Jedis, Pirates and Extended Family! A May/June 2012 TR Update: Lunch @ H&V

[lovenerds81112]

I love this TR! I am so sorry you broke your Dalek. Poor guy. I am sure he enjoyed his adventures around the world at Epcot, that is, while simultaneously wrestling the urge to exterminate everybody. Think of it this way, you might have saved the world!!! The Doctor would be proud...
And I think they NEED a Tardis in front of the UK pavilion.
I also loved your detailed description of the Pirates and Pals cruise, I signed myself and my fiancé up to go on it in a couple weeks on our honeymoon. I am so glad you posted pictures of the signs and waiting area and everything, so I know what to expect! I saw people on the cruise boats before and it looked like a blast, so it is good to know my assumptions were correct!

 

[megan511]

Great update!

Tessa looks so cute!

And never fear - Snow White lives on at Disneyland.

Can't wait to hear about what you do next.

Thank you!

That's true Snow White is at Disneyland! I would love to get back there one day. I really want to do the Monsters inc ride because that is Tessa's favorite movie. When I get the time I am going to read about your and Willow's adventures there.

Sounds like a great morning so far!

Love Tessa's pretty Brave dress and matching hair bows!

I didn't know that they did the opening show for EMH! That's awesome. We saw it for the first time this trip and it was so cool.

Looks to me like you were in line for a princess... Merida maybe?

Thank you!

I love the opening show. It just sets this great mood for the day.

Merida is a very good guess!

In the long run not a big deal but I knew my fellow planners would understand!

Oh I TOTALLY understand! When we went a year ago, we were in the Magic Kingdom early one morning and it just seemed like no one had a fire under their butt. My son was dragging his feet, someone needed to use the bathroom... you get the picture. Anyway, as we were walking through Adventureland, we decided that our family friend and I would run ahead and get fastpasses to Splash while my mom took DS to the bathroom, then they would meet us so we could ride Big Thunder. Well... we waited, and waited and waited... all the while watching the standby time get longer and longer. Finally we decided to go back to Adventureland to see what was up and it somehow my mom and DS had missed seeing DH on the way out of the bathroom so she decided to take DS on POTC without telling anyone! I was annoyed but got over it. Just a miscommunication, like you say


Disney time is so precious there isn't time for miscommunication! I would have been so frustrated in your situation. It's easy to get over things at Disney though.

I love this picture! She looks so joyful!


Thank you! Tessa absolutely loves that train.

We just got to see the baby rhino!

Too cute!

Your Animal Kingdom day sounds fun! Good for Anthony for going on Everest. That is one SERIOUS roller coaster! I don't blame him one bit for not wanting to do Dinosaur again. Holy cow, that was terrifying!

We were rained out on our AK day so we didn't get to see Doug & Russell but it looked like a fun interaction. The only other regret I have is not finding one of those cheese pretzels! Yum! Maybe next time

okay... still getting caught up on the rest

Everest is a serious coaster! After my two rides I was done. I was glad he gave it a try though. I think Dinosaur is terrifying! When I rode it last year I kept my eyes closed the whole time!

Aww I'm sorry it rained on your AK day. Those cheese pretzels are goooood!

Take your time! I can't wait to hear about your trip!

I love this TR! I am so sorry you broke your Dalek. Poor guy. I am sure he enjoyed his adventures around the world at Epcot, that is, while simultaneously wrestling the urge to exterminate everybody. Think of it this way, you might have saved the world!!! The Doctor would be proud...
And I think they NEED a Tardis in front of the UK pavilion.
I also loved your detailed description of the Pirates and Pals cruise, I signed myself and my fiancé up to go on it in a couple weeks on our honeymoon. I am so glad you posted pictures of the signs and waiting area and everything, so I know what to expect! I saw people on the cruise boats before and it looked like a blast, so it is good to know my assumptions were correct!

Welcome! Thanks so much for reading along!

That's true we may have saved the world!

I would flip out if they started carrying Doctor Who stuff in the UK pavilion. They so need a Tardis! I read a thread about that and it has to do with the BBC not licensing Doctor Who merchandise or something. I mean the BBC wouldn't even let David Tennant do a commercial with a Who logo in it so they are strict!

The Pirates & Pals cruise is a lot of fun. I think you and your fiancé will have a great time. Be warned though if you tell them you are on your honeymoon the pirate captain may make you dance in front of everyone!

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! I hope you have a fabulous time on your honeymoon!

 

[megan511]

We got in line to meet Merida and waited about 10 minutes before we were let in.

Merida was the only princess Anthony agreed to meet. He really wanted to see her "friends" the bears and he wanted to try his hand at archery while we waited.

He hit the bullseye! Tessa was excited while we were in line but she was very shy once we got to Merida.

We were probably about five families back in line. Soon it was our turn to meet the newest princess.

After she signed our books she introduced us to the bears. She told Tessa she liked her dress and had one just like it.

After our meeting with Merida we visited the cart outside her meet and greet where we bought all three bears. One for Anthony, one for Tessa and one for me! Yes, Chad thinks I'm crazy but he's used to it by now. They are just so cute! We even took them with us when we went to see Brave.

After our stop at the merchandise cart we decided to ride the tea cups. Chad does not do the tea cups so he went to get a drink while the kids and I took a spin.

Chad went to Auntie Gravity's Galactic Goodies and discovered these...

Orange-Pineapple Smoothie $4.19

These are soooo good! We got about 6 on our trip I think. I was excited because last year we used pretty much all our snack credits on water so I was happy we had found an expensive option! Chad and I have completely different taste so when we find something we both like and can share it's kind of a big deal.

After the tea cups I texted my sister to see where they were. My mom wanted to ride Small World with all of us so we decided to meet up there. I told my sister just to text me when they got to Fantasyland.

Anthony wanted to try and pull the sword out of the stone.

No luck. Sorry Anthony, you are not the future king. We got a few PhotoPass pictures as well.

Part 2

 

[megan511]

Our time in Fantasyland continued with a ride on the carousel. Tessa loved it! Every time we would pass the carousel she would point at it that she wanted to ride. That may not seem like a lot but is a big deal for Tessa.

Tessa working on her princess wave.

After the carousel it was time to use our FPs for Winnie the Pooh.

After our ride my sister texted and said they were riding the tea cups. So we headed over to ride with them. Chad sat this one out again and we stuck the boys in their own tea cup to spin away.

After the tea cups we made our way to It's a Small World.

Next we decided to head to Haunted Mansion and then get lunch.

We skipped the interactive queue but one of these days I really want to go through there. I love this ride, it's definitely one of my favorites. Somehow when we walked into the stretching room Chad, Tessa and I ended up on the other side as everyone else. Anthony rode Haunted Mansion on both of our previous trips. He never had a problem with it before and neither has Tessa. This time however he freaked out in the stretching room. He started yelling, "I'm not riding this, I'm not riding this!" I was really surprised that he reacted like that because like I said he's never been scared on it before. I think part of it may have been that he wasn't with us. Chad usually holds him in that room so it may have bothered him more because he was standing there without us. Before Chad and I could get over to him we saw my mom walking him out so the rest of us went on the ride.

After our trip through the Haunted Mansion we were all ready for lunch. We decided to try out Columbia Harbour House. It was probably around 12 at this point and the place was mobbed! I gave Chad our order then went upstairs to try and find a table. I finally found two over in the corner on the opposite side of the stairs. I really liked the decor and feel of the place.

My sister and I split the Anchors Aweigh Sandwich - white tuna with lettuce and tomato on toasted multigrain bun with potato chips $8.99 sub fries for chips.

This was really, really good. It was also huge! We had no problem splitting and still being full. We got the Apple Crisp for dessert.

I was really pleasantly surprised by this. It was really good as well. Overall this meal was delicious and probably my second favorite CS meal after Flame Tree BBQ.

Chad got Chicken Breast Nuggets (8 pieces) - Served with steamed fresh broccoli or French Fries or Apple Slices $8.19

He enjoyed his as well. Definitely thumbs up for CHH!

Part 3

 

[megan511]

We headed toward Frontierland next. Everyone went on Splash Mountain except for my mom, Tessa and I. We waited for them to ride at the Laughing Place playground. Tessa loved it here! It was hard to get pictures of her because she was on the run.

While we were waiting for everyone to get off Splash Mountain my mom started having problems with her eyes. This happens to her sometimes where they get really irritated and she just has to keep her eyes closed until they stop stinging. When everyone got off the ride my mom said she wanted to go somewhere cool and inside so we suggested riding POTC.

Being indoors seemed to help my mom some. She was able to get her eyes open once we walked off the ride but she was ready to leave. My sister and her kids got in line to meet Ariel and Prince Eric while we walked my mom to the front. She was going to take the monorail to the Polynesian and have my dad pick her up there. We said bye to my mom and then debated what to do next.

We decided to go to Tomorrowland. We stopped for some pictures on the bridge.

We picked up FPs for Buzz and then got on the People Mover. We all love this ride. It's a nice break.

After the People Mover we went to Monsters Inc Laugh Floor. Chad and Anthony did this last year while Tessa and I were watching the parade. I was a little scared to do this because I knew they pick people from the audience and kind of make fun of them. I am very shy so I would have been mortified if they picked me! Monsters Inc is Tessa's favorite movie though so I decided to give it a try. Tessa loved the queue area and the movies. She got really excited when she saw Mike.

Waiting for the show to start.

The show was really cute and funny. We all enjoyed it. It was around 315 at this point and our Crystal Palace ADR was at 430. We decided to ride Buzz and then start heading to Crystal Palace.

On our way out of Tomorrowland, Tessa fell asleep! I knew it was not going to be pretty when we had to wake her up for our dinner ADR...

We stopped for a minute and just rested our feet and let Tessa sleep a little bit more.

Dinner at CP

 

[amandaw]

WOW! Y'all were having a busy morning indeed! But, it looks like y'all were having lots of fun, too!

Love the pics with Merida. Where is she meeting in MK?

Those pictures of Tessa on the carousel are so cute! She looks so happy to be riding it!

Sounds like y'all were able to get a lot done!

And that lunch looks really good. I'm hoping we can give CHH a try this year.

Uh oh....I hope Tessa isn't too cranky for the CP ADR. Poor thing!

ETA: Poor Anthony getting scared in the Stretching Room! I bet you're right - it's just because y'all weren't right by him.

 

[RGirl]

Phew! You are an updating fiend!!!!

Loved the Merida meet - the area looked very well done, and it is always so exciting to meet a new character!

Poor Anthony with the stretching room. I'm sure it was just because he got separated from you guys. Poor guy.

I love that Tessa loved the carousel so much.

Looking forward to your ADR update!

 

[megan511]

WOW! Y'all were having a busy morning indeed! But, it looks like y'all were having lots of fun, too! :

It was definitely busy, but the best kind of busy! A full Disney day!

Love the pics with Merida. Where is she meeting in MK?

She is across from Cosmic Ray's next to the castle.

Those pictures of Tessa on the carousel are so cute! She looks so happy to be riding it!

She loved it!

Sounds like y'all were able to get a lot done!

Yes! I felt like we didn't do much our first MK day so we were trying to make up for that.

And that lunch looks really good. I'm hoping we can give CHH a try this year.

It was so good.

Uh oh....I hope Tessa isn't too cranky for the CP ADR. Poor thing!

It wasn't pretty

ETA: Poor Anthony getting scared in the Stretching Room! I bet you're right - it's just because y'all weren't right by him.

I think so too.

Phew! You are an updating fiend!!!!



Loved the Merida meet - the area looked very well done, and it is always so exciting to meet a new character!

We all liked meeting Merida. Her area is really cute & I loved the archery lesson.

Poor Anthony with the stretching room. I'm sure it was just because he got separated from you guys. Poor guy.

I think so. I don't know how we got separated.

I love that Tessa loved the carousel so much. :

Me too! It was so good to see her having so much fun.

Looking forward to your ADR update!

Thanks. It was a doozy

 

[shan23877]

Sorry I missed an update!

A very busy and fun day at MK!!

Love the Merida pics, but I'm still bummed that they bumped Rapunzel to that crappy firehouse location (which apparently is where Aurora is now, and Rapunzel is in Town Square Theater?)

You guys got so many rides in! That's awesome!

I'm so glad that you enjoyed Laugh Floor, it's one of my favorites. I told Amanda this, but in my experience they rarely pick on women there. They may choose a woman for a more tame question, but they really seem to choose men for the really embarrassing ones.

Can't wait to hear about your dinner!

 

[megan511]

Sorry I missed an update!

A very busy and fun day at MK!!

Love the Merida pics, but I'm still bummed that they bumped Rapunzel to that crappy firehouse location (which apparently is where Aurora is now, and Rapunzel is in Town Square Theater?)

You guys got so many rides in! That's awesome!

I'm so glad that you enjoyed Laugh Floor, it's one of my favorites. I told Amanda this, but in my experience they rarely pick on women there. They may choose a woman for a more tame question, but they really seem to choose men for the really embarrassing ones.

Can't wait to hear about your dinner!

Oh don't worry about that. I appreciate you all reading along and commenting when you can.

I didn't really think it made sense to move Rapunzel either. Merida's area is cute though and we had fun meeting her.

We did get a lot of rides in. Gotta love early mornings and FPs.

Laugh Floor was fun. I noticed it was mostly men too so I was relieved about that.

Our dinner was an "experience." Someone in our party did not enjoy it at all.

 

[JoshAndEvsMom]

Phew! What an update! Sounds like you had a full and fun day at the Magic Kingdom. It's funny about the Haunted Mansion because Josh freaked out too! He loved it last year but this year he really didn't want to go. I wonder if it's because they now know that it's "supposed to be" scary? Like, maybe the first time he went he wasn't scared because there were no expectations? I don't know, 5 year old brains never cease to amaze and bewilder me!

 

[megan511]

Phew! What an update! Sounds like you had a full and fun day at the Magic Kingdom. It's funny about the Haunted Mansion because Josh freaked out too! He loved it last year but this year he really didn't want to go. I wonder if it's because they now know that it's "supposed to be" scary? Like, maybe the first time he went he wasn't scared because there were no expectations? I don't know, 5 year old brains never cease to amaze and bewilder me!

Oh wow! Our boys sound so much alike. That's interesting that Josh reacted the same way. I think you may be right. This time Anthony was kind of expecting it to be scary so that could have been it. I know what you mean about the 5 year old brain. the stuff he comes up with is beyond me! We definitely had a full and fun day!

 

[megan511]

We had eaten breakfast at Crystal Palace last year and loved it. This was our first time trying dinner.

We checked into Crystal Palace about 15 minutes early but we only waited about 10 minutes before we were called in.

The table was decorated for Anthony's birthday.

Oh boy was Tessa in a bad mood. Poor girl had to have been exhausted. We had been at MK all day and now we had woken her from her nap. We got her some juice and she calmed down for a minute while Anthony and I grabbed our food.

Anthony had macaroni and cheese, pasta with meatballs and grapes. Tessa had pretty much the same thing but I don't think she took but maybe 2 bites. She was just not in the mood.

I had Mediterranean Pasta Salad, couscous salad, potato salad, macaroni and cheese, pasta with meatballs and a roll.

Everything I ate was really good but I don't feel like I can judge this experience fairly because Tessa was in such a bad mood. She had calmed down a bit until she saw Tigger headed our way and she lost it! I could not get her calmed down at all.

Eeyore was up right after Tigger. Since Eeyore is my favorite character we had to get a group shot.

After Eeyore came by I told Chad to finish eating and I would just take Tessa to the bathroom to try and get her to calm down. She did manage to settle down a bit and there was a super sweet lady in there who tried to help me. She even gave Tessa two fairy pins to try and make her happy. After I got Tessa calmed down some Chad told me we had missed Pooh but he had got Anthony's picture and he had told our server to bring our check. Since there were no characters in sight Tessa stayed calm while I went to get dessert.

From top: Some kind of coffee mousse, German Chocolate Cake, some kind of fruit cobbler, cannoli and a banana pudding. I think I took maybe one bite of each. They were okay but nothing outstanding.

Anthony was brought his birthday card and cupcake.

At least one of the kids enjoyed it...

After we paid we were ready to go. Anthony insisted he had to see Piglet though so Chad took Tessa out while Ant and I waited.

After a hug from Piglet we headed out to see what the evening would bring us.

This was probably our least favorite meal of the trip but it has nothing to do with Crystal Palace. We always have one meal where it seems like Tessa is just done. Last year it was at Coral Reef and this year it was Crystal Palace. I would try Crystal Palace for dinner again but probably not for a while. We had a great time at breakfast here last year so if we return it will probably be early morning and not when Tessa is trying to take an afternoon siesta. Honestly if it weren't for the $10 per person penalty we may have cancelled this when we knew we had to wake the "sleeping giant," or Chad would have probably let me and Anthony go while he got a CS meal (he really can't stand buffets) and stayed with Tessa. But oh well, we tried it and we know not to have a dinner time in the afternoon again.

If you were dining at Crystal Palace between 430 and 530 on May 31st, I do sincerely apologize!

Next

 

[megan511]

When we were done eating I texted my sister to see if they wanted to do a few rides with us. She said they were headed to Tomorrowland so we went over there and rode Buzz again.

I have the picture of Chad and Tessa too but Chad would not be happy if I posted it!

Then everyone went to the Tomorrowland Speedway. Tessa and I sat this one out.

My sister and her family left after this but I had one more thing I wanted to try. We had never rode the Jungle Cruise before so we decided to head over there and make that the last ride of the day.

We enjoyed the ride, especially Tessa. We had an awesome guide. She was really funny and since we had never rode before we were ducking at all the right times.

I knew there was no way we were going to last through the parade and fireworks tonight so we decided to head out. I kind of wanted to watch the Tiki Birds but decided that it would be there next time. I also didn't get a Dole Whip! On our way down Main Street we stopped into the Bakery. I really wanted to try the Peanut Butter Cup Cupcake but they didn't have it. I ended up getting a Red Velvet instead.

This was good. It was super moist but not anything real special.

We all love Doc MacStuffins!

We got on the monorail to take us back to the TTC.

When we got back to CBR the kids got baths and we totally crashed! It had been a very busy but fun day. We had an early morning ahead of us so we watched some TV then got right to sleep. The kids had been watching the Duffy bed time story every night. Oh Disney and your marketing ploys!

Anthony had to sleep with his Brave bear.

A very wet day at SWW

 

[RGirl]

Awwww - I'm sorry your CP dinner didn't go so well. Sometimes the stars are just not aligned, are they? (BTW, I am actually toying with booking this for dinner - I have realized that one of the reasons I don't like buffets (and there are many) is that I don't like breakfast foods! )

It looks like you had a nice recovery though and managed to hit a few fun attractions.

And, I have to say, how much do I love that Brave bear??????? DD is going to need one - even if it is just because *I* need one!

 

[shan23877]

I'm so sorry that the CP dinner was a rough one. You can just never tell with kids.

I'm so glad that Anthony enjoyed his birthday treats there though! That's such a fun souvenir! Maddie keeps asking if we can go to WDW for her birthday, but it's in February. So now we'll be at the public school calendar's mercy. She's not pleased.

Sounds like a great night in the MK! Love the picture of the two of you on Buzz!

We haven't watched the bedtime story channel. Maddie is a full on Stacey addict. Drives DH crazy but she and I love it.

 

[amandaw]

I'm so sorry your dinner at CP wasn't the best. Poor Tessa - she must've been really worn out. But, Anthony does look like he enjoyed meeting the characters. And at least y'all were able to get in a few more rides! I love the Jungle Cruise! No matter how many times I hear those corny jokes, I still love them.

 

[megan511]

Awwww - I'm sorry your CP dinner didn't go so well. Sometimes the stars are just not aligned, are they? (BTW, I am actually toying with booking this for dinner - I have realized that one of the reasons I don't like buffets (and there are many) is that I don't like breakfast foods! )

It looks like you had a nice recovery though and managed to hit a few fun attractions.

And, I have to say, how much do I love that Brave bear??????? DD is going to need one - even if it is just because *I* need one!

It was just bad timing. Definitely don't let my review scare you. I'm sure you and Willow would enjoy it. The buffet has a good variety and Anthony had a great time. The kids & I love breakfast buffets but Chad doesn't. He gets out voted. I think he's glad Tessa doesn't like the character dining so he doesn't have to do buffets!

Once we got Tessa on some rides she was good to go.

I love the bears! I saw a picture of them online before we went and knew we had to have them. I get Tessa stuff that I want too!

I'm so sorry that the CP dinner was a rough one. You can just never tell with kids.

I'm so glad that Anthony enjoyed his birthday treats there though! That's such a fun souvenir! Maddie keeps asking if we can go to WDW for her birthday, but it's in February. So now we'll be at the public school calendar's mercy. She's not pleased.

Sounds like a great night in the MK! Love the picture of the two of you on Buzz!

We haven't watched the bedtime story channel. Maddie is a full on Stacey addict. Drives DH crazy but she and I love it.

It's okay. We always have one that kinda crashes and burns. At least it was at a noisy restaurant. Last year it was Coral Reef which wasn't real loud so that was worse.

Anthony loved getting birthday treats. They really do make kids feel special for their birthdays. I know what you mean about school though. As far as I know our district is pretty lenient with it. My sister pulled her kids out in November and May without problems. I hope Maddie gets to go for her birthday one year. It really is fun. February seems like a good month to go too.

We take Buzz seriously! I actually beat Chad for the first time ever. I'm pretty sure he was mad.

We watch a lot of Stacey too. For some reason though Chad was pushing Duffy.

I'm so sorry your dinner at CP wasn't the best. Poor Tessa - she must've been really worn out. But, Anthony does look like he enjoyed meeting the characters. And at least y'all were able to get in a few more rides! I love the Jungle Cruise! No matter how many times I hear those corny jokes, I still love them.

I felt bad for Tessa. It was bad timing.

Anthony loves meeting characters and he really enjoyed dinner.

The Jungle Cruise was fun. I like stuff like that but Chad doesn't. I was happy that he was enjoying it and laughing too. It was a fun evening.

 

[mickeystoontown]

I was an update or two behind....you have been on a roll with the updates!

You guys were able to do quite a few attractions in a short window of time.

I hate to hear that your dinner at The Crystal Palace wasn't that great. With kids, you just never know how they will do once you wake them from their nap. Like you said, lesson learned.

 

[megan511]

I was an update or two behind....you have been on a roll with the updates!

You guys were able to do quite a few attractions in a short window of time.

I hate to hear that your dinner at The Crystal Palace wasn't that great. With kids, you just never know how they will do once you wake them from their nap. Like you said, lesson learned.

I try to crank out a few updates when I get a chance!

We really did ride quite a few rides. I thought the new FPs rules would affect us more than they did.

Kids are so unpredictable! We definitely learned our lesson though. Mid afternoon meals do not work for Tessa!