Rope Drop is Tip #1!! A June 2016 TR...updated 10/31 pg 19 post 373 THE END!

[ArielSRL]

We did photopass once, in 2013, and I totally thought it was worth it simply because we now have tons of awesome family photos (and a bunch of crappy ones lol). But it's rare for Steve and I to be in a picture together so I loved doing it. Not something I'd do every trip because like you mentioned it can be time consuming and annoying if you feel like you're going out of your way to look for pp photographers and then stand in a long line, but I'd definitely consider doing it again now that a few years have gone by.

Yeh, I probably could've skipped this trip but it is nice to have some photos of my parents and the kids and I together. It's just that this past trip was the trip of "lessons learned" so I feel like I didn't get the full value out of it. Next trip, if (I mean WHEN) we do RD, we should be able to get some photos then and I shouldn't be as rushed throughout the day, so stopping here and there won't be as much of a problem. I might do some research on where to find the photographers, as well, so I'll know what shots to go for.

If I talk DH into a weekend couple's trip, we'll definitely skip it for that.

 

[ArielSRL]

I've been meaning to post that on Tuesday Mom and I took Will to his 1st movie in a theatre (and AJ's 2nd). We saw Finding Dory and I thought it was great. Here they were:


AJ did very well but it will be awhile before I take Will back. He was all over the place. It didn't help that we got there early and had to sit through 30 minutes of commercials and previews! I'll never go that early again with them.

And some pre-trip news: I bought our tickets today! I bought them from Parksavers again. I saved almost $80 a ticket by going through them. I did the Buy 4, get 3 free deal. They are park hoppers also.

I was going to wait awhile but then I heard the sale ends July 31st. So since I had some extra cash in savings to pay for our new air conditioner (we got a 60 months no interest deal so no reason not to put the money in savings and pay it each month), I just borrowed from there to go ahead and get them. The reason I rushed on it today was the deal disappeared for a few days (went back to regular price) and then they brought it back yesterday or today. So I just jumped on it. Didn't want to risk losing the deal.

They'll email the codes in a few days and I'll go ahead and link them in MDE. Yay!

 

[punkin413]

View attachment 179927
I can't remember if this is his plate or AJ's. Probably Will's because AJ doesn't eat strawberries (or any fruit!!! this cannot be my kid!!). Boiled egg, puffed toast (??), eggs, pancakes, and I think he had already grabbed the Mickey waffle.

That is the puffed Pooh toast or whatever the heck it's called! It's yummy....if you like cinnamon! Haha. But looooove cinnamon.

View attachment 179932
AJ's plate: NOTHING! Ok, well not nothing, but not much! Boiled egg, (part of a) Mickey waffle, cut up puffed toast (I think), and some cereal (easily with or without milk...he goes either way). Oh, and a bowl full of syrup (thanks, Mom)! And he probably ate about 2 bites of all of it! My picky, picky eater.

If it makes you feel any better, Seth's plate would probably have bacon (and more bacon), cereal (w/out milk....he drinks it but not on cereal), potatoes but only in the form of tater tots or some other sort of "puff" type breakfast potatoes (not hashbrown-y type), and possibly that puff toast since he does love cinnamon toast. That's IT! No eggs, no fruit, nada. He eats Craisins and those freeze-dried apples (which are actually VERY good and no sugar added) and that's it for fruit, which is why I give him fruit smoothies and Juice Plus supplements. I worried myself sick over his pickiness but my pediatrician continues to tell me my job is to put the foods he needs in front of him and that's where my job ends - he will one day pick it up and eat it. If we make it stressful for him, he will come to dread meal time. And he's healthy as a horse, so I can't complain. Anyway, I get the frustration of the pickiness.....I feel ya!!!!

I think we are doing CP breakfast this next trip. I've done it before and it was good. We didn't do it last trip b/c of 1900 Park Fare (which has Pooh/Tigger), which was awesome too. We are only doing that, Garden Grill breakfast, Hoop Dee Doo and Be Our Guest lunch.

One of the very few things we didn't get to last trip was talking Mickey. Just didn't make it over there! Which is really odd. But we will definitely do it next time!

Great pictures!!!

 

[ArielSRL]

That is the puffed Pooh toast or whatever the heck it's called! It's yummy....if you like cinnamon! Haha. But looooove cinnamon.



If it makes you feel any better, Seth's plate would probably have bacon (and more bacon), cereal (w/out milk....he drinks it but not on cereal), potatoes but only in the form of tater tots or some other sort of "puff" type breakfast potatoes (not hashbrown-y type), and possibly that puff toast since he does love cinnamon toast. That's IT! No eggs, no fruit, nada. He eats Craisins and those freeze-dried apples (which are actually VERY good and no sugar added) and that's it for fruit, which is why I give him fruit smoothies and Juice Plus supplements. I worried myself sick over his pickiness but my pediatrician continues to tell me my job is to put the foods he needs in front of him and that's where my job ends - he will one day pick it up and eat it. If we make it stressful for him, he will come to dread meal time. And he's healthy as a horse, so I can't complain. Anyway, I get the frustration of the pickiness.....I feel ya!!!!

I think we are doing CP breakfast this next trip. I've done it before and it was good. We didn't do it last trip b/c of 1900 Park Fare (which has Pooh/Tigger), which was awesome too. We are only doing that, Garden Grill breakfast, Hoop Dee Doo and Be Our Guest lunch.

One of the very few things we didn't get to last trip was talking Mickey. Just didn't make it over there! Which is really odd. But we will definitely do it next time!

Great pictures!!!

Thanks for the clarification (sort of)...lol!

Yeh AJ only eats fruit in the form of applesauce pouches! Sometimes yogurt raisins. I eat freeze dried apples so maybe I should have him try some. I just try to make sure he gets protein and the pouch and his vitamins every day. Thanks for sharing your experiences.

Because we aren't doing the DDP this next trip, I'm going to scale back on buffets and do more regular TS, I think. Because I can control more of what/how we order/eat and I prefer it that way. But I think I will end up with a TS almost every day.

Definitely hit up Talking Mickey. He's really amazing!

 

[punkin413]

I eat freeze dried apples so maybe I should have him try some.

I get the Brothers freeze-dried fruit from Amazon. And I have a subscribe and save for them so I get a shipment every other month. His favorite is the fuji apples but they have all sorts. He loves them! And I steal a pack for a snack at work every now and then.

 

[ArielSRL]

I get the Brothers freeze-dried fruit from Amazon. And I have a subscribe and save for them so I get a shipment every other month. His favorite is the fuji apples but they have all sorts. He loves them! And I steal a pack for a snack at work every now and then.

I get mine from Aldi. They have apples, peaches, and strawberries. I love them!

I think I've heard of the Brothers brand from Hungry Girl. I'll look them up on Amazon.

 

[Jfsag123]

Ah! You have tickets and a resort reservation now! That's so exciting! And what a great deal. I don't blame you for jumping on it! And hooray for the first movie! Finding Dory was a great choice. It makes sense that Will would get antsy what with the ridiculous amount of previews they show. That's my favorite thing about reserved seating - no pressure to get there early, so we can show up much closer to actual show time without worrying about being able to get good seats. Alex may or may not have a history of struggling to sit still at the movies as well.

 

[ArielSRL]

Ah! You have tickets and a resort reservation now! That's so exciting! And what a great deal. I don't blame you for jumping on it! And hooray for the first movie! Finding Dory was a great choice. It makes sense that Will would get antsy what with the ridiculous amount of previews they show. That's my favorite thing about reserved seating - no pressure to get there early, so we can show up much closer to actual show time without worrying about being able to get good seats. Alex may or may not have a history of struggling to sit still at the movies as well.

We went in the middle of the day so we could've easily waited about 20 minutes to go. I never go to the theatre so I really didn't think about the 30 minutes of crap time beforehand. Oops.

 

[Jfsag123]

We went in the middle of the day so we could've easily waited about 20 minutes to go. I never go to the theatre so I really didn't think about the 30 minutes of crap time beforehand. Oops.

I can so relate to that. Whenever people ask if I've seen some recent release movie that's not a kids' show, my typical response is to stare back blankly. I can't even remember the last time we got to go to the movies without the kids! And the only reason we've gone a lot lately with the kids is because Disney has been pretty active with releases for the last little bit here.

 

[nilla]

Talking Mickey is the best! I hope they give more characters voices int he future, since those interactions seem to be the most fun.

 

[ArielSRL]

I can so relate to that. Whenever people ask if I've seen some recent release movie that's not a kids' show, my typical response is to stare back blankly. I can't even remember the last time we got to go to the movies without the kids! And the only reason we've gone a lot lately with the kids is because Disney has been pretty active with releases for the last little bit here.

Yeh, I have a Netflix membership where I get the DVDs sent to me, so that's how I watch most of my movies! And I'm quite behind on that so.....

Talking Mickey is the best! I hope they give more characters voices int he future, since those interactions seem to be the most fun.

Yes, he was awesome. And agreed, it would be nice to have more of the talking characters!

Thanks for joining in, btw! I'm enjoying reading your 2011 and 2016 TR at the same time!

 

[ariane37]

Yeh, I probably could've skipped this trip but it is nice to have some photos of my parents and the kids and I together. It's just that this past trip was the trip of "lessons learned" so I feel like I didn't get the full value out of it. Next trip, if (I mean WHEN) we do RD, we should be able to get some photos then and I shouldn't be as rushed throughout the day, so stopping here and there won't be as much of a problem. I might do some research on where to find the photographers, as well, so I'll know what shots to go for.

If I talk DH into a weekend couple's trip, we'll definitely skip it for that.

I think it's great that you got it with your parents Remember, my boys were older when we did it in 2013 so in a way it was easier. And if I were you I'd definitely do it next June when DH is along!

Also speaking of Finding Dory, Steve and I took Chris on Saturday and we loved it! Well I wouldn't say Steve loved it lol, but he managed to get through it without giving me sideways glances like, "is this almost over?" Ricky was too cool to go and was at a girl's house instead but Chris and I really enjoyed it. I think I'm still giving Zootopia a slight edge as far as recent Disney movies, but I'd see Finding Dory again in the theater if someone asked me.

 

[ArielSRL]

Day Two 6/5/2016 ~ Magic Kingdom (part 3)

Ok, so last I left off we were on a break that no one but maybe Dad slept at...haha. I took a shower, got myself and the boys changed and we all headed out around 4:45. We had a FP scheduled for Splash from 4:35-5:35 so I knew we were cutting it close, but I also knew we had a 15 minute grace period. We arrived at the TTC parking lot around 5 and this is what we see:

I knew they would crash eventually! So we got them both loaded into the stroller (still asleep), made our way to the Monorail, to MK, bag check, through the turnstiles, and on our way to Frontierland and Splash Mtn - which is incredibly far, far, far away from the front of MK. Boys never woke up and it was starting to drizzle a bit. So, once we got to Splash, we helped Mom throw the stroller cover on to protect the stroller and the sleeping boys, and headed to the FP entrance. It was about 5:45 so within the grace period but oops...the FP line was a little long. Uh oh. Are we gonna make it? Well it was 5:51 when we touched the Mickey head and guess what....blue, not green! The CM was ready to send us packing but Dad told her that we had been in the line at 5:45 and she let us through. Thank goodness.

It was great, as usual, but I had hoped AJ would've been able to ride it, as well. No bother. We'll hit it on our next MK day. Here's our ride photo:

And OMG, again, I look oh so lovely in a ride photo. I am so not a fan at this point...lol.

Ok, so we got off the ride and it had stopped raining and guess who was waking up?? The boys! Our next FP was for Peter Pan at 5:35-6:35 and it was already 6:30 (see the domino effect here??). So here we go rushing to get to PP. I did stop and take some photos:



We got to stroller parking near the Tangled bathrooms and both Mom and AJ needed to go. We don't have time for this!!! Mom went on but we told AJ to hold it (yes, Mom of the Year here!) and Dad and I hurried the boys to the line. We were cutting it close (taking full advantage of the grace period again) but not as close as at Splash. So we let a few people ahead of us while we waited on Mom. She finally showed up and we made it in.

Some backstory: from the minute we told AJ about PP and showed him ride videos, he insisted he did not want to ride it. "It goes high up" he said. I kept telling him he would be fine and Mom told him he'd like it.

Guess what? He LOVED it! HAHA. Will, who had all kinds of issues with Pooh, had no problems with PP. Go figure!

Once out of the ride, we headed back to the Tangled bathrooms. I took AJ and therefore got to see the prettiest bathrooms at WDW! Nice! I didn't take any photos inside but I took one of the area:


After this we decided it was time for dinner at Columbia Harbor House. But not before I booked us a 4th FP for PotC.

But wait...I think I need to correct myself. We originally had 7DMT scheduled for AJ, Dad, and me, and Pooh for Mom (to ride with Will). I think I made a mistake in my earlier post when I said we used our anytime FP for Pooh after breakfast. Now I am thinking I cancelled the 7DMT and the Pooh ones for 6:35-7:35 and changed it to Pooh for right after breakfast. And I'm thinking I may actually have done it the night before, after I realized that AJ didn't want to ride 7D again and Dad wasn't all that impressed with it. Okay, back to the regularly scheduled programming...

Before CHH I took a couple scenery shots:



I think we got to CHH around 7:15. Per usual, I got in line first to get food for the boys and me, while M&D took the boys and found a place to sit. Then we switched off. So, of course, it took double the amount of time to get our food. This is another thing to file under "lessons learned for next trip." Of course, it should be easier to only order once for all of us when its just DH, the boys, and me (and no DDP).

Ok, so onto the food:

Fish plate for the boys, shrimp plate for me. Neither my boys nor myself are coleslaw fans so I traded that for the apple slices. And I decided to try the blueberry cobblers. Should've stuck with the chocolate cake.

Got a couple more slushies and here is Will enjoying one fully:

No food photos from the 'rents but I'm fairly certain Mom got fish and Dad got shrimp. Both got french fries and coleslaw. Dad got yogurt again as his dessert. Not sure about Mom. She could've easily gone with any of the choices. We finished here about 8:15 and headed to Adventureland.

But first...a moment of panic! Our stroller was gone! We had parked it under what I now know is the wheelchair/scooter area by Haunted Mansion. At the time though, because there were plenty of strollers, I just assumed it was stroller parking. And it was a dry area and it had been raining on and off. When we came out though, there were still several strollers...but not ours! I almost cried. Oh no...what will we do?? We split up to look for it and thank goodness, Mom and Dad found it. Crisis averted.

Ok, to Adventureland...argggghhh! We took a ride on Pirates. I think everyone enjoyed it and no one got wet! Will now sings "Yo ho, Yo ho, A Pirate's Life For Me" constantly, but I think that is more because that's the ring tone on my phone rather than him remembering it from the ride. LOL

We looked around the shop a bit and AJ wanted some pressed pennies. I think I forgot to mention he was doing that this trip. After this I think I booked a 5th FP for The Magic Carpets of Aladdin, though it was completely unnecessary. We had a bit of time though, so I tried to talk Dad into doing BTMRR with our anytime FPs, but he didn't want to walk all the way back there so we just skipped it and headed to Aladdin. Mom waited while Dad and I took the boys. AJ really loved this, even more so than Dumbo (Will liked Dumbo better), so we rode it again. After that, it was starting to get late and I knew we were cutting it close to getting a good spot for CtM and Wishes. However, AJ decided he needed a snack, right then and there. On further thought, I probably should've just pushed him to wait until we got a good spot, but I either didn't think of that or he wasn't having it. Or maybe it was already past the time to get a good spot. Regardless, he got an Olaf bar and I don't think he was impressed. We started making our way to the Hub area, and of course, I grabbed a Dole Whip along the way. Yummy!

By the time we got to the Hub, CtM was starting, so we tried to find a good spot to watch but of course, there wasn't much. We still watched it but without a good view, you lose a lot of the magic. Again, I was glad I had gotten to see it the night before.

After CtM and before Wishes, we decided to try another spot but again, it wasn't that great. It wasn't horrible by any means, but I'm really going to try to stake out a spot early on next year. Even if I have to send the boys somewhere to stay occupied...or bring the iPads to keep them entertained for a bit, I'll do it. I just feel like I want the full on view to experience it completely.

After Wishes, I thought we should just wait a bit to let the exit crowds die down. I think we got the boys some (more) popcorn - they had already had some earlier in the day. We probably should've just stayed for the next CtM as late as it already was, but we didn't. I did grab one last photo before we ended the night:


We employed the resort monorail trick again, which saved us some time, but it still probably took us 45 minutes or so to get back to the resort. So, another late night...though this one had been planned that way. The next morning we didn't have to rush to get to a rope drop - not that we would've made it anyway - but we had a 9:25 ADR for Cape May.

I'll leave you there. Sorry for the rushed ending to day two. I had planned to break it into two parts but I had 10 photos - perfect for one update - and I couldn't find a good breaking point! Forgive me!

Next up: Day Three 6/6/2016 ~ Cape May Cafe

 

[ArielSRL]

I think it's great that you got it with your parents Remember, my boys were older when we did it in 2013 so in a way it was easier. And if I were you I'd definitely do it next June when DH is along!

Yes, we never get family photos, so I hope we get some good ones!

Also speaking of Finding Dory, Steve and I took Chris on Saturday and we loved it! Well I wouldn't say Steve loved it lol, but he managed to get through it without giving me sideways glances like, "is this almost over?" Ricky was too cool to go and was at a girl's house instead but Chris and I really enjoyed it. I think I'm still giving Zootopia a slight edge as far as recent Disney movies, but I'd see Finding Dory again in the theater if someone asked me.

We haven't seen Zootopia! I think it is coming/has come out on DVD, so I'll have to rent it! Glad to hear it was enjoyable!

 

[DisneyJo]

Really enjoying your TR

 

[LindseyJo22]

I love Crystal Palace breakfast! We are going to try the dining plan for our quick race weekend in February, and I'm waffling between doing a character breakfast or dinner. I don't think I'm going to be able to get any good medal pictures with characters since we have to leave after the race, but I still want to see some. I was thinking CP since it's great and the characters are my favorites, but dinner would be a better "value" on the dining plan. I may have to go scope out some reviews.

I really enjoyed the puffed french toast - it seemed a little more like a donut or one of those things you can get at a chinese restaurant to me, but super yummy. But very cinnamon-y! The breakfast lasagna was also something I would love to have again. It's incredibly sweet, but we enjoyed it.

Glad to see you made the FPs even though it was cutting it close - and I love CHH! Easily our other favorite MK food place. Too bad about the blueberry cobbler - we had a peach one at some point and thought it was pretty good. Everything else looks just as delicious as always.

Sorry about the less than stellar views for the shows :/ That is a little frustrating, but at least you got to see them

And yay for park tickets! That's super exciting I just got the notification that we can renew our pass - we may wait until our extra stipends for the first part of the semester come in, but I can't wait I just like seeing something in MDE

 

[ariane37]

Yes, we never get family photos, so I hope we get some good ones!


We haven't seen Zootopia! I think it is coming/has come out on DVD, so I'll have to rent it! Glad to hear it was enjoyable!

Oh, you HAVE to see Zootopia! It's great. And yes it is out on DVD so go get it!
I'm sorry your spot for CtM and Wishes wasn't good your 2nd night There are 2 places I love to watch Wishes from, but neither give you a good view of CtM. First is up on top of the train station, but you have to get there early because it fills up fast and you need to be up front. But even more than that I now love being back by the carousel We accidentally watched Wishes from back there last November. I'd read where some people though it was a great view and I really couldn't understand until we just happened to be walking back there during the fireworks. It was amazing; felt like they were going off all around us. But you'd have to find a good spot for CtM and then immediately move quickly to the carousel area. So next year find a spot where you can see both really well, and then on your next trip, after you've seen CtM, try it this way!

 

[ArielSRL]

Really enjoying your TR

Thank you for reading!

I love Crystal Palace breakfast! We are going to try the dining plan for our quick race weekend in February, and I'm waffling between doing a character breakfast or dinner. I don't think I'm going to be able to get any good medal pictures with characters since we have to leave after the race, but I still want to see some. I was thinking CP since it's great and the characters are my favorites, but dinner would be a better "value" on the dining plan. I may have to go scope out some reviews.

If we were on the DDP, I'd definitely try dinner. Let me know what you decide!

Glad to see you made the FPs even though it was cutting it close - and I love CHH! Easily our other favorite MK food place. Too bad about the blueberry cobbler - we had a peach one at some point and thought it was pretty good. Everything else looks just as delicious as always.

CHH is pretty much worth a visit every trip! We all love seafood!

Sorry about the less than stellar views for the shows :/ That is a little frustrating, but at least you got to see them

Yes, this is totally true. And my boys enjoyed it, I'm sure.

And yay for park tickets! That's super exciting I just got the notification that we can renew our pass - we may wait until our extra stipends for the first part of the semester come in, but I can't wait I just like seeing something in MDE

Yeh, I almost can't believe I bought them this early. Usually I wouldn't have the funds yet as we are financing our vaca with our tax refund but it just so happens, this time I did...meant to be, maybe...lol. So excited for you!! I had an AP once. I thought about getting them for AJ and myself for these two trips (June 16 & 17) and I had the money when we were there but it would've required us going a week earlier next year and that would've been leaving the day after I finished work for the summer and I need more lead time than that.

Oh, you HAVE to see Zootopia! It's great. And yes it is out on DVD so go get it!

Will do!

I'm sorry your spot for CtM and Wishes wasn't good your 2nd night There are 2 places I love to watch Wishes from, but neither give you a good view of CtM. First is up on top of the train station, but you have to get there early because it fills up fast and you need to be up front. But even more than that I now love being back by the carousel We accidentally watched Wishes from back there last November. I'd read where some people though it was a great view and I really couldn't understand until we just happened to be walking back there during the fireworks. It was amazing; felt like they were going off all around us. But you'd have to find a good spot for CtM and then immediately move quickly to the carousel area. So next year find a spot where you can see both really well, and then on your next trip, after you've seen CtM, try it this way!

I have heard of both those spots being great, as well as the TTC ferry dock. But yes, I really want to see CtM. So maybe we'll see Wishes more than once, from three different spots, as we'll be at MK 3 days/nights.

 

[jenkel]

What is the resort monorail trick, I have seen you mention it a couple of times and I don't know what that means?

I love reading trip reports- - thanks for sharing!!!

 

[ArielSRL]

What is the resort monorail trick, I have seen you mention it a couple of times and I don't know what that means?

I love reading trip reports- - thanks for sharing!!!

Oh just that when leaving MK, instead of taking the express monorail that almost everyone is taking, take the resort monorail. It's always less crowded. It does stop at the Contemporary before the TTC but it still saves you time at the end of the night.

Thank you for reading!