Screw In the Light Bulb-All New x 13 4/25!!

[TruLovesKiss]

Just love Maddie's Anna & Elsa dresses! We saw Frozen right after Christmas and my girls fell in LOVE!! We've been listening to the soundtrack almost everyday since!

Yay for scoring the Cinderella's Lego castle a week early!! Jorie loves the Lego Friends sets... she has no idea that the Disney Princess sets even exist or I'm sure that I wouldn't hear the end of it, haha! Her birthday is in February too so I'm hoping to keep the secret and maybe we'll surprise her with a set or two!

SO sorry to hear about your knee!! Hoping to hear back some good news about it!

Awesome set of updates!!

What a cute PP pic of you guys with Mike & Sulley! Awesome shirts - you know me and my love for themed attire!

Ugh, so sorry that Maddie was questioning the costumes. It broke my heart when when Donovan said to me "Mom, I know that there are just regular people inside those costumes." At least the girls still believe.... for now.

Those beach pics of Maddie are FABULOUS!! So cool that they weren't planned and just kind of happened, ya know?

Great review of Yachtsman! Everything sounded wonderful (except for your improperly butchered steak!) I'm thinking we should add it to our "must-try" list!!

How AWESOME is Fantasmic?! I'm so glad that you guys loved it!! We did too!

I completely agree that the BBB is worth every penny! Such a magical experience! Maddie makes for a very adorable Belle! hmmmm, we weren't told at Castle Couture about a photo package being included? Darn!

What a perfect start to your morning, can't wait to see where you head next!

 

[Cinderella909]

Hoping that life is just busy for Shannon and her family. She's been quiet too long. Sending good wishes your way and will still be here when you return. Missing you.

Karen

 

[butterflygirl3]

I fell behind a bit, but I'm baaaack Love the Maddie updates so I couldn't stay away long. Did I see that you guys are planning a return trip in May? We are going May 17th - 25th Soooo, can't wait!!!!!

 

[Caretames1]

Hi Shannon! I just wanted to stop by and start to get caught back up, I updated and want to start back here getting some Disney in my mind.

 

[shan23877]

Happy New Year Shannon. My goodness, you were indeed the busy one. WOW.

Awww how cute is Maddie in her Anna/Elsa outfits? Well I'll tell you. Super adorable. Also adorable, the 2 pups with Olaf.

Oh dear, I sincerely hope you get some good results on your knee.
Oh I know, the Monsters used to be such a hidden gem. The only time a line seemed to form was right after a Backlot tour let out.

Haha, I just realized this TR is like watching a stage play with all the costume changes!

"Magic Mickey"... I like that!

Awww (I know, lots of "awwws" come from me on this TR), but that photos of Maddie on the Beach in "mostly" B&W is precious. The un-posed photos are always the best.

WOW, first time seeing Fantasmic? It is absolutely a MUST DO! Oh So Good!!

Having never been in the position to see the BBB, it was really lovely to see what it looks like inside. I can only imagine the joy it would bring to a little girl (and subsequently the parents) to be gushed over all day long as a result. I can't imagine anything better.

Thanks for the kind words Rob! The knee is healing nicely.

I miss the days of Mike and Sully being overlooked! They were always a slam dunk for a short wait!

Haha! Maddie loved that you said that about the stage play. She's big fan of being on stage!

The whole family now considers Fantasmic a must do, we had a great time.

The BBB is so fantastic for little ones. It makes us all so happy!

All caught up! Probably too much for me to comment on everything, but I will say I'm extremely jealous of your dinner at the Yachtsman. That's still on the must-do list for me, but it hasn't happened quite yet. Someday...

Maddie's makeover looks really nice, and you can't beat the empty (or somewhat empty) Main St. pictures!

The Yachtsman is great, it's still on our must do list. I hope you get to try it soon!

Thank you. I love the chance to get those Main Street photos, and she loves the attention!

Way too much to comment on, but I'll take a stab at a few things.

First, so sorry to hear about your leg. I hope you get good news at the ortho.

Love the Elsa dress; I still have to go see that movie.

Love the picture of "no running." Leave it to dad to start trouble.

I'm so glad you enjoyed your dinner at Yachtsman. It is a new favorite of ours and we go every trip now (forget LeCellier...it doesn't compare).

Maddie makes a beautiful Belle.

Thanks Kathy-I have a knee update coming up.

I hope you've had the chance to see the movie by now-it's an appropriate one for the crazy weather we've been having

We loved the yachtsman and cant' wait to go back. I doubt we'll try Le Cellier any time soon, we're officially yachtsman people!

Pictures?
Okay, you're forgiven.

You're too kind.

That sounds good. I'd love to see that.
Have you seen Saving Mr. Banks, yet?

We haven't seen it yet. We only seem to get to the theater to see Maddie approved movies.

You realize that in just a few more years, Maddie will be taller than you, right?

It might not take long. She'll probably hit the 48" milestone by the next trip!

Honestly. Just slightly more exciting than ours.

I'm glad it's not just us being enjoying such an exciting New Year!

I would be outta there faster than you could say, "Maddie, they're not real."
But...

Yeah.

I would've stuck it out for my rugrats at that age, too.

Have you heard about the wait times for Anna and Elsa now? They were up to 4 hours in December! INSANE!

"You stay in line. I shall be busy elsewhere."

Precisely

Great shots! And I agree with your choice for 'favorite shot'.

Thanks Ponz! I am still terrible at Photoshop, but I tried!

'Cause that's what you wanna see when enjoying a nice meal.
Some hairy dude in a speedo, scratching himself.

Exactly! I'm wearing a dress, and looking at that! Poor planning, but still a great restaurant.

What was the other cut you were considering?

I considered the filet. I usually order that because they're smaller, but I know they're not too flavorful. Oscar backed me up on that one.

What's in the dish? Tartare?

Yes, he really loved that.

Looked and sounded amazing.
Just one more to add to the Disney bucketlist!

You must try it sometime! It was fantastic!

We weren't as wowed by it.
I think we had heard so much, and expected same, that it couldn't help but disappoint a little.

I can understand that. I think that's how I feel about Illuminations. I just don't get the hype.

Not again??



Oh, that's good. We wouldn't want to upset the CMs now, would we?

Again. I was quite pleased that we hadn't inconvenienced them more.

Never been... and now probably never will.
I wish they'd had that when the DDs were little.
Ah, well...

I wish they'd had it too. Every little girl should be able to be a princess (and it's not bad for the parent's either)

Thanks for all the great photos!
But couldn't you have posted a few more chapters?
What? Lazy?

Seriously though, that was a ton of posts! Thanks!

That's what one must do when one slacks off. Expect another onslaught...

Loved the Christmas update - except for your knee, of course.

Love the MU pic! Worth the wait. The pictures with Magic Mickey are great. And good job actually seeing some shows! (As you well know, we FAILED at that.

You know I love the beach pics. But I think my favorite pic is the one of Maddie chasing after Bryan. That is just a wonderful little father-daughter moment. Your YSH meal looks and sounds great - we will definitely give it another try.
Love the sleep-walking. I’m glad everyone loved Fantasmic! All the more reason for us to finally see it one day…. I can’t believe y’all managed to get a swim in before bed as well. Weren’t you exhausted?????

POR looks really beautiful. We loved the BW, of course, but I am still a tiny bit sad that I moved us and didn’t get to experience POR.

Wonderful BBB and PP princess pics. Of course!

Thanks Roni! I sometimes wish we'd do slightly less well catching shows... Honestly I don't love taking the time to do it, but Maddie does.

I love that picture of them too. She loves it so much when he's silly.

I'm glad you aren't turned off the yachstman forever, we loved it!

POR is so pretty. I'd probably choose the BWI though

First off, I wish you the best for your knee ... I hope you are right and the end result will be less pain long term. Good job out of you looking for that silver lining

oh, and very impressed with all you got accomplished ... I was worn out and needed a break after I read the list

That lego set is very cool. I like how they felt the need to specify that this was Cinderella's romantic castle ... not to be confused with her other castles

I can't think of that A Net Full of Jello joke without hearing in my head Fozzy's
"Ah-ah!"

Sorry you were disappointed with photopass ... but I love that picture with Maddie resting on the bottom of the frame

I enjoy your "favorite" picture, though I think I like the one with her arms stretched out a little better - like she is just taking it all in. Or saying - this is all mine! I am queen of the world!

happy to see you had Oscar the Great and no Oscar the Grouch

wow, that bonus dessert sampler is like the best "bonus" dessert ever ... I'd be happy just to have that - looks great!

Glad you enjoyed Fantasmic! It was new to us our last trip as well, and like you it has become a "must do"!

Very nice makeover. I am sure we will do that for my DD at some point - last trip we just bought some of our own sparkly hair spray and did our own BBBing each morning. Glad you thought it was fully worth the cost!

Thank you so much! I'm in the process of getting caught up on tRs-yours included. I promise to be posting away over there soon.

The arms stretched pic is a fun one, you're right about her thinking it's all hers

That dessert sampler was divine! I want to celebrate something every time we go so that we can have it!

I think that's a great BBB alternative! I never thought to bring sparkly hairspray!

awesome updates!! we leave in 3 days for our trip and it was just the Disney fix I needed to get through another day! there was too much to comment on, but I just want to say that i'm glad you all had a wonderful Christmas and new years, I hope everything with your knee turns out well, and I LOVE that picture of Maddie's feet in the sand (and the sleepwalking! )! can't wait for more!

Thank you! She had so much fun on that beach. It was a great unplanned moment.

Shannon, thanks for the updates, great as always! Hope they fix your knee soon.
Just wanted to let you know I passed your ode to Oscar along to my collegue at Y&B to share with the food & beverage team there.

Marita that makes me so happy! Oscar deserved every bit of that praise! Thanks so much for doing that.

SO MANY UPDATES! SO EXCITED!!

Hope your Christmas & holidays were fantastic!! Good on ya for finishing up that much sewing and cooking that quickly, that’s super impressive! Glad that Maddie loved Frozen! Her & I both!! Lol. Those lego sets sound/look awesome! That’s so great! Arg! What a crazy shenanigan with your knee, I really hope it feels better soon and is good for your May trip!!

Boourns about the tour groups, ugh, there were girls in front of us at MVMCP like that, like stop, you don’t EACH need a solo picture and a group one, that’s just insane, and takes up SO much extra time, and I’m all for extra time with characters, but really….

Seriously, Maddie and I love all the same things, bahah. I’ve always wondered when kids not….stop believing…but start to wonder about things, I’d never thought about the fact that you could see Chip’s feet, never crossed my mind! Good cover for it though!

PP really has started to go downhill, I have to agree. It used to be wonderful, and there were photographers all over, specifically I remember WAY more locations in WS and even on the streets of America!

Those pictures are beautiful! I also seriously love them, they’re perfect! That beach is perfect, YC is perfect, ARG it is another place I would have my wedding…that beach, it would be perfect *sigh * A girl can dream, right? Love the pictures!

Yachtsman looks lovely!! Baha, here I am sighing at the windows, but once you raised the point of people out there I realized it probably wasn’t as lovely of a view as I was picturing lol.

Oscar sounds like he was lovely! Haha a great server so far! I also definitely study the menu’s online before going, it’s a rare occasion that I don’t know what I’m going to get before the trip arrives . Awesome that he got the fruit for Maddie!! Baha, I would’ve left the cantaloupe as well! Those desserts look absolutely amazing! Weird that the steak wasn’t butchered right, and good on ya for knowing that kind of stuff, impressive!! I think it’s safe to say I’ve added Yachtsman to my list of must do ADR’s! And Oscar will have to be my server, lol!! Glad you guys enjoyed everything so much!

….pretty sure I have that Ariel watch….we’ll see if it pops up in pictures…

This was a first fantasmic for you?! WOW! Glad you guys loved it! I really do find the show to be amazing and purely magical! It’s not a “MUST MUST do” for me, but it’s pretty high up there, bahah!

Yay! BBB! This was the invitation I helped with, correct? Lol, everything this past year is such a blur! Bahaha Wow, they really put everything on a great display in there hey?! That’s awesome, I have never been in to see anything, but now that Jess works there I’ll have to poke my head in from time to time lol! The FGIT is super pretty!! Baha, Maddie looks so excited and happy to be there, I cannot wait to have little princesses to do the BBB haha! Maddie’s such a beautiful princess, glad that you guys got to experience it again!

Thanks Katt! That was the BBB invite that you delivered! She loved it!

Those stupid tour groups were killing me. Every single group took 12 different photos. It made the line go 3x more slowly than it should have.

Aren't those legos cool? I wish they'd had more fun sets like that when I was a kid.

You must insist that Oscar is your server. He's fantatsic!

Yup, first time at Fantasmic. I regret missing it before! It was great!

Ok. These seem like some really cool Lego sets, but isn't releasing them a week AFTER Christmas a little bit of a marketing fail?

I thought so too! Very, very strange.

Hopefully you're right. I just hope you get healed up well enough by then.

I have a 'knee update' coming up. Good news!

Well played, Bryan!

I loved that little moment!

That is a shame that it wasn't butchered properly, but taste is the most important detail!

Exaclty! I wouldn't hesitate to order that same meal again.

Wow, that looks like something that might be written by a professional food critic. If I was writing it, it would probably be something more like this: Mmmmmm... potatoes... cheese... good.

I must have just read an issue of Food and Wine or watched Top Chef or something.

I've read enough of your reviews to know that this is certainly high praise, coming from you! Yachtsman just moved up a few spots on my list of "Disney restaurants I've never been to, but need to try."

I'm so glad! It was an excellent meal, I hope you'll try it sometime!

Probably helps to relax too, since you have that reserved seat for Fantasmic instead of having to get there and fight the stampeding herd.

I loved having the assigned seating. I think we'll plan to do the dining package from now on.

First time, I understand. Fourth time, I'd be a ticked.

That's pretty much where I was at. I was over it.



I'm glad that Maddie enjoys her visits to BBB... and it is really cool how you and Bryan go to extra lengths to make it happen for her and make arrangements for her to receive a special invitation.


I see a character meet in your future... [/QUOTE]

How did you guess????

One of the reasons I love your Trs is because it makes me think about future trips! I can't wait to take my daughter to BBB! Poor thing though, her hair is SUPER curly. I'm not sure how they would even brush through it since I can't unless she's just had a bath! Are character meet and greets still top on Maddie's list or is she starting to move more toward rides? As I think, where she's all dressed as Belle, you are heading back so she can try to be the Beast!

Thank you so much! I'm pretty sure they have products to make the brushing easier. Maddie's is so long that it gets tangled instantly, and they never have trouble getting it combed out.

She's about half and half now. She still loves her characters, but rides are starting to be important too.

Hi there

I'm just a little bit late I was perusing through the TRs and guess what I saw....your name! So needless to say I started reading and finally finished up.

You captured some awesome shots of Maddie!!! And the dresses are absolutely adorable. Wish I could sew, but just not gonna happen. Love the picture of hubby and daughter in black-n-white with blue dress. Precious!!! Definitely a keeper.

You've kind of sparked my interest with the Plaza. It hasn't been on my list of must-dos but we may have to try it, especially if the service is good. That will definitely make or break a dining experience for sure.

Looking forward to reading more! Hope y'all are staying warm

Heather

Hi Heather! Thanks for reading!

I loved some of the pictures we got on the beach that evening. More than one ended up framed.

The Plaza was not high on my list either, but I'm so glad we tried it. It's not worth a deluxe credit, but it's a fantastic way to take a break in the middle of a long Magic Kingdom day.

 

[shan23877]

First of all, DANG, have you been busy! You are such a talented seamstress. And I'm so sorry about your knee! I hope it isn't too painful.

Also, I hope y'all loved Mary Poppins! I saw it last February and I'm still obsessed. I still get chills when I listen to the soundtrack.

AND!!! I couldn't help but notice that we have the exact same ticker... how cool! I hope I get to meet y'all!

Okay, I've already talked so much that I'll keep the actual update comments brief... Yachtsman sounds like it was incredible. Princess Maddie is adorable. Great updates! (Told ya they'd be brief. )

Thanks so much Marissa! You are too kind.

We loved Mary Poppins! I was surprised at how much I liked it, and Maddie loved it!

The Yachtsman is great, you have to try it sometime!

Holy updates! Let's see what I can remember...

Sorry about your knee. Ouch! I hope you get it fixed and feel better soon.

Love the Christmas pics. My girls also love Lego Friends and Lucy (7) desperately wants the boat! I think they'll love the Disney ones...

The picture of your dogs with Olaf? OMG. We are FINALLY going to see Frozen tonight.

What did you think of the Mary Poppins musical? I saw it 2 years ago and was not impressed, but my oldest loved it.


Love Maddie's BBB pics and the ones on the beach are gorgeous! Great job!

I am not a big steak eater, but my DH would love the Yachtsman. Maybe one day...

Those Lego friends sets are awesome aren't they? My little brother hunted down that boat for her. She was so excited! The princess ones are really, really cool, but honestly I like the Friends ones better.

Thanks so much for the kind words.

Shannon, Great updates! I love all the pic! I hope you take care of your knee and have a speedy recovery! We are soooooo excited to be going back at the end of THIS month!!!!!! Yay!!!!!!!

Thanks! How was your trip? I need to look for a TR link in you signature, I'm determined to get caught up!

Wow, what a busy schedule! I hope everything goes well at your appointment. Knee pain is miserable!

Of course Maddie looks precious in every picture. We have never been to Yachtsman, but looking at the meals, I believe we will have to make a stop there to enjoy dinner. It looked amazing. And having an excellent server can really make the difference.

I haven't seen Fantasmic in years and I am trying to ensure we see it this trip. It was amazing the last time I saw it and my husband has never seen it. Gotta make time for it!

I always love the early entry on Main Street and the ability to take some great pictures because you won't get run over. Even though I am tall, I still get walked on or ran into. I just want to say, "how can you miss me?"

I can't wait to see what else went on during your trip!

Thank you so much!

I hope you try the yachtsman some day! It's great!

LOL! I always feel that way. "I'm an actual person. Do you not see me?"

Wow!!!! You have been very busy, Shannon!

Maddie's hair is SO long in the pics with her Elsa/Anna dresses! Very cute by the way!

If you are going to see Mary Poppins, I suggest you go see Saving Mr. Banks. It was an amazing movie!

Sorry to hear about your knee. I hope you get good results from the orthopedist.

You don't appear to be very short (Napoleon complex?) but I completely understand, as I am only 5'2". How tall are you? ( I guess I always thought Bryan was SUPER tall)

I wish I had gotten to meet sully and mike in their MU outfits. I love your matching OK shirts! GO OOZMA KAPPA!!!

Maddie is very precious in her Belle dress! Belle has always been my favorite, as she has beauty AND brains! Last time I met with her, we discussed reading and books at great length.

We liked Mary Poppins, and would really like to see Saving Mr. Banks. I've heard such good things!

LOL! I'm 4'11" and Bry is 6'2". So both I guess!

Thanks so much. Belle has always been a favorite of mine. I love that she reads!

What great updates to get caught up on! Now, I just have to remember everything that I wanted to comment on.

Yachtsman sounds and looks fantastic! I don't think that I've ever read a bad review.

Of course, Maddie had to have a new pair of dangly earrings. Princesses always need a pretty pair of earrings.

I so wish that BBB was around when Lacey was a young girl. I am not so sure that I could have talked her into it since she wasn't a girly girl, but I would have loved to have the option to try and get her in there. Maddie looks so very pretty in the BBB photos....a true Disney Princess!

Thanks Lisa! The Yachtsman was great, and I cannot wait to go back!

I was a bit of a tomboy, so the sparkly princess thing is pretty foreign to me, but she absolutely love is. It's so worth it to us.

Shannon, I have to agree that the Castle package is totally worth every penny, and then some. We have had absolutely magnificent experiences at both the MK & DTD locations, and have a (surprise) appointment scheduled for our next trip at MK. Maddie makes a beautiful Belle!

Thanks Meredith. It's so great isn't it? I just love how happy it makes her. And you know I love the surprise BBB visits!

Just found your TR. Your DD is too cute. Can't wait to read about the rest of your trip.

Thanks for joining in! I've been a terrible at getting things posted, but I have a bunch coming up!

Holy Mega Updates.

Maddie looks beautiful after her BBB makeup and hair session. What a treasure to be able to have those pictures as a keepsake! Just lovely!

Your dinner at Yachtsman looks lovely. I am not a huge steak fan. Given the choice I always pick a seafood entree which is probably why I have never eaten there. That's not to see I don't enjoy a good steak, but its few and far between. However, I found it really interesting what you said about proper butchering and how they can affect the taste and the location of the fat. I think its the fat that really turns me off.

So - bottom line - Oscar sounds like a gem and DH and I are planning on trying it next October. Thanks for the review.

Very cute picture of you and Maddie at the end of your meal.

Thank you so much! I love the BBB memories, and have pics from every year framed side by side. I'm sure they'll be favorites of mine for years to come.

Yay! I'm so happy that the review made you want to try it! I loved, loved, loved the meal there-if you want a lean steak get the filet. There shouldn't be any fat at all on it. I hope you love it as much as we did!

I really enjoyed your Christmas pics and BBB pics! I think American Girl had a very good year from what I've seen in real life and on the net! I think my 3 year old is still a couple of years away from that but I look forward to it.

Hide the catalogs now! LOL! AG is making a fortune off of us! LOL!

Wow, so many great updates, thank you, must have taken you an age to do!

So happy for you that you got all your orders sorted for Christmas. Hope you have caught up on your sleep now.

I love those new Lego sets. Will have to keep a lookout here in the UK.

I totally agree with you about BBB. My eldest went for the first time in September and it was amazing, like you say, worth every single penny. I also have the exact same shots from inside, the three dresses on the wall, the costume area, the scroll on the wall, it is just such a perfect palace for girls.

Thanks so much! The lego sets are tons of fun, Maddie is obsessed with them!

Isn't the BBB the best place ever? I'm so happy she enjoys going.

Catching up may take me a while here!

Love the new sewing room (well- not so new anymore!) It looks like A LOT of work went into it.

Wow. You guys packed a lot into that meal by 8:35! Commence my note taking !

Donald & Daisy's DHS outfits are my favorites!

OH NO! You got hit with a DHS pretzel hunt too! Chris led me on one of those last January. They appear to be few and far between in that park! Glad you were successful!

the Ralph and Vanellope shots.

The same thing happened to us at Mama Melrose! The lobby was full with people waiting & when we were finally sat-- the restaurant was 1/4 full. How strange.

Sorry to hear about all the knee troubles. Sending pixie dust your way & hoping for positive news!

Glad Maddie donned her matching shirt for the photo! You guys look great! Ugh-- I hear you on the million photo combos. I started to lose it about that during MNSSHP!

OMG the pictures of Maddie in front of the lighthouse are SO precious. I hope one of them gets framed!

Sounds like a great meal at Yachtsman and I love that you got a great server. It just makes the meal that much better!

I'm so glad you guys loved Fantasmic! I love it now, but one of my only memories of it from when we went when I was little was being terrified of it so I'm really glad Maddie was able to appreciate it!

That's a ridiculous number of KTTWK problems. My goodness. I hope this was the end?

Maddie looks absolutely gorgeous as Belle. I'm hazarding a guess that some enchanted tales were in your near future!

Courtney you are incredibly dedicated. I would likely have posted a "all caught up!" response! LOL

Chris and Maddie will have to share pretzel tips. Maybe between the two of them we can map out the places that you can buy them at 10 am!

I don't usually insist on the matching, but it was appropriate for that we thought.

Good guess!

It may take me a bit to catch up (holy cow, 28 pages!), but I will! I look forward to reading about another trip, your fabulous dining, and more adventures with Princess Maddie.

Thanks so much! Great to see you back on the boards!

Hi Shannon! I followed you over from my TR and wow!! I've missed a lot her but I read through the last updates and I have to say that YSH is one of my absolute favorites. (You may already know that! ) I'm glad you had a rock-star waiter! That makes a huge difference. Your photos are amazing.

Awww Maddie is adorable and BBB is the perfect little princess touch of magic to make it even more amazing.

You are so creative if you are on Etsy! I can barely sew a button.

I'm glad I found your TR even though I'm late it makes all the reading that much better.

Thanks for joining in Brenda! I really appreciate all the kind words!

The Yachtsman steakhouse is a new fave in our family. We'll be back next trip. The service really made it outstanding.

Nooooooo.... It's Friday morning. Where's the update???

 

[shan23877]

Just love Maddie's Anna & Elsa dresses! We saw Frozen right after Christmas and my girls fell in LOVE!! We've been listening to the soundtrack almost everyday since!

Yay for scoring the Cinderella's Lego castle a week early!! Jorie loves the Lego Friends sets... she has no idea that the Disney Princess sets even exist or I'm sure that I wouldn't hear the end of it, haha! Her birthday is in February too so I'm hoping to keep the secret and maybe we'll surprise her with a set or two!

SO sorry to hear about your knee!! Hoping to hear back some good news about it!

Awesome set of updates!!

What a cute PP pic of you guys with Mike & Sulley! Awesome shirts - you know me and my love for themed attire!

Ugh, so sorry that Maddie was questioning the costumes. It broke my heart when when Donovan said to me "Mom, I know that there are just regular people inside those costumes." At least the girls still believe.... for now.

Those beach pics of Maddie are FABULOUS!! So cool that they weren't planned and just kind of happened, ya know?

Great review of Yachtsman! Everything sounded wonderful (except for your improperly butchered steak!) I'm thinking we should add it to our "must-try" list!!

How AWESOME is Fantasmic?! I'm so glad that you guys loved it!! We did too!

I completely agree that the BBB is worth every penny! Such a magical experience! Maddie makes for a very adorable Belle! hmmmm, we weren't told at Castle Couture about a photo package being included? Darn!

What a perfect start to your morning, can't wait to see where you head next!

Thank you! I am woefully far behind on your TR, but I promise I'm going to get caught up.

Those Lego sets are adorable aren't they? I really love the Friends ones. Did you get Jorie any for her birthday?

I was so happy to get those 'surprise' pictures. They ended up being some of my favorite from the whole trip!

I can't believe that they didn't tell you the photos were included! They can also add them to any PP card. Did they at least do that for you?

Hoping that life is just busy for Shannon and her family. She's been quiet too long. Sending good wishes your way and will still be here when you return. Missing you.

Karen

Karen, thank you so much. I was so far behind in updating that I was considering giving up. Your post was a big factor in deciding to continue. I swear I'm going to do better!

I fell behind a bit, but I'm baaaack Love the Maddie updates so I couldn't stay away long. Did I see that you guys are planning a return trip in May? We are going May 17th - 25th Soooo, can't wait!!!!!

Thanks for reading! We are going in May! May 1-9! where are you staying?

Hi Shannon! I just wanted to stop by and start to get caught back up, I updated and want to start back here getting some Disney in my mind.

Hi Carey! Are you doing a TR for your most recent trip?

 

[shan23877]

Seems like it’s apology time again. Too bad there’s not a “sheepish” smiley. Ponzi- think you can take care of that one? I feel like a Grade A Jerk for being away for so long, and if any of you are still bothering to read this-thank you in advance. You are too kind to me.



When I last checked in with you all I’d hurt my knee and was awaiting more testing. 2 rounds of X-rays, an MRI, and 3 doctor visits later I found out that I’d dislocated my patella. When the knee cap went west (literally) it pushed on my ACL which is why I presented at the ER with an ACL tear. The doctor offered me a cortisone shot or a lifetime of munching Motrin. I took the cortisone. Along with the shot he prescribed 4 weeks of physical therapy.


I finally went back to work 2 weeks after the initial injury. On Tuesday night of that week my tooth started bothering me. I tried to ignore it, but by Wednesday afternoon it was so bad I made an emergency appointment with the dentist. I assumed that one of the back teeth had abscessed and prepared myself for the possibility of an extraction or a root canal. Turns out I needn’t have worried myself with the root canal foolishness. The dentist actually told me that I’d broken one of my back teeth and needed to see an oral surgeon right away. I left her office with a referral to an oral surgeon and a prescription for Vicodin. (that’s Week 3 of prescription narcotics for those keeping score).

My appointment with the oral surgeon was that Friday. He said there were actually 2 teeth that he needed to take, and that my wisdom teeth were going to need to come out as well. Since our dental plan doesn’t cover full anesthesia (and I needed it as I’m a nervous dental patient) and we’d be paying out of pocket for that, we decided to go for the whole enchilada. I left the surgeon’s office 6 teeth lighter than I’d arrived. (and with more pain meds!)


As you can imagine I wasn’t having the best month, and I like to be in a “Disney mood” to update the TR. Hence the time off. I'm sorry for abandoning the TR.


On the bright side, I’m currently finishing up my 4th week of physical therapy and my knee is feeling great! Honestly my knee feels better than it has in 20 years. I was very, very skeptical that PT would work for me, but I’m happy to report that it has! My gums have also healed nicely, and once the stitches fell out I was able to finally discontinue my use of prescription drugs!


My month of being a recluse wasn’t all bad though. I did get some Disney sewing done! As some of you may know, Frozen merchandise is incredibly hard to find right now. The $50 Disney store Elsa dress that Santa delivered to our house is currently listed for $600 on Amazon. A good friend-RGirl here on the Dis-was planning a surprise 7th birthday trip to DLR for her DD Willow and really wanted an Elsa dress for her. Since I had some time on my hands, I made this (Disney store version is on the right, mine/Willow’s is on the left). I hope that Roni will share some pics here of Willow in the dress:

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I also had some ideas floating around in my head for a few items for Etsy-as much as I appreciate all the folks buying those Lilo dresses, I’m awfully tired of making them, so I made these :

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And Maddie did this:

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Since we’ve been “enjoying” the Polar Vortex we have plenty of snow, so Bryan and Maddie took to the yard. I sang “Do you want to build a snowman” all day

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And then this Wednesday my little princess turned 7. I’m not sure where the time has gone. This Saturday we have tickets to see Disney on Ice, and we’re following that up with a shopping spree and dinner at American Girl. On Sunday we’ll have family over for cake and presents. And since I’m feeling nostalgic, if you'll indulge me, here’s some pics of my baby through the years:


Opening her new Lego Princess sets on her birthday

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At 3 she discovered princesses

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First BBB visit

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Thanks again for sticking with my guys-lots of updates coming up!

 

[shan23877]

The One Where She’s Working on Her Roar
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Having just finished Maddie’s transformation into Princess Belle we were standing at the Fantasyland rope waiting for it to drop.

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I knew as soon as Maddie chose the Belle dress that another visit to Enchanted Tales was in our future. She was itching to get there as soon as possible, but I had a suggestion. I figured that as the rope dropped, most in the know park visitors would be bee-lining for Fast Pass machines (RIP). So, if we went straight to ETwB we’d have to wait for people to join us before we’d be let in.


Instead, I suggested that we take a spin on Peter Pan and then head over to Maurice’s cottage where we’d still be among the first guest of the day.


Maddie agreed, but was nervous. We’ve avoided Peter Pan in the past due to her previous aversion to any and all “dark rides”. Even Splash Mountain was “scary” the first time-not the drop, she loved that, the gentle boat ride parts. We ended up being the 2nd group to ride Peter Pan that day, and Maddie loved it! She announced that we had to ride it again sometime-haha kid, with a 90 minute wait in the afternoon that’s not going to happen.


We headed straight to ETwB next, and for once my Expert Disney Planning paid off. We got right into the cottage, and moments later were watching the mirror transform.

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Our mission on this day was clear. Ever since Maddie found out that the child chosen to play the Beast got to dance with Belle she was dying to be cast in the role. Once she put on that dress, her desire only intensified. She’d made it clear that we’d be enjoying as many showings of Enchanted Tales as it took for her to get the part that day.


As we were welcomed by the wardrobe I immediately began trying to communicate with the Disney Gods “please let her be the Beast, it means so much to her, and there are other things I’d like to experience in the Magic Kingdom today”. While I was busy doing that Mdme. Wardrobe and the CM began choosing the guests who would portray the all important suits of armor. I was vaguely aware of the CM pointing to a man behind me, but didn’t realize what was happening until Bryan was already at the front of the room.

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As the children’s parts were cast Maddie participated in the “try-outs” but her heart wasn’t in it. She shivered, hopped, and bounced, but she was conserving her energies. Finally the CMs asked the children to give their best ROAR, and Maddie gave it her all.

Hallelujah! She was the Beast!

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I have to ask you to forgive my lack of photos of this performance. I was attempting to take video with one hand and take no-flash pics with the DSLR with the other. The result was bad video and very few usable pictures. Luckily there's photopass!

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Needless to say it was everything she’d hoped it would be. She now considers ETwB one of her favorite attractions in all of WDW.


Up Next:

We rocket through space

 

[shan23877]

The One With Some Exploring​

Having accomplished Maddie’s main goal for the day we were free to move on. We needed to go back to Castle Couture to pick up our BBB photo shoot package, so Mads and I went to do that while Bryan went to Space Mountain to grab some FP for later.


There was a very choosey group in line in front of us, so Maddie and I were still in line when Bryan got back. Once it was our turn we chose quickly and got our pictures in no time.


One of my main goals for this trip was to meet the few remaining characters that we hadn’t had the pleasure of seeing. While we were wandering back to New Fantasy Land with that in mind, we happened across the Tremaine family. Of course we stopped.

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Anastasia and Drizella were very taken with Maddie’s tiara and sash and asked lots of questions about how she’d managed to become a princess. The Tremaine girls never disappoint.

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Peter Pan and Wendy (2 of the folks on the must meet list) wandered by and said hello on their way to take a break, so we knew we’d missed them for now.

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Our Space FP window was approaching so we changed course and took off toward Tomorrowland. The sword in the stone ceremony was taking place as we walked by, but in a random burst of shyness Maddie couldn’t be convince to participate.

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When we got to Space Mountain the CM stationed at the FP entrance denied us entry as we were a few minutes early, but when he saw Maddie’s face fall he very helpfully pointed out someone across the way who might like to meet her.



Stitch had no line, and Maddie very much enjoyed talking with him for a few minutes.

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Our Space FP were officially good, so we went for a ride. It’s definitely a favorite of the princess now.

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Mads was getting hungry, so we decided an early lunch was in order. We had learned our lesson to feed the kid at the first signs of hunger.


Up Next: A Beastly Lunch

 

[shan23877]

The One With Be Our Guest – Lunch​

We knew that having skipped breakfast we’d want lunch on the earlier side, which worked well with the strategy I’d heard for avoiding huge lines at Be Our Guest.


We joined the line at 10:36, and were inside the castle at 10:43 (gotta love taking notes on the phone). Maddie enjoyed a mini-photo shoot while we waited, and I snapped hundreds of photos of the entrance and surrounding areas.

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Once we got in we marveled at the detail in the hallway. It’s lined with Suits of armor, and flags hand majestically from the ceiling.

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Soon enough it was our turn at the ordering kiosks. The CM manning ours asked if we were on the dining plan to which I responded “yes, deluxe dining plan”. He immediately told me that an appetizer was not include and gestured that I should go ahead and order. I responded, “We’re on the deluxe plan, so we should”. He very confidently assured me that I was mistaken and again gestured toward the computer screen. Flustered I quickly chose the turkey sandwich and moved aside to let Bryan register his and Maddie’s choices. It wasn’t until we were sitting down that I remembered I’d intended to order the croque monsieur.


Maddie and I responded to the dining room as most have-we were wowed. While Maddie and I were taking photos of everything around us, Bryan filled our cups. He returned to the table and announced that even the Coke dispensers were themed. He was quite impressed.

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This CM saw me trying to take a photo of the dessert cart and was kind enough to stop. I've got to think this isn't the first time she's posed with the cart.

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We had the choice of sitting in the ballroom or the West Wing on this particular day, and Maddie emphatically chose the ballroom. We found a table with a lovely view of the falling snow, which strangely was right next to the table we’d be seated at a few evenings later.


Our food arrived quickly and after a few quick photos we dug in.

Budding Dining Reviewer?


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I though the turkey sandwich was quite good, though not remarkable. I think I was still regretting my order blunder, but I did enjoy it very much. The fries were excellent!

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Maddie got the kids’ turkey sandwich with sweet potato wedges. She would not eat a sweet potato for all the tiaras in the kingdom, but her aversion to those should not keep you from ordering them. Honestly she was so excited to be in that setting that she wouldn’t have eaten much even if she’d been presented a buffet of Mickey pretzels.


Bryan got the steak sandwich with fries. He thought the sandwich was fine. It was enough to fill him up, but what really stood out to him was the fries as well. Some of you know that Bryan considers himself a connoisseur of pizza, but he also takes his French fries very seriously. These pommes frites impressed.

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For dessert I enjoyed the chocolate cream puff while Maddie opted for the lemon cupcake. We both enjoyed our choices, but Maddie was much more impressed by the chocolate garnish.

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The CMs encouraged us to look around before we left, and agreed to let us explore the closed Rose Gallery too.

We obviously had to stop for this photo op on our way out




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Be Our Guest Lunch

Food: 6 nothing was bad, but not remarkable either


Service: 8 All of the CMs in the dining rooms were incredibly friendly and encouraged all the guests to take their time looking around. The ordering kiosk CM was the only semi-bad thing that we experienced.


Would we return? Yes we would. Since we enjoy the DxDP we rarely visit CS locations, but this one was well worth the wait.

 

[shan23877]

The One With the Best Chipmunks EVER​

Having enjoyed nice lunch we were ready to explore some of New Fantasy Land that we’d rushed by on our last visit. Village Gifts was a big hit with our little Belle, and I thought Gaston’s was great.

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I was very interested in meeting the proprietor, and according to the times guide he was due to make an appearance any moment. No lines had formed, so we lingered in the area for a bit before finally cornering a CM to ask where he was. Turns out Gaston was out hunting so we moved on, vowing to return.

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We’d also managed to miss Peter Pan’s most recent set, so I agreed to let Maddie do some shopping. She’d been itching to spend some of her souvenir money, so we headed to Sir Mickey’s. She quickly chose the Rapunzel lantern that she’d been eyeing, and as we were checking out we had the pleasure of being taken care of by two of the sweetest CMs we’d encounter the whole trip. They insisted that I be sprinkled with pixie dust as I was the birthday queen, and were very, very impressed when Maddie told them that she’d saved up all of her money for a year to bring to WDW. On the way out Maddie decided that they each needed to get one of her thank you notes, so she selected two and made her way back to deliver them.


I’d wondered if the thank you’s would be well received, but that was answered later that day when JennisSilly posted this on my PTR. I was so glad the little notes had made such an impression on those outstanding CMs.

Purchase made, Maddie declared it princess time. But first she decided to try her hand a the sword in the stone.

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As we made our way toward Adventureland we got sidetracked,first by a Mickey pretzel cart. and then by 2 rowdy chipmunks.

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As Maddie approached Chip and Dale immediately bowed to her and then grabbed her for a dance. They weren’t willing to take turns nicely, and eventually started fighting over our princess. That, of course, resulted in lots of giggles.

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Once group pictures are taken it’s usually our cue to leave, but Chip and Dale weren’t done yet. They got ahold of Maddie’s wand and immediately went to work on each other. They used her wand to turn each other into a chicken and a robot before turning the wand on Bryan and turning him into a block of ice. They hid from one another, and each one chased the the other around in circles for a few minutes. If that weren’t enough, they noticed my birthday button and proceeded to lead the line and gathering crowd in a chorus of Happy Birthday. About 15 minutes after we first approached them final hugs and kisses were exchanged. I felt bad that we’d taken up so much of their time, but Maddie was on cloud nine. For the rest of the trip we heard “I can’t believe two chipmunks were fighting over me! How romantic!”

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Up Next: More Character Fun!

 

[shan23877]

The One With Her New Best Friend​

It was about 1pm by that time, and we wanted to meet Jasmine and Aladdin before the parade so we quickly made our way there. While we were in line lightning was spotted in the area, so their 1:20 M&G was postponed until 1:40. While Bryan waited in line Maddie and I wandered the neighboring shops and tried out all of the musical instruments.

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At 1:50 it was finally our turn. Jasmine apologized to Maddie for the delay and explained that the pair had been checking up on Abu who is afraid of thunder and lightning. Maddie presented Jasmine with her gift, and she was appropriately wowed. Aladdin mentioned that Maddie and Jasmine must be “best princess friends” now, which of course was exactly the right thing to say. Jasmine agreed that they were, and kissed Maddie’s autograph book. This is a meet and greet we can never seem to skip, they are simply too good.

Jasmine receiving her gift















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The ladies always seem to get a one-armed hug, but the princes get the real thing

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Rounding out our afternoon of character meets, Maddie led us toward Tinkerbell’s nook. The wait was 45 minutes, but Maddie didn’t care-they play fairy cartoons in the waiting area. It took all of the 45 minutes for us to have our turn.

Vidia was up first. Maddie was unsure about her, and Vidia quickly turned her off by calling Tink annoying. Maddie takes her characters very seriously, and made that quite clear. Tink saved the day by making a funny face at Vidia and harmony was restored.

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Speaking of Tink, Maddie had a bracelet gift for her as well. Maddie hid the bracelet in her autograph book so that Tink would discover it on her own. Tink was most impressed and asked if Maddie had made it from “lost things”. That was exactly the right thing to say, and Maddie was over the moon.

Sharing a giggle at Vidia's expense







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Maddie was quite pleased with the amount of friends she'd been able to visit with, and was ready to move on.

Up Next: A very different 3 o’clock parade

 

[emmysmommy]

You are an updating machine so I may be jumping in here while an update is posting! That's the risk I take.

Sorry about your knee and your teeth - sounds like an unlucky streak. Glad to hear you are doing well. Adorable applique tees but that Elsa dress - wow! You have talent!

Yay for Maddie scoring the lead role as the Beast in ETwB.

So many great character interactions - especially Chip and Dale. How great were they? Maddie's reaction with Jasmine and Aladdin is adorable.

 

[jedimeg16]

I always love Chip and Dale! It makes me sad that we didn't get a chance to get pictures with them on our last trip.

Maddie is so adorable and her princess gifts are so sweet!

 

[STLMickeyMom]

WOW! so many updates! the sunny Disney pictures are just the thing I needed on our cold, snowy day!

love all the pictures of maddie growing up. our oldest will be 7 in September. it's strange to think they're so big, isn't it?

all the sewing looks great! we're tossing around the idea of doing a frozen theme for MNSSHP. we might be looking for tips on making anna and elsa costumes!

i'm so glad that maddie got to be the beast--that is so exciting for her! Disney magic for sure! we still haven't done enchanted tales yet....maybe next trip.

peter pan and wendy and the tremaines were awesome when we saw them! they are high on my meet again list. and how funny were chip and dale? more magic for maddie--love it!

I love the Tinkerbelle meet. I like seeing how it's all decorated and changes for the seasons! how cute maddie hid tink's bracelet in the book!

I really like your thank you note idea. we might be stealing that idea for our next trip. and how neat that they posted them on instagram! that's awesome!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Talk about posting enough to make up for your absence! First off, I'm glad that your knee is on the mend and that your mouth "issues" are healing nicely.

I always seem to say it but that little Maddie makes me smile. You can just see the delight on her face every time she meets a character. Speaking of characters, you've had some seriously great meet and greets! I think that my favorite would have been with Chip & Dale. Once you get those guys going, they really put on a show.

Even though your meal at Be Our Guest was just okay, the atmosphere more than made up for it. I can hardly wait until we see it in person in May.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Haha, you know it always makes me giggle whenever someone apologizes so profusely for taking a TR break. You know we're not paying for this right? You're entitled to take a break (especially given all you've been through) and update however and whenever you like. It's always worth the wait.

Awww a great big

Ha, yeah, the big problem with kids loving Peter Pan is they just end up wanting to ride again. Which obviously is not an easy task.

OK, so is it wrong that I got a little teary upon the announcement that Maddie got the Beast role she so desperately wanted? I mean, we're months and months after the fact, and I'm still reading along "Please let her get picked... Please let her get picked."

OMG that is SO AWESOME that the CM's posted the thank you cards like that. Just no words.

Chip and Dale are seriously the best meet and greet. They never fail to amaze. How awesome to have that experience.

Oh my all those meets are so precious. I imagine they must really be touched by the bracelets too. So sweet.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

First I am glad that you knee is feeling so much better. That is quite the ordeal you had - I mean, that is a lot of teeth to lose in one day, for a non-hockey player at least

Oh, and I love the silhouette shirts - especially the Little Mermaid one!

and a Hippo Birdie to Maddie!

Glad your plan worked out with ETwB - and that Maddie got to be the Beast!

I love that in the PP from Space Mountain you are holding a wand

Sorry about the issue when ordering at BoG - hate when one gets flustered like that and you rush a decision

I love this picture - just love the face she is make, like she is thinking "no, not quite right - not up to my standards"

“I can’t believe two chipmunks were fighting over me! How romantic!”

The Thank You Note are such a great idea .... I am sure CMs have to deal with opposite type guests and bet they appreciate getting positive feedback so much!

 

[TruLovesKiss]

No need to apologize! You've had quite a rough few weeks! Yikes, so sorry to hear that you had to deal with all of that. Glad you're feeling better.

Oh my! I absolutely love your princess silhouette tees! And Olaf is so darn cute!!

to Maddie! Did she LOVE the Lego Princess sets?

I was mentioning the new princess sets and my MIL swiped in and stole the idea for Jorie's birthday present. Now she BETTER buy her them because she is known to be unreliable about that kind of stuff....especially since she waits until the last minute to buy the kids' gifts (like on the drive over to our house, last minute. She buys the wrapping paper/gift bag and all!) So guess we'll find out next week!

OMG, the pic of Maddie in her belle dress totally reminded me of Jorie's 3rd birthday!

Where does the time go?

Ah, love the empty Fantasyland pics! I'm so glad that Maddie was picked to be the Beast! Not that a few more times at ETwB would have been all that bad....

Love the pic of Maddie photographing her BOG lunch. What a cute face she is making! BOG really is amazing, isn't it? And yes, those pomme frites, yum!!! So is that really correct, no appetizer even on the deluxe dining plan? It definitely doesn't seem right.

What an awesome M&G with Chip & Dale! Aww, and love Jasmine's reaction to her new bracelet. That's so sweet. And then Tink's was great too!

Such great updates! Can't wait to read more.