Magic Bands are Flushable and Other Lessons Learned. A winter 2014 Trip Report

[LegoMom3]

Great updates! Sorry your Epcot day was so wet. Been there, done that. Yuck! But, a wet day in Disney beats a sunny day at work, right?!!

Love all the character photo ops in DHS the next day. So neat!! I love when the characters really get into their roles. I'll spare you the long story, but had one of those priceless experiences with Frozone at the Studios several years ago. We will never forget it, and it's one of those things that makes you say "THIS is why we come to Disney!"


Also, I your for Dunkin Donuts. Yes, there should be a DD counter in Sunshine Seasons. At least.

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[lafemmega]

So I'm not familiar with characterpalooza. Does it just mean lots of extra characters on site. How often do they do it? I love all of the pictures of your grandkids with the characters. They look so happy. Honestly, I was hoping that because of the character dinings that we plan to schedule that we'd be able to skip a lot of the meet n greets. But then I see how excited the kids are in your pictures to interact with the characters that maybe that is what we'll spend some time doing.

 

[mjmstd1]

Subbing in. Reading about DGD clearing out the pool made me laugh because that would be my DD4's luck! Princesses always have to make an entrance or an exit that is memorable.

 

[momabaarjo]

WOW...what great character stops! So much fun for the girls.

I love 50s PT too...love my fried chicken and onion rings!

 

[middlesista]

Great updates! Sorry your Epcot day was so wet. Been there, done that. Yuck! But, a wet day in Disney beats a sunny day at work, right?!!

Love all the character photo ops in DHS the next day. So neat!! I love when the characters really get into their roles. I'll spare you the long story, but had one of those priceless experiences with Frozone at the Studios several years ago. We will never forget it, and it's one of those things that makes you say "THIS is why we come to Disney!"


Also, I your for Dunkin Donuts. Yes, there should be a DD counter in Sunshine Seasons. At least.

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Isn't it great when a meeting with one of the characters goes to the next level - makes great memories for sure!

Ah - another DD fan

So I'm not familiar with characterpalooza. Does it just mean lots of extra characters on site. How often do they do it? I love all of the pictures of your grandkids with the characters. They look so happy. Honestly, I was hoping that because of the character dinings that we plan to schedule that we'd be able to skip a lot of the meet n greets. But then I see how excited the kids are in your pictures to interact with the characters that maybe that is what we'll spend some time doing.

I will PM you the link to the site where DD got her info r/t Character Palooza. If you can get to it, well worth the time, even just to see such an odd assortment of characters in one place!

Waiting in line for the Character meets can be a bit annoying - we tended to check out the lines and if they were long we would pass, figuring we would try back later. The only real "ordeal" was waiting to see the Frozen sisters.

We also did a lot of Character Meals and did enjoy them but our best meet and greets were out in the parks. Especially if it is not too overly busy and children are involved - some of the characters are AMAZING. I guess it depends on how "into" meeting the characters your children are.

Subbing in. Reading about DGD clearing out the pool made me laugh because that would be my DD4's luck! Princesses always have to make an entrance or an exit that is memorable.

Thank you for following along mjmstd1

So true about those Princesses!

WOW...what great character stops! So much fun for the girls.

I love 50s PT too...love my fried chicken and onion rings!

Everyone should try a Character Palooza - you never know who will be there and so odd to see the mixture of characters all hanging out together.

Aren't those onion rings the best!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Congratulations on meeting the Frozen girls! I think they should award those who wait on those lines t-shirt that read "I survived being Frozen in-line in EPCOT"

Sorry it has been so rainy - but you seem to be making the best of it.

Some really great character meets - love the face on the Evil Queen!

Sorry that your lunch at Via Nappoli wasn't very good - or at least the waiter ... always disappointing when a meal doesn't cut it at Disney, especially considering the cost. Oh well, at least Prime Time made up for it

 

[ememtingle]

your granddaughters are so adorable! i love seeing them with all the different characters. and i loved their customized minnie shirts!
loved reading about your trip!

 

[JDUB]

Great updates and M&Gs!!! My DW and I arrived on Jan 31st and boy was the weatherman wrong! I felt so bad for the people down there this week. I'm glad the weather got better after your rainy Epcot day. We got lucky at Epcot meeting a mini characterapolooza by UK. No kids or autograph books so the characters were high 5 us
Thanks for sharing!

 

[DVC Ashley]

What wonderful pictures!

 

[middlesista]

Super Bowl Sunday (Feb 2)​

Super Bowl Sunday dawned hot, hot, hot! Finally! It was a nice respite from the cold and rain and today we would be returning to the MK.

I had been up early and already had done the laundry. DD had planned on the girls having something quick to eat in the room so we could head out early. As I had mentioned, we did make a few purchases from the Garden Grocer including apples. I had also attested to DGD1.9 love for apples and my fear of her choking on said apples. So, whenever I was munching on an apple in the room I made sure that she was not around. Don’t know what I was thinking but I placed my apple down for an instant and in to our room she swooped and stopped in her tracks when she spied the apple. Needless to say, I spent the next 30 minutes with her on my lap as she took little bites of the apple with frequent reminders from me to “chew” - so much for a quick breakfast. Of course she did fine and I probably should seek out some sort of therapy for these unsettling worries of mine.

We were still towel animal less and I was adjusting to this reality although I was still hopeful. DD was also on the lookout for towel animals in her room to no avail. The Mousekeeper seemed to enjoy positioning the girl’s toys here and there around the room and the girls enjoyed finding them but I was still holding out for towel animals and we had six more days left. I would reminisce about all the towel animals we had on our last trip and I think DSIL found humor in this. So much in fact that he decided to create his own towel animal.

He had gotten a facecloth, wrapped an elastic around one end in an attempt to fabricate a head of sorts. He then proceeded to draw two eyes, a nose and a mouth. I am not exactly certain what this cloth creature was supposed to be, but kiddos to DSIL for making the attempt. Besides, if we causally leave the creature in plain sight maybe Mousekeeping with be inspired! Hopefully, the power of suggestion would come into play.

We dressed the girls in their non-matching Minnie outfits today. I am the fan of Minnie dresses, DD is more on the line of Princess attire. When we planned our return trip I knew I had to find DGD5 a Minnie dress to match the one she had worn on our previous trip which had been handed down to her little sister. I searched and searched but could not find one so ordered a different Minnie dress. Then someone mentioned EBAY to me, something I had not considered. After a while I found a matching dress in pristine condition so now DGD5 had two and today was the debut of the “red” dress.

If anyone was in the MK this day you will remember that it was mobbed! I have been to MK over Christmas and in the summer and today’s crowds were right up there. We knew the MK was “not recommended” this day however we had already made our ADR’s at the Liberty Tree Tavern and did not want to change things around. Plus, we had gone to non-recommended parks on other days and it had been fine. Well, today the touring plans hit a bull’s-eye and it was obvious by the crowds that no one else followed the advice either! Did I mention it was hot? Hot and crowded which can translate into cranky people and I am not just referring to us. 

We decided to start out in Tomorrowland with Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. The crowds were not so super bad in the morning although the overall wait times was longer than previous days. DD is not a fan of this ride, finds it confusing – she had been spoiled by Toy Story Mania and as you can see by the photo she does not seem overly impressed. Both DGD’s were enjoying themselves although DGD 1.9 was keen on controlling both of the lasers and DSIL does not appear to be too trustful of his daughter’s laser shooting ability.

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The girls also paid a jail visit to Evil Emperor Zurg on the way out.

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Buzz was standing nearby meeting his fans and of course, we could not let this opportunity pass especially since he had not yet entered his stamp in the autograph books. DGD1.9 was becoming quite adept at these photo ops/autograph sessions and DGD5 was already a seasoned pro. A pivotal role was who got to hold the autograph pen. Much back and forth activity would occur, big sister would start out with the pen since she was the oldest, little sister would wrestle the pen from big sister who would then try to wrestle it back or pout depending on her mood at the moment. Sometimes big sister was triumphant and would sweetly pass the pen to the character along with her book. Other times little sister would be victorious and clutching pen in hand would bolt forward to the character and thrust the autograph pen towards them. Most often however, DD would come out ahead in these situations and be the autograph pen handler. Why not have two pens you might wonder, well…DD started out with two pens and we will leave it at that.

DGD1.9 wanted to give Buzz a little kiss and this CM had to practically knee on the ground for her to reach his cheek!​

While in Tomorrowland we also visited the Speedway, Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor – a perennial favorite as well as the PeopleMover. DGD1.9 tells us this is her favorite ride and she would enjoy just sitting and waving to all the people below.

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We decided to grab some lunch while in Tomorrowland and were lucky to grab a table at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Café. The lines inside were long but moved along pretty well since they had CM in front passing out menus to minimize the pondering that folks sometimes do when it is their turn to order. The variety here is good since you can have more than the standard burger. I got the vegetable sandwich which was a nice change and really good and I felt like I was eating somewhat healthy. DD had the grilled chicken sandwich and DD and DSIL were all about the Angus burgers. The girls had the chicken nuggets since mac and cheese would be on the menu for dinner.

The only real obstacle here is the amount of birds that call this spot home. Can’t help but think of Alfred Hitchcock. They are bold and will swoop down and take food from anyone not protecting their meal. They jump from umbrella top to umbrella top and peer down at you waiting for their opportunity. Living in a coastal community and being seasoned beach goers we know just how bold seagulls can be and because of all our experience the Disney gulls and their pals were no match for us!

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We headed to Storybook Circus and I am not certain if DD had fast passes but Dumbo the Flying Elephant and the Barnstormer were two areas that the girls had been to although DGD1.9 was not able to ride the Barnstormer. I recall DD mentioning the Barnstormer ride was over in seconds.

Since DGD1.9 had slept through the first visit with Ariel we decided that we would suffer the lines and queue up again. It was nice and cool inside so the wait was not a big problem although by this time DGD5 had decided it was too warm to wear her Minnie dress. Her little sister would have no part in changing her outfit and soldiered on in tribute to Minnie. DSG 1.9 was thrilled to “see” Ariel as was DGD5.

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We then headed to Frontierland and the plan was for DH, DSIL and DD to ride Big Thunder Mountain for which they had fast passes for. I had the girls and found a spot in the shade under the bridge where the play area is. We were so disappointed that Splash Mountain was closed for refurbishment and although DGS5 did make the height requirement for BTM, DD was concerned that she would fly out when they were making a turn. Where she gets these illogical fears from, I’ll never know.

In no time they all returned to find us since the fast pass line was huge and they decided to bypass BTM and instead we would stop and say hello to Woody and Jessie. This is another good character spot since a lot of folks do not seem to know that it is back there. The line was not long and the character interaction was fun. In fact, the handler said that Jessie wanted to take DGD1.9 back to Bonnie’s room with her. DD had to explain to me who Bonnie was.

We did hear one person yell out that “Andy was coming.” As many of you know, in the past when folks yelled this to Woody and crew these CMs would become inanimate objects, often falling to the ground. CMs would get hurt doing this so it all stopped and besides, as someone yelled back, “Andy was in college now!” and it was Bonnie that they belonged to. That was sort of mean spirited for that person to yell that out in the first place. Must have been the heat and the crowds that made folks lose all sense of decency.

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Our dinner ADR’s were at 5:30pm and we headed over to the Liberty Tree Tavern. We had eaten here before and it was one of our favorite meals. The place was packed and the person who checked us in mentioned that we would probably be at separate tables. This made no sense since we had a table of six reserved. DSIL, who as I mentioned is a pretty amicable guy, thought it best to clarify and he did just that, kindly and calmly. Makes no sense to get all huffy and it was probably just an oversight. Yes, we had to wait a bit longer for our table but we were ok with that.

The food at the Liberty Tree Tavern for dinner is great - all you can eat and the CM was excellent in refilling drinks and bringing more and more platters of food. The salad with the strawberry vinaigrette dressing is one of my favorites perhaps even better than the salad at Ohana. There was roasted turkey, carved beef and pork with sides of mashed potatoes, green beans, stuffing and some of the creamiest mac and cheese we encountered.

As busy as it was we never felt rushed and the CM would ask what we wanted seconds on – we did not even have to ask!. Dessert was an apple/cranberry type cake topped with vanilla ice cream. No one really liked the dessert except for me but I was so full I really just had a taste and it was very good. Need to learn to pace myself.

During the course of the vacation, DGD1.9 was able to sleep in the carriage however DGD5 was usually too excited to fall asleep or take a quick nap during the day. Plus with all the excitement of Disney and having her DGM and DGF in the next room she was falling asleep late and waking up early. She did fine initially but after a week at Disney it was catching up to her and she would drift off to sleep in the evening, usually at dinner. Lesson learned – straight back chairs are not well suited for a sleeping child as far as safety is concerned. To keep her from hitting the deck, we swapped seats so she could be a bit safer on the bench – potential injury averted. DGD1.9 and no such problems and happily munched away.

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I am of the convection that it is not a bad idea to return to the resort for a midday rest if you have children that might not be able to sleep in a carriage. This works especially well if you are staying at a monorail resort and when the parks are open late. I know it is not feasible for everyone and some children will not sleep anyway regardless of whether they are in their room or in a shady rest spot in one of the parks. I did feel bad for DGD5 since this happened more than once - oh well, made for a cute photo.

Since we all felt like stuffed turkeys and DGD5 was pretty tired we decided to head back to the resort. DD had wanted to take a trip to DD and with the crowds and the long waits at the MK we figured that was a good idea. The buses were blissfully empty at this early hour and we were back at POFQ in no time.

DH and I decided we wanted to hang around the resort (to watch the super bowl commercials of course) and not go to DD. DGD1.9 stayed with us and DGD5 headed off with her parents since she had gotten her second wind.

DGD1.9 was as happy as a clam to stay put and spent some quality time playing umm…educational games...on the IPAD. Before too long it seems we were all falling asleep, me clutching onto DGD1.9 to keep her from falling. I did hear DD and crew return and it seems DGD5 was unhappy since she felt she missed out on the sleepover. DGD1.9 was sound asleep by then and DSIL returned her to their room – and it was all good. Plus we were happy with the Super Bowl outcome.

Oh – no towel animals for anyone.



CONTINUED IN NEXT POST

 

[middlesista]

Congratulations on meeting the Frozen girls! I think they should award those who wait on those lines t-shirt that read "I survived being Frozen in-line in EPCOT"

Sorry it has been so rainy - but you seem to be making the best of it.

Some really great character meets - love the face on the Evil Queen!

Sorry that your lunch at Via Nappoli wasn't very good - or at least the waiter ... always disappointing when a meal doesn't cut it at Disney, especially considering the cost. Oh well, at least Prime Time made up for it

Hi Phil ! The t-shirt idea is a good one. I would not be surprised to see shirts like that spring up somewhere with royalties hopefully coming your way

your granddaughters are so adorable! i love seeing them with all the different characters. and i loved their customized minnie shirts!
loved reading about your trip!

Hi ememtingle and thank you for reading along!

I also really like their Minnie Shirts. DD found someone that made them on ETSY and the girls love wearing them.

Great updates and M&Gs!!! My DW and I arrived on Jan 31st and boy was the weatherman wrong! I felt so bad for the people down there this week. I'm glad the weather got better after your rainy Epcot day. We got lucky at Epcot meeting a mini characterapolooza by UK. No kids or autograph books so the characters were high 5 us
Thanks for sharing!

Welcome JDUB and we were there the same time as you!! We would listen to the weather station each night and get hopeful - and then the rains came!

I read about folks meeting characters at EPCOT at what sounds like a training spot and we were never lucky enough to encounter this - that was great that you did!

Thanks for reading along.

What wonderful pictures!

Hello DVC Ashley and thank you for taking the time to read along with my trip report

Photos are heavy on DGD's and light on everything else. I think if I ever do another trip report I am going to decide ahead of time so I can add a bit of variety to the photo log

 

[momabaarjo]

You must frame that picture of the kiss with Buzz...precious!

I really need to try Liberty Tree Tavern out...everyone speaks so high of it! Falling asleep while eating...priceless! Glad she got a second wind though!

No towel animal.... GRRRR...

 

[middlesista]

You must frame that picture of the kiss with Buzz...precious! I really need to try Liberty Tree Tavern out...everyone speaks so high of it! Falling asleep while eating...priceless! Glad she got a second wind though! No towel animal.... GRRRR...

Some of then characters were so sweet with the girls and the little one had no fear and loved getting up close and personal.

I hope you get a chance to try out Liberty Tree Tavern. We have never had lunch there so not sure how that goes but lots of folks comment on a "ooy gooy dessert" they have there - not a cupcake though. ; )

 

[middlesista]

“I’m Going to Disney World!!” (Feb 3)​

We will not go into how the New England Patriots were suppose to win the Super Bowl so that we could see a Patriot MVP in the “I’m Going to Disney World” parade since the Patriots did not even make it to the Super Bowl. What will be included in this update is the quest to see this parade regardless of who the MVP was – but that is a bit later in the day.

DH and I were going to do the Keys to the Kingdom Tour and meet up later with DD and family. DD had fast passes for Enchanted Tales with Belle and knowing how excited DGD5 was to meet Belle I did not want to miss this. I was hoping to be able to see DGD1.9 meet Tinkerbelle but was not sure if that would work out due to timing issues and if there was to be an MVP “I’m Going to Disney World” parade. We had seen the ads on TV after the Super Bowl for years and years and to actually be in Disney World when this might happen was something my DD did not want to miss!

DH and I headed to MK to make our 0830 tour time. They advise you to be there about 15 minutes prior – not a problem since my head alarm does off at about 0500 daily, vacation or not. We checked in at City Hall where they presented us with our name pin, ear pieces/mics, guest passes and we could also grab a bottle of water to take along. At this point we were asked to pick from a menu for lunch at Harbour House which was included in the tour. I had decided months ago that I wanted to try the lobster roll and was disappointed to learn that it was not allowed as part of the tour. No biggie – figured this would give me an excuse to return to the Harbour House on another day!

We stepped outside to wait for the rest of the tour group and to fiddle with our earphones. It turned out there was about 12 people in our group and for the life of me I do not recall the name of the Tour Guide. She explained that the Tour Guide uniform was influenced by Walt Disney’s wife equestrian background and that she was able to keep some of her uniforms at her home rather than at central costuming…ok, good to know. Also learned how she joined the company, her love for the company, her plan to stay with the company, her plan for advancement in the company and that she usually did not “do tours” but today she was doing the tour and that she loves the eclectic nature of her position and doing tours – all this learning and we had hardly even taken a few steps! She did not seem to be too interested in allowing our little group to bond since there was no “where are you from” or “who is your favorite character,” no problem, let’s get on with it I am thinking. I wanted to see the UTILIDORS! All in good time she assured us.

We began the tour and our first stop was Center Street which is a dead end side street off Main Street. If you listen you can hear sounds from singing lessons and/or ballet class in this area. At this spot our Tour Guide explained the four “Keys to the Kingdom” which are Courtesy, Efficiency, Show, and Safety. She then asked the group if we could share some examples of these “Keys” that we had noted. I was trying hard to pay attention and be a good tour group member but my mind was wandering and I was enjoying being in the park before the crowds came. Thankfully, there were a few other members of our group that were exemplary tour members and they took up the slack.

Then we walked back to Main Street and stood on the sidewalk to watch, what our Tour Guide called, “the running of the guests.” Sure enough, as soon as the park opened herds of people were stampeding up the street. Seriously, it was a sight to see. Parents racing with strollers, children running alongside their parents, scooters whizzing by, everyone seemingly with someplace to be NOW. Pretty enlightening to watch and a tad bit scary.

One thing that our Tour Guide pointed out was that some of the windows on the upper levels had speakers and after the opening ceremony was over your could watch as the windows slowly closed. I know this is not a huge deal – not like the UTILIDORS – but it was one of those little things that folks do not notice. As we walked up Main Street and headed towards Adventureland she shared a lot of interesting facts about the window signage and tributes, about the various illusions that are created by forced perspective and that Main Street slopes upward toward the castle so that at the end of the day when folks are heading home after a long day at the park, they will be walking downhill – very considerate. Our Tour Guide was full of interesting facts and tidbits and I did enjoy learning some of the inside information although to be honest, much of it is well known by now.

We were fortunate to be able to experience three rides with no waits! On the Jungle Cruise we had our own boat and we were told that the water is very shallow, that they add brown coloring to the water to hide the tracks that the boats follow and that heaters are hidden among the plants to prevent frost damage during the cooler months. We also had walk ons with no wait for The Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion. We entered the Haunted Mansion through the backdoor themed as the “servant’s quarters” of the house. I had read where some tours actually see the behind the scenes area of some of these attractions but we were limited to the servants quarter hallway and I am not sure if these behind the scene glimpses are no longer included in any tour or just not in The Keys to the Kingdom Tour.

Our actual glimpses of the backstage area was my favorite part of the tour. We entered through the gate where the parades start/end next to Splash Mountain. We walked up the road and our Tour Guide pointed out a yellow line where costumed CM’s have to stay in character since they can still be seen by folks in Frontierland and the train passes through this area also. Once past the train tracks there is an enclosed area protected by a gate, enter here and this is where the magic stops.

Our Tour Guide explained the trash system (TMI) and we also saw a bus spot where the costumed characters and their handlers are picked up and transported to their respective drop off spots before entering the park. It was interesting how close everything was in the staging area. The back of the Pirates of the Caribbean was not very far from the back of Splash Mountain yet in the actual park there is a bit of a hike between these two attractions. We then proceeded to a large warehouse where all the parade floats are stored, in fact they were pulling out some of the floats for the Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! Street Party. We saw one of the first Cinderella Pumpkin Coaches which our Tour Guide explained was an antique and only brought out for rare, special appearances. She explained all the safety features on the floats and we really got an up close view.

As I had mentioned, DD had her heart set on seeing the Super Bowl MVP parade although she could not get confirmation from anyone she asked if the parade was going to happen today, although in the past it had been the day after the Super Bowl. Well, one of the men in our group spotted a car tucked away in the warehouse and asked if that was used for the Super Bowl MVP and out Tour Guide acknowledged it was and I asked if the parade was happening today and she said it was. She also explained that the MVP flies into a private airfield near WDW and is whisked to the park for the parade and then is usually whisked right back to the airport so it is a short, very short stay. I had to wait to text DD since phones and cameras were not to be used in the backstage area but I did want to let her know since I knew how much she was looking forward to this.

We spent about 45 minutes in this area and headed back into the park. The earphone/mic system was necessary since the Tour Guide did a lot of talking in and out of attractions and it would have been impossible to hear her. There was a lot of static however and at times it was impossible to hear her anyway. I noted other people in the tour fiddling with their ear pieces so I knew it was not just me.

Lunch at Harbour House was upstairs in a roped off area set aside for the tour group. I do like this restaurant and think it is a great quick service choice. The food was good and this is where we all received our “Key” as a memento of the tour. After lunch was The Haunted Mansion and were able to bypass the folks in line to head to the servants entrance – couldn’t help but feel a bit special.

Finally we headed back to the front of the park to enter the UTILIDOR! I was so excited, finally!!! We headed down the stairs and once inside the Utilidor we saw map of the tunnel system and our Tour Guide explained the coloring and coding system used to help identify the various lands. I kept glancing around and peeking into open doorways hoping to catch a glimpse of something, anything unusual or different. What I saw was a lot of cement, pipes, a lot of closed doors, some CM’s from stores heading someplace or another, boxes, discarded chairs and office furniture, CM lockers, and utility vehicles. We did see a pretty blonde girl who was walking laps around the Utilidor. The Tour Guide explained that after a lot of standing around for photos the princesses would sometimes work out kinks by briskly walking during their breaks.

In all actuality this part of the tour primarily consisted of our Tour Guide explaining about the photos and mementos lining the walls. It was interesting to hear about the history and development of all things Disney but it did get tiring standing for all this time and my expectations were probably a bit too high. Once I realized that we probably would not be seeing much more of the Utilidor, I was anxious to catch up with DD for the rest of our day. When we were leaving the Utilidor and heading back into the Park, we did see CM’s disembarking from the Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! Street Party. The costumed characters were not completely encased in their costumes any longer and I can see why they do not allow children on these tours. After biding our farewells I quickly texted DD about the MVP parade and she informed me that they were at Pecos Bills and we would catch up with them there.

Word was out about the MVP parade which we learned was going to start from the gate next to Splash Mountain so we were at a perfect spot at Pecos Bills. It was crowded but we were lucky since DD and family were already at a table eating and had saved us a few seats. I had been looking forward to the Taco Salad and it did not disappoint! We moved to the sunny side of the street to catch the parade and we waited, and waited and waited. Finally, about 30 minutes or so after they first announced the parade was about to begin we saw the banner! Followed by the briefest parade I have ever seen in my life – it took all of 30 seconds to pass us by. Again, my expectations were way off. Good news is DD can take this off her bucket list – unless of course we happen to be back at Disney when the Patriots win the Super Bowl again.

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DH and I had missed the girls meeting Tinkerbelle and her sister Periwinkle but DD did take a few pictured for us. DGD1.9 reminds us of the mischievous Tinkerbelle.

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Our next stop was Enchanted Tales with Belle where DGD5 was chosen to be Madame Wardrobe – she was thrilled. DGD1.9 missed meeting Belle since she was napping in a shady spot outside with her Dad and DGD who did not seem at all upset to have to miss this attraction.

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We decided to head over to Gaston’s Tavern - I had wanted to try LeFou's Brew after reading about this from other folks trip reports plus we still did not have Gaston’s autograph – hard to believe. As far as the brew is concerned – way, way too sweet for my liking. DH was not impressed either although DSIL did not think it was that bad but I doubt it will be something we will try again.

DD and DGD5 were in line to see Gaston and DGD1.9 was still blissfully asleep.

DGD5 and Gaston hit it off and although DGD5 told Gaston she could not marry him she did agree to be his girlfriend and sealed the deal with a kiss on his cheek.

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We spent some time in the Storybook Circus area while DSIL took DGD5 on some of the rides we sat in the shade with DGD1.9 so she could sleep a bit longer. DD and family then headed back to Fantasyland - I do not recall what attraction they went on, but DH and I decided to find a spot to people watch before we all headed to Be Our Guest for dinner. DD was running a bit late so DH went ahead to make sure we would not lose our ADR’s if we ran late. The folks he talked to explained that they could not hold our reservations if we were running late, but thankfully DD showed up soon afterward and we headed into the Beast’s Castle for dinner.

We were all looking forward to this dinner after the exceptional lunch we had the previous week. In no time at all, led by DGD5, we found our table in the Ballroom.

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Our waitress was wonderful, very helpful and great with the girls. I was not sure what to try and asked her opinion and she did not led me wrong. All the food was excellent! DSIL had the Sautéed Shrimp and Scallops, husband and daughter had the steak and I had the herb-crusted lamb rack – so good! Cannot wait to go back to this restaurant. For dessert this time I had the strawberry cream cheese cupcake which I thought was superior to the lemon meringue cupcake I had tried for lunch, DH raved about the chocolate cupcake, DSIL had the gray stuff cupcake and DD had the cream puff which they all enjoyed. DGD5 was up for mac and cheese and DGD1.9 was all about grilled cheese and fries and ketchup – yup, lots of ketchup.

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Once again the lack of sleep got to DGD5 and settled down for a nap.

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The Ballroom was a bit noisy and her nap was a short one but it did give her enough energy to see the Beast once our meal was done. The line to see the Beast was short and the Beast was tall – very tall.

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DD then checked her My Experience App and learned that both Tiana and Prince Naveen were at Liberty Square and the girls had not yet met Tiana’s prince. According to DD, the Princesses are more amicable to meeting Disney guests while the Princes are not out and about as often – this was news to me since I am not as well versed in such details although I had noticed a serious lack of Princes in the parks. I was agreeable for a return visit to Tiana since for me, this trip was all about making memories for my granddaughters. I do think DH was not as enamored with all these meets and greets but I do know he loved watching the girl’s reactions to all the characters they had met. DSIL was invaluable since he carried the backpack and the autograph books. Tiana was really sweet and one of the most beautiful Princesses I thought.

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DSG5 was quite taken with Prince Naveen, and not knowing when she would see another prince planted a kiss on his cheek and added yet another boyfriend to her list.

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Before heading out of the park for the night the girls stopped to see “talking” Mickey and DGS5 took this opportunity to end her MK day with a kiss for Mickey.

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We headed back to our room and lo and behold there on our dresser was a towel animal!!!! Finally!

We could not quite figure out what type of animal this was, it actually sort of resembled the towel creature my DSIL had constructed a few days prior. It might have been a duck, not certain. No matter – we had a towel animal which I proudly placed in our window.

Oh, by the way, I think our window might have inspired a few people to decorate their windows since I saw a few Duffy’s staring out of windows. There was also a window on the first floor that was decorated with a Valentine theme. Didn’t see any other towel animals though.

As usual the girls started out their night with me and feel asleep quickly.

Tomorrow we were planning a pool day and meals at Chef Mickeys for DD and family and Cape May for DH and me. Little did we know the drama that lay ahead for DGD5 and her magic band.


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[LegoMom3]

......LOVE how your DGD5 is racking up the boyfriends!!!! SO cute.

Interesting about the tour. It's one of those things I've considered in the past, but then wondered if I really did want to know so much.


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[momabaarjo]

What does dad say about all the boyfriends? So sweet that she is really getting into the character encounters.

Sounds like your tour started off a little too personal...I was afraid the tour guide was going to talk about herself the entire time. I would love to do the Keys to the Kingdom tour...sound like you had a good time. Interesting about the water in Jungle Cruise.

Now had my team won the superbowl...I would have been so jealous of the parade...

 

[lafemmega]

Yay for the towel animal!!! We always really enjoyed those while on our disney cruise What a nice little surprise to walk in to after a long day at the park, even if you couldn't quite make out what it was supposed to be

Your pictures at BOG are fabulous. It makes me want to reconsider our ADR for CRT. But since we'll only be at MK one day, I think we'll do CRT this time around and hope for BOG for our next trip.

Thank you for the information on character- palooza. When reading about it I noticed people listing Max as one of the characters. My DS 4 is named Max. As a newly diagnosed Disney fanatic, I am ashamed to say I had to google who the Max Disney character was. Lo and behold it's Goofy's son!!! It fits our family perfectly! Lol I'm definitely hoping to catch that during our time at DHS.

 

[DVCJones]

Yay!!!! So happy you finally got a towel animal. My kids look forward to seeing them too.

I'm really enjoying your TR. It is making our countdown to WDW somewhat bearable. Lol

I think our magic bands will be arriving today.

I look forward to reading more of your excellent adventures!

 

[DaisyDuck001]

Really enjoying your trip report. I didn't know about Character Palooza before. This would be so much fun!

 

[middlesista]

Magic Bands are Flushable (Feb 4)​

We started our morning returning to the Polynesian for “The Best Friends Breakfast with Lilo and Stitch.” We took the bus to the MK with plans to switch to the monorail to make it for our 0930 ADR.

As we were walking toward the monorail after disembarking the bus, I heard a little girl cry out and turned around to see her on the ground almost run over by a stroller that was being frantically pushed by a man that looked obsessed with getting to the MK as fast as possible. He leaned over to her and pulled her up by the arm and she sobbed to him “Daddy, that hurts.” Rather than console her he yelled at her for getting in front of the carriage and he sped on toward the gates with the little girl still sobbing running alongside the stroller. Did I want to say something – yup, but did I dare – nope, did I feel guilty that I did not – you bet. That poor little girl’s day did not start out very magical

We head onto the monorail which the girls enjoy, all that swishing of the doors and so much to see out the windows, I think they would be happy to just sit there for a few rounds! But we had Lilo and Stitch to meet and of course Lilo had to sign the autograph book since her name was not yet included.

We were seated quickly and were pleased to meet a CM from our neck of the woods – her pin said “Boston” but she was actually from just outside of Boston. Always nice to meet folks from “home” and interesting to see how many people are transplants from other part of the USA.

We had great seats and breakfast was laid back and fun. Family style meals are a nice change from the usual character buffets although buffets do offer a better variety of food. The bread was really good and the juice – a combination of orange, pineapple, and guava I learned was fantastic although DH and DD were not overly impressed. It was delicious! The main platter contained bacon, eggs, sausage, potatoes, and breakfast rolls. We had a smaller plate of fresh fruit and they would occasionally bring around fresh Mickey Waffles which were actually very good and we did ask for seconds of these waffles.

The characters were making the rounds and we had come to learn that there was a certain order to character rounds - they would visit each table in due time. Seems no one told the folks at the table to our left and they were the epitome of character hogs. The adults, not the children would ambush any character that happened to pass by and monopolize them for an extended period of time. Some characters were heading to our table and the Mom would step in and swoop them up and wrangle them on over to her table with hardly a glance in our direction. She meant business and if there were any handlers with the characters they did not interfere. It was all about the photos and they took multiple single person with the character pictures, they took group photos, they took Mom, Dad and children photos, they took grandparents with the children photos, with EACH AND EVERY CHARACTER. Whatever , some folks just don’t get Disney etiquette and I guess they figure that they need to wring every moment of magic possible from each experience. More power to them I guess.

We did get our turn with the Lilo, Stitch and friends and the girls loved being in the breakfast parade. DSIL or DD would usually follow the parades in case DGD1.9 decided she was all set and took a detour – she is fearless that one.

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DGD5 was thrilled with her birthday breakfast cupcake and the CM also brought her a birthday card signed by all the characters from the Best Friends Breakfast.

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We returned to our rooms to change for the pool at Riverside. We did wait a while to make sure DGD5 breakfast was settled – wanted to avoid any pool closures. There was a pargo parked and ready to transport us to the Riverside Pool. Again, not having the pool at POFQ for this trip due to renovations was a bit of an inconvenience and DGD5 was really unhappy about not being able to go on the "dragon slide." The girls did have fun at the Riverside pool and we were so enjoying that it was not rainy and it was not cold!

After spending a relaxing afternoon at the pool we headed back to the POFQ to get ready for our evening ADR’s. DD and family were heading to Chef Mickey’s and we were going to EPCOT (love those annual passes) and then on to the Beach Club for the Cape May Cafe Clambake. We wanted to use the international walkway to get to the Beach Club since we had never traveled that route before. DD was planning on taking the bus to MK and walking over to the Contemporary for their ADR’s. We said good bye to DD and family and headed to EPCOT.

At EPCOT we did Test Track, Ellen’s Energy Adventure, The Land, Maelstrom and Spaceship Earth. DH was thrilled to get so much accomplished without having to stop for character photos/autographs and I also think he was happy to stay away from the attractions more geared towards the younger set.

Walking to the Beach Club was not bad although I doubt it would be something I would want to do in the heat of the summer. We were excited to check out the Beach Club since that is where we would be staying in the Fall. The resort is themed after the New England seashore and I was looking forward to finally seeing the famous StormAlong Bay, Crescent Lake with the Lighthouse and the Pirate Ship! WOW – the little sandy beach was awesome, there are lots of beaches were we come from but our sand is certainly not white. The pirate ship was huge and StormAlong Bay was amazing – all I could think of was how much DD and the girls would love the swimming area. There were sand pails and little shovels for making sandcastles and DGD5 loves going to the beach in the summer and building sandcastles – this resort might be fun for another trip since DD and the girls were not going to be able to make the Fall trip –but more on that later.

This resort seemed HUGE to me. We walked right past the Beach Club to the Yacht Club or the other way around, and I was so confused. I am one of those people who hate to ask directions and likes to figure things out myself, so yes, we wandered a bit. Did find Beaches and Cream and the gift shop where DH was quick to purchase a Beach Club themed shirt for our Fall trip, he was acclimating nicely. We then came across the Cape May Café and checked in to wait to be called for our seating. It was a short wait and we walked by the most delicious looking dessert table on our way to our seats.

DH does not like seafood other than fried clams which were not part of the Tuesday menu besides they only offer clam strips – eating clam strips is sacrilegious to folks from our parts. The good news is that they had plenty of other items on the menu that appealed to him so he was fine. There was so much food to pick from! This day they had fried calamari which was good. The crab legs were OK and I should have held out until they put out a fresh batch as someone had suggested on a food blog – that I read after the fact. The mussels were ok, but I am spoiled with the most excellent local seafood restaurants that have fresh mussels steamed in garlic and white wine – so good. Just a little pitch – if you love seafood you will want to take a vacation to the coastal communities of New England – the BEST seafood anywhere. Ok – I will stop advertising and no I am not a travel agent, restaurant owner or inn owner.

Another thing I learned is that steamed clams are not the same everywhere. My experience is with what we call “steamers” also known as Ipswich clams or long neck clams. Not the same as what they served at Cape May. They do taste different and for your learning enjoyment I have included some visual aides to help distinguish the different types of clams. If you have a weak stomach or are squeamish you might want to bypass this section.

Exhibit A – the type of steamed clams that they served at Cape May. They were good but not great IMHO

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Exhibit B – the steamer. Excellent and what is usually included in clam bakes around these parts.

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Exhibit C – a line up of different type of clams for those who are clam curious

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Ok, enough of that and on to desserts! The absolute BEST desserts that we encountered, so impressed that I actually took a picture – my first and only food photo of the trip!! Yes, we are going back to Cape May and you may wonder why since I seemingly dissed some of the seafood offerings. Well – it is because of those desserts!

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During the course of our dinner DD and I had been texting. The girls were having a blast and the food was very good – she was raving about how good the ribs were. Seems DGD1.9 was watching those folks at the next table during breakfast this morning since it sounded like she corralled Donald Duck and invited him to sit down with them and DD told me that he actually did. Amazing what a smile from a little, dimpled child can do!

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We finished our meal and waddled out to the bus stop – I had not heard from DD for a while and figured they must be enjoying themselves. Shortly thereafter I received a text from DD telling me that DGD5 had lost her Magic Band and although she gave a valiant attempt to save the band – DGD5’s Magic Band was now within the plumbing of the Contemporary Resort. DGD5 was distraught as was DD. Oh dear.

I learned that as usual, DGD5 had to check out the restroom at the Contemporary. As I had mentioned earlier she is wary of the automatic flushers and we all had to follow standard operating procedure when bringing DGD5 to the restroom of covering the sensor until she was able to back away. It seemed that DSG5 was scratching her arm and somehow or another (no one is quite sure) her band fell off her wrist and flipped into the hopper and before DD could do anything about it the automatic flusher flushed and DGD5’s personalized, pink Magic Band was swirling away forever. They were both stunned – it happened so fast and those flushers at the Contemporary are wicked powerful. I shudder to think the path that her poor pink magic band took.

DD knew they could get a replacement band but her understanding from what she had read was that this would be the standard issue gray. After a lot of tears, consoling and hugs DSIL and DD told DGD5 that she could purchase a band cover for the gray band and this brightened her up a bit and as soon as the meal was over they stopped at a shop to allow her to purchase a cover that she liked.

By this time DH and I had returned to our room and DD texted that they would be heading to the front desk at POFQ to try and get a replacement band. DD started to explain what happened to the front desk CMs and DGD5 interjected and solemnly explained what had happened. DD told me later how sad DGD5’s little face was as she looked up at the folks at the desk and that she was trying hard not to cry again. The CM’s were sympathetic and understanding and after a bit of talking back and forth one of them went out back and came out to present DGD5 with a new PINK BAND!! – which is not usually done. Plus after learning that she had purchased a few items for her pre-school classmates along with her band cover they gave her souvenir POFQ coins and stickers to bring back to her school! DD was so grateful and DGD5 was beyond thrilled.

Speaking of the FQ - we truly LOVE this resort. The small size is perfect and everyone there is wonderful. We love being so close to the food court and buses plus the boats to DTD are such a convenience. In fact, I was already sad that we would not be returning here for our Fall trip. Yes, the Beach Club is awesome but it did not feel right to me. Sort of felt like we would be staying at our rich relatives house rather than home – which was fine with DH!

On their return to the room, DGD5 was so excited to tell me about what had happened and that all was well since she had not only a new pink band, but also a cover plus souvenirs to bring back to her classmates. She went to sleep one happy little girl.

Another day in Disney….

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