Lots of Characters, Lots of Firsts but Lots of Drama: Why We Say NEVER AGAIN!! 3/21

[Charlefours]

OOOH, I would love to read your lessons learned!!! I think we will go for Christmas next year and it might be that we go with dh's family. If so..I will NEED to be prepared.

I will be sure to put them at the end. Stay tuned!

All caught up! So glad you posted links. I used to do that on my PTR, but I got lazy. When I do a TR I will have to remember how useful they are!

I LOVE all the pictures. I'm sitting here tearing up, because I can't believe that I will be there soon! It is all so very beautiful!

I LOVE the pictures of Lilian! She looks so happy and excited to be there. That picture when she saw the castle and let it sink in...so precious!

I also love your touring style...that you let her pick what she wanted to do, that is such a great way to tour the park!

Great teacup pictures. Your pictures are so beautiful and really capture the moment.

I'm really enjoying reading along! Can't wait to read more!

Hi Christa! I like including the link jumps because I know I have such a hard time keeping up with posts, it is easier sometimes. Thank you!

 

[Charlefours]

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!! I have to admit.....I teared up seeing Lilian with her beloved princesses and knowing how special that moment was for you, oh and her too!!!

Thanks Wendy It was a great moment for me, oh I mean Lilian.

What wonderful pictures with the Princesses and Lily. I absolutely love them. These are the one reason I miss having a daughter.

Thank you Kathy!! I guess moments like those are not as appreciated by most boys.

Ha ha ha!! LMAO!! 24 pages and you're not even done with the 1st day!! This is going to be a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG TR! I just hope you finish before next Oct!!

I am trying to move it along. Those first few moments I wanted to write about and savor but I think the rest should speed along faster. I want to have the TR done by May.

 

[KatMark]

Thank you Kathy!! I guess moments like those are not as appreciated by most boys.



I am trying to move it along. Those first few moments I wanted to write about and savor but I think the rest should speed along faster. I want to have the TR done by May.

Nope, boys don't appreciate as much (although now that they are older and if the princesses were "hot" in their eyes it would be a different story.

And you need to get this TR done before it hits 250 pages...that's when they close down a thread.

 

[melnbil]

OK. I am in. I am loving reading about your trip and your daughter is just precious, I love the red hair. I am taking my son who is six on his first trip to the world in May. I am curious, just how many pictures did you take?? You are like me and take pics of everything. I can't wait to read about the rest of the drama and Lillian's trip.

Melody

 

[Charlefours]

Nope, boys don't appreciate as much (although now that they are older and if the princesses were "hot" in their eyes it would be a different story.

And you need to get this TR done before it hits 250 pages...that's when they close down a thread.

I imagine most boys once they hit their late teens/twenties would agree. I know the 250 page limit, which is why I started to do multiple replies. I highly doubt it would get that high though.

OK. I am in. I am loving reading about your trip and your daughter is just precious, I love the red hair. I am taking my son who is six on his first trip to the world in May. I am curious, just how many pictures did you take?? You are like me and take pics of everything. I can't wait to read about the rest of the drama and Lillian's trip.

Melody

Hi Melody and to my TR! Thank you!! I am partial to the red hair too. You will have such a wonderful time taking your son on his first trip--such fun memories! I have not added them all up, but I took a lot! I downloaded anywhere from 1200-1600 pictures a day, but that included duplicates and not so hot shots I deleted after I took them or since being home. I am still working my way through them, but I would say I have around a good 600 pictures each day (though more on other days, like her actual birthday) that I am going to be keeping.

 

[Charlefours]

After the Princesses, we went back out in the store and Lilian declared she would like to meet Tinker Bell and the other Fairies. We came out and hoped the line for the Fairies would be manageable. The posted wait time was 30 minutes. Not too bad for the Fairies. We hoped into line. We amused ourselves by taking a few photos. Lilian and Aunt Lauren:

I liked the murals down the hallway. Lilian enjoyed playing with them as well:

After about a 45 minute wait, it was our turn to shrink down and get into line. After waiting in this secondary line for about 10 minutes, we were finally let into the room to meet the Fairies. Lilian was excited to see them! She was a bit nervous about Vidia being there and asked me if I thought Vidia is still sad. I said I do not know, we would have to ask her. First up was Rosetta:

Lilian was excited to meet Rosetta because she is her BFF (Emily) favorite Fairy.

After Rosetta came Tinker Bell:

After Tinker Bell came the fairy was most nervous about meeting, Vidia. We went over to her and Lilian asked her if she was still sad because that made her sad. Vidia was very touched by this. Vidia explained the was not sad and she and Tinker Bell were great friends as we would see after we watched the next movie. Here are the pictures from meeting Vidia:

Here are the autographs:

Up Next: Dinner, Goodbye MK and Daily Breakdowns

 

[Charlefours]

After meeting the Fairies, we did some shopping in the store. DH tried on this hat:

(One of his favorite characters is Sorcerer Mickey)

One of the main reasons I wanted to go shopping is one of the goals I had for today was for Lilian to get her first pair of ears. She found a pair she liked
here at Cornelius Coot’s County Bounty:

My DMIL even got into the act and tried on this pair of ears:

Does she look cute? She looks so happy in this picture. We continued shopping and after finishing up, we went up to the counter to check out. Here is the breakdown of what we bought here:

Ariel Plume as Lilian calls it: $5.95
Princess Crown/Ears: $15.95
Tinker Bell Plush Doll: $17.95
8 postcards for Fairy Godmail duties: $15.60
Grand total with tax: $59.06

**To keep things easier, I am going to post pictures at the end of TR of all the souvenirs we bought, so stay tuned if you are interested in seeing those type of things.

While shopping DGM, DGP, DBF and DBFH decided to head off for the evening. I told them all we were going to do is eat and go back to the resort. They were beat after getting up early for their flights. After finally checking out, I said we need to eat. If you can remember, we had eaten at McDonald’s before arriving at Disney. We really needed to eat. We decided to eat a Cosmic Ray’s and boy was it packed!! For our first counter service meal we ordered:

2 Cheeseburger meals with fries (healthy I know): $13.59
1 Kid’s Turkey Sandwich Meal with apple slices: $4.99 (not on the All Ears Menu)
2 Large Drinks: $4.98
1 Carrot Cake: $3.59
1 Chocolate Cake: $3.59
Grand total came to $30.33 if we paid OOP but we used three QS meal credits.

Another tip for you (in case you have not read this yet): if they offer large drinks, you can get the large size on the DDP but you have to ask for them or you will get the smaller cups.

The others in our party got:

DMIL and DBIL: Turkey Bacon Wrap
DFIL: Philly Cheese Steak Wrap
Dad: Cheeseburger and Fries

Overall, this meal was great. It was packed though!! We could not get close to the windows, but looking out it had lovely views of the Castle. After finishing up, we made our way back out of MK.

Here are crowd shots, this was about 7:00:

My Dad and DBIL walk faster than the rest of us so for much of the week, they walked ahead:

Casey’s was still behind curtains while were there:

On our way out, I requested we stop for our first PP pictures in front of the Castle:

Look at these crowds!

More balloon shots:

Lilian decided she wanted a balloon so we consented. She elected to get the purple Mickey ears inside of the clear balloon: $10

The fall decorations are just gorgeous in my opinion:

Goodbye MK! We will see you on Tuesday, Lilian’s birthday:

We wearily boarded our bus bound back to CSR for our first night at Disney. It was relatively early, but we were all pretty tired. PLUS, there was football on since it was Saturday night. Lilian played, I finished straightening things up, worked on school stuff ($9.95 internet connection charge) and watched football. I know I fell asleep relatively early, my Dad snored on and off so I am not sure what time he really fell asleep. DH and Lilian were soon to follow.

Daily Breakdown:
Souvenirs: $80.73
Internet: $9.95
Food costs: $15 OOP
Food credits used: 3 QS ($30.33 if OOP)

Favorites of the Day:
DH: Lilian meeting the Princesses
Lilian: Meeting the Princesses and Fairies
Me: seeing Lilian’s reaction to meeting Cinderella—the awe on her face was priceless!!

Up Next: 10/31: Day Two Finally Begins!!

 

[my2disneyboys]

So cute!! Lilian get's to meet Tinkerbell and friends! That is so sweet she was worried about her being sad.

 

[MaryAz]

Great updates. You got some really great pics. L was so cute with the princesses and the fairies. Sounds like a good end to the day!!

 

[KatMark]

Another great update, Steph. I love the pictures with Lily and the Fairies. She is just so cute. And she picked out "great" ears.

 

[klacey1]

Those Princess shots turned out great! I love the one of Lilian with Aurora and Cindy! Perfect picture!
Seems like your night ended perfectly! Hope the next day was good, as well!

 

[wlwilliams9]

Great update! How sweet, she wanted to see Rosetta because that's Emily's fav and she was worried about Vidia being sad!!! Emily can't wait to see the fairies!! I think her new fav might be Vidia, so I hope she is there when we go.

 

[longing2Batdisney]

Stephanie, great updates so happy Lillian was able to meet the Princesses and the fairies... what a great way to start the magic for Lillian. Looking forward to more...
Connie

 

[Alli76]

I love your trip report - so glad I joined!! I am taking my then 5 year old DS and 3 year old DD for their first trip next year... this is the perfect way for me to imagine what they are going to be like. Thanks!!

I have 2 questions:

1) Did I get this right that DBF, DBFH, and DGM and DGF are leaving after just one day... you said they had early flights???

2) What is NOJ???

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

great update steph!!! It seems like your first day at MK ended up to be pretty special. I love all the pics. I cant wait to hear more!

 

[-Hope-]

Whew, all caught up! So sorry I've been MIA- it's just been so very busy around here this week!

I LOVE the pictures of Lilan with the princesses and fairies. She just looks so happy in all of them.

 

[Charlefours]

So cute!! Lilian get's to meet Tinkerbell and friends! That is so sweet she was worried about her being sad.

Yay, I guess it is something you might not have done with your two boys yet. You'll have to tag along with my family if Lilian wants to see them again next fall.

Great updates. You got some really great pics. L was so cute with the princesses and the fairies. Sounds like a good end to the day!!

Thanks Mary. You cannot beat college football unless you are trying to get an antsy little girl to Disney for the first time.

Another great update, Steph. I love the pictures with Lily and the Fairies. She is just so cute. And she picked out "great" ears.

Thanks! I was not going to complain that she picked out a less than "traditional" pair. She loves them still to this day.

 

[Charlefours]

Those Princess shots turned out great! I love the one of Lilian with Aurora and Cindy! Perfect picture!
Seems like your night ended perfectly! Hope the next day was good, as well!

Thank you! The night was relaxing, which was great.

Great update! How sweet, she wanted to see Rosetta because that's Emily's fav and she was worried about Vidia being sad!!! Emily can't wait to see the fairies!! I think her new fav might be Vidia, so I hope she is there when we go.

Yup, that is one of the first things she mentioned when she saw which three she was going to get to meet. I bet Vidia is out but it may depend on which room you end up in, a luck of the draw so to speak.

Stephanie, great updates so happy Lillian was able to meet the Princesses and the fairies... what a great way to start the magic for Lillian. Looking forward to more...
Connie

Thanks Connie. It will probably be the weekend before I get a chance to get another update up but hang in there.

 

[Charlefours]

I love your trip report - so glad I joined!! I am taking my then 5 year old DS and 3 year old DD for their first trip next year... this is the perfect way for me to imagine what they are going to be like. Thanks!!

I have 2 questions:

1) Did I get this right that DBF, DBFH, and DGM and DGF are leaving after just one day... you said they had early flights???

2) What is NOJ???

Hi and to my TR!! I am happy to have you here. Sorry for the confusion, nope they left for the evening they were super tired. They flew out in that morning so they had been up since about 5:00 a.m. NOJ is Night of Joy, which is a Christian concert series Disney puts on in September each year.

great update steph!!! It seems like your first day at MK ended up to be pretty special. I love all the pics. I cant wait to hear more!

Thank you Lindsay! It was a great first day with a few moments of drama. Overall, a great first day to MK.

Whew, all caught up! So sorry I've been MIA- it's just been so very busy around here this week!

You're fine--I am a slow poster at the moment. Too much happening right now for me too (that whole balance thing we posted about on FB).

I LOVE the pictures of Lilan with the princesses and fairies. She just looks so happy in all of them.

 

[Pooh&OurHunny]

Awesome update, I love the pictures of Lilian with princesses (especially you guys had a private session) and
We went to Disney at our son 3rd birthday and the CM said follow me and we went in a room with Mickey and a Photopass Photographer and spend 10 mins by ourself