Island Hopping: A Highly Inappropriate TR. (Boom.)-- Link to NEW TR! 10/8

[Cierese]

Sounds (and looks) like you guys had a magical morning! At Disney, not home! Hope you stayed safe through that crazy storm.

I've taken my kids many times in the past, but there are still many things we've not done/rode/eaten. We have a huge list! The more I read your TR, the more my list grows!! Makes me so excited for this fall!!!!

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

I finally watched your video!

Love it! So cute! You and your DH are great photographers/video-graphers(Is that a word? )

Ugh...I can not WAIT until we finally get to go! Life keeps getting in the way!

 

[LifeIsDis]

It seems like you guys had a great time meeting Tiana! And even better that there was no line.

Fastpass+ will be AMAZING when you don’t have to go over to the machines. I hate going over to the FP machines and dealing with stupid people who don’t know how to one, speak English, and two, get in a line and not cut you off when you have been waiting there forever.

I have seen TONS of pictures and reviews about Columbia Harbor House and I need to try it on my next trip. The food looks delicious and it would be a nice place to get away from the heat and see the views of Fantasyland and Liberty Square.

 

[nannye]

ahhh ha ha love it!

love both updates!

On that Video thread, i just posted a link to my park fare dinner video. Because of this V is a park fare fan for life! we also did the breakfast last time and it was nice as well. I hated our seats for both. Tiny seriously tiny table for two. I'm going to ask for a bigger table next time. it would be fine for two adults but I had a kid who needs room to moove! That might be your only downfall as a party of 5 but can't be any worse than crystal palace.

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Your meet with Tiana sounds so sweet!

Awwww that CM outside of CHH sounds awesome!!! I love that he was such a proud grandpa too!!! Someday we have to get to CHH, we are just never nearby when we get hungry for lunch!

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

boo for tornado warnings, but hooray for another update! Hopefully the weather calms down for you soon.

First thing I need to call out before anything else: Ramblin' Rose? That is the best name EVER. I don't know why, but that makes me happy.

I'm sure you guys had a wonderful time on Winnie the Pooh. How can you not?

We also love Columbia Harbor House, but didn't get to eat there at all this past trip! We tried to go once, but it was just after 5 and they had closed. It was a sad day in the Magic Kingdom (well, not really, but you know what I'm saying).

The teaser for your next update sounds ominous. DUN DUN DUN!

Brynn loves to name things. LOVES. And she's so good at it that often write down the names. They're either really beautiful, or really made up and hard to pronounce!
We have tried them for dinner before not realizing they were closed. That was a bummer. It's lunch every time now.
Next update= and .

Another great update!!! Even to this day I always get a feeling before trying to pull out the sword from the stone "maybe it will come out this time" I know, I'm weird.... I don't think I've we have ever been to Harbor House (not a seafood fan) but I'm glad you had a good meal there.

I hope the tornado warning pass quickly. Can't wait for your next installment.

Oh, I feel it too, and each and every time they fully believe, I believe as well. Even for non-seafood fans, there are several options, including a pretty darn good salad with chicken.

Funny- I'm on the DIS avoiding my wet basement. Seems the sump pumps couldn't keep up with the floodlike rains we've been having.

Sounds like an awesome meeting with Tiana! She is one that always seems to be perfectly in character.

I can't believe that you rode IASW!!! J/K i know how much you love it.

Rambling Rose huh? That's fantastic.

Oh no, mishaps to come? Do tell.

YIKES! We have no basement in this house (reason for the half-bath cramming), but our town is pretty soggy and flooded in several places now.
Tiana is always spectacular. I'd be lying if I said that the lack of wait wasn't just as spectacular.
I know, I shocked everyone with IASW. That was out of left field!

How scary about the tornado warnings! I hope that you all remain safe!

Great update Brynn seems like such a creative little girl - I love the name that she gave to her horse! I'm glad that you had such a great interaction with Tiana too, such cute pictures.

Thank you, we ARE safe, aside from some flooded areas and some trees down. The town we moved here from, unfortunately, is not so lucky (Adairsville), as they took a direct tornado hit. It is in the middle of nowhere and the town didn't have much, anyway. Now it has less .
Brynnie is so full of creativity. She never fails to shock us and make us laugh!

Stopping by to say I am In.... Read through all of last years, and caught up t today on this years....

Thank you for being so detailed, its making like I'm living through a WDW vacation right now, as I count down till December.

WOW! Thank you!
I'm glad you're joining us! I can't help but be detailed--it's like me in real life...I never stop talking!

We went in March 2010 for Dinner... Cindy was so so, Prince was alright, but the interactions with the Step Sisters and Lady Tremain were incredible....
Most memorable of the trip...

Food was pretty standard Buffet Food if I remember, the Cold Strawberry Soup was amazing.

Oooooh, THIS is where the strawberry soup is!? YUM! Can't wait to try that! I'm hoping my kids enjoy the step sisters and Lady Tremaine as much as they claim they're going to . I know they'll love CIndy and PC, of course. And I'm going to love FINALLY getting to see inside GF!

That’s so great that you guys got a great experience with Tiana with no wait! I’ve noticed that her line is usually way better in the morning, but Naveen doesn’t come out til later, maybe that’s why? Lol.

Rambling Rose! How adorable! Haha, I love that the girls named the horses, cute!

ACK! I know what you mean, that cluster of Splash & BT is just not fun to fight through, especially for fast passes, it’s so congested down there and drives me crazy!!

I’ve only managed to eat at CHH once, I tried again the last trip, but it was closed early for MVMCP! Sad! I want to try something else aside from the salad, baha!

AAAAAHHHH ARE YOU SSEEEERRRIIOOUUSSS?!?! That bird dancer in FOTLK is my ultimate dream! It’d be so amazing!! AH, crazy!! You guys certainly had an awesome experience before you even got into the restaurant!

Looks like a great meal overall, and a yummy one!

We didn't mention that Naveen would be out later. Problem solved!
Dude. I want to be that bird. I was so close to begging him to take me to her RIGHTTHISSECOND, but the family was hungry. I wanted to let her know that I wanted to be her...not creepy, right??

I hope no tornado actually formed in your area.

Looks like a productive morning. Love the meeting with Tiana. So sweet that she insisted on seeing Sawyer.

Well, it did hit our previous city pretty hard. We actually wanted to move here for a couple of reasons, but one of them was definitely that it seems to be constantly getting tornadoes and straight line winds and our time there was spent in the basement or dodging the trees falling on our house. It's only thirty minutes from here, so I'm not sure why they're always getting horrible weather and we don't. But I'm telling you that I'm so thankful we live here now instead.
I'm telling you, the CM experience was a fluke, because the characters ADORED Sawyer for the rest of the trip, for the most part! That made me so happy...ya know, until I had to force him back into the stroller...

OT but just had to say, I love your trip video and have forced DH to watch it several times, well I was on the way to my first job interview in 5 years and whilst listening to the local radio station they played a song from your video. It put me in such a good mood remembering your video I had a great interview Thankyou xx

THAT IS AWESOME!!!! I read this to my DH. I think this is one of the best comments we've had! How touching. I'm so pleased you had a great interview, as well.

CHH was our first Disney restaurant too! Well, as a family. Mike & I had both been to Disney World before we had ever met I lovelove the Light House Sandwich. YUM. I want one right now!

I've never tried it, but I keep swearing I'm going to. I can never say no to the fish basket, though! Decisions, decisions...

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

Sounds (and looks) like you guys had a magical morning! At Disney, not home! Hope you stayed safe through that crazy storm.

I've taken my kids many times in the past, but there are still many things we've not done/rode/eaten. We have a huge list! The more I read your TR, the more my list grows!! Makes me so excited for this fall!!!!

That's the whole reason I love to read TRs...ideas! I keep lots of lists.
This fall will be amazing!

I finally watched your video!

Love it! So cute! You and your DH are great photographers/video-graphers(Is that a word? )

Ugh...I can not WAIT until we finally get to go! Life keeps getting in the way!

I'm so glad!
Gosh, thanks! It's all him, though! Even though I did hold the video camera half the time, I didn't really know what I was shooting, and I did none of the editing. Gotta give the man credit; he worked so hard!
SOON you'll get to go. SOON. Sigh, life...

It seems like you guys had a great time meeting Tiana! And even better that there was no line.

Fastpass+ will be AMAZING when you don’t have to go over to the machines. I hate going over to the FP machines and dealing with stupid people who don’t know how to one, speak English, and two, get in a line and not cut you off when you have been waiting there forever.

I have seen TONS of pictures and reviews about Columbia Harbor House and I need to try it on my next trip. The food looks delicious and it would be a nice place to get away from the heat and see the views of Fantasyland and Liberty Square.

I agree with all that!!
CHH is so cozy, especially in the quiet of the upstairs (once you do upstairs, you'll never sit downstairs again!). It's really like you're in a whole other time and place. Love it.

ahhh ha ha love it!

love both updates!

On that Video thread, i just posted a link to my park fare dinner video. Because of this V is a park fare fan for life! we also did the breakfast last time and it was nice as well. I hated our seats for both. Tiny seriously tiny table for two. I'm going to ask for a bigger table next time. it would be fine for two adults but I had a kid who needs room to moove! That might be your only downfall as a party of 5 but can't be any worse than crystal palace.

I hope my kids love it as much as V! Yeah, I am worried about the table issue, but it would honestly be no different than several restaurants already have been. We handled CP and GG, so we can handle it, I think. Anything for those characters! I do think I'll ask that they make sure our table is big enough, though. I need to learn to speak up about that.

Your meet with Tiana sounds so sweet!

Awwww that CM outside of CHH sounds awesome!!! I love that he was such a proud grandpa too!!! Someday we have to get to CHH, we are just never nearby when we get hungry for lunch!

He was such a sweetie, and so funny!
We weren't near CHH, really, and it was exhausting and hot getting back to it, but it was worth it! (Except to Brynn, who didn't take a bite of anything. She doesn't know if it was worth it or not.)

 

[HappyGal]

Hi, my name is Monica and I'm Georgia girl too, Woodstock to be exact. I discovered your video on You Tube and loved it so much that I just had to find your trip report. We were at WDW the same week as you guys (fall break for us too). And we were at the MK at the same time. It was my first September trip but the free dining and the timing were perfect. I'm curious about how you handled the rest of the week as all I remember is rain, rain and more rain.

My 9yr old daughter was recently diagnosed with Misophonia (sensory issues that is include aversion to certain sounds) and we ear muff it too. We went to an audiologist yesterday and she recommended these little things that look like hearing aids but they produce a low level of white noise that block unpleasant noises and kids with sensory issues find it soothing. It helps them get through everyday life, especially school. I don't know if this would help Brynn but I'm always looking for ideas for my Maggie. It's called Tranquil Simplicity II by the General Hearing Co. And thanks to you, I learned about the Guest Assistance Card which will really be helpful for Maggie on our upcoming Spring Break trip.

Oh, I wanted to ask where you got your "Chef" shirts, they are cute as can be!

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

Hi, my name is Monica and I'm Georgia girl too, Woodstock to be exact. I discovered your video on You Tube and loved it so much that I just had to find your trip report. We were at WDW the same week as you guys (fall break for us too). And we were at the MK at the same time. It was my first September trip but the free dining and the timing were perfect. I'm curious about how you handled the rest of the week as all I remember is rain, rain and more rain.

My 9yr old daughter was recently diagnosed with Misophonia (sensory issues that is include aversion to certain sounds) and we ear muff it too. We went to an audiologist yesterday and she recommended these little things that look like hearing aids but they produce a low level of white noise that block unpleasant noises and kids with sensory issues find it soothing. It helps them get through everyday life, especially school. I don't know if this would help Brynn but I'm always looking for ideas for my Maggie. It's called Tranquil Simplicity II by the General Hearing Co. And thanks to you, I learned about the Guest Assistance Card which will really be helpful for Maggie on our upcoming Spring Break trip.

Oh, I wanted to ask where you got your "Chef" shirts, they are cute as can be!

Canton/Holly Springs here!
We love our September trips. We did end up in some rain, but some of the time we just so happened to be back at the resort or doing something indoors when it happened...except sometimes we got drenched...you'll see.
I am going to see about those! Not sure she'd like something sticking in her ear, though. It might be finding out which bothers her more!
The GAC was so helpful to us. The bigger she gets, the harder it is for us to handle both her meltdowns and when her legs give out. I'm so glad we found out about it, and I'm so glad you know about it, too!
We actually made those Chef shirts last year! Brandon found an image online and digitally "painted" it. I think they were coloring book or cook book images from the eighties. The girls got Minnie with a cake, the boys got Chef Mickey, and he added on their names. I used our printer and iron-on paper. I actually do that quite a bit! The shirt Sawyer wore the day before (Mickey head with his name) and the one he's wearing on this day (Pooh) were both made by me, as well as some more you'll see coming up. It's the cheap way of getting Disney clothes for me, as I can't pay to have all the kids have personalized clothing for trips.
Glad you're here! Love having a fellow Cherokee Co. gal around!

 

[MrsBearcat]

Oh Jen with your previous Disney mishap history it makes me nervous when you say a update filled with mishaps!

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

Oh Jen with your previous Disney mishap history it makes me nervous when you say a update filled with mishaps!

For good reason!! No worries, it's not a sickness or anything, and it's just one incident, although it is quite a biggie...especially to me. Don't be nervous!! (That helps, right ?)

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Ohmygosh I hope you are safe from tornadoes today!!

Love their persistence with the sword! The law of averages right? One day it'll have to come out for them. Maybe not? But love that they keep trying

They're too cute naming the horses. Rambling Rose is too adorable

CHH sounds really good! We're gonna have to try it some time.

Uhoh. That's some foreshadowing you have going!

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

Ohmygosh I hope you are safe from tornadoes today!!

Love their persistence with the sword! The law of averages right? One day it'll have to come out for them. Maybe not? But love that they keep trying

They're too cute naming the horses. Rambling Rose is too adorable

CHH sounds really good! We're gonna have to try it some time.

Uhoh. That's some foreshadowing you have going!

We are just fine! Thanks for your well-wishes.
Those kids are nothing if not determined! I really hope it happens for them one day...although if it happens for one and not the other, there will be meltdowns for sure. I shudder to think of that.
CHH is definitely one of the top CS places. You HAVE to try it! I don't know of anyone who dislikes it. (And if someone is reading this and dislikes it...sshhhhh!)

 

[ronnmel]

Well, it did hit our previous city pretty hard. We actually wanted to move here for a couple of reasons, but one of them was definitely that it seems to be constantly getting tornadoes and straight line winds and our time there was spent in the basement or dodging the trees falling on our house. It's only thirty minutes from here, so I'm not sure why they're always getting horrible weather and we don't. But I'm telling you that I'm so thankful we live here now instead.
I'm telling you, the CM experience was a fluke, because the characters ADORED Sawyer for the rest of the trip, for the most part! That made me so happy...ya know, until I had to force him back into the stroller...

That's pretty scary! I'm glad that you guys moved out of that area then.

It's great that the characters are so great at interacting with kids. I'm going to let you in on a little secret. I was actually a bit jealous/upset that the characters would pay so much attention to Claudia and none to me. She's too young to really realize what was going on, or to feel the magic, so I wanted to be the ones to get the hugs and stuff. I'm so grown up. Shhh!

 

[1000HappyWishes]

Finally caught up with this TR! Looking forward to the rest of it!

 

[SueM in MN]

After watching your video, I followed the link over here to read your trip report. It's as good as the video.
I am impressed at all the thought you put into things ahead of time to help your daughter. A lot of people expect the Guest Assistance Card to do everything, but it works much better if you use as one technique in a whole group of things - like preparation, ear protectors, sunglasses, etc.

Since Guest Assistance Cards (GACs) have been mentioned a number of times, I thought it might be helpful to point readers toward more information.
Post 6 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread is all about GACs.
You can follow the link in my signature to get to that thread.

Also, this is a picture of one of the handicapped waiting area.

This shows Monsters, Inc and is pretty typical. The left side of the picture is the 'regular' queue and by the time the show starts, it will be pretty well packed with people.
The right side is a fairly narrow chained off lane where guests with wheelchairs, ECVs, strollers as wheelchairs, etc. wait. You can still see and hear the other line next to you, but there is more room and usually there is a wall on one side, so it does provide a little more separation from other guests.

This picture shows Small World.

It's a bit confusing, so here's an explanation that I hope makes sense.
The people on the left side of the picture, in the numbered area will be the next to board (guests using the handicapped boarding area board on the exit side). The CMs direct one (occassionally 2) boat load of people to wait in that area a few minutes before the will actually board.
The 2 lanes in the middle of the picture are the exit - guests first walk toward the camera, then turn the corner and walk up the ramp to the exit.
The lane to the right of the picture is the handicapped waiting area, and at he point I took the picture, it did extend all the way up to the top of the ramp. When it is that long, it will usually be a longer wait in that line than in the 'regular' line.
So, if you have a GAC and don't need the wheelchair accessible boarding area, you should consider whether your needs might be better met by waiting in the 'regular' line. Especially in that line, it is pretty tight and has rows of bars, so once you are in it, you are not easily able to get out.

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

That's pretty scary! I'm glad that you guys moved out of that area then.

It's great that the characters are so great at interacting with kids. I'm going to let you in on a little secret. I was actually a bit jealous/upset that the characters would pay so much attention to Claudia and none to me. She's too young to really realize what was going on, or to feel the magic, so I wanted to be the ones to get the hugs and stuff. I'm so grown up. Shhh!

I get shy! Really not sure why! But I don't hesitate to push my kids toward them.

Finally caught up with this TR! Looking forward to the rest of it!

YAY!! I should be posting again in a day or two!

After watching your video, I followed the link over here to read your trip report. It's as good as the video.
I am impressed at all the thought you put into things ahead of time to help your daughter. A lot of people expect the Guest Assistance Card to do everything, but it works much better if you use as one technique in a whole group of things - like preparation, ear protectors, sunglasses, etc.

Since Guest Assistance Cards (GACs) have been mentioned a number of times, I thought it might be helpful to point readers toward more information.
Post 6 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread is all about GACs.
You can follow the link in my signature to get to that thread.

Also, this is a picture of one of the handicapped waiting area.

This shows Monsters, Inc and is pretty typical. The left side of the picture is the 'regular' queue and by the time the show starts, it will be pretty well packed with people.
The right side is a fairly narrow chained off lane where guests with wheelchairs, ECVs, strollers as wheelchairs, etc. wait. You can still see and hear the other line next to you, but there is more room and usually there is a wall on one side, so it does provide a little more separation from other guests.

This picture shows Small World.

It's a bit confusing, so here's an explanation that I hope makes sense.
The people on the left side of the picture, in the numbered area will be the next to board (guests using the handicapped boarding area board on the exit side). The CMs direct one (occassionally 2) boat load of people to wait in that area a few minutes before the will actually board.
The 2 lanes in the middle of the picture are the exit - guests first walk toward the camera, then turn the corner and walk up the ramp to the exit.
The lane to the right of the picture is the handicapped waiting area, and at he point I took the picture, it did extend all the way up to the top of the ramp. When it is that long, it will usually be a longer wait in that line than in the 'regular' line.
So, if you have a GAC and don't need the wheelchair accessible boarding area, you should consider whether your needs might be better met by waiting in the 'regular' line. Especially in that line, it is pretty tight and has rows of bars, so once you are in it, you are not easily able to get out.

Thank you so much! I think that that exact thread is what helped me so much. Thanks for posting the info for everyone to see; I know they probably don't all understand the whole thing, as I know I wasn't completely sure how it worked until I got there.
Yes, I am pretty prepared when it comes to Miss Brynn. I have to be! We know to have her earmuffs, sunglasses, and comfort objects at all times. We know how to talk to her and block her and touch her in a comforting way. We are pretty good at preventing the meltdowns, even at WDW, but the GAC did help us a lot. These pictures show great examples. Monsters, Inc., for example, became HUGE for us this trip (still coming up in the TR). There's just no way we could have stuck her in the middle of that packed-in crowd. We would push her in or walk her in to the chained-off area, then her dad and I could sort of block her view of the rest of the crowd and help ensure her a "bubble" of space. No meltdowns! And then in IASW (HER FAVORITE EVER!), the line helped us be able to literally push her right up to the boat and then lift her in when her legs weren't working. It was not faster--in fact, it was probably slower in some cases--but it allowed us not to have to carry her through the whole line...she's getting very heavy!
We didn't always have to use the GAC, and in fact we didn't use it a majority of the time (fastpasses and going early to parks help that, and unless she needed her stroller as her wheelchair for the moment then we rarely had a line and weren't risking anything by being in the regular line because it was so fast). It was nice to have it, though, and nice not to be questioned over and over. Thanks for watching the video, for reading, and for commenting!

 

[danimaroo]

GAH so I totally read your update at some point but then never commented. Sorry for being the wooooorst. I am STILL so behind everyone's TRs. With trying to finish up the DL one I'm writing, then trying to edit photos from the WDW trip so I can start THAT TR soon, plus thinking about writing for that one, I'm just feeling slightly overwhelmed, haha. Plus I have over 100 video clips that I took while in WDW that at some point in the next month or two I'd like to form into a video. Buuut at least I have something fun to do in my free time, so that's exciting!

ANYWAY, enough about me!

I am SO excited you guys all met Tiana! I love that movie so much, and she is near the top of my favorite Princesses list (only beaten by Rapunzel and Merida). I also love that she invited Sawyer over to meet, too!

Maaan, FPs for Dumbo as an added bonus?! I wish that happened to me! I didn't know that they were doing that until someone else during our trip got them!

I am SO with Brandon about the Hippo! I don't know if you saw that part in my Disneyland TR, but the hippo there basically NEVER opens its eyes, so I very accomplished when I finally caught a photo of it with its eyes sort of open, haha.

I love the determination to get that sword out of the anvil!

RAMBLING. ROSE. Oh my gaaahhh. I literally laughed out loud over here when I first read that. I love it so much. Kids make up the funniest stuff EVER.

We tried to eat at CHH during our trip and it was randomly closed at 5:30. Maybe I missed the memo but I didn't know it closed then? It was weird. Just means we need to eat there next trip!

I hope your afternoon of mishaps isn't too awful, wompwommmmp.

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

GAH so I totally read your update at some point but then never commented. Sorry for being the wooooorst. I am STILL so behind everyone's TRs. With trying to finish up the DL one I'm writing, then trying to edit photos from the WDW trip so I can start THAT TR soon, plus thinking about writing for that one, I'm just feeling slightly overwhelmed, haha. Plus I have over 100 video clips that I took while in WDW that at some point in the next month or two I'd like to form into a video. Buuut at least I have something fun to do in my free time, so that's exciting!

ANYWAY, enough about me!

I am SO excited you guys all met Tiana! I love that movie so much, and she is near the top of my favorite Princesses list (only beaten by Rapunzel and Merida). I also love that she invited Sawyer over to meet, too!

Maaan, FPs for Dumbo as an added bonus?! I wish that happened to me! I didn't know that they were doing that until someone else during our trip got them!

I am SO with Brandon about the Hippo! I don't know if you saw that part in my Disneyland TR, but the hippo there basically NEVER opens its eyes, so I very accomplished when I finally caught a photo of it with its eyes sort of open, haha.

I love the determination to get that sword out of the anvil!

RAMBLING. ROSE. Oh my gaaahhh. I literally laughed out loud over here when I first read that. I love it so much. Kids make up the funniest stuff EVER.

We tried to eat at CHH during our trip and it was randomly closed at 5:30. Maybe I missed the memo but I didn't know it closed then? It was weird. Just means we need to eat there next trip!

I hope your afternoon of mishaps isn't too awful, wompwommmmp.

I completely understand about being behind...I'm behind and have no excuses!
CHH randomly closes like that. We've definitely shown up for dinner before and it was closed. I dunno. I don't get it.
And now you're about to find out about our afternoon/evening.

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

When we left off, we had finished a wonderful lunch and were ready to ride some rides! Luckily, our fastpasses were ready for Splash Mountain, and we headed there immediately...cause that's good after lunch, right??

Well, I didn't care. I wasn't riding! My job was to push around a very sleepy Sawyer while the rest of them hurled themselves down that plunge with their seafood only recently having reached their stomachs. Zip-a-dee-doo-dah indeed.

I was somewhere down here for a minute or two:

THE BIG DROP!!

Aaaaaand everybody kept their lunch. Let's celebrate!

While that was happening, I noticed that Sawyer had indeed fallen asleep as I had hoped while I grabbed some Jungle Cruise FPs, so I made a mad dash for some quiet and some air conditioning inside the shop at the foot of Splash Mountain, Briar Patch. As he snoozed, I chatted with another mother pushing another sleeping baby and waiting for other kids with their dad. It must be a popular place for nap time!

My crew found us inside, and that safe haven being a store, they just HAD to buy something right that second. They picked lollipops, and I guess they were pretty tasty because the suckers themselves got their very own photo shoot. (I don't take the pictures, folks. I just admire them.)

You wanted a thorough trip report, right?! I'm your woman.

They showed me the ride photo they purchased, and it looked a bit "off" to me. I went inside to see what was up, and apparently they changed the crop of the photo since the last time we were here, and the quality was worse, as well. The young man trying to help me said it had just been implemented, and that he'd never looked at one up close. He agreed they look much worse than they used to, but since it was the newly-installed system's fault, he couldn't really help. He tried re-cropping and it did no good, but we ended up with four not-so-great Splash pictures. At least he tried! But, yeah, it was this bad.

If you think any of them wanted to ride when it was my turn later in the week, you would be wrong. So much for this being Julia's so-called "favorite ride!"

At this point, we really had no plan. We already knew we were going to be able to see all we wanted to see at MK on this trip because we were going to be at MK so darn many times, so we were just winging it.

As we strolled around with Sawyer still sleeping and the girls skipping and tripping along behind us, we stumbled across Sunshine Tree Terrace. I had heard about the Citrus Swirl on The Dis, so I had to get one. The girls had their treat, and I wanted mine, darn it!!

Except it ended up like this:

The girls stuck their lollipops, which were a huge mess at this point, into some plastic baggies I had brought, and they pretty much forgot about them from then on. That would be great, except...

Sawyer woke up and saw them. He wanted one. NO, NOT THAT ONE. He wanted his VERY OWN, darn it! And he was loudly proclaiming it. Do you know that I couldn't find a single lollipop at any of the stores in the area?! One screaming boy wanting his very own heart lollipop, and none to be had. I would have paid a million dollars to make the fussing stop.

Instead, we saw that our Jungle Cruise FPs were ready and forced the whole crew onto the boat.

Well, that's better!

I think they got the point, in the end...

Oh, peace.

Applause for the back side of water!

As we arrived back at the dock, our skipper said, "GET OUT! No, I'm just kidding, that's mean. PLEASE get out."

(KEEP READING BELOW!! I'm not done yet!)