Somebody's Gonna Pee in a Cup, West Coast - Link to new TR 1/21

[afwdwfan]

Thanks for the driving info. We live in Akron, Ohio. That is in northeast Ohio so it might take us a little longer to get there. At least now I know when we should be heading out to get there in a reasonable time.

Yeah, that's just a little bit farther.

I didn't use TP* for this trip but I used EasyWDW crowd calendar and it's always been amazing. But this trip I found the crowd levels were completely off! What was supposed to be a 4 at MK one day, totally felt like a 7.

Yeah, I kept submitting wait times to the app and doing the thing each day where you tell them what it feels like in the parks. I submitted a 10 for the Studios that night. I felt like overall, their predictions were a bit low this trip. I've typically found them to be pretty accurate in the past.

Aw, love that FiL was allowing the Disney spirit to take over at Frozen [/.QUOTE]
The first small victory of the trip.

Are you serious?! I can't believe all that was happening to both you and DW during Osborne! Yikes.

Yeah, sadly, I'm very serious. It was just horrible.

I don't think i've ever experienced a packed DHS...and it sounds like I really don't want too. Gosh, poor DD. That would hurt.

It was definitely odd. When we got into the park, it was just crowded everywhere. It wasn't anywhere near as bad as what we saw back at the Streets of America later, but it was hard to maneuver through the crowd just to get to the Frozen show.

Seriously, I hope that the rest of your trip turned out 100 times better! What an icky night.

Fortunately, it did get better. But I was dreading what might come of the week at that point and just hoping that wasn't a sign of the crowds we'd be seeing.

ETA: As not to freak anyone out, I did use Toilet Paper on this trip...just not TouringPlans

I literally spit Fruit Punch PowerAde all over my computer when I read that. Thanks.

Actually, I won't have any choice when it comes to that.

You're in good shape then.

Unless you're staying off site. Then get a cab.

"Watch out for the guy with the crazed look on his face holding the stroller in the air!"

Hulk smash!

I remember a commercial on not long ago. Don't remember what it was for.
Some beer or alcohol of some sort, I think.
A woman hands her husband/boyfriend her purse as she darts into a store.
He distastefully drops it to the floor at his feet.
He turns a plastic bag inside out, then picks up the purse like it's a huge dog turd.
Camera cuts to a group of men, sitting and watching.
They slow clap.

Fine. Have it your way.
Compliment withdrawn!

Sorry. Compliments are a foreign concept to me. Never happens.

The theme from "Jaws" might be appropriate.

Dun dun dun dun dun dun dun!

You might be on to something.

 

[awfullybigadventure]

Well...at least the swim sounds nice. I really hope that was the worst crowd you saw all week. Not sure I could survive more than one night like that!

 

[cj9200]

Sorry to hear about the crowds and experience at DHS. Even with a tainted family experience, a while from now, you will chuckle about it. Really sorry about the Princess's injury.

I won’t lie. It was cold. In the 50’s. There was steam coming off the water.

But to be quite honest, it didn’t feel bad. The water was warmer than the air temps. DS had fun swimming and we stayed out there for maybe 15 minutes before heading inside and going to bed.

You Northerners are nuts. Yea, the water might be OK but you still have to get out into 50 degree weather.

Now that I think about it, that little swim probably helped me immensely with winding down and regaining my composure after all the stress from our time in DHS. I was probably too amped up by the time we got back to even be able to get to sleep, no matter how tired I was.

OK, good decompress experience. But you are still nuts.

But the whole time I was out there, I couldn’t help but wonder what the lifeguards who were decked out head to toe in cold weather gear, thought of the idiot who brought his kid out to get hypothermia.

The CM conversation went like this:

Sue: Joe, look at that idiot who brought his son to the pool in this weather.
Joe: He better not get into trouble cause I'm not going into that water.
Sue: Yep, he is on his own.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

We got to the Studios entrance, and traffic was backed up from the parking booth to the stoplight.

Woe to him who tries to enter.

Disney had already phased out the Diamond parking. So the one main reason I booked with AAA, became completely irrelevant on our trip.

That'll teach you to use someone besides the DISDads.

And the Studios was packed. Touringplans had predicted a crowd level of 5 for that day. I just looked back in their crowd history and they’re calling it a 4 now.

Did the weather guys also call for snow that day?

the park had morning EMH.

I think I found the problem.

And FiL… who didn’t really want to go to Disney World and didn’t think he’d like it.

Well, I might have seen him wipe a tear away as he was watching the kids singing and dancing along with the show.

That Disney magic. It has it’s ways of turning anyone.

That's more like it.

Also, I hope you're right, because my brother is planning a trip and his wife has the worst attitude about it I've ever seen.

When the lights came on, the kids were in awe as they have been in the past. MiL and FiL both seemed to really enjoy them too. I was holding DD and just soaking it in.

Ok… I won’t lie… we’ve seen the Osborne Lights a few times now. And usually we’re taking pictures and video as we watch. This time we just soaked it in.

Nothing wrong with that. I can see how the lighting would be pretty special.

Well, I’m just standing behind the stroller watching the lights dancing when I feel something hit the back of my right leg. I turn to look, and a lady who just hit me with her stroller is just looking up at the lights above her as she pulls the stroller backwards about a foot, only to ram it back forward again without looking. Apparently she thought she’d just jackhammer her way through the crowd until she made a hole large enough to fit through. Well, that second impact fell right on the back of my left leg. I saw it coming, but there was nothing I could do to avoid it. I almost ended up sitting on top of her kid, and he got to learn a few new words.

As this is happening, I felt our stroller rock back into me and turned to look back that direction to find DW laid out across our stroller. Someone pushed her and completely knocked her down.

Holy crap. That's insane. I have other words for these people, but I can't type them here.

DD was on the side of the stroller closest to the oncoming traffic and she just started screaming. She’d had her hand on the bar on the side of the stroller and got a finger pinched between the 2 strollers when they hit.

Poor kid. I can't imagine dealing with crowds like that. It sounds like a recipe for disaster.

By this point… I’m working on close to 24 hours of no sleep. And I’ve been deliberately bashed in the leg with a stroller. DW has been knocked off her feet in a crowd. DD has been injured getting through a crowd. I was about at my limit.

Thankfully, TSMM was fun as always. We were on the ride within a few minutes and having a great time. DD rode with me. She could pull the string, but had trouble aiming. I helped her hit a few targets, but she really didn’t care. She was just having fun pulling the string and getting whipped around.

Were there at least fewer crowds on the ride vehicle?

And by the time I got back, the stroller parking area was filled. To the brim. As in all available space was filled. There are no aisles to walk between strollers. Full. I ended up reaching as far as I could to grab the handle on our stroller and I just picked it up and pulled it out over the top of the others. Next thing you know I’m walking through this shoulder to shoulder crowd, holding a double stroller over my head trying to get to my family. I’m sure it looked like I was getting ready to throw it at somebody, and at that point in the evening if someone said the wrong thing to me, I probably would have been tempted to.

No photos???? This is a TR Fail.

You’d think if there was something that I’d hurt my back doing, it would be this…

No, that doesn't sound nearly as taxing as folding a t-shirt.

A lady in the lane next to us had just been handed her tray. She picked it up and turned and knocked her drink and dessert onto the floor when she bumped into the side of my backpack.

I started to turn to help her and apologize… when she starts going on this rant about people and their bags and yada, yada, yada.

How dare you stand there in line! You monster!

We finished our meals and DW asked me if I wanted to try to ride Star Tours while we were there. She hates that ride, and I knew she wouldn’t ride anyway, so I just said no.


I never say no to “one more ride.”

You know it's bad if you just want to leave a Disney park.

We went to the parking lot and got in the Suburban just a few minutes prior to the park’s closing time at 8pm.


It was 8:40 by the time we got out of the parking lot. It was ridiculous. Really.

So other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?

I won’t lie. It was cold. In the 50’s. There was steam coming off the water.


But to be quite honest, it didn’t feel bad. The water was warmer than the air temps. DS had fun swimming and we stayed out there for maybe 15 minutes before heading inside and going to bed.

Thank God for heated pools.

But the whole time I was out there, I couldn’t help but wonder what the lifeguards who were decked out head to toe in cold weather gear, thought of the idiot who brought his kid out to get hypothermia.

 

[CaseFace5]

Hi There Andy! Joining along! Loving the TR so far.

We stayed at AOA in 2013 and I loved it there. We also had a Cars suite. It's funny seeing the picture of your kids because it reminded me of the sponge areas under the cars. We would be heading back to the room after a long day, or heading out the parks early in the morning and forget about the spongy ground until we stepped on it and our feet sunk a little

Can't wait to keep reading along!

 

[that's nice]

I didn't know AAA was ending their partnership with Disney. We loved using the Diamond parking pass when my mom came with us a few years ago. I was hoping she would get her tickets through AAA again.

I wish we did the Frozen sing along... but I just didn't fit it into our schedule. Looking back I should of. Glad the kids loved it.

Those crowds sound insane. No thank you.... I really can't deal with that.

Glad you and DW were seriously injured. That could of really messed the trip up.

Disney really made a killing with all the Frozen stuff in DHS. That has definately made that park more crowded and considering the ride situation there, made getting through the park somewhat dangerous.

Good job taking DS swimming.... the only thing you were missing in this update was pounding a few beers.

 

[afwdwfan]

Well...at least the swim sounds nice. I really hope that was the worst crowd you saw all week. Not sure I could survive more than one night like that!

Well, I don't know if the swim was nice, but I guess it was one of the highlights of the evening.

Things definitely didn't end up being quite as chaotic the rest of the week.

Sorry to hear about the crowds and experience at DHS. Even with a tainted family experience, a while from now, you will chuckle about it. Really sorry about the Princess's injury.

Yeah, looking back now you almost wonder if it really happened... it was just such a ridiculous night altogether.

You Northerners are nuts. Yea, the water might be OK but you still have to get out into 50 degree weather.

You Southerners are just pansies...

OK, good decompress experience. But you are still nuts.

Maybe a little...

The CM conversation went like this:

Sue: Joe, look at that idiot who brought his son to the pool in this weather.
Joe: He better not get into trouble cause I'm not going into that water.
Sue: Yep, he is on his own.

Woe to him who tries to enter.

I was considering abandoning the car along the side of the road and walking. And we might have actually been closer to the park entrance than the parking spot we ended up with.

That'll teach you to use someone besides the DISDads.

I know, I know. I considered it, but that Diamond parking pass is nice when you're hauling around kids and a stroller... you know, when you can actually use it.

Did the weather guys also call for snow that day?

Well, we did see some snow. Elsa made it snow at the end of the sing along!

I think I found the problem.

No... EMH just makes it a little more crowded than normal. This was busting at the seams.

That's more like it.

Also, I hope you're right, because my brother is planning a trip and his wife has the worst attitude about it I've ever seen.

I wish him luck. I think FiL really ended up enjoying himself, even though he was pretty hesitant. Either that or he just decided to suck it up, play along and not complain. Either way, it worked out well.

Nothing wrong with that. I can see how the lighting would be pretty special.

One of my favorite things they do for the holidays. It is pretty impressive and I love getting to watch the lights. You know... when people aren't trying to shove us out of the way.

Holy crap. That's insane. I have other words for these people, but I can't type them here.

Well, you could type them, but you'd either end up on DIS suspension or they'd all look like this: ******

Poor kid. I can't imagine dealing with crowds like that. It sounds like a recipe for disaster.

It pretty much was.

Yep, that's about how I was feeling.

Were there at least fewer crowds on the ride vehicle?

That might be the least cramped space I was in all night.

No photos???? This is a TR Fail.

Sorry...

No, that doesn't sound nearly as taxing as folding a t-shirt.

How dare you stand there in line! You monster!

Seriously... I was even ready to take some of the responsibility until she started yapping.

You know it's bad if you just want to leave a Disney park.

That just never happens. Ever.

So other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?

Well, hey, um... we were in a Disney park.

Thank God for heated pools.

Hi There Andy! Joining along! Loving the TR so far.

Welcome, thanks for stopping by.

We stayed at AOA in 2013 and I loved it there. We also had a Cars suite. It's funny seeing the picture of your kids because it reminded me of the sponge areas under the cars. We would be heading back to the room after a long day, or heading out the parks early in the morning and forget about the spongy ground until we stepped on it and our feet sunk a little

Oh, those spongy areas were nice at the end of a long park day. Some nice relief on the feet!

Can't wait to keep reading along!

Thanks!

I didn't know AAA was ending their partnership with Disney. We loved using the Diamond parking pass when my mom came with us a few years ago. I was hoping she would get her tickets through AAA again.

Yes, apparently they couldn't come to terms on a deal and their old one expired at the end of 2014. You can still book through them, but they made it clear that their perks would not be available on trips starting after Jan 1, 2015. Unfortunately, Disney seemed to start phasing their end of those perks out a little bit earlier.

I wish we did the Frozen sing along... but I just didn't fit it into our schedule. Looking back I should of. Glad the kids loved it.

Yeah, sorry it didn't work out for you. It was really a good show, especially for something they probably just threw together.

Those crowds sound insane. No thank you.... I really can't deal with that.

It really was crazy.

Glad you and DW were seriously injured. That could of really messed the trip up.

First night of the trip... let's go to the ER!

Disney really made a killing with all the Frozen stuff in DHS. That has definately made that park more crowded and considering the ride situation there, made getting through the park somewhat dangerous.

Yeah, that's probably true, but by the time we were there they only had the sing along and Frozen Oaken's.

Good job taking DS swimming.... the only thing you were missing in this update was pounding a few beers.

Definitely could have helped...

 

[afwdwfan]

Princesses Are For Girls!

We woke up on Sunday morning feeling refreshed after a good night of sleep. We had some fruit and cereal that we’d brought from home to eat for breakfast, so we just got the kids up and had some breakfast in the room as we waited for DW to finish getting ready.

Our park for the morning was going to be MK. MK was scheduled to open at 8am the whole week while the other parks were opening at 9am. I had considered taking the bus, but with MiL and FiL going for the first time, I kind of wanted to give them that extra experience of approaching the MK via monorail.

We drove to the TTC and naturally, when we arrived we found that the monorail wasn’t open yet.

I had hoped to make it to the park in time for the welcome show, but the train was rolling up to the station as we were getting off of the boat. At least we got to see and hear it as we were walking up to the bag check area.

We made it through security and got into the park. This is where I finally realized one of the nice things about FP+. I was taking my time walking down Main Street. Smiling at the cast members waving their oversized Mickey hands and saying good morning. In the past I’d have been grabbing KTTW cards, leaving the family and telling them where I’d meet them after I got our first Fast Passes. Ok… maybe it isn’t so bad.

We were headed for Fantasyland so we decided to walk through the castle, which DD absolutely loved. She said it was “boofyful.”

We were only going to be in the MK until around lunch time, and our strategy for this morning was to knock out as much of Fantasyland as we could. We had FP+ for Barnstormer, Peter Pan and Enchanted Tales with Belle. We headed to Pooh for our first ride and parked the stroller. I was ready to hit the ground running, but DW said we needed a restroom break.

WHAT??? We’ve been in the park for 5 minutes!! You know how this works!!!

DW, FiL and MiL all headed off to the restrooms. I wasn’t about to waste early morning park time just standing around, so DD, DS and I went over to ride the Tea Cups. The rest of the group walked up just before we got off the ride.

After the kids and I regained our balance it was off to the Hundred Acre Woods with everyone’s favorite bear. Even though we didn’t ride it as soon as I’d have liked, there was still no line and we were quickly on our way. When we finished there, we headed around the bend to take a flight with Dumbo and we were quickly on an elephant with no wait.

The next stop was going to be Barnstormer to use our FP+, but it was closed. We decided to head over to experience life under the sea. We all enjoyed the ride, and as we got out, DW noticed that the line to meet Ariel was only posted at 5 minutes so she wanted to stop. We were soon visiting with Ariel and we found out things had changed since our last trip.


Last time we were here, DS enjoyed meeting and talking to princesses.


This time, it looked more like this:

He informed us as we were leaving that “princesses are for girls” and made it clear he wanted nothing to do with them. Well, so much for him still being too young to think he’s too cool to see them. Yes, he’s 4 folks. Pre-schoolers are growing up fast these days. They already think they’re like 3rd graders or something.

By the time we got done with Ariel, Barnstormer had re-opened so we hopped in line to ride. DD barely met the height requirement, but she was just tall enough to get to ride her first rollercoaster. She rode with me and we got front row. She absolutely had a blast! The funniest thing was, we had told her it was Goofy’s rollercoaster. The whole time on the ride she kept yelling “Yahooooey” the way Goofy yells. It was cute then, but now she does it all. the. time.

The kids had asked to ride the Speedway when we walked past heading into the Storybook Circus area earlier and we had some time to kill before our Peter Pan FP+, so DW and MIL headed into the circus tent to look around for a few minutes and then we decided to head over to ride. The posted wait by then was 15 minutes and that’s just about how long it took. DD rode with me again and that would become a trend for the trip. She wanted to ride with me and DS wanted to ride with FiL, so that’s pretty much how it went most of the week as we’d split up into pairs for rides. The Speedway was… well, it was the speedway. I don’t even know what else I can say about it. We drove slow and slammed into rails, but the kids loved it.

By the time we took the checkered flag, it was time to go ride Peter Pan. With our FP+, we were quickly in a pirate ship and headed to Neverland. I don’t remember what the posted wait was, but it definitely paid to have an FP+. I would have liked to see the new queue… but I’m not losing any sleep over missing it.

When we finished watching Peter Pan defeat Captain Hook, it was time to go to Enchanted Tales with Belle. We were last at Disney World the week that New Fantasyland, including this attraction, opened. The wait times back then were insane, and we could just never quite make it work to see this so we were really looking forward to it!

We got into Maurice’s workshop and did as told by the CM… kids went to the front and adults went over to the right hand side of the room. Next thing you know they’re crowding more and more people in between us and the kids. DW started to get concerned, but I could still just barely keep an eye on our kids as they were standing up front and center at the workbench.

When they opened the “gate” the kids were standing behind to let us all go through the magic portal, the kids obviously went through first, but we couldn’t get over to them since we were on the right side and the opening is only in the middle of the room. People are filing into the wardrobe room and the kids were completely out of sight. DW told me to go find them, so I broke away from the group and found just enough of a gap to get myself through the gate so I could go find our kids. I walked into the wardrobe room and found DS standing front and center with the other kids… but DD was nowhere to be seen.


Panic set in.


I started looking around the room and didn’t see her anywhere. I went across the room in front of everyone looking for her. I finally found her, in the complete opposite corner of the room from where we entered. She was laying on the floor along the back wall with people standing in front of her, seemingly oblivious to everything going on. I asked her if she wanted to go stand with her brother and see the show with the other kids. She ended up getting up and going up front with the rest.



But let me tell you, that experience kind of freaked us out.



Next time we go in there and they ask the kids to walk up front and the adults to go to the right, they’re going to have to move me by force. Ain’t happening. I’ll be standing right behind my kids.



With all the excitement, I’d made my way into the wardrobe room long before the rest of our group. DW, MiL and FiL ended up being among the last to enter, so I was all the way across the room from them as parts were being assigned. DS was not getting into it at all and didn’t end up getting or wanting a part. DD was doing anything the CM asked them to do throughout the auditions. She ended up getting to be Chip!

Aside from the part where they separated kids from their parents, I thought the entire experience was very well done. I’d definitely go back and see it again. It was a cute show and I enjoyed seeing the interaction between Belle and the various actors. I still don’t think that it would have been worth the hour + waits that we saw when we were there last time, but it is definitely something we’ll do again. It really is a lot more interesting than the typical character meet and greet.

We headed away in a good mood. Seeing DD having fun portraying Chip and dancing around the room with Belle more than made up for the scare we had in the wardrobe room. She had a blast and we thoroughly enjoyed watching her. DS, on the other hand, was just glad to be leaving that Princess powered cootie breeding factory.

We decided we’d go ride It’s a Small World and then get some lunch, but I figured I’d go over to the FP+ kiosks at Mickey’s Philharmagic on the way to see if I could get something for just after lunch. We were planning to eat at Peco’s Bills so we were thinking either Splash or Thunder. Neither ended up working out, so I grabbed a set for Jungle Cruise, figuring we could just hit it on the way out of the park.

The kids enjoyed IASW as always. I think MiL and FiL were also kind of excited to have finally seen the Disney classic. But FiL did comment several times later in the day that he just couldn’t get the song out of his head. We’d be walking along and I’d hear him start humming it.

Pecos Bills is kind of our first day tradition. Every trip, on our first day in MK, we always eat lunch there. I don’t know why, but we enjoy it and it works. The food was good as always. Nothing spectacular of note, but my burger was great and the fixin’s bar only makes it better.

We finished our meal and made our way through Adventureland. Jack Sparrow was out on the stage and MiL couldn’t believe how much he looked like the movies. She was blown away by it. As FIL said, if you use that much make up, you can make anyone look like him.

We got on Jungle Cruise… no wait, sorry, Jingle Cruise. And it was fun. This was the first time I’d seen the Jingle Cruise overlay and it was a nice little change. It was far from being anything extreme, but it just gave the skippers an opportunity to try some new material by modifying their typical jokes and trying some new puns. I mean who doesn’t like Trader Sam-ta?

We were ready to leave the park, but the kids wanted to ride Aladdin’s Carpets while we were there. The wait was only 5 minutes so we went ahead and did it despite my efforts to convince them that we’d already done Dumbo and Dumbo is better.

After that, it was time to leave. Our original plan was to eat an early lunch and leave the park right away. Clearly we failed, so we weren’t going to get much of a break. We exited the park and hopped on a monorail back to the TTC. We drove back to AoA and by the time we returned it was nearly 1 pm. There wouldn’t be time to nap, because we’d only have about an hour before we’d have to turn around and leave.

We had an ADR at 3pm.

 

[KatMark]

Princesses Are For Girls!

We woke up on Sunday morning feeling refreshed after a good night of sleep. We had some fruit and cereal that we’d brought from home to eat for breakfast, so we just got the kids up and had some breakfast in the room as we waited for DW to finish getting ready.

You guys needed it...especially you.

Our park for the morning was going to be MK. MK was scheduled to open at 8am the whole week while the other parks were opening at 9am. I had considered taking the bus, but with MiL and FiL going for the first time, I kind of wanted to give them that extra experience of approaching the MK via monorail.

We drove to the TTC and naturally, when we arrived we found that the monorail wasn’t open yet.

Of course not...this is becoming more of the norm.

I had hoped to make it to the park in time for the welcome show, but the train was rolling up to the station as we were getting off of the boat. At least we got to see and hear it as we were walking up to the bag check area.

At least you could hear it.

We made it through security and got into the park. This is where I finally realized one of the nice things about FP+. I was taking my time walking down Main Street. Smiling at the cast members waving their oversized Mickey hands and saying good morning. In the past I’d have been grabbing KTTW cards, leaving the family and telling them where I’d meet them after I got our first Fast Passes. Ok… maybe it isn’t so bad.

I have to agree with you; the new FP+ has really grown on me.

We were headed for Fantasyland so we decided to walk through the castle, which DD absolutely loved. She said it was “boofyful.”

Awww...priceless.

We were only going to be in the MK until around lunch time, and our strategy for this morning was to knock out as much of Fantasyland as we could. We had FP+ for Barnstormer, Peter Pan and Enchanted Tales with Belle. We headed to Pooh for our first ride and parked the stroller. I was ready to hit the ground running, but DW said we needed a restroom break.

WHAT??? We’ve been in the park for 5 minutes!! You know how this works!!!

Sounds like my husband.

DW, FiL and MiL all headed off to the restrooms. I wasn’t about to waste early morning park time just standing around, so DD, DS and I went over to ride the Tea Cups. The rest of the group walked up just before we got off the ride.

A dad and his kids.

She's having a good time.

After the kids and I regained our balance it was off to the Hundred Acre Woods with everyone’s favorite bear. Even though we didn’t ride it as soon as I’d have liked, there was still no line and we were quickly on our way. When we finished there, we headed around the bend to take a flight with Dumbo and we were quickly on an elephant with no wait.

The next stop was going to be Barnstormer to use our FP+, but it was closed. We decided to head over to experience life under the sea. We all enjoyed the ride, and as we got out, DW noticed that the line to meet Ariel was only posted at 5 minutes so she wanted to stop. We were soon visiting with Ariel and we found out things had changed since our last trip.


Last time we were here, DS enjoyed meeting and talking to princesses.


This time, it looked more like this:

Boys will be boys. And now you know why we NEVER ate in the castle...the boys did NOT like Princesses back when they were little.

But DD sure is loving it.

He informed us as we were leaving that “princesses are for girls” and made it clear he wanted nothing to do with them. Well, so much for him still being too young to think he’s too cool to see them. Yes, he’s 4 folks. Pre-schoolers are growing up fast these days. They already think they’re like 3rd graders or something.

By the time we got done with Ariel, Barnstormer had re-opened so we hopped in line to ride. DD barely met the height requirement, but she was just tall enough to get to ride her first rollercoaster. She rode with me and we got front row. She absolutely had a blast! The funniest thing was, we had told her it was Goofy’s rollercoaster. The whole time on the ride she kept yelling “Yahooooey” the way Goofy yells. It was cute then, but now she does it all. the. time.

Glad DD loved it.

The kids had asked to ride the Speedway when we walked past heading into the Storybook Circus area earlier and we had some time to kill before our Peter Pan FP+, so DW and MIL headed into the circus tent to look around for a few minutes and then we decided to head over to ride. The posted wait by then was 15 minutes and that’s just about how long it took. DD rode with me again and that would become a trend for the trip. She wanted to ride with me and DS wanted to ride with FiL, so that’s pretty much how it went most of the week as we’d split up into pairs for rides. The Speedway was… well, it was the speedway. I don’t even know what else I can say about it. We drove slow and slammed into rails, but the kids loved it.

And that's what counts...the kids loved it.

By the time we took the checkered flag, it was time to go ride Peter Pan. With our FP+, we were quickly in a pirate ship and headed to Neverland. I don’t remember what the posted wait was, but it definitely paid to have an FP+. I would have liked to see the new queue… but I’m not losing any sleep over missing it.

When we finished watching Peter Pan defeat Captain Hook, it was time to go to Enchanted Tales with Belle. We were last at Disney World the week that New Fantasyland, including this attraction, opened. The wait times back then were insane, and we could just never quite make it work to see this so we were really looking forward to it!

We got into Maurice’s workshop and did as told by the CM… kids went to the front and adults went over to the right hand side of the room. Next thing you know they’re crowding more and more people in between us and the kids. DW started to get concerned, but I could still just barely keep an eye on our kids as they were standing up front and center at the workbench.

When they opened the “gate” the kids were standing behind to let us all go through the magic portal, the kids obviously went through first, but we couldn’t get over to them since we were on the right side and the opening is only in the middle of the room. People are filing into the wardrobe room and the kids were completely out of sight. DW told me to go find them, so I broke away from the group and found just enough of a gap to get myself through the gate so I could go find our kids. I walked into the wardrobe room and found DS standing front and center with the other kids… but DD was nowhere to be seen.


Panic set in.


I started looking around the room and didn’t see her anywhere. I went across the room in front of everyone looking for her. I finally found her, in the complete opposite corner of the room from where we entered. She was laying on the floor along the back wall with people standing in front of her, seemingly oblivious to everything going on. I asked her if she wanted to go stand with her brother and see the show with the other kids. She ended up getting up and going up front with the rest.



But let me tell you, that experience kind of freaked us out.


It would have freaked me out as well.

Next time we go in there and they ask the kids to walk up front and the adults to go to the right, they’re going to have to move me by force. Ain’t happening. I’ll be standing right behind my kids.

Daddy to the rescue.

With all the excitement, I’d made my way into the wardrobe room long before the rest of our group. DW, MiL and FiL ended up being among the last to enter, so I was all the way across the room from them as parts were being assigned. DS was not getting into it at all and didn’t end up getting or wanting a part. DD was doing anything the CM asked them to do throughout the auditions. She ended up getting to be Chip!

Cutest Chip I ever saw.

Aside from the part where they separated kids from their parents, I thought the entire experience was very well done. I’d definitely go back and see it again. It was a cute show and I enjoyed seeing the interaction between Belle and the various actors. I still don’t think that it would have been worth the hour + waits that we saw when we were there last time, but it is definitely something we’ll do again. It really is a lot more interesting than the typical character meet and greet.

We headed away in a good mood. Seeing DD having fun portraying Chip and dancing around the room with Belle more than made up for the scare we had in the wardrobe room. She had a blast and we thoroughly enjoyed watching her. DS, on the other hand, was just glad to be leaving that Princess powered cootie breeding factory.

Poor DS...the torture.

We decided we’d go ride It’s a Small World and then get some lunch, but I figured I’d go over to the FP+ kiosks at Mickey’s Philharmagic on the way to see if I could get something for just after lunch. We were planning to eat at Peco’s Bills so we were thinking either Splash or Thunder. Neither ended up working out, so I grabbed a set for Jungle Cruise, figuring we could just hit it on the way out of the park.

The kids enjoyed IASW as always. I think MiL and FiL were also kind of excited to have finally seen the Disney classic. But FiL did comment several times later in the day that he just couldn’t get the song out of his head. We’d be walking along and I’d hear him start humming it.

No comment.

Pecos Bills is kind of our first day tradition. Every trip, on our first day in MK, we always eat lunch there. I don’t know why, but we enjoy it and it works. The food was good as always. Nothing spectacular of note, but my burger was great and the fixin’s bar only makes it better.

I may have to give it a try again...it's been seven years.

We finished our meal and made our way through Adventureland. Jack Sparrow was out on the stage and MiL couldn’t believe how much he looked like the movies. She was blown away by it. As FIL said, if you use that much make up, you can make anyone look like him.

FIL has a good point.

We got on Jungle Cruise… no wait, sorry, Jingle Cruise. And it was fun. This was the first time I’d seen the Jingle Cruise overlay and it was a nice little change. It was far from being anything extreme, but it just gave the skippers an opportunity to try some new material by modifying their typical jokes and trying some new puns. I mean who doesn’t like Trader Sam-ta?

We never got to do the "Jingle" Cruise.

We were ready to leave the park, but the kids wanted to ride Aladdin’s Carpets while we were there. The wait was only 5 minutes so we went ahead and did it despite my efforts to convince them that we’d already done Dumbo and Dumbo is better.

Hey, Magic Carpets are NOTHING like flying elephants.

After that, it was time to leave. Our original plan was to eat an early lunch and leave the park right away. Clearly we failed, so we weren’t going to get much of a break. We exited the park and hopped on a monorail back to the TTC. We drove back to AoA and by the time we returned it was nearly 1 pm. There wouldn’t be time to nap, because we’d only have about an hour before we’d have to turn around and leave.

We had an ADR at 3pm.

Oooh...I wonder where you are going (yes, I read the PTR but don't remember).

 

[glennbo123]

That picture of your daughter in the teacup is the best! Such a grin.

It's always interesting what goes over with the kids from one trip to the next.

It sounded like a good morning.

 

[vamassey1]

What a lovely morning in the MK!

I have to admit it takes me the longest to get ready. But I make up for it by getting up earlier than anyone else. We are usually left waiting for my daughters to finish getting ready. One is in her 20s and the other is 15. My poor DH has to have lots of patience.

I like how you think on the fly. Jumping on the Tea Cups was an excellent idea. I don't do round and round so that ride is for DH. Your daughter's smile is priceless. This is my youngest and DH's special ride. On the trips we've done without DH she won't ride.

I'm sorry DS has outgrown the Princesses. They just grow up too fast. Hopefully he found some other characters he liked.

So scary loosing DD in Tales. We've only done this once and it was late at night and not crowded so I can't imagine the room completely full and not being able to see your child. I'm so glad it didn't faze her and she got to be Chip. My youngest got to be Chip the first time she saw the old show. One of my favorite memories. Your little Chip was too cute.

Sounds like FIL is enjoying the parks more than he thought he would. I'm sorry your break won't be much but I'm looking forward to whatever is next.

 

[Leshaface]

I'm all too familiar with those bathroom breaks

Dang, 4 years old and already had his mind made up.

DS made the height too for Barnstormers!

The procedure for Enchanted Tales sounds awful. Maybe if they didn't try to cram so many people, i'd understand. But glad that DD got to play Chip and enjoyed it!

Got to try Pecos Bill this trip! Totally hit the spot.

I feel like we did the exact same thing this trip. Jingle Cruise was a first for me. Actually, that was the first time ever riding the Jungle cruise ever.

You got a lot of rides done that morning and still made it back to the hotel before 1. Either you're a great tour guide, the park was empty or both!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I kind of wanted to give them that extra experience of approaching the MK via monorail.

We are currently holding for clearance from the station. Thank you for your patience.

Ok… maybe it isn’t so bad.

Are you allowed to say that??

We were headed for Fantasyland so we decided to walk through the castle, which DD absolutely loved. She said it was “boofyful.”

I agree completely.

I was ready to hit the ground running, but DW said we needed a restroom break.

WHAT??? We’ve been in the park for 5 minutes!! You know how this works!!!

You ditched her there, right?

I wasn’t about to waste early morning park time just standing around, so DD, DS and I went over to ride the Tea Cups.

I like the principle. Maybe not the ride choice, but...

Although your daughter's grin makes the whole thing worth it.

Last time we were here, DS enjoyed meeting and talking to princesses.

This time, it looked more like this:

He informed us as we were leaving that “princesses are for girls” and made it clear he wanted nothing to do with them.

Well...it was going to happen sometime. And if he'd rather spend the time on Thunder Mountain, well...he's not wrong.

DD barely met the height requirement, but she was just tall enough to get to ride her first rollercoaster. She rode with me and we got front row. She absolutely had a blast! The funniest thing was, we had told her it was Goofy’s rollercoaster. The whole time on the ride she kept yelling “Yahooooey” the way Goofy yells. It was cute then, but now she does it all. the. time.

Keep doing it! Everybody else thinks it's cute!

The Speedway was… well, it was the speedway. I don’t even know what else I can say about it. We drove slow and slammed into rails, but the kids loved it.

It's a trap!

I would have liked to see the new queue… but I’m not losing any sleep over missing it.

Hey, none of us goes to WDW to see the lines. Just sayin'.

I walked into the wardrobe room and found DS standing front and center with the other kids… but DD was nowhere to be seen.


Panic set in.

D'oh! Maybe we need to re-think this lineup.

DD was doing anything the CM asked them to do throughout the auditions. She ended up getting to be Chip!

Nice work!

DS, on the other hand, was just glad to be leaving that Princess powered cootie breeding factory.

The proper response is: that's for making me go on the speedway.

The kids enjoyed IASW as always. I think MiL and FiL were also kind of excited to have finally seen the Disney classic. But FiL did comment several times later in the day that he just couldn’t get the song out of his head. We’d be walking along and I’d hear him start humming it.

It's a trap!

Pecos Bills is kind of our first day tradition. Every trip, on our first day in MK, we always eat lunch there. I don’t know why, but we enjoy it and it works. The food was good as always. Nothing spectacular of note, but my burger was great and the fixin’s bar only makes it better.

Burgers, you say? Sounds like a delicacy. I'll have to try it sometime.

I mean who doesn’t like Trader Sam-ta? [/QUOTE]

Uh...

We exited the park and hopped on a monorail back to the TTC.

We are currently holding for clearance from the station. Thank you for your patience.

 

[Dugette]

Totally agree about how FP+ makes the park entrance/Main Street experience so much more relaxed! No longer having to make a mad dash to ensure your favorite ride is quite nice.

Aw, DD has such a big smile on the teacups…very cute!

Wow, 4 years old is the end of the magic?! That’s a great argument for taking them young! That and being free until they’re 3, of course.

So cool that DD got to ride her first coaster! I am looking forward to that with Izzy when we go in May. I hope she likes it as much as your daughter did!

Wow, that’s super scary in ETWB – I didn’t realize they had the kids and parents apart. The only time I did it, Izzy was 14 months and I was just holding her the whole time. That would totally freak me out too! Nice that she got to be Chip, though!

Yeah, that sounds like the way I do WDW – pushing the fun until the last minute and not leaving enough time for the next commitment. But you got a lot of stuff done!

 

[Biggie Smalls]

Awe my son is 3 and I dread them growing up so fast!! Esp bc he is my tool for waiting to meet the princesses! Haha. Look like you packed in a ton in the morning and looking forward to the rest of the day

 

[MEK]

I had hoped to make it to the park in time for the welcome show, but the train was rolling up to the station as we were getting off of the boat. At least we got to see and hear it as we were walking up to the bag check area.

This has happened to me more times that I care to count!

We made it through security and got into the park. This is where I finally realized one of the nice things about FP+. I was taking my time walking down Main Street. Smiling at the cast members waving their oversized Mickey hands and saying good morning. In the past I’d have been grabbing KTTW cards, leaving the family and telling them where I’d meet them after I got our first Fast Passes. Ok… maybe it isn’t so bad.

I totally agree. It's great to no longer have the pressure. It's also nice to have FP's set up for late in the day instead morning. That's going to come in handy this summer. I prefer the pool in the morning and the park in the late afternoon until evening.

We were headed for Fantasyland so we decided to walk through the castle, which DD absolutely loved. She said it was “boofyful.”

Awwwww!

[/CENTER]

That pic is so cute! Love it!

He informed us as we were leaving that “princesses are for girls” and made it clear he wanted nothing to do with them.

Doh Dad - everyone with boys KNOWS THAT!!!!! Where have you been?

When they opened the “gate” the kids were standing behind to let us all go through the magic portal, the kids obviously went through first, but we couldn’t get over to them since we were on the right side and the opening is only in the middle of the room. People are filing into the wardrobe room and the kids were completely out of sight. DW told me to go find them, so I broke away from the group and found just enough of a gap to get myself through the gate so I could go find our kids. I walked into the wardrobe room and found DS standing front and center with the other kids… but DD was nowhere to be seen.


Panic set in.

OMG! I would have panicked, too! Cute pictures from the show. That is one of those attractions I would love to do with grandkids. Not that I'm anxious for one or anything. Let's just be clear on that!

 

[khertz]

That first night...OUCH! DHS seems like it was the place not to be.

Awww, that makes me kind of sad that DS was over the princesses! I hope we can get at least one more trip out of Paxton where he doesn't mind them.

LOVE DD's reaction to the Barnstormer! I'm glad she enjoyed it so much.

 

[amandaw]

So glad that your first full park day was MUCH better than the night before!

Sounds like y'all got a good bit accomplished! And I understand the whole "princesses are for girls" thing. Reid has always been that way. The only girls he likes meeting are Minnie & Daisy because, according to him, "they're Original Disney friends" so they're ok for boys to meet. He's already complaining about having to meet Doc & Sophia @ H&V in April. Even though he watches their shows!

So glad you were able to find DD in ETWB. That's so scary!! Been there, done that with Reid @ Mickey's Backyard BBQ when he was 2. Longest 2 minutes of my life!!!

Can't wait to see where this 3 pm ADR takes y'all!

 

[eandesmom]

Other than the total panic of losing your child at Maurice's for a moment it sounds like a perfectly wonderful morning all around!

DS cracks me up about the princesses though. Just wait, he may come around when you least expect it.

DD was adorable as Chip!

It's nice when you can count on a place and it delivers exactly what you expect, like Pecos Bills.

I am a bit concerned though that this lack of nap thing is going to come into play later....

 

[princessbelle2015]

Joining in