Surprised the kids, wife, and my readers w/ a 2 week trip to AoA!(*NEW* 11-7)

[FauntleroyFAN07]

Well, I'm glad Noelle liked her new dolls. And the pictures you got on the boat were terrific. What a beautiful twilight sky.

My youngest son keeps asking to do the Chip & Dale campfire and it's one of those things we never seem to have the time to do. Looks like it's a lot of fun. Didn't seem like there were too many people there, judging from the pictures.

thanks,

i have seen the sing along pretty empty where it was like when we were there, then packed where people are sitting in all the grandstands. but of course depends on the time of year, summer gets pretty full but that makes for a better sing along.

I am not a doll person. My godmother used to buy me porcelain dolls when I was a little girl and I thought they were terrifying. The blank stare. I used to turn them around so they'd face the wall instead of me.

i can see that some of those look a little creepy but i tend to like the new baby dolls they have out. maybe having alot of them in the house for noelle helps that

I hate when that happens but I guess one of the risks you always take when you plan outdoor celebrations!

Looks like a great birthday cake for Parker to enjoy! So how much of that pizza was left at the end of the party???

That is a really neat design on the bunkbeds in your room at the Dells! Haven't seen one like that, but looks like Parker and Noelle both enjoyed it! Guessing Parker got the top bunk..........

The place you stayed looks like a lot of fun for young and old alike! Plenty of variety for everyone. Even the lazy river part looked like a great time! Especially after all the climbing........chance to give the legs a rest! Of course, what better way to end a busy, tiring day than with "dinner" and a movie!

thanks marv, even though the plans were not what we had hopped for, it still turned out really nice, perfect not having to cook anything or clean it up just show up and have a fun time.

the trip was a blast, something we had alot of fun at and a great getaway to end the stuck inside winter blues if you will.

Upside down White House, huh?

Go Karts and ice cream..........sounds like a great afternoon to me!!!

Lovin' all the hat pics! Can't believe you weren't the one sporting the Beer hat though.............

So Parker thought the back of the Moosejaw Brewery delivery vehicle was funny because Candi was in the picture???

That track with the monorail looks like a lot of fun too!

problem with the go karts was with me in it with parker we weighed more than most of the other karts, not many duo racing teams so we didnt pass as many people as we would have liked but we did have some pretty sweet sharp drifting turns.

better hope she doesnt see your moosejaw comment

he loved having the new addition for his monorail track.

Nice that you found the Minnie and Mickey dolls that Noelle loved so much. She looks like they are really special to her!

How polite of Parker the way he asked about the trading cards!!!

That blue streak in the sky is definitely interesting! Nice job capturing the picture!

Love the way Parker is enjoying the boat ride! Do they have any of the Disney boats as part of those transportation "toys" I have seen before at Disney? Seems like something else Parker REALLY needs.............

i was really happy to find them as well...

parker was very polite during the trip saying excuse me when he walked up to someone, he did it each time he asked to trade a pin.

i dont know if they have those boats as toys or not, wish i was going back soon to find out, but i guess i can wait till next year, cant justify taking a trip just to look for a single toy. but wonder if candi would approve that?

Some great pics with Chip and Dale! A couple more of my favorites!!!

Sorry Parker had another meltdown over the Hercules movie. Yea, I think if you can't come up with a quick answer for what a movie is about in the future, just make something up and compare it to another Disney movie he knows about. After all, they pretty much follow a similar theme.........hero, some sort of conflict, love interest "princess", hero overcomes the conflict, hero wins over the Princess in the end, they all live happily ever after...........

after i stumbled to think what it was about he wasnt buying any excuse i was giving him after that.

that looked like fun! But poor Parker...

FYI I'm not a fan of Hercules either.

me either, after i thought about it, i think i saw like 10 minutes of it, but still dont know what hte story line is about, and really didnt interest me to find out.

Been there, done that when it comes to having melt-downs about the unknown. Disney always did it for us...I remember literally dragging Jack on Buzz Lightyear when he was 4 or 5, and then having to ride it two more times because he liked it so much. This last trip it was Will's turn. I think just being away from home and all things familiar messes with them, too.

We've never been to one of the sing-alongs. Wonder if my oldest will think it's hokey by the time we get back? Something to put on the "maybe" list. Loved all the photos - you can't beat Disney scenery, but those were really cool!

i was suprised i got parker on certain rides namely splash mountain, and the next chapter soarin, but i just kept talking to him about different things to keep his mind off of what possible horror he would encounter...some rides we didnt think would be an issue were ones i did not try and build up ahead of time and as a result we did not ride.

we had your buzz ride with mexico donald boat ride this trip

a think some older kids might not love it but it i remember growing up always having a good time, if you get into it, then you would enjoy it, just have to let the inner kid out.

maybe bribe with a cooked hotdog over the fire pits.

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

Chapter 49. Lets go Soarin

Today was time to get back into the park mode of vacationing.

Last three days were AK, then 2 off days, of the water parks, and hotel pooling.(see there is that word again)

Epcot had just celebrated there 30th anniversary the day before, and i had a great new friend who attended and picked me up a 30th anniversary pin since we did not make it there.

The park had opened at 8:00 for early hours, and I knew to not even try and force us to get there for that.

The kids were doing good with sleep and not getting over tired, and if we wanted to be there all day for Illuminations we took our time getting up.

We were however at the park at 8:30 which was pretty good timing still had some early entrance time left.

It was straight to Soarin to get fast passes which were for 9:15.

Parker and i Jumped in line while candi and Noelle hit up living with the land for a spin.

good thing about the early time was there was no stopping walking up to the line until we got split off in the long hallways for the left or right side.

Parker started to ask about what the ride was like. I told him we sit in a chair and watch a movie that shows Disney land.

Well it does, just left out the part about going high up to watch the movie.

When the intro movie came on, i distracted him with questions about what we might see while looking at disneyland.

Soon enough we were led to our seats, front row, baby.

He was a little hesitant but strapped in and no where to go now.

During the ride, i pointed out things to keep his mind off being high up, only thing he did was grab my arm to hold onto.

he didnt mention the height at all.

well he did when we got off, but said it was alot of fun and claimed it his new favorite ride ever.

When we got off the ride, he was ready to go with candi on there but the fast pass time had not rolled around yet, so we all went back on living with the land.

the kids really liked it again, the farm house was there favorite with the dog.

I wonder if these gators, will end up in AK when they get bigger?

These sweet potatoes would make alot of good fries

Once we were done with living with the land we headed over to the character meet and greet.

First up was Mickey.
she was coming around some with them, handing them her book.

a good family shot.

Pluto was next

still a little distant even after liking him so much at Chef Mickeys but she did go up to him on her own.

Minnie got some love from parker while trying to sign his book.

Pluto she can handle on her own like a champ but still needs some help from mom for Minnie to take her book.

then runs back for comfort.

Donald got a proper greeting from Parker.

And some hand holding mommy love from noelle.

That big goofy is loved by parker as well.

Noelle has a little stand off with the Goof while he signs her book.

but then warms up enough to give him a high five.

After the character meet and greet Parker and Candi went back for round 2 of Soaring and I knew that paker would not like the dark parts of Nemo with how he was going on the rest of the trip so I decided to take Noelle with me on that.
these next two pics were taken with my new camera minus a flash i was impressed.

and on the ride

After they got off we met them at the exit to the ride, where we did a pressed penny to commemorate the ride, and also let him pick out a Soarin Pin for his collection.

We also picked up another fast pass for later in the afternoon.

Coming up next we tour the festival center

 

[Trentmom]

Glad parker enjoyed Soarin. Trent loves it as do we all


The pics with Noelle and characters are great. Love that first one where she is handing her book to Mickey...so cute

 

[KatMark]

Great update, Dan.

So happy that Parker enjoyed Soarin'...a great new ride for him.

Love the photopass pictures from The Character Spot (that was all closed off when we were there and they had moved them). Noelle is such a cutie and I love how she just hangs on to mommy enough just in case....

Nice family shots too.

 

[jenny105]

Love the family shots with the characters! Very nice

 

[firsttimer4]

I am really enjoying and learning alot from your review. We leave in 3 weeks for our first ever trip to Disney!! And it's a surprise for the kids!!

 

[Poolrat]

Big sigh of relief that Soarin' worked out so well.

Great call on Nemo.


Noelle is getting so comfortable with the characters. Such a sweetie.

 

[Aburns8]

Love the character interaction shots!

 

[jedijill]

Yay for Parker riding Soarin'! The pics of the kids meeting the characters is soooo cute! Love them!

Jill in CO

 

[jecskc]

Soarin' !!!! YAY !! My favorite !!

I have to tell you how fun it is to see your children growing so much. I read your TR when you stayed at Fort Wilderness with your Mom and Dad and I remember you telling us Candi was pregnant with Noelle. So fun to see the time pass and how precious they are.

As a parent, though, sometimes the time passes far too quickly !!

Thanks for sharing !!

 

[englishrose47]

Loved Noelle's dolls !!! She has good taste at an early age!! Poor Parker and his meltdown!!! Boy I soo remember the endless questions about everything right in the middle of a show and you missed half the plot and just wanted to scream !!!!

 

[FairyGodmotherJen]

The pics of Noelle getting just brave enough to hand over her book were adorable! Those are some of my favorite Photopass pics - the candid ones!

Soarin' was a hit for all of us, as well. Will tells everyone it's his favorite ride at Epcot, and we were worried about his reaction just like you were with Parker. It's a good thing, since it's my favorite ride!

 

[marvali]

Great way to start an Epcot day, with Soarin' and Living with the Land! Great job by Parker on Soarin' and declaring it a new favorite.

Some really good character interactions, and of course Goofy will always win them over!!!

 

[khertz]

Love the pics of Noelle going up to the characters with her book! What a cutie. So great that she finally started warming up to them.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Great job Parker on conquering Soarin'! Glad to see he handled it well. It's always a roll of the dice, isn't it?

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

Glad parker enjoyed Soarin. Trent loves it as do we all


The pics with Noelle and characters are great. Love that first one where she is handing her book to Mickey...so cute

how did he like the other bigs, like thunder mountain?

she loved getting her book signed by them....a great activity for the kids.

Great update, Dan.

So happy that Parker enjoyed Soarin'...a great new ride for him.

Love the photopass pictures from The Character Spot (that was all closed off when we were there and they had moved them). Noelle is such a cutie and I love how she just hangs on to mommy enough just in case....

Nice family shots too.

i was really happy he enjoyed it as well, cant wait for him to ride test track next trip, im sure he will love that one as well.

were they just redoing the area? or did it look like they were putting something else in there?

Love the family shots with the characters! Very nice

thanks, character meet and greets are one of my favorite things to do with the kids...

I am really enjoying and learning alot from your review. We leave in 3 weeks for our first ever trip to Disney!! And it's a surprise for the kids!!

glad you are enjoying it, and really hope that the tips and things we experienced help you out on your trip.

how old are your kids?

what hotel are you staying in?

Big sigh of relief that Soarin' worked out so well.

Great call on Nemo.


Noelle is getting so comfortable with the characters. Such a sweetie.

figured it was best not to risk that ride even though it is perfectly fine for him, the whole walking through the dark on the way to the ride might have really freaked him out.

i think next trip we will show him videos of some of the rides to show what they are like so he doesnt work himself up just getting in lines.

she is acting like a regular pro

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

Love the character interaction shots!

thanks

Yay for Parker riding Soarin'! The pics of the kids meeting the characters is soooo cute! Love them!

Jill in CO

i was very proud of him and happy get him a new soarin pin.

thanks

Soarin' !!!! YAY !! My favorite !!

I have to tell you how fun it is to see your children growing so much. I read your TR when you stayed at Fort Wilderness with your Mom and Dad and I remember you telling us Candi was pregnant with Noelle. So fun to see the time pass and how precious they are.

As a parent, though, sometimes the time passes far too quickly !!

Thanks for sharing !!

thanks, it does seem like just the other day we were on the trip when parker was little...he just started his next round of preschool today and is loving it.

thanks for enjoying it.

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

Loved Noelle's dolls !!! She has good taste at an early age!! Poor Parker and his meltdown!!! Boy I soo remember the endless questions about everything right in the middle of a show and you missed half the plot and just wanted to scream !!!!

they are really cute baby dolls i was very happy we found them. she almost likes the luggage they came in as much as the dolls.

yep and the car rides asking what and why everything is...great times.

The pics of Noelle getting just brave enough to hand over her book were adorable! Those are some of my favorite Photopass pics - the candid ones!

Soarin' was a hit for all of us, as well. Will tells everyone it's his favorite ride at Epcot, and we were worried about his reaction just like you were with Parker. It's a good thing, since it's my favorite ride!

the candid ones usually are the best...which is why i often dont tell people that i am taking a picture, then they say i wasnt even looking or smiling, and i say i know it caught the moment better that way.

glad he liked soarin it is a great ride for them to love and now you can ride it many more times on future trips with him.

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

Great way to start an Epcot day, with Soarin' and Living with the Land! Great job by Parker on Soarin' and declaring it a new favorite.

Some really good character interactions, and of course Goofy will always win them over!!!

with test track down you really didnt have the options that morning...i bet if it was open we would have spent a good amount of rounds hitting that up.

he is a big lovable fellow isnt he? but not as lovable as my man donald.

Love the pics of Noelle going up to the characters with her book! What a cutie. So great that she finally started warming up to them.

she did a great job at it...i was very impressed with it, i think having parker so much into them and running up to them helped her confidence to not be scared of them

Great job Parker on conquering Soarin'! Glad to see he handled it well. It's always a roll of the dice, isn't it?

it sure is, having so many ups and downs with things you would not even think that would scare them...

like a sing along...or T-Rex for instance.

then things like soarin where you they could be scared of being up so high he is fine with...but now i do remember telling him it was just like the sky ride we road at indiana beach and he was okay with that...so i think that helped.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Hi Dan! Loved the updates. Looks like the campfire is lots of fun with Chip N Dale! Too bad about the meltdown. We have a little guy in our family who can get himself all worked up, too - especially when he was 4. Thanks for sharing the pics - it reminded me that I want to get that in this July for the kids.

Wow! way to sleep in and still hit Soarin early! Good for Mr. Parker for being brave on the high up ride! It is so hard to find a balance between letting them skip things you know will be alright, and making them face the unknown a little so they can discover something fun!