Preggo, pennies, and pastries!!! **FINAL UPDATES 4/25**

[torsie24]

Hi Hope,

Just found your TR and read it all during my lunch break.

Can't wait for more!

 

[PopArtGal]

At Sci-fi, did the server ask for how you wanted your meat to be cooked? Last time we went we got a half-raw burger and the waitress was so rude she said that's how it was done. Well we don't eat raw burgers, so we were disapointed and ate around it. We were disapointed since we had had really good experiences before. Which is why we don't know if we want to try it again.

I love the great movie ride. I don't know why, but I do lol

 

[PopArtGal]

Did you buy the pressed pennies "book" thingy? Do you think Luke would like more? I could send you some. But I'd need to know which one he has. But then again, it may be the fun of making them... and buy sending them I'd be spoiling that

 

[PopArtGal]

oh my lord!! Look at that Donald cup!! That is so cute! I would have gotten it!

 

[Tink9721]

Hi Hope! I started my PTR the other day. The link is in my signature so hop over there when you have a chance

 

[jenseib]

Great pictures. You got some nice HS shots.
I have never eaten at Sci Fi, but would like to some day.
I wasn't all that impressed with the Marketplace. I am so used to Pop's food court, which has sucha fabulous selection and the market place only had a few.

 

[stephielela]

I'm glad Luke liked the presents! Jack had fun helping me pick them out.

I LOVE Halloween, I would have had a really hard time not buying one of everything! I was so ecstatic when I found out that there was Halloween merch on the Wonder, and that it was on sale!!! Jack likes pressed pennies too, but I never have the right change! Next time I will plan for it!

 

[jeremysdisneymom]

I loved the halloween merchandise! We haven't been at that time of year for a while.

Loved the Donald mug! Too cute.

 

[photographymom517]

Wow Hope, you were an updating machine while I was gone! Let's see if I can remember everything I wanted to say

I'm trying my best to get as much of this done as I can before the baby comes! I actually have 40 pages typed up in Word so I can just post here a few times a week! It takes me forever to write updates, so I figure once the baby is here, having everything already written up will help out a lot!!! Then you guys won't miss out on anything!

The love bugs look awful. I am absolutely terrified of most bugs and large bugs and strange, unfamiliar bugs really undo me. Lots of bugs at the same time would also completely freak me out. I'd probably have packed Raid in my luggage or something. You are far braver than I am!

Yes the love bugs were horrible. Like I said, they were super annoying because they aren't the kind of bug that just fly around -- these actually land ON you and get right in your face. I really won't miss them next time we go to Disney!

Beach Club looks absolutely amazing. It really reminds me of Cape Cod. Definitely my dream resort!

Okay, Duffy. When I met up with another DIS'er at Epcot, we walked by Duffy and we were both wondering what his story was. We agreed he was cute and everything but had no idea what his deal was!

I was thinking of doing a Duffy update after reading your post! But you can actually go on the Disney Store website & look for the section where it says "Duffy" -- it has a main page with a summary of the story!

And speaking of stories, I actually have a really funny story because I saw him last year & thought it was so stupid to have "just a plain old bear." With all the creative Disney characters, I thought it was the dumbest idea they've ever come up with! I was seriously scared that it was the beginning of Disney characters going down hill! LOL!!!

Well, it turns out that now I LOVE the story of Duffy & next time I'm going to make sure to get LOTS of pics taken with him!!!!

Did your DH like Star Tours? We all rode it but I found out after one ride that I officially cannot handle simulator rides. I rode Mission: Space years ago, before it had the two sides, and I was soooo freakin' sick! I assumed it was because it was the one thing that everyone seemed to get sick on. Then my sister, my dad, and my brother all said that Star Tours wasn't bad at all so I decided to try it, and I was nauseous from pretty much the beginning. I can handle all the drops on ToT. I can handle going upside down on RnRC. I can handle going backwards and then down a steep drop on EE. I can handle ANY roller coaster, no problem, but simulators bug the crap out of me! For the record, Kailyn, my dad, and Mike all rode M:S orange side and were totally fine. Well, my dad was a little woozy. But Mike and Kailyn were okay, and Kailyn seems to have a sensitive stomach. Like she can't ride EE or ToT more than once, but she was okay with M:S and okay with riding Star Tours a couple times in a row. Weird, huh?

Yes my husband really loved Star Tours!!! He actually has never been a fan of Star Wars movies before -- but since he rode that & we got back from Disney, he's watched several of the "all day marathons"!!! I was really surprised -- but glad that he developed an interested in it! My dad also brought Luke back a R2D2 light spinner when they went to Disney in October & now Luke insists that next time we go to Disney, he WILL ride Star Tours with his dad!!! I can't wait to ride it myself!!!

I'm glad you mentioned that EE goes backwards and that RnRC has an upside down turn -- because now I will avoid them both!

So apparently you are braver than I am!!!

Oh, and just so you know, you can make YouTube videos private, so that only you can see them. I only know this because Charles's much younger cousins figured out his YouTube username and he made pretty much all his videos private, so if you search his username on there, you won't find any videos except for the ones he chooses to share. When I was dumping video from my iPhone to YouTube, I also had the option to set them to private. I'd love to see Luke videos!

Awesome to know!!! I will def have to look into that private option on YouTube! And if/when I ever get around to uploading all of my videos, you know I'll share them with you!!!

My responses are above within your response in RED

 

[photographymom517]

The little guys definitely enjoyed Christmas but it was probably just overwhelming for them. They're such sweet little boys I babysit Caleb a few days a week for about an hour during the overlap when both of his parents are working. It worked out with my class schedule first semester and I have the same one second semester.

That's awesome that your schedule works out to babysit again! I'm sure that he would really miss you if you couldn't babysit! Although I know you would find a way to spend plenty of time with him!!!

I understand Christmas being overwhelming -- heck its overwhelming to ME and I'm an adult!

The past two years in Disney I've gotten them each a stuffed animal but I think this year I'm gonna get a play set or two to keep here for them to play with. I put together a little bin of toys I found around the house when I started babysitting Caleb and he gets so excited when I add new toys I swear I'm not using them as an excuse to buy Disney toys

I laughed so hard when I read this!!! Did you read my post about how I used the baby as an excuse to buy the Indiana Jones Mickey?!

Seriously though, that's a great idea to keep a bin of toys there for the boys!!! When I was pregnant with Luke, I babysat my nephew & I would buy a few toys here & there to add to my bin. My nephew loved playing with them when I babysat him & then once Luke was born, he had a ton of toys!

I'm glad Luke's excited!!! I'm so excited for all of you!!!

Thanks Hope! A huge percentage of the freshman class hasn't declared a major so I don't know why that girl thought it was so weird. I'm enjoying trying out different classes. There weren't many options in high school so I like all of the choices I have now! I just want to be really sure about my major before I pick one. If I end up not having enough time to take all of the required classes during the spring and fall semesters then I'll take summer classes if that's what I have to do to graduate on time. Right now my goal is to graduate in May 2015 with a degree in something, even if I don't know what that is yet

No problem!

I said it before & I'll say it again, you're doing the right thing!!! I can't even begin to list the advantages of trying out options before making a final decision! But I don't think I need to say any more -- you & I are clearly on the same page regarding what we think about this!!!

I love the pressed pennies! I bought one of the pressed penny books a few trips ago. Last trip I was determined to fill it and I think I ended up with one empty spot I'll be fixing that in March

I am soooo mad at myself! I actually forgot about it until I read your post & now I'm mad at myself again! LOL! For some odd reason, the only place I saw the Pressed Penny book was somewhere in the Mexican pavilion. I clearly remember seeing them there because I thought it was the oddest place to sell them! I wanted to buy one for Luke but I didn't. That's ok -- there's always next trip!

Do you have an iPhone? Just wondering because they actually have an app for that!!! I think its called WDW Coin Press or something like that. It lists all the locations of the pressed penny machines & which characters are at each location!!! They gave me a list at the International Gateway at Epcot, but the app is awesome!!!

I had to laugh a little when I saw "dental assistance information" on that concierge list. I wonder how many people actually fall and crack a tooth or something while in Disney? I HATE going to the dentist so I can't imagine having to do that in Disney

Ugg! I know so many people who have had horrible hospital experiences while on vacation! I cannot imagine having to go to the doctor, dentist, or hospital while at Disney -- that would be horrible & completely ruin the vacation!

I really regretted not buying enough 40th merch when I was there. I bought a 40th address book because it's actually a practical souvenir But since I got back I ordered a 40th shirt and vinylmation, and I got another 40th shirt that my dad ordered for me for Christmas.

I regretted it too!!!! There wasn't a lot of 40th merch out when we were there, but before our trip, I just imagined myself buying pretty much ALL of the 40th stuff I saw. Then once we got there, I would just see the same stuff everywhere so I really didn't think to buy it. I did the same thing with the Halloween merchandise & 40th -- I barely bought any of it?!

I bought a Duffy! I just bought a plain Duffy, no clothes. I love him, he's so soft!

I know, isn't he so soft & cute?! I ordered the 40th Duffy bear online and also the plain one without clothes!!!

I love shopping in the WL gift shop. My mom isn't a big shopper and tends to get impatient when I'm shopping I like to spend more time in stores than her and she takes a little longer to get ready in the morning than I do, so I usually end up hanging out in the gift shop while I wait for her.

Just as I did for Meghan, my responses are above within your response in RED!!!

I have not had much DIS time lately, but I am trying to scroll through and catch up a little on everyone's reports. I was just in Beach Club Marketplace at the beginning of January. It was filled with Christmasy things then.

All of Beach Club is so pretty, and I very much want to stay there one of these days. It'll probably have to be on a shorter girls trip, though, where we only have to have one room.

Your pictures are so sharp and clear. As much as I would love to know how to work a good camera, I am not that smart, so a point and shoot will be the best I can do. My son, Drew, is into photography, and he's always telling me about settings and different types of lens, but it's all over my head. I have been around little ones too long, I guess, so I think at an 8 year old level.

The Beach Club is such a beautiful resort! I'm glad we stayed there once, but as I'm sure I'll talk about briefly during my report, it just wasn't "us" so I doubt we'll ever stay there again. I will definitely miss walking to Epcot!!! We walked over just to see the fireworks & grab dessert many nights & I know we were spoiled by that! Epcot is our favorite park & I know next trip we're really going to miss our special entrance!!!

Luckily even DSLR's have an "automatic" setting!!! And so far, I've mostly just used that!

I have briefly played around with other settings, but not nearly as much as I would have liked. Hopefully I'll find some time to research & experiment more with photography before our next Disney trip. I would really LOVE to get some good fireworks & night shots! There were way too many nights when I would just put my camera away or not even take it with us because I couldn't get good shots. At one point, I even put the DSLR away & got out the Point & Shoot because I'm more familiar with the night settings on it!

And don't ever be upset about being behind! I don't think anyone here on DIS is ever as far behind as me!!!

Hi Hope,

Just found your TR and read it all during my lunch break.

Can't wait for more!

Welcome!!! Glad you were able to read so much!!! I'm impressed!!!

More will be coming very soon!!!

At Sci-fi, did the server ask for how you wanted your meat to be cooked? Last time we went we got a half-raw burger and the waitress was so rude she said that's how it was done. Well we don't eat raw burgers, so we were disapointed and ate around it. We were disapointed since we had had really good experiences before. Which is why we don't know if we want to try it again.

I love the great movie ride. I don't know why, but I do lol

Give Sci-Fi another try! Trust me on this one!!! It's a "must do" for us from now on!!!

Yes our server did ask how we wanted our burgers done. We are "well done" people -- so I believe we made sure to tell her twice. But I do remember that she asked us before we told her. We had a really good waitress. I did quite a bit of thinking about this during our trip & your experience really proves my point! I think that most of the restaurants & experiences on property just depend on your particular service at that day/time. Two people can go to the same restaurant on two different days & have completely opposite experiences! It's such a shame too because I think it scares newbies away from some things, wouldn't you agree? As DISers, we sort of have more of an understanding & know to try things twice -- but newbies might just be scared off.

Did you buy the pressed pennies "book" thingy? Do you think Luke would like more? I could send you some. But I'd need to know which one he has. But then again, it may be the fun of making them... and buy sending them I'd be spoiling that

I told Christine in my reply above -- but no, I didn't buy the book for Luke. We'll probably buy it next trip because right now, our pressed pennies are just stored in an extra cosmetic bag I have!

That is super sweet of you to offer! I'm sure that Luke would love to have more pressed pennies! You can just throw them in next time you send something our way! I know he would love that they were from you!!!

He really did enjoy making them! I think that was mostly why he loved them, but since we aren't going back for awhile, I'm sure he'd love to get some in the mail!

oh my lord!! Look at that Donald cup!! That is so cute! I would have gotten it!

I know!!! How cute is that?! I still can't believe I didn't buy one!!! I almost bought one a bunch of times, but I just always ended up spending money in the gift shop & then would forget to run over to grab one from the food area. We didn't go to the Marketplace to eat many times...mostly just to refill our mugs or pick up souvenirs. I still wish I would've gotten one though! Oh well, lesson learned for next time!

Hi Hope! I started my PTR the other day. The link is in my signature so hop over there when you have a chance

Thanks for the heads-up!!! I stopped over to your report as soon as I saw this -- but I'll be over again soon to catch up!!!

 

[photographymom517]

Great pictures. You got some nice HS shots.
I have never eaten at Sci Fi, but would like to some day.
I wasn't all that impressed with the Marketplace. I am so used to Pop's food court, which has such a fabulous selection and the market place only had a few.

Glad you liked the DHS pictures!!!

Sadly, those are the only ones you will see on this Trip Report But more on that later!

I highly recommend Sci-Fi! It was a great overall experience & the food was delicious!!! It was probably one of the best 3 meals we had on property this past trip!!! And I am NOT a burger person -- normally I will eat whatever else is on the menu (chicken, fish, salad, etc) but I am sooo glad I got the burger this time! It was very good! Cooked perfectly with the perfect amount of toppings! I only wish I could've finished the entire thing!!!

Honestly my only use for the Marketplace throughout most of our trip was to refill our mugs! Oh and to shop of course!!!!

I was far from impressed with their selection of foods. I think we had 2 or 3 hot breakfast options...and those were just different kinds of omelets. I took pictures & made sure to take some notes just to report back in case anyone was interested in what they offered. But I really enjoyed our trip last year a lot better. I know a lot of people will think I'm weird, but I'm not sure I'm a "Deluxe person" at all. I very much prefer the more casual atmosphere of a Mod/Value and definitely the food courts!!!

Last year at Caribbean Beach, we had 5 different food stations to choose from plus the TS restaurant. So I really do understand what you mean when you say you enjoyed Pop's food court much better.

I don't even think of the Marketplace as a place to get actual food -- its more like a snack station. Sort of like when you're at home & you run to the corner store to grab a few snack items or last minute ingredients for dinner?! Perhaps the people staying in the Villas could benefit from some of the refrigerated things -- but I can't even see them making anything other than breakfast or a frozen pizza for lunch/dinner

I'm glad Luke liked the presents! Jack had fun helping me pick them out.

I LOVE Halloween, I would have had a really hard time not buying one of everything! I was so ecstatic when I found out that there was Halloween merch on the Wonder, and that it was on sale!!! Jack likes pressed pennies too, but I never have the right change! Next time I will plan for it!

Luke still talks about the box! He remembers going to pick it up & opening it too! Sometimes he forgets your name & he asks me "What's that lady's name? You know, the one who bought me the cookie for my Christmas tree?" LOL!!! I have to tell you that story!!!

I was trying so hard not to buy Halloween merchandise just because I knew we had tickets to MNSSHP & I was hoping the merch there was completely different. I ended up coming home regretting not buying more! Like I said, I did the same thing with the Halloween merch & the 40th merch! I just didn't buy enough!

I loved the halloween merchandise! We haven't been at that time of year for a while.

Loved the Donald mug! Too cute.

They had the nicest & largest selection of Halloween merchandise at Mouse Gears at Epcot!!!

I really hope to go back someday & re-experience MNSSHP. I can't say much right now because I'll give it away, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I would've liked. I'd love a "re-do" someday!!!

 

[photographymom517]

When we last left off, we had left Hollywood Studios on our second full day at Disney. We went back to our room and discussed our options for dinner and possibly leaving FL early.

I called the airline to get other flight times and we had some options. Instead of staying until the next Friday evening, we could leave on Saturday afternoon or Tuesday morning. Saturday would mean leaving the next day -- Tuesday would give us a chance to at least visit Animal Kingdom and Downtown Disney and have part of a day at the resort. We decided to sleep on it & make a decision in the morning.

In the morning, my husband and I woke up before Luke so it was the perfect time to discuss our options. I was really torn because our Wishes Dessert Party was scheduled for Saturday night and we had purchased tickets for MNSSHP for Tuesday night. I wanted to at least stay for the dessert party. Besides, it was too late to call ME to have our flight time changed to Saturday. We'd have to find a taxi to take us to MCO and at this point, we just didn't feel like dealing with the confusion. We decided to stay for the weekend and reevaluate the situation Sunday night. We could always leave Monday or Tuesday depending on the events of the weekend.

I think in my original plans (which I had thrown out the window at this point) this was our first full day at Magic Kingdom. We would head over to MK as early as possible, take a mid-day break at the resort, and head back to MK in the evening. We had a lunch ADR at Crystal Palace so I figured we would leave right after we ate.

We arrived at Magic Kingdom around 9:30am. I was disappointed we had missed rope drop, but I wasn't pushing things after the day before! I remember we had a super long wait at the bus stop this morning! I was surprised considering we were going so early. From my experience, I've noticed they usually have more buses running first thing in the morning and super late at night.

After we got through the gates, we headed towards Main Street Confectionary! We have a tradition to stop for ice cream on Main Street, so I have never stopped in the confectionary!

I loved all of the super cute Halloween displays in the stores!

Please tell me exactly how you decide between THESE?!

I really wanted to get a rice krispie treat here, but I was saving that experience for Goofy's at DTD! I thought it would be more fun to create my own treat than to just buy one for breakfast!

I also am obsessed with cupcakes & was amazed by the amount of icing on these ones, but didn't think it was a practical breakfast (umm...not that ANY of this is practical for breakfast! LOL!)

Check out these apples!!!

I chose one of the chocolate covered "ghost" marshmallows -- this ended up being a mistake because I don't even like white chocolate. I have no idea what I was thinking!

Luke has similar tastes to his mommy, so he chose a chocolate covered marshmallow with sprinkles. I have no idea what my husband got, I think a cookie, because he ALWAYS ate his before I had time to get a picture!

We got our treats, paid for them, and figured we would find a bench to sit on. This ended up being unnecessary as my husband had already finished his, Luke ate 1/4 of his & then gave it to me, and as I said, I didn't like the white chocolate so I put it in my bag to save for later. My husband asked if I wanted to sit down, but I said no, we could continue walking around. We headed towards Tomorrowland going past Cosmic Ray's.

Check out that gorgeous blue sky!!!

Bet you can't guess where we're going!

I attempted to get more construction pictures, but most turned out too blurry. I took this one because I found it hysterical that there was a sign that said "No Stopping" and I would ALWAYS slow down/stop here to take pics if no one was behind me!

When we were done riding, we had to stop here (of course!!!)

I think we got "racing Mickey" and "racing Goofy" as Luke called them

We decided to walk through Fantasyland again & attempt to get Luke to ride IASW and maybe Pooh or Peter Pan. Look who we saw coming towards us! It was early in the day & they already had a HUGE line forming so I decided not to wait in line.

 

[photographymom517]

I stopped to take some construction pictures while the crowds were low.

If you remember from my PTR, I wasn't thrilled with the Fantasyland expansion at first. I was extremely disappointed that I would never see Toontown again & I thought the initial concepts released were way "too girly." I didn't like the expansion plans at all.

I always knew Toontown was temporary & would eventually be replaced. I know a lot of people either skipped it completely or would breeze right through it. Some people only knew Toontown as the place where they got on the train to head back towards Main Street! But for me, it was a complete disappointment to see it go! I just can't go to Magic Kingdom without seeing Mickey & Minnie's houses.

Well, after Disney changed the initial plans for the Fantasyland Expansion, I became more intrigued! My favorite Disney movies growing up were Snow White, Beauty & the Beast, and The Little Mermaid! I am really looking forward to the Be Our Guest Restaurant and the Mine Train!!! I'm still indifferent regarding the Circus portion, but I do think it will be a really fun place for kids! Seeing everything in person makes it "more real" and I really liked seeing the artwork concepts for the area!

After another attempt to get Luke to ride anything at all, we failed miserably & decided to just head towards Main Street. We didn't have a plan as to where we were going, we just decided to continue walking around.

One of the shows at the castle was just ending & Luke was interested in the fireworks. We noticed everyone going from directly in front of the castle to behind the ropes. A street party was just about to begin! We found a spot & decided to watch!

I was happy to see Woody & Jessie because I thought Luke would be thrilled to see them...needless to say, he was less than thrilled.

BUT he was VERY thrilled to see Chip & Dale!!! He kept telling me that he saw them at "the eating ride" at Epcot. He talked about Chip & Dale nonstop for the next hour!

The Mad Hatter waved at us!

After it was over, we waited until the crowds moved on & then decided to head back towards Haunted Mansion. If the wait times were still low, we would take turns riding again.

I wanted a picture with my new awesome tank top (from Etsy seller OneGreatThing) in front of the castle

*********************************************************************​

Just a side note, I HIGHLY recommend OneGreatThing on Etsy (her name is Cassy & she is such a wonderful lady!). I know other DISers who have bought shirts from her as well, including NikkiLovesWDW, who would also recommend her! If you aren't sure of which size to order, she will allow you to ship her tanks/tshirts to make sure its the right size! The tank I bought was Old Navy brand & I knew what size I wear in ON clothes, so it wasn't a problem! I ordered one for my son and he's worn it for two years without any fading at all! Her designs & colors are awesome! In addition to tshirts & tanks, she also has dresses and scarves available. She also has other designs available now -- not just the Mickey head, although it is still my favorite!

Here's a link to her Etsy store!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/onegreatthing?ref=seller_info

 

[photographymom517]

Continuing on -- we arrived at our destination & the wait time was 10 minutes (still a walk on!)

I loved this! I think I could've stood there for half an hour playing with it!

Right after I walked past this, a woman and her young son stopped here. It made me sad that Luke wouldn't ride. I really think he would've loved the que!

Just to show you how quickly I could've moved through the line -- but I took my time because I wanted to experience the entire que! (Sidenote: I hadn't been on HM since 1998! )

While my husband rode, I told him that I was going to get a drink for myself and Luke. It was sooooo hot & humid and because of the pregnancy, I was drinking water like an elephant! We stopped at a cart on the hub and then continued towards Main Street.

I wanted to attempt to get a PhotoPass pic since that morning, we hadn't gotten one. There were a bunch of Photogs with only 1-2 families in line, so I found a ramp to get the stroller off the curb & waited in line. Luke started crying at first & the CM looked annoyed

I quickly explained to him that Luke was hungry/thirsty/hates pictures/etc. but I promise to hurry & I could get him to smile. I just had to say some really stupid things that would make no sense! The photographer started laughing & I think that helped with Luke! I told Luke that the photographer had Chip/Dale on his head, he was hiding a cat in his hat, etc. Trust me, really stupid things! But between me making things up & the photographer laughing at me, we got some great shots!

It was so funny because as we headed back towards Haunted Mansion, Luke got really excited & said to me "Mommy, mommy! I hear Mickey Mouse!!! He's talking TO ME!!!"

A castle show was about to begin & Mickey was announcing it. I told Luke that Mickey must be really happy that he's there visiting him at his park. Luke said "This isn't Mickey's park mommy, this is his house. He LIVES here in Flor-a-da. He stays in the castle all winter with the animals, remember?"

We have a small "zoo" near our house and we get season passes every year. They close in October and Luke just wasn't believing any of my reasons why the animals weren't there anymore. So finally I told him that they stay at the castle with Mickey Mouse. Now Luke thinks Mickey is the protector of all animals! It's actually pretty cute!

Check THIS out!!! "Crowd" at the castle show!!! The crowds were amazingly low today! I was super excited!!!

I forgot my zoom lens (AGAIN!!!) back in the safe at the resort. Want to guess how many times I did that throughout the trip?!

But I did get a couple pics from where we were standing. I was really, really mad though because I could've gotten some awesome close-up shots with the zoom lens!

Right after the show, a few families were taking pictures in front of the castle. Tell me how many times you get the opportunity to have THIS shot! In order to get Luke to take this picture, I had to tell him the little door behind him was "his" secret door and no one was allowed to go inside it. Don't ask me where I come up with this stuff, its just spur of the moment! LOL!

 

[photographymom517]

We walked back to HM and right as we were getting there, my husband called me & said he was done riding. At this point I have no idea what time it was (I'll take better notes next trip!) but apparently it was at least an hour prior to our lunch ADR. We walked through Frontierland & decided to go to Tom Sawyer Island.

So luckily I've never had any odd encounters with animals or wildlife at Disney. Sure we see bunnies and birds and ducks -- all friendly animals! But I am deathly afraid of snakes. I will pick up spiders by their legs, they don't bother me. But I don't even like to see snakes inside glass cages. Well, we were walking on TSI and I heard a noise to my right. It sounded like something in the bushes walking RIGHT beside me. So I look over & yep -- a BLACK SNAKE is slithering right beside me & decides to cross the path right behind me!!! So what do I do? I run, grab Luke, and scream. What does my husband do? He grabs my camera & goes after the snake to get a picture!!!

I'm not sure if you can spot it here or not. I briefly looked at the pic & I can't find it. It was about 3 inches in diameter and completely black.

I warned a couple families behind me, but they all said it was no big deal because they like snakes?!?

Moving on...
I've been to TSI a million times before & somehow I've never seen the fort area.

There was a PhotoPass photographer at the top of the stairs & I thought it would be a neat photo to get, but my DH and Luke were way ahead of me. I was still worked up from the snake incident too, so I just wanted to keep walking.

We walked past Aunt Polly's house and onto the playground area.

Because of the time & our lunch ADR, we decided not to spend a lot of time here & we headed back to the raft. I was actually surprised but Luke walked right down the stairs with us without any problems. I figured he would want to stay at the playground, but he was fine with leaving. We found our stroller and cut through the Frontierland restroom area to head towards our destination!

 

[photographymom517]

Crystal Palace!!!

I'm not sure why, but I HATE the way check-in at CP is set-up. I used to think it was better than the other restaurants since it has its own "separate area" to check-in. But its just always way too crowded around the desk area. Maybe if they moved some of the benches down further or expanded the waiting area? I don't know?

We were lucky enough to get a bench & we sat down to wait. I think we got there about 20 minutes early & we waited less than 5 minutes! I took some pictures while we waited.

We were seated right away & told that we could go up to the buffet whenever we wanted. I LOVED our location!!!

I decided to wait to get our first plates because I spotted Eeyore coming our way!!!

Don't ask me why because I'm not sure myself. Luke hated having his picture taken on the trip, he hated waiting in lines, he hated rides, he didn't want to cooperate when we asked him to do anything. But boy did he have these Character Meals down!!!! He knew EXACTLY what to do!!! He would see a character coming towards him, say "Mommy (insert name) is coming to see me!" and he would get up, run to them, hug them, turn around, pose & say "cheese" and then hug them again, ask if I wanted to be in a picture with him, & then go back to sit down! It was like clockwork & he enjoyed it so much!!!

Luke's first, second, third, and fourth plates -- all looked like this!

My plate -- I didn't like the fish at all & it was cold. The mashed potatoes were pretty good. I think I only ate them, mac & cheese, and rolls. I don't recommend lunch here, breakfast is much better.

After we saw Piglet, my husband went to get more food & I was waiting to go back to get myself & Luke another plate. The waitress brought out this amazing cake to the couple sitting next to us!!! They were from the UK and were celebrating their first anniversary!!! I just sat there amazed at their cake for awhile, watching the lady take pics of the cake from different angles before cutting it, and then I offered to take a picture of them with it! Just for reference, they each ate a slice and then the waitress boxed it up for them. I'm pretty sure she said they would keep it at the restaurant for them & they could pick it up on their way out of the park!

After a few more plates of macaroni & cheese, I decided to get dessert. I think the only one I actually liked was the one with the banana on it. Luke ate the one with fruit & he asked me to get him another.

After dessert, the last character came by. Right after Tigger left our table, we left CP.

It was a disappointment to leave our only ADR for the day feeling extremely hungry. It was after 2:30 at this point & we had the Wishes Dessert Party scheduled for this evening. I figured we'd just grab Quick Service at some point, but I didn't want to eat too much & then not be hungry for all those yummy desserts!!!

 

[photographymom517]

We decided to make another attempt at Adventureland. We LOVE this area of the park & were really hoping Luke would ride POTC.

If you're wondering if we rode anything in Adventureland, I'll answer your question...less than five minutes after we entered Adventureland, we ended up here:

Luke was asking for popcorn. We had just eaten but since we didn't eat much, we figured it would be ok to have a snack. We each got a drink and Luke a popcorn. While we were waiting in line at the snack cart, I realized people were lining up for the parade which would be starting in less than 15 minutes. So, we found a spot & parked the stroller. Luke was sitting half in the sun, but it was ok because he had the sunvisor down over his face. He told me he wanted to eat his popcorn all by himself underneath his stroller. So I let him put the sunvisor down & I just stood beside him waiting for the parade to start.

Up until our trip, Luke didn't know who Pinocchio or Jiminy Cricket were. Gipetto came right over beside us & Luke loved this float the best!

Since Jake & the Neverland Pirates started, Luke has LOVED Captain Hook! He was disappointed when he didn't come over to us.

But that's ok because we got Smee instead!!!

I love them & always make sure to get a few pics because I remember them from my 1987 trip!!!

 

[photographymom517]

We decided to cut through the castle after the parade was over. I don't care if I have all boys & no girls, I WILL eat at CRT someday!

We decided that since it was still hours before the dessert party & we really weren't riding anything, we would take a break back at the resort. I was a little bit nervous about doing this because it was pretty late in the day. It was too much time to just wander around, but not quite enough time to do anything back at the resort. I believe it was somewhere close to 3:45pm and we needed to leave the BC to head back to MK no later than 7:30pm. We stopped in a few gift shops on our way out & I, of course, requested a longer visit to the Emporium!!!

I was irritated because Luke didn't show an interest in these until my husband pushed the button. Then once it lit up & started talking, Luke went over & had to play with it & of course he wanted one! Luckily he loves pumpkins so I was able to distract him with the Halloween displays!

I loved the little Alice hats. I was actually surprised because I liked the green one more than the pink one (my fav color is pink!) but I talked myself out of buying one.

Luke wanted to buy another Mickey bucket -- I tried to talk him into the Ghost bucket/lantern. He wanted the ghost a few days before this, but now he wanted the Mickey pumpkin bucket. He already had one at home & I wasn't sure how we'd fit it in the suitcase. We didn't end up buying either.

Vinylmation display at the Emporium -- I used to collect these, now I just buy one every now & then

We decided to let Luke pick out something since overall, he was very well behaved all day & we were in the Emporium for a long time. We had said "no" when he wanted the Buzz Lightyear gloves, the Halloween bucket, and a bunch of other things. So right before we left, we let him get out of his stroller to walk around & choose something.

He wanted this set (sorry the picture is blurry)

He carried Mickey and Pluto around with him for the rest of the trip! The two of them would go everywhere with him, ride in his stroller, sleep with him, and rode on the plane with us.

We left Magic Kingdom at 4:30pm and headed back to the resort. My husband ran downstairs to refill our mugs for us while Luke & I found something on tv to watch. We just stayed in the room until it was time to leave again.

Coming up next: Wishes Dessert Party!!!

 

[Tink9721]

Just as I did for Meghan, my responses are above within your response in RED!!!

I'm so glad my schedule works out! Caleb is my little buddy! We would definitely miss each other. The only movie he ever wanted to watch for a while was the Lion King For a while one of the first things he said when he got here was "watch Lion King?" I LOVE the Lion King but we watched it 4 days a week for like 3 weeks...Then I finally put 101 Dalmatians on to see if he would watch it. He loved it Now I ask him if he wants to watch Lion King or "the puppies."

I was cleaning out some stuff over the summer and found a bunch of dinosaurs and cars and stuff like that(I've never been a girly girl ) and put them in a bag to donate, but then one day when Caleb was here he got into the bag and had a ton of fun playing with the toys so I just decided to keep them for him. He also asks to color a lot...but he won't actually draw anything. He'll hand me a crayon and say "draw firetruck" or some other kind of vehicle. Whatever I'm drawing usually looks like a box with wheels but that satisfies him

I distinctly remember seeing the penny books in Mexico too! I can't remember where I bought mine, but I definitely remember seeing them at the Emporium.

I have an Android. I just checked the app store and couldn't find it. That's okay though, I'm good at spotting the machines

I'm definitely guilty of eating rice krispie treats for breakfast in WDW I remember one morning a few years ago I had a rice krispie treat and some vanilla soft serve frozen yogurt But my usual breakfast choice in WDW is a chocolate croissant I made rice krispie treats the other day because I was craving them after seeing the picture from Goofy's that Meg sent to FB

I can't wait to see the new HM queue!!! We'll be at MK on our arrival day, which is the day before spring break season officially starts so hopefully it won't be crowded that day and I can take my time looking at everything.

I'm terrified of snakes too

Sorry you had a disappointing CP meal! That's my favorite WDW restaurant. We've never had a bad meal there. We go for lunch every trip. I do want to try the breakfast at some point though!

 

[PopArtGal]

I think I'll put my dad on to the pressed pennies too. He might enjoy that lol