UPDATED 7/14/19: The Slowpokes' Guide to WDW aka the kids 1st trip! - A Sept 2018 report

[Araminta18]

DD was of course super excited to meet Aurora! She even ended up being the front of the line with Aurora’s group for the princess parade so that made her day.

Aw, this picture is so cute!!

 

[dbb727]

Here's our cute KidCot travel bags. I forgot to post with the last update. I just think these are so adorable and a great way to educate, get a small souvenir and still make it fun and interactive with the CMs. Still a little sad that we didn't get to more countries or that the kids weren't that into it yet, so hopefully this or something even better is still around (and free) on our next trip. When I was a kid, my favorite part of EPCOT was stopping to buy a flag souvenir at each country. I think I was closer to 10 at the time though and definitely a collector/hoarder so we'll see if my kiddos turn out the same way.

 

[dbb727]

Day 3, Part 3
Sept 18, 2018​

After lunch it was time to head back to the resort for a break. DH said the most shocking thing by suggesting we stop in a gift shop on the way out as HE wanted to shop………….say what?? First of all, this man never shops, I have to be his personal shopper or he orders clothes online, and if we are in a store more than 10-15min he gets anxious and rushes me. So, you can understand that this was a BIG shock, but it was genuine and he wanted to make sure the kids got the perfect souvenir from the trip which is really sweet. And the timing was great as the kids were passing out in the stroller so we figured as long as we had A/C, we could take our time wandering through Mouse Gear.



Along the way, I made a quick stop for a frozen mojito at Islands of the Carribean stand. I wanted to try the empanda or quesito too but honestly it was just too damn hot outside to eat most of the F&W booth offerings. I really wanted to indulge more in snacks and F&W booths throughout the trip, but I would just lose my appetite anytime we stepped outside and most food offerings did not sound appetizing for such warm weather.

Both kids were resting peacefully in the stroller until we walked into MouseGears, DD had like a sixth sense that there were toys and stuffed animals so hers eyes popped open and then she jumped out to browse. At least one kid got a nap though.



I was actually not a big shopper on this trip. I just can’t get that into overpriced merchandise, I am a discount shopper at heart and try to buy Disney apparel on sale at the Disney store, Kohl’s or Target. We had some family members give gift cards to the kids, so we decided to let the kids pick 1 souvenir each and I tried to steer them towards something meaningful yet inexpensive. I’m sure most parents would agree, that children’s picks can often be questionable, and easily forgotten about later. I don’t mind putting out the money on something that will be used often but spur of the moment “I NEED IT” only to get discarded is frustrating and wasteful.

So when DD decided her souvenir pick would be a stuffed version of Lady (from Lady and the Tramp) as a puppy wrapped in a swaddle, I initially tried to dissuade her, but as we looked through the rest of MouseGear she was insistent that the stuffed Lady was the only thing she really really really really wanted. Personally I didn’t want another stuffed animal coming home with us, I’m not sure she’d even seen the movie at that point so I was doubtful this would be a lasting object but I just went with it. Luckily, she has proven me wrong and she is still infatuated with her Lady, and it sits proudly on her bed with about 10 other stuffed treasures.

Before purchasing I reminded her that would be her only souvenir, but then DH thought she also needed something more sentimental so he broke the rules and bought her a Minnie Mouse necklace with her initial on it. (#daddysgirl). DH was on the hunt for a coffee mug, but nothing stuck out to him here so we finished up and headed to the monorail. And I picked up a 2018 magnet/photo frame so our total would reach $50 and I could use the Disney Visa discount.

We enjoyed rest time back at the hotel, nothing exciting to report, just stayed in the room, showered, changed clothes, DH took his scheduled muscle relaxer/pain med for his back and we enjoyed the A/C. Originally, I had planned this day to be just a half day at the park and then swim day at the resort, but since we hadn’t covered much ground at EPCOT, I was anxious to head back. While searching for FP, I was able to score some for the Character Spot that evening so I convinced DH that we would just go back to do that and then grab dinner somewhere in WS. YAY!

There were plenty of same day ADR options: Rose & Crown, Tokyo Dining, Biergarten, but we literally couldn’t decide on a place (too many choices!) so just figured we would wing it with QS.

We headed out to the TTC around 5pm, unfortunately we had only made it about 50ft down the path when DH stops and says “I’m sorry but I can’t walk anymore today, its just too painful” L So that was a bummer. We decided I’d go ahead with the kids and we’d bring dinner back to him.

I was feeling empowered by my couple of hours solo with the kids at MK the day before so I figured I could handle this no problem. Monorail was a breeze, but once we arrived at EPCOT and I saw the lines at security I started to have 2nd thoughts. It was definitely the busiest security we’d gone through yet, but ended up not being a terribly long wait. DD had actually fallen asleep on the monorail ride, so I was trying to keep her napping which worked until we got to the tapstiles and I attempted to just pull her arm while she was still seated to tap in and do her fingerprint. Well tugging on her arm off her obviously woke her up in a most unpleasant way, it was like I had poked a sleeping bear. She didn’t necessarily have a meltdown, but she was definitely grump for the next hour or so.



Our first destination was to see Mickey, Minnie and Goofy. I was pretty annoyed that they had changed Character Spot to a Tier 1 FP a few months before our trip, so it was rewarding to find it as a 4th FP this day.


This was a great interaction and DD perked up and was so sweet, comforting her little brother since he was afraid to get too close to the fur characters.




It was after 6 by now so I started focusing on dinner options. Here is where I made a critical error. In retrospect, I should have headed towards WS, but I was thinking I should maybe just go to a close destination to grab something for the kids so I headed towards The Land. As I was walking there, I realized I would need to park the stroller – not ideal with both kids being tired and DD becoming cranky again. Once I got to the stroller parking in between The Land and The Seas, DS caught sight of the birds in front of Nemo and was sooo excited that we had to go over there again. And then ended up riding Nemo for DS’s third time that day.

I love this video because you can see DS fascination and pure exceitement juxtaposed by DD attitude and grumpiness! Hahaha. Sorry it’s sideways in this link, I thought I fixed it in iMovie, but Youtube reverted it back to the original.

Next we stopped for Turtle Talk, which I kinda regretted since we had to wait a bit for the next show and it wasn’t as engaging for their ages. DH had sold me on it earlier and I was getting tired just wanting to go with the flow so I figured it was worth a shot. We at least liked calling each other “DUUUDE” for the rest of the night.

We made some pressed pennies on the way out, then headed back in our search for dinner. At this point, I didn’t have the energy to corral them inside a pavilion and I didn’t think they would last til WS so I found the most balanced meal I could put together from a food cart: cheese & fruit plate + a Mickey pretzel. Yup, mom of the year over here.



We were pretty excited for our first Mickey shaped snack!


Once the kids were settled, I decided to try and hit some F&W booths. The flavors from fire area was the obvious choice since there were multiple booths in one central location and not too far of a walk from where we were.


I picked up the MIA Hard Water from Active Eats booth, the Lump Crabcake and the Seared Scallops from Coastal Eats, found a high top table and enjoyed a few peaceful moments of bliss. I enjoyed everything, and even with the small portions I was pretty satisified and figured this could suffice for dinner.

Seared Scallops with Roasted Corn and Butterbean Succotash and Chili-Chipotle Butter Sauce

The weather was actually cooling down to a reasonable amount, and I realized why when I looked up and saw dark gray storm clouds approaching. As much as I wanted to walk through WS, I definitely didn’t want to get caught in a downpour, plus I still needed to get DH’s dinner and it was after 7:30 and we had a PPO breakfast for the next day so I made the responsible choice to head out.



Back to the Poly via monorail, I dropped the kids off in the room and then headed to Captain Cook’s to get a burger for DH. I stopped at Pineapple Lanai on the way, and was pleasantly surprised with a bit of pixie dust when the CM insisted I take my Dole Whip free of charge. Maybe because I was wearing my Anniversary button? Maybe bc I was the only customer around and she was bored? Maybe because I look like an exhausted zombie who could use some pixie dust??

Regardless, this was my first Dole Whip and it was delicious! I had the pineapple/vanilla swirl. I enjoyed half of it while picking up DH’s burger then headed back to the room where I found another bit of pixie dust: both kids asleep in bed! Yay! DH for the win. And now I didn’t have to share my ice cream with anyone else either.

I had hoped to go outside and catch some of Hallowishes at 10pm, but I was too lazy to crawl out of bed. It would have been smart to go to sleep early since we had another early morning ahead, but I had too much adrenaline plus that darn loud funky music from the Electrical Water Pageant Parade would wake me up every night at 10:40 anyhow.


Plans for the next day– back to Magic Kingdom to tackle Adventureland & meet the two princesses still on our list (Jasmine & Rapunzel) in the morning, and decide what to do with our afternoon (park hop to see Fantasmic, pool time or dinner at Sanaa)……

 

[kclark9830]

I definitely will proclaim you brave to take them both to the park alone! Not that you couldn't do it, obviously, just that as a fellow mom I know how much WORK that can be! It sounds like it was nice though, so hooray!

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Looks like you made the most of your Epcot evening despite hubby having to tap out. Also, soft pretzel and fruit is obviously a well rounded meal: carbs, fruit, you're fine.

 

[queenofthehill]

Great TR. Can't wait to read your solo TR. Solo time at WDW is my fave.

 

[dbb727]

I definitely will proclaim you brave to take them both to the park alone! Not that you couldn't do it, obviously, just that as a fellow mom I know how much WORK that can be!

Thanks! Sometimes it’s just the logistics that are overwhelming when you are by yourself...like when I realized I would have to haul two tired kids out of the stroller and up to The Land pavilion, it just seemed impossible so we had to go with Plan B.

Also, soft pretzel and fruit is obviously a well rounded meal: carbs, fruit, you're fine.

Don’t forget there was cheese too!

Great TR. Can't wait to read your solo TR. Solo time at WDW is my fave.

Hoping to start my solo report soon, it was a short trip too but sooo many more things crammed in, can’t wait to re-live it!

 

[Stasieki]

Loving your TR!

 

[dbb727]

Day 4: Magic Kingdom
Wednesday Sept 19, 2018​

Starting our last full day was bittersweet for sure. I was both exhausted, tired of waking up early each day to get everyone moving, yet there was still lots I wanted to accomplish so I awoke excitedly by 6:30am for the full day ahead that included RD for MK. We had more yummy ADRs planned today, and we were starting with a PPO breakfast at Crystal Palace with Winnie the Pooh and Friends!


I had heard the buffet was great at Crystal Palace (confirmed true) so this went on my short list of ADRs early on, but I had to educate the kids on Winnie the Pooh before our trip since they hadn’t really been exposed. DS had taken a liking to Tigger so I was hoping he would especially enjoy the character meal, since we had such a heavy princess focus thus far.

Our other goals for the day were:
1. meeting Jasmine since I incorrectly thought she’d be at Akershus and DD informed me that she HAD to meet her. Jasmine has since gained a top spot on her favorite princess list.
2. meeting Rapunzel since she stood us up for breakfast the day before. I was trying to figure how to work in a FP+ for that M&G so at least we wouldn’t have to be standby for both.
3. Festival of Fantasy parade


If you recall, I left this afternoon as a Wild Card. Initially I thought we may want to hop to DHS this afternoon but with DH’s back issues all week, we realized it made more sense to have a relaxing last night and enjoy a nice sit down dinner at…………Sanaa! I wasn’t mad about this at all. Sanaa was an ADR that I had really wanted to do on this trip, but just wasn’t sure where to fit it in so once I changed my focus onto NOT park hopping, it made perfect sense and I was really excited and looking forward to this meal later in the day.


But let’s get back to the morning. We took the least amount of time getting ready on this day, I was just too tired and didn’t want to wake everyone earlier than necessary, so a quick hair brush and hair clip for DD was all we did. With our better understanding of monorail timeline and goal to get onto Main St before our 8am ADR, we were actually very successful and arrived to the gates by 7:40. There was a LONG line of people checking in for ADRs. The line extended from the left side and wrapped all the way in front of the rest of all the tapstiles. I could see ahead but it was hard to tell if they were actually letting people in or just reviewing names. So we stood there for about 1-2 minutes when all of a sudden the CMs in front of ALL the tapstiles start waving everyone over and saying “just come on through here.” No one moved.

Seriously I think everyone was confused because we are all just sheep waiting in the long line, then I realized “OH they are just gonna let everyone through regardless right now” so we took a few steps that way and we were on our way down Main St 10 seconds later. I wasn’t sure whether to be happy since I didn’t have to wait for the 50 people in front of us, or kinda annoyed that they were letting EVERYONE in early regardless of having an ADR or not. I chose happiness.

We booked it down Main St because I wanted to get some more PP pics in our matching shirts, before the humidity took over and ruined everyone’s hair (and moods).


We tried a few magic shots for the first time. My family didn’t quite understand the balloon one, but the Tinkerbell one came out cute! You can see that I'm already sweating at 7:50am


We checked in for CP at 8am, and had about a 5min wait before being seated. DH got this adorable pic of me and the kids. Seriously that iphone X camera in portrait mode takes pics just as good as our DSLR.


I put the fan that I had bought in EPCOT to good use during our wait as the temps were already climbing and those thick cotton shirts weren’t helping matters.


Oh yeah, we did another quick outfit change for both kids, DS to a Tigger shirt and DD into the dress I made her. That’s right, I made a dress! I’m a little artsy-craftsy but not a great seamstress so I thought “maybe” I’d make a few princess dresses and did this Pooh & Friends one as a test run. Despite following the pattern AND taking it in, it still ended up much too wide in the torso, but I’m still proud of it. Given my lack of free time and ADD, I decided to just buy the rest of her dresses on Etsy since I didn’t want to stress about finishing them in time.




Breakfast was yummy and had great options, but as usual I was in a frenzy to get everyone eating and meet characters in under 1 hour. Once again, DS was more interested in the food and hesitant about fur characters, while DD was very interested in getting autographs and too excited to eat much.



Once we met all the characters, DH took the kids outside to watch the castle opening show while I stayed back for a few extra minutes and scarfed down my own plate #momlife



I’m such a frugal person so I'd like to get my money’s worth at a buffet, but also didn’t want to miss rope drop, so off we went to Adventureland!


Up Next: Adventureland, meeting Jasmine & Rapunzel, and can we last until FOF parade?

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

We booked it down Main St because I wanted to get some more PP pics in our matching shirts, before the humidity took over and ruined everyone’s hair (and moods).

You still got a fairly empty picture! Great shot!

We checked in for CP at 8am, and had about a 5min wait before being seated. DH got this adorable pic of me and the kids. Seriously that iphone X camera in portrait mode takes pics just as good as our DSLR.

Very cute. I love these type of pictures.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

The CP breakfast buffet is delicious. It's too bad it doesn't actually get you into the park earlier anymore.

Great family castle photo.

 

[dbb727]

Day 4, Part 2
Adventureland & Frontierland!​

JC 9:15-10:15
SDMT FP+ 10:15-11:15
ETWB 11:20-12:20​

Rope dropping Adventureland seems straightforward but I actually had a small dilemna about which attractions to do in the first golden hour. Jasmine (& Aladdin) M&G was a priority but they didn’t start until 9:30 this day, TikiRoom didn’t open until 10am and I wanted to hit Jungle Cruise towards the end of our fast pass. So we started with a ride on the Magic Carpets, fun as usual and we were able to avoid the camel spit this time!


DH stayed back since we knew the bumps on landing (when the hydraulics release) would be a problem for him. Next I was heading to BTMRR for DD and I, but DH had a “great” suggestion along the way. He suggested I take the kids on POTC.....well I had intentionally left pirates and HM off our list, thinking it would be too scary for our kids. But I was trying to be more go with the flow today plus the walkway was sooo empty in this part of Adventureland, that I got tempted and decided, sure why not it’s a short queue and short boat ride.


Completely empty walkway!

DH again opted out (he remembered the small dip and after the bumpiness on FEA he didn’t want to risk it) but he insisted we go ahead. So I ended up alone, with two terrified kids clinging to me! The smoke and “spookiness” of the beginning was no bueno for our crew, once. I thought there was a ride photo here but now I can’t find it?? Anyhow, once we made it to the dog holding the keys and I said “look at that cute dog” things turned around a bit and we escaped without full on tears. Thank goodness for that dog.

We continued on towards Frontierland, stopping behind a wall somewhere to put a T-shirt back on DD since she was done wearing the dress. Since it would just be the girls riding, I sent DH and DS to find a frozen lemonade or slushy of some sort for everyone as it we were starting to get hot and cranky. And I wanted to be able to book it back to try and catch the end of Jasmine’s first set without having to stop for snacks (spoiler- we didn't make it).

We didn’t have too long of a wait for BTMRR, maybe 10minutes or so.

This coaster didn’t go over so well with DD. My quest on this trip was to get her to LOVE roller coaster and rides the way I do. She wasn’t scared or upset but the intensity and bumpiness got to her on this one, I think she was getting hot and tired too, so as soon as we came off she said “Mommy that made my tummy hurt, I don’t want to ride it again” Aww sweet girl. I assured her we wouldn’t do it anymore.

While we were riding, DH failed on his mission to find a slushy drink I even had told him to use the app but he still couldn’t find anything close by (I later saw a cart on the app directly across from where they were that should have had Frozen Lemonade, although it may not have opened until after 10am so probably just missed it.) Instead he took cute photos of DS while they wandered around Frontierland.

So we decided to stop at Aloha Isle for a refreshing Dole Whip. Who doesn’t love a refreshing ice cream treat?? Apparently my children. We walked towards Jungle Cruise while sharing the soft serve (either swirl or plain vanilla, can’t remember), then found out we couldn’t enter the line with food so we stepped over to the side and had to force feed it to the kids. Seriously, they just weren’t into it. I know it’s a boring, repetitive theme here but it was just TOO HUMID! Seriously, it made me lose my appetite even for ice cream (this will repeat again at lunchtime).

This was our first time EVER on Jungle Cruise and I LOVED it! All the corny jokes were great, the kids loved the boat and looking for animals, great fun for the whole family. This was my favorite scene:


Finally it was time for: Jasmine! DD had been begging for this all morning. We jumped in line for the 2nd set about 5min after it started and the line was actually closed off shortly afterwards, so that was lucky.

This was the one of the longest waits our whole trip, only about 25min but felt miserable because it was partially in direct sun and we were very hot and uncomfortable. But DD came home a huge Jasmine fan, even asked for/received a Jasmine outfit and doll for Xmas, so it was worth it to be able to check that off her wish list of character meets. And it’s nice to have M&Gs with the male characters too.


Side Note: I think I rebooked our FP plans while we were waiting. As much as it pained me, I dropped our 7DMT this morning in order to grab a Rapunzel/Tiana M&G in the afternoon since DD didn’t really care about doing the coaster again, especially after the queasiness of BTMRR. I was afraid we wouldn’t be able to pick up Rapunzel as a 4th and I wasn’t really interested in waiting in another 25-30min character line so it was the right choice. I was able to grab a PPF for DH with a close enough time overlap so he could take DS on that again too.


Sadly we just didn’t have time to hit Tiki Room, and after seeing it on my solo trip, I know the kids would have loved it but you can’t fit it all in right? After our sweaty meeting in Agrabah, it was time to explore Liberty Square.

We were headed to CHH for lunch but happened to arrive in time for The Muppet’s Present Great Moments in History! So fun, DH and I especially loved this and the kids nodded along in the stroller. It gave me a few moments to stop, sit, recharge and mobile order our lunch too!



Next up: Columbia Harbor House, Re-visiting Fantasyland, and a couple of parades…

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

That was a super productive morning in adventureland, even if you had to skip tiki room.

So I ended up alone, with two terrified kids clinging to me! The smoke and “spookiness” of the beginning was no bueno for our crew

Mine were none too pleased with this as well. They didn't cry, but they were on high alert for the whole ride after the early scene that made it feel like there were canon balls being shot around you.

 

[Araminta18]

Ooh the humidity was horrible in September--I feel ya! Glad you got to meet Jasmine though. And Great Moments in History is one of my favorite shows! It's so funny!

 

[Tinatheneedle]

I am enjoying reading all about your trip-so many good hints and reminders! We go in just a couple weeks, and we have 2 adults, one 2 yo and me-injured grandma, but I’m pretty self sufficient. Our son had similar back pain, and then surgery for L4 and L5 herniated discs. I have never in my life seen anyone in that much pain. Your husband is TOUGH. BTW, we’re from south Texas, also, but the Florida humidity is a special kind of hell!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I actually like doing Adventureland first thing, I feel like you can hit most rides in that area before lines get too long.

Sadly we just didn’t have time to hit Tiki Room, and after seeing it on my solo trip, I know the kids would have loved it but you can’t fit it all in right? After our sweaty meeting in Agrabah, it was time to explore Liberty Square.

You really can't do it all. it's tough!

 

[Lesley Wake]

Finally got caught up! And forgot to multi-quote but it looks like a fun final morning so far!

DH got this adorable pic of me and the kids. Seriously that iphone X camera in portrait mode takes pics just as good as our DSLR.

So cute!

 

[dbb727]

I haven’t forgotten about this trip report!! I so badly want to finish up, and I am so close but life has just gotten in the way. I plan to post another installment tonight.....stay tuned

 

[dbb727]

I am enjoying reading all about your trip-so many good hints and reminders! We go in just a couple weeks, and we have 2 adults, one 2 yo and me-injured grandma, but I’m pretty self sufficient. Our son had similar back pain, and then surgery for L4 and L5 herniated discs. I have never in my life seen anyone in that much pain. Your husband is TOUGH. BTW, we’re from south Texas, also, but the Florida humidity is a special kind of hell!

Hope your trip was amazing! We used to live in South Texas (San Antonio) for 7 years and I don’t even blink at a 100 degree day but I still think Florida humidity is the worst! Hopefully in May the weather wasn’t too bad for y’all!

 

[dbb727]

So I know I promised an update TWO days ago, but we had storms that night so the internet was out for several hours. And then last night I had tickets to the JLo concert, so of course that precedence. Sorry about the delays but here is the next installment:

September 19, 2018 continued
​

After watching the Muppet’s, we headed to Columbia Harbor House for lunch. Mobile order worked perfectly and we were able to grab our food and head upstairs to enjoy the A/C. Great tip about the upstairs seating from the Dis, it was much quieter and we needed the low key environment to rest and regroup from the heat. Even so, I was just way too hot to even think about eating so I didn’t order anything.

I had chosen CHH because DH and I love a good lobster roll and I was looking forward to trying it but at some point that morning I had completely lost my appetite (probably while waiting in line for jasmine for 25min in the sun). Sadly, I was too worn out to remember to take pics at this point, but DH said his lobster roll was tasty.

Our next FP+ was for Enchanted Tales with Belle, but on the way I was hoping we could catch some of the Move It! Shake It! street parade. So we hoofed it over to the Hub, in the midday sun, and NO ONE in our group was into it except me Hahahaha. I underestimated the lack of shade and post-lunchtime sleepy-crankiness. If it wasn’t 90 degrees than they probably would have had more interest, but instead DH hid in the shade near the castle and the kids refused to get out of the stroller. So I filmed everyone else’s families dancing in the street with Nick, Judy and the Genie and then we headed on towards Fantasyland.


Enchanted Tales was super cute, I convinced DD to volunteer to be a plate and it was perfect for her. DS was too shy and little at this age to want to participate so he sat in the audience and watched. My only gripe at this experience was because I wasn’t prepared for the way they arrange the rooms upon entering. They basically tried to separate the kids to the front of the room and keep the adults pushed to the back of the room, which in theory is a good idea so kids can see better, but then they lead the kids out first (into another pre-show room) and ask the adults to hold back. Of course we ended up being on the opposite side of the room from DD and I didn’t want to push past people to catch back up with her so if you have a young nervous child or a nervous parent (like my husband) then it was kind of anxiety-provoking for a few minutes until we were able to find her again. Also, the CMs talk so fast and there is so much to take in and observe so I don’t think DD understood what was happening at first while giving out the “roles.” Luckily, I was able to get close to her before they finished offering up for anyone else to be a plate. Overall it was fun and cute, and know we’ll know better how to anticipate the crowd flow for next time.


Our next FPs overlapped slightly- the boys had PPF from 12:25-1:25 and the girls had Rapunzel/Tiana M&G 1:10-2:10 so our goal was to hit each around 1pm. We still had some time to kill before one o’clock so DH says “Can’t we go to a show or something in air conditioning?”

Of course! Midday heat means it was perfect time for a show and since we wanted to stay close to FL, we decided to check out Mickey’s Philharmagic. This was good for what we needed in that moment (time filler in AC) but not something I’d actively seek out. I was actually quite surprised how poor the quality of film was, I mean I know it’s probably >15 years old but the film reel was incredibly out of focus. YES, I was wearing the 3D glasses but it just seemed so grainy still. At first I thought it was just my eyes as I’ve started to need glasses again for distance vision, but DH confirmed it was blurry for him as well. Is it always like that or did we have an off-encounter? Kids loved it regardless, and DS was almost asleep by the end of the movie.

After a quick costume change, it was finally time to meet Rapunzel since she stood us up for breakfast the day before. In the end, this worked out even better since we could meet Tiana as well, who is also high on DD’s favorite list.

Once again, I was a complete frazzled mess trying to video and get the autograph book ready and interact with princesses, especially since DH wasn’t with me this time.



The guys finished PPF quickly and were waiting for us outside.



So now its about 1:30, and FOF parade was at 2pm this week due to Halloween party season. I didn’t know if the whole family would last for the parade but I really REALLY wanted to experience it in person, and DH knew this so he suggested we try to find a shady spot and stick around. Wahoo!

NexT: Festival of Fantasy parade and our last evening at WDW