'OHANA means CHUNKY! An Aug 2017 Family TR THE END 4/26 - The Last Day and Trip Epilogue!

[happy wanderer]

The first time we took our daughter to WDW (she was five)....we made a huge tactical error. On the first day we visited HS and convinced her to ride ToT. The rest of the trip was set to this refrain..."Are you SURE this won't scare me??". She is now 12 and still won't ride it!

Longtime fan of your trip reports...Can't wait to read all about the adventures ahead

 

[Elizabeth Smith]

Personally, I think the Teacups are iconic. Probably not the best ride in the world. Definitely need to sit down afterwards. LOL.

I love your character meet photos. Makes me excited for having MemoryMaker on my upcoming trip.

Pressed pennies are one of my favorite souvenirs. They are really unique and you can really only get them in Disney. I love that about them. Plus they are cheap, as far as souvenirs go.

 

[monorailsilver]

Love the Mickey bib and Sienna's sweet little face.

Don't love the tea cups . My husband has to take my kids. I watch from the outskirts!

 

[franandaj]

Holy O'hana! Seven pages! I'll have to come back to catch up, but at least I made it here!

 

[franandaj]

Ooooops double post!

 

[Dentam]

Ah ok! We are at DHS the morning of the 4th, followed by Epcot for lunch and then a 3pm wine tasting then headed to MK to meet @cinderkelly and to watch HEA! Maybe as we're leaving HS as you're entering we can say hi in passing?
On Tuesday we're at Epcot all day before ME picks us up around 5pm from Yacht Club. Not sure if this fits into your plans but it would be great to just say hi!!

My flight doesn't get in until about noon unfortunately so I probably won't be to HS until early afternoon. If we switch up our Tuesday plans I'll let you know! Currently we're planning to spend all day Wednesday at Epcot before heading over to AK for the after hours party!

 

[Heidi Lou]

I don't know how I missed the start of this TR! but I am loving it so far...I know I said it on instagram or Facebook, but looking at the pictures I have to say again how precious your family is! That first group shot in front the castle with everyone's arms out got me a little teary eyed. Love it!

The airport monorail situation had me cracking up....I pictured a Home Alone moment there! haha Too bad no one was wearing a go-pro for some of these stories!

Can't wait to read more as usual!

 

[mamamelody2]

Great report so far!
My favorite part is the pic of you and your niece on 7DMT. Truly awesome! LOL.

 

[chunkymonkey]

The first time we took our daughter to WDW (she was five)....we made a huge tactical error. On the first day we visited HS and convinced her to ride ToT. The rest of the trip was set to this refrain..."Are you SURE this won't scare me??". She is now 12 and still won't ride it!

Longtime fan of your trip reports...Can't wait to read all about the adventures ahead

Aww, I hope I haven't scarred Eva for life! She is one of those "girly" girls and she's more comfortable in the presence of princesses than roller coasters!
But hey, I don't even ride ToT! I will never forget my first time on it, I think it was in 1998 or something like that and yeah, just never again. I don't like free falling type rides!

Thank you so much for reading!!

Personally, I think the Teacups are iconic. Probably not the best ride in the world. Definitely need to sit down afterwards. LOL.

I love your character meet photos. Makes me excited for having MemoryMaker on my upcoming trip.

Pressed pennies are one of my favorite souvenirs. They are really unique and you can really only get them in Disney. I love that about them. Plus they are cheap, as far as souvenirs go.

The teacups are iconic! I love that they are there, but it's not really my kinda thing, lol.

Memory maker is awesome! Just take as many pictures as you can! We ended up with over a thousand just on this trip. The photopass website is a pain though when it comes to downloading everything.

The pressed pennies were cute! They were just heavy to lug around everywhere!

Love the Mickey bib and Sienna's sweet little face.

Don't love the tea cups . My husband has to take my kids. I watch from the outskirts!

Aww thank you, she is a cutie although she spent half the time sleeping during rides and shows LOL.
Watching the teacups from the outskirts is my preferred way of doing it. The things I do for the kids...lol.

Holy O'hana! Seven pages! I'll have to come back to catch up, but at least I made it here!

Haha it's mostly comments, I just wrote 3 posts so far! Soon to be 4 if I ever get around to it today...I just want to complete one full day's reporting!

My flight doesn't get in until about noon unfortunately so I probably won't be to HS until early afternoon. If we switch up our Tuesday plans I'll let you know! Currently we're planning to spend all day Wednesday at Epcot before heading over to AK for the after hours party!

Yes please let me know! That DVC party sounds awesome! Hope you're able to get on FoP without much wait!!

I don't know how I missed the start of this TR! but I am loving it so far...I know I said it on instagram or Facebook, but looking at the pictures I have to say again how precious your family is! That first group shot in front the castle with everyone's arms out got me a little teary eyed. Love it!

Hi Heidi! Thank you so much! It was definitely a special moment to have the whole family there and then some at my favorite place on earth!! Let's see if they still feel that way at the end of the trip, lol.

The airport monorail situation had me cracking up....I pictured a Home Alone moment there! haha Too bad no one was wearing a go-pro for some of these stories!

Can't wait to read more as usual!

Oh yeah that would have been a sight to see...the dads carrying the double strollers, me racing down the terminal with two carry ons, the moms running with the kids, and Steve directing traffic...it was pretty darn funny.

Great report so far!
My favorite part is the pic of you and your niece on 7DMT. Truly awesome! LOL.

Thank you so much!!
Oh yeah, my niece's expression is priceless. I'm going to show this to her in 10 years and ask if she'll go on mine train again, in case I've scarred her for life, haha.

 

[annie170]

Poor little Eva on the Mine Train reminds me of our trip last January where our youngest granddaughter just made the height requirement for the 7DMT. She was a month away from her third birthday and a little on the tall side. We never thought she would make it, so it was a nice surprise that the whole family could ride together. Needless to say, she hated it and may be scarred for life. My daughter kept saying that she couldn't believe she took a two year old on that ride!

Oh that Daisy! What a flirt! Although, Steve appears to be enjoying the attention!

Did the girls fill their pressed penny books? That's a great souvenir.

You got some really nice pictures with the characters!

Too bad about the rain, but way to carry on!

 

[wdwnut61]

More beautiful pictures of the family
Your are still the Cool Aunt and a trooper for going on the tea cups
I can't even look at them
That darling little girl clinging to you on 7DMT reminds me of our first trip with my girls. My youngest was 5 and just tall enough for TOT. I wanted to do the parent swap but my DH says " she'll be fine "
Now this was before the lap belts so it's a bar that stops at the adults waste leaving a gaping hole for her to fly away Our ride photo is priceless as DH is clinging to her and she is buried in his lap. Poor kid now 22 still brings it up every trip remember when you guys tricked me into riding TOT At least she likes it now
I love the pictures from Storybook Circus can't wait to show them to my granddaughter. She loves Dumbo and has requested the flying elephants as her first ride

 

[Disneyluv4evr]

Great idea about microfiber towel. Will definitely pack one for my trip n 12 days!!

 

[coloredimage]

Yup all 15 of us, I didn't lose anyone yet!

I'm doing a vacation next July with six adults and the coordination for that is daunting - I don't know how you managed to do it with 15!!

So I did a double take at this picture because, while scrolling quickly, the man in black looks like my dad lol! I was very confused, especially considering he definitely was not down there at the time as far as I know!

Oh yeah, you want to know what a sweat blanket feels like? Go to Disney in August. Good times.

YUP! Ugh, as a teacher it's usually the only time I can go to Florida, but I've been spoiled by going over April break the past couple of years. I'm less than thrilled with the idea of going in July (or, I mean, October, but at least there's Food and Wine and Halloween in October lol)

UNLESS

You are in the back of the train.

Which we were.

I totally forgot.

It swings madly from side to side and you can feel the movement more from the back.

OH NO! Actually this happened with us and my nephew but he did not look that terrified in his picture. Poor thing! Hopefully you regain Cool Aunt status!

This is such a cute picture!

I luckily had a small microfiber towel in my bag, which came in very handy over the week, let me tell you. It could wipe up anything: sweat, rainwater, splashes, wet seats, spills. I would wash it every night and it dried overnight quickly. Just something to note if you don't like to get wet (which is me).

I'm making note of this because that is a brilliant idea. I also hate being wet so this is definitely a good thing to remember.

 

[rndmr2]

This picture is priceless! I loved the Mine train when we went but my dad and DH weren't too thrilled. Although I probably would have hated it at her age too.

Loving the TR so far, so many great pics.

 

[buzzrelly]

Guess who got suckered into doing the tea cups, the one ride she hates, but because she wants to maintain Cool Aunt status, she goes along with it...

But it makes for such a cute picture!

So I think from this picture, you can tell I may have lost my Cool Aunt status.

She looks terrified! But good for her for getting on in the first place!

It was cute as we were leaving Daisy really didn't want Steve to leave!

Aw! She's trying to steal your man!

I luckily had a small microfiber towel in my bag, which came in very handy over the week, let me tell you. It could wipe up anything: sweat, rainwater, splashes, wet seats, spills. I would wash it every night and it dried overnight quickly. Just something to note if you don't like to get wet (which is me).

This is a great idea! I'm totally stealing it for our next trip!

 

[Bethislucy]

Following along this looks like one fun trip.

 

[FrozenOne16]

Love the idea for the Microfiber towel! I have a few of those that I use at home! I will have to grab a couple and bring with us since we are camping on our Oct trip!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Aww. Eva's sweet little face on 7DMT! I've never been on it. Is it on par with Big Thunder? I'm not a thrill ride person but I was thinking I'd give this a try. Maybe not...

Making a note to pack a micro fiber towel. You are full of good tips!!

Ugh on the rain but you really accomplished quite a lot on your first day and it's not over yet!

 

[LindseyJo22]

To my surprise monorail bag check was not too bad. They still had to check like every stroller and bag but it wasn't as painful as I thought it would be because there were far fewer people on line. The best part was being able to skip the park bag check lines which are usually much worse!

I am pretty excited about this for our upcoming trip. Being able to skip long security lines and just deal with the people from the Poly seems much better!

This was the breakfast lasagna which was layers of cake and fruit and pudding, sort of like a bread pudding with bananas and strawberries but not quite as baked. It was pretty good but not like wow good. The puffy french toast was yummy as were the Mickey waffles, of course!

Yum! I just told Will that I was wanting to go back to Crystal Palace after looking at your TR. We still haven't been back since our honeymoon, and I'm thinking another trip is in order.

But after she gets off, she decided she LOVES this ride and wants to go back on. I distracted her from the 70 minute wait time by suggesting, wow, Small World is only 15 minutes! So we walk across and ride IASW.

Haha, good strategy! I can't imagine waiting standby for Peter Pan - it's just so insane all the time.


Love the pictures, and love your awesome people-managing skills. I will remember not to take small children on the back of the mine train just in case that becomes relevant But I'm pretty sure you are good with your cool Aunt status - I mean, you're in Disney!

Can't wait to read more to tide me over until our trip in 36 days

 

[chunkymonkey]

Poor little Eva on the Mine Train reminds me of our trip last January where our youngest granddaughter just made the height requirement for the 7DMT. She was a month away from her third birthday and a little on the tall side. We never thought she would make it, so it was a nice surprise that the whole family could ride together. Needless to say, she hated it and may be scarred for life. My daughter kept saying that she couldn't believe she took a two year old on that ride!

Wow a 2 year old!!! Your granddaughter probably won't remember she went on it but Eva definitely does and she does not want to ride again. LOL. I think I have made her afraid of thrill rides.

Oh that Daisy! What a flirt! Although, Steve appears to be enjoying the attention!

She was very flirty, that Daisy! Of course Steve was enjoying himself. He's a natural Gaston.

Did the girls fill their pressed penny books? That's a great souvenir.

Yup it was full!! And they only just got the tip of the iceberg. There were plenty of penny machines that they did not hit up.

You got some really nice pictures with the characters!
Too bad about the rain, but way to carry on!

The rain was a bummer but we had to carry on! It's only our first day!

More beautiful pictures of the family
Your are still the Cool Aunt and a trooper for going on the tea cups
I can't even look at them

Thank you! Yes I should get lifetime Cool Aunt status for going on those teacups.

That darling little girl clinging to you on 7DMT reminds me of our first trip with my girls. My youngest was 5 and just tall enough for TOT. I wanted to do the parent swap but my DH says " she'll be fine "
Now this was before the lap belts so it's a bar that stops at the adults waste leaving a gaping hole for her to fly away Our ride photo is priceless as DH is clinging to her and she is buried in his lap. Poor kid now 22 still brings it up every trip remember when you guys tricked me into riding TOT At least she likes it now

Haha that's good to know that she eventually liked ToT again even though it took a while. I may have scared Eva from all thrill rides.

I love the pictures from Storybook Circus can't wait to show them to my granddaughter. She loves Dumbo and has requested the flying elephants as her first ride

I love Dumbo! I can't remember if Eva rode it or not. I definitely did not but they did go off without me at some point.

Great idea about microfiber towel. Will definitely pack one for my trip n 12 days!!

It was more useful than I thought it would be!! Especially with all the rain.
Have a great trip!!

I'm doing a vacation next July with six adults and the coordination for that is daunting - I don't know how you managed to do it with 15!!

I think when you do the planning for newbies it's one thing but when you do it for 6 adults all with their own opinion and schedule it can get a little daunting. Everyone basically just agreed with everything I planned because they wouldn't know what else to do!

So I did a double take at this picture because, while scrolling quickly, the man in black looks like my dad lol! I was very confused, especially considering he definitely was not down there at the time as far as I know!

Hahaha...that is too funny! Well now you have some visual proof of the "alleged" visit on August 12th!

YUP! Ugh, as a teacher it's usually the only time I can go to Florida, but I've been spoiled by going over April break the past couple of years. I'm less than thrilled with the idea of going in July (or, I mean, October, but at least there's Food and Wine and Halloween in October lol)

It was hot, just be prepared. But it's doable!!

OH NO! Actually this happened with us and my nephew but he did not look that terrified in his picture. Poor thing! Hopefully you regain Cool Aunt status!

I hope so too! I feared I lost my title because I scarred her for life!

This is such a cute picture!

Thank you! It was so funny. She wouldn't let DH go take a picture with Minnie. #rivalry

I'm making note of this because that is a brilliant idea. I also hate being wet so this is definitely a good thing to remember.

It was a last minute packing addition and I found it more useful than I could have imagined. I hate the sweaty sticky feeling so I tried to keep dry whenever possible!

This picture is priceless! I loved the Mine train when we went but my dad and DH weren't too thrilled. Although I probably would have hated it at her age too.

Loving the TR so far, so many great pics.

Thank you! That picture is pretty hilarious. I'll show it to her when she's 10 and see if she remembers.

But it makes for such a cute picture!

She looks terrified! But good for her for getting on in the first place!

Haha it's a hilarious picture. She had no idea what she was getting herself into.

Aw! She's trying to steal your man!

I'll just make my way on over to Donald....

This is a great idea! I'm totally stealing it for our next trip!

It was a lot more useful than I thought it would be!

Following along this looks like one fun trip.

Thank you for reading!!

Love the idea for the Microfiber towel! I have a few of those that I use at home! I will have to grab a couple and bring with us since we are camping on our Oct trip!

Thanks!! It was definitely useful for keeping the sweat at bay and to wipe up anything wet!