No boys allowed! The birthday girl and Mom take on Disney

[Chelley00]

We were headed to ride Mad Tea Party (puke) but we saw this guy behind the ride and decided to make a detour

Uncle Scrooge likes money and shiny things, so he kept trying to steal Riley's pirate loot and her medallion

Finally, the teacups

Riley sent Daddy a text telling him we were riding, and she said he bet she wished he was there so he could spin her really fast, however, I think I did a pretty good job

Trying to walk straight off the ride is pretty much impossible so we stumbled our way over to meet the White Rabbit and the Queen of Hearts

It was time for our fastpasses to Peter Pan, so we went for our first of many flights

And then, off to Dumbo.

Then we walked over and Riley scored Cinderella's personal horse with the golden ribbon

and to finish up our Fantasyland stint, Philharmagic

 

[Chelley00]

Finally, she lets me ride Haunted Mansion. She's such a thrill girl, but she hates scary stuff. I love Haunted Mansion, but she wasn't too keen on the idea. This is when I pull out the "I paid for this trip and you will at least ride it once! Besides, what happened to the every ride at least once on our trip?"

She relented, but not nicely

and let me tell you how much she loved it when we got stuck right by the ballroom dancers!


We decided to save Tomorrowland for, well, tomorrow, and made our way back towards Big Thunder for a couple more rides before dinner.

on the way we caught the Tiana boat show coming back in. They made a big fuss over Riley (how funny, this is the movie we watched with my mom this weekend!)

2 rides on Big Thunder,

and we made our way out of the park

caught the monorail (our first monorail ride of the trip!) and headed to

 

[Chelley00]

When we were planning our trip, Riley's really only true request for dinner was Chef Mickey's. It's been a stop on each of our trips. Last time we ate here I got the flu that night and I wasn't really keen on eating here just because of bad memories , but we moms do what we have to do. Off we go.

We checked in and were seated right away and Donald was right there.

And Mickey right after

After that we dashed to the buffet to try and get our food before the next round of characters came. The food was just not great, but that's in our dining report

Goofy next

Our waitress really just looked frazzled. She came and sat down Riley's birthday cupcake, but didn't light the candle.

During the napkin twirling, she was running around trying to light candles and brought out a cake for someone else.

We were okay with it, honestly, but she ran back over and apologized over and over to Riley for not getting her cupcake lit during the song. Notice who is standing there while she was lighting the candle

Riley looks at the waitress and says "My candle just went out"

and this is when the waitress pointed and Riley realizes that Goofy had blown her candle out for her

Finally, she got to actually blow the candle out

 

[Chelley00]

Pluto was next

Minnie loved Riley's pirate Minnie shirt

We monorailed over to MK and caught the bus back to AK. When we got back to our room, our mousekeeper had been busy

We went down to the lobby to participate in the parade.

After the parade they gathered around the medallion in the lobby and listened to the CM tell about their country, and then were given a certificate

On our way back up, Riley decided to spend some of her money from her grandparents and get a cariacture done

I didn't take a picture of the finished project, but here you can see Riley's face. Our boxer, Duke, is in it and her shirt says "I love dogs". She looks like she's about 22 in it, but she loves it

We decided to call it a pretty early night, because we had an early morning breakfast reservation the next day and were planning a full day back at the Magic Kingdom. Riley's wish for the day, that Space Mountain would open early so she could ride it. It wasn't scheduled to open until Sunday the 22nd, but we heard rumors on the bus that it was open for awhile on Monday, and they were planning on opening it this night (Tuesday), so Riley was really hoping they would have it open for awhile on Wednesday

 

[praisehisname]

You and Riley had an awesome day! I would love to do a mother/daughter trip some day!

Denise

 

[StefaniLyn]

Loving the latest installments. Riley looks so cute and you have totally sold me on my girly girls being pirates on our next Disney trip!!

Were the character lines long? You seem to run into them everywhere! Is it good timing or did you plan that out?

Bella snagged a ride on Cindy's horse too! The CM we had made sure of it! I'm surprised that not many people know that little Disney secret.

 

[Chelley00]

You and Riley had an awesome day! I would love to do a mother/daughter trip some day!

Denise

Oh you should if you can. We had so much fun! Riley has already put her dibs down to go again for her 13th birthday since that's when she'll get her next big birthday party. Gives me time to save!

Were the character lines long? You seem to run into them everywhere! Is it good timing or did you plan that out?

We only stop to see characters if the lines aren't long and we know we won't see them at a restaurant later. We bypassed all the princess meet and greets since we knew we had lots of character meals planned with them. If the line is really long, we'll probably skip it.


Okay, I just shoveled 7 inches of snow off the driveway for the 5th time this winter. I'm ready for spring!!!!!!!

 

[Chelley00]

The good thing about early morning ADRs is that you get in the park early and get all these pretty pictures of an empty park.


The bad thing is that wake up call comes really freaking early.



I made coffee and headed out to the balcony. Riley was dragging this morning and not wanting to go anywhere. I was a little nervous because we had a very full day planned. I decided we could afford to let her sleep another 15 minutes or so, and I got to enjoy this

Our view on the way to the bus stop

Posing with Goofy after we entered Magic Kingdom

We kept making our way up Main Street until we reached our breakfast destination

We had eaten here on our first trip, and we really enjoyed it. I was sad to see so many bad reviews on it lately, but decided to keep the reservation, because honestly, can you have a girly trip and not eat in the castle?

First stop, Cinderella herself

We scored a table overlooking Fantasyland, and unfortunately, men in hard hats

But who cares, we're in the castle!

I put this in our dining report, however, it could be repeated. Yes, our food came out very quickly, but we never felt rushed. Our waiter even told us to take our time. The princeses came through pretty quickly, but since it was just 2 of us, we didn't need a ton of time, but they spent a good bit at the other tables. The food was good (oh, that puffed french toast. I could eat it daily) We were very happy with our breakfast!

Snow White

Aurora

Jasmine

Belle

Laugh with me. I think she was making a wish, but she looks troubled (or in pain)

Of course a cupcake

and a singing waiter, which I thought was so nice of him to do!

We left right as they had dropped the rope, and we were excited to make our way out and find Fantasyland open for business, with no people in lines yet!

 

[Chelley00]

We were headed towards The Many Adventures of Winne the Pooh, but made a quick detour to be first in line for this guy since we saw him walking to his Tree Farm

A quick ride on Pooh, then we were off to Tomorrowland

My daughter had one goal. To ride Space Mountain. This was Wednesday, it wasn't scheduled to open until Sunday, but we had heard rumors of soft openings. She promised not to be too let down if it wasn't running (right!) We made our way over there, stopping to drive the race cars first. We are from Indiana, after all. Riley received a license for her trip. I got whiplash

Space Mountain was a no go. The CM told us to check back after lunch because he was pretty sure it would be up and going then.

Off to Buzz instead

And then we took our first ever ride on Carousel of Progress. It was being refurbed on one trip, and then we just missed it on the other. Riley really enjoyed it. I liked being able to sit down for awhile, but man does that song stick in your head! "It's a great big beautiful tomorrow"

Remember earlier from our DHS day where I said there is always a picture of my feet from every trip? It's a family joke. Well, how about from the TTA?

God bless Teva Mush flip flops. The best flip flop ever invented. Trust me. I have way too many pairs and these are my favorite.

We went over to Stitch, got in the door and waited. And waited. Thankfully, Stitch is broken! We have to come back later. So happy to escape that one at least for now!!!! I'd totally skip it, but we're on this mission to ride every ride, remember? Blech.

We decided it was time to pay homage to Mickey and Minnie's house and the rest of Toontown before Disney does whatever they are planning to do back there. I'm so glad we got one final trip to see the old stuff before the new expansion is done. It makes me sad to see the changes. I'm not a fan of change

 

[praisehisname]

Riley looks so cute with all the princesses! I'm excited to try breakfast at CRT. I can make ADRs in May, and I'm on a mission to get it!

Denise

 

[Chelley00]

Minnie's house is always first. Riley has loved Minnie since she was teeny tiny. Minnie always gets first bids. Riley loves Minnie's house and could easily spend an hour here.

Mickey's house is next

Then it's off to Donald's boat to splash for awhile. Perfect time for me to sit for a few minutes and talk with Daddy and baby brother at home

Riley it itching for some speed, so we make the decision to take the train to Frontierland and ride Big Thunder and Splash.

Now, my DAUGHTER, my girl, gets to the train station, and passes time, by catching lizards

We hopped off the train, and I decided we were going to head out to Tom Sawyer Island....another place we've never been. Riley had a great time out here and could have spent the whole afternoon exploring.

After an hour, I drug her back the raft station and headed back towards the mainland, where we rode Big Thunder Mt twice

And this is when we made a major mistake

 

[praisehisname]

Now, my DAUGHTER, my girl, gets to the train station, and passes time, by catching lizards

My daughter would do the same thing!

And this is when we made a major mistake

Uh oh...

Denise

 

[pipersmom]

Eeks..I finally get all caught up only to be left with a cliffhanger! Seriously though, I have loved catching up and seeing all the fun you and Riley are having. I love the great character interactions you all are getting, and the pirate makeover looked awesome! I love rides, and Piper is insisting she's going to ride everything..we'll see! Looking forward to your next installment!

 

[MeMom]

I am enjoying all of the pictures. It's nice that you've got such a well-rounded daughter - a little pirate, a little princess, a little lizard catcher....

It was sweet that she promised to take ride pictures for her brother.

 

[Chelley00]

My daughter would do the same thing!

[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

Doesn't it drive you nuts? She plays with bugs and lizards and who knows what else.

I love rides, and Piper is insisting she's going to ride everything..we'll see! !

It's actually pretty hard, especially if you have one that wants to ride her favorites over and over and over again. I've been following along in Piper's Wish Trip planning. I can't wait to read your trip report!

It was sweet that she promised to take ride pictures for her brother.

They have their moments when they are nice together. 10 minutes ago they were fighting over who got to take a bath first.



So, ready for me to finish the cliffhanger?

 

[Chelley00]

And this is when we made a major mistake

Ah yes. Nice lovely day. Riley has just drug me on Big Thunder twice in a row. And now she makes her next decision. Our oops.

How can sweet little Splash Mountain be a mistake. Well, the sign says it all.

We didn't may get wet. We got wet. Drenched. Not only were we placed perfectly beside the drop so that when we came around the corner and the other boat came down, the cannons shot off and all that water landed right in our laps, we were also in the front row. I've gotten wet spots on Splash before, but never completely drenched

And we had ponchos in my bag. Putting them on first would have been a good idea, no?



Riley got the bright idea that riding Big Thunder would dry us off, and actually, after a couple of rides, it was actually better

We backtracked to watch the Tiki Birds (our first time)

Then we went to watch Country Bears

Riley insisted we stay and watch it again. I outvoted her.


I told Riley we should go check on Space Mountain. It was late in the afternoon, so maybe, just maybe we could catch a ride. We decided to take the train and walk from there

I led Riley through Toontown just to check the wait time, and it was only 20 minutes, so we hopped in line. Riley wasn't the least bit happy, but we had said we'd do characters we've either never seen before, or wouldn't be eating with, and these were first timers for us!

Tinkerbell was way perky. I'm glad we saved her for the afternoon and not first thing in the morning

The line here is very deceiving. I knew we were close to the door, but they take just a few at a time, lead them into a room and shut the door. We were freezing because we were still wet and the air was on, and people were getting cranky. It said 20 minutes but it was much closer to 30. The longest wait we had all week for anything!


As we were taking the path from Toontown through Fantasyland, my daughter could not be detoured

and she insisted on this one again too (really?)

Our next destination from the Speedway

Finally, we make our way to check on Space Mountain.

Open or not?

 

[texfinn]

Thank you thank you thank you for the wonderful TR! I just booked a Mother/Daughter trip with my DD who is almost the same age as Riley. We won't be there as long and will be there in the summer but I think with careful planning, we will have a BLAST. Your TR is giving me some great ideas and getting me more and more excited! Thanks for sharing!

 

[Chelley00]

Thank you thank you thank you for the wonderful TR! I just booked a Mother/Daughter trip with my DD who is almost the same age as Riley. We won't be there as long and will be there in the summer but I think with careful planning, we will have a BLAST. Your TR is giving me some great ideas and getting me more and more excited! Thanks for sharing!

I hope you have as great of a time as Riley and I did. I wish everyone could take a mother/daughter trip.

 

[Chelley00]

All the way through Tomorrowland, I hear this little whisper "please please please". She wanted Space Mountain to be be open so badly!

Our original checkout date was on Saturday, but Space Mountain was scheduled to reopen from refurbishment on Sunday. I added a day in hopes she'd get to ride it. We had heard rumors of people getting to ride. I knew Riley would be heartbroken if it was still down, but we could still come on Sunday before we flew out and try again.

But, when we arrived at the line, we saw this pretty little sign

We made our way through the que and got to play a couple of seconds of the new interactive games throughout the line, but the line was moving pretty quickly, and there really weren't very many people in line.

Finally, we're on. Think she's happy it's open?

Still bumpy, but still fun. Riley insisted we go again.

And again.

After the third time, we had to leave to head out for dinner.

This is one restaurant Riley said she'd like to go to, but I couldn't get ADRs. She was okay with it and we talked about eating at Akershus instead. However, persistance paid off and I kept looking online and finally scored a ressie

Tonight, an actual cake

I don't know if it was just an off night, or because it was just 2 of us, or because we had a really early ressie, or what, but we were bored. There was no banter, the sisters were almost nice, the stepmother just made really big eyes and left. I was disappointed. They were that way with all the tables around us. I was hoping for something, anything, but really we didn't get it. However, the food was really good. (the cake was a total waste of money....we were so full from the dining plan all week, and full from the buffet. We took it with us, and nibbled on it a couple of times, but we trashed quite a bit of it)


On the way out we stopped to look at the gingerbread house. It smells so good in the Grand Floridian at Christmas! The house was beautiful and so big!

We caught the monorail back to Magic Kingdom, and settled ourselves on Main Street to watch something we have ALWAYS missed out on.

 

[Chelley00]

In all our Magic Kingdom trips, we've always missed Spectromagic! Our first trip we were settled, and Riley decided to have to go to the bathroom, and we didn't make it in time, so we ended up leaving. Finally, we were parked on the curb on Main Street, and it was time!

My hero

After Spectro we caught the bus back to AKL, stayed up and watched TV for awhile (Phineus and Ferb...no cable at our house means that Disney Channel is a HUGE luxury for us!) Tomorrow we take a much needed day off.

And another HUGE surprise for Riley