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

[Fantasyland Mom]

Yay for characters with no line, peaceful moments (however fleeting they are), face painting, and water in the face. I'm sure that unplanned moment at the jumping fountain turned out to be one of the best memory of the trip for the little kids.

They still laugh about that water in the face! I know I loved watching them have so much fun!

I read your other trip report and just started this one yesterday (halfway through!). This is what I do at night when I can't sleep...read Disney trip reports - makes me fall asleep happily! I just wanted to say your video is one of the best I've seen! As a matter of fact, I am going to save it and watch it every time I need cheering up or am missing Disney! We were there at the end of September and will be going back for marathon weekend but that isn't until January 2015. So I know I'm going to watch your video a gazillion times before then! My son has special needs (down syndrome) so I can relate to your feelings. Guest Assistance pass is the best though! We always say Noah is our "fast pass".

Tonight I will watch your video again and finish your TR!

Shannon

Oh, thank you SO MUCH!! I have to say that I do the same thing--watch Disney videos when I'm feeling down.
We are so happy we finally discovered the GAC. It helped prevent so many meltdowns this trip!

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

While I'm on an updating roll, I am going to just go ahead and finish out this day.

After we were drenched, we thought it might be fun to do something we've never tried before. We headed into Innoventions West. I've been intrigued with Innoventions since I first saw Steve Urkel with his science project here back when I was just a kid. Don't lie. You know you know what I mean!

First, we took a look around at some of the cool exhibits.







The girls and I then decided to hop in line for The Great Piggy Bank Adventure. There was no wait, really. We walked right up to a rope and were the next ones to be let in. First, though, we had to be warned repeatedly by a very cranky CM NOT to cross that rope. Let me point out that we were a good two feet away from the rope because, like I said, there was no line. When a kid took a step near it, he FREAKED. OUT.

"THAT'S DANGEROUS!... You'd better not be crossing that rope, Missy... Are you trying to get me fired?... Any closer and you'll have to leave..."

And at no time were we even close to touching this obviously life-and-death line. This guy REALLY rubbed me the wrong way, and finally I just snapped, "They're FINE. They're not crossing any ropes, I promise." I gave him my most serious glare. And then he let us in.

We started the game with our pigs. See that CM? THAT'S HIM. That's the meany.



My kids are very...to the point. Brynn very handily pointed out, "That man is mean. Why is he so mean, Mom?"

I responded, "Maybe he's just had a bad day. Maybe he's just in a bad mood. But he's acting like he's got a stick up his...booty."

I know when to censor myself.

However, I sometimes forget how literal my kids can be.

"What does that mean, Mom? Why would he have a stick up his booty? Hehe...you said 'booty!'"

I decided we just needed to play the game and move on.



We were actually super-horrible at this game and did not make our goal of a dream vacation. The girls didn't care, though, because they were still giggling because I said booty.

What were Brandon and Sawyer doing while we were playing the game (besides taking a couple of pictures of us)? THIS CUTENESS!



They were playing in "Where's the Fire" and were emailing this picture to me!
Once we met back up, the girls and I played "Where's the Fire" with some kids who spoke no English or Spanish. The CMs kept trying to explain the game to them, but they just didn't get it. Naturally, we won. We also practiced a fire drill and then made our way out of Innoventions.

We had promised Mickey earlier that we'd visit him at Character Spot, so obviously we had to keep that promise! The wait was 25 minutes, but they did have some cartoons playing that kept us entertained.

All of our interactions were just wonderful, and Brandon even got in on some!





High-five, Dude!



Acting like a dog...cause...ya know...Pluto...



Seeing the beautiful lady herself!







Oh, gosh. They LOVE LOVE LOVE Donald!



Please pay no attention to how ridiculous I look in the background of this picture. Focus on that joyous hug!







Goofy was not as goofy as I expected, but he was still sweet.









After this, we were ready for some dinner. We decided a mish-mash of things from Sunshine Seasons was the way to go. I don't remember all we had, but I know there was sushi, pizza paninis, some sort of Chinese food, and fruit. We sort of shared around the table (and Brynn crawled under the table) and were pretty filled up.

Julia and Brandon decided to go on Soarin' with the FPs from earlier in the day (this was pre-enforcement), and I decided that the little kids were too restless to keep at the table. Where did we go instead??

You know we can't be inside The Land without riding Living with the Land!
It was pretty dark out by now (though you can't really tell in these pictures, I guess because of the fluorescent lights?), but the ride had a totally different feel at night.









We finished our ride just as Brandon and Julia finished theirs. And guess what? Julia thought we should ride again! So all of us piled back on LWTL and took another plant tour.

It was about eight o'clock at this point, and the littles were getting tired. Brandon decided to take Brynn and Sawyer back to the Poly while Julia and I stayed for Illuminations. We said our goodbyes, he handed me the cameras...and they both died. We have solved the battery problem for next trip, but obviously it was an issue on this one. So, the rest of the night, no pictures. Sorry.

With the little grabby hands gone, Julia and I decided to go shopping at MouseGears! We had to use up our snack credits this day because since we'd switched resorts, this was the last day of the Dining Plan. We bought a few Chip and Dale snacks (some sort of spicy trail mix, and a fruit tail mix, and some sort of candy). Julia also picked out an Epcot shirt that I just HAD to have, which has turned out to be one of my favorite shirts ever. We grabbed a couple of Disney air fresheners, which lost their scent quickly, but still hang in my van. It seems like we got some other things, but it's been so long that I can't remember.

We decided to walk over to World Showcase to find a spot for Illuminations. On the way, I was pretty sure I spotted Meghan (Dancegrl624), but I didn't approach her because I wasn't 100% sure. Turns out it most likely WAS her, so now I really wish I had stopped her!

I made a quick stop for a sprite and an iced coffee, and then Julia and I plopped ourselves kind of near the Odyssey Center and chowed down on our snacks--the new ones AND the School Bread I'd bought earlier! The verdict? The School Bread was...meh. I didn't dislike it, but it's not something I'd have to order every time. The spicy trail mix was delish!! I saved some for the ride home, but I had to stop myself from gobbling it all up!
There were some people enjoying their honeymoon with their extended family, and they invited Julia to come up near the railing to watch Illuminations. So nice!

Of course Illuminations was spectacular. Once it was over, we made our way over to the monorail.

Oh, my. Now, I have a drink while at Epcot, but the people in our monorail car had waaaaayyy more than one. I could just smell the whole car filling up with the stench of alcohol. These people had to have liquor coming out of their pores! I was glad when we finally got off at the TTC and walked back to our hotel room at the Poly.

I loved having a monorail resort. We were back in our room by 9:45 and off to sleep in our very comfy beds...guess they did change out those mattresses while we were gone, after all!

Up Next: A return to MK! Forgetful moments (oops!) and Magical Moments!

 

[shan23877]

Love this update! Just goes to show that we don't have to plan every minute of the day. Those unexpected moments are my favorite part of WDW trips.

Love the beautiful girls with their face paintings.

 

[shan23877]

What a nice end to the day at Epcot! Well, besides that awful CM. Yuck! I was smiling imagining that Brynn or Sawyer might approach the CMs butt so see if there's anything up there.

Love that you and Julia got to spend some big girl time together in Epcot. What a nice memory.

Oh so jealous that you just monorailed back and were in your room so quickly! Some day!

 

[jane2073]

We love Living With the Land! I like the "old-schoolness" of it.

There is a new game at innoventions:Habit Heroes (revamped from a year ago). My daughter loved it and can't wait to do it again. At of all the activities in Innoventions, I found it to be the most fun.

 

[phdhycster]

I love to read trip reports but never have posted my comments about them. I have enjoyed reading your adventures and must admit your family video brought tears to my eyes. You have a beautiful family and I totally understand why you go to Disney year after year!

 

[Dancegrl624]

We decided to walk over to World Showcase to find a spot for Illuminations. On the way, I was pretty sure I spotted Meghan (Dancegrl624), but I didn't approach her because I wasn't 100% sure. Turns out it most likely WAS her, so now I really wish I had stopped her!

I SOOO wish you would have come and said hello! I was so determined to find you guys on this day, but I soon learned with a 15 month old, that is quite hard to do. My poor family neve has a clue what anyone looks like so it's all up to me.

Maybe we'll have a chance to meet up this September. I'll be all alone!

 

[FlaNani]

Still lovin' your TR!!! What great character interactions!!!!!

And BBBOOOOOOO to the meanie!!!

 

[momtoleasawav]

Just started your trip report today and I am loving it. I work with kids on the spectrum so I can relate to all you go through, especially the disapproving looks of other parents! All of your children sound like great kids! And my son's name is Sawyer! I live in Massachusetts and I have never met another Sawyer! I know of a few celebrities who have kids named Sawyer but my Sawyer is the only one in my area! I live that name!!

 

[katt789]

I SOOO wish you would have come and said hello! I was so determined to find you guys on this day, but I soon learned with a 15 month old, that is quite hard to do. My poor family neve has a clue what anyone looks like so it's all up to me.

Maybe we'll have a chance to meet up this September. I'll be all alone!

AH! I was seriously looking for both of you all during my Sept trip!! And hey, we're going again in Sept too!!

Now, onto the update!

Love that you guys kinda just did whatever and had fun! I have yet to be in Innoventions, but Mom wants to check out some new stuff this trip and I'm sure some air conditioning will be loved by all!!

BOOOURNS to the crabby CM, that just sucks

 

[ronnmel]

How did you like Innoventions? Aside from the mean CM, of course.

 

[ShannonMarie]

I'm just curious...why do you get fast passes if you have the guest assistance pass? When we get it, they just allow us to go through the fast pass line so there is no need to get fast passes.
Shannon

 

[Suelala]

The picture of Brynn on LWTL is just beautiful! You need to frame that one! Still enjoying reading along. Thanks for the recent updates!

 

[STLMickeyMom]

love that picture of Brynn--what a cutie!

 

[beachphotog]

Steve Urkel references, unintentional awkward faces, silly censoring? All the makings of a great day/update. "Tee-hee, mom said BOOTY!" I love it!
And Illuminations. LOVE that show, but I missed it on my last 2 trips!! Can you believe it! Definitely remedying that this trip!
It's funny what you said about the alcohol smell. The first time I had a drink in Epcot, I had one of the slushy margarita's in Mexico and those things, while not the greatest, are strong! My mom kept telling me I reeked like booze! Hahah!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Just found your TR and spent some time this morning getting to know your family and catching up on all the fun. Far too much to comment on in detail so I'll sum it up with what a cute family you have and thank you for sharing the details of your trip. LOVE the video!

 

[LifeIsDis]

This day at Epcot seems like heaven. I LOVE just taking in the atmosphere and then meeting characters around World Showcase. PERFECTION.

I love julia’s face paint. That is gorgeous!

I would epically fail doing the Great Piggy Bank Adventure. I try to save money but most of the time, I spend it. I blame that on Disney.

The pictures with the characters are adorable! I love them!

 

[nfggirl5454]

The CMs who feel the need to loudly tell me not to cross the line like six times in a row really irk me. It's like, "dude, we heard you the first time," and we stopped at the line/rope and did nothing to indicate we were going to barrel through.

Next time I'm at Epcot, I should stop by Innoventions. I always skip over those buildings, but my two year old nephew would love the firetruck.

Finally, I'm bummed out I didn't make time for Character Spot in the past now that Donald in his blue suit is nowhere to be found (unless one gets lucky with the random characters in Epcot, which I never do).

 

[Dreamer & Wisher]

Great updates, I couldn't get enough of your adorable family so I started reading your other report in your signature.

That was a fabulous trip! Great weather, low crowds, and Mamie to help you out. I am about halfway through and oh my goodness the pictures are great. Sawyer was a sweet little guy. Love the pictures of him giving Mickey kisses. I also love how you mention nursing him and using cloth diapers. I have spent many hours on our trips in the baby care centers nursing one of mine. Very sweet memories. We are using cloth diapers on my youngest one, I really like saving the money but yuck the poopy diapers are starting to get to me. No wonder cloth diaper babies potty train early!

Your girls look so sweet dressed in their princess dresses, my little princess dressed as Cinderella many years ago. Now she is 12 and going into 7th grade. Time flies and they grow up so fast.

Can't wait for another update… and wow it won't be long and you will be on your next trip!

 

[ShannonMarie]

I love the cloth diapers and breastfeeding too. Actually I remember commenting on your other TR about exactly that! I did the same with all my kids.