Let's turn around. Magic Kingdom is open till 1AM! 3/23 Some Final Thoughts

[Moodyzblu]

I think the parade Nazi's and the annoying people with the runway lights that "urge" the crowds towards the exit at the end of the night, are one in the same !
I can't tell you how many times I've gotten scolded by one of them because I was trying to cut onto the sidewalk to enter the Emporium or stopped for a second to attend to a fussy child. What a great way to end a "magical" evening. !

 

[KatMark]

I don't know how the heck I got so far behind (at least next week I'll have an excuse!).

I love that DS giggled and loved TSM. That is so great!

Sorry about the "not wanting to nap." I remember those days; they'd fight the sleep and then be out like a light within a matter of seconds (I think all that crying wears them out all the more).

Sorry the party was so crowded (our MNSSHP event was the same way and we didn't enjoy it nearly as much as the year before).

What a rude, rude man on the boat to the WL. Hey buddy, take a hike and go somewhere else on your next trip; this is a magical place and not for jerks like you!

Looking forward to the next update.

 

[CandleontheWater]

Sorry nap time was such a challenge! Everett may not be the best sleeper on vacation, but one thing I am thankful about is that he cannot resist the siren song of a moving stroller- puts him out every time!

I had to laugh about lunch time, eating only corn is pretty funny. Toddlers, you never know what food they are going to decide is their favorite! Good call on the milkshake, I sure it went a long way to keeping the little man happy during lunch.

Good job not letting FPs go to waste, you DW was so nice to stay back at the room and nap with DS. You'd never catch me being that nice to my DH!

Sorry your MVMCP experiences were not what you anticipated. I've never actually done at MVMCP, but from what I hear the parade and the fireworks are the highlights, so you did well to hit those! Someday I'll give one a shot, I think DS will have to get a little older before I can convince DH to fork over the cash for the tickets.

 

[afwdwfan]

Ya'll just seemed to have a night full of RUDE ppl. So sorry for all that!

Yes, but fortunately we got most of these experiences all out of the way in one day.

At least y'all got to enjoy the special fireworks/parades and a few rides with DS in a good mood.

Yes, we did have a good time, despite some of the people around us.

it must have been the time of year for rude people in disney we had a few as well I will tell about as the tr goes on.

I'll be interested to see what you have to say about them. I think there were 1 or 2 others, but most of the rudeness we encountered was during MVMCP of all things. The irony of it is what just really struck me.

I am sooo jealous of your alone time in DHS! But, good for you! Rock n Roller Coaster is my favorite ride at Disney, too.

I'm so glad I got to go back. I would have been the rude, grumpy guy at MVMCP if I had let a Rock N Rollercoaster FP go to waste.

That's great that DS was in a much better mood when he woke up. That's always helpful when trying to have some fun.

Yes, it was a great improvement. I think it was just a hard adjustment, since this was our second day and he was probably a little overwhelmed from our first night in MK. We probably should have just left the park after MSEP to get him to bed, but we're cruel parents and wanted to see Wishes.

Sounds like y'all had a really great night, with the exception of those people who were lacking the Christmas spirit.

The fireworks at MVMCP are really great! I don't know that we'll do another party until Reid is a little bit older & can actually stay up for them. But, they are quite fun!

Yes, it was a fun night anyway. I'm not going to let somebody else ruin my fun at Disney World...

The party was fun. I'm not sure it is worth the cost, but it is very nice to get some extra time in the parks, see some different characters out and about and the fireworks show is very, very good.

I wouldn't worry about Reid being old enough to stay up for the whole party. DW and I actually enjoyed just walking around and catching some of the shows and doing some shopping after DS fell asleep.

I was supposed to have a point?

Good point.

She woke up and decided she wanted another nap?

Yes. She likes to nap when DS naps. Works for me though because I can get stuff done at home and ride a rollercoaster on vacation.

OKTHANKSBYE!

I can't wait to try that one out! Glad you got back to DHS to do the rest of the "big" rides.

It really was a lot of fun. I always enjoyed Star Tours, but never really "loved" it. The new version is AWESOME!

I'm just disappointed that I got the pod racer segment every time I rode.

I'm guessing those aren't thumbs.

Good guess.

I was all set to make a crack about being hesitant to go on a ride that barely moves...but then you mentioned ramming 4 cars, and I thought, "Yeah, I guess that makes sense."

We talked about her riding with DS and I'd just take the car behind them and lay back... until we saw the pile up. I never realized something that moves so slow could cause such a violent impact.

Let's see if we can take a trip down memory lane:

RRRRrrrrr......bang! RRRRrrrrrrr.....bang! RRRRRrrrrr....bang!

You still have frequent nightmares about it, don't you?

No "You're #1" salutes here?

No... I guess it was cool to just walk through and look at the things that I've read about people playing with though...

Harrrrrrrrrrrk the herald angels sing...

We missed that one... but I'm sure they probably played it.

What are you talking about?! Those rides are completely different! They have a camel!

...and the carpet is a 2 seater.

I'm thinking this guy could really be useful at the toppings bar in Cosmic Ray's.

No Tomato for you!!!

Who would ever expect to find kids and strollers at Disney World? I don't think you're really understanding things from his point of view. Clearly he would also expect to be able to watch a game in Lambeau Field without having to listen to Packers fans cheer.

No kidding. I understand how they can be inconvenient to those without children. I mean, that was me the last time I went, but I've always understood the fact that kids love Disney World and parents love taking kids. It may not be the most convenient thing to have to move through a sea of strollers, but what's the point of complaining about it?

This guy obviously had no idea I was a parent when he started talking to me. He just rubbed me the wrong way, late at night on my way back to the resort.

I'm glad you still got to experience MVMCP, even if it wasn't the full experience. Sounds like your plan to get your fun in while the others nap is working well!

It was a good time, overall. A less than spectacular day at Disney World beats a great day at work, anytime. I'm glad we did MVMCP, and I really hope we get a chance to try it again and experience more of the shows/characters sometime in the future.

Don'cha just love people? Where's the line nazi when you need him to knock some sense into people at the fixin's bar or a crowded boat?

I don't mind calling out rude park guests, but I really hate to pick on a CM like that... I mean I understand he was just doing his job. He was very protective of his tape though. I honestly wouldn't have been surprised if he'd yelled "No Parade for You!"

We were on the walkway in front of the plaza that goes from Main Street to Tomorrowland Terrace... a walkway that isn't typically crowded anyway. Across from us they had a very narrow section taped off, just wide enough to basically stand in a single file line. There was a lady over there who kept stepping on and over the tape and just taunting the CM. It was a bit rude, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't think it was more entertaining than the parade.

 

[afwdwfan]

I think the parade Nazi's and the annoying people with the runway lights that "urge" the crowds towards the exit at the end of the night, are one in the same !
I can't tell you how many times I've gotten scolded by one of them because I was trying to cut onto the sidewalk to enter the Emporium or stopped for a second to attend to a fussy child. What a great way to end a "magical" evening. !

Yeah, it is just kind of frustrating. I will say though, that the previous night, when we were there for MSEP the parade CM patrolling our area was very nice. She was a little more "subtle" about asking people to move and actually very pleasant and interacted with people. It all comes down to how the CM wants to handle the situation. This guy was just a...

I don't know how the heck I got so far behind (at least next week I'll have an excuse!).

I've got a pretty good idea... you're used to following some "other" TR's.

I love that DS giggled and loved TSM. That is so great!

Yes, I loved it. I even started yelling and hollering as we'd move from one scene to the next to get him even more excited. We were just feeding off of each other.

Sorry about the "not wanting to nap." I remember those days; they'd fight the sleep and then be out like a light within a matter of seconds (I think all that crying wears them out all the more).

I just wished it would have worn him out sooner.

Sorry the party was so crowded (our MNSSHP event was the same way and we didn't enjoy it nearly as much as the year before).

I've been reading a lot of similar reviews of the parties. It seems like they're pretty crowded these days. I can't say from experience though, this is the first party of any kind that I've ever been to. It was fun, regardless, though.

What a rude, rude man on the boat to the WL. Hey buddy, take a hike and go somewhere else on your next trip; this is a magical place and not for jerks like you!

Looking forward to the next update.

You know, anytime you go out in public, you're going to run into people like that. This guy just obviously just assumed that I was another guy around his age, probably bummed that I had to deal with kids on a night that I couldn't get a beer in the MK.

Sorry nap time was such a challenge! Everett may not be the best sleeper on vacation, but one thing I am thankful about is that he cannot resist the siren song of a moving stroller- puts him out every time!

The stroller seemed to do the trick every other day... just not this one.

I had to laugh about lunch time, eating only corn is pretty funny. Toddlers, you never know what food they are going to decide is their favorite! Good call on the milkshake, I sure it went a long way to keeping the little man happy during lunch.

Meals are always an adventure. He might love something today and refuse to touch it tomorrow.

Good job not letting FPs go to waste, you DW was so nice to stay back at the room and nap with DS. You'd never catch me being that nice to my DH!

Well, it helps that DW doesn't really enjoy the parks quite as much as I do. She's always willing to take naps when we're on vacation. I on the other hand, want to be doing things I can't do at home.

Sorry your MVMCP experiences were not what you anticipated. I've never actually done at MVMCP, but from what I hear the parade and the fireworks are the highlights, so you did well to hit those! Someday I'll give one a shot, I think DS will have to get a little older before I can convince DH to fork over the cash for the tickets.

It was fun. I really felt like we had to go because we'd never been to a party before and you never really know if or when the opportunity will arise again. It was fun and the fireworks were great. I'd probably go back again if we had a chance, but it really is hard to justify the price tag for a few hours in the park.

On the flip side, it made it more attractive to us to do the party this time, because DS is still young enough to get in without a ticket.

 

[afwdwfan]

A Day of Firsts

It was Wednesday morning and we learned something valuable from yesterday. DS would decide when we start our day today.

I was the first one up and ready to go so I headed down to Roaring Forks to grab a breakfast platter once DW and DS woke up. It’s too bad it took a couple of days to discover this little convenience. We’d eat some cereal and divide all the food that came on the platter so we could have some hot food for breakfast. There was plenty on that plate to go around.

Today was an EPCOT day and we got there probably about 30 - 40 minutes after the park opened. We walked through Innoventions and signed up for our first ever Kim Possible mission and then went to grab Soarin FP’s in the Land. Our return time was for noon.

We went to the Seas to look for Nemo.

Somebody was a little excited to be free from his stroller.

After we found Nemo, we headed into Turtle Talk with Crush. We checked out the trivia game while we waited for the show to start.

This is the first time I’ve seen this show. I enjoyed it, but DS didn’t seem to care for it. He was impatiently crawling all over us and eventually ripped DW’s bracelet off. It wasn’t an expensive one, but it had a lot of little pieces that scattered everywhere across the floor. We did our best to pick up all the pieces and the CM’s turned on the lights for us after the show and helped us out with that.

After we left Crush, DS wanted to run around the aquarium. Nothing seemed to keep his attention for very long, until we found the manatees. Eventually we decided it was time to go, because we had an ADR coming up soon. We made our way back past the Land and stopped for a quick visit with Figment while we were in the area.

We almost lost our appetite in the smell portion of the ride, but only temporarily. We had an ADR that I’d been looking forward to for a long time… our first ever visit to Via Napoli. We were seated promptly at 11:30 and our server was great. She was hard to understand, but very friendly and very fast. I always enjoy a good beer with my pizza so I tried a La Rossa… not bad. We ordered a pepperoni pizza to share. DW says it is the best pizza she’s ever eaten. I’ve had a lot of great pizzas, so I’m not sure I can conclusively say it’s the best I’ve ever had without doing thorough side by side blindfold taste testing. It is definitely near the top of the list.

If you’re thinking about eating at Via Napoli, here’s some advice. First of all, do it. Secondly, there’s an option to get a side salad with the pizza… skip it. We got a large pizza and didn’t get any salad or appetizers. I believe the menu says the pizza serves 2 -3 people. We ordered it for 2 ½ and it was way more than enough for us. I ate 2 pieces after I was so full it hurt to keep eating, but we didn’t want to carry leftovers around and I wasn’t about to leave a single crumb of that deliciousness to go to waste. We really felt like of all the table service meals we had, this was definitely the best value.

We waddled out of Via Napoli and headed around the corner to get our Kimmunicator. DS walked up to the CM and handed her our pass. She chatted with him a bit and folded the pass into some origami and handed it back to him with some Mickey stickers and then issued our Kimmunicator.

Our first mission had us going to Japan. We worked on our mission with about 2 other groups doing the same thing, but DS just wanted to keep pushing buttons. We were able to see all the effects, but it was a battle to follow along with what was actually going on as he kept pushing random buttons. He didn’t seem to care about any of the effects that resulted from following the clues, so we ended up quitting after our half hearted effort to save Japan.

We made our way back up to the Land to use our Soarin FP’s. DS fell asleep on the stroller ride, so DW rode while I sat out in stroller purgatory and enjoyed this view from my seat up on a landscaping wall.

I took my turn to ride and grabbed 2 more FP’s for 5:30. I got to ride with a very nice couple. The wife was terrified as we were waiting to board our flight. Her husband was trying to tell her what was going to happen and she swore he was lying to her. I tried to re-assure her that he was telling her the truth. She was afraid it was going to be really jerky and whip her all around. I think in the end she really did enjoy it. When I came back out DS was awake and eating some popcorn. DW saw some royalty out enjoying the sunshine and though DS might like to meet her.

After meeting Belle, we heard some music being played just around the corner. We decided to see what was going on and found these guys putting on a fun show. We’d never seen the Jammitors before… it was yet another first for us.

We headed in to try the Visa character picture for the first time. We got in line and then noticed that something smelled horrible. It didn’t take long to realize that smell was coming from DS’ diaper, so rather than making everyone around us suffer, we were off to the restroom for a diaper change.

We saw that the line for Space Ship Earth was pretty much nonexistent so we took a journey to the past and our future while we were in the area.

We walked out of SSE and DW asked what I wanted to do next. I said we should probably go back to the Visa Character meet soon, but there was someplace else I wanted to visit first. Our day full of firsts would continue with a visit to a place we’ve never been before…

 

[amandaw]

I am so excited about your Via Napoli review! It sounds like a great lunch option. And I'm glad to know that a large pepperoni pizza can feed a lot of peeps! That would be perfect for my family of 3. That does indeed seem like a good value!

Love the picture of DS running towards the Nemo ride....so cute! We haven't done Turtle Talk yet. I don't know if Reid would sit still for it. Is it really long?

Can't wait to hear what y'alls next "first" was!

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

It was Wednesday morning and we learned something valuable from yesterday. DS would decide when we start our day today.

This will be true for a while yet.

I was the first one up and ready to go so I headed down to Roaring Forks to grab a breakfast platter once DW and DS woke up.

Will have to check this out if I get to stay there again in the future

There was plenty on that plate to go around.

This is something we noticed about Roaring Forks… it was a little pricey compared to some of the other resorts, but any one serving was so large, that you really only needed to get one meal per 2 or 3 people and share it.

Somebody was a little excited to be free from his stroller.

I bet he was…

He was impatiently crawling all over us and eventually ripped DW’s bracelet off. It wasn’t an expensive one, but it had a lot of little pieces that scattered everywhere across the floor.

Nothing seemed to keep his attention for very long, until we found the manatees.

There is something mesmerizing about watching something so big and so homely that also behaves so gently and moves so gracefully. It’s like the “Dance of the Hours” sequence from Fantasia… it appears improbable, but you’re transfixed anyway.

…stopped for a quick visit with Figment while we were in the area.

We almost lost our appetite in the smell portion of the ride

That will just about do it..

…but only temporarily.

But you rebounded pretty quickly

We had an ADR that I’d been looking forward to for a long time… our first ever visit to Via Napoli.

And as reasons go… that will just about do it

there’s an option to get a side salad with the pizza… skip it.

Pizza > Rabbit-Food

We waddled out of Via Napoli

No, no… you kind’a shuffle out of Via Napoli…
You waddle out of ‘Ohana

Our first mission had us going to Japan. We worked on our mission with about 2 other groups doing the same thing, but DS just wanted to keep pushing buttons.

Proper preparation for a future texting championship (I do believe that it will be a competitive sport in the near future).

DW rode while I sat out in stroller purgatory

I like that description.

We’ve take many pictures of the various “Stroller Worlds” at WDW just to show folks who really don’t believe us when we say it exists.

We’d never seen the Jammitors before… it was yet another first for us.

I’ve not seen them either so I’ll have to make a point to hunt them down during the next trip.

The concept reminds me of Mulch Sweat and Shears over at HS.

We saw that the line for Space Ship Earth was pretty much nonexistent

This is pretty normal in the afternoon. Folks queue up for it right out of the gate because it’s the first thing you encounter.

Our day full of firsts would continue with a visit to a place we’ve never been before…

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

It was Wednesday morning and we learned something valuable from yesterday. DS would decide when we start our day today.

Either 4 a.m. or 11:30. No in-between.

Somebody was a little excited to be free from his stroller.

I'm free! I'm free!

This is the first time I’ve seen this show. I enjoyed it, but DS didn’t seem to care for it. He was impatiently crawling all over us and eventually ripped DW’s bracelet off. It wasn’t an expensive one, but it had a lot of little pieces that scattered everywhere across the floor. We did our best to pick up all the pieces and the CM’s turned on the lights for us after the show and helped us out with that.

Get any comments from Crush over that incident? Sorry he wasn't interested. It is a pretty cool show.

We made our way back past the Land and stopped for a quick visit with Figment while we were in the area.

You forgot to mention the Fastpasses you picked up for that ride.

DW says it is the best pizza she’s ever eaten. I’ve had a lot of great pizzas, so I’m not sure I can conclusively say it’s the best I’ve ever had without doing thorough side by side blindfold taste testing. It is definitely near the top of the list.

Awesome! I think we're going to try it out on our next trip. If I get the massive-size pizza, will that feed my family?

She chatted with him a bit and folded the pass into some origami and handed it back to him with some Mickey stickers and then issued our Kimmunicator.

Origami? That's cool!

We worked on our mission with about 2 other groups doing the same thing, but DS just wanted to keep pushing buttons. We were able to see all the effects, but it was a battle to follow along with what was actually going on as he kept pushing random buttons. He didn’t seem to care about any of the effects that resulted from following the clues, so we ended up quitting after our half hearted effort to save Japan.

I can see where the actual game might be over his head. Still, I enjoy pushing buttons too.

DS fell asleep on the stroller ride, so DW rode while I sat out in stroller purgatory and enjoyed this view from my seat up on a landscaping wall.

Well...it's a very nice sign you have there.

The wife was terrified as we were waiting to board our flight. Her husband was trying to tell her what was going to happen and she swore he was lying to her. I tried to re-assure her that he was telling her the truth. She was afraid it was going to be really jerky and whip her all around. I think in the end she really did enjoy it.

I seem to recall a certain Frozen Monkey having a similar experience, only working hard to convince the rider that there were loops involved.

We headed in to try the Visa character picture for the first time. We got in line and then noticed that something smelled horrible.

That's an awful thing to say about Belle. Sure, she could have married someone with better hygiene, but it's tacky to point it out.

It didn’t take long to realize that smell was coming from DS’ diaper, so rather than making everyone around us suffer, we were off to the restroom for a diaper change.

Darn. This could have been the funniest VISA Disney character photoshoot ever.

I said we should probably go back to the Visa Character meet soon, but there was someplace else I wanted to visit first. Our day full of firsts would continue with a visit to a place we’ve never been before…

Does it include Beverly?

 

[glennbo123]

I'm glad that to read your great review of Via Napoli. I've heard great things about the table service, but that the pizza at the take-out window is not as good...which is weird.

I think Soarin' would be better if they did whip you all around!

Hmmm, were you thirsty before heading to your next adventure?

 

[khertz]

LOVE that pic of your DS running around Epcot in his Mickey t-shirt & baby Crocs!! They do seem to have more fun running wild about the parks rather than being cooped up in their strollers, don't they?

Mmm, Via Napoli! I'm glad you didn't post any pictures of your pizza because I am already craving that yummy 4 cheese white pizza, I don't need a visual to have me literally drooling!! I think that is the one ADR I am super anxious to book! It was soooooooo good. Glad that y'all enjoyed it too. Now that we have introduced DS to pizza, we might have to do like y'all and get a big pizza for us to split instead of getting the individual pizzas. DS will probably put away quite a bit of pizza himself!!

Disappointing about MVMCP not being all you wanted it to be. That's why I'm a little hesitant to shell out the money for a MNSSHP this year, despite the fact that I have been really wanting to try out the party. I think it might be one of those things that we will just have to wait until DS is older to take part in. Even though we will likely be having to pay for a ticket for him at that point, I think I'd rather spend the extra cash and get our money's worth from the party rather than saving on his ticket but only getting to spend a few hours in the park for the money we spend on ourselves.

 

[that's nice]

SO I guess I was a little behind....

I couldn’t convince someone that we really needed to be out of the room by just after 8 so that we could be in the park before Rope Drop.

You should of told her all your DIS buddies said to get there at 8:30...

Standby time was 30 minutes. We were planning a long mid-day break, so FP’s were going to be out of the question at this point, and we took our place in the standby line.

30 minute wait is a score! Nicely played!

Great pic!

As always, Toodles came in to save the day and with the help of some other Disney Junior friends, Minnie’s Birthday party was a huge success.

Wouldn't it be cool if just once Mickey forgot about the party, Donald burnt the cake, Goofy decorated the wrong house, and Daisy bought herself a gift?

It was a great ride on ToT, probably the best I’ve ever had. I was entertained by a woman in the front row who screamed profanities every time the ride dropped and then profusely apologized to everyone afterwards. I thought the ride was over twice and it shot us back up for more. We actually sat in front of the screen at the bottom long enough for people to start talking before it shot us back up one time.

Nothing like some F bombs to up the Disney spirit.

I checked my phone as I left the hotel and saw that I missed several phone calls from DW. I called her up and asked where she was. They were in front of RnR, and somebody wasn’t happy.

I'm sure I'll be dealing with an unhappy kid in Disney come November.

Our waitress was absolutely fantastic. She brought our drinks and even brought DS his own milkshake in a child’s cup.

Honestly, good service makes the meal sooo much better.

As it turned out, he was only interested in one thing… corn.

At lest you didn't add any corny jokes here...

Finally, at around 3:30, DS was napping peacefully.

WHEW! I thought he'd never fall asleep.

I asked permission to take my pocket full of Fast Passes for a quick trip over to the Studios.

Well played!

I quickly crossed the park and walked under this archway towards my most favoritest ride on Walt Disney World property.

This is mine too. Good choice!

Our original plan was to be at MK by about 4:30 or 5, grab a bite to eat and be ready for the festivities to get under way at 7. Instead we were just walking in the gates at around 6:30.

Plans? Where you were going you didn't need plans!

He finally came up and butted in between the 2 of them, reached around the other person for something and walked away. Have a magical day!

I was brave about it and let DS take the wheel (insert crappy phone picture in a moving car slamming into a center rail).

Our kids must have gone to the same driving school.

To the parade Nazi: Yes, you who wear the Santa hat, but lack the Christmas spirit. I understand you have a job to keep the sidewalk open, and I respect that. Please, just realize that if nobody is trying to get through, it is ok for someone to step out to take a quick picture and then step back, especially when you’ve seen them standing behind the line watching the parade the rest of the time. You’ve been standing right there and you know that is where she’s been. She just wanted a freakin’ picture of a float with the snow falling on it on Main Street. If you feel the need to ask someone to step back, please ask and if you want to tell them to get back, I suggest you do so in a more respectful manner. Next time you want to yell at a hormonal pregnant woman, you’re going to get to deal with the consequences. I’m not covering for you again. Got it? Good.

Note to self... never tell Andy's DW not to step over the tape.

If kids are that much an issue for you, I suggest you find someplace else to spend your vacation dollars in the future…

LOL... also note to self... never try to step over Andy's kids stroller.

I don’t feel like we got our full value out of the MVMCP ticket, but that was due partly to the fact that we didn’t get started when we wanted to and didn’t really get to take full advantage of everything. I’d like to try it again sometime, and hopefully be able to get off to an earlier start. I was somewhat disappointed though, that despite paying for an after-hours party, this was by far the most crowded evening of the 3 we spent in the MK.

It is hard getting the full value out of these tickets... especially with small children. I think the first MNSSHP we went to we were leaving at 9:15. The parties are getting more and more crowded too. They need to limit the amount of ppl they let in the party (yea right).

 

[that's nice]

It was Wednesday morning and we learned something valuable from yesterday. DS would decide when we start our day today.

He's already running the show!

Somebody was a little excited to be free from his stroller.

Love the shirt!

I’ve had a lot of great pizzas, so I’m not sure I can conclusively say it’s the best I’ve ever had without doing thorough side by side blindfold taste testing. It is definitely near the top of the list.

Let me know when you make it to Connecticut... we'll go on a pizza and beer tour.

We headed in to try the Visa character picture for the first time. We got in line and then noticed that something smelled horrible.

Was it the Beverly machine?

It didn’t take long to realize that smell was coming from DS’ diaper, so rather than making everyone around us suffer, we were off to the restroom for a diaper change.

Oh, whew! At this this smell can be rectified!

 

[afwdwfan]

I am so excited about your Via Napoli review! It sounds like a great lunch option. And I'm glad to know that a large pepperoni pizza can feed a lot of peeps! That would be perfect for my family of 3. That does indeed seem like a good value!

It really was. Where else on Disney property can you sit down at a table service place and feed 3 people for around $30? We will definitely be making return trips.

Love the picture of DS running towards the Nemo ride....so cute! We haven't done Turtle Talk yet. I don't know if Reid would sit still for it. Is it really long?

It isn't very long... somewhere between 5 - 10 minutes. I think DS would have been fine at other times, but he just didn't want to be still that morning.

This will be true for a while yet.

Until #2 comes along and tries to set the agenda.

Will have to check this out if I get to stay there again in the future

It was good. A big plate with bacon, pancakes, eggs, a biscuit & hash browns. We don't usually eat a big breakfast (although I'd like to) so we could probably have just split this platter and had plenty of food, but combining it with a little bit of cereal that we already had in the room made it more than adequate to start the day.

This is something we noticed about Roaring Forks… it was a little pricey compared to some of the other resorts, but any one serving was so large, that you really only needed to get one meal per 2 or 3 people and share it.

I didn't have any problem finishing a whole meal from the lunch and dinner menus. I thought the food there was good, but having stayed at POP, I was a bit disappointed. I guess after experiencing the food court at POP, I'd expected to find a few more options at a deluxe food court than what was available.

There is something mesmerizing about watching something so big and so homely that also behaves so gently and moves so gracefully. It’s like the “Dance of the Hours” sequence from Fantasia… it appears improbable, but you’re transfixed anyway.

Off-topic, but do you watch Ax Men on History Channel? In the episode this week, a guy was swimming in a river in FL with manatees. He even kind of looked like one in the water.

That will just about do it..

But you rebounded pretty quickly

When pizza is involved, you do what ya gotta do.

Pizza > Rabbit-Food

No, no… you kind’a shuffle out of Via Napoli…
You waddle out of ‘Ohana

No, you waddle out of Via Napoli and you have to be rolled out of Ohana. You shuffle out of the buffets.

Proper preparation for a future texting championship (I do believe that it will be a competitive sport in the near future).

I think it already is...

I like that description.

Thanks. I was thinking about that when I was sitting there. He's asleep in the stroller, so we can't park it and go in, and they have people standing at the bottom of the ramp so you can't even get close to the building with a stroller. It really was like purgatory. Stuck there waiting until he either woke up and we could park the stroller or we were done at the Land and could move on to something else.

We’ve take many pictures of the various “Stroller Worlds” at WDW just to show folks who really don’t believe us when we say it exists.

It is insane sometimes. I'll get to this in AK, but I wish I had taken a picture of a stroller that was parked there.

I’ve not seen them either so I’ll have to make a point to hunt them down during the next trip.

Good show. Sounded pretty good for beating on trash cans and tool boxes. And they had the comedy element down pretty good too.

Either 4 a.m. or 11:30. No in-between.

You mean when he finally goes to sleep, right?

He's pretty good about waking up. Usually he'll wake up at around 5:30 or 6 and then go back to sleep until about 7:30 or 8. He is a bit of a night owl at times though.

Get any comments from Crush over that incident? Sorry he wasn't interested. It is a pretty cool show.

No, we were towards the back of the theater. He was busy learning about humans from a little girl in the front. I think I learned a few things too.

You forgot to mention the Fastpasses you picked up for that ride.

Not everybody remembers to make up all the details like you.

Awesome! I think we're going to try it out on our next trip. If I get the massive-size pizza, will that feed my family?

I saw a few of the really big rectangle ones on tables. It might feed your family, depending how much your boys eat, but I'd probably go for at least 2 of the large ones. Just eat there before you're getting ready to leave the park so you can take the leftovers back to Kidani.

Origami? That's cool!

Origami in Italy? That's... odd.

I can see where the actual game might be over his head. Still, I enjoy pushing buttons too.

Buttons are awesome. How else are you supposed to learn what they do?

I seem to recall a certain Frozen Monkey having a similar experience, only working hard to convince the rider that there were loops involved.

That's right, I forgot about that.

I really didn't want her to be scared though. I was going to be sitting next to her and she had finger nails.

That's an awful thing to say about Belle. Sure, she could have married someone with better hygiene, but it's tacky to point it out.

Darn. This could have been the funniest VISA Disney character photoshoot ever.

10 years later... Mommy, why is Mickey holding his nose?

Does it include Beverly?

 

[afwdwfan]

I'm glad that to read your great review of Via Napoli. I've heard great things about the table service, but that the pizza at the take-out window is not as good...which is weird.

I think from what I read the pick up window was temporary? I don't recall seeing anything when we were there. I guess part of it could be that they have to pre-bake some pizzas and put them under a heat lamp or something. The table service was excellent though.

I think Soarin' would be better if they did whip you all around!

I could live with that...

Hmmm, were you thirsty before heading to your next adventure?

Why, yes. Yes I was.

LOVE that pic of your DS running around Epcot in his Mickey t-shirt & baby Crocs!! They do seem to have more fun running wild about the parks rather than being cooped up in their strollers, don't they?

Yes. He was just full of energy that morning.

Mmm, Via Napoli! I'm glad you didn't post any pictures of your pizza because I am already craving that yummy 4 cheese white pizza, I don't need a visual to have me literally drooling!! I think that is the one ADR I am super anxious to book! It was soooooooo good. Glad that y'all enjoyed it too. Now that we have introduced DS to pizza, we might have to do like y'all and get a big pizza for us to split instead of getting the individual pizzas. DS will probably put away quite a bit of pizza himself!!

I really enjoyed that pizza. Just writing about it was making me hungry. I'm craving one right now.

Disappointing about MVMCP not being all you wanted it to be. That's why I'm a little hesitant to shell out the money for a MNSSHP this year, despite the fact that I have been really wanting to try out the party. I think it might be one of those things that we will just have to wait until DS is older to take part in. Even though we will likely be having to pay for a ticket for him at that point, I think I'd rather spend the extra cash and get our money's worth from the party rather than saving on his ticket but only getting to spend a few hours in the park for the money we spend on ourselves.

It really is a tough call to make. If we had it to do again, I think we would have planned for Wednesday night instead of Tuesday. I think Tuesday our problem was that it was just our second day in the parks. He was still adjusting to being there and taking in all the sights and sounds. Our EPCOT day was so much better, as was the rest of the week.

If we'd only known what mood he'd be in Tuesday ahead of time...

SO I guess I was a little behind....

It happens. Just so you know, I've got the next 2 updates already typed out in Word...

You should of told her all your DIS buddies said to get there at 8:30...

I probably would have gotten this response...

Great pic!

Thanks

Wouldn't it be cool if just once Mickey forgot about the party, Donald burnt the cake, Goofy decorated the wrong house, and Daisy bought herself a gift?

Nothing like some F bombs to up the Disney spirit.

Fortunately, I don't think there were any kids on at the time. Pretty much everybody was laughing about it.

I'm sure I'll be dealing with an unhappy kid in Disney come November.

Yes. Yes you will. It will be worth it though.

Honestly, good service makes the meal sooo much better.

It absolutely does.

At lest you didn't add any corny jokes here...

Well, I was just trying to set Barry up for some puns.

WHEW! I thought he'd never fall asleep.

No kidding.

Well played!

I'm still shocked that it worked...

Note to self... never tell Andy's DW not to step over the tape.

Or at least just don't be an ****** about it.

LOL... also note to self... never try to step over Andy's kids stroller.

I'd have offered him a swim if it was any other stroller though, too.

It is hard getting the full value out of these tickets... especially with small children. I think the first MNSSHP we went to we were leaving at 9:15. The parties are getting more and more crowded too. They need to limit the amount of ppl they let in the party (yea right).

That's funny! Yeah, they're going to keep selling them as long as people keep buying them... unfortunately. It was fun, and I'm glad we went. We'll probably do it again if we get the chance. We had other days/evenings in the parks that were just fantastic. Unfortunately, the MVMCP day just wasn't one of them.

He's already running the show!

We already knew that. We just failed to remember.

Love the shirt!

Me too. I wish I had it in an adult XL.

Let me know when you make it to Connecticut... we'll go on a pizza and beer tour.

Sounds like fun.

Was it the Beverly machine?

No, it was the smell of excellence.

Oh, whew! At this this smell can be rectified!

There's just always that few minutes where there's a stare down, a match of rock-paper-scissors, or the famous call of "not it" to decide who gets to rectify the situation.

 

[My sister's princess]

PHEW all caught up. How dare you update so much while I was gone. KIDDING!!! It made for great reading this morning!

I am so glad you had such a good time at the whispering canyon. I want to give it a try, but have seen mixed reviews!

 

[petals]

I love your DS's t-shirt in his break free pic.

 

[khertz]

If we'd only known what mood he'd be in Tuesday ahead of time...

Kids should be required to submit in writing in advance when they plan on having meltdowns. It would just make life so much easier!

 

[amandaw]

Kids should be required to submit in writing in advance when they plan on having meltdowns. It would just make life so much easier!

 

[afwdwfan]

PHEW all caught up. How dare you update so much while I was gone. KIDDING!!! It made for great reading this morning!

I am so glad you had such a good time at the whispering canyon. I want to give it a try, but have seen mixed reviews!

I'm just trying to keep rolling with this thing before I forget everything.

We really enjoyed Whispering Canyon. I think it really depends on how much you appreciate or want to participate in the antics and how your server is. I took note of a few more "animated" servers in the restaurant when we were eating and I see how they could get annoying pretty quick if you weren't really 100% into their antics.

That said, the food was excellent, and I really felt like the value for the lunch skillet was pretty good for the amount of food and the quality of it.

I love your DS's t-shirt in his break free pic.

I like it too. I kind of wished I could have found one to fit me.

Kids should be required to submit in writing in advance when they plan on having meltdowns. It would just make life so much easier!

This needs a like button.