Way Out Here, Eh? - A June 2019 TR *PTR Link Posted

[cindianne320]

Wait, are you going to Rome? Have you told me this already?? If you are, be sure and get some tiramisu from Pompeii (the bakery, not the city). It's some of the best I've ever had.

Zach and I are going on a Disney Mediterranean Cruise! We start and end in Rome. I've never been, so I'm really excited! It seems like a dream!

 

[amazingact21]

I'm sitting here cracking up at 'future snack' because I can totally relate

Alex takes his Disney snacking very seriously. I wouldn't be surprised to learn he had a secret note on his phone with a game plan for park and hotel snacking.

What a perfect end to a wonderful day! It's so sweet hearing about all the great memories you have of walking out of Epcot after such fulfilling days!

Walking out of Epcot at night brings up so many memories; it's fun for me to think about how much has changed over the years!

I am finally caught up. I hope Landon's surgery went well and his is recovering well.

%

Landon's doing great with his recovery. He's able to do everything but swim and play in dirt/sand for another 4 weeks. We go back to the doctor later this week to see if the surgery actually worked. (Since they were moving muscles, there's a chance they could have not moved them enough or moved them too much and over-corrected the issue.)

This is news to me! I want to ask Mike if he knew this as a former Florida resident but he's sleeping and probably wouldn't like to be woken up for this question lol.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who didn't know about these sunglass holders!

We felt the same in June. As much as I enjoy the Epcot festivals, I was happy to sacrifice a festival for how empty the World Showcase was.

June seemed pretty mild for summertime at Disney. You're probably right, not having a festival lessened the crowds in the WS.

What a perfect evening at Epcot! I'm glad you all got to see Illuminations for the last time (although it's too bad that Landon proclaimed it was his favorite show!).

Oh man, we felt so guilty when Landon kept talking up IllumiNations. Hopefully, he'll forget about it before the next trip.

I just love wandering World Showcase late in the day! I miss Epcot so much. Love your perspective on all the different times you've left the park and the memories that go with that!

Epcot is so iconic to WDW. I am sure with all the construction happening there now it's a little chaotic, but I'd take walking out refurb walls over being at home any day. (You all are probably only a few months away from the road trip there, correct?)

I’m all caught up now. What an amazing Epcot day! I loved Illuminations also. It was my favorite. I’m sad it’s gone. I get what you’re saying about leaving Epcot and hearing the music......it really takes me to my happy place. Can’t wait for more.

Walking out of Epcot at night is one of those random favorite memories I have from WDW trips. I don't remember leaving the MK or DHS nearly as well. Something about the music and the lit up Spaceship Earth has stuck with me over the years.

 

[amazingact21]

Zach and I are going on a Disney Mediterranean Cruise! We start and end in Rome. I've never been, so I'm really excited! It seems like a dream!

Oh wow!!! I think I remember asking if you had other cruises planned, but I totally forgot it was to the Mediterranean. How exciting!

 

[amazingact21]

June 8th, 2019 Part 1:


Our second day at Disney was going to be an exciting one. My family began bright and early with a pre-park opening at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.




The park had guests queuing inside, so I was able to have everyone stop and take a group shot on the main street.

Where I ended up with this gem:


Why, Landon?! When I pulled the photos up on the app later that evening, I couldn’t help but shake my head. Trying to understand what compels Landon to do certain things is like trying to figure out the secrets of the universe…



Like most other people in DHS that day, we were headed to Toy Story Land first thing that morning. None of us had seen the new land yet, and we were anxious to see what it looked like in person.

Of course, in order to get there we had to stand among the masses and take part in the mad dash once the ropes were dropped.

I’m pretty sure it was here that my mom lost a little bit of faith in humanity.

People were so rude! Chaos reigned supreme when the floodgates opened and men and women spilled forth along the sidewalk, pushing and shoving and jostling for an inch of open space.

When the crowds started pushing forward, my mom turned to me with her eyebrows raised and whispered, “This is madness.”

I had to agree, but I was also used to the craziness that is morning time at Walt Disney World. (Anyone remember the rush to get to the Anna and Elsa meet and greet when they were in the Magic Kingdom??)

A man pushing a stroller suddenly rammed the wheels into my mom’s ankles. She stumbled, and Alex grabbed her arm to steady her.

All right. No apology, but once was a mistake, we’ll let it slide.

Then he did it again!

My mom shouted out, “Ow!”

Still nothing from the guy.

I looked down and saw he was going for a third shot, so I flung my foot out and let it hit my shoe. Then I proceeded to look back at him and realized he had no idea what he was doing. The gentleman was completely distracted, moving the stroller forward was a secondary motion for him.

I grabbed hold of my mom’s shoulders and squeezed my way in behind her, saying as loud as I could, “Let me get behind you, Mom. The guy is on his phone and not paying attention!”

My passive aggressive remark went unnoticed. The man rear-ended me twice. Before he could inflict any more damage, we broke away and escaped.

No doubt guests have done worse in crowds, but the stroller ramming was enough to upset my mother. She looked close to tears, and said, “Why would someone be that inconsiderate?”

Good question, Mom. Find the answer and you could return a lot of magic back to the Disney parks…

At the very least, we should implement a hands free rule. No pushing a stroller while you’re on the phone. Goodness knows how many more ankles got bruised and scraped by that one guest that morning.



Needless to say, the morning was a little bit hectic. Somehow, we made it to the entrance to TSL.



And Alex was instructed to park our stroller. My mom and I kept Landon and told Alex we would meet up with him further along, and only a minute or so later we saw him coming our way.

Only, someone was missing.

“Where’s Evie?”

“She took off after you guys.”

“No, she didn’t”



Turns out, our bold little daughter decided not to wait for Alex to finish parking the stroller before walking off. Alex turned around to start looking for her and thank goodness she was right behind him.

That had to be the scariest ten seconds of my life.

All I could see were the mass of people milling about and how easy it would be to lose track of a little human in the chaos.

Thank the lucky stars it wasn’t a worse scenario. But you better believe we had a very long and very stern talking with both kids about not wandering off without an adult.

For the rest of the day, Alex and I were triple checking with the kids. “Who are you going with? And you’re to stay with them at all times, right?”



This was not the first experience I envisioned from Toy Story Land, but it was one I won’t soon forget. With our nerves well and truly shot, I took a deep breath and walked all of us down to Alien Swirling Saucers for a walk-on ride. As large as the crowds were, nobody was focusing on this attraction.

It meant we were on and off before we knew it:



Landon asked to ride with Nana while Evie stayed with me and Alex. (Like it would have been anything different after her stunt.)

The attraction was fun, and Evie loved it. Definitely a great alternative for people who don’t enjoy thrill rides and but want something a little more involved than a dark attraction.



Following, Alien Swirling Saucers we backtracked to Toy Story Midway Mania and got in the standby queue. In my pre-trip report, I asked you all what would be the best way to approach TSL in the morning, and everyone agreed to tackle the attractions in this order.

And you guys did not disappoint! This was the perfect way to do it. The wait for TSMM had only built to fifteen minutes during the time we were riding ASSaucers, meaning we were on and off both in less than forty five minutes.

Your help was turning out to be invaluable, and I can’t tell you the number of times I referred to the tips when finalizing our park plans. So thank you, a million times over!



Inside TSMM, we asked my mom to take Evie and Landon sat next to me.










And aside from when I hit a special item and caused something to fly at us, Landon loved the ride. I mean, he got out of the car jumping for joy, asking me a million times, “Can we do it again? Can we do it again?”

Out the exit queue we walked, hearing, “Can we do it again?”

Stopping at the popsicle wall for a quick photo, our ears burned with, “I loved Toy Story Mania! I want to do it again!”

Pausing at the large statue of Buzz to take yet more pictures:



We listened some more to: “I have to get back on Toy Story Mania. It was the best!”



It was at the hundredth or two hundredth comment about Toy Story Mania that we had to put a stop to the commentary and inform Landon that yes, we could go on it again. But not at that moment.

Which promptly put him in a grumpy mood.

*sigh*

Our next stop was to check on an important milestone. Leading up the trip, the big question of the vacation was: Would Evie be tall enough to ride Slinky Dog Dash??

She had gotten measured a few weeks earlier and came in just shy of 38 inches. I had specifically booked SDD passes for later in the trip just in case she was still too short and we needed time to change them.

Alex and I walked her up to the height marker at the entrance to the ride and stood her in front of it.

Well…we had to let her ogle at it first. To a three year old, it was pretty awesome to see a giant Candyland figurine.

But eventually the moment of truth came.

And???



She was tall enough!!!

Hooray!

Evie hit her first height requirement! (She was well past Barnstormer’s limit when we took her on that.)

A big Disney moment right there.

For us, at least. If it’s not obvious in the photo, I think Evie was hoping she wouldn’t make it and wouldn’t have to worry about the coaster.



Taking our disgruntled and nervous children away, the five of us walked back to Alien Swirling Saucers and scanned our bands, using our first Fastpass of the day.



Because we were the mean people who denied them another turn and measured their height, Alex and I were shunned. Both kids rode with Nana on our second turn.

Ahhh, crushing spirits…a parent’s most common skill.




Up Next…People Have to Stop Hovering

 

[dolewhipdreams]

Where I ended up with this gem:

I love it! Landon's face is amazing

Chaos reigned supreme when the floodgates opened and men and women spilled forth along the sidewalk, pushing and shoving and jostling for an inch of open space.

I can see this in my mind. It's in slowmo and people are throwing punches.

My passive aggressive remark went unnoticed. The man rear-ended me twice.

Wowza, distracted much?? That's...ugh..I don't even want to start a rant because I'm not sure when it will end.

Needless to say, sorry for such a bummer of a start to your day there. People suck.

No pushing a stroller while you’re on the phone.

AMEN PUT THAT ON A SIGN!

Also just...how about we all agree to get out of the way and stand still when we're on our phones? Even walking is tricky.

Which promptly put him in a grumpy mood.

Been there, buddy. Been there.

She was tall enough!!!

Woohoo!! Judging by her face she did not share your excitement

Both kids rode with Nana on our second turn.

Wow, they really know how to twist the knife, eh?

 

[NJlauren]

Why, Landon?! When I pulled the photos up on the app later that evening, I couldn’t help but shake my head. Trying to understand what compels Landon to do certain things is like trying to figure out the secrets of the universe…

HAHA honetly why do kids do anything? I ask myself this daily... sometimes i really wonder were do they come up with these things?

I’m pretty sure it was here that my mom lost a little bit of faith in humanity.

People were so rude! Chaos reigned supreme when the floodgates opened and men and women spilled forth along the sidewalk, pushing and shoving and jostling for an inch of open space.

OMG right? What is with this, if you have a stroller PLEASE pay attention, it happens i have knocked people sometime,s but sorry and re adjusting what your doing goes a long way! I can't stand rope drop for this very reason.....

Turns out, our bold little daughter decided not to wait for Alex to finish parking the stroller before walking off. Alex turned around to start looking for her and thank goodness she was right behind him.

That had to be the scariest ten seconds of my life.

OMG Evie! In that crowd of people i can only imagine how you felt! Toy story land at rope drop! COME NOW!

Love that Landon loved TSMM, Dillon loves it too, such a fun ride! How many time did he ask this trip to go? haha!

YEAH Evie, i hope she loves Slinky Dog later in the trip!!

 

[amberdc1987]

You are a lot nicer than me.......I would have had to say something to that stroller guy and made sure he heard me. I just don’t understand how some people can act that way.

Landon’s face is epic! My girls do that and it drives me nuts lol.

Good job getting through TSL so fast. I’ll definitely remember that for my trip in 25 days.....not that I’m counting.

Yay for Evie meeting the height requirement!

 

[missangelalexis]

Landon's face in that photo is too funny!

Omg what a chaotic start to the morning! I'm so sorry about the guy with the stroller! Followed by the scary moment with Evie!

Glad you were able to get on Aliens and TSMM with ease! And that Evie would be tall enough for SDD!

 

[suse66]

Turns out, our bold little daughter decided not to wait for Alex to finish parking the stroller before walking off. Alex turned around to start looking for her and thank goodness she was right behind him.

That had to be the scariest ten seconds of my life.

All I could see were the mass of people milling about and how easy it would be to lose track of a little human in the chaos.

Thank the lucky stars it wasn’t a worse scenario. But you better believe we had a very long and very stern talking with both kids about not wandering off without an adult.

So scary!!!!

The attraction was fun, and Evie loved it. Definitely a great alternative for people who don’t enjoy thrill rides and but want something a little more involved than a dark attraction.

I really liked AS2 too, even my DH liked it!

Out the exit queue we walked, hearing, “Can we do it again?”

Stopping at the popsicle wall for a quick photo, our ears burned with, “I loved Toy Story Mania! I want to do it again!”

Too cute!

Alex and I walked her up to the height marker at the entrance to the ride and stood her in front of it.

Well…we had to let her ogle at it first. To a three year old, it was pretty awesome to see a giant Candyland figurine.

But eventually the moment of truth came.

And???

She was tall enough!!!

Hooray!

Yay for Evie!

 

[cindianne320]

Oh, Landon! I love that kid!
You must have been TERRIFIED when you thought Evie was lost in that park crowd. I am glad she was right behind Alex!

What a fun morning in Toy Story Land! Our kids declared it their favorite land, with their favorite rides, even in the Holiday Madness that was Christmas week. We just smiled and scanned our SDD fast passes Though they loved TSMM, too- and I felt bad we didn't have a FP for that, but it's an indoor queue vs outdoor, and in the rain, that was essential.

 

[Jenny Sanders]

Awesome evening in Epcot and a great start to HS, minus the guy with the stroller banging you and your poor mom. How rude!!! Back in September, Joe, Gia and I were waiting in line for Little Mermaid and these nasty, little children kept running into us (their parents were oblivious UNTIL I yelled OWW! on purpose. To which they apologized and kept better track of their kiddos). Hee! Hee!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Why, Landon?! When I pulled the photos up on the app later that evening, I couldn’t help but shake my head

Ha! I love it. And I don't want ALL my photos to be like that, but I kind of like the non-regular ones more.

My passive aggressive remark went unnoticed. The man rear-ended me twice. Before he could inflict any more damage, we broke away and escaped.

Ugh. I would have turned around, stopped dead in my tracks and asked him to look where he was going. After the 3rd time, that is just ridiculous. I don't have the patience for that.

Turns out, our bold little daughter decided not to wait for Alex to finish parking the stroller before walking off. Alex turned around to start looking for her and thank goodness she was right behind him.

That had to be the scariest ten seconds of my life.

We had one time where we also thought we had lost the girls. It was the absolute worst!

The attraction was fun, and Evie loved it. Definitely a great alternative for people who don’t enjoy thrill rides and but want something a little more involved than a dark attraction.

Def a fun ride. You know not every ride can be a thrill ride and HS lacks in this!

And you guys did not disappoint! This was the perfect way to do it. The wait for TSMM had only built to fifteen minutes during the time we were riding ASSaucers, meaning we were on and off both in less than forty five minutes.

YEAH!!!! So, glad it worked out. Sometimes, you just don't know!

It was at the hundredth or two hundredth comment about Toy Story Mania that we had to put a stop to the commentary and inform Landon that yes, we could go on it again. But not at that moment.

Which promptly put him in a grumpy mood.

I am with Landon, I love Toy Story Mania! And for better or for worse, it is a ride that you really do want to ride it a couple times in a row. I was watching a video on how to score higher. I am going to have to rewatch it before we go for this last trip, so Morgan and I can beat Andy!

Well…we had to let her ogle at it first. To a three year old, it was pretty awesome to see a giant Candyland figurine.

Right?!?! I still make the girls take pictures with it.

And???

She was tall enough!!!

YEAH!!!! I hope she likes it when you do ride it!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Why, Landon?! When I pulled the photos up on the app later that evening, I couldn’t help but shake my head.

I’m pretty sure it was here that my mom lost a little bit of faith in humanity.

I don't blame her. It really is insanity.

My passive aggressive remark went unnoticed. The man rear-ended me twice. Before he could inflict any more damage, we broke away and escaped.

Ugh. I get that we're all doing 1000 things at once in WDW but how oblivious and rude can you be.

Alex turned around to start looking for her and thank goodness she was right behind him.

Omg I can only imagine how scary that must've been!

Evie hit her first height requirement! (She was well past Barnstormer’s limit when we took her on that.)

A big Disney moment right there.

 

[vamassey1]

I'm sorry I was so far behind. The holidays and going to Disney really hit me hard.

Loved your Epcot day and celebrating your Mom's birthday. The picture of the two of you laughing is the best!

Sorry for the bad start to your DHS day. I'm sure he felt the stroller hitting something. We were all really excited to see TSL for the first time.

Looking forward to more fun.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

You have the best photos! Love Landon’s face- he’s such a wee character
Sorry for the rude start to the day. Some people are ill-reared
I’m sure you were momentarily terrified when you “lost” Evie. I think most parents have been there st some point but it’s still heart-stoppingly scary!
Isn’t it funny how easy it is to make our kids grumpy. Sometimes I think it’s my vocation Really hoping Evie loves SDD but looking at that wee face as she makes the height requirement I’m not so sure lol

 

[disneyAndi14]

The herding is one of the worst to TSL. People can be so rude and don’t care at all about others. Andi has a scar from a stroller ramming into her ankle, she brings it up each trip! I’m so glad your mom didn’t fall!
I’m glad you got to ride AS2 and TSM with minimal waits.
The pictures are very cute!

 

[natebenma]

Almost caught up after an extended holiday absence.

I hope all is going well with Landon's recovery from surgery. Is he back at school?

Your trip to Scotland looked lovely. I think Ben will be studying abroad in London next spring and he hopes to make lots of short visits to other countries while he is there.

What an amazing birthday dinner for your mom at Via Napoli. From the recreated photo, to the prime seating to the delicious food and the priceless memories, it sounds like the perfect meal!

The Poly Pocket payment scheme to pay for dinner is just awesome!

There is nothing like leisurely strolling around the World Showcase and taking in the details. There is so much to see. I think that's one of the reasons I love EPCOT the most of all the Disney parks.

I'm glad Alex, and your family got a chance to say "Farewell" to Illuminations. Does Landon know yet???

 

[natebenma]

Where I ended up with this gem:

What a great shot. You finally get Evie with a happy smile on her face and...

By the way, I know that her shirt is not "Baby Yoda" but it is darn close and very cute!

Oh, my! What an awful experience with the stroller smasher. I am sorry that the incident with the rude, dangerous, clueless guy (not sure which of those is the worst offense) impacted your mom's enjoyment of the morning.

Glad to hear that everyone's suggestions for your visit to Toy Story Land worked out. So was that Landon's first time on Toy Story Mania? Yay for him loving it so much, but I'm sure him obsessing about riding again was painful.

Yikes on momentarily misplacing Evie! I can just imagine how long the adrenaline was pumping after that.

 

[amazingact21]

I love it! Landon's face is amazing

I have no idea what prompted Landon to make that face. He keeps me on my toes, that's for sure.

Also just...how about we all agree to get out of the way and stand still when we're on our phones? Even walking is tricky.

Very true. I know I'm not coordinated enough to use my phone and walk at the same time. Even on an empty sidewalk. Don't even try at Disney, because it would probably end with me running into a pole or tripping over a curb.

OMG Evie! In that crowd of people i can only imagine how you felt! Toy story land at rope drop! COME NOW!

Love that Landon loved TSMM, Dillon loves it too, such a fun ride! How many time did he ask this trip to go? haha!

I don't think I'll ever be able to go into TSL again and not think about Evie walking off without a care.

Ugh, he asked A LOT. Then we took him on another coaster and it became a back and forth request. "Can we go on this? What about this?"

Good job getting through TSL so fast. I’ll definitely remember that for my trip in 25 days.....not that I’m counting.

Your trip is really close! I'm sure you're ready for that countdown to hit single digits!
Approaching TSL this way was really helpful, but we weren't doing SDD that day and that's where the majority of the crowds headed. So if that's in your plans, I feel like you might be better off doing that first, then Saucers, and last TSMM.

 

[amazingact21]

Landon's face in that photo is too funny!

Omg what a chaotic start to the morning! I'm so sorry about the guy with the stroller! Followed by the scary moment with Evie!

Glad you were able to get on Aliens and TSMM with ease! And that Evie would be tall enough for SDD!

I try to get a nice group shot, and if Evie's not pouting, Landon's screaming....

I really liked AS2 too, even my DH liked it!

It's a nice balance between "thrill" and "slow." I think it was a really good addition to DHS, a park that needed a balance between coasters and shows.

Oh, Landon! I love that kid!
You must have been TERRIFIED when you thought Evie was lost in that park crowd. I am glad she was right behind Alex!

What a fun morning in Toy Story Land! Our kids declared it their favorite land, with their favorite rides, even in the Holiday Madness that was Christmas week. We just smiled and scanned our SDD fast passes Though they loved TSMM, too- and I felt bad we didn't have a FP for that, but it's an indoor queue vs outdoor, and in the rain, that was essential.

I didn't even think of the indoor aspect of TSMM. I bet that's really helpful in the summer or the rain. I think Toy Story Land was my kids' favorite land, too. It's nice that DHS now has something for the school-aged kids. The Disney Jr. stuff was nice when they were toddlers, but since they've outgrown that and aren't Star Wars fans or old enough for big coasters, TSL was right on their level.