Let's Watch the Hallucination Show on the Castle- A May '14 TR *12/3 PTR Link to Real Life News

[DisneyKid4Life]

Oh yes, in room coffee is way too often disregarded as being unimportant. It is HUGE!!!

I'm not surprised Landon enjoyed the mirror. What's better than one Landon? TWO LANDON'S!!

Ah the Mickey Silhouettes are also wildly underestimated. Love them.

I will never ever ever understand people being that motivated to meet Anna/Elsa that they would basically give up anything else for it. I know people have kids, but c'mon. It's the Welcome Show!!! But then you skipped it too. But it sounds like it may have been a wise decision.

Hmmm, now that is interesting about the pre-opening cut off. I didn't expect that.

Look at the PP CM's by the castle totally fixated on Landon. Too cute.

Honestly, I find it so sad that people will run over other people in Disney just to get nearer the front of a line. It's just so hard for me to wrap my head around that.

 

[khertz]

I just love all the cute pics of Landon playing around, both in front of the train station and on Main Street. So cute how the simplest of things can entertain a baby endlessly.

I also love Photopass photographers who go above and beyond. So much better than just getting a couple of posed shots in front of a park icon!

 

[Dugette]

Ha, I swear we could take these kids to just the resort rooms and they’d have a blast! And, you know, we could let them out to play on a curb or a trolley track every so often.

So glad that you had that “deluxe” morning on the balcony!

Poor Izzy has yet to see the Welcome Show. Next time, I guess! Pre-park opening ADRs are awesome, but makes it hard to get that in. On that note, not sure we will next time either, with an early CP breakfast.

Glad you ran across a great Photopass photograher! Nice family shot!

Oh, wow, that CM line and Frozen Stampede stuff is wild! Glad you guys entered before the madness began.

Excited to see how Landon and Pooh Bear get along this time around!

 

[Gracefulskinny]

I can understand the choice dilemma but I think you chose right in the end. Pre-park opening entrance just seems so magical. While both experiences are on my bucket list Getting to walk down main street before the park opens is what I am looking forward to the most. And seeing your pictures from it just make me even more excited!

 

[amazingact21]

We've been out of town for the holidays and I'm just now finding time to play catch-up.

First off, I am sorry to hear that the sickness spread like wildfire through your family. I know that you are glad that that whole ordeal is over and done.

Second, even though you didn't "do" a whole lot at Epcot, it sounds like you had a wonderful time. With kids, it's hard to spend quality time with your spouse so it's great to have some one-on-one with them. And, you had the perfect setting...Epcot!

I think that you guys made a wise decision to enter the park early. I sure wouldn't have wanted to be caught up in the hordes of people trying to get into the park at rope drop. That little man of your's makes me smile every single time I see him. The pictures of him playing in an empty Main Street are simply adorable.

Thank you. It was more fun that I imagined watching him walk around the parks. I thought for sure my favorite moments would be seeing his reactions to certain rides and shows, but really it was allowing him to enjoy being in the moment. I know one day I'll look back on those pictures and miss him being that little.

Landon was so cute that day. I remember how he was getting into everything and Alex just kept picking him up and redirecting him.

Yay for getting in the park early. I think I would have chosen that as well. I can't remember what time our ADR was that morning or whether we saw the opening show. Yikes! I'm going to have to look back at my pictures.

Glad you and Landon have recovered from being ill!

Haha, Landon gets redirected. A LOT. Back then, it was especially hard, simply because he couldn't understand to follow us. He would just veer off on his own.

Wow... interesting to see the Frozen chaos from that perspective... and from a safe distance.

I'm sorry that you missed out on the welcome show! I can't believe Alex has never seen it! One of my favorite things. It always sets the perfect tone for a morning at MK!

I'm glad to see that Landon got some time to explore Main Street at his leisure!

By the way... what were the small roped off squares in Main Street in the pictures looking back towards the Frozen rush?

The little roped off areas were parts of the street that had wet cement or paint on them. I can't remember which, but either way, it was just some upkeeping work they'd done to the street.

The picture of Landon looking in the mirror is way precious!

Coffee in a deluxe before going to MK sounds like a dream!

That is great you guys got to let Landon roam around freely before all the mayhem ensued!

Landon absolutely loved that mirror. It was hilarious to see him get so giddy over it. That thing alone made the deluxe worth the price.

Oh yes, in room coffee is way too often disregarded as being unimportant. It is HUGE!!!

I'm not surprised Landon enjoyed the mirror. What's better than one Landon? TWO LANDON'S!!

Ah the Mickey Silhouettes are also wildly underestimated. Love them.

I will never ever ever understand people being that motivated to meet Anna/Elsa that they would basically give up anything else for it. I know people have kids, but c'mon. It's the Welcome Show!!! But then you skipped it too. But it sounds like it may have been a wise decision.

Hmmm, now that is interesting about the pre-opening cut off. I didn't expect that.

Look at the PP CM's by the castle totally fixated on Landon. Too cute.

Honestly, I find it so sad that people will run over other people in Disney just to get nearer the front of a line. It's just so hard for me to wrap my head around that.

I don't understand the Anna/Elsa craze, either. However, I also know I'll return to WDW eventually, and I don't have kids old enough to obsess over characters like they can do.
I remember my mom and dad stood in line for Toy Story for an hour once. When they were outside. In July. But that was because they had no idea if us kids would ever get to go back again, so I guess when I think about it like that I can kind of see people's reasoning.

But 4+ hours? I don't know...

I just love all the cute pics of Landon playing around, both in front of the train station and on Main Street. So cute how the simplest of things can entertain a baby endlessly.

I also love Photopass photographers who go above and beyond. So much better than just getting a couple of posed shots in front of a park icon!

I've had really good luck with PP photographers the last few times I've visited. One of them helped me out with a project in August that I was supremely grateful for. Sometimes they can make or break a photo session!

Ha, I swear we could take these kids to just the resort rooms and they’d have a blast! And, you know, we could let them out to play on a curb or a trolley track every so often.

So glad that you had that “deluxe” morning on the balcony!

Poor Izzy has yet to see the Welcome Show. Next time, I guess! Pre-park opening ADRs are awesome, but makes it hard to get that in. On that note, not sure we will next time either, with an early CP breakfast.

Glad you ran across a great Photopass photograher! Nice family shot!

Oh, wow, that CM line and Frozen Stampede stuff is wild! Glad you guys entered before the madness began.

Excited to see how Landon and Pooh Bear get along this time around!

Alex and I said over and over again on this trip that we could have stayed in AKL the entire week and Landon would have had a blast. His favorite things all involved the resort. It was kind of ridiculous.


The Frozen madness was crazy. I was really glad when they began the Frozen Summer Fun at DHS to help alleviate the crowds elsewhere.

I can understand the choice dilemma but I think you chose right in the end. Pre-park opening entrance just seems so magical. While both experiences are on my bucket list Getting to walk down main street before the park opens is what I am looking forward to the most. And seeing your pictures from it just make me even more excited!

You really can't beat being on Main Street pre park opening! Makes you feel like you have the whole park to yourself, with a whole day of possibilities ahead of you.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Having ones morning coffee out on a balcony/terrace at a Walt Disney World resort is one of lives great pleasures

Sorry you weren't able see the welcome show but, especially in the heat, you gotta do what you gotta do to keep everyone happy/sane

Love the picture looking back at the huddled masses waiting in their holding pen for the rope to drop and scamper over to Princess Hall

We have a lot of those "what do you want to do? I don't know, what do you want to do?" moments as well. That is one of the side benefits of FP+, I think ... at least 3 times a day you do know what you are going to do

Clearly that curb is the most exciting and magical item in the Magic Kingdom

 

[Joyciemc]

What a fabulous morning! Sad about the Welcome Show, but holy good decision!! Being in the middle of that crowd sounds like no fun at all!

 

[blabbermouth]

Glad you're all feeling better!

It's nice that Landon got a chance to run around a bit before it got too crowded, it was probably the highlight of his day.

 

[amazingact21]

Having ones morning coffee out on a balcony/terrace at a Walt Disney World resort is one of lives great pleasures

Sorry you weren't able see the welcome show but, especially in the heat, you gotta do what you gotta do to keep everyone happy/sane

Love the picture looking back at the huddled masses waiting in their holding pen for the rope to drop and scamper over to Princess Hall

We have a lot of those "what do you want to do? I don't know, what do you want to do?" moments as well. That is one of the side benefits of FP+, I think ... at least 3 times a day you do know what you are going to do

Clearly that curb is the most exciting and magical item in the Magic Kingdom

That is a true fact. I think if I agreed to stay at the CR or BLT with a theme park view, Alex would let me stay on the balcony all day if I wanted to.


I love that about FP+. There's no question of what we're going to do next. And sometimes meal reservations act the same way. "Look, we've got to be at Via Napoli in an hour, so let's stick to wandering the World Showcase."

What a fabulous morning! Sad about the Welcome Show, but holy good decision!! Being in the middle of that crowd sounds like no fun at all!

I would have feared for Landon's life in that madness! People were going crazy over getting to Princess Hall first. It amazed me.

Glad you're all feeling better!

It's nice that Landon got a chance to run around a bit before it got too crowded, it was probably the highlight of his day.

Landon really did enjoy the freedom to roam around. It was either that or playing with the mirror in the room that made him happiest that day.

 

[amazingact21]

Two updates so close together? Landon must be taking extra long naps! Not exactly. I wanted to squeeze in one last update before I went out of town this weekend. My mom and I are taking Landon down to visit his other grandparents in Cape Canaveral before the holidays, so I'll be away from my computer and pictures for awhile.


In addition to visiting family, my mother and I are going to Seaworld for the day.



I know, not nearly as exciting as Disney, but around Veteran's Day, the park ran a deal where retired military members and their spouses could buy a Seaworld ticket for 48 dollars. And since Alex is active duty, I get one free day each year. And Landon's free, too.

So, for two and adults and one infant to get into the park for under 50 bucks with an extra 17 dollars for parking...well, it was too good an offer to pass up. I mean, our local aquarium (called the Gulfarium) costs 20 bucks a head to get into, and we're usually through with the place after an hour. We couldn't resist stopping along the way.


Our plan is to drive down to Orlando on Thursday, stay at Pop Century and explore Art of Animation that evening. Wake up Friday, go to Seaworld. Head back to Pop Century for another night. Wake up late Saturday and hang out in the room for awhile. Visit some of the deluxe resorts decked out in their holiday finery around lunchtime, then head to my in-laws.


It's been KILLING my mother and I to be so close to the Disney parks and not go to one, but we just can't justify it. My Annual Pass has expired, and a one day ticket to Disney costs almost as much as a 4 day military ticket. And we don't have time to use all 4 days so it'd be wasteful to buy them.

So, alas, Pop will have do.
And Landon loves fish and running around, so I'm sure my mom and I will have a pleasant experience at Seaworld. I used to go there all the time as a teenager, but I haven't been back in probably a decade, so it'll be fun to see the new sights and shows. We only have one or two things on our agenda for the park; otherwise, we are trying to create a very easygoing day. Follow Landon's lead and step back and just soak up the atmosphere.

And, hopefully, all this traveling that I'm about to do will distract me from the fact that Alex is ALMOST HOME. I can't say exactly when he's scheduled to leave, but I can say we're down to less than 3 digit numbers, and we are both to the point where we are frustratingly antsy. Just get to our tentative date already!


Okay, okay, back to the trip report.




Tuesday, May 13th, 2014:

Watching the huge wave of humanity pass by us made Alex and I feel relieved that we weren't going anywhere near Fantasyland at that time. In fact, we wanted to get off the streets entirely.

Time to eat some breakfast!

I went and checked us in then rejoined the boys on a bench. It was barely nine o'clock in the morning, but the sun shining directly on us, and it was hot!



I wanted to get inside to the air conditioning more than I wanted the actual breakfast.


Thankfully, our name was called a couple minutes later, and we were led to a table on the right side of the restaurant. I seem to end up eating at Crystal Palace so much that I'm slowly working my way around the place. I think the only two sections I haven't sat in are the back left of the restaurant and the back right.

Give it a few years; I'm sure that'll change.



Alex strapped Landon into his highchair and two seconds later our first character popped up. Mr. Eeyore.


Landon hadn't been a big fan of Eeyore the first time we dined here with him, so we weren't surprised when he was apprehensive about him on this trip. He cooperated long enough for me to take a picture of him and his dad, but that was about it.





We caught a break after that and had the time to order our drinks from our waitress and each make a trip to the buffet.

Alex went first and got an omelet and the first of many puffed French toast:





My kid is a bad breakfast eater. He refuses to eat first thing after waking and even after a few hours I can usually only get a granola bar and an orange in him. He hates eggs, but back in May he somewhat tolerated them. However, way back when he also had a mild lactose intolerance, and Alex and I worried that the scrambled eggs on the buffet line would have some kind of milk mixed into them.


We thought it safest to just ask the cook at the omelet station to fry up an egg for us. When Alex came back with his plate, he must not have had any issues with them doing that, because he brought an over easy egg with him.



Landon's dose of Crystal Palace's offerings.



My plate was a heaping pile of egg frittata, croissant, and cheese:




Just when the kid was covered in tomato juice and sufficiently sticky, Winnie the Pooh arrived at our table.

Timing....



Did Landon's adoration carry over from December?

You look familiar...




Do I like you?



Nope.

Definitely don't like you.

Dad, get me the heck away from this guy!



Sadly, Landon was not as impressed with Winnie the Pooh this time around. The cute, plushy, welcoming bear that my son saw in December transformed into something way more intimidating, and the love between them was long gone.

I was lucky to get him to stop squirming long enough to get one decent shot with Winnie.



Love him or hate him, I knew we'd be eating here enough time over the years that I wanted to capture each encounter for posterity's sake. And I took Landon not having an all out meltdown as a sign that he was okay being held near the characters, so long as they weren't touching him or trying to interact too much.



When Piglet came around, Landon acted mildly receptive to him. It wasn't smiles and hugs, but more along the lines of Landon curious about the character and not wanting to take his eyes off him.

I can only imagine Piglet being shorter and a softer color had a lot to do with Landon's interest. He's the least intimidating of the Hundred Acre Woods folks.



After Piglet left, there was a block of time where we were left to our food, and unlike most times, Alex and I ate way too much. We're usually so good about keeping things in moderation and sticking with one plate. But on that morning, Alex devoured the puffed French toast, and I had altogether too many blueberry Danishes. I don't know what got into us.

The food was just too inviting and Landon was self entertaining with Puffs and the table next to us was friendly.

We didn't mean to talk to them; we're not the kind of people that strike up a conversation during people's mealtime, but they had this little girl that had to be eight or nine, and when she came back from the buffet all she had on her plate was bacon.


It was bacon on top of bacon on top of more bacon.



I had never seen so much bacon on one person's plate in my life, and this one belonged to this itty bitty little girl.

Alex couldn't help himself. He had to say, "I see you like bacon there."

The parents laughed and nodded and told Alex he had no idea.

To which led Alex to suggest they try out the Maple Bacon Cupcake over in Epcot.


Somehow the conversation boomeranged from food to visits to MagicBands to DVC. They turned out to be club members at the Beach Club, I believe. And, of course, Alex began asking them questions and told them how he's been trying to wear me down into becoming members, ourselves.

I ended up trapped in a five minute discussion on the awesome perks and how easily it can pay for itself within X amount of visits.

Sigh...


I'm not saying I don't like or wish I was a DVC member, but I have to listen to Alex's sale's pitch so often that my eyes get droopy and I have to suppress a yawn every time it gets brought up. I have heard everything there is to hear about it, and it was typical Alex to find the one family in the restaurant that were members to strike up a conversation.

He has a knack for doing that.


And while the spewl might have been boring, the family was actually very nice, and we compared Landon's experiences at Disney with those of their two children at his age. They were fans of the Disney company more than Walt Disney World specifically, so it was interesting to hear their stories and viewpoints of some of the other Disney locations, such as Aulani and Vero Beach.


All in all, Alex and I couldn't complain about pleasant company, and in the middle of our talking, Tigger popped up.

Literally, popped up.

This was one interesting Tigger. He kept jumping in front of me and Landon to get into the camera frame and he was very RIGHT THERE, if that makes sense.


Very in your face.




Simmer down, Tigger.

If Landon didn't like Winnie the Pooh or Eeyore being close to him, he DEFINITELY wasn't digging Tigger's disregard for personal space. He kept shooting him the BACK OFF look, then stuck his arm out once or twice to shove him away.

I was starting to panic, thinking Tigger was going to be the straw that broke the camel's back and triggered the crying. I remember I kept saying, "Okay, thanks, Tigger. Thank you," in the hopes that he'd get the message and move on.


He didn't.

He jabbed his head in Landon's face one more time, and this time not only did Landon shove him away but he also began shaking his head vigorously.

No, no, no!


And, that, luckily, did get the feisty tiger to leave us be. I sat back down with Landon in my lap and shot Alex a look across the table that clearly read, "What was that about?"

It was something else, that's for sure.



By that point, the waitress had brought us our check, and we were all breakfasted out.

Eeyore came back around again and started playing peek a boo with Alex. When he started to walk toward us, Alex just waved him by.



Clearly, my classic Mom face was telling him I thought Landon was one more character meet and greet away from a tantrum.


Tigger really took it out of us.



So while the characters were not the huge success we thought they might be, Alex and I enjoyed the food we ate and appreciated the cool break from the park. We left the restaurant happy that we'd chosen to eat there and satisfied that it gave us the opportunity to enter the park before its opening.

Basically, you weren't going to hear any complaints from us!




Up Next: The First DISmeet of the trip!

 

[Gracefulskinny]

I know that last look! That is 100% Mommy code for "We are so done its time to get out before someone melts down and explodes!"

Tigger sounded quite... Tiggery Strange he kept getting in your face like that.

The Interaction with Pooh Bear looked cute.

 

[Dugette]

Aw, too bad Landon was not as fond of the characters this time around! I know how that is, though - Izzy was good in December, then shy in June (very similar CP experiences, I'd say), then great in August (no CP). Funny how quickly they change their minds about these things.

Some of those pics are pretty amusing, though. I like Pooh with his paw in his mouth. And you can see the surprise on your face with Tigger bouncing around.

Looking forward to hearing about your DIS-meet.

Have a great trip down to the in-laws and visiting Sea World and Pop Century! Hope you have a really fun time!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Yay SeaWorld. I think you're going to really enjoy it. Plus, they should have the Christmas stuff going on if you have the time. Juts do NOT miss Blue Horizons!!!!! Oh, and Manta.

"So, alas, Pop will have do." OK, I'll let that one slide under the circumstances, lol.

YAY ALEX IS HOME SOON!!!!!

Haha, it does seem like Landon just wanted to keep the characters in eyeline so he knew where they were at all times.

It seems Alex had his dream guests sitting nearby willing to shill for DVC.

 

[Marsheliz]

Good heavens, you aren't kidding about Tigger just popping up. What the world? I laughed out loud.

That last picture of you- clearly, you had the mom face for real.

Have a great time this weekend! I wish I was staying at POP Century this weekend. I am actually taking our boys to Myrtle Beach on Saturday just for the night. My aunt invited us to stay in a condo with her and we would like to see them, so we are going to tag along too. Wish it was Disney but hey, it's away from home!

 

[sahmoftwo]

Life keeps getting in the way and I fell behind again....we also had a stomach bug hit our house at Thanksgiving...brought to us by my sister and her family who were visiting from Pensacola...must have been bad in northern FL! My two youngest and my parents were taken out by the vicious FL stomach bug!

We had an early reservation at Crystal Palace which I wound up canceling b/c I was so afraid we'd be late. Seeing your early morning pictures on Main Street have made me regret that a bit! I have also never seen the morning show at Magic Kingdom, but I definitely think you made the right choice to avoid that insane crowd! I cannot even fathom waiting 5 hours to meet a character. When my daughter was 6 we waited 1 1/2 hours for Rapunzel and I thought that was crazy....I actually refused to do it, but my husband took one for the team and waited with my daughter while my son and I went and rode rides.

Wanted to add, that I hope you have a great trip and I would love to hear your thoughts on SeaWorld!

 

[amazingact21]

I know that last look! That is 100% Mommy code for "We are so done its time to get out before someone melts down and explodes!"

Tigger sounded quite... Tiggery Strange he kept getting in your face like that.

The Interaction with Pooh Bear looked cute.

I've perfected that look. There's just some instances where you've gotta move on to a new activity.

Tigger was...different. I'm sure if I had an older kid it would have been a fantastic time. But Landon was just not feeling the plush characters back then.

Aw, too bad Landon was not as fond of the characters this time around! I know how that is, though - Izzy was good in December, then shy in June (very similar CP experiences, I'd say), then great in August (no CP). Funny how quickly they change their minds about these things.

Some of those pics are pretty amusing, though. I like Pooh with his paw in his mouth. And you can see the surprise on your face with Tigger bouncing around.

Looking forward to hearing about your DIS-meet.

Have a great trip down to the in-laws and visiting Sea World and Pop Century! Hope you have a really fun time!

Kids change so much from trip to trip. It makes it really difficult to plan anything, because you just don't know what'll be a hit.


We had a fun time in Orlando and it actually made me want to plan a trip with Alex the minute he gets back. I discovered what Landon is really interested in and want to show his dad!

Yay SeaWorld. I think you're going to really enjoy it. Plus, they should have the Christmas stuff going on if you have the time. Juts do NOT miss Blue Horizons!!!!! Oh, and Manta.

"So, alas, Pop will have do." OK, I'll let that one slide under the circumstances, lol.

YAY ALEX IS HOME SOON!!!!!

Haha, it does seem like Landon just wanted to keep the characters in eyeline so he knew where they were at all times.

It seems Alex had his dream guests sitting nearby willing to shill for DVC.

Hahahaha. You know, Rob, I have to say, this was my third time staying at Pop, and I think it was my favorite. The food court was a disaster but the resort itself was really nice. I'd even go so far as to say it's my favorite non-family suite Value resort now.


Oh my gosh....Manta!!! I am a huge chicken when it comes to coasters, but Alex made me swear I'd try this ride out, and I'm so glad I did. I rode it 4 times that day!

Good heavens, you aren't kidding about Tigger just popping up. What the world? I laughed out loud.

That last picture of you- clearly, you had the mom face for real.

Have a great time this weekend! I wish I was staying at POP Century this weekend. I am actually taking our boys to Myrtle Beach on Saturday just for the night. My aunt invited us to stay in a condo with her and we would like to see them, so we are going to tag along too. Wish it was Disney but hey, it's away from home!

I hope you had a great time at the beach! Any getaway is a good thing, no matter where it is. Sometimes, you and your kids just need some time away to reconnect and revitilize yourselves!

Life keeps getting in the way and I fell behind again....we also had a stomach bug hit our house at Thanksgiving...brought to us by my sister and her family who were visiting from Pensacola...must have been bad in northern FL! My two youngest and my parents were taken out by the vicious FL stomach bug!

We had an early reservation at Crystal Palace which I wound up canceling b/c I was so afraid we'd be late. Seeing your early morning pictures on Main Street have made me regret that a bit! I have also never seen the morning show at Magic Kingdom, but I definitely think you made the right choice to avoid that insane crowd! I cannot even fathom waiting 5 hours to meet a character. When my daughter was 6 we waited 1 1/2 hours for Rapunzel and I thought that was crazy....I actually refused to do it, but my husband took one for the team and waited with my daughter while my son and I went and rode rides.

Wanted to add, that I hope you have a great trip and I would love to hear your thoughts on SeaWorld!

Oh gosh! That thing is awful! And once it hits one person it just spreads like wildfire. I remember last year it took out my entire playgroup. Between parents and kids, at least 12 people got that mess. Rough stuff!
So sorry you had to go through that. Hopefully, we've all gotten our dose of illness and shouldn't get anything again for a long while.
Here's to hoping, right....



Don't regret canceling your CP reservation. There's definite pros and cons to either doing it or not doing it. When you have that ADR, you have to get up ridiculously early and have to rush and stress about making a bus/ferry/drive/etc. It can be hectic.
And then, once you're eating, you miss out on some early morning park time. You pretty much have to say goodbye to that precious opening hour when the rides are walk on.


So there are disadvantages to eating at CP.

 

[amazingact21]

Hi guys! I'm home again and have returned to the DIS. Slowly but surely I've been catching up on everyone's reports. But I'll admit, there's a few I have just read and not commented on. Terrible, I know. But I tend to have time to check posts on my phone when Landon's preoccupied, but writing takes a bit more time. Therefore, if I've been a poster in the past but you haven't seen me around for awhile, know that I'm still there!


If I can get my pictures from my phone loaded onto my computer, I'll write a two part report on my mom and I's trip to Pop Century for two nights. We went to Seaworld for a day and at the last minute decided to go to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. We had an absolutely fantastic time, and Landon's reaction to everything was so magical it almost made me cry.

I can't wait to talk about it!


Okay, less talk about December and more talk about May.



Tuesday, May 13th, 2014:


The night before - when Alex and I were in Epcot - I sent a text to a fellow DISer to see if they were in the same park, but our schedules didn't line up. We made a tentative plan to meet up that morning in the Magic Kingdom, and after breakfast I finally pulled out my phone in the baby care center only to discover she had texted me.

We both had finished up with our respective meals (hers at CRT, ours at CP) and she was nice enough to walk over to the baby care center and wait for us to come out.


Now, who am I talking about?



Mary Ellen!
(Or MEK, if your prefer.)


I have to say, I've had a lot of DISmeets over the years, but Mary Ellen's was an especially great one. Right away I could tell that she was as nice and friendly and welcoming as she is here on the DIS. There's been an the occasional meet where neither of us can come up with a lot to say and so we cut it kind of short, but that wasn't the case with Mary Ellen at all. We immediately struck up a conversation, and I felt like I'd known her for years.

I also want to note that eandesmom (AKA Cynthia) was there as well, and she was just as friendly and sweet. We shared a lot of stories about our kids and compared Landon to her boys and what ages they liked/disliked aspects of the parks.


Alex added to the conversation once or twice, but mostly he had to keep up with Landon, picking him up and placing him in spots that he could walk on.

It was a great little addition to our trip, being able to chat and converse with someone I've talked to for a really long time on the boards while not having to keep an eye on the baby. Without a doubt a big highlight to my Magic Kingdom morning.

So, thank you Mary Ellen and Cynthia for meeting up with me and saying hello! You guys are great people, and I really hope in the future I'll be in the parks at the same time and we can spend some more time together. (Hopefully our dates will align and we'll be in Cape Canaveral at the same time!)



I believe they had Fastpasses in Tomorrowland to use, and Alex and I were headed in the opposite directions so we said our goodbyes and parted ways.

Our first stop was at my favorite dark ride:






Any day that begins with a ride on Pirates is a win for me.




Ten minutes of waiting and we were aboard our ship, keeping a close eye on Landon for his reaction to the attraction.

The drop didn't faze him at all, and when we got to the scene with the cannonballs hitting the water, Landon began giggling.

It was adorable.

Every time he saw a splash in the water he let out one of his little baby laughs, which caused Alex and I to do the same.


Talk about a proud Mommy moment...

Oh, look, my son's following in my footsteps and becoming a pirate lover. Awww. Let me wipe away a tear really fast.




After the ride, Alex disappeared for a second, and I let Landon do his favorite activity:roam around.



Give it about 17 years, Landon, then you might be able to go through that door.



And in case you're wondering what a mother of a toddler does during all that baby playtime, here's a little insight:



You do one of a million little things.

Sunscreen...


Hat adjustment..


Shoe tying...


Basically, I'm a jack of all trades.





Alex returned to us, and we did our best to get Landon to walk in the direction we wanted to go.




Between his tiny legs and easy distractibility, it was a LONG walk.

Plenty of time to take pictures:





And stop along the way for some pin shopping. There's a shop in Frontierland that Alex and I love, and my husband couldn't very well go past it without going in. So between our toddler-friendly pace and my beloved's shopaholic tendencies, we did not end up making it to our first Fastpass destination until our window was well past open.




Another personal favorite of mine.



I don't have to go on PPF every trip, but I do like to. There's just something classic Disney about the attraction. And now I am really excited about seeing the new queue they recently added. I mean, I would think being immersed in the Darling bedroom would be the perfect setup for the ride. It would set the tone for the attraction and make you really feel like you were leaving your comfortable room for an exciting adventure in Neverland.

But that's just my thought on the matter.




If all else fails, give the 13 month old railings and he's a happy camper.

Time to go!




Another great perk of going on Peter Pan's Flight is the fact that we have to park our stroller in the Tangled bathroom area.




I'll never complain about seeing this beautiful area.

I'll also never get over using the word beautiful to describe a bathroom...





Call us weak, but after a massive breakfast, two rides, and the ridiculous Florida heat, Alex and I were finished with the park. It was simply too hot to be out and about.


So, I took one more shot of the castle:

f1 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr

(A perfect spring day in the Magic Kingdom)



And we headed back to the TTC for our car. Being out in the middle of the day was too exhausting for us. Not to mention, Landon hadn't napped yet, and we thought he'd rest better in his own bed.


This gorgeous car was out on display as we headed back to our room:

f2 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr


Pretty...




Up Next: I Make a Major Mommy Mistake[/COLOR]

 

[mickeystoontown]

I do the same as you and read updates but then don't get around to posting. Yep, I do it all the time.

Yay for meeting up with Mary Ellen and Cynthia! I love Dis Meets!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

YAY, so glad you're going to do a mini report. It'll be nice to see Seaworld and so cool you fit in a MVMCP!!!

And another YAY for your DISmeet with Mary Ellen!!!! Double DISmeet in fact so super YAY!

I'm actually quite looking forward to seeing the new PP queue as well. Do you know if FP bypasses it?

I think May heat is similar to September heat, so I totally understand. It really takes a lot out of you.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

ooh, glad to hear you decided to fit in a Christmas Party and that Landon enjoyed it so much. And I think "This is so magical I could cry!" would make for a good t-shirt

and yeah for a great DISMeet!

While you only did two rides, they are both classics - definitely excited to see the new PP queue as well.

uh oh, not liking that foreshadowing though