Show Me Your Smolder! October 2012 B-Day TR NEW 4/1 Trip Wrap Up & NEW PTR LINK!

[MEK]

I am sneaking a look at your TR with my own computer at work, but the darn pictures are downloading so slow I'm going to have to come back later.

But I can see the picture of Progress City and it really IS amazing. I am so jealous. All I get is dark and blur! Strong work.

Looking forward to coming back and reading your whole update. Paxton looks like he's enjoying the parade (what little I can see).

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Great updates! That walk from Frontierland to Main Street/Hub between MSEP and Wishes can get pretty bad. We tried it a long time ago and decided (as the DIS phrase goes) "Never Again!"

Love all of the pictures of your DS with the cannon and cannonballs!

 

[MEK]

So Paxton could care less about the fireworks? I think its the age. Wait till next time. He'll either love it or hate it. My oldest hated fireworks for the longest time - the whole hands over the ears thing.

Beautiful pictures of Storybook Circus and the parade!

 

[xoSamma]

I have yet to try the sorcerers of the magic kingdom. I always see people playing it.
Carousel of progress is one of my all time favorites!!!
I hope he will learn to love the fireworks when we gets older

Theres no sleeping in disney! Late nights and early mornings

 

[debrapagliasotti]

Great updates! The pics of MSEP & Wishes were awesome!

 

[khertz]

That's the worst part about going during party season. Those rare nights that you can actually see MSEP are insanely crowded!

Yes, and we have pretty much had to battle those crowds once every trip for the last 3 trips since we went in December, then November, then October. It's worth battling the crowds though to see DS enjoy the parade. Just frustrating that there isn't much you can possibly do until parade time!

Is it loaded???

Thankfully not! I forgot to include the phoeo of him straining to life one of the cannonballs from the pile.

Well, they didn't do it for you, they did it for everyone else.

I'm sure that's it, that would have been the most unpleasant riverboat ride ever for the three of us and everyone in our immediate vicinity! I'm just thankful we noticed before the boat left the dock.

Can't go wrong with Peeeeecos Bills!

Peecos Bill's is a favorite of this family!

Little Einsteins?

I guess that could be it. He's really only seen it a couple of times. Maybe it was sticking out from seeing it more recently at the Disney Jr. show a couple days before. No telling what that kid is or isn't paying attention to at any given time!

Awesome! I'm glad it worked out!

It give me hope that we can do more shows than just the freaking Tiki Room!

And that's why it pays to go to Frontierland where it is less crowded.

Absolutely!!! Definitely was the way to go, given how crowded the park was...I'm sure Main Street was a complete madhouse. We never would have gotten right up to the rope if we had tried watching from there! I think Frontierland will be our new spot to watch the parade, at least at nighttime.

I am sneaking a look at your TR with my own computer at work, but the darn pictures are downloading so slow I'm going to have to come back later.

But I can see the picture of Progress City and it really IS amazing. I am so jealous. All I get is dark and blur! Strong work.

Looking forward to coming back and reading your whole update. Paxton looks like he's enjoying the parade (what little I can see).

DH said to me last night how much he enjoys reading your compliments on his photography! I teased him for taking SO many photos on the TTA, but it's totally worth it for a shot like that.

Great updates! That walk from Frontierland to Main Street/Hub between MSEP and Wishes can get pretty bad. We tried it a long time ago and decided (as the DIS phrase goes) "Never Again!"

Love all of the pictures of your DS with the cannon and cannonballs!

Yeah, it was pretty frightening!! Next time we will probably give it a few more minutes before trying to fight our way to Main Street for the parade, or catch them on different nights. Totally not worth the claustrophobia of trying to squeeze through all those people!

Thanks! We are all about making our own fun when the lines are just too long.

So Paxton could care less about the fireworks? I think its the age. Wait till next time. He'll either love it or hate it. My oldest hated fireworks for the longest time - the whole hands over the ears thing.

Beautiful pictures of Storybook Circus and the parade!

I'm at least glad he was not freaking out about them, but I couldn't help being a little disappointed that he wasn't more excited by them. Oh well, what can you do. Next time, he might be hands over the ears!!

Thank you!

I have yet to try the sorcerers of the magic kingdom. I always see people playing it.
Carousel of progress is one of my all time favorites!!!
I hope he will learn to love the fireworks when we gets older

Theres no sleeping in disney! Late nights and early mornings

I didn't really play since I was usually on stroller duty, but DH really enjoyed it and I'm sure we'll be playing again next trip.

LOVE CoP. It's one of those minor attractions that I would literally be devastated if they ever got rid of it.

That's our motto for Disney trips...The magic will keep you awake, you don't need sleep!! (Well, except for Paxton...he definitely needs sleep.)

Great updates! The pics of MSEP & Wishes were awesome!

Thanks! DH is pretty dedicated when it comes to taking those photos.

 

[arbolita]

I was lucky enough to see the Flag Ceremony when I was there last year - you're right, it's a very moving moment, and I wish more people were aware that it happens!

Wow, your MSEP and Wishes photos are excellent!

 

[amazingact21]

Wow, the character interactions during MSEP sounds amazing. How great that Snow White came up and gave your DS a kiss!

That bridge is a nightmare during nighttime shows. Everyone's packed in like sardines and there's not enough sidewalk to create clear pathways.... Blegh, I've been known to lose my patience in that area.

 

[khertz]

I was lucky enough to see the Flag Ceremony when I was there last year - you're right, it's a very moving moment, and I wish more people were aware that it happens!

Wow, your MSEP and Wishes photos are excellent!

I agree, I think most people, like us, just stumble upon it because they never knew it existed. It's such a great moment in the parks, and I love that they honor a serviceman or woman during the ceremony each day.

Thank you!

Wow, the character interactions during MSEP sounds amazing. How great that Snow White came up and gave your DS a kiss!

That bridge is a nightmare during nighttime shows. Everyone's packed in like sardines and there's not enough sidewalk to create clear pathways.... Blegh, I've been known to lose my patience in that area.

It was so great! I think it helped we were on our own, and the people around us were all adults, so he was kind of the only child in our little parade section. The Snow White kiss was one of my absolute favorite moments of the trip!

Ugh, that walkway!!! It's absolutely horrible.

 

[khertz]

Sorry I have been missing! Our computer had a virus last week, so DH spent the weekend and early this week completely restoring the entire thing. I was stuck on my iPad in the meantime, so updates were just not possible! Hoping I can get this TR wrapped up soon so that I can start working on my PTR for our next trip!

Day 9: Sunday October 29th

Well, it was finally here...our LAST day in the parks! We had a busy morning ahead of us, because we had to finish packing and check out of Bonnet Creek before we could leave for our park of the day, and we were hoping to make rope drop. Would we make it in time?!

We woke up at 6:40 am to finish throwing everything into suitcases and get the unit cleaned up (run the dishwasher, take out the trash, etc.). Our goal was to be checked out and in the car by 8:15. But that didn't happen. Okay, it was more like 8:30. We can still make it, right? We were darn sure going to try!

Only one destination in mind for today!

We still managed to park very close, so we extricated the stroller and DS from the car and hurried over to the monorail station. Only there was a CM there telling us the monorails were not working this morning! And a boat appeared to have just left! Not looking good for that rope drop. We were directed to a bus (our first and only Disney bus of the trip...I was too flustered to take any pictures!), which we boarded at 8:50!

As we exited the bus and approached the turnstiles, we could hear the music! We had just barely made it! DS had time to wave at Mickey Mouse and the "choo choo" before we hoofed it into the park.

We still got to enter the park with the masses and see all of the CM's on the sidewalks waving to us and welcoming us into the park. This is such a bittersweet moment because on the first day you are in the parks and seeing those CM's waving those big Mickey hands at you, all you can think is how you have a whole week in the World ahead of you. Now this morning, all I could think was that it was our last morning in Disney World and we would be flying home the next morning.

*Sigh*

Moving on, we stopped so DH could get some shots of this stunning beauty.

Good morning, gorgeous!

After taking our favorite route into Fantasyland through the Castle, we proceeded over to our first attraction of the day, Peter Pan's Flight, and walked right on.

As we came out, we decided to head across the walkway to It's a Small World.

The CM standing out front got a huge grin on his face and asked, "Are you coming to ride It's a Small World?" Yeah, what gave it away? lol But I just smiled and said, "Yes, we are." He then proclaimed that we were the first family of the day to ride! It was exciting in a, wow, this is a little lame, kind of way. But we happily walked down the ramp to fanfare (okay, maybe not fanfare) to the CM loading the boats who told us, "You can take row 1. Or 2 or 4 or whatever row you want!" We chose row 1 and got our own private boat on IASW.

After our thrilling ride, we walked onto Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh next.

DS thought it was a little too bright in there. Or he was hiding from paparazzi.

A quick peek over the wall
​

Up next on this quick tour of Fantasyland, the Mad Tea Party! DS had a blast spinning the cup for us. Luckily he is not too strong, but I dread the day he can actually make that cup spin!

We headed over to Storybook Circus and grabbed some FP's for Dumbo that we never ended up using. Oops. But I did finally remember to take some pictures of those peanuts in the ground!

We rode Dumbo and Barnstormer, both as walk ons. I wish I could say DS enjoyed Barnstormer more the second time around, but he really did not. He did get to ride with Daddy this time around though. Then we stopped to get a couple of photos of him in the stationary Dumbo out front.

Continued in next post...

 

[khertz]

Day 9 Continued: Sunday October 28th

After Barnstormer, we decided to take a peek in Pete's Silly Sideshow.

Since we had already met Great Goofini and the Astounding Donaldo, we ventured to the left towards Daisy Fortuna and Minnie Magnefique! There was only one group ahead of us, so I guess you could say we "walked on" here as well. But I guess that's what happens when you chose to do a character meet in the first hour of park opening! Off to get our fortune told!

Photopass version

Giving Daisy a kiss!

Once he was done being fawned over by Daisy, Minnie came over to collect him and walk him over to her area.

After being super cooperative for pictures, DS wanted to play with Minnie's balls! (Yes, believe me, I understand how bizarre that sentence sounds, but try as I might, there was no other way to put it. )

UP NEXT: A Little Adventure

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

That's pretty cool that you got a private boat for It's a Small World! I'll have to keep that in mind when we have multiple MK days to try for one of the less prioritized attractions at rope drop to see if we can be the first family of the day and what types of perks come with it. Hmmmm, I wonder how that would work out for the Haunted Mansion!

 

[skier_pete]

. This is such a bittersweet moment because on the first day you are in the parks and seeing those CM's waving those big Mickey hands at you, all you can think is how you have a whole week in the World ahead of you. Now this morning, all I could think was that it was our last morning in Disney World and we would be flying home the next morning.

Ha, I always think on the last day you are dragging your a** through the park, exhausted and tired, meanwhile you are looking at all the people that are on their first day all bright and cheery and thinking "Oh yeah, I remember feeling like that! It doesn't last long, does it?"

Seriously though - I think we like our 10 day trips because by the end we are tired enough that we don't mind leaving. The last trip, we actually decided to take our last day and hang by the pool. It was a great ending. We might do it again next time too!

It's great that you didn't have to wait for Minnie and Daisy. I love character meets, but hate waiting more than 10 minutes for them.

And you can bet I'll be joining in on that PTR of yours once it starts...

 

[khertz]

That's pretty cool that you got a private boat for It's a Small World! I'll have to keep that in mind when we have multiple MK days to try for one of the less prioritized attractions at rope drop to see if we can be the first family of the day and what types of perks come with it. Hmmmm, I wonder how that would work out for the Haunted Mansion!

It was a pretty cool experience, although it feels a little silly just for Small World. But it is one of DS's favorites right now, so I'm sure in a couple of years he will appreciate the story. I more just found it funny that we had time to stop for a second and gawk at the Castle, then walk over to FL and ride Peter Pan, and STILL be the first family on Small World!

Seems like it would be pretty fun to try that out on HM!

Ha, I always think on the last day you are dragging your a** through the park, exhausted and tired, meanwhile you are looking at all the people that are on their first day all bright and cheery and thinking "Oh yeah, I remember feeling like that! It doesn't last long, does it?"

Seriously though - I think we like our 10 day trips because by the end we are tired enough that we don't mind leaving. The last trip, we actually decided to take our last day and hang by the pool. It was a great ending. We might do it again next time too!

It's great that you didn't have to wait for Minnie and Daisy. I love character meets, but hate waiting more than 10 minutes for them.

And you can bet I'll be joining in on that PTR of yours once it starts...

I guess that is definitely another way of thinking about it! I don't get as tired in Disney, despite not sleeping as many hours as I do a night at home. I guess they are pumping some kind of stimulant in the air! Or I do get tired and it just doesn't bother me as much as at home because I'M IN DISNEY! Seriously though, I am not one of those people at the end of a Disney vacation that is worn out and ready to go home. I absolutely HATE leaving there!

It was nice that we had already accomplished so much in MK that we could take time out of those prime morning hours for a meet and greet with the characters without waiting. I am the same way, love meeting characters, but hate waiting a long time for them!

I'll be posting a link when it's ready!

 

[MEK]

[/CENTER]

Once he was done being fawned over by Daisy, Minnie came over to collect him and walk him over to her area.

I'm not sure if Paxton is loving his "fawning over" here. He's like ......hmmmm, stop hugging me so tight.

That picture with Paxton sitting in the Dumbo car is too cute. Love it.

Can't believe its your last day already. Please say it isn't so.

 

[khertz]

I'm not sure if Paxton is loving his "fawning over" here. He's like ......hmmmm, stop hugging me so tight.

That picture with Paxton sitting in the Dumbo car is too cute. Love it.

Can't believe its your last day already. Please say it isn't so.

It does look like that from his expression in the photo, but he actually had a lot of fun meeting the girls that morning! We are going to try to get more videos of character meets next trip because we just can't seem to capture the cuteness in photos. His facial expressions in the pictures didn't always match up to his experience in the moment.

I know, I can't believe it either! But it's definitely the last day.

 

[amazingact21]

Entering the parks on that last day is hard. It's kind of crazy to think in such a short amount of time you go from overly excited and optimistic about the vacation ahead of you right to sad and nostalgic about having everything end so soon.

While IASW might not be the most thrilling attraction at the MK, it's still pretty cool that you were the first family to ride it that day. Also a tad bit crazy to think, since you'd already gone on and finished Peter Pan's Flight. Apparantely nobody else was in the Small Word mood that morning.

 

[afwdwfan]

As we exited the bus and approached the turnstiles, we could hear the music! We had just barely made it! DS had time to wave at Mickey Mouse and the "choo choo" before we hoofed it into the park.

Wow, couldn't have timed it any closer if you tried.

We still got to enter the park with the masses and see all of the CM's on the sidewalks waving to us and welcoming us into the park. This is such a bittersweet moment because on the first day you are in the parks and seeing those CM's waving those big Mickey hands at you, all you can think is how you have a whole week in the World ahead of you. Now this morning, all I could think was that it was our last morning in Disney World and we would be flying home the next morning.

Very good point. That first morning you see them it is just a joyous, happy moment where you're living in the excitement of things to come. But then that last morning you just want them to stop smiling. It isn't a happy day.

The CM standing out front got a huge grin on his face and asked, "Are you coming to ride It's a Small World?" Yeah, what gave it away? lol But I just smiled and said, "Yes, we are." He then proclaimed that we were the first family of the day to ride! It was exciting in a, wow, this is a little lame, kind of way. But we happily walked down the ramp to fanfare (okay, maybe not fanfare) to the CM loading the boats who told us, "You can take row 1. Or 2 or 4 or whatever row you want!" We chose row 1 and got our own private boat on IASW.

Congratulations!!!!

Apparenlty, nobody was in a big hurry to get there.

DS thought it was a little too bright in there. Or he was hiding from paparazzi.

Hey, even an All-Pro quarterback likes to be able to just go out in public with his family and be left alone sometimes.

Once he was done being fawned over by Daisy, Minnie came over to collect him and walk him over to her area.

Fawned over? A couple of those pictures look more like Daisy has him in a headlock.

After being super cooperative for pictures, DS wanted to play with Minnie's balls! (Yes, believe me, I understand how bizarre that sentence sounds, but try as I might, there was no other way to put it. )

I really don't even know what to say here...

 

[khertz]

Entering the parks on that last day is hard. It's kind of crazy to think in such a short amount of time you go from overly excited and optimistic about the vacation ahead of you right to sad and nostalgic about having everything end so soon.

While IASW might not be the most thrilling attraction at the MK, it's still pretty cool that you were the first family to ride it that day. Also a tad bit crazy to think, since you'd already gone on and finished Peter Pan's Flight. Apparantely nobody else was in the Small Word mood that morning.

So true! When you plan a Disney trip, a week seems like such a long time, but when you hit that last day, it feels like a week went by in the blink of an eye. I am absolutely not one of those people who are relieved to get home at the end of a Disney vacation. I am pretty much crying on the way out and already trying to figure out when we will be back! It will be even harder after this year's trip since we will not be visiting WDW in 2014.

I thought it was so funny that we had time to ride Peter Pan and still be the first family on IASW! The CM was obviously really anxious for SOMEONE to come into the queue! He was practically bouncing when he saw us walking up!

Wow, couldn't have timed it any closer if you tried.

We were thisclose to full out running as we got off that bus, so I'm happy it wasn't for nothing!

Very good point. That first morning you see them it is just a joyous, happy moment where you're living in the excitement of things to come. But then that last morning you just want them to stop smiling. It isn't a happy day.

Exactly! It's like, "Hey, you are supposed to be sad with me, it's my last day here!"

Congratulations!!!!

Apparenlty, nobody was in a big hurry to get there.

Who knew no one was elbowing people out of the way to be first on Small World?!


Hey, even an All-Pro quarterback likes to be able to just go out in public with his family and be left alone sometimes.

He was still signing autographs if people asked nicely.


Fawned over? A couple of those pictures look more like Daisy has him in a headlock.

Ehh, Daisy was a little rough, I guess...Doesn't help that the kid wasn't smiling in them either! I promise, he was actually having a good time during that character meet!


I really don't even know what to say here...

EXACTLY! How else do you say it, really?! We were even scrolling through these pictures with Paxton on my lap, and he just kept saying, "Minnie balls!"

 

[debrapagliasotti]

Sounds like a great last morning at WDW so far! Those pics at Pete's Silly Sideshow are super cute! I loved that character M&G...it was themed so cute.

First family of the day on IASW...what a fun little memory!