It's a Cat World After All! A Sept TR (Updated 8/4 Page 11)

[Dancegrl624]

Glad to see you're going to do a TR after all! I'm here

Thanks for coming over! I feel a TR is like closure...it puts an end to the past trip so you can move forward to the next one (whenever that may be).

 

[pinkpixie0920]

Great updates! I love that you are writing this TR! Even though you had rain, it looks like you are having a great time so far. Can't wait to read more!

 

[Dancegrl624]

Great updates! I love that you are writing this TR! Even though you had rain, it looks like you are having a great time so far. Can't wait to read more!

Thanks Nancy! I have been so busy lately that I just never had the time to sit down and finish this TR (a good busy to have...lots of trips to plan lately!).

 

[Dancegrl624]

I woke up at 5:30am and got myself ready. I then woke up Tony at 6am so he could do the same. Cole woke up around 6:15am followed by Madison. Cole loves playing with the remote at home, so that kept him happy on vacation too! Tony grabbed us a light breakfast of a bagel and …..beignets!! So delicious.

We headed to the bus stop and a MK bus was waiting there. Wahoo! We ran to it and grabbed a seat at 7:07am. We had a nice trip to MK and the turnstiles opened quickly. We had to stop for a pre-park opening PP pic!



We decided to line up by the right side train tunnel to wait for the Opening Show. While we waited, Tony walked around with Cole and I whipped out my journal. I noted that the time was 7:35am…we were very early!


Beautiful morning!


Cole wanted out!


My pretty girl


I love the fall decorations


My handsome guys


Watching the Opening Show

The Opening Show was great as usual! Once the park was officially open,we quickly made our way to Fantasyland.




Hello Mr. Crane


Gorgeous! (even with the crane)

We grabbed FP’s for Dumbo and got surprise ones for Philharmagic! Cool! We then rode Peter Pan, and Small World with no wait. We wanted to do Winnie the Pooh next, but there was a 20 minute wait (no thanks) and Cole was sleepy. We decided to go over to Philharmagic instead (8:40am). Cole loved everything except the water squirts and the blasts of air during “Be Our Guest”. Tony & Maddie then went to ride the Mad Tea Party while I took Cole to Storybook Circus. I took some pics along the way:




The wall!














The theming is fantastic in Storybook Circus!

We watched the new Casey Jr Splash & Soak area…too cute, but I was NOT going in there! After their spinning ride, we met up to ride Dumbo with our 9:15am FP’s. I really wish we hadn’t used the FP’s…we never got to see the inside of the tent with the play area. Next time! Tony took some great pics on his phone of me and Cole on Dumbo. I’ll have to try to upload them to Photobucket.

Madison and I then went on the Barnstormer…it’s so much fun! We switched off so Tony could ride with her too. We then headed over to Tomorrowland. We rode Buzz with no wait and then headed to the Peoplemover (no wait again). This was around 9:50am.




I look like a total weirdo,but this pic makes me laugh!


One of our favorites!

By this time, we had to start making our way to the exit. Does anyone remember where we were headed for breakfast this day? We are creatures of habit, so it shouldn't be hard to figure out.

 

[Lovemy3babes]

It's so nice to get an early start in MK!

I agree that the theming is spectacular in Storybook Circus. So neat!!

I'm going to guess that you were headed to Chef Mickey's. Just a guess though!

 

[Dancegrl624]

It's so nice to get an early start in MK!

I agree that the theming is spectacular in Storybook Circus. So neat!!

I'm going to guess that you were headed to Chef Mickey's. Just a guess though!

I absolutely LOVE morning EMH at Magic Kingdom. We get so much done in a short amount of time (pretty much all of Fantasyland....the "old" Fantasyland).

Storybook Circus was amazing and it wasn't even all open yet! I wish we could have seen the rest of New Fantasyland. Next time!

You shall see!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

You usually go for the late breakfast at Chef Mickeys! Crystal Palace came to mind first, but I'm guessing since it's Cole's first trip, you stick with tradition! If I were really smart, I'd go back and look at your plans, but I'm lazy!

Good job getting lots done in Fantasyland! You seem to be handling the splitting up and swapping very well!

 

[Dancegrl624]

You usually go for the late breakfast at Chef Mickeys! Crystal Palace came to mind first, but I'm guessing since it's Cole's first trip, you stick with tradition! If I were really smart, I'd go back and look at your plans, but I'm lazy!

Good job getting lots done in Fantasyland! You seem to be handling the splitting up and swapping very well!

Good guess...you'll have to wait until my next update to find out!

It wasn't too bad switching off...once we got the hang of it, it became second nature.

 

[klacey1]

I am all caught up on your trip!! I'm so glad you decided to do a TR after all.

I love the Minnie tank you wore to the MK! Where's it from? I love when going in for EMH is totally worth is-- no wait for Peter Pan is amazing!

Haha, I love your Buzz picture. Maddie is smiling and looking adorable, and you are concentrating intently! So great!

 

[Dancegrl624]

I am all caught up on your trip!! I'm so glad you decided to do a TR after all.

I love the Minnie tank you wore to the MK! Where's it from? I love when going in for EMH is totally worth is-- no wait for Peter Pan is amazing!

Haha, I love your Buzz picture. Maddie is smiling and looking adorable, and you are concentrating intently! So great!

I'm glad too....I was finally starting to catch up on other people's TR's that went at the same time as us. It was making me sad that I hadn't finished mine!

Thanks! I bought it from the Disney Store online last year. It is super comfy!

Hahaha...I am super competitive on that ride!

 

[Dancegrl624]

I left off with us leaving the Magic Kingdom to go eat breakfast. Of course, we were headed to Chef Mickey’s!!! We got there around 10:25am for our 10:30am ADR. Cole fell asleep on the walk over.


So sweet

We asked if we could take our “plate” picture after he woke up, so we found somewhere to sit by the Outer Rim Lounge…much quieter than the CM waiting area. We didn’t have to wait long though because our buzzer went off shortly after 10:30am. We had to wake up Cole so we could go get our picture taken.



Once we got to our table, I headed up to get food right away for me and Cole. We found out that he didn’t like his Mickey waffles cut up, so we always gave him a whole one. Our table was in a great location, but the seating arrangement was tricky. I sat next to Cole, but every time a character came around, I had to get up and walk behind the character so I could get a nice shot. Anyways…the characters started coming around quickly.


This was taken before I started walking to the other side of the table.


Cole still loved the character interaction!








A little blurry..Cole was all about his waffle at that moment


You can see he is kind of smiling, but is a little scared that Goofy is going to steal his waffle


The beginning of my favorite character interaction (thus far in the trip).


Minnie loved her shirt!


Look at how Cole is looking at Minnie


He licked her nose! It was both adorable and gross all at the same time.

All of these character interactions is how I got the name of my TR. Cole called everyone a cat! Again, I need to upload some videos from Tony’s phone because he recorded most of the character interactions. Cole was just so cute every time he met someone…melted my heart!

Back to the meal…we always love it at Chef Mickey’s, but I have to say our server was not so great this time around. We never got any refills on our juice and she never came around to check on us. Kind of disappointing. She did come around during the napkin twirling because Madison got a cupcake. Anyways…we were done with all of the characters at 11:40am. We walked back to the MK bus stops and were at our stop right at noon. A bus came quickly and we had a lovely ride back to POFQ.

Once we got to our room, Tony & Madison put on their bathing suit and Cole & I settled in for a nice, cool nap. I was wiped out from our early morning! (this was around 12:45pm)

Continued in next post...

 

[Dancegrl624]

Cole woke up around 2:45pm from his nap, but I had been awake since about 2:15pm or so. Tony and Madison were still at the pool!!! I hoped that they had remembered to grab me some white tea...so good! Cole had some cheerios and juice when he woke up and then it was time to get ready for Epcot. I didn't write down when Tony & Madison returned...but we headed out for Epcot around 3:30pm

We arrived right before 4pm, grabbed some PP pics and rushed over to get our Visa meet & greet picture. We got to meet Goofy, Mickey & Minnie!







After our fabulous photo shoot, we went to The Land (of course). We grabbed FP’s for Soarin (6:30-7:30pm) and a Rider Switch pass. We then got dinner at one of our favs…Sunshine Seasons! Madison had mac & cheese, grapes and a cookie; I had a caeser salad and strawberry shortcake; Tony had rotisserie chicken with mashed potatoes and carrot cake cupcake. Everything was yummy as usual. After dinner, Madison and I rode Soarin’ with our Rider Switch pass.

We started to make our way towards World Showcase, but first, some PP pics!







We then had to stop and meet Duffy!







After our meet & greet, we stopped in the Duffy shop (that’s what we call it) and bought Madison 2 more outfits for her Duffy. We finally made it to Mexico after that and rode the Gran Fiesta Tour.

When we got to Norway, we signed up for Agent P (we love him) and requested Germany.





We started walking towards Germany, but our “phone” stopped working. So, Tony & Maddie went back to get a new one while I took Cole for a quick diaper change. It was about 6:30pm by this time and World Showcase was so gorgeous.


So pretty!



Cole and I stopped in the caramel shop while we waited for the rest of our gang. I got some strawberries covered in chocolate and caramel. Delish! Tony & Madison finally met us over there around 7:05pm. We had to kind of sprint through the rest of World Showcase this evening because Cole was tired. We kept him moving to see if he would sleep, but that didn’t work. So, we took a quick PP pic and did some shopping at Mousegears (you have to pull me out of that place).





We bought a Mickey phone for Cole, a 2012 frame and a new cinch backpack for Madison (she had a hole in the one we brought from home). We then picked up our Visa picture and rode SE. We decided to stay for IllumiNations and we had to scramble for a spot to watch. It was crowded!!! We ended up standing between the Port of Entry shop and the Duffy shop (Disney Traders).

Cole LOVED IllumiNations!!!! He watched them go up (the firework trail as I call it) and he was reaching for them as they exploded (again, Tony took a video). I had tears in my eyes as I watched my baby watch one of my favorite nighttime Disney shows. When people ask why we took Cole when he was so young, this was why. Seeing his reactions to the characters this day and watching him love the fireworks is worth every penny (he was free anyways). It was about us watching his reaction to things. It was a magical night for sure.

After IllumiNations, we made our way out and a bus pulled up right away (9:30pm). Yay! They packed us in tight and right as the doors closed, it started pouring!!! It sounded like hail..it was nuts. It was still coming down pretty hard when we reached POFQ (9:45pm) so we ran to the lobby. We got absolutely soaked and that is a short run! We cut through the food court and then made a quick run to our building. We got ready for bed and hung out til 10:15pm. I got things ready for the next day and I was so sad to see this day come to an end. It was awesome!

I think I fell asleep around 11pm, but I woke up at 11:30 to turn off the tv. What will the next day bring?? Can it live up to today?

 

[Dancegrl624]

For some reason, I can't get some of my pictures to post. Once Photobucket decides to play nice, I will share them!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

What an awesome day! I agree with you about bringing babies to WDW. Paige was 11 months on her first trip and we loved watching her see things for the first time. I love Illuminations too - the music is fabulous! You got a couple nice shots of Spaceship Earth in the evening - best time with the lighting!
You got some great pictures with Cole's reactions!

Does Maddie have a lot of outfits for Duffy?

Is the Agent P adventure still a lot like Kim Possible? We didn't do Agent P this last October, we were too busy eating our way around WS!

 

[Dancegrl624]

What an awesome day! I agree with you about bringing babies to WDW. Paige was 11 months on her first trip and we loved watching her see things for the first time. I love Illuminations too - the music is fabulous! You got a couple nice shots of Spaceship Earth in the evening - best time with the lighting!
You got some great pictures with Cole's reactions!

Does Maddie have a lot of outfits for Duffy?

Is the Agent P adventure still a lot like Kim Possible? We didn't do Agent P this last October, we were too busy eating our way around WS!

It was great day! Bringing little ones is actually a lot of fun and easier than most would expect. Cole loved everything...except the stroller cover when it rained!

Thanks...I love taking pictures of Spaceship Earth at night. Cole was also a lot of fun to photograph!

Madison now has a TON of Duffy outfits!!! I don't even remember which ones she has. She loves him.

Agent P is just like Kim Possible...just with different characters and a few new interactive items (from what I've read....the missons we did were pretty similar). We always enjoyed the Kim Possible missions, but we are huge Phineas & Ferb fans around here. So funny!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Great updates. Looks like you had a wonderful day. Cole must be a really good baby! So glad he cooperated and all of you had such a nice time.

Great Chef Mickey pics!

 

[Dancegrl624]

Great updates. Looks like you had a wonderful day. Cole must be a really good baby! So glad he cooperated and all of you had such a nice time.

Great Chef Mickey pics!

Thanks! Cole is a pretty laid back baby...unless he's hungry, tired, etc. He loves to be outside and enjoys taking walks in his stroller. This trip suited him just fine! There would be times in the room where he would walk over to his stroller and want to go. Once he wants to leave, you better be ready!

We love Chef Mickey's!

 

[Dancegrl624]

The first of our World Showcase hat pictures!


Family photo with Duffy

 

[Dancegrl624]

Well, we definitely all needed sleep! I woke up around 7:40am and everyone else woke up around 8:20am. This is unheard of for us at Disney! Tony went to get us some breakfast and the rest of us just lounged around. The plan was to take it easy and relax. We needed to rest up for MNSSHP! The sky was looking a little gloomy, but cloudy is ok. I was praying that the rain would stay away (it rained the last time we went to MNSSHP, but cleared up shortly after the party started). We would also be headed to DTD today for lunch…and hopefully some shopping!

Tony returned from the food court and got us a breakfast platter to share. Yum! We ate quickly and then got ready for the day. We headed out to the bus stop (9:45am) and a DTD bus arrived quickly….I don’t remember why we took the bus. Maybe the boats didn’t start running until 10am?? Anyways….we arrived at DTD right after 10am. Time to shop! We had to stop in the Christmas shop for our Christmas ornaments (a 2013 glitter ornament and I think an ear hat). We then went to Madison’s favorite shop…the pin shop! We bought her a Grape Soda pin (from “Up”)…so cute! We went through a few other shops and then headed to T-Rex around 11am. I believe our ADR was for 11:30am, but we were seated right away.




Cole was ready to eat!




The last time we ate here (2009), we also sat by the mammoth. We were a few tables away this time.

Madison ordered the kids shrimpkins, I got the fried shrimp and Tony got the boneyard buffet. Everything was very good, but Cole was kind of crabby. For dessert, Madison got the chocolate tar pit and Tony & I shared the meteor-bites (the mini donuts with 2 dipping sauces). They were delicious, but we just couldn’t finish them. We were stuffed!

After lunch, we stopped in the Lego store (I love the new expansion). Cole didn’t like it when we stopped pushing him, so off I went to Basin. I bought some body scrub (Sunshine scent…awesome) and 2 bars of soap (a Christmas one and a Fall one). Tony and Maddie met us outside the store and we decided it was time to head back to POFQ. We went over to the boat dock and had just missed a boat (it was 12:45pm). It was SO hot on that dock that afternoon…we were melting. A boat finally came around 1:10pm and we were back in the room by 1:30pm.


Poor Cole was hot and tired



Continued in next post

 

[Dancegrl624]

Tony and Madison went to the arcade while Cole & I tried to chill out and relax. We ended up taking a nap and he was still sound asleep at 3pm. Yikes! I wanted to leave for the MK at that time…in the afternoon we had to stop at all those Riverside bus stops. I really wanted to be at the MK right at 4pm. The plan was to eat dinner before the party started at 7pm.

Cole finally woke up and we were out the door around 3:40pm. We ran for the bus and we were off to the MK! We arrived right at 4pm (yay!) and got our wristbands, treat bags and party maps. First stop was the Chapeau to buy Cole his first pair of ears. Does anyone else miss the old days when the CM’s would hand embroider the hats? I used to love watching them do that.

We grabbed FP’s for BTMRR and went to Pecos Bill’s for dinner. I shared a burger with Tony (too hot to eat) and Madison had a turkey sandwich. After dinner, we took turns riding BTMRR with our FP’s and Rider Switch pass. We then rode the Magic Carpets, Pirates and went to the Tiki Room. While we were waiting in line for the Tiki Room, Tony was chasing Cole around. He bent over to pick him up and his back went out. This had happened a few months earlier and he had starting see a chiropractor. I couldn’t believe this happened on vacation! I had to pick him up and he sat on my lap during the show (LOVE that they got rid of the “new management” stuff).

Cole loved everything so far and we couldn’t wait for the party to officially begin. Well, the clouds started rolling in and I was getting nervous. Please, not again! It started sprinkling when we left the Tiki Room so we strolled over to the Haunted Mansion. After our ride, it started pouring. We ran over to the entrance to the Columbia Harbor House to throw on the ponchos and throw the dreaded stroller cover on the stroller. We walked quickly to Tomorrowland and waited for the next showing of the Laugh Floor (one of our favs). The party “officially” started as we were waiting for the show to begin.

After the Laugh Floor, we zoomed over to Town Square to meet Minnie & Mickey (20 minute wait). Cole was getting very tired and he hated being under the rain cover. Tony volunteered to take Cole back to the room and I started crying. I felt so bad because had wanted us to enjoy the party together. He knew that Madison & I were really looking forward to the party and he wanted us to make the most of it. I still felt terrible about him missing out on the fun.







After our meet and greet, Tony left with Cole. I was still very sad, but I knew I had to cheer up for Madison’s sake. We went across to the Emporium and bought her a special edition party pin. We then used the bathroom…this caused us to miss the first parade. Bummer!

Will the rain ever stop?