The Darling Family June Beach Club Trip:Hugging Ewoks and Finding Peter Pan

[liznboys]

(Which, by the way, Michael informed us rolls away every night when the park is closed. That must be a site to behold!)

I just love that!!

I don't know if you realized but I wasn't one of the ones still waiting for you near the shoe kiosk. #4 and I went to the bathrooms near the baby care center so we were off on our own while they all waited, and then we strolled up just as everyone else was coming to meet you. It was perfect timing for us! lol

That KP mission was apparently fun for the kids and it must have been hot for you and my dh running around after them... I was resting in the shade with #4 most of the time. Along with your dh and Wendy towards the end.

The only thing better than Disney is Disney with friends

SO true!!!

 

[Angies1274]

Ahh...great update!! That's too funny about the ball rolling away every night when the park closes!!

Those Minnie flip flops are super cute!!

It looks like the kids had lots of fun doing Kim Possible, they seemed to be really concentrating on their mission!!!

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

Wendy looked like she took being with all the boys in stride...It was just like Wendy and the Lost Boys in PP...

 

[dismagiclover]

Hmmm. Swimming sounds great, but I bet the kids wanted to hang with their friends, so Universe of Energy wins I think. I would have never imagined learning how to escape from a burning building as a game, but I guess Disney can do anything! The kids do look pretty engrossed. Yea for KP!!

Disney does know how to make everything extra fun Wendy and Michael wanted to go swimming, but John did want to stay with his buddies. You'll have to wait and see what we decided

Love the minnie mouse flipflops!! Do they have them in adult sizes? LOL

They had some minnie flip flops in adult sizes, but they were a bit different. I don't think they had the adorable bow

I just love that!!

I don't know if you realized but I wasn't one of the ones still waiting for you near the shoe kiosk. #4 and I went to the bathrooms near the baby care center so we were off on our own while they all waited, and then we strolled up just as everyone else was coming to meet you. It was perfect timing for us! lol

That KP mission was apparently fun for the kids and it must have been hot for you and my dh running around after them... I was resting in the shade with #4 most of the time. Along with your dh and Wendy towards the end.

SO true!!!

I'm glad everyone wasn't waiting for us That KP mission was hot I kept waiting for the clues to take us inside and that didn't happen until the very end. You, #4, DH and Wendy were smarter than the rest of us

Ahh...great update!! That's too funny about the ball rolling away every night when the park closes!!

Those Minnie flip flops are super cute!!

It looks like the kids had lots of fun doing Kim Possible, they seemed to be really concentrating on their mission!!!

I love the things 4 year olds say. It's always fun to see how they make sense of the world And those KP missions were serious stuff

Wendy looked like she took being with all the boys in stride...It was just like Wendy and the Lost Boys in PP...

Wendy and the Lost Boys I just love that! I wish I would have thought of it and figured out a way to incorporate it into the TR. Of course, these Lost Boys have mothers standing by

 

[liznboys]

...
Wendy and the Lost Boys I just love that! I wish I would have thought of it and figured out a way to incorporate it into the TR. Of course, these Lost Boys have mothers standing by

Dh and I actually had a conversation about how you were going to incorporate us and who we would be. LOL And we thought our boys would be the lost boys!!

Funny about we mothers standing by though! LOL

 

[dismagiclover]

Wendy looked like she took being with all the boys in stride...It was just like Wendy and the Lost Boys in PP...

Dh and I actually had a conversation about how you were going to incorporate us and who we would be. LOL And we thought our boys would be the lost boys!!

Funny about we mothers standing by though! LOL

I liked the idea so much I did incorporate it into the TR. Post 288 has been edited Thanks for the fabulous idea

 

[SunnieRN]

We only went to Epcot at rope drop once this trip, but I assume it happens everyday. We arrived at the turnstiles about 8:45 and they let us in. We then had to walk through the UK and Canada and they stopped us before we entered Future World and held us until 9:00. As I said it put us behind the front gate crowds at TT. I think the Land is closer to that area than the front gate area so if we'd gone that way we might have arrived about the same time as the front gate crowd. We never tried it. Anyway, with the tamer rides it wouldn't be a problem at all. Heck if you were going to ride Figment you'd be the first one there. Hope that answers your question (it probably over answers it)

You answered my question perfectly! When it comes to wdw you can never have too much information! Thank you!

My goodness the kids are all so cute together! Too cool for fastpass karma!!!

Please tell Wendy her shoes are adorable!!

How fun to see old friends, let alone at wdw!! I'm sorry if I missed it, but where were your friends staying? Looking forward to more.

 

[Disneyvirg]

How did I get so far behind again!?!?!

I love the shots from CM. Was your Minnie tough to track down, too? We were all ready to go, except we had to wait for the big mouse. Glad you kids' moods improved for supper!

All of the Donald shots are so funny. I love it when the characters interact so much! I bet that really fed John's love of Donald.

The tinkerbell shot cracks me up. Wendy's the only one looking at the little fairy. The rest of the shots of the kids are great!

I really liked the shots at the character connection. There is one of John next to Mickey that looks like he's being a little too friendly with Mickey - cracks me up!

The Minnie flip-flops are adorable! I bet she loves to wear those!

 

[dismagiclover]

You answered my question perfectly! When it comes to wdw you can never have too much information! Thank you!

My goodness the kids are all so cute together! Too cool for fastpass karma!!!

Please tell Wendy her shoes are adorable!!

How fun to see old friends, let alone at wdw!! I'm sorry if I missed it, but where were your friends staying? Looking forward to more.

Wendy says thank you I didn't mention it but our friends stayed at the new Treehouses. We visit them on Day 8 and I'll give a full report then

How did I get so far behind again!?!?!

I love the shots from CM. Was your Minnie tough to track down, too? We were all ready to go, except we had to wait for the big mouse. Glad you kids' moods improved for supper!

All of the Donald shots are so funny. I love it when the characters interact so much! I bet that really fed John's love of Donald.

The tinkerbell shot cracks me up. Wendy's the only one looking at the little fairy. The rest of the shots of the kids are great!

I really liked the shots at the character connection. There is one of John next to Mickey that looks like he's being a little too friendly with Mickey - cracks me up!

The Minnie flip-flops are adorable! I bet she loves to wear those!

I am hard to keep up with. Just ask my kids when I'm racing to Dumbo We didn't have to wait for any of the characters at CM. We had a pretty central seat so we were hard to miss Donald was really good that night. It made John's day and his favorite picture from the trip comes from that night. The Tink picture does reveal who is the true thespian in the house I noticed the "friendly Mickey" picture too I wonder if it gets a bit uncomfortable to be Mickey at times

 

[dismagiclover]

We were trying to decide between the Universe of Energy and swimming. It was sweltering hot, but we’d never been on the Universe of Energy. I made an executive decision (still not sure it was a good one) and decided to go with the Universe of Energy. The kids didn’t like my choice and in one of my poorer parenting moments I made the deal that if they rode the ride they wouldn’t have to eat at Japan. (We had ADR’s that night at Teppan Edo and the kids didn’t want to go. Remember their cuisine of choice is chicken nuggets.) So we headed back to Future World, but we had a minor mutiny on our hands. I thought a stop in Club Cool might help. It really didn’t. But, we soldiered on and arrived at Universe of Energy.

Happily I entered the cool attraction. The kids were still pretty annoyed, but once they got in the ride vehicles and we started moving, things looked up. We all actually really liked the ride. It was long, but we needed a break from the heat. Wendy especially loved it. (Ironic because she was the one complaining the loudest about going.) Later in the week she even put it in the same category as Soarin and Test Track. (I wouldn’t go that far.) After the ride everyone was feeling much better. Michael, however, was not pleased he didn’t get to swim this day. He later reminded us each day that we better swim because we promised we would go swimming every day and there was one day we didn’t. Oh, the horror!
When we walked out of Universe of Energy we noticed Mission Space had only a 20 minute wait. It was a perfect opportunity for DH to ride. I’ve never been on. I tend to get motion sickness so I’m pretty sure that ride isn’t for me. BDFDH and LB#1 (it was his 1st time) joined DH. The rest of us headed to Innoventions East. Right as we walked in we saw the paper making demonstration with no line, so everyone took a turn.

We walked down a little farther looking for other activities and the boys discovered Storm Ready. The boys had a fierce competition as they raced each other to prepare for the impending storm.

After completing the storm preparations it was time for our Test Track fastpasses. We hopped in a long fast pass line. The line was so long it didn’t even make it into the building and just as we got in line it started to rain. For those of you that don’t know, Test Track does not work in the rain. We had a decision to make. Would we wait it out or not? By this time it was 5:00 and we had a 5:30 ADR at Teppan Edo. If you’ve been paying attention you’ll know that I’d made an earlier deal that if we rode Universe of Energy we wouldn’t have to eat there. Thus when we got in line for Test Track, I’d given up all hope of Teppan Edo. But now it was raining and it looked like we weren’t going to ride. We could still make the ADR, but there was that pesky deal I’d made with the kids. What did I do? Another example of brilliant parenting (not really) as I made a new deal. This time I used bribery as an incentive and told them they could each have $10 to spend after dinner if they ate in Japan. They agreed to the deal (though a bit reluctantly) and we decided to bail on Test Track and head to Teppan Edo. We said goodbye to our friends who were going to wait it out at Test Track (they later reported they ended up leaving and coming back later). We put on our ponchos and hoofed it over to Teppan Edo in the rain. I was happy with this outcome because one of the things I wanted the kids to do on this trip was expand their palettes. I knew Teppan Edo wasn’t super exotic, and they would actually like it if they tried it. We were seated shortly after we checked in. We shared the table with a nice family from Chicago. The kids loved using chopsticks and thought it was great fun to watch our food being cooked. They especially loved the onion volcano. Wendy and Michael tried everything and liked most of it. John loved the noodles and wouldn’t really try anything else. Here’s a shot of the boys using chopsticks.

The final verdict: The meal was a success. Even though the kids didn’t want to go at all, it is one of the meals they ended up requesting for next time. Go figure.

So after dinner I had to keep my promise and buy each of them something in the Japanese store. Both boys ended up with Pokeman cards. Something we can get in almost any store we go in. Wendy went for something a bit more exotic. This lovely fan. The Japanese CM even wrote her name on it.

It had been a long day. John kept reminding me about his Nemo webkinz, but that was all the way in the Seas, so I put it off again. It was close to 8:00 and we’d been at the park since open so we decided to head back. After a short walk we were back in our room and before we knew it we were all snoring.

Next up: The boys want to be Jedi’s

 

[letstalkboutdisney]

Isn't it always the way, the one who complains the most is the one who loves it the most!
A little bribery never hurts and they ended up likeing the meal!

 

[cjackearl]

Vacation parenting isn't always the same as "real life" parenting, and sometimes you just need your kids to follow a plan without mutiny. It worked and you got the kiddos to try some food they might not ordinarily, so yea!

 

[GGOOFY1]

Hi Jenny, another great update...we love Teppan Edo It is a tradition for us to go the last night of our trip as our "Celebration Dinner" When it was closed two summers ago for remodeling we went to Bennihana's by DTD and did my crew complain!! Let Wendy know that her choice was the best!! Love the fan.

 

[Lynn5700]

Glad you were able to make it through Universe of Energy. It broke down when we went on.

Kids had fun in innoventions! Glad dinner was good.

 

[Angies1274]

That's great that your kids ended up enjoying Teppan Edo, even though they didn't really want to go. (sometimes, mom just knows best!!) Oh, and I love the fan that Wendy chose!!sooo pretty!! My DS couldn't wait to get to Japan to buy some Pokemon cards. What??? We can get them at our local Walmart--but I guess buying them in Japan at Disney made them special???:Who knows.....

It sounds like you had a very busy, but fun day!! Can't wait for more....

 

[Villainess]

Wendy's fan is so pretty - great choice! Another one who would've bribed them to get them to eat as well!

 

[jenjolt]

Oh I wouldn't feel to bad...your kids got to experience a brand new ride and liked it and tried new food and liked it...to me that's a !! Anything for getting kids to try new things!!!!!

I really need to stop and really explore Innovations more...there seems to be a lot of really neat activities in those places and I often just pass it right by...hmmmm thanks for sharing!!!

 

[dismagiclover]

Isn't it always the way, the one who complains the most is the one who loves it the most!
A little bribery never hurts and they ended up likeing the meal!

It did all turn out just fine and alls well that ends well

Vacation parenting isn't always the same as "real life" parenting, and sometimes you just need your kids to follow a plan without mutiny. It worked and you got the kiddos to try some food they might not ordinarily, so yea!

And as all moms know even "real life" parenting is not a science Most of us are just doing the best we can!

Hi Jenny, another great update...we love Teppan Edo It is a tradition for us to go the last night of our trip as our "Celebration Dinner" When it was closed two summers ago for remodeling we went to Bennihana's by DTD and did my crew complain!! Let Wendy know that her choice was the best!! Love the fan.

Teppan Edo was great. The food was good and how can you not love the Japanese servers? They are always so smiley and helpful

Glad you were able to make it through Universe of Energy. It broke down when we went on.

Kids had fun in innoventions! Glad dinner was good.

It actually broke down right before we got on, but I guess the guest stood up in just the right place and it was easily reset (at least that is what the CM said.) It cracks me up that people get up to leave all the time while the ride is moving. Where do they think they are going? The CM mentioned to us when we went in that if someone tried to stand up we should just sit on them so the ride didn't stop

That's great that your kids ended up enjoying Teppan Edo, even though they didn't really want to go. (sometimes, mom just knows best!!) Oh, and I love the fan that Wendy chose!!sooo pretty!! My DS couldn't wait to get to Japan to buy some Pokemon cards. What??? We can get them at our local Walmart--but I guess buying them in Japan at Disney made them special???:Who knows.....

It sounds like you had a very busy, but fun day!! Can't wait for more....

You are right sometimes Mom does know best Those Pokemon cards I was hoping they would get something a little different, but you know kids. They like the familiar. In my opinion, Wendy definitely made the better choice

Wendy's fan is so pretty - great choice! Another one who would've bribed them to get them to eat as well!

Good to know I'm not alone with the bribery technique Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

Oh I wouldn't feel to bad...your kids got to experience a brand new ride and liked it and tried new food and liked it...to me that's a !! Anything for getting kids to try new things!!!!!

I really need to stop and really explore Innovations more...there seems to be a lot of really neat activities in those places and I often just pass it right by...hmmmm thanks for sharing!!!

Don't worry. I don't feel too bad. I'm pretty good at getting my way (just ask my DH) Innoventions has lots of fun exhibits, but it is definitely geared more towards kids. Though there are a few grown up exhibits like the Segway. We've never tried any of those.

 

[Happy Elf]

I had a big reply and my computer froze! Grr!

Glad you kids tried some new foods. I know I've bribed Hannah into trying new things. It's the only way to get her away from chicken nuggets and mac and cheese!

 

[MagicShell]

I enjoyed your update. Too bad it was so hot. I have never been in the really hot part of the year, and I don't think I would enjoy it as much. Of course I would still go if that was the only time I could. At least a lot of things are inside.

I have certainly been known to bribe my kids, and probably will do it again. I am glad you enjoyed your meal. We are going to try and eat at Teppan Edo when we go back.