I'm Not Really Harry Potter, But I AM the Rebel Spy! Oct 2016 TR *COMPLETE + New TR Link 8/6

Sounds like some great trips coming up and great you are getting in a trip with just DS as well

I do hope there are some cool people on your Italy trip ;)

Great safari pictures - can really tell the animals were active

I love all the exploring things they have for kids at AK
 
So many awesome things lined up for you guys!!

Great safari pics! What a nice morning at AK so far. I'm sorry you had to miss meeting Mickey & Minnie though!
 
Funny that the giraffes were in the exact same place when we rode it about a week later. I wonder if they are just really liking those tree right now?
 
Wow! You really have some great trips lined up in the next year or two. You will absolutely love the Disney Cruise.

I love how your DS is wearing his Sorcerer Mickey hat in all the pictures. I miss not having little ones.

The Safari pictures so great. We always head to Expedition Everest first thing so I've never ridden the Safari early in the morning before. By the time I get on the animals aren't so feisty and just sort of laying around.
 


Sounds like some great trips coming up and great you are getting in a trip with just DS as well

I do hope there are some cool people on your Italy trip ;)

Great safari pictures - can really tell the animals were active

I love all the exploring things they have for kids at AK

I sure hope so too, it would be really lame if no one interesting was coming!! ;)

We have really found that we don't spend very much time riding things in AK because there is so much else we want to do! It's quickly becoming DS's favorite park, for nothing more than Dinosaur & Wilderness Explorers.

So many awesome things lined up for you guys!!

Great safari pics! What a nice morning at AK so far. I'm sorry you had to miss meeting Mickey & Minnie though!

I know, I can't wait!! It's exciting to have so much on the horizon.

It was a bummer missing Mickey & Minnie, but otherwise we had a really fun morning.

Funny that the giraffes were in the exact same place when we rode it about a week later. I wonder if they are just really liking those tree right now?

I bet they are putting something to keep the giraffes there. lol Soaking the leaves in sugar or something!!

Wow! You really have some great trips lined up in the next year or two. You will absolutely love the Disney Cruise.

I love how your DS is wearing his Sorcerer Mickey hat in all the pictures. I miss not having little ones.

The Safari pictures so great. We always head to Expedition Everest first thing so I've never ridden the Safari early in the morning before. By the time I get on the animals aren't so feisty and just sort of laying around.

I'm so excited but a little nervous because I have never cruised before and I do get motion sickness. But I'm really looking forward to all of the trips we have coming up.

When we got him that sorcerer hat with birthday money from my mom, we thought it would be a total waste, but it has turned out to be one of the most used souvenirs we have ever gotten him! He loves that thing, and we have to make sure to pack it on every trip!

Sometimes the early Safari can be a blessing for active animals, but it can also be bad for active kids when the safari goes longer than usual. lol
 
What are your anticipated dates for the Seattle/CA and universal Orlando trips?? We've been toying with Universal for a day in October, but with AP's at Disney financially we might just stick with Disney that trip. But figured I'd ask :) Sounds like a wonderful plan - we're waiting until 2020 for that same reason - for DD3 to be old enough to use the kids clubs on the cruise! I think it's so worth it when they are a bit older and can really enjoy the cruise.

We waited down by the ropes for maybe 10 minutes, then there was an announcement welcoming us to the park, and a bunch of birds flew out overhead and swooped around a couple of times. I don’t remember seeing this on recent trips, so I thought it was really cool. But maybe I’m just forgetting and we have actually seen it before.

I don't remember this either!!

It was a great safari! The animals were all really active, so DH got lots of good shots. We were in the mood for some more animals, and there was a bunch of badges available, so we decided to walk the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail. I’m not sure when they changed the name from Pangani Forest Exploration Trail, but I guess it had been awhile since we had done this.

Hmmm, they've had that sign up for a while but I could have sworn it was still called the Pangani forest exploration trail elsewhere?? IDK!
 
What are your anticipated dates for the Seattle/CA and universal Orlando trips?? We've been toying with Universal for a day in October, but with AP's at Disney financially we might just stick with Disney that trip. But figured I'd ask :) Sounds like a wonderful plan - we're waiting until 2020 for that same reason - for DD3 to be old enough to use the kids clubs on the cruise! I think it's so worth it when they are a bit older and can really enjoy the cruise.



I don't remember this either!!



Hmmm, they've had that sign up for a while but I could have sworn it was still called the Pangani forest exploration trail elsewhere?? IDK!

We leave for Seattle in the evening on 5/24 and then fly from there to Disneyland on 5/29 and home on 6/5. Universal I unfortunately have NO idea because I have to wait on Paxton's school calendar for next year which I should get sometime in March hopefully. We want to time it with a teacher inservice day, which he has had in October the past 2 years but at different times of the month, so that even if we are there 4 or 5 days he might only miss 1 or 2 days of school.

It's hard to put off the cruise for so long, but we want everyone to be able to enjoy everything. I know they have the nursery option too, but I think we would get more enjoyment on the excursions and stuff once DD is older.

Okay, I was starting to think I had just been totally oblivious at AK for the last few trips, so I'm glad to see it's not just me!!! Lol
 


Exciting trips up ahead! I love that you two are getting to go back to Italy so soon. We're planning a Disney cruise in 2019, too. We want Evie to be old enough to go to the kid's club, and we figured that would be a good way to brace Landon from moving away from all his friends. (That'll be the summer we leave Germany.)


I think the birds flying at park opening is a new thing.

That stroller in queue benefit is amazing.

Love the shots of DD on KS. It's nice that she'll keep headbands on her head. Evie never did, and she practically loses her mind when I put hair ties in.
 
Exciting trips up ahead! I love that you two are getting to go back to Italy so soon. We're planning a Disney cruise in 2019, too. We want Evie to be old enough to go to the kid's club, and we figured that would be a good way to brace Landon from moving away from all his friends. (That'll be the summer we leave Germany.)


I think the birds flying at park opening is a new thing.

That stroller in queue benefit is amazing.

Love the shots of DD on KS. It's nice that she'll keep headbands on her head. Evie never did, and she practically loses her mind when I put hair ties in.

I can't believe we are going back to Italy already! Ever since we left, I have been dreaming of the day we can go back. I just didn't expect it to be so soon!! When do you think you'll be taking your Disney cruise? We definitely wanted them to be a bit older to enjoy the kids clubs too, and to enjoy the port excursions more.

I'm glad it doesn't just seem to be me not paying attention. lol Seems like the birds is definitely a new thing.

DD is pretty good now about keeping bows on her head, but not always. She loves letting the ladies at daycare put it in a "ponytail" (if you can really call it that with her lack of hair), but I haven't attempted it myself.

Following along! Wow, y'all have a lot of magic coming up over the next few years! pixiedust: Can't wait to read all about your trip!

Welcome!!

I know, I can't believe everything we have planned. It's going to be fantastic!

Lots of great trips coming up. Going to be a fun couple of years.

I sure hope so!! Never thought we would have so many vacations planned out in advance. lol So much planning and soooooo much budgeting in our future.

Following along.

Welcome!!
 
I can't believe it's been so long since my last update!! I guess life just got in the way for awhile. I haven't had as much time to DIS on the weekends as usual. I need to get caught up on reading as well! Sorry if I have neglected your TRs too! I'll get to work on getting caught up. To make up for it, here's a huge 3 part update to finish off our day!

Day 2 Continued: Sunday October 9th

We decided to start making our way towards Dinoland to have an early lunch at Restaurantosaurus, planning to stop and do more Wilderness Explorer along the way as we found them. We got to Discovery Island and tried to do the one by the flamingos, but the flamingo habitat was having work done, so there were no flamingos to see. But there was still an opportunity to earn a badge by answering some questions. DS knew that they turn pink from eating shrimp, so he got his badge easily!

The CM had some other critters in a case for him to check out instead.


As we got to the Tree of Life, DD had woken up so we decided to stop for some Photopass pictures. DS really wanted to take his jersey off, but I wanted at least a few pictures of us as a family with our Saints gear on, so I promised he could take it off after these photos.

DS stopped and got his Dinoland badges outside of the restaurant, then we headed inside for some lunch.

Like in May, meals were much easier with DD now that she could sit up on her own in the high chair and feed herself. I did a combination of things I brought in and her sharing some of our lunches at every meal. I would cut up a piece of our hamburger meat or chicken, and brought some fruit & veggie pouches, along with some fruit & veggie cups that she could pick up and feed herself. It seemed to work well. There was always some leftover apple slices or something else too from our lunches that she could have. There was only a few times we actually ordered her anything.


After lunch, we had to kind of hurry over to Expedition Everest because our FP window was about to expire and we wanted to grab a rider swap. I went to ride first, while DH took the kids to do some more Wilderness Explorer stops and eventually ended up back in Dinoland at the Boneyard to let them play.


As I was walking back to meet them after my ride, I ended up helping out a frazzled looking mom whose toddler was having an EPIC meltdown. She was trying to get the little girl into the stroller, but the little girl was fighting and stiffening herself out, so the stroller just kept rolling backwards away from the mom. I held the stroller steady for her until she could get the little girl in, and told her I hoped she had a better rest of the day! Looked like it was naptime for them…

I met them in the Boneyard and the kids were playing a bit on the playground part, but I took them over to the dig site to get out of the sun and have them a little more contained. DS is a pro at this, but it was DD’s first time to get to dig, and she really enjoyed it!


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Meanwhile, DH was venturing into the depths of Mt. Everest and encountering the Yeti.

DH found us at the dig site.


We let them play for a few more minutes while deciding what we wanted to do and if we wanted to leave for a break or stay in the park. We ended up deciding to go back for a break so that we could all nap, and hopefully be able to stay at MK for the fireworks that night.

See ya later, Animal Kingdom!

It was about 1:15 when we headed out and made the drive back to Bonnet Creek. Both kids crashed for a nap, and DH and I even managed to get a quick cat nap ourselves. DD woke up at 3, with DS following shortly after, so they both had a snack in the room while we reorganized everything we’d need for an evening at the park.

Continued in next post...
 
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Day 2 Continued: Sunday October 9th

When we arrived at the TTC, the express monorail was down, but there was a ferry loading, so we hurried onto the dock and made it on to the ferry before it left.

A quick and pleasant ferry ride later, we found ourselves at the beautiful Magic Kingdom!


After a few photos on Main Street and consulting the wait times, we decided to go over and ride the Mad Tea Party.

After the Teacups, we walked over to Columbia Harbour House for dinner. DH and I were hungry, but DS insisted he didn’t want to eat anything.


I took the kids upstairs to get settled while DH ordered the food. He got both of us the fish & chicken combo baskets and substituted apple slices for the coleslaw so we could share some with DD. Of course as we were all sitting there eating in front of him, DS decided he was hungry after all, but we shared some of our nuggets, fries, and apples with him and it was plenty to feed all of us.

After dinner, we decided to cross back over to Fantasyland and see Mickey’s Philharmagic. Most of the attractions had long waits because it was one of the few nights of the week there was no MNSSHP, so we had anticipated the park being more crowded and had decided to do those attractions that are easier to experience when the park is busy. Philharmagic is definitely one of our go-to attractions on days like that!

Next up, we had a FP for It’s a Small World that I had managed to get while we were on our break, so we went over to use that.


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Looking sober, Drunk Hippo!!


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…Never mind


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Continued in next post...
 
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Day 2 Continued: Sunday October 9th


After Small World, we wanted to go catch the last Royal Friendship Faire castle show since that was new since our last visit with the kids. We had skipped it in July.

But we knew something was wrong when we were able to walk through the Castle to get to Main Street. We had misread the times guide and while there was an evening show other days of the week, the last show on Sunday had been earlier in the day. Oh well. We changed course and decided to go over to Tomorrowland.


We decided to go do the Monsters Inc Laugh Floor, which is not something we do often.


We all really enjoyed doing this show! DS was laughing hysterically, and I’m not even sure he got all of the jokes, but seeing him laugh so hard made me laugh even harder. There was one exceptionally funny part when the host was talking to a kid and asked what does he want to be when he grows up. The kid answered he wants to be a train driver. The monster says, “You have to be safe to do that. Are you safe? Do you wear your seatbelt?” Then the camera panned to a guy in the audience wearing a crossbody bag and said, “He’s serious about safety too, he wears his seatbelt all of the time!” It was really funny. And of course, we love when they pick people to retell the story of Monsters Inc. Lots of fun all around!

After laughing until our stomachs hurt, we went over to ride the Peoplemover.

DS did some Peoplemover surfing on the way up to the platform.

Despite taking the nap, the kids were showing signs of getting tired and the fireworks were a long way off, with the prospect of fighting the crowds to get out after they were over sounding less and less appealing. We talked it over on the Peoplemover and decided we’d go do the Carousel of Progress, then take our time getting out of the park and try to watch the fireworks from the TTC ferry dock so we could get right to our car after.

We started off towards Main Street, anticipating that it would take us awhile to navigate around the crowds of people watching MSEP. We realized we had probably made a mistake coming to MK this evening because it was the very last MSEP before it made the move to Disneyland, so Main Street was packed! But they had the back pathway open between The Plaza and Tony’s, so it actually took us no time at all to get to the end of Main Street.

We ended up walking out and getting right onto a waiting monorail, so when we got to the TTC it was only a little after 9 and fireworks weren’t until 10, so we decided to abandon that plan and go back to the room. It was just too long to wait around at the TTC to see Wishes. Once we got back to the room, we took quick baths, got the kids to bed, and got ourselves ready and into bed by the time Wishes would have just been starting!

At the time, we thought this was a great victory. But now with the news of Wishes leaving before our next trip, and knowing we could have seen it this night but didn't, is really depressing!

UP NEXT: Toy Story Mania Bonus!
 
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Ever since we left, I have been dreaming of the day we can go back. I just didn't expect it to be so soon!! When do you think you'll be taking your Disney cruise?

I remember how much you loved Italy the first time around. It really came through in your ABD trip report. I haven't even been once yet and already have a tentative date for a second trip this summer.
We aren't sure when we want to go on a cruise, yet. Alex's DEROS (basically his departure date) for here is in May, so on one hand we figured we would take vacation leave in route to our new base. That would give us time to let all our stuff make its way across the ocean; however, the school years here usually run until beginning of June. So there's a possibility the kids and I will have to stay back to let Landon finish out his school. If that's the case, then we'd probably end up going around the end of June time frame. I hate going in the middle of the summer when it's the busiest and most expensive, but that's probably what it'll end up being for us.
What about you guys? When are you thinking of going?


I did a combination of things I brought in and her sharing some of our lunches at every meal.

It's great when they are still young enough to eat off everyone else's plates.


but the little girl was fighting and stiffening herself out

Ahh, the stiff board move. That's a popular one. I'm sure that mom really appreciated the extra help.

DS did some Peoplemover surfing on the way up to the platform.

Too cute!

when we got to the TTC it was only a little after 9 and fireworks weren’t until 10, so we decided to abandon that plan and go back to the room. It was just too long to wait around at the TTC to see Wishes

That was probably for the best. The kids were more than likely better off with the extra rest. However, that does stink that you missed Wishes not knowing it was about to go away. I wish Disney had given us more warning that it was ending so folks could figure out a quick trip to see it one last time. (Not that I could have managed that, but I'm sure there are plenty of people who could have swung it.)
 
Jumping on board for my first of your TRs! (I'm loving your family and your writing style, so I may just need to go back and binge a few of your older TRs at some point, too...) I love your DH's awesome photos of the parks and your beautiful family! Thank goodness this trip could happen, despite the issues leading up to it.

We're also sad about not getting back to see Wishes again before it leaves. Sorry you missed out on seeing it that night, but it probably worked out well that you got the sleepy little ones out of the park before the crowds. We saw Holiday Wishes on our last trip in December, which I love, but I'll miss the original version so much. Keeping my fingers crossed that I'll be into the new nighttime show just as much once I get used to it.

Looking forward to your next update.
 
Cute family photos (both at AK and MK)!

DD looks like she enjoyed her time at the dig site!

DH got some awesome shots wil on Everest!

You guys did a lot of attractions when at MK. It's nice that even when it's crowded, there are still those certain rides you know you can do that won't have a long wait!

I'm sorry you didn't get to see Wishes :( I'm sure you wish you had known then that they would be taking it away!
 
Following along! We were there the same week! I remember the same panic when the hurricane hit, but we flew in the 9th so we just missed it.

Be glad you skipped the parade and Wishes that night! We were at MK too, and trying to leave after Wishes was a total mess. It was a human traffic jam and we were all tired.
 
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Before getting on to the next update, I wanted to mention a few of the exciting trips we have coming up!
Wow!!! Looks like a lot of fun times coming up! I keep thinking about how/when we can do Disneyland again. While it is more cost prohibitive for us and I looked at it as a one time only type deal when we went, I keep getting the urge to return. The US trip looks like a fun idea too. I totally understand leaving DD home and I really think that's the best way to go. While they have some amazing attractions, Universal has just done a bad job of being relevant to the whole family in the way that Disney is.

And the cruise! It sounds amazing. I wish I could go, but I couldn't believe it when I heard them announce the price. That's a great deal and I'm glad that you're going to be able to take advantage of it. That is definitely a TR that I want to see!

We waited down by the ropes for maybe 10 minutes, then there was an announcement welcoming us to the park, and a bunch of birds flew out overhead and swooped around a couple of times. I don’t remember seeing this on recent trips, so I thought it was really cool. But maybe I’m just forgetting and we have actually seen it before.
I've heard of this, but I can't recall having ever seen it either?

Like in May, meals were much easier with DD now that she could sit up on her own in the high chair and feed herself. I did a combination of things I brought in and her sharing some of our lunches at every meal. I would cut up a piece of our hamburger meat or chicken, and brought some fruit & veggie pouches, along with some fruit & veggie cups that she could pick up and feed herself. It seemed to work well. There was always some leftover apple slices or something else too from our lunches that she could have. There was only a few times we actually ordered her anything.
It's great when they're in the stage where they can feed themselves and don't need to buy a whole meal for them! We usually take some pre-packaged kids' meals that we can throw in the bag. Cheap and easy.

After dinner, we decided to cross back over to Fantasyland and see Mickey’s Philharmagic. Most of the attractions had long waits because it was one of the few nights of the week there was no MNSSHP, so we had anticipated the park being more crowded and had decided to do those attractions that are easier to experience when the park is busy. Philharmagic is definitely one of our go-to attractions on days like that!
This was a great plan... doing this, Monsters, peoplemover and COP... some of the attractions that I always put off doing until late in the trip because I know we can always do them whenever we want if it is too crowded to do other things.

We all really enjoyed doing this show! DS was laughing hysterically, and I’m not even sure he got all of the jokes, but seeing him laugh so hard made me laugh even harder.
But was he constantly repeating bad jokes he learned there for the next year or 2? :rolleyes :faint:

In any case, I'm glad it was a hit!

We realized we had probably made a mistake coming to MK this evening because it was the very last MSEP before it made the move to Disneyland, so Main Street was packed!
Oh, yikes! :eek:

At the time, we thought this was a great victory. But now with the news of Wishes leaving before our next trip, and knowing we could have seen it this night but didn't, is really depressing!
:sad2: I'm sorry you missed out on that opportunity. You made what seems to be the right choice at the time, but who'd have thought Wishes was on the chopping block?
 

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