Memories of Little Green Men and Sardines (6/8-17, 2010) **FINAL UPDATE 2-25-2011**

[lledman]

Sorry to read that your little guy got sick, glad he was feeling better quickly though.

As for waterproof cameras – you can get a cheaper end digital waterproof camera for about $150 from Walmart – I have a Fuji – it doesn’t take the best photos but it serves it’s purpose for in the water.

 

[brookelizabeth]

Lots of updates! I love it!

This picture is completely adorable. It's so frustrating sometimes when they are COVERED in food, but it's cute too!

Speaking of the giant ant picture…Brook, I absolutely love your picture of Henry on the ant!!! It really turned out great!!!!

Thank you!!! I LOVE your pics of Luke in there! The one where he is looking down the tunnel is precious. Next time you will get an ant pic!!!

We were having a blast at the pool! It was so much fun and relaxing! Luke loved it…he was laughing & splashing in the water! He was really having a good time. And that’s when he looked at me, got this horrible look on his face, and threw up all over me! Luckily none of it went into the water, just all over me (I think I'm a throw-up catcher too, Brook! I remembered reading that in your report!). Its just an instinct...I didn't plan to do it, but I just reached out & caught all of it. I know, its gross but all those people around me were thankful that I did it!


Speaking of having a camera at the pool (and also on water rides) what do you guys do??? I just upgraded to a Canon Xsi...used some of my birthday & Christmas money for it. I had a family member suggest a D70 to me...not sure what he thought my budget was! Anyway, I'm considering buying a disposable waterproof camera or some type of waterproof cover for my camera. I don't think I want to take the Xsi with me to the water parks though...so I'll probably get a waterproof case for my Nikon Coolpix. Most of the pics aren't nearly as nice, but it does take amazing pictures of movement & in the dark!

Anyway, any thoughts/suggestions are appreciated!!! I'm going to make sure to talk about that on my PTR as well...I need all the suggestions I can get! Luke loves the water so I don't want to miss out on getting pics of that!

Puke catchers unite!

As for getting pics at the pool I just take our XSi; however, I wouldn't ever take it to the water parks either. I do believe there is a waterproof casing you can purchase for it though.

BEAUTIFUL pictures from DHS!!!!! You snagged some awesome ones at Indiana Jones and you truly captured the beauty of those buildings!

I am yet to get good pictures inside the Mexico pavilion & I feel horrible because its my husband’s favorite. So if anyone has good techniques, please let me know! Of course this trip I will be taking my new Canon Xsi so I might have a better chance of getting a few good shots!!!

Ok…got a crowd shot for you!

Sidenote: I seriously need to invest in some new sandals for my next Disney trip! Please, please, please post your pics here of what you wear to the parks & give me some ideas!!! I’ve already heard that some good choices are Reefs.

I loved all your Germany train pics too! We didn't even stop to look at that last trip.... Henry would LOVE it. I'm going to put that in my notes so we don't forget this time.

As for the dark shots in Mexico, I usually turn the ISO up and open the shutter as wide as it will go. Then I either hold my breath and hope for the best, or find a ledge. Mine are not great, but acceptable. Joe has a steadier hand and I've already told him he gets to wear the camera a lot this coming trip, so maybe we'll get better shots this time!

Those crowds! That is PACKED! Wow. How strange considering it wasn't even EMH?!

Shoes! I have a pair of Keens (need a new pair though), Crocs and Teva Mush flip flops. I love all 3! The Crocs I have are a cute style with a peep-toe and were less than $20 on Amazon. They rock. The Teva Mush were less than $20 as well. The Keens were expensive, but have lasted me faithfully through MANY trips, including 10 days of intense walking in Israel, walking all over NYC while pregnant, and 7 Disney trips! I've had them since 2006 and still wear them, though, they don't give the same support they used to. I want to check out the Reefs too. Did you see those on Nikki's report?

 

[SoonerGirl]

Look at you! Two updates this week!!

Wow, Epcot was crowded!

I'm in the market for a waterproof camera too. I want to get one before we go on our cruise, something that I can get wet and one that also won't get damaged by the sand. I'm picky though cause I also want good photos and I don't want to spend a fortune. I'll let you know what I come up with!

As for shoes, my favorites for park touring are my Keen's or Reef flip flops. I have 2 pair of Keen's, both are VERY comfortable and offer really good support. These are what I've got:

I have 2 pair of Reef flip flops, they are the one's with a thicker sole, like this

and they are really great for walking all day too

 

[photographymom517]

I'm all caught up. It looks like AK will be our 2nd park in September (since we only do a short trip we do 1 full day at 2 parks and then MK for the Halloween party). I was planning on doing DHS like last year, but there just isn't as much there for Jack and there is a lot at AK we didn't get to do because of the rain (the dig site!!). I have toyed with the idea of buying park hoppers but another $108 is kind of a turn off, especially since the point of this trip is to be cheap! We'll see.

I know what you mean about the park hoppers. We never get them. I know alot of people like to have them to have more options for table service restaurants for breakfast/lunch/dinner but if we leave 1 park for the day, we'll just go to a resort to eat dinner! I also can't see going to 2 parks in the same day...we usually visit each park 2 days and we STILL don't see everything!

There is a decent chance my dates will be changing to earlier in September, so I super hope we overlap! I want it to be at least mid September, after the MNSSHP starts.

That's awesome! It would be great to have a DIS meet with you & Jack!!! I know what you mean about changing trip dates! Ours will probably change a million times but I'm really, really, really hoping we can work out our dates by mid-July. That's my goal right now! My parents went to the very 1st MNSSHP last year & it was SUPER CROWDED! So I definitely want to make sure we go the week of the 2nd or 3rd party! LOL

As for the potty training, I wish all kids worked the same. With Jack it was just me saying "you are going to wear big boy underpants today" and making him go every 45 minutes for the first few days, but that just doesn't work for all kids. He was in pullups for a looooong time, and he still wears them at night and for naptime (the first night I tried to make him sleep in underpants he had an accident... which is the ONLY time in the past month he hasn't been dry all night, ironic right) but once I am out of pullups I am not planning on buying more. Of course now he's very choosy about what underpants he wants to wear. He refuses to wear the Wall-E ones, because he doesn't know who Wall-E is. And he wants Mr. Potato Head underpants, which are nowhere to be found (he's not even on the Toy Story ones!) so for his birthday I am going to make him some with iron on transfers. All I know is they will eventually do it when they are ready.

I was just talking to my sister-in-law about potty training today! She told her son that they don't make diapers in his size, so he had to start going on the big boy potty! hehe! I thought that was pretty sneaky of her! Good thing he didn't catch on to the fact that Luke has been wearing bigger diapers than him for about 2 years now! LOL

With my other nephew, we allowed him to wear pull-ups at night for a few months after he was potty-trained. But he does fine & doesn't go during the night at all now.

That's cute that Jack only wants certain underpants! Good idea about making him custom ones with the iron-on transfers so he can have Mr. Potato Head!

Sorry I didn't respond to your post before posting 2 updates!!!

I love all those organizational things! We have a 2 big cube shelves with fabric bins that work great for Henry's room. When we get a bigger place we'll get him a desk for sure, he'd love that. Right now he has to use the kitchen table for art...but hey-it works!

GREAT AK udpate!!! I love all your pictures! Rafiki's is fun, isn't it? Henry really enjoyed the snakes too...something about yucky things and boys.

I love how Luke remembered the meerkats when he saw them on TV, that is adorable.

I would have totally taken a picture of the same thing - matter of a fact, I probably have! I have several "surface" pictures in AK because every single thing is themed! It's amazing there! So I say great shot!

Adorable story about the ducks! And what a unique experience!

And you look just fine with the characters, if that's you "looking bad" you don't wanna see me!

Glad you liked my update & pictures! I know what you mean...I LOVE Animal Kingdom!!! We really enjoy all of the different themes & colors there as well as the trails & animals.

Luke was looking over my shoulder just now & saw my previous update...he asked me when we were going to see Mickey & his animals. He meant the animals from AK and also from the small animal park near our house. We got season passes last year because he loves it sooo much that we are constantly going there! His admission is still free but we'll be getting him a season pass when he turns 3 in May! Well, we thought it was open year-round but they close from late November through the 1st of April. But since its so close to our house, we're constantly driving by it & he always asks me why we can't go. So, since he loves Disney & the animals, I made up a story for him. I told him that its too cold here in PA for the animals to live here year-round...so Mickey came to get them & took them to live in the Castle with him because the weather in Florida is so much warmer! So he always asks me now when Mickey is sending the animals back!

Yay for meerkats being loved! hehe

Sorry you didn't get the pic of Luke and the ant. Well that's something to do on your next trip hehe

You have to try the white chocolate cupcake at Starring Rolls. I love it. Well I love white chocolate

ToT is my all-time fave. I ride it at least once when we go.

In my opinion DHS did not change MGM that much. But first time I saw MGM was in 2004.

Yes Luke definitely loves meerkats!!!

I will get the ant picture next time. It seems so silly now, but I still really want to get it next trip!

I might try to talk Luke into getting the white chocolate cupcake because I can't give up my chocolate croissant! Or maybe I'll just go to Starring Rolls twice next trip! LOL

I wish I could remember MGM so I could compare it with DHS but I can't! All I can do is look at maps & ask other people!

 

[photographymom517]

Sorry to read that your little guy got sick, glad he was feeling better quickly though.

As for waterproof cameras – you can get a cheaper end digital waterproof camera for about $150 from Walmart – I have a Fuji – it doesn’t take the best photos but it serves it’s purpose for in the water.

Yes, we went right back to the room after he got sick & after his bath, he went right to bed. I think a good night's rest really helped him!

Thanks for letting me know about the waterproof camera. I have to look into it more but now that you mention it, I will check Walmart & look at Fuji's! Luke really loves water & I know he will love the water parks & rides...so I don't want to miss his reactions to them! I'd be disappointed if I missed out on those photos!

 

[photographymom517]

Lots of updates! I love it!

This picture is completely adorable. It's so frustrating sometimes when they are COVERED in food, but it's cute too!

Thank you!!! I LOVE your pics of Luke in there! The one where he is looking down the tunnel is precious. Next time you will get an ant pic!!!

Puke catchers unite!

As for getting pics at the pool I just take our XSi; however, I wouldn't ever take it to the water parks either. I do believe there is a waterproof casing you can purchase for it though.

I'm really trying to finish up my report so I can focus more on my PTR. I was going to post 1 update a week on my TR from June, but then I realized that September is only 7 months away! I need alot of advice for our trip so I thought I should start my PTR & focus on it...can't do that when I'm still on Day 7 of my June trip! LOL

I loved the tunnel pictures too! He spent the most time going in & out of the tunnel & peeking through the windows! It was just fun watching him laugh & have such a good time!

I was actually thinking of making an entire scrapbook just of Luke covered in food or eating! I have sooo many! You are right, they are messy but super cute!!! When he was smaller, it sort of kept track of his age for me...I'd have pictures of him covered in formula, then baby cereal, then sweet potatoes, then spaghetti o's, then big boy food! They grow up so fast, I love capturing every minute of it! (I won't even tell you how many pictures I've taken since Luke was born...but its about 4 times how many I took at Disney if you remember that number! )

I might actually just look into the waterproof casing for the Xsi. I've gotten some advice from others & it seems like I'd have to invest over $100 to get a decent waterproof digital camera.

BEAUTIFUL pictures from DHS!!!!! You snagged some awesome ones at Indiana Jones and you truly captured the beauty of those buildings!

I loved all your Germany train pics too! We didn't even stop to look at that last trip.... Henry would LOVE it. I'm going to put that in my notes so we don't forget this time.

Glad you liked the pictures from DHS and Epcot!!! We really loved the Indiana Jones show! If the parks wouldn't have been so crowded & we had more time, we probably would've seen it twice!

Henry would definitely love the train in Germany! I know that Luke loved watching it go around & around! I think there are 2 trains if I remember correctly, maybe even 3 or 4 ?

As for the dark shots in Mexico, I usually turn the ISO up and open the shutter as wide as it will go. Then I either hold my breath and hope for the best, or find a ledge. Mine are not great, but acceptable. Joe has a steadier hand and I've already told him he gets to wear the camera a lot this coming trip, so maybe we'll get better shots this time!

Those crowds! That is PACKED! Wow. How strange considering it wasn't even EMH?!

Thanks for the advice for Mexico pictures! I really want to get some good ones. My husband asks for them every year. Mine always come out blurry or too dark. I'd be happy with an almost acceptable picture!

Yes, the parks were INSANE! I can't believe that's the only crowd picture I have of our entire 10 day trip! We avoided EMH on almost all of our park days, so we were shocked at the crowd levels! It definitely looked like crowds from Night EMH, didn't it??? I'm not sure if they were still there towards the end of our trip, but there were high school cheerleaders & football players all over the place towards the beginning of our trip. They made up a large portion of the crowds during our Epcot days. I found it odd considering how spread out Epcot is ?

Shoes! I have a pair of Keens (need a new pair though), Crocs and Teva Mush flip flops. I love all 3! The Crocs I have are a cute style with a peep-toe and were less than $20 on Amazon. They rock. The Teva Mush were less than $20 as well. The Keens were expensive, but have lasted me faithfully through MANY trips, including 10 days of intense walking in Israel, walking all over NYC while pregnant, and 7 Disney trips! I've had them since 2006 and still wear them, though, they don't give the same support they used to. I want to check out the Reefs too. Did you see those on Nikki's report?

Thanks for the info on the shoes!!! I will definitely check into them. Yes, I did see the Reefs on Nikki's report & even got a few links of websites where people were suggesting to buy them!!! Thanks for letting me know about prices...loving the under $20 for the Teva because hopefully I will be able to get more than 1 pair! Maybe I'll try out a pair of the Keens & the Teva Mush! It really sounds like the Keens are quality shoes if they can make it through Israel, a pregnancy, and 7 Disney trips!!!

I will keep you updated!!!

 

[photographymom517]

Look at you! Two updates this week!!

I know! I'm really trying to finish this up so I can focus more on my PTR for September!!!

I wanted to say..."no Michelle, not 2 updates...I posted 3!!!"

...but unfortunately I don't think I'm going to get to my 3rd update this evening!

Wow, Epcot was crowded!

I'm in the market for a waterproof camera too. I want to get one before we go on our cruise, something that I can get wet and one that also won't get damaged by the sand. I'm picky though cause I also want good photos and I don't want to spend a fortune. I'll let you know what I come up with!

I think I'm with you on the camera thing! I don't want to spend alot, especially because I just upgraded my camera. But I don't want my camera to get ruined in the water so I'm going to have to figure something out even if its just a waterproof casing. I've had too many incidents with cameras & camcorders since all the kids in my family have been born! We've all had kids within the past 4 years & every holiday, it never fails...one of the kids gets my camera no matter how much I protect it & does something that needs a major repair!

I was thinking about buying a $10 disposable waterproof camera, so anything that anyone suggests to me is an upgrade from that, right?

Let me know what you end up buying or if you see any good deals!

As for shoes, my favorites for park touring are my Keen's or Reef flip flops. I have 2 pair of Keen's, both are VERY comfortable and offer really good support. These are what I've got:

I have 2 pair of Reef flip flops, they are the one's with a thicker sole, like this

and they are really great for walking all day too

Ooooh, thanks for sharing! I really like the zebra print! So many DISers have suggested Reefs & Keens, I'm definitely looking into them!!!

 

[brookelizabeth]

Luke was looking over my shoulder just now & saw my previous update...he asked me when we were going to see Mickey & his animals. He meant the animals from AK and also from the small animal park near our house. We got season passes last year because he loves it sooo much that we are constantly going there! His admission is still free but we'll be getting him a season pass when he turns 3 in May! Well, we thought it was open year-round but they close from late November through the 1st of April. But since its so close to our house, we're constantly driving by it & he always asks me why we can't go. So, since he loves Disney & the animals, I made up a story for him. I told him that its too cold here in PA for the animals to live here year-round...so Mickey came to get them & took them to live in the Castle with him because the weather in Florida is so much warmer! So he always asks me now when Mickey is sending the animals back!

That's so cute!!! I like the story...smart Momma!

Michelle - how are your Keens without a back strap? Do you like them as much as the ones with? I am looking to get a new pair, but not sure what style.

 

[photographymom517]

Today was the dreaded day…our last full day at Disney. We knew when we arrived back to our resort today, our ME envelope would be there waiting for us.

We woke up and decided to head to MK later in the afternoon. We really wanted to stay for the fireworks & knew if we went to the parks early, we wouldn’t make it through the day. After touring the parks for 8 days already, we were tired (mostly of the crowds & wait times!) and it was supposed to be another hot, humid day. It was already humid at 8:30am. I took a picture with my camera as we left the room & the lens was covered with steam.

Just a side note…for anyone who owns a DSLR, I have found a solution for this!!! I was reading one of my photography magazines the other day. I’m pretty sure it was Outdoor Photographer. They sell these lens covers that connect to the end of your lens & it keeps it from steaming up in humidity! You may already know about it, but I had no idea it existed so I was super excited!!! I also found a small memory card holder that is waterproof & it says that it can protect memory cards from all types of weather (water, sand, dirt, etc). I think it only cost around $17 and it holds up to 6 or 8 cards!

Ok…back to planning our day! We decided to head down to the main pool to swim. We ended up staying there from around 9:30 to 10:30am. We were actually surprised because we thought there would be more people, but it was fairly quiet at the main pool!

Around 10:30am, we went back to the room, took showers, and changed our clothes. And what was there when we got back to the room??? The dreaded ME envelope…we just put it on the dresser & would look at it later. Of course I didn’t take a picture of it…I was trying to forget it was there already!

We left the village bus stop at 11:34am and arrived at MK about 15 minutes later.

The only picture I got of the resort sign

Not a good picture, but just posting so you can see the humidity!

Loved seeing this!!!

Crowds at the gate when we arrived…not bad!!!

We saw Pinocchio as soon as we walked into MK! He stopped & waved at us, but I didn’t get a picture until he walked past us.

Crowds by the castle

We were hungry so our first stop was

We got Luke the BBQ pork sandwich with fries because he loved mine the last day we were at MK! I’m not sure what my husband or I got, but I’m assuming it was the same as the previous day because I’m not sure why I wouldn’t write it down!

When we were done eating, we headed towards Main Street for the Street Parade. And we saw these guys!

 

[photographymom517]

I’m not sure where we were going or if we had a plan, but we were just walking down Main Street. I had to take a picture of my favorite store!

I tried to get a lot of pictures of the Main Street building windows because I bought that book & wanted to see if I took any pictures of the ones they mentioned in the book!

I tried our entire trip to get a good picture of this statue. This pic is ok, but its not the greatest. I actually just discovered last night while looking through my pictures that I got a really good picture of the statue later on…but you’ll have to keep reading to see it!

Our next stop was

After visiting the Presidents, we stopped by to visit Captain Jack Sparrow!

The line for Pirates was either too long or it was closed or maybe we rode it & I didn’t take any pictures ??? I can’t remember which ??? We continued walking towards Frontierland. The sky was starting to get dark & we heard thunder but it sounded far away. We weren’t surprised because there were scattered thunderstorms in the weather forecast. We decided to get something to drink & then sit on this porch to wait for the parade.

While waiting, we saw these guys! Luke really enjoyed their music!

Here are some pictures of the parade. After it went through, I thought it seemed a little short. I was actually right because after my parents went to Disney in September, I looked through my mom’s pictures. When we saw the parade, there were only characters on the floats. In my mom’s pictures, there are about 4-6 additional characters in between each float dancing & greeting guests.

While we watched the parade, you could see bolts of lightning right behind Splash Mountain. A lot of the rides were down & we all thought they would postpone or cancel the parade. But for some reason they didn’t. As I said, they did eliminate the characters in between the floats for the safety of the CM’s! Good call! That lightning was close!

Sweetums came right up to Luke & shook his hand!!! Luke was a little afraid, but he didn’t cry.

See the water under the barrels? Right after the parade went through, it started to sprinkle & then started raining harder.

As you can see from the pictures, in some of them the sky is dark (almost black) and in some the sky is light blue. It was so strange because behind Splash Mountain, the sky was completely black & you could see these huge lightning bolts...but on both sides of Frontierland, the sky was light blue! Just like normal Florida storms that we've experienced before, this one didn't last long.

 

[photographymom517]

We decided to walk through the castle & I think everyone else had the same idea!

New location of Pooh’s tree (I believe this was right after they moved it from ToonTown). They were actually working on the tree our first MK day because I remember seeing people moving around & talking behind the fence!

I love this quote!!!

We saw this guy setting up for the Castle show!

Now, I’m thinking back to our trip & remembering the lightning & rain…and I think we must have been crazy because this is where we chose to go next!

There’s nothing better than getting on a raft & floating through water during a lightning storm, right? Seriously though, I never even thought that if the storm got worse, we would actually be stuck on Tom Sawyer’s Island because they wouldn’t take the raft back across the river.

See these people sitting in the rocking chairs? We honestly thought they weren’t REAL people…oops! They were having a nice relaxing time at the island though!!!

I wasn’t a fan of this bridge at all! It’s called the Barrel Bridge.

Luke was watching the Liberty Square boat.

…and then he decided that he was thirsty. I thought it was neat how they even themed the vending machines!

We decided to head back to the raft

But we found this instead!

It was really peaceful because we were the only ones at the playarea. It was nice to get away from the crowds for a few minutes & allow Luke to play & explore!

Luke & I up in the treehouse

This is why I went up into the treehouse with Luke…he was making mommy awfully nervous!!!

He would look through the tunnel & then climb through it!

I tried to get a picture of him crawling through the tunnel at least 20 times…he was just too fast for me! By the time I snapped the picture, he was out the other end!

 

[photographymom517]

I heard other people talking about this mill & they were amazed. Sorry I’m from PA and have one about 5 minutes down the road for myself so it was underwhelming for me.

Laurel Oak…my husband & I joked that they brought this in from PA! He thought it was neat to see something from back home…me? Not so much. I already got a reminder from ME that we had to leave tomorrow, I didn’t want more reminders of home!

After walking up the path, we ended up back at our raft

This is the point where I saw this guy…again…I had seen him earlier in the day & at another park…he looked exactly like my brother. He had my brother’s hair, beard, even his smile! He also dressed exactly like my brother & had his shoes, which completely freaked me out. I told my husband that I saw him…and made him look because I knew that once we got home, no one would believe my story. Well, I wasted time explaining it to my husband instead of getting the camera out right away. So, even though we both saw him, I didn’t get a good picture. By the time I got my camera out, he was just walking too fast & my camera wouldn’t focus on the guy. It gave everyone a good laugh once we got home...they couldn't believe I was on vacation & was spotting identical twins of my family!

We wanted to ride the Liberty boat, but they weren’t running at the time due to the storm. They said it would be at least 30-45 minutes possibly longer.

So we moved on…look at the sky behind Donald Duck’s head

We had already seen this but I just wanted a picture of Jessie & Frozone since I already had pictures of Woody & Mr. Incredible from our previous MK day.

See the lady’s Minnie ears? Those are the ones that I got…the black ones with the sequins on them.

Everyone has that 1 thing that they can’t go without at each park. Well, for me, it is shopping at the Emporium at MK and also getting an ice cream at the Parlor Ice Cream Shop on Main Street!

It was very crowded in the shop. There’s no way we could’ve fit the stroller inside so I just ran in to get our ice cream while my husband & Luke waited outside. I didn’t take very good notes our last day (I think it was because I was so upset we were leaving!) I think I got a chocolate cone and my husband got either a milkshake or vanilla cone. Luke got a small vanilla (or kids if they had that?). It was so humid & it was just melting as he ate it…making more of a mess than he’d usually make!

Right after I took this picture, a giant chunk of his ice cream rolled down his shirt, onto the bottom of his stroller, and then onto the ground. Within 3 seconds, there were 2 CM’s in front of us…one with a little broom & broompan and the other with napkins. The CM swept up the ice cream in her broompan & the other CM handed up a few napkins. Wow! I was really amazed & I almost took a picture of them cleaning it up, but it literally happened so fast, I didn’t have time! Disney amazes me. If all companies ran a business like they did & cared about their guests as Disney does, the world wouldn’t be in the mess that its in today…but I guess that’s another story for another day!

After our ice cream, we continued walking down Main Street. I had to complete my second “must” for the day…a visit to the Emporium. I was on a mission, but not for myself, it was for Luke. Everyday when we went to OPR, we saw buckets of Little Green Men (hence the title of my trip report!) Luke would go straight for them every time we went to OPR. He would look at them, ask “mommy what are these” and make me say Little Green Men. Then he would laugh & pick them up, then put them down. I’d always ask if he wanted to buy them & he always said no. I decided that I would buy them for him before we left, but when I looked that morning at OPR, all they had were buckets of Army Men. I guess they switched their inventory overnight or moved them? I couldn’t find them anywhere at OPR so I was on a mission to find them at MK. And I figured the Emporium was a good place to look since they have basically everything AND had a display window of Toy Story merchandise (with the upcoming release of TS3!)

By this point of our trip, I honestly had $13 to my name besides the tips for Mousekeeping for our final night, Bell Services and the ME driver. The bucket of Little Green Men cost $10 plus tax so I had just enough!

I was also on a mission that I almost forgot about! Getting this picture!

We stood around for a little while trying to decide what to do. Because of the storm, a lot of the rides were closed down. There weren’t any parades or shows that we wanted to see since we did that our first MK day. We were basically out of money & room in our suitcases so we didn’t want to shop. And we couldn’t decide what to do for the rest of the evening. At this point, it was only around 4pm.

I suggested going through ToonTown one more time. My husband knows how disappointed I was that it was closing & this would be my final time to see it. I’m also sad because I have a lot of good memories with Luke there…and he won’t even remember ToonTown since he was 10 months old & 2 years old on our trips to Disney. We decided to head back that way…and I guess everyone else had the same idea. Probably because the houses & character greetings were all inside & everyone could stay out of the rain. I thought it was odd because you would expect lots of people at Splash Mountain or Haunted Mansion or Dumbo…but ToonTown? There were lines out the door at both houses so we decided to turn around & head back to Adventureland.

But this is what we saw…

We were disappointed because we wanted to ride POTC again before we left. We went to sit down on a bench to figure out where to go next when a CM came out of the double doors. She said that the ride would be reopening within 20 minutes or less. We decided to just sit on the bench & wait. This worked out great because as soon as we saw the doors open, we ran over & got into line. There were some people inside the doors (I guess they made them stay inside until the ride reopened) but there weren’t many. It was like a walk-on which was great!

When we were done riding POTC, we walked around but mostly everything was shut down or had ridiculous lines or wait times. It started to rain so we went into the nearest giftshop which ended up being the Christmas shop. We looked around, but it was crowded & hard to move around with the stroller. At this point it was only 6:36pm. I must have put the time into my cell phone notepad because I didn’t get that time off a receipt (I didn’t buy anything in here). I did find a goofy stocking that I really liked along with the Four Parks ornament set & some individual ornaments that I didn’t remember seeing at DTD. I didn’t feel like charging my purchase & was afraid of the ornaments breaking on the plane ride home, so we left & started walking around again.

The fireworks didn’t start until 10pm so we still had 3 ½ hours to wait. Our energy was just drained at this point, the crowds were insane (EMH tonight at MK!), it was hot & humid, and there wasn’t anything we really, really wanted to do. (I know, looking back this is sooo odd! Lol) At this point I was really wishing we had an ADR. It would waste at least 2 hours time, but there was no way we’d get in anywhere now. Not when ride wait times were over 200 minutes & the park was packed full of people! It seemed like the after-dinner rush had entered the parks right after the rain stopped.

Even though we had so long to wait, I really wanted to stay at MK but my husband didn’t. Since I couldn’t think of anything else to do (that didn’t have a 200 minute wait time) I lost & we went back to CBR at 7:45pm. I will admit at this point I threw a little mommy tantrum. It just seemed like such a waste to ride the bus back to CBR…by the time we’d get there, it would be 8:30 and if we decided to go back to MK later, we’d have to leave within 45 minutes after we got back.

I was just disappointed because we had left Epcot early 2 days and MK early our first night. We didn’t see any fireworks during our 10 day trip & we always make sure to see at least 1 show. Luke LOVES fireworks & didn’t get to see any at Disney. I mean, they’re ok on the 4th of July…but they’re better at Disney!!!

I decided to start packing since we were leaving the next morning which didn’t help my mood at all. I put our clean clothes & souvenirs in one bag & packed our carry-on bags. I then gathered up all the dirty laundry & put it in another suitcase. (I take plastic grocery bags to put dirty laundry inside…to separate smelly socks & wet bathing suits from the rest of the clothes) We’d only have our toothbrush & last minute items to pack in the morning.

 

[photographymom517]

Luke began to get restless. It wasn’t that late & I knew he wouldn’t be tired until late. I believe he took a nap at the park & we also woke up late. I decided to take a walk with him. I thought maybe we could go to OPR and walk through the giftshop & arcade again or maybe get a small snack. On the way to OPR, I decided to go to Aruba instead.
Luke climbed on the benches & picked leaves up off the ground to throw them in the garbage can.

Do you know where we’re going?

Yep, we went to the bus stop & waited for the bus. I had called my husband back at the room to ask if he wanted to go, but he said he would rather not. He didn’t feel like going back to the park & dealing with the crowds. And even though the sun went down, it was still very humid & hot. Not a good combination when you’re around 5 gazillion people!
So Luke and I waited for a bus to come for MK. This was 9:05pm. We waited a long, long, long time for a bus to come for MK. I was surprised because they had EMH’s tonight & I figured more buses would be running.

A very nice couple sat behind us on the bus. They were from Tennessee and talked to us most of the time. We talked about flights & our trips so far. They were only there for a few days but travel to Disney all the time. I told them that I would love to go there more often but the flights are so expensive. They told me about a flight that only costs about $25 a person! Wow, that would be amazing to travel for $50 a person round trip…only $150 for flights there & back for 3 people! I was amazed so once we got back home, I checked and our airport doesn’t run those flights or use that airline. Bummer! It was very nice to have such pleasant people to talk to on the bus. I wasn’t in the best mood but really wanted to enjoy my last night at Disney.

We got to MK about 15 minutes before the fireworks were supposed to start at 10pm. I went in the gift shop at the Emporium because I wanted to buy the Vinylmation tote that I saw earlier that day. I also bought Luke a Mickey marshmallow bar on a stick. He picked it out & I let him buy it because I thought he could eat it while we waited to watch the fireworks.

Main Street was packed full of people. Again, I didn’t take a crowd shot & I have no idea why. I think it was just because it was so dark & I was afraid of losing my son since I was there alone. I had to keep checking to make sure I had my purse, camera, and was holding my son. He sat down on Main Street and ate his marshmallow bar. He ate the entire thing within a few minutes! We were standing right across from the first door of the Emporium gift shop.

Of course I had to stop in here & check out the Dooneys!!!

When we tried getting a closer spot, we couldn’t see. I didn’t want to watch the fireworks with a million people’s heads in front of me. We decided to go back to where we started right across from the Emporium. There was a section without any people, so we just stood there. There were definitely thousands of people in front of us, but we actually had a great view!!! I only wish I would’ve been closer to a garbage can, I noticed some people using them for support for their cameras/camcorders.

I think I ended up taking about 150 pictures of the fireworks. I just kept taking them on different settings because I wasn’t sure if they were even coming out. (Remember earlier when a setting was accidentally changed on my camera & I wasn’t able to review the pictures anymore?) After coming home, I got probably 20 good shots of the fireworks which isn’t bad. I just wish I would’ve had my video camera because the show was very interesting.

If you haven’t seen the show or don’t want to know what happens…skip to the pictures & don’t read this!!! I don’t want to ruin it for you! The show started as a regular fireworks display and then the Villains began blowing up the castle. I wasn’t really a huge fan of this part, but the fireworks during that part of the show were really amazing even with all the smoke. It was definitely different than any show I’ve seen at Disney. The only disappointing thing to me was that I read somewhere that I would see Tink and Dumbo. I was really looking forward to this, but never saw Dumbo. He may have been in the show, I’m not sure. I was just trying to take pictures & make sure my son was ok at the same time. I honestly couldn’t see the little details.

Here are some pictures of the fireworks

Not the greatest picture, but you can sort of tell from this picture how far back we are from the castle & how many people are in front of us!

Again, not a good picture, but these were really different fireworks…Luke and I both liked them!

As I said, not the greatest pictures, but I tried posting 1 photo from each section so you could see the show. I’m sure there are videos on YouTube & you could view the whole show with the music!

 

[photographymom517]

As I said earlier, tonight was EMH at Magic Kingdom. The park was supposed to be open until 11pm. After the fireworks were over, they announced that they would be keeping the park open an extra hour until midnight!!! Since it was only around 10:30pm and neither of us were tired, I figured we could walk around for a little while & then take the ToonTown Train back to Main Street (remember I said this). I thought about what I wanted to do since I wasn’t sure when we’d be back to Disney again. I decided to head to ToonTown.

Here’s a picture of us when we were stuck at the Hub. We literally could not move. People were moving in all directions...and yes, once again we were stuffed like sardines into the Hub!

I was able to take this picture while we were standing at the Hub. One of my goals while at MK was to get a photo of both statues. I wanted to get a picture of the little statues around the Hub as well, but didn’t get those.

Finally, I saw a lady with her daughters in front of me planning to move through the crowd. I heard her discussing it with them & explaining how they each had to hold onto each other’s hand or shirt & stay together. I figured this was the perfect time to try to move, so I just pretended like I was with them & got out of the Hub! It worked perfectly but it was so crowded, I couldn’t even tell where we were going. We ended up right across the Hub & she continued moving with her girls. Luke and I went up the path through the Castle.

I thought we could ride a few different rides in Fantasyland since we only went on IASW & the Tea Cups. All of the rides had wait times of between 90-120 minutes or more!!! I was so incredibly confused because the park wasn’t even open for 120 more minutes. It was 10:30 and the park closed at midnight.

I decided to just give up & started walking towards ToonTown. I turned around and noticed there wasn’t a line at all at the carousel. Our son has never ridden a carousel before so I figured we’d give it a try. The problem was that I either needed to put him on a horse and stand beside him or both of us needed on the same horse. The CM in charge told me that I couldn’t do either of these. She said I had to put him on his own horse. I told her that he was scared and couldn’t ride by himself. She agreed to allow him to ride with me as long as I could fit the seatbelt around both of us. I got the seatbelt fastened & the ride started shortly after that.

My son didn’t like the ride at all. He was afraid even while I was holding him. Since we were on the horse closest to the inside of the ride, I showed him the mirror. That calmed him down & he looked at himself & his mommy in the mirror for the rest of the ride.

When we were done riding the carousel, we walked by IASW again. There wasn’t a line at all. It said 15 minutes, but we walked clear down to where they load the boats & only had about 10 people in front of us. It was a walk-on…I think my first ever walk-on ride of this trip! My son was getting a little tired at this point & he sat on my lap & put his head on my shoulder. They let us have an entire row to ourselves, just the two of us. I think there were only 4 other people in our boat! They were only putting a few people in each boat since no one was waiting in line. I took more pictures but not as many as the last time we rode it. I just wanted to enjoy my last night at Disney & this would be my last ride at Disney for this trip! Of course my camera batteries died half way through the ride. I somehow managed to change them while holding my son on my lap.

Next update: Our adventure in ToonTown & how we got back to Main Street

 

[Megablocks]

Hey Hope! I fell so behind But I got all caught up!

I love all the pictures you got of the fireworks! I miss Wishes, it is is my very favorite. I think I've cried every time I've watched it

I can't believe how crowded it was for you! And the picture of your son all fuzzy because of the humidity...wow. I don't handle heat and humidity very well...I live in MA so it gets humid, but nowhere near to the extent that it does down there.

I just noticed your ticker! That's so exciting you are going again! I'm going to go check out your PTR too -- I promise I will be a lot better at keeping up with this one!

 

[brookelizabeth]

Oh that awful last day!!!

I loved your TSI pictures! I had no idea there was a play area there. Henry will have a BLAST on that.

Sorry to hear about the awful crowds! 200 minutes is Christmas crowds! UGH. At least you snuck in a few things. I was so sad for you when you left MK and were going to miss Wishes!!! BUT YOU WENT BACK! Nice call! So glad you got to see them, and that Luke did too! Your Wishes pictures are beautiful! What settings did you use?

Henry did not like the carousel his first few times on it, but now really enjoys it. How strange that they wouldn't let you stand next to Luke. I swear we have done that before! Glad you managed to sit with him though - and smart thinking about telling him to look in the mirror - I love that shot too! Very cute!

I hope these thinning crowds continue in ToonTown for you!

 

[stephielela]

I just got done catching up! I'm sorry you had such a bad time with the crowds, but just wait, September will be awesome!!! It looks like you had a good time though, and yay for going back to MK for Wishes!!!! It's funny, Jack LOVES the carousel. We have one at our mall, and we also have one at the zoo we have passes to.

I also love Reefs, I just bought 2 new pairs on Zappos for $35.20. I love Zappos! Free next business day shipping! AWESOME! Anyways, I bought thinner ones, but everyone has their own preference on sole thickness, lol.

I am heading over to check out your new PTR! I am so crossing my fingers that we can overlap, even if it's just a day!

 

[PopArtGal]

ohh I like the Zebra reefs. I have to check that out. Dunno where I can get them here. Maybe online.

I LOVE the move it, shake it party. I hope it doesn't go away soon. I think it makes the atmosphere so much more fun!


I haven't been to Tom Sawyer's island in a while. Maybe I'll go back during this trip. Did you ever go through the cave? I never was able to. Too scared lol


I love the little green men. I kind of wanted a plush toy hehe

So glad you went back with Luke. Nothing feels better than soaking in the last few bits you can

IASW is so cheesy, but in the end, I like it hehe

 

[photographymom517]

Hey Hope! I fell so behind But I got all caught up!

I love all the pictures you got of the fireworks! I miss Wishes, it is is my very favorite. I think I've cried every time I've watched it

I can't believe how crowded it was for you! And the picture of your son all fuzzy because of the humidity...wow. I don't handle heat and humidity very well...I live in MA so it gets humid, but nowhere near to the extent that it does down there.

I just noticed your ticker! That's so exciting you are going again! I'm going to go check out your PTR too -- I promise I will be a lot better at keeping up with this one!

Hey Megan! Please do not apologize! I have gotten behind on pretty much all of my subs! I think it happens to all of us, so no need to apologize!!!

I think I replied to you on my PTR but I can't remember...I was researching Disney alot last night because I couldn't sleep! I was on DIS and a few other sites. I know I wrote some replies but can't remember if I posted all of them or just some of them It was really late & I was exhausted! LOL I actually dreamed of Epcot all night which was great!!!

I know what you mean about the humidity! I have never dealt with it very well myself. For some reason, I tend to deal with it a little better on vacation, but it still gets to me! And its no better with crazy crowd levels!

We're excited about our September trip as well!!! It will be sooo nice to experience Disney with low crowds! As many times as I've been there, its always been during busy season! This will be a nice change!

 

[photographymom517]

Oh that awful last day!!!

I loved your TSI pictures! I had no idea there was a play area there. Henry will have a BLAST on that.

Sorry to hear about the awful crowds! 200 minutes is Christmas crowds! UGH. At least you snuck in a few things. I was so sad for you when you left MK and were going to miss Wishes!!! BUT YOU WENT BACK! Nice call! So glad you got to see them, and that Luke did too! Your Wishes pictures are beautiful! What settings did you use?

Henry did not like the carousel his first few times on it, but now really enjoys it. How strange that they wouldn't let you stand next to Luke. I swear we have done that before! Glad you managed to sit with him though - and smart thinking about telling him to look in the mirror - I love that shot too! Very cute!

I hope these thinning crowds continue in ToonTown for you!

Henry will LOVE the playarea!!! We actually found it on Tom Sawyer's Island completely by mistake! I honestly couldn't even tell you how to get there! From my report & pictures, it looks like it was after the cave & the mill...but I remember that we walked past the mill, then came back to it later I think after the gazebo area, there are 2 paths going up a hill. We were just following the signs & we came to an area with a few picnic tables & kept walking. I'm pretty sure that's when we found the playarea...but I will look into it for you!

I honestly couldn't believe the wait times! It seemed to be worse our last MK day but it was EMH that evening so that probably explains it. I still thought they were pretty high...and by you saying 200 mins are Christmas wait times, that really confirms what I thought!

I did see parents standing beside their children earlier that day on the carousel which is why I didn't think it would be a problem

Luke rides the horses & small carousels at the malls now, so hopefully he won't be afraid next trip. We're also planning to take him to an amusement park this summer to "test" what rides he really likes & what he's still afraid of. It will be about 3 months before our Disney trip, but I think it will give us a good idea.

ToonTown update coming soon! Hopefully today!