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

[merbobear]

You sure know how to make a gal feel great !!
I forgot to tell you that he also used Lightroom. I guess maybe you figured that out or assumed it since he used Photoshop and After Effects? He's an Adobe junkie! He was absolutely not an expert at After Effects--the only thing he'd ever done on it before was drop straight clips in together, no editing, and rendered them for a video he took with his old DSLR. He knew none of the effects or transitions, really. (I need to upload that video, too!) It was all "learn as you go," so you can TOTALLY do it!
Thank you so much for all your compliments and for sending folks my way. It really means a lot that anyone would watch our video, and even more that they would enjoy it enough to share it!

Thank you for the words of encouragement! I just looked at your video again and you are almost at 1200 hits on youtube, so obviously people like it!

eta: Pretty soon dh is going to be planning another vacation so he has more material to share with his fans lol

 

[danimaroo]

I read your latest update while sitting n this plane, haha. Helping me combat the post Disney depression. And it's weird since we were just at Crystal Palace less than 15 hours ago. Wah. I love the photos of you guys though! And I totally agree with the early bit of MK and the monorail. It's a beautiful thing,

Can't wait to keep up with your TR and ya know, maybe start planing a little September trip of our own over here.

 

[tiggerfan77]

It took me all afternoon but I am finally caught up and joining in. Great trip report and your kids are precious! Can't wait to read more...

 

[LifeIsDis]

All I want to do right now is run down an empty Main Street. I hate living so far away from Disney ):

The girls’ dresses are awesome. Pooh is my favorite. I WANT ONE.

Crystal Palace is such an amazing restaurant. It’s so pretty, there are Mickey waffles inside, AND you get to meet pooh and friends. Perfection.

Sounds like you had a great breakfast!

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

Haha, thanks! That'll help! You'll be happy to know a September trip has been a near constant topic of conversation recently. We should know more in the next month or so!

I HOPE SO! Because you'll have to make ADRs mid-March...and I just happen to have to great ADR selections just in case you want an entertaining meal with a vibrant family of five! We're there Sept 13-22. I booked a portion of our trip last night! EEEEEEK! IT'S REAL!

It has been years since we've been to CP and now I want to go....right now....is that wrong

Love the pictures...makes you feel like you're right there! I guess having absolutely adorable children helps!!! Love the girl's dresses!

Thank you! MY friend Miranda made those dresses for them for FREE last year! She just asked Brandon to take a single photo of her for her business card, then handed them over! So sweet. And I love that they're so long that they'll be able to get a THIRD wear out of them this September, and I adore the Classic Pooh fabric.
Queen (because that's all I can ever call you...to me it is your "real" name!), it is never, ever wrong to want to be at a Disney restaurant right this very second! That's how whole new trips are planned, for us anyway!

Another amazing update, Julia reminds me of my self, I'm 18 and I still would want to leave on
my Disney face paint.

I'm glad you had a good meal at CP, it's always been a personal favorite for my family.

It was a really good face painting, in her defense. It even held up for most of this second day!
It's a tradition for us to eat at CP for sure. We always do breakfast. We tried dinner once, but the before-park-opening thing is what really gets us.

Yes, we actually did get ice, but it only sticks to things other than the roads. I do live in the middle of nowhere though and I think there's only a handful of main roads they actually treat. I remember when I was a kid the county would be out for a whole week and the kids on my street fell under the 'bus driver discretion' policy and we would end up missing an extra week. They are usually quick to postpone or cancel school due to even a chance we may see flurries.

Love your photos and thoughts on CP! My kids LOVE Pooh and the bunch, but youngest is deathly afraid of characters. I usually let my 2 older kids M&G while Ethan and I sit out. Also as you suggested with Brynn, he's usually meltdown city when it comes to loud group activities. Looks like she did quite well and really enjoyed herself! I want so badly to be able to take my kids to character meals, but I'm worried how he will react.

Ok, I'm going to stop now before this turns into a short story.

Can't wait to hear what happens next on your trip!

I completely know what you're talking about! I grew up in a suburb of Dalton, which was in the middle of nowhere and might as well have been Tennessee. We went to TN for everything rather than Dalton, actually! My mom still lives and works there, and Whitfield County does still close more than any other county!
I was terrified about how she'd do. She has had issues with the parade in the past, big issues. I'm thinking that last year Brandon might have walked with her, though. This year, she wanted to do it on her own! Now, that being said, I'm not sure it would ever happen again! She's very hit-or-miss. She also has a schedule (I kid you not) in her head for the next few years of things she will and will not be willing to try. SHE LOVES SCHEDULES AND PATTERNS. She did have crowd/loud issues this trip, but for some reason this wasn't one of them, thank goodness. I think she had a blast; you never know until you try! I did have earmuffs and an escape route necessary, btw.

I am so late to this show and almost never read TRs(I have a free Saturday and decided to sit down and read a few).

I NEVER comment on the ones I DO read, but I just wanted to tell you that your family is so cute! I am really enjoying following along with your story!

***Subbing so I can continue to follow along!

Sounds like my way to read TRs! Thank you for such kind words, and I'm happy you're following along!

You got so many great pictures in that update! I love how empty MK is, I need to book an early ADR one of these trips. Crystal Palace is one of my favourites too, it is so pretty. It is great that you got good character interactions, and Brynn joined the parade! And you're on vacation, how can you say no to leaving on the face paint!

Well, you just can't. I'm generally a pretty relaxed parent as it is (I have to be, for obvious reasons), and more so on vacation.
LOVE the early CP ADR! Kids have already requested it for our next trip...as if not doing it was ever an option!

HAHA! How about that "ice"! We didn't get any over here either! A lot of kids didn't show up at the daycare I work at today because their parents didn't want to drive on ice... seriously!? It never even rained! SO funny! At least your kiddos got a day off. Of course Julia probably wanted to go to school! Love the CP update! We've never been there since we don't usually do character meals since we're usually adults only but I'd still like to try it sometime! And cute pictures as always!!

I told my kids that if they wanted to see some ice they could go look in the freezer! I think Cherokee just cancelled because of peer pressure from the other counties, LOL!
You should try CP for sure. Even if you didn't want to see characters, you could wave them by. And if you did, you're ensured great pictures to go with the great food! Dinner is just as good as breakfast, I think, but you don't get the before-park-opening empty streets, so we stick to breakfast.

I absolutely adore CP as a pre park breakfast, it's just so amazing!! Heck, it's amazing breakfast place!! Add in the beauty of the restaurant, the characters, the food, the getting into the park early, it's all so great!!

Great interactions with Eeyore & Piglet, I'm glad that Sawyer got some good interactions vs Chef Mickeys the other day, yay!! Excited to read more!!

Isn't it wonderful!? Love CP.
Yes, I was so happy he was getting some attention. And let me tell you, it did not end there! No way! CM was just our one not-so-great experience, but from then on we were golden and he was the center of attention more than once.

Got to sub! I loved your report! And the video nearly had me in tears.

Thanks for subbing!! I still watch the video over and over and get misty-eyed, and I have every second memorized! It means so much that someone else could share in that joy.

Adorable pictures as always!

I'm so with Julia on wanting the leave the face paint on and don't blame Brynn one bit for being a little wary about having her bacon time disrupted

Sounds like we could all be friends

CP looks gorgeous and love that they made sure Sawyer got in on the fun!

We were supposed to go last trip, but switched to 1900 Park Fare at the last minute. Will definitely have to try it in the future!

It really was a wonderful breakfast.
I didn't blame the girls much, either...now, if Brynn had chosen to eat bacon and sausage over hanging out with the actual pig Piglet, that might have seemed a bit uncouth...
We're trying 1900 Park Fare next trip! I think we're doing dinner, though. Have you ever had dinner there?

Thank you for the words of encouragement! I just looked at your video again and you are almost at 1200 hits on youtube, so obviously people like it!

eta: Pretty soon dh is going to be planning another vacation so he has more material to share with his fans lol

As of last night, we have booked the first part of our next vacation AND he's figured out some codec (sp?) to make the video even more HD . Sounds like you know him pretty well already!

I read your latest update while sitting n this plane, haha. Helping me combat the post Disney depression. And it's weird since we were just at Crystal Palace less than 15 hours ago. Wah. I love the photos of you guys though! And I totally agree with the early bit of MK and the monorail. It's a beautiful thing,

Can't wait to keep up with your TR and ya know, maybe start planing a little September trip of our own over here.

Sept 13-22. Booked last night the first part of the trip 13-19, still trying to decide on second hotel (must be monorail, duh!). Soooooo...I think I have our ADRs worked out if you wanted in on any before the March 17 ADR mark...

It took me all afternoon but I am finally caught up and joining in. Great trip report and your kids are precious! Can't wait to read more...

Thank you! I'll have more coming either today or tomorrow.

All I want to do right now is run down an empty Main Street. I hate living so far away from Disney ):

The girls’ dresses are awesome. Pooh is my favorite. I WANT ONE.

Crystal Palace is such an amazing restaurant. It’s so pretty, there are Mickey waffles inside, AND you get to meet pooh and friends. Perfection.

Sounds like you had a great breakfast!

I'm sure we could make you an adult-sized dress!
I mean, could you ask for anything else in a restaurant?? I think not. Except you forgot that sometimes there are even CHOCOLATE Mickey waffles there. And puffed French Toast. OH MY GOODNESS. I need to stop talking about it or I'll be lost in my daydream again.

 

[GrimGrinningStitch]

I HOPE SO! Because you'll have to make ADRs mid-March...and I just happen to have to great ADR selections just in case you want an entertaining meal with a vibrant family of five! We're there Sept 13-22. I booked a portion of our trip last night! EEEEEEK! IT'S REAL!

Weellllllllllll very reliable sources have informed me there is a 90%+ chance we will be going from Sep 12th-22nd. Still lots to be worked out (where we would be staying, etc), but I'm pretty confident that'll be happening, barring random unforeseen life/work events.

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

Weellllllllllll very reliable sources have informed me there is a 90%+ chance we will be going from Sep 12th-22nd. Still lots to be worked out (where we would be staying, etc), but I'm pretty confident that'll be happening, barring random unforeseen life/work events.

AAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! I literally just screamed out loud at my computer and got tears in my eyes!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[GrimGrinningStitch]

AAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! I literally just screamed out loud at my computer and got tears in my eyes!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:

We're pretty darn excited as well! Hooooooraaaaay!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

It really was a wonderful breakfast.
I didn't blame the girls much, either...now, if Brynn had chosen to eat bacon and sausage over hanging out with the actual pig Piglet, that might have seemed a bit uncouth...
We're trying 1900 Park Fare next trip! I think we're doing dinner, though. Have you ever had dinner there?

Hahahaha good point with Piglet

We only had breakfast but I've heard only wonderful things about dinner especially the stepsisters! And it's such a lovely restaurant! I'm sure you guys will love it!

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

This update brought to you by tornado warnings, which are keeping Sawyer and me in the downstairs half-bath today. Fun times with sirens.

We headed out of Crystal Palace and walked toward our next destination, which was in Fantasyland. We veered toward the left of the castle to use the pathway, but we immediately noticed someone very special meeting and greeting with absolutely NO line--TIANA!

We walked straight up to her and sent the girls her way, deciding to keep Sawyer strapped in. They took this picture, then Tiana asked, "Who is that cutie in that stroller wavin' at me? You want to come see me, don't you, Suga'?" And she insisted we bring Sawyer over, where she sweet talked him for a bit before posing for another picture that included her new sweetheart!

Since we have waited for hours before, and even missed meeting her altogether due to closed lines, we were so pleased to have such a quick and truly memorable meeting with her!

With that done, we fought Sawyer back into the stroller and headed out to something we'd promised Brynn we'd do immediately...any guesses?!

OF COURSE it was "it's a small world!" You know we have to see how many times we can fit IASW into our trip just for her! Along the way, we grabbed Fastpasses for Winnie the Pooh , which came with the obligatory Dumbo "bonus" fastpasses, and were soon sailing on the happiest cruise that ever sailed!

See? Told ya. That's proof.

Brynn decided the lamb was her favorite today.

And Brandon's favorite is always the hippo with the eyes that are usually closed...but he caught it just right!

Immediately, our FPs for WTP were ready. Obviously we really needed them that morning. We did ride it, but I have no photo evidence for some reason...perhaps Brandon was still in a stupor of amazement from the spectacular IASW. (Perhaps not.) We do have video of the ride, so I know we were there! Plus, my notes say so! I'm sure we all enjoyed it very much, though it's quite possible we didn't. I dunno.

Afterwards, it was time to test our huge muscles. Again. Because we've been so successful in the past?? No, because we just never give up.

I distinctly remember having to get onto Julia for trying to take over Brynn's turn. She really, really believes that she of all people should be able to pull the dang sword out of the silly stone (anvil?). Maybe one day she will, but until then she needs to give others (and give peace!) a chance.

We were going at our leisurely pace and decided that since we were ahead of schedule we should go for a spin on the carousel. Rather, the girls and I should spin while the little one stayed in a stroller and the big sicky stood around trying not to be ill just watching it turn.

The girls carefully chose their horses...and then they chose again because I informed them that they needed to be together. Finally, they settled on two lovely gals and immediately named them (duh!). Julia named hers "Jewel." Creative, naming one something similar to your own name...Brynn named hers "Rambling Rose." I kid you not.

After that thrilling ride, we decided to make the looooooooong journey all the way to the Fastpass machines at Splash Mountain. We got three FPs and a baby swap pass, then headed off to lunch. Anyone else agree with me that this will be the good point of the Fastpass+ thing? I, for one, hate walking into that congested area of SM and BTMRR just to grab FPs and have to claw my way out against determined and/or already-wet guests. If I can enter it on my iPad and avoid that bottleneck, I will be ecstatic.

So, LUNCH.

It was a no-brainer! We LOVE Columbia Harbour House and headed straight there, nearly dying in the heat on the way over.

We parked our strollers and began to walk inside, only to be stopped by the town crier so the girls could ring his bell! And while they rang it, he did a little dance and sang "Mahna Mahna" from the Muppets! I KID YOU NOT! How awesome is that!?! No pictures, but it is in our video if you saw it, though the audio is not. Audio fail, because that was freakin' hilarious! He also let us in on a little secret that his granddaughter is the bird in FOTLK! He wanted to be a proud grandpa and just had to tell someone who made Disney a truly family affair just like they do--that was us! He was bursting with pride; it was so sweet!

We reluctantly headed inside and we got everyone situated upstairs at one of the circular tables in a little alcove that overlooks Liberty Square on one side and Fantasyland on the other.

I took everyone's order, knowing full well that someone wouldn't eat what she insisted on. That someone was Brynn, who demanded a tuna sandwich. Now, she likes to eat Mac and Tuna, but I kept telling her she wouldn't eat tuna salad. I was right and she didn't even take a bite.

Anyway, I went down to gather food, and a nice CM who barely spoke English knew enough to want to help me with my trays upstairs. Gosh, I love that!

The girls had been playing with their pipe cleaners (er, chenille sticks) while they waited.

Sawyer was using his as a sword. If he couldn't pull it out of the stone, he'd just make his own.

Julia and I both got fish plates with apple tarts. Brandon had the shrimp, as usual.

You just can't go wrong with this! Always delicious. She graciously gave a piece to Sawyer, as we didn't order him anything but yogurt.

We love this place. It's the first restaurant we ever ate at in WDW, so we have warm fuzzies about it.

So, full of yummy food, we headed out for an afternoon of fun...and an evening of mishaps.

 

[GrimGrinningStitch]

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!

 

[disneygirl520]

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.

 

[shan23877]

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.

 

[Disney9.9.10]

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.

 

[thegib95]

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.

 

[thegib95]

We're trying 1900 Park Fare next trip! I think we're doing dinner, though. Have you ever had dinner there?

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.

 

[katt789]

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!

 

[ronnmel]

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.

 

[Vickyrowe]

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

 

[merbobear]

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!