Trick-Or-Treat & Birthday Sweets! Oct 2013 PTR *NEW* 11/4 TR Link Posted!

[mandas08]

Catching up as always

Homemade Donuts?!?!?!- I must try this!!

I saw the tray on Paxtons car seat.Where did u get that- Seems genius!

Train station- That looks like so much fun. I love that it felt so authentic. Love his little Thomas shirt to go with the theme of the day

Resort- Wow that place looks so nice and huge too! We always see those places but always end up in a cabin or basic hotel because they seem to always be so much cheaper.

Arcade- What a cute pic of him on the motorcycle. I love that Zavier is at an age where he thinks everything works without us putting money in it. Last week he "drove" a car for a good five minutes lol

Cades Cove- We really enjoyed out trip there last time. If someone wanted to see the opposite of Disney I would recommend it. Isnt it funny that we can enjoy both places even though there opposites haha.

Dixie Stampede- So glad you guys enjoyed it! I think things like that are so hard to decide if a toddle will sit through and enjoy it so I'm glad he loved it so much

Disney Tickets- Yay for making your trip more real!! We still need to order our Discovery Cove package for our September trip.

ADR and Costume- Love all of your ADRS! We are still trying to decide if we are going to sneak over to Chef Mickeys on our trip. Zavier wasn't as fond of the characters as Paxton is so still trying to decide if it is a good idea or not. Speaking of-Do you have any recommendations for offsite restaurants? I know you normally do alot onsite but figured I'd ask.

Mama House- Wow! How did I miss this place. Looks like a great place to stuff myself silly....maybe I should continue to miss it. haha Your pictures from ther are too cute.

Horseback Riding- I find it completely sillly that they would put you on that horse. Esp with such a small group. They had to have someone else you could ride. Obviously you would like to ride WITH your family and not all by yourself. With that said I'm glad that it seems that you are a bigger person than me and didn't let it ruin your experience

Old Mill- Yum Fritters...hope you got to try the apple fritters at Applebarn..

 

[amazingact21]

Wow, that particular day of your trip sounded really fun. Sort of (that's a big sort of) makes me consider going someplace else for vacation besides Disney next summer. It's awesome how many activites you were able to do that your DS could be actively involved in. And by that, I mean ones where you're not just walking around and/or listening to somebody talk while trying to keep a young one entertained.

 

[khertz]

Coming back tomorrow for replies, but just wanted to wish all my DIS mom friends a very happy Mother's Day!

 

[khertz]

So So cute. I don't know how you ever resisted buying that!

I know, I mean just look how thrilled he is!! But really, it looked super adorable on him, even if he hated it.

Breakfast - OMG - huge! Now that's what I call breakfast.

And OH SO YUMMY!

Water park - looks really nice and clean. Plus you had the whole place to yourself.

It was really great and very well run. And the mornings were great because there were not a ton of people around yet.

Horseback riding - very fun!

For my first time, it was a lot of fun! But ooh was I sore the next day...

Disney store - who can resist?

And dinner - yum! I guess McQueen was hungry?

What a fun day!

I know we sure can't resist a Disney store! Especially because we don't have one locally.

Catching up as always

Homemade Donuts?!?!?!- I must try this!!

DH got the recipe online...I'll have to see where he got it from! Since they go in the oven and aren't fried like "real" donuts, they tasted more like cake donuts. But they are still delicious!

I saw the tray on Paxtons car seat.Where did u get that- Seems genius!

Amazon! It wasn't expensive at all, and he loved using it to color and to race his cars on. It has straps that hook around the back of the car seat to keep it in place. It was perfect for a long car ride!

Train station- That looks like so much fun. I love that it felt so authentic. Love his little Thomas shirt to go with the theme of the day

He was not the only little Thomas enthusiast riding the train that day! There were actually posters up for an event the next weekend called "A Day Out with Thomas" where they have an actual Thomas locomotive to ride, and one of the human characters out for meet & greet, etc. We debated stopping in Chattanooga on the way home just to stop at that event, but by then we were just ready to get home.

Resort- Wow that place looks so nice and huge too! We always see those places but always end up in a cabin or basic hotel because they seem to always be so much cheaper.

Yes, I didn't price it to see, but I'm sure the rooms at the Wilderness Resort part are pretty expensive. It definitely isn't a place we would have been staying if we weren't using Wyndham points!

Arcade- What a cute pic of him on the motorcycle. I love that Zavier is at an age where he thinks everything works without us putting money in it. Last week he "drove" a car for a good five minutes lol

Too funny! Paxton is like that too. Hopefully it is a LONG time before they realize money makes it do something!! There was a short cut to the water park that we figured out that took us through the arcade, and darn if Paxton didn't want to stop EVERY time to "drive" something!!

Cades Cove- We really enjoyed out trip there last time. If someone wanted to see the opposite of Disney I would recommend it. Isnt it funny that we can enjoy both places even though there opposites haha.

So true!!! It was so nice to do some relaxing activities for a change, but we still managed to have just as much fun as we do in Disney!

Dixie Stampede- So glad you guys enjoyed it! I think things like that are so hard to decide if a toddle will sit through and enjoy it so I'm glad he loved it so much

I was pretty worried honestly, especially when I saw how long the show was. But I'm glad we took the risk, because he absolutely loved it!

Disney Tickets- Yay for making your trip more real!! We still need to order our Discovery Cove package for our September trip.

It is so exciting having those little squares of Tyvek in my hands!! Definitely makes the trip seem closer and more tangible!

ADR and Costume- Love all of your ADRS! We are still trying to decide if we are going to sneak over to Chef Mickeys on our trip. Zavier wasn't as fond of the characters as Paxton is so still trying to decide if it is a good idea or not. Speaking of-Do you have any recommendations for offsite restaurants? I know you normally do alot onsite but figured I'd ask.

It's so hard to tell with characters! Paxton of course loves them in Disney, but yesterday we went to Chuck E. Cheese for the first time and he wanted NOTHING to do with that big mouse! I hope it's just that he is not "familiar" with him the way he is Disney characters and not that he is going to be afraid of all characters. He did give him a high 5 on the way out, but every time we tried to bring him over by Chuck to dance or get free tickets, he wanted no part of that! Maybe make a Chef Mickey's ADR later in your trip so you can get a feel for how he will be with characters in the park? Then you will have time to cancel without penalty if he just doesn't like them, and you won't have wasted all that money on the meal. Lord knows it's expensive to dine with characters in WDW!

For the offsite restaurants, I really don't have much experience. Because Bonnet Creek is nestled in Disney property, it's kind of a hassle to get offsite for something to eat because nothing is really close. I think the only time we have eaten off property in WDW was at Chick Fil A once after church! Sorry, I am not much help there! I know the WDW Today podcast did a show about offsite restaurant recommendations that might give you what you are looking for! I just tracked it down for you, so if you want to listen you can do so here.

House- Wow! How did I miss this place. Looks like a great place to stuff myself silly....maybe I should continue to miss it. haha Your pictures from ther are too cute.

It was SO GOOD! I really wanted to try lunch or dinner (all served family style) but DH wasn't so keen on those options, so we agreed on breakfast. Still a great choice!

Horseback Riding- I find it completely sillly that they would put you on that horse. Esp with such a small group. They had to have someone else you could ride. Obviously you would like to ride WITH your family and not all by yourself. With that said I'm glad that it seems that you are a bigger person than me and didn't let it ruin your experience

I agree, and I was thinking that to myself the whole first half of the ride as I held back tears at some points because I was so frustrated. (I get really hard on myself when I can't do something the "right way"). Towards the end, Bella and I came to an understanding, and she was keeping better pace with the rest of the horses, but it was a bit rough in the beginning!

Old Mill- Yum Fritters...hope you got to try the apple fritters at Applebarn..

Stay tuned!

Wow, that particular day of your trip sounded really fun. Sort of (that's a big sort of) makes me consider going someplace else for vacation besides Disney next summer. It's awesome how many activites you were able to do that your DS could be actively involved in. And by that, I mean ones where you're not just walking around and/or listening to somebody talk while trying to keep a young one entertained.

Isn't it SO HARD to think of vacationing anywhere else?! It's kind of funny because the whole decision to go to TN came up when DH asked when we were ever going to take DS somewhere else to give him a non-Disney vacation experience. I said, well, we can go in the spring and WDW in the fall next year. And his reply was, "I meant going somewhere else INSTEAD of Disney World, not IN ADDITION to Disney World!" Too bad for you, DH, I think that will be a very RARE occurrence in this family!!

So true, because east TN has a LOT to do for families, but a lot of it seems geared more to older kids. It was great that we were still able to find a lot of stuff that DS could actively participate and not be bored.

 

[khertz]

Well, I didn't want to post until it was mostly official, but it looks like we will be having more people in our travel party than just DH, myself, and DS!

It started a few months ago with a "girls day" for the women on my mom's side of the family. While we were having lunch, my mom, my sister and I were talking about how much fun we'd had on our trip last October. My sister said she would really love to come on one of our trips because it has been so long since she's been to Disney World and because she would love to experience it with DS. And that got the ball rolling...

I can't deny, I really loved the idea of my parents coming again and possibly my sister, but I was worried for a couple of reasons. My in-laws! I'm not proud to say we don't have the best relationship for a number of reasons, and I felt in the back of my mind that we couldn't "get away" with inviting my parents again and not inviting DH's mom and her husband. So after a LOT of discussion of the pros and cons of every scenario, we came up with a plan that I hope will work out.

Our dates will remain unchanged, arriving on the 22nd of October, spending our first night onsite at Universal and our first day in the parks at US/IoA before moving over to spend 7 nights at Bonnet Creek and spend the remainder of our time in Disney World. My parents are planning to drive down the weekend before we arrive (not sure if they will drive Saturday or Sunday yet) and check in to a separate 2 bedroom unit that we will reserve for them at Bonnet Creek and stay through the following Saturday. My sister and her boyfriend are still "maybes" but if they do come, I'd imagine they would go with my parents. My MIL and her husband are talking about flying down Monday or Tuesday and will go home Friday or Saturday. That will give us as a group Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday to tour the parks together, then DH, DS, and I will have Saturday-Wednesday just the three of us.

If it all goes to plan, I think it will work out well. The one thing I did NOT want, since this will be our last WDW trip for a couple of years, was one huge family trip where I felt like I had to please everyone for a whole week. But we did have a lot of fun with my parents along, and I know they loved getting to experience WDW with their only grandchild. I think 3 days is not too much, not too little, and will give us plenty of time "alone" so to speak. Since this was all a possibility from well before my ADR dates, I did have my mom make a separate Crystal Palace reservation for the whole group of 9 so that I could make sure we still got to do breakfast at CP on DS's 3rd birthday on the 24th and not risk having nothing available. So we will cancel the other one and still have our ADR there taken care of.

So here's the new and updated cast list:

My Mom & Dad (DS's Nonni & Poppi)...If you read my last TR, you should remember them!

My MIL & her husband (DH's step-dad) (DS's Mammy & Pappy)

And the maybes...

My DSis Katie (DS's Nanny) & her BF Mitchell​

The reason I keep calling my sister & her boyfriend maybes are for a lot of reasons. My sister keeps insisting she is coming, but my mom doesn't think she will be able to save up enough money before October. However, with the two different room reservations at Bonnet Creek, it won't matter one way or another if they come. My parents will have a room, my MIL and her DH will have a room, and Katie & Mitchell will get the pull out couch if they decide to come. If they don't come, no harm no foul. Even if Katie manages to save up the cash to come, Mitchell may not be able to. He is a firefighter and only gets so much time off, and he uses up a lot of his vacation time to go fishing, his passion. So he may not have the needed vacation time available to go to WDW. I would love it if they were able to come, but I think it will still be fun if only the grandparents come!

 

[skier_pete]

Family is both good and bad. It's nice to have someone to help out and allow you some "alone" time, but it's also nice to just do what YOU want to do. We seem to alternate trips with family and without. We've actually only taken I think 3 trips where it is just the 3 of us. Two with DMIL, one with my DM, and one with friends. Kind of looking forward to a "no extended family trip".

Though now we are looking to the day when we can bring a friend for DD. That'll be a whole DIFFERENT experience!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Wow! Your traveling group got mega-sized in a hurry! Well, at least on your PTR it did but it sounds like you were anticipating this possibility. That's awesome that you had a backup CP ADR for everyone! Great Disney planning!

I hope it works out well. Large family group trips can get tricky especially when families from "both sides of the aisle" are coming as I observed from afar when my SIL decided to attempt this feat last year. Heck, it can get challenging even from the same side of the aisle if touring styles and interests are significantly different. You're right that if they rally around Paxton then everyone should have a fun time. Plus, if you follow the model from your last trip where your parents were perfectly fine splitting up and not attached to your hip, then that'll give everyone flexibility to approach the trip based on their own comfortable pace. With that many helpers coming, you and your DH should absolutely take advantage and plan for a dinner out with just the two of you. At least twice!

I also think it's good that you have a few days after everyone else leaves to spend just with the three of you. It'll feel like a honeymoon trip after the wedding!

 

[khertz]

Family is both good and bad. It's nice to have someone to help out and allow you some "alone" time, but it's also nice to just do what YOU want to do. We seem to alternate trips with family and without. We've actually only taken I think 3 trips where it is just the 3 of us. Two with DMIL, one with my DM, and one with friends. Kind of looking forward to a "no extended family trip".

Though now we are looking to the day when we can bring a friend for DD. That'll be a whole DIFFERENT experience!

That's exactly it, and with us going mid-week to mid-week it was starting to look like an all-or-nothing scenario. Of course, I should have known my parents wouldn't mind starting their vacation before us. They love WDW! I'm fairly certain after this trip, since we won't be back for awhile, our next one will just be the 3 (or possibly 4 by then!) of us.

Hopefully bringing a friend for DD works out well! Maybe it would help DD be a little more adventurous with the attractions.

Wow! Your traveling group got mega-sized in a hurry! Well, at least on your PTR it did but it sounds like you were anticipating this possibility. That's awesome that you had a backup CP ADR for everyone! Great Disney planning!

I hope it works out well. Large family group trips can get tricky especially when families from "both sides of the aisle" are coming as I observed from afar when my SIL decided to attempt this feat last year. Heck, it can get challenging even from the same side of the aisle if touring styles and interests are significantly different. You're right that if they rally around Paxton then everyone should have a fun time. Plus, if you follow the model from your last trip where your parents were perfectly fine splitting up and not attached to your hip, then that'll give everyone flexibility to approach the trip based on their own comfortable pace. With that many helpers coming, you and your DH should absolutely take advantage and plan for a dinner out with just the two of you. At least twice!

I also think it's good that you have a few days after everyone else leaves to spend just with the three of you. It'll feel like a honeymoon trip after the wedding!

The CP reservation was easily my biggest concern when planning this possibility of being joined by family! With the credit card hold requirement, I wasn't sure how I could get it done, but my mom was more than happy to step up and help out.

My mom and my MIL are actually really good friends, so my mom makes for a nice buffer between MIL and I. It was so perfect the way we split up and came back together with my parents last time, and that was one of my biggest hesitations when it came to MIL. DH made sure to impress upon her that we are not bringing them along as babysitters and that we do not want them to "take DS off of our hands" for the whole 3 days they are with us.

Now that you mention it, there may need to be another ADR made in our future! Last trip our last minute night out at DTD was fun, but it would be even better if we could plan a real date night and maybe even get to go to a park for a bit. I wouldn't feel bad about that since DS will be going to bed anyway!

And yes, it will be a nice break to still have some time just for our little family at the end of our trip. It worked out well last time, so I hope it will this time too!!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Now that you mention it, there may need to be another ADR made in our future! Last trip our last minute night out at DTD was fun, but it would be even better if we could plan a real date night and maybe even get to go to a park for a bit. I wouldn't feel bad about that since DS will be going to bed anyway!

You should definitely pick out a restaurant like I did for the solo trip - a restaurant that would be a bit challenging to go to with a child. And if you want to do a park with afterwards, maybe pick a restaurant along the monorail resorts so you can hop over to MK later or one inside Epcot or along Crescent Lake! Ohhh the possibilities!

 

[eandesmom]

subbing in and off to catch up

 

[khertz]

You should definitely pick out a restaurant like I did for the solo trip - a restaurant that would be a bit challenging to go to with a child. And if you want to do a park with afterwards, maybe pick a restaurant along the monorail resorts so you can hop over to MK later or one inside Epcot or along Crescent Lake! Ohhh the possibilities!

I'm excited to plan a Disney Date Night! If nothing else, maybe we can finally check out the Boardwalk and have a No Way Jose at B&C!

subbing in and off to catch up

Cynthia!! Happy to have you.

 

[wdwgirl03]

That's cool you'll have some more people with you. Hopefully it will all work out!

I'm excited to plan a Disney Date Night! If nothing else, maybe we can finally check out the Boardwalk and have a No Way Jose at B&C!

Yes! This sounds like a lot of fun! I love the Boardwalk!

 

[afwdwfan]

Yep... that is an expanded cast alright. I'm glad you were able to work it out so that you could invite your parents and your DH's mom and still keep it from being a case where they overwhelm your plans. Hopefully your sister will be able to make the trip as well.

I saw an e-mail that had the dates for the Eat to the Beat concerts this year. I have to admit, the first thing that came into my mind was your upcoming trip and Hanson. Are you going to look at re-scheduling your trip dates?

 

[khertz]

That's cool you'll have some more people with you. Hopefully it will all work out!

Yes! This sounds like a lot of fun! I love the Boardwalk!

I have NEVER been to the Boardwalk, so it would be great to get over there for a bit one night and check it out. Plus I have been wanting to get to B&C for dessert for a LONG time, so that alone will be worth heading out to the Epcot resort area that night. And Epcot is the only park open past 7:30 that night, so really our only choice for any park time if we want it.

Yep... that is an expanded cast alright. I'm glad you were able to work it out so that you could invite your parents and your DH's mom and still keep it from being a case where they overwhelm your plans. Hopefully your sister will be able to make the trip as well.

I saw an e-mail that had the dates for the Eat to the Beat concerts this year. I have to admit, the first thing that came into my mind was your upcoming trip and Hanson. Are you going to look at re-scheduling your trip dates?

Yes, I'm thinking I can live with 3 days of big group time and we will still have plenty of time just the 3 of us to enjoy. I do hope my sister can come too, because I know she will love spending Disney time with Paxton.

Aww man, was I tempted to switch to November!!!!! I was pretty disappointed to see that I would be missing them this year, but at least I get to see a full concert in NOLA on their tour, so all is not lost for me.

 

[MEK]

Wow - you do have quite the expanded cast. The more the merrier. I hope you sis and BF can save up enough $ to join you. At least their room is covered, so that makes things easier.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

I'm finally all caught up.

I've heard really good things about Bonnet Creek. A group of co-workers just recently stayed there for a work thing and loved it.

Plus MNSSHP... You Will Love It!

Awww you know how much I love old school Disney pics!

 

[amazingact21]

Is it horrible of me that I knew exactly where you were headed when you began talking about your parents tagging along??? I suppose anyone who has a "working" relationship with their in-laws understands one hundred percent where you're coming from. Trust me, if I had my way, my mom would go to Disney with me a lot more often than she does, but unfortunately, I just couldn't handle my in-laws at Disney. They'd suck the magic away...


However, it sounds like you have created the best plan for the situation. Very smart to still have plenty of days where it's just you, DH, and son. Plus, if you don't enjoy the time with such a big group, you have those days to keep you sane and look forward to.

 

[khertz]

Wow - you do have quite the expanded cast. The more the merrier. I hope you sis and BF can save up enough $ to join you. At least their room is covered, so that makes things easier.

I hope they are able to come too, it will be nice to have someone closer to our age to hang out with too. I did see them yesterday at my mom's "housewarming" party now that all the renovations are done from the hurricane damage, so we were able to talk about it a bit. Mitchell thinks he will be able to get the time off because our dates won't interfere with his shifts too much, and I gave Katie the lowdown on how much to expect to pay for tickets. Now that she knows, she knows how much she will need to save the next few months!!

I'm finally all caught up.

I've heard really good things about Bonnet Creek. A group of co-workers just recently stayed there for a work thing and loved it.

Plus MNSSHP... You Will Love It!

Awww you know how much I love old school Disney pics!

Bonnet Creek is great for the space alone. The location really can't be beat either when it comes to staying off property. One day we may go back to staying onsite, but for now this is what works best for us!

Ahhh, I can't wait for MNSSHP!!!! Everything I read about it just gets me more and more excited!!

Doesn't everyone love old school Disney pics?

Is it horrible of me that I knew exactly where you were headed when you began talking about your parents tagging along??? I suppose anyone who has a "working" relationship with their in-laws understands one hundred percent where you're coming from. Trust me, if I had my way, my mom would go to Disney with me a lot more often than she does, but unfortunately, I just couldn't handle my in-laws at Disney. They'd suck the magic away...


However, it sounds like you have created the best plan for the situation. Very smart to still have plenty of days where it's just you, DH, and son. Plus, if you don't enjoy the time with such a big group, you have those days to keep you sane and look forward to.

Nope not horrible, just sounds like you are in the same unfortunate situation as me. I'm hoping they will be better this time than last time. When we all went together in '09 pre-DS, they just didn't seem to enjoy it very much. Too much walking, too many early mornings and late nights, etc. My dad said he didn't think they would even come because of that, but like I figured, if DS is coming, they want to come even if it isn't something they particularly enjoy. I guess we will see how it goes and whether or not that invitation will ever be extended again. My parents were perfect last year at giving us our own space, hopefully the in-laws will follow suit.

I think we did it the best way in having them arrive before us too, because like you said, when we are tired of the group being around, we will still have that time to ourselves to look forward to! Hopefully it will all go well, but if it doesn't, definitely wouldn't want to end on a sour note and annoyed at family!

 

[khertz]

Wednesday April 24th

This morning we were up a little earlier at 7:25, but we had no plans except to go to the water park when it opened at 10. We made cinnamon rolls for breakfast, then sat around all morning. It was wonderful! DS played with his toys and watched some PBS, DH played around on the computer, and I read a book on the sofa. It was great!

Eventually it was time to change into our bathing suits and head down to the water park. DS wanted to start out on the clubhouse side, but we soon moved over to the kiddie side. He was really having a blast, and learned how to "swim"! He would pretty much use his floatie to help him float on the surface of the water and used his hands to walk along the bottom. It was pretty funny!

He really liked kicking his feet through the water on this swing!

​

We went back up to the room around 11 and warmed up some leftovers for lunch, then put DS down for a nap. DH headed out to a comic book store he had wanted to visit while I napped on the couch for a bit and read some more of my book.

After getting DS up from his nap at 2:15, we were getting ready to head out to our destination for the afternoon, Dollywood! They have an "after 3 pm" deal where if you buy a one day ticket and use it for the first time after 3 pm, you can use it to get into the park the following day at no extra charge. We figured a day and a half at Dollywood would be more than enough! However, there was one big, wet problem...it was POURING outside! We still gathered up our stuff and got in the truck to head to Dollywood, hoping the rain would let up.

Once we parked, the rain just seemed to be coming down even harder, and people were leaving the park in droves. How miserable! Luckily I had packed a bunch of cheap dollar store ponchos we have had forever, and we decided we needed to just get out and brave the rain. We covered DS in the stroller with a poncho as much as we could and hurried to take the tram up to the gates where we purchased our tickets. Once we got through the turnstiles, we hurried over to the nearby Emporium shop with a map and a times guide to try and figure out a game plan. We settled on walking over to see the show Heart Song because it was in a theater and we hoped that would give the rain enough time to pass us by. The workers (I will just call them CM's because I don't know what they are called in Dollywood!) let us bring the stroller inside because of the rain, which was nice.

DS entertained himself by stealing DH's hat while waiting for the show to start!​

Let's see, how to describe this show...honestly, it was just really strange! It was Dolly singing and I guess reminiscing about her childhood in the Smokies, but I just didn't get it. They had some barn dancing going on, some quilting on the porch, and a little girl in pigtails dancing with cartoon butterflies. I will say up front, I do NOT like country music, so this was probably a big factor in not understanding the show. Another thing that annoyed both of us was that there was a point with a thunderstorm in the show, and they had a rain feature that sprinkled us with water several times. Seriously?! We are all here to escape the REAL rain pouring down outside, turn the water feature off!

Finally, the super cheesy show ended and we went outside to see that it had stopped raining hard and was just drizzling on and off. Drizzle, we can handle! DS had seen the carousel as we walked by earlier, so we figured that might as well be our first stop. We were the only ones on! So we got a private ride on the carousel.

Then we went over to the Country Fair area where some of the kiddie rides were. DS was the only kid over there, so he got to ride the ducks and then the pigs all by himself!

When we came out of that area, DS saw the train sitting at the station and freaked out! So we went over there but were told the next train would be at 5 and it was only 4:30 so we dragged DS away to look for something else to do instead. We had passed the place we had decided to have dinner on the way over to the theater so we thought we might have an early dinner and beat the rush. As we approached Aunt Granny's buffet, we had to walk around to find the door, and when I found it, it was locked! We were confused, especially because the sign said they were open until park closing, which was supposed to be 7 pm. We checked another door, that was also locked and we could see people inside cleaning.

Not gonna lie, DH was pretty ticked off and when I said we could just eat there the next day, he basically had the attitude of, "Well, if they don't want my money today by closing early, why give it to them tomorrow?" After all that wasted time, it was now ten minutes to 5, so we walked back to catch the train. There was another family standing at the gate looking around, and...NO TRAIN. I repeated to them what the CM told me, that the next one would be at 5. Finally some train CM's came over and the mom from the other family went to ask what was going on with the train. She came back to tell us that due to low attendance, they were doing a "slow closing" of the park. Thoroughly annoyed, we thought we might just grab a bite of food from the close by pizza QS restaurant, but sure enough, that was locked too.

At that point, we were both pissed off and decided just to leave since obviously NOTHING was going to be open. We had counted on 4 hours of park time, then 3 due to the rain slowing us down that first hour, and we ended up with only 1 total. I just had to keep reminding myself that this was NOT Disney World!

DH snapped some pictures of the empty park on the way out.

If you watch Family Guy, you should understand why we got a picture of this!

We took the tram back to the parking lot and decided we would just eat dinner back at the Thirsty Miner at the resort. We went straight there, only to find out they were STILL doing menu only, no buffet. GAH, we were both SO ANNOYED at that point, but we just had to suck it up because now we were tired, wet, and starving. Both DH and I got burgers and fries and we got DS mac & cheese with applesauce that he ate almost all of.

He did have a "moment" during dinner, probably when I was fussing for him to sit down on his seat, that turned into one of the most hilarious pictures of him EVER.

We stopped for some soft serve at the bakery before going back up to the room to take our showers and get ready for bed. DH and I were waiting until 9 for Grey's Anatomy to start only to switch it to ABC and realize, "Hey, it's Wednesday and Grey's does not come on tonight!" So although we were so annoyed with Dollywood that we didn't even want to really go back the next day, we spent the evening trying to figure out a game plan for the next day so we would be able to get everything done.

UP NEXT: Giving Dollywood a Second Chance

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

I would have been as upset as you and your DH were. That is just ridiculous. What kind of an amusement park starts closing up early because of low attendance??? I mean, I can see a small local amusement park pulling off something like that but Dollywood is pretty well known. It's a decent tourist attraction. Sheesh.

You know, this story is reinforcing my fear of trying out non-Disney amusement parks. I always think that Disney has ruined most other parks for me because of the high standards in customer service it has set. I've been debating for awhile now whether to take the kids up to Sesame Place which is about 2.5 hours by car north from here and each time I back out of the plan.