"Stop squeezing Mickey's nose!" - An October 2014 TR *COMPLETED!*

[Dugette]

Whew, caught up!

Especially when we greets you with a “Hi there! Thanks for your special letter today, pal!” Yay, yay, yay pixie dust!! Nate’s jaw dropped and he whispered to me “Mommy, he called me his PAL!”

What an awesome meet and great CMs to make that all come together! That sort of thing is what makes Disney so magical with little ones and is so hard for the non-DIS folks to understand without experiencing it.

Now after such a special moment with Mickey, what else would you expect other than stumbling right into Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It?? This is Disney, after all and there seemed to be an ongoing theme for the evening.

Wow, so many special and unplanned moments!

Yep, that’s Woody pointing to himself and then to Colin! Partners!

That's awesome too!

We didn’t stick around for his meet but I kind of wish I would have…

I am really curious how that meet went.

I think the boys were starstruck!

It sure looks like it. Cute pictures!

It was $16.95 in the store. I paid $2.99 at a kids consignment shop so I felt like a total bargain hunting queen right then!

Way to go! I am so sad that Pirates is going to be down for refurb on our next trip, though.

I was at a total loss when a super, amazing, awesome CM named Ebony saw us all standing there stricken and said "Come on up! You can have the room to yourself!"

This time she saved us with sheriff's badges and straw cowboy hats for each boy. She was seriously awesome and totally exemplified what I think of when I picture Disney CMs. She went totally above and beyond to make our experience not only pleasant but magical!

Yay for a fantastic CM to the rescue! I love it when they decide to make some spontaneous magic like that!

 

[Vernie822]

Great updates. I love the pics with Peter Pan.. starstruck for sure. Looks like your day was awesome! So much pixie dust! That was so nice of Ebony to give you the OK to sit upstairs.. Quiet time and space to yourself is definitely not something you usually find at MK. Can't wait to read more!

 

[MissMaryQC]

We love PotC!!

Great find on that shirt; I do like a bargain myself as well

Way to go Ebony! Nothing like a stellar CM interaction to make a great experience even better. I've read recently that there have been a lot of lack luster CM so I'm glad you wrote in to praise Ebony; she deserved it.

Buzz, twice; well done! And there's nothing like a relaxing ride through Tommorow Land to end the evening.

Ut-oh, that doesn't sound to promising about those front row seats. Oh well! You'll just have to get them on the next visit.

 

[hokieinpa]

What an awesome meet and great CMs to make that all come together! That sort of thing is what makes Disney so magical with little ones and is so hard for the non-DIS folks to understand without experiencing it.

We had a great run of amazing CMs that day! We met so many people who went above and beyond to make things special for us. They really kept the magic alive for the boys - and made my life easier too!

Wow, so many special and unplanned moments!

Yes! I thought I had everything planned out 100% but those surprise moments made it even more special!

I am really curious how that meet went.

I SO wish I would have stalled leaving the area just to see. It seemed like it wasn't his first time in line - the handler and Peter seemed to recognize him for sure. I guess Disney is magical for everyone!

Way to go! I am so sad that Pirates is going to be down for refurb on our next trip, though.

I'm really surprised Pirates is going to be closed all summer! It seems like they should have squeezed it in before summer or tried to patch until fall.

Great updates. I love the pics with Peter Pan.. starstruck for sure. Looks like your day was awesome! So much pixie dust! That was so nice of Ebony to give you the OK to sit upstairs.. Quiet time and space to yourself is definitely not something you usually find at MK. Can't wait to read more!

They were totally in awe of Peter Pan! I think the face characters made them a little more uneasy overall though! We really did have a day of special moments and some really great CMs! And Ebony totally made our night and Peco Bills! I was sure we were going to have to table stalk but she saved the day and the boys were happy!

We love PotC!!

Great find on that shirt; I do like a bargain myself as well

Way to go Ebony! Nothing like a stellar CM interaction to make a great experience even better. I've read recently that there have been a lot of lack luster CM so I'm glad you wrote in to praise Ebony; she deserved it.

Buzz, twice; well done! And there's nothing like a relaxing ride through Tommorow Land to end the evening.

Ut-oh, that doesn't sound to promising about those front row seats. Oh well! You'll just have to get them on the next visit.

Yes, Ebony was awesome! Opening up the top area and giving the boys cowboy gear! They still wear those badges and hats around the house!

Tomorrowland was a close second to Fantasyland for our favorite area of MK. I think we rode Buzz at least 6 times this trip! And the People Mover 3 times!

Oh I so overestimated our ability to do night time entertainment! Lessons learned for next trip!

 

[Sailormoon2]

Great report so far. Adorable boys you have. They seem so calm.

 

[missangelalexis]

Sounds like a good evening! Ebony sounds like an awesome CM and she came at just the right time!

 

[hokieinpa]

Great report so far. Adorable boys you have. They seem so calm.

Thank you! They really are great and usually really calm - until we had them cooped up in the house all winter! Missing that Disney weather now!!

Sounds like a good evening! Ebony sounds like an awesome CM and she came at just the right time!

We did have a great night at MK - it always feels so much more relaxed than during the day even if we are still trying to follow a plan. And Ebony was great with all us, especially the boys! I couldn't thank her enough!

 

[hokieinpa]

"Don't hold your child up like Simba!"


We woke up fairly early and easily on Thursday and headed (as you may have guessed from the title) to our only day at Animal Kingdom.

I had wanted to make rope drop but again, that didn't quite happen. We did arrive just a few minutes after 9:00 and made it in no issues!



We had our first FP+ at 9:10 for Kilimanjaro Safari.



We scanned our bands around 9:30 and the stand by wait was already 30 minutes!

I have to say, my only real complaint about Kilimanjaro Safari is the odd stroller parking situation - it felt like we had to quickly throw our stroller at the CMs halfway through the queue! I wasn't really prepared and rushed to make sure everything was in order!

Nate was my riding partner for the safari.



We all squeezed into a single row so the boys were sitting in laps - with Nate and Colin on outside seats. Our driver told us right away "Please don't hold your child up like Simba!" explaining that the ride would get very bumpy and might involve sudden stops. Just stating that she said it loud and clear because it seems like Jim didn't quite get the message and had to be reminded several times.



Headed out on our safari!




First up we saw the baobab trees (I had to look it up...)



Hmm...seems like more trees?



An elephant in the distance



Up close



At this point, the driver reiterated "Don't hold your child up like Simba!" ::clears throat:: She was totally talking to Jim - he kept lifting Colin up to get a better view. Total troulemaker.

Another elephant shot, this time with no sign in the way



Now, rhinos and zebras!



"Please, sir, don't hold your child up like Simba."



Is this a kudu? Antelope?



"Sir, please stop holding your child up like Simba. I'm talking to you in the Donald Duck hat." At this point, I decided to put my phone away to keep an eye on all my children.

After our safari, we explored to Harambe area some more.



And found some drums, of course!





After the boys were done exploring their musical side, we head out to explore some of the animal trails!

Next up

Gorillas and FOTLK

 

[Vernie822]

I love Festival of the Lion King, and the safari! Great start to your AK day. Although some people skip AK on their trip, I just love it. Nothing better than starting your day off with some animals. I'm cracking up at the "don't hold your child up like Simba!" repeated 4 times... hey at least Colin got a good view of the animals!! Lol.

 

[missangelalexis]

LOL total troublemaker!! I like the pictures you were able to get though!

 

[MissMaryQC]

Trouble is right! It must be hard having to mother four boys!

Those little boys of yours sure are cuties though; love the pic of Nate and Colin by the car.

You might have a little family band in your future!

 

[Dugette]

I have to say, my only real complaint about Kilimanjaro Safari is the odd stroller parking situation - it felt like we had to quickly throw our stroller at the CMs halfway through the queue!

Yeah, it can be very sudden in the FP+ line, since you're cruising right along. I would guess it's nicer in a slow standby, since you can keep your kid in the stroller longer (but I wouldn't know, always getting FP for it). When Lauren and I went in June, the CM took our strollers and literally just shoved them and sent them rolling across the parking area.

"Sir, please stop holding your child up like Simba. I'm talking to you in the Donald Duck hat." At this point, I decided to put my phone away to keep an eye on all my children.

Sometimes the big kid is the troublemaker, I guess. Clearly, he was following the narration REALLY closely.

 

[hokieinpa]

I love Festival of the Lion King, and the safari! Great start to your AK day. Although some people skip AK on their trip, I just love it. Nothing better than starting your day off with some animals. I'm cracking up at the "don't hold your child up like Simba!" repeated 4 times... hey at least Colin got a good view of the animals!! Lol.

I enjoyed AK much more than I thought I would! The safari was great! I know some people consider AK the park to skip or do 1/2 day but there was so much to do. I feel like we could have spent a full day there and have more to do!

Our safari guide was great! Good thing Jim didn't get us banned for reenacting The Lion King!

LOL total troublemaker!! I like the pictures you were able to get though!

Yes, all 4 boys have to be watched at all times! Especially the biggest one!

Trouble is right! It must be hard having to mother four boys!

Those little boys of yours sure are cuties though; love the pic of Nate and Colin by the car.

You might have a little family band in your future!

Four boys is right! I must keep my eye on all of them at all times!

Thank you! I look at our Disney pictures all the time - it makes the missing Disney ache a little easier to handle!

Yeah, it can be very sudden in the FP+ line, since you're cruising right along. I would guess it's nicer in a slow standby, since you can keep your kid in the stroller longer (but I wouldn't know, always getting FP for it). When Lauren and I went in June, the CM took our strollers and literally just shoved them and sent them rolling across the parking area.


Sometimes the big kid is the troublemaker, I guess. Clearly, he was following the narration REALLY closely.

Those stroller CMs don't mess around! I can't imagine constantly shuffling and rearranging strollers all day!

Yes, our own little reenactment of The Lion King. I totally had to use my "mom look" on both of them!

 

[MnNsmom]

Once again, I love the boys' outfits. Those husbands...I swear the only bad part of having all boys is that Dad is often the ringleader of their shenanigans.

We loved AK, too. I think I took more than 100 pictures of the park when we were there.

 

[hokieinpa]

Once again, I love the boys' outfits. Those husbands...I swear the only bad part of having all boys is that Dad is often the ringleader of their shenanigans.

We loved AK, too. I think I took more than 100 pictures of the park when we were there.

Thanks! I got most of their shirts at Old Navy. I spent almost a year looking out for sales so I could get each shirt for $10 or less. Time to start gathering a few more - some may fit for hand me downs but I know we'll need a few larger sizes.

I really did love AK. It just hit a point in our trip where we were all exhausted - we did take the morning of MNSSHP party off but we had lots of late nights. I'm planning on a whole day off next trip - no parks, just hanging out at the resort/swimming. Hoping that stops the burn out!

 

[hokieinpa]

Gorillas and FOTLK

After our adventures on safari (where we were lucky we didn't get kicked out because of someone's actions...) we headed over to check out the Pangani Forest Trail.

We really just made it through the gorilla area but we found this guy!



We also checked out some cool gorilla exhibits. The boys liked these handprints!



We did find a Wilderness Explorer station on the trail and got Nate and Colin all set up. They did a couple of the stations on the Pangani Trail and we found a few at the Boneyard. We didn't really get too into it but they did like all the activities! If they keep the books the same, I'm sure we'll try to work on them some more next trip. Or start all new ones?

Our next FP+ was for the 11:30 FOTLK. Now, we had FP+ for several shows on this trip. I found them to be 100% pointless. They seemed to let the FP+ line in at the same time or AFTER the standby line each time. Totally not worth it!

Nate waiting in line for the show. He's wearing a pair of Mickey binoculars I picked up at a stand near the show. Totally worth the $6.95 for the entertainment it provided for Nate and Colin!



We sat about halfway back in one of the sections (Elephant, I think?) and had to wait for about 10-15 minutes for the show to start. Now, I was really excited for this show. What I failed to realize was that it would be almost impossible to enjoy it while trying to entertain a toddler. Jake was all over the place. He was a somewhat interested in the show once it started but I felt like I was just waiting for it to end so we could get him out of there!





The show really was amazing...and probably more enjoyable without 25 pounds of toddler climbing on you!

We visited the restrooms right outside the theater and had a run-in with another kind of AK wildlife. My mom was letting Jake sit on one of the walls and I think he was playing in the dirt in the middle planter area (I was in the bathroom with Colin) and he started crying. That's when she noticed red ants crawling all over his legs! They must have been in the dirt and they crawled all over his legs and even into his diaper area! Poor baby had little red bites all over! He seemed fine once we stripped him down in the bathroom and wiped him down with cool washcloths. We kept a close eye on him for the rest of the day but he didn't seem to have any more problems. Scary moment for sure, though!

Next up

Everybody Walk the Dinosaur!

 

[hokieinpa]

Everybody Walk the Dinosaur!

After our eventful time after the FOTLK, we were ready for some lunch! I know Flame Tree BBQ is the hot spot at AK and that was in my original plan. But then I read that the kids meals at Restaurantosaurus come with a bucket and shovel. That might come in handy for our afternoon at the Boneyard!

We grabbed an outside table and I went inside to order. I do remember getting corn dog nuggets for the boys but can't remember what the grownups ate. We did get 3 green buckets and shovels for the boys to do some serious digging later!

We headed right over after lunch and the boys got right to work exploring the Boneyard!







And what trip to the Boneyard would be complete without a dinosaur roar down the slide?



Next we headed over to the dig pit. This was a nice break for all of us! It was a cool, shady area and there were plenty of places to sit on the surrounding walls. The boys were contained so we could kick back and (semi) relax while they played.

And they had a blast!







Those buckets and shovels were a hit! We ended up bringing them home with us but it looked like lots of kids just left them behind.

I made sure to catch this gem on video before we left too!



The music really moved Nate this trip, apparently. Remember his dance moves at MNSSHP? These are a close second. "Bad to the Bone" came on (perfect song, right?) and this is what Nate felt compelled to do at the top of the slide. I really have lots of blackmail material for his teenage years!

At this point, it was about 2:00. We were all hot and tired and ready to GO! We had yet to do Triceratops Spin, meet Dug and Russell, or ride EE (missed my FP+ window). But we were all just ready to head back to AOA to relax.

I did make sure to grab a Mickey bar on the way out. Because there is always time for that.

We also managed to see this before it totally dried. Awesome!



After the ride back to AOA, we were all in desperate need of a cool down! This cute towel animal made things better!



I'm pretty sure we all napped at this point. Nate and Colin probably needed a little more rest because this is what they looked like when I got them up for dinner.



Don't they look ready for a fun evening splashing in the pool?

No pictures of our evening but it was a nice, relaxing break. We played in the pool, picked up a pizza from LOF and enjoyed it by the Big Blue Pool, then pulled up our chair to watch Mulan on the screen. Perfect break after a few hectic days in the park!


Next up

Breakfast with our Disney Junior favorites!

 

[Elevationist]

I'm here, Jamie! I just need to read and get caught up! I will soon, I swear!

 

[woodynjessiesmomma]

Just found and read your TR this morning. I love it, sounds like a great first trip!
We are going this September for our first trip with three kids . My best friend/Disney fanatic is going with us so at least we'll be evenly numbered.
Your trip is great inspiration for us and your boys are adorable! I'm also loving the AoA details as we will be staying there too.

 

[Dugette]

What I failed to realize was that it would be almost impossible to enjoy it while trying to entertain a toddler.

Yep, I've been there. Dug and I had a debate about it on Izzy's first trip - she had fallen asleep in her stroller and I wanted to skip the show, but he insisted. So, of course, I had to wrangle a nap-awoken toddler the whole time. She did enjoy it for a bit, until she got bored. Love the show, though, and glad I've seen it sans-toddler before.

That's when she noticed red ants crawling all over his legs!

How scary! Wow, It's Tough to Be a Bug won't be frightening to him at all (well, unless it gives him flashbacks).

I made sure to catch this gem on video before we left too!

Haha, cute! What a little dancer you have there!