"Mom, why does the Magical Bus have to be the happiest and the saddest bus?"NEW 8/24!

[MommyMcQueen]

Oh - Gabe has gotten so big! Cute pix with the Cars!

Question for you on the Playground - was it busy when you were there? I've read that it can get really busy and people lose track of their kids in there - that some of the paths that the kids go through you can lose track of them and then you have to try to find them on the other side? Did you have any issue with that? I do plan to take the kids there but had read a few horror stories. What did you think? Is going in the morning a lot less busy?

Karen

 

[smithpack]

Once again, Cute Pics. Glad you got to ride TSM at least twice. Did you get to ride it a third time this day since you got the first two in so early? I loved meeting Woody and Buzz, I think they are really good with the kids. My guess is that you went to pizza planet for lunch since it was Gabe's choice!!

 

[longing2Batdisney]

great flashback! boy Gabe is such a big boy now! Oh! your picture make me want to go back now not Danny's time frame...may have to start my own Disney fund! :
we have managed to miss the toy story characters and the "cars" two years in a row...

Ashton ask just about everyday when we are going to ride the "mickey bus" and TSM! he is also on a daily kick about three times a day to check his inches we have a growth chart we were using to measure his growth before we left!
Connie

 

[wdwgirl03]

Yay for riding TSM! Definitely one of our favorites too.

I love your TR because you have small kids...so much of what you do reminds me of our trips from when my sisters and I were little. I remember playing in the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground. I can't believe it's still there!

 

[Mombits]

Dreaming of our Monday morning rush to Toy Story Mania!!!!

Beth, your kids are so stinkin' cute!!!!

We were on Splash Mt when it started raining I guess we were destined to get wet one way or another! I think it's funny how your dad likes to predict the weather. My dh does that too. He has a theory about fog/bad weather. He'll even write it on our calendar

 

[Mombits]

I love your pics with Woody and Buzz. They are great!!! Actually all of your pics are great. I wish I'd have taken some on TSMM. Didn't think of it I guess. I tried and tried to get my kids in to meet Woody and Buzz but they weren't into waiting in line. Sigh.

 

[DisMomAmy]

We must have been at TSM at the same time! We missed the mad dash and got there a little after 9 too... but I didn't spot any of us in your photos.

Curious to see where you ended up for lunch.

 

[kschafer]

What a fun morning at DHS!! Looks like Gabe had a blast on TSM and I love the pics with Woody and Buzz!!

Keep up the great TR!

 

[Cory's Gal]

Great update Beth!

Wow! Loved the flashback picture of Gabe! He was so little!! Oh and what a great pose by Mater and Lightning!!

Looks like they both had a lot of fun on HISTK playground! I know the boys loved exploring it last year!

Hmmm....I'm guessing Pizza Planet for lunch.... I know that's what my boys would choose!!

Thanks so much Angie!! Gabe has grown so much, he had just as much excitement about McQueen and Mater this time as he did last time! They had a lot of fun on the playground, it helped them burn off some energy!! Good guess for lunch...

Oh - Gabe has gotten so big! Cute pix with the Cars!

Question for you on the Playground - was it busy when you were there? I've read that it can get really busy and people lose track of their kids in there - that some of the paths that the kids go through you can lose track of them and then you have to try to find them on the other side? Did you have any issue with that? I do plan to take the kids there but had read a few horror stories. What did you think? Is going in the morning a lot less busy?

Karen

Thanks Karen!! No the playground wasn't too busy, it would get a bit crowded by where the slides were but otherwise not too bad. The kids moved slower because of Helen and they stuck together really well so they probably didn't move as fast as your boys could. I would guess the morning would be the slowest part of the day, the kids had a lot of fun exploring and climbing! I think there is just one entrance/exit, I could be wrong but I only noticed one main one and there were benches there. You and your hubby could take turns following the boys around if you wanted while the other was sitting out...just an idea! They still talk about playing there so it was worth it to us!!

Once again, Cute Pics. Glad you got to ride TSM at least twice. Did you get to ride it a third time this day since you got the first two in so early? I loved meeting Woody and Buzz, I think they are really good with the kids. My guess is that you went to pizza planet for lunch since it was Gabe's choice!!

Thank you so so much!! We only rode twice that day but did make it back later in the week!!!! I think the FP return time was late in the day the second time around and we had an early night because of our early breakfast ADR the next day! Woody and Buzz were great, all of our character encounters were wonderful! We never felt rushed along which was really nice, I think W & B spent the most time with us though!! Great fun!!! REALLY good guess about lunch!!!

 

[Cory's Gal]

great flashback! boy Gabe is such a big boy now! Oh! your picture make me want to go back now not Danny's time frame...may have to start my own Disney fund! :
we have managed to miss the toy story characters and the "cars" two years in a row...

Ashton ask just about everyday when we are going to ride the "mickey bus" and TSM! he is also on a daily kick about three times a day to check his inches we have a growth chart we were using to measure his growth before we left!
Connie

Thanks Connie, it's fun to look back at our last trip and compare to this one!! Gabe LOVED the buses and LOVED TSM, both of those were tops on his list!!! We have already started our next "Disney Fund" even though it may be 2-3 years until our next trip!! It never hurts to save!!!!!

Yay for riding TSM! Definitely one of our favorites too.

I love your TR because you have small kids...so much of what you do reminds me of our trips from when my sisters and I were little. I remember playing in the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground. I can't believe it's still there!

Thanks Sarah!! HISTK was great fun for us, I am so glad to hear you have such great Disney memories with your sisters, I hoping my kiddos are building those same memories and that they look back at how much we had!!!!

Beth, your kids are so stinkin' cute!!!!

We were on Splash Mt when it started raining I guess we were destined to get wet one way or another! I think it's funny how your dad likes to predict the weather. My dh does that too. He has a theory about fog/bad weather. He'll even write it on our calendar

I love your pics with Woody and Buzz. They are great!!! Actually all of your pics are great. I wish I'd have taken some on TSMM. Didn't think of it I guess. I tried and tried to get my kids in to meet Woody and Buzz but they weren't into waiting in line. Sigh.

Thanks Chris!! My dad is goofy that way, he likes to "predict" things and it just makes him think even more that he's "always right"... We got really lucky with Woody and Buzz line, it was so short and such a quick wait! It was a lot of fun in line too with the props set up, it made the 5 minute wait go even faster!!!!

 

[Cory's Gal]

We must have been at TSM at the same time! We missed the mad dash and got there a little after 9 too... but I didn't spot any of us in your photos.

Curious to see where you ended up for lunch.

I was looking for you Amy, there were so many people in Pixar Place!!! I am glad we didn't have much of a wait though!! I kept looking for us in your pics too but no luck! Where did you guys eat that day??? Was that your H & V meal????

What a fun morning at DHS!! Looks like Gabe had a blast on TSM and I love the pics with Woody and Buzz!!

Keep up the great TR!

Thanks Katie!! We all had a great time that morning, especially Gabe!!! It was a morning full of fun!!!!

 

[Cory's Gal]

Okay as I last left off we met back up with my parents and were on our way to lunch at...













PIZZA PLANET!!!!!!!!! You all guessed right!!!!

How could we deny our Toy Story lovin' son the chance to eat at Pizza Planet???!!!
Typical fare here, pizza and salads were shared by all and we ate outside in the shade and it was BEAUTIFUL!!!!!! We had a nice lunch, it wasn't busy there at all!! As we were eating, right across the way we saw our lady member of the Round-Up Gang, JESSIE!!!!!! Helen didn't seem to care so I took Gabe right on over to meet her, yodalee-hee-hoo!!

She was really sweet and LOVED Gabe's shirt!!! (If you can tell in the pics it's a Toy Story shirt, who would have planned such a thing???) We went back to the table and I tried to fix Helen's hair, she was so cooperative...

I believe we next headed over to see Mike and Sully!! We waited about 10 minutes to see them but it was so fun, I LOVE the cute back-drop they have with those two! Helen wasn't quite sure...

We finally were heading towards another "must-do" on the DHS list, LIGHTS! MOTORS! ACTION!!

This of course tops Gabe's list, he absolutely loves every second of this show!! I have seen it now 3 times, I'm good with it but to watch Gabe get so excited when those cars are doing the jumps and racing, PRICELESS!!!! Here's some shots of us before the show began!
Just a BIT excited!

We did have to try to keep Helen occupied a bit, I think it was a bit loud for her.

After the show we wandered toward Hollywood Boulevard and Helen fell asleep the second we left LMA! We thought we would stake out a spot for Block Party Bash!!

Continued in the next post...

 

[Cory's Gal]

We found a bench in the shade and hung out for a bit with treats of Mickey Bars!!! I don't know why I didn't take a picture...Helen was still snoozing and it started to fill in a bit so Cory and I moved to the curb while the kids stayed with my parents in the shade...
Here we are killing some time...

Then as soon as the music began Helen was up and ready to dance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here they come!

We were lucky enough to have the Toy Story guys right in front of us!!!

The kids (and grown-ups too) had a BLAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We waved good-bye as the party moved on...

I think we headed into the Great Movie Ride next to cool down a bit and then we headed out of DHS!! What a great day!!!
Here is Gabe watching EVERYTHING that the bus driver was doing, he was tired but still paying close attention!

Once we got back we went up to the room to put our feet up a little bit and then we took the boat over to POR for my parents "surprise"!!

First we grabbed some dinner at the food court, typical fare here and then I walked them to their Carriage Ride!! They were so excited and my mom had commented to my Dad that they saw this our first day and wanted to do it!! I will post a couple of pics when I get the pics from my mom, hopefully today!! They took off on their ride, it was about 6:00/6:30 and the four of us wandered back to FQ, taking our time walking up the river! I think we stopped and soaked our feet in the kid's pool and grabbed a snack from Sassy and headed back to our room, we had to be up and out early for our morning breakfast!!!! The kids were asleep by 8:30 or so, we watched the tip top of Illuminations from outside our room, and were in bed early too!! Here's a fantastic picture of me at the end of the day...

Next up, did we get up and out in time for an early Safari Breakfast??? Were the "Bus Gods" on our side??? Did I pay way too much for a picture???? Keep reading to find out!!!

 

[jenniferkeala808]

great update beth! you got to see great characters that day! I love how Gabe is soooo excited to see lights, motors, action! Definitely a must-see right?! I'm sooo glad your parents loved their carriage ride...can't wait to see pics!! Ours was on our last day so it'll probably be a while until you see our pics from that! LOL! Can't wait to hear more!

 

[belleinpink]

Not sure if I've said this yet, and if I have I don't think I can say it enough. Your kids are absolutely adorable. and I must say Helen is handling characters much better then I did at her age. I made my family wait in line for two hours to see Mickey and when we got there I ran the other way screaming and crying. My mom refused to wait in anymore character lines until I was 5, but i don't know why.

Can't wait to read more

 

[longing2Batdisney]

Wonderful update! Beth
love the Monster's photo shoot so cute! and the Dace Party Parade looked to be a blast! sounds like a wonderful day and great end to the day with a carrige ride for your parents and nice laid back walk in the resorts!
Connie

 

[overthemoon4mickey]

Great trip report! I love the kiddos sleeping...They are so sweet! Can't wait to read more!

 

[smithpack]

It looks like you had quite the Toy Story day. I love Helen dancing to the parade pics. So cute! My daughter was scared of the Monster Inc. characters as well. I thought Sully was a statue because he stood so still, and then it freaked me out when I saw his foot move. I can't wait for Toy Story 3 to come out, next weekend!!!!!

 

[Cory's Gal]

great update beth! you got to see great characters that day! I love how Gabe is soooo excited to see lights, motors, action! Definitely a must-see right?! I'm sooo glad your parents loved their carriage ride...can't wait to see pics!! Ours was on our last day so it'll probably be a while until you see our pics from that! LOL! Can't wait to hear more!

Thanks Keala! We had a great day! Gabe goes nuts for LMA! He has red and black hot wheels cars that he recreates the scenes with at home!! It's fun to watch him play!! My parents LOVED the carriage ride, they said it was a great way to get a little "tour" of both resorts, my mom said it was really relaxing! I hope you and Roman enjoyed it too!!!

Not sure if I've said this yet, and if I have I don't think I can say it enough. Your kids are absolutely adorable. and I must say Helen is handling characters much better then I did at her age. I made my family wait in line for two hours to see Mickey and when we got there I ran the other way screaming and crying. My mom refused to wait in anymore character lines until I was 5, but i don't know why.

Can't wait to read more

So glad you are reading along!!! Thank you so so much for the sweet comments about my kiddos!! Helen did pretty good with the characters, she definitely got more and more brave as the trip went on!!! Gabe loved all of them and wanted to just give hugs upon hugs!!!!

Wonderful update! Beth
love the Monster's photo shoot so cute! and the Dace Party Parade looked to be a blast! sounds like a wonderful day and great end to the day with a carrige ride for your parents and nice laid back walk in the resorts!
Connie

Thanks Connie!!! It was a great day!! The Monsters were great and even though there was a pretty good line they didn't seem to rush us along at all!! It was wonderful!!! The end of the day was nice and quiet, I was nervous to get us all up and out so early the next day!!!

 

[Cory's Gal]

Great trip report! I love the kiddos sleeping...They are so sweet! Can't wait to read more!

Thanks Becky!! So glad you are reading along too!!! Thanks for saying my kids are sweet too!! They had such a great time on our trip and my hubby and I were amazed at their REALLY good behavior while we were gone! They got along really well too...must be something in the water there...

It looks like you had quite the Toy Story day. I love Helen dancing to the parade pics. So cute! My daughter was scared of the Monster Inc. characters as well. I thought Sully was a statue because he stood so still, and then it freaked me out when I saw his foot move. I can't wait for Toy Story 3 to come out, next weekend!!!!!

Yes! Sully was HUGE!! Just like Goofy I wondered who was in there and just how did they move in that big thing!!! The parade was so much fun, REALLY HIGH ENERGY and fun music! They do such a good job getting everyone going!! We are SOOOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED for TOY STORY 3!!!! Gabe is counting down the days and has chosen to see it on Saturday the day after it opens! He wants to see it with both Cory and I and during the day, so Saturday it is!! I love all the previews it looks like a really good movie!!!!!!! I am sure you guys will be seeing it too!!!!