"I Wanna See My Castle!" October 2013 TR *COMPLETE* **NEW TR LINK!!** 7/3

[khertz]

Day 5 Continued: Saturday October 26th

After leaving church, we were back in the Disney bubble and headed to a park, but which one?

05-120 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

MK, of course! Before our trip, I had a bit of a dilemma. We wanted at least one night in MK to see MSEP and Wishes. Going during party season, this can be a bit of a challenge. There were really 2 nights where we had this option. One was this night, a Saturday when I'm sure a lot of locals would be in the parks. The other was the upcoming Monday night, which had evening EMH and would likely fill the park with on-site guests taking advantage of that. I think I had posted on my PTR asking advice on which would be the lesser of 2 evils, and even sent the question in to the guys at WDW Today (who answered it on the show! ...in November... lol). Turns out, it really didn't matter because we ended up visiting MK on both nights anyway!

We were able to score a spot in the AAA parking lot, so pretty soon we were following these signs to the monorail station.

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05-123 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

There was a super cute baby boy on the monorail next to us who kept getting my attention just to show me how adorable he was. He was celebrating his first birthday! As much fun as it has gotten to take DS on these trips as he gets older and more interested in everything, it sure did make me miss his very first trip at that age.

We got through the turnstiles in no time, and I snapped this picture of the lovely fall decorations. I'm going to miss seeing the park decorated when we go in May! It has been decorated for something for our last 3 trips!

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As soon as we entered the park, Move It Shake It Celebrate It was happening, and we just had to stop and watch for a bit. How can you not!

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"Hey, get up, get loud, we're pumpin' up the party now!"


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DS was excited to be reunited with "his Castle" (5 months later, he STILL calls it that, by the way!), so of course we had to take a picture of it before moving on. It's really amazing how you can never get tired of taking a picture of the same thing multiple times on every single trip! Speaking of multiple times...

05-129 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


05-130 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


05-131 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
​

That side view gives you an idea of where we were headed. We had hooked a left at the hub and gone into Liberty Square in search of dinner at Columbia Harbour House!

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Cute pumpkins at Sleepy Hollow​

As we approached CHH, the CM was outside ringing the dinner bell, and DS was fascinated. He asked politely if he could ring the bell, and she let him! He was too shy to yell out "Dinner's Ready!" but he sure got a kick out of ringing the bell anyway.

VIDEO: Paxton ringing the dinner bell at CHH​

We had learned pretty quickly on this trip that if we can avoid purchasing DS his own meal, we would be better off because he didn't eat much and it was usually a waste. So for dinner, we decided to order 2 fish & chicken baskets for the three of us to share. We ate upstairs, which is kind of a must-do for us now, and it was still pretty quiet and uncrowded up there at that time.

05-134 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
My boys heading downstairs after dinner​

After dinner, we stopped to grab some FPs for the Cinderella and Aurora side of Princess Fairytale Hall. They were kind of late at 8:50 pm, so we didn't think we'd even use them, but we held onto them just in case. We chose that side because we were planning to hit the Rapunzel and Snow White side at the party, but didn't feel the need to do both sides when the princes were out.

FPs in hand, we made our way to Tomorrowland, where we really hadn't spent any time yet. We planned to do Buzz Lightyear, but even as we were walking up, we watched the wait time go from 30 to 35, then to 40 by the time we made a bathroom stop. No thanks, Buzz, maybe some other time! I didn't think it was something we'd do with DS, but it was right there and had no wait time, so we went to Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor.

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As soon as we entered, the CM handed DS the wait time red card. He has become an absolute pro at this over the past 2 trips, and just loves it when the CMs hand him those cards!

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05-136 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

As we entered the queue in that room with the wall of mirrors, I made a joke telling DS, "AHHH, look, there's a monster!!!...Oh, it's just you." He didn't get it, but the girls in front of us in line got a laugh out of it.

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I wasn't sure DS would appreciate this show very much if he didn't get the jokes, but there was absolutely nothing to worry about. I still don't think he understood the jokes, but that didn't seem to matter. He LOVED this show! He was clapping, jumping, and laughing hysterically the entire time. Clearly a hit, and one we definitely need to include in our touring plan on future trips! He will probably enjoy it even more once he actually understands the jokes!

When we came out of Laugh Floor, we checked on Buzz again, but now the wait was 50 minutes. So we turned to old faithful, the TTA! We can always count on that ride when the lines are long in the afternoon and evening, and who doesn't want to take a nice ride around Tomorrowland anyway? I did not always appreciate this attraction in my youth, and now I am pretty much devastated to find out it is going down for refurb the day we arrive in Disney in May! :-(

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The nice version...


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...and the horrible iPhone selfie version!


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Don't let that last photo fool you, he was still a little scared in the very dark parts of the ride! But overall, another enjoyable ride on the PeopleMover. This is slowly creeping up the list of my favorite attractions in WDW. Guess that means I am getting old! lol

I'm getting cut off here because I'm at the picture max, but we still have quite a bit of our Magic Kingdom evening to go!

UP NEXT: More nighttime magic in MK

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Awww Pax sure does look happy in that first photo at Disney Jr. Pure joy!

Holy cow, FP line at 30 minutes???? For ToT??? Yikes!

Ooooh I so agree with the Muppets pre-show. Almost (and actually maybe it is) better than the real show.

Celebration is actually a dream to live in I bet. I haven't visited it yet, but I really want to. And yeah, I want to live there.

Hmmm, so you can provide a unique perspective on which MK night was best. I instinct is saying the Monday though, even with EMH.

MOVE IT SHAKE IT... No you CANNOT NOT Stop.

Mmm Columbia Harbour House AND my fav meal at Columbia Harbour House. Why choose between the chicken and the fish when you can just have BOTH!

See, only Disney people get the significance that is the red wait time card. Others think it's a chore. "We" know it's a privilege.

 

[dtr_angel]

Wow that's a lot of updates! Great job!
We had not planned on going to MK on that Friday night but after I heard that the People Mover was going down for refurb the next day we re-worked our plans! I have a picture of Daniel, Gavin & I riding it last May and I really want another one! (although this time it will have to be a selfie on the phone) we're going to be tired but it gets us a little more time in the MK. Right now we only have 1 day park hoppers to link to MDE so we can only book 1 day of FP+. We did have TSM for the same time! (10-11) but when we decided to going to MK on Friday we ended up moving the FP+ to there instead to maximize the little time we have in the park. When we get there though I'll be able to link our APs and pick the FP+ for Saturday and Sunday. We plan on riding TSM right away on Saturday during EMH but wanted to ride it again later in the morning. I can't believe Paxton is already old enough/tall enough to be riding Splash and BTMRR! That's crazy! I really hope the 7 dwarfs mine train is running when we are there, it sounds very likely!! Sounds like a very productive day & night in Disney World! I really admire your dedication to making it to mass even on vacation!

 

[missangelalexis]

Sounds like you guys had a very busy but fun Mardi Gras weekend! Thanks for sharing! I love DS's ladder, and of course jealous that you got to see Ian Somerhalder

Sounds like you made some good FP+ choices for your upcoming trip!

Glad DS enjoyed Muppetvision and the Laugh Floor! So cute that he got to ring the dinner bell at CHH.

 

[wiigirl]

Great pics!

 

[afwdwfan]

Your Mardi Gras weekend looks like it was a lot of fun! I'm sorry that the weather didn't cooperate so well at the end, but it looks like you had plenty of fun up until that point. I know you mentioned that it isn't the way your DH likes to do Mardi Gras, but having the hotel package with food, a place to leave the ladders and all that rolled in together seems like a great stress free way to do it!

Now for the trip update... congrats on booking FP+. I really hope that 7DMT is open for your trip so that you can try it out!!!

I totally agree with you about the need for seats in the Disney Jr. show. That is just ridiculous.

You should be honored that you got your question answered on WDW Today... and only a few weeks too late. I mean it could have easily been a year or 2 too late.
I'm glad that you were able to get to MK for both MSEP/Wishes nights though. I always hate trying to plan that during party times. We always want to see them, but just hate trying to pick out which night will be less ridiculously crowded. At least you know you didn't make that gamble and lose!

 

[kayemgi]

Newly discovered, caught up and following along! I'm loving your TR. Hi!

I especially loved reading your Universal report. I'm a huge Harry Potter fan as well and haven't yet had an opportunity to go check that all out. We currently have no future trip planned but your report has convinced me we MUST take time out of our next Disney trip to see the Wizarding World!

Can't wait to read more!

 

[marDgreen88]

We have almost the exact same FP for Peter Pan's Flight on Sunday, except mine is 5:20-6:20. Funny! So if you keep that one, I might see you there! Haha. The plans look good, and the trip is getting SO CLOSE!

I'm glad Muppet Vision was a success! AND the Laugh Floor. Awesome! Wait wait wait, PeopleMover's getting a refurb? Noooo.

 

[stacy~**]

Day 5 Continued: Saturday October 26th


But overall, another enjoyable ride on the PeopleMover. This is slowly creeping up the list of my favorite attractions in WDW. Guess that means I am getting old! lol

Oh no love the PeopleMover.... Is this what this means??

 

[saintstickets]

Finally getting caught up!

That night was one of the big parades of the season, Endymion! The two grand marshals were Norman Reedus from the Walking Dead (who talked about his experience in the parade on Jimmy Fallon, and I LOVE that he said that the people you see flashing at Mardi Gras are the tourists on Bourbon St. and NOT the locals...SO TRUE!!), and Ian Somerhalder, who, I'm sorry, will ALWAYS be from Lost.

I PROMISE it wasn't me doing the flashing! There is no proof of it....well, I think there isn't!

2014-03-01 19.06.32 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
Captain's Float


2014-03-01 19.55.45 by disneymom1024, on Flickr

WOW! Those crowds are VERY manageable for the last weekend before Fat Tuesday. Glad y'all had a good time.

Loving the TR. We will be at WDW a few weeks after your May trip. Great FP+ selections. Our 60 day window is coming up. Hope we can get as good of selections as you did. Funny how going to WDW has changed. Now you hope you get your resort you want. Then you hope you get the dates you want. Then you hope you get your ADR's you want. And now you hope you get your FP+ selections you want. What's next? Will we start having to make bathroom reservations?!?!?

 

[MEK]

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[/B][/I]

Super cute!

(I hope I cropped the right picture - I am trying to power read tonight and get all caught up - it's not easy).

I love Bean, too! He's so cute. I love that you got a picture of the theatre after the bombs go off. I tried for the shot last week but I haven't uploaded yet so I have no idea if it turned out.

Isn't Celebration cute? How nice that you tried a new church this time. I am glad Paxton kept himself entertained.

 

[MEK]

05-131 by disneymom1024, on Flickr

Love this! Last week they had all the water drained from around the castle because they are remodeling. It just looked so dry and so wrong.

 

[khertz]

Awww Pax sure does look happy in that first photo at Disney Jr. Pure joy!

Holy cow, FP line at 30 minutes???? For ToT??? Yikes!

Ooooh I so agree with the Muppets pre-show. Almost (and actually maybe it is) better than the real show.

Celebration is actually a dream to live in I bet. I haven't visited it yet, but I really want to. And yeah, I want to live there.

Hmmm, so you can provide a unique perspective on which MK night was best. I instinct is saying the Monday though, even with EMH.

MOVE IT SHAKE IT... No you CANNOT NOT Stop.

Mmm Columbia Harbour House AND my fav meal at Columbia Harbour House. Why choose between the chicken and the fish when you can just have BOTH!

See, only Disney people get the significance that is the red wait time card. Others think it's a chore. "We" know it's a privilege.

Definitely the look of experiencing Disney magic!

We seem to find ToT to be totally hit or miss. Sometimes the queue outside is non existent so you use your FP and then hit a huge line in the boiler room. We don't tend to have very good luck with that ride lately.

Celebration is beautiful! I could totally see myself retiring there and having WDW in my back yard. So pretty & well kept. It was definitely a nice little detour.

Both nights, Main Street was CRAZY during Wishes. Like, scary crazy. The rides on Saturday night were not bad, but I don't have much to compare it to because we didn't ride a whole lot of attractions Monday night. Aside from Main Street, though, neither night was as bad as I had expected!

That's the beauty of CHH...No need to stress yourself out with those difficult decisions.

So true about the wait card! Once I found out that they had them, I always wanted to carry one! Definitely passed that on to Paxton.

Wow that's a lot of updates! Great job!
We had not planned on going to MK on that Friday night but after I heard that the People Mover was going down for refurb the next day we re-worked our plans! I have a picture of Daniel, Gavin & I riding it last May and I really want another one! (although this time it will have to be a selfie on the phone) we're going to be tired but it gets us a little more time in the MK. Right now we only have 1 day park hoppers to link to MDE so we can only book 1 day of FP+. We did have TSM for the same time! (10-11) but when we decided to going to MK on Friday we ended up moving the FP+ to there instead to maximize the little time we have in the park. When we get there though I'll be able to link our APs and pick the FP+ for Saturday and Sunday. We plan on riding TSM right away on Saturday during EMH but wanted to ride it again later in the morning. I can't believe Paxton is already old enough/tall enough to be riding Splash and BTMRR! That's crazy! I really hope the 7 dwarfs mine train is running when we are there, it sounds very likely!! Sounds like a very productive day & night in Disney World! I really admire your dedication to making it to mass even on vacation!

I totally understand changing up your plans to accommodate riding the PeopleMover before it closes!!! If it would not cost an arm and a leg, I totally would have done the same thing. But with such a short trip, we really can't justify paying for a 3rd day and only getting into the park for a couple of hours. That will be so great if you get the picture of you three on there. Love those kind of tradition photos!

I am going to message you my number so we can keep in touch and make sure we see each other at EMH! And maybe be close enough to compete on TSM. Well, let's be real, it would probably be our DHs competing!

I can't believe it either! He has been eating a lot lately, so I hope it's another growth spurt and he will hit that 40" mark. He's so close right now!

I think we have a good chance of 7DMT being open, I just hope we can get over there at rope drop and not wait too long! The height requirement is supposed to be 36" or 38" so we shouldn't have to rider swap that one, at least.

Thanks! My mom kind of instilled that in me, so I hate to skip mass, even on vacation.

Sounds like you guys had a very busy but fun Mardi Gras weekend! Thanks for sharing! I love DS's ladder, and of course jealous that you got to see Ian Somerhalder

Sounds like you made some good FP+ choices for your upcoming trip!

Glad DS enjoyed Muppetvision and the Laugh Floor! So cute that he got to ring the dinner bell at CHH.

It was definitely busy, but so fun! I'm glad everyone seems to have enjoyed the posts. Ian Somerhalder was actually back in his hometown of Mandeville, LA, which is not far from me either, this past weekend for a dog parade that has something to do with a charity of his. Didn't know so many celebs were from Louisiana!

Great pics!

Thanks!

Your Mardi Gras weekend looks like it was a lot of fun! I'm sorry that the weather didn't cooperate so well at the end, but it looks like you had plenty of fun up until that point. I know you mentioned that it isn't the way your DH likes to do Mardi Gras, but having the hotel package with food, a place to leave the ladders and all that rolled in together seems like a great stress free way to do it!

It was definitely a lot of fun! I don't think we'll do it every year, but I am positive we will do it again in the future. DH has grown up going to parades with his dad and is used to being free to move around and follow the floats if needed if someone on one is rummaging around to give him a doubloon or something else. This year, we were behind barricades for all of the parades, so you are kind of locked in. I think that's really the main thing he doesn't like! But absolutely, having hotel, food, parade watching spot, and most importantly, BATHROOMS, is so perfect for me!

Now for the trip update... congrats on booking FP+. I really hope that 7DMT is open for your trip so that you can try it out!!!

I totally agree with you about the need for seats in the Disney Jr. show. That is just ridiculous.

You should be honored that you got your question answered on WDW Today... and only a few weeks too late. I mean it could have easily been a year or 2 too late.
I'm glad that you were able to get to MK for both MSEP/Wishes nights though. I always hate trying to plan that during party times. We always want to see them, but just hate trying to pick out which night will be less ridiculously crowded. At least you know you didn't make that gamble and lose!

I hope it's open too! And like, officially open, not just soft openings because I don't want to spend my one and only MK day walking past there and just hoping it's up and running.

I was definitely honored that it was answered at all, even if it was a little late! I had to laugh when Matt said, "Of course, she means for October 2014..." I was hoping I'd get lucky and end up on a show when Mike was hosting and answering the most recent emails!

Trying to plan for MK nights during party season is a pain in the rear! There are always so few nights to choose from, and you just know everyone else is doing the same thing you are and trying to get to MK for the nighttime shows too. One downside to going during slow season!

 

[khertz]

Newly discovered, caught up and following along! I'm loving your TR. Hi!

I especially loved reading your Universal report. I'm a huge Harry Potter fan as well and haven't yet had an opportunity to go check that all out. We currently have no future trip planned but your report has convinced me we MUST take time out of our next Disney trip to see the Wizarding World!

Can't wait to read more!

Welcome! Always happy to have new readers!

Oh, yes, you definitely must!! When DS was really young, it was hard to justify taking time away from Disney where there was so much he could do for Universal, where there wasn't as much. He was a good age this trip, so it was definitely exciting to FINALLY get to experience WWoHP! You will not be disappointed, especially once Diagon Alley is open!!

We have almost the exact same FP for Peter Pan's Flight on Sunday, except mine is 5:20-6:20. Funny! So if you keep that one, I might see you there! Haha. The plans look good, and the trip is getting SO CLOSE!

I'm glad Muppet Vision was a success! AND the Laugh Floor. Awesome! Wait wait wait, PeopleMover's getting a refurb? Noooo.

I already moved it! Almost as soon as I made that post, we realized we wouldn't be giving ourselves much time for a break if we wanted to be back in time for Festival of Fantasy. So we are going to be in the park until the parade is over, and then head back for a late break so we can hopefully stay for a majority of the EMH. So it's now a little later from 6:15-7:15. But even if we don't see you at PPF, I'm sure we will somewhere else!

Yep, DS was consistently impressing me with the things he was doing well for. Guess that means he is growing up!

PeopleMover refurb is sadly true. Womp womp. It's going down on Saturday. I don't remember when you arrive, but maybe you can get a ride in before it goes down?

Oh no love the PeopleMover.... Is this what this means??

For me, yes!!! I never understood the appeal as a tween/teen when you could be riding one of the mountains instead. Now, it's totally a must do, and I haven't ridden Space Mountain in 3 trips!

Finally getting caught up!


I PROMISE it wasn't me doing the flashing! There is no proof of it....well, I think there isn't!


WOW! Those crowds are VERY manageable for the last weekend before Fat Tuesday. Glad y'all had a good time.

Loving the TR. We will be at WDW a few weeks after your May trip. Great FP+ selections. Our 60 day window is coming up. Hope we can get as good of selections as you did. Funny how going to WDW has changed. Now you hope you get your resort you want. Then you hope you get the dates you want. Then you hope you get your ADR's you want. And now you hope you get your FP+ selections you want. What's next? Will we start having to make bathroom reservations?!?!?

Hey, everything shows up on the Internet sooner or later, so I wouldn't be so sure that there's no proof...

The crowds weren't bad where we were at all. Behind us was another story. Trying to get back to the hotel some nights was a nightmare of wall to wall people until we realized we could go up a block in the other direction and it was much less congested.

I totally agree on the evolution of Disney planning...when will it end?!?! I sure hope they don't cap those bathroom reservations, or we will be in big trouble!!!!

Super cute!

(I hope I cropped the right picture - I am trying to power read tonight and get all caught up - it's not easy).

I love Bean, too! He's so cute. I love that you got a picture of the theatre after the bombs go off. I tried for the shot last week but I haven't uploaded yet so I have no idea if it turned out.

Isn't Celebration cute? How nice that you tried a new church this time. I am glad Paxton kept himself entertained.

Whether it's the right photo or not, I think DS is super cute in his 3D glasses too!

Bean is adorable. Come to think of it, DH was probably trying to get photos of the holes blown in the walls, and Bean was just bonus. Works for me, as long as I get my picture of Bean!!

Celebration is beautiful! I'm disappointed we didn't have more time to spend there and maybe try the Tavern. I've heard nothing but good things about that place. Maybe some other time...

Love this! Last week they had all the water drained from around the castle because they are remodeling. It just looked so dry and so wrong.

The walls are starting to go up for the hub expansion, so I don't know how pretty our pictures are going to look come May. The moat drained just sounds so SAD!

 

[amazingact21]

Party nights can make going to MK at night a real challenge. Glad it worked out for you guys, though, and from the looks of it you managed to have a good time.

Reading how much Paxton enjoyed the shows like Disney Jr Live and the Monsters Inc Laugh floor really makes me consider going with a 3 year old. It's great that the shows kept his attention the entire time, and you didn't have to make any hasty exits.


The Peoplemover grows on a lot of guests. I've actually only ever ridden it once, and I was sad to hear it was going down in May, as well. I wouldn't say it's getting old so much as it is becoming parents and getting 5 minute's worth of rest sitting down.

 

[eandesmom]

FP's look good I think!

05-087 by disneymom1024, on Flickr

LOVE this one!!

It looks like the out and back to the evening (ok, late afternoon) mass worked out quite well and other than Buzz, a very productive and fun evening.

 

[khertz]

Party nights can make going to MK at night a real challenge. Glad it worked out for you guys, though, and from the looks of it you managed to have a good time.

Reading how much Paxton enjoyed the shows like Disney Jr Live and the Monsters Inc Laugh floor really makes me consider going with a 3 year old. It's great that the shows kept his attention the entire time, and you didn't have to make any hasty exits.


The Peoplemover grows on a lot of guests. I've actually only ever ridden it once, and I was sad to hear it was going down in May, as well. I wouldn't say it's getting old so much as it is becoming parents and getting 5 minute's worth of rest sitting down.

We went in knowing we might not be able to ride a lot, but we were going to try to do a lot during the parade and fireworks this night while everyone else was on Main Street. It worked out pretty well for us!

Being 3 definitely made a HUGE difference in his attention span! I always had an escape plan in mind, but never had to use them. It's really cool for now how every trip is so different because with each age increase, there is something new for us to try that we skipped past trips for whatever reason.

In reference to the bolded, you are definitely onto something there!!

FP's look good I think!



LOVE this one!!

It looks like the out and back to the evening (ok, late afternoon) mass worked out quite well and other than Buzz, a very productive and fun evening.

I love that one too! Pure, unadulterated joy.

Church in Celebration was definitely the better choice!

 

[khertz]

I know I just updated, but we have another busy weekend coming up so I figured I'd better get one in while I can! I work tomorrow and then Friday night we are going to New Orleans to see DH's step-sister get married. Saturday we are having a big lunch with my family for my Grandma's birthday before coming back and then I have to work Sunday. So if it wasn't today, it wouldn't be until late next week!​

Day 5 Continued: Saturday October 26th

After coming off of a relaxing ride on the PeopleMover, we made a bathroom stop, and when we came out, the wait time for Buzz Lightyear had gone down to 25 minutes! Our persistence paid off. We hopped in line and waited almost exactly 25 minutes. I'm sure by that time of the night, people were staking out parade spots, so Tomorrowland had started to empty out.

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"You saved our lives... We are eternally grateful!"


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"The claaaawwwww."


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Excuse my finger getting in the shot, but I wanted one of DS playing the game for the first time!


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As you can see by the score, DH whipped DS's butt on the ride, but DS didn't seem to mind losing! He sure had a lot of fun playing, and I didn't mind letting him take over the control because my score wouldn't have been much better than his anyway!

Redneck ride photo coming up!

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After a fun spin on Buzz, DH wanted to go set up for some nighttime shots, but DS and I still wanted to ride! DH didn't mind missing out on Winnie the Pooh, so that's where DS and I went while DH took off into other parts of Fantasyland.

There was still a little bit of a wait for Pooh, but DS didn't mind playing in the interactive queue there. Seriously, Disney made life so much easier for parents with these!

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I hope all of you have really appreciated the efforts DH took to both shoot and edit photos from inside of these dark rides and how well they have come out, because you're about to see what this trip would look like if I was in charge of all of the pictures.

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Holy blurry Pooh Bear, Batman!


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Well, that second one isn't so bad, but when I realized they weren't coming out so great on the point & shoot, I just put the camera away and enjoyed the ride with DS instead. He had a great time bouncing with Tigger and singing the rain song that we know from singing it in the car all the time.

After the ride, we went to meet up with DH over by the New Fantasyland walls where DH was giving an impromptu camera settings lesson to the man next to him who had noticed his equipment and started asking him questions.

Here are the photos he captured while I was gone! He spent some time photographing the Tangled restrooms at my request and the Carousel/Princess Fairytale Hall area of Fantasyland.

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05-172 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

By then, it was pretty close to our 8:50 pm FP time for Princess Fairytale Hall, so we let DS run around a bit right there, then decided to go ahead and use them. I was pretty glad we had decided to pick them up right about then! It's funny how we didn't think there was any way we'd be there that late, and yet, here we were and DS was raring to go!

I have to admit, I was pretty excited to go inside Princess Fairytale Hall for the first time! But I was quickly a little disappointed when I realized that using the FP meant we skipped the main queue with all of the princess portraits that we had seen online. But oh well, we went right down a hall and into the princess room where Cinderella was waiting for us, so I can't complain!

05-173 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


05-174 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


05-175 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Now, here's where I could just kick myself! I had been doing my best to take videos of all of DS's character interactions because so much always happens that's adorable and doesn't translate well to photos, and I even started a video here. But I cut it off right before the cutest part! After introducing himself, Cinderella asked if DS had seen her castle outside. I made sure to tell her that DS had been calling it HIS castle, and she turned to him just in time for him to say excitedly, "I saw my castle make FIREWORKS!" (talking about Dream Along With Mickey, since we hadn't seen any real fireworks yet). It was hands down one of the cutest things ever and I didn't get it on video. Bummer, but we did get lots of cute photos anyway.

05-176 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


PP-055 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


05-178 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


05-179 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Continued in next post...

 

[khertz]

Day 5 Continued: Saturday October 26th

PP-056 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


PP-057 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


PP-058 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

After finishing up a wonderful meet with Cinderella, we had to wait just a minute or so for Sleeping Beauty to finish up with the family ahead of us. DH got a picture of the storybook while we waited.

05-180 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Aurora immediately asked to see his muscles, and DS was happy to oblige.

05-181 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


PP-059 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


05-182 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


PP-060 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
I'd say she was impressed!​

She was so sweet with DS! I really loved her. She was asking if DS could slay dragons, and when he said he could, she said there are a lot of dragons in her kingdom so when he grows up, he can come protect them from the dragons. DS just kind of stood there and listened to her talking, but it was sweet nonetheless.

05-183 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


PP-061 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


05-184 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Then it was time to sign the autograph book!

PP-062 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

When she capped the Sharpie to hand back to him, she said, "I don't want you to prick your finger!" Then she pulled him in for just a one more pose.

PP-063 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Overall, it was a wonderful meet with the princesses! The more modern princesses are more my favorites, but Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty won me over after this meet. The were both so wonderful with DS! DH and I were both happy we had decided to stay and use those FPs to meet them!

As we left Princess Fairytale Hall, Wishes was in full swing, and we wanted to get out of the park before they ended to beat the mad rush to the transportation! Easier said than done, that's for sure. We went out by way of Tomorrowland, but there was absolutely no way we were getting anywhere near the exit by way of the main bridge to the hub. I had the idea of walking down the path that leads to the Plaza, but even that was a huge mass of people. It was an absolute nightmare trying to navigate all of this with a stroller too.

Just as I was thinking there was no way we were getting out and maybe we should just enjoy the fireworks and leave with the masses, the red sea parted and the CM's opened the gate to backstage right there next to the Plaza as as were right in front of it! Couldn't have been more perfect timing. We booked it backstage and took a second to look around and think how we had never done this to get out of the park before. We came out back onto Main Street next to the Chapeau and booked it straight out of the park. We made it out to the turnstiles just as the very last firework was going off! Perfect timing. We waited just a couple of minutes for the next monorail and got to our car in no time.

We got back to Bonnet Creek that night for baths and bedtime. Coming up the next day was something we never get to do in Disney World...sleep in!

FIRSTS FOR TODAY
*New Minnie Mouse M&G at DHS
*Visiting Celebration
*Checking out Princess Fairytale Hall
*Leaving the park by way of backstage​

UP NEXT: Hanging by the pool

 

[amazingact21]

The joys of parenthood...giving up your gun on Buzz for the enjoyment of your kid.

Those are some great pictures of Paxton with the princesses. He seemed to enjoy the one on one interaction and their attention.


MK really needed that backstage area to help with the nighttime crowds. Glad you guys were able to go through there and make it out before the masses. It would've been terrible to get caught in that when you didn't even watch the fireworks.