After riding Space at DL I don't think I will have any problem skipping it at WDW - we liked the version out west so much better! This will please Alex greatly, as he hates that ride regardless of coast lol.

Our original plans had had us doing Buzz then the Speedway but Buzz was just too backed up at this point and the Speedway was as well. However, it is one of AJ's favorite rides so I pulled out our handy dandy FP from Crystal Palace and off we went to enjoy:

Perfect that you had that! Standing in line for Speedway with the heat and exhaust fumes is a miserable experience.

We had initially planned to meet the characters over here but the boys decided on rides instead. After this, we headed back to People Mover...because, why not?
View attachment 265426

You can never ride Peoplemover too much IMHO

Day Four 6/6/2017 ~ Magic Kingdom (part 1) con't

View attachment 265428

Apparently my finger got in the way of the photo. Oh well. It had gotten a little hot so we pulled out the cooling towels for a bit. We didn't really need them very much this trip though, because of the cloudy/rainy days...which was so much different than 2016.

2016 was hot! We had some rain toward the beginning of the trip, but I mostly just remember the heat.

**Hold up, I just realized, I'm fairly certain we did Under the Sea after Storybook Circus. I had had the plan to go back and do Monsters, Inc but after talking it over, we decided to hit up UtS instead. We had missed it on Sunday...but now that means that we still haven't ever done Laugh Floor. Oh well.

Next year? Maybe Chad can be That Guy.

Oh and then we got 3 Mickey Bars - one for AJ, Will, and myself - plus a popcorn bucket refill. However, it was fairly hot that day so the icecream and chocolate just ended up melting all over the boys. I had been smart enough to bring plastic throwaway cup tops for them to use when eating the Mickey Bars, except, I forgot to use them. Nice! So we ended up having to stop at Cheshire Cafe, I think, and wipe them down with napkins, wet wipes, you name it! And we ended up having to change Will's shirt. Thank goodness I had an extra!

Way to be prepared! My kids are always begging for cotton candy and I never get it due to the nightmare in cleanup I can foresee. Can't refuse a Mickey bar, though.

The meal was just okay. It had been better in 2016. I am hoping for dinner here in 2019, though.

Sorry your meal was disappointing!

After lunch, we made our way to Carousel of Progress. DH and I love this classic. I think the boys enjoyed it as well.

Yes yes yes! Missed Peoplemover and CoP both so much in DL.

I had really been wanting to try a cream cheese pretzel, so I think I got one and I got a slushie for AJ and Chad got a coke to drink. Sadly, the cream cheese pretzel did not live up to expectations so I tossed at least half of it.

More food disappointment! I've been wanting to try those, but maybe I'll save myself the trouble.

After this we made our way to the Fantasyland RR station and jumped on for a ride to the front of the park. Once our ride on the train was over it was time for a ride on a boat...back to WL for our rest time. I'm not sure if we just rested or we had some pool time but I can't find any bar receipts so I'm thinking that means no pool time. Maybe it rained. Regardless, my memory isn't helping me at all and neither are my photos or my touring plan - both of which I am heavily relying on to do these updates! LOL

And with that, I will stop for now!

Sounds like y'all had a good morning despite the lack of yummy food and some shifts in the touring plan. Looking forward to the next update!

 

[ArielSRL]

Just caught up on seven pages of updates!

Thank you for reading all that!

Congratulations on becoming a DVC member and moving up your trip by a year!

Thank you! We aren't official yet but we are close!

But it's so cool that it looks like you got the ride all to yourself!

Yes, I had forgotten about that until I looked at the photo.

Is it just me, or do you love the cloudy, but not rainy days at MK? There's not s ton of shade, so I'm a fan.

Yes! I mean, I think Chad was a little disappointed but I really wasn't. I could still remember the sunny, sweltering days of June 2016!

I'm surprised at the crowds at opening time! Then again it was summer.

Yeh, there seemed to be a lot of people at rope drop. The secret is out I guess?

Love your cute hat btw!

Thanks!

Sorry you didn't like the pretzel, can I ask why? Just underwhelming, or like soggy?

It just didn't really taste that great. It was a lot less flavor than I expected. Cream cheese has a bit of a sharp flavor and I like that about it but the pretzel did not have that. Oh but I looked at my receipts and I actually got it on Friday...not Tuesday...lol.

Those mid day breaks seem like a life saver. I hope I planned enough!

We would never have made it without them but we did do 7 days in a row at the parks.

I love the little drivers. Wonder why Tomorrowland was so backed up.

Rope drop seemed so much busier than I expected this summer.

Nice productive morning at MK!

Thank you!!

The key thing is we're organized ahead of time

HAHA...exactly!

I've been wanting to try this pretzel and almost did earlier this month but I was still a little full so I skipped it again. I'm going to ask what @MissMaryQC did: was it soggy or did it just not taste as good as you thought it would?

Just didn't taste as good as I expected. Was kind of bland. But maybe it was just a bad batch. Oh and I realized after looking at receipts, that I got it on Friday, not Tuesday. Oops!

I found myself taking pictures with my phone this last trip just to mark where we were. Very cool bus.

Pretty much what I am going by at this point!

Nice Main Street photos.

Thanks!

I'm glad you finally got to ride. I only ride this every other trip or so. Too jerky.

It is jerky!

I hope you get that dinner in 2019.

Thanks!

I hate when rides are delayed at RD time. It has thrown us off a couple of times.

Very annoying.

Love your ride pic!

Thanks!

After riding Space at DL I don't think I will have any problem skipping it at WDW - we liked the version out west so much better! This will please Alex greatly, as he hates that ride regardless of coast lol.

I was just reading about this on your report today. I've been trying to catch up on it this weekend!

Perfect that you had that! Standing in line for Speedway with the heat and exhaust fumes is a miserable experience.

Yes, standby always seems so long and it isn't a fun queue at all.

You can never ride Peoplemover too much IMHO

Agreed!

2016 was hot! We had some rain toward the beginning of the trip, but I mostly just remember the heat.

OMG, yes, it was horrible in 2016. This year was nothing like that. There were a view periods of it but certainly not continuous.

Next year? Maybe Chad can be That Guy.

We will keep trying! LOL

Yes yes yes! Missed Peoplemover and CoP both so much in DL.

I am sure I would as well.

 

[QueenJen]

We got out to the bus stop by around 8am and were on it by 8:10, according to my photos:

I read the update and thought I commented. I guess I was really distracted by this photo - showing DH and saying guess where? He guessed correctly - and we must have started talking about our last trip and possible next trip. Lol I will not tire of that view - the only time we really look forward to boarding a bus is at Disney.

After this, we headed back to People Mover...because, why not?

Love this ride - nice little rest from park touring on foot.

but now that means that we still haven't ever done Laugh Floor.

We have only been once and DH was 'That guy' - If you want to set Chad up.....I think what did it was DH was wearing neon shorts, a ball cap, dark glasses, and looked grumpy. (He has a thick goatee and combine the ball cap and glasses, he naturally just looks mean/grumpy- usually he is the opposite).

I had been smart enough to bring plastic throwaway cup tops for them to use when eating the Mickey Bars,

Good thinking/planning mom!

except, I forgot to use them.

Doh!

Sadly, the cream cheese pretzel did not live up to expectations so I tossed at least half of it.

I tried one a few years ago and was disappointed. They still look really yummy and I fell for it again a couple months ago (at DL) and was disappointed again. I found the cream cheese too sweet, and the dough a bit flavorless. The dough reminded me of making donuts in grade school (some kind of after school/summer program) and it tasting like a pasty dough. Hubs tried it too and he wouldn't eat more than one bite.


*edit - I meant to comment that it looks like Will is getting more relaxed in the photos and you are getting some nice shots.

 

[ArielSRL]

Day Four 6/6/2017 ~ Magic Kingdom (part 2)

So last I left you, we headed back to WL for our midday break. I know I have said it so many times that it is annoying, but that boat is the best thing since sliced bread! I think I said I'm not sure what we did on the break but there are no bar charges so we must not have went to the pool. There is a charge from the merchandise cart that started a whole new (expensive) chapter in our Disney lives though...pin trading! Now, I do have a lanyard and some pins from like 2007 when Mom and I did a girls trip but it's just not something I have really got into. Well, lets just say all the boys are now. We must've stopped right after we got back to WL based on the time on the receipt and Chad bought a Starter Kit and a Steamboat Willie pin. And then that sparked AJ's interest and eventually sparked Will's. But I'm getting a bit ahead of myself.

We got back to the room a little after 2 I think and we probably rested, probably some showers and baths, and I probably did a load of laundry in the laundry room (though there was one day that I didn't and it might've been this day). In any case, we were back on the boat, headed to MK a little before 6:

You'll see only Chad has a pin lanyard at this point...well it won't stay that way! Oh and what is with the look on Will's face? LOL

Oh and more boat praises...when you take the boat to MK, you have your own security line! Quick and easy! Love it!

Once inside, we stopped at the popcorn cart and got another refill then made our way down Main Street for some more PP photos:


This was one of our few magic shots. I definitely need to do more research on those for next trip. Though I doubt we get photopass for our short 2018 trip. For 2019, we should have APs - or at the very least one of us will - so we will have it for certain then.

So, I'm a little confused, not surprisingly...haha, because I have us getting this photo taken at 6:16 but then us going to the Chapeau and checking out at 6:20. Basically we got pins for AJ but I didn't think we got them there and the timing doesn't make a ton of sense. We will just go with it though.

Next, I have that we headed to Winnie the Pooh for another ride on one of AJ's faves:

I know I am nowhere near the end of this report, but I just have to say how great of a trip we had. I feel like I have soooo many photos of us smiling and having fun. Not that we did not have fun in 2016 but we do not have the multitude of fun, happy photos from that trip because honestly, it just wasn't as good of a trip. This trip was all that I wanted it to be and more and I am so looking forward to spending years and years to come at Disney with my family.

Okay, back to the (then) present...lol.

So, next I have a photo of AJ with the above mentioned pins:


After this we decided to check out Mickey's Philharmagic:

This is a cute one but not a must-do for me. I'm fairly certain we skipped it in 2016 so it was new for all the boys, at least. I think they enjoyed it.

After this we headed to Pecos Bill for dinner. I was looking forward to this because I had heard lots of good thing about the fixins bar and I'm a huge fan of tacos and nachos! Also, they had the Country Bears jug here and Chad, being such a huge fan, had to have one:

Chad got the Beef Burrito:

And I got the nachos (with lots of fixins) and a slush:

Um...yum! I definitely enjoyed my meal. It was very tasty. I think Chad liked his fine, no complaints, but I don't think he enjoyed it as much as me. You can see the boys with their peanut butter cups in the background. Smh. Crazily enough we are considering the dining plan for 2019, as it will include some alcohol and I totally miscalculated my anxiety on the food bills this time. I don't want to have to worry about it next time, so I think I can solve that with the plan. I will totally work to maximize the value if we do get it, though, and if the boys are still eating next to nothing, then we can use their credits for QS breakfast, as I will plan more sit down dinners for the TS credits.

Okay, well it's 11:30 and Tuesdays are my earliest days to work, so I am going to stop here. I apologize that it is short but I, at least, wanted to get something posted. Have a great week and I will hope I can get back before next Sunday but if not, I'll be back by then!

Up next: Day Four 6/6/2017 ~ Magic Kingdom (part 3)

 

[ArielSRL]

I guess I was really distracted by this photo - showing DH and saying guess where? He guessed correctly - and we must have started talking about our last trip and possible next trip.

I'm glad to bring up good memories and future planning!

Love this ride - nice little rest from park touring on foot.

Absolutely!

We have only been once and DH was 'That guy' - If you want to set Chad up.....I think what did it was DH was wearing neon shorts, a ball cap, dark glasses, and looked grumpy. (He has a thick goatee and combine the ball cap and glasses, he naturally just looks mean/grumpy- usually he is the opposite).

I'll have to remember this....

I tried one a few years ago and was disappointed. They still look really yummy and I fell for it again a couple months ago (at DL) and was disappointed again. I found the cream cheese too sweet, and the dough a bit flavorless. The dough reminded me of making donuts in grade school (some kind of after school/summer program) and it tasting like a pasty dough. Hubs tried it too and he wouldn't eat more than one bite.

You said it so much better than me, but yes, this exactly! @ariane37 and @MissMaryQC

*edit - I meant to comment that it looks like Will is getting more relaxed in the photos and you are getting some nice shots.

Thanks!

 

[ArielSRL]

Oh, btw, I hope I wasn't throwing up gang signs in my Space Mtn photo. I just looked at it again and I remembered I had forgotten about the photo but then all of a sudden remembered and just did that cheesy pose. I have no idea if it even means anything...doh.