Well, this trip was....different. UPDATE - 9/1!

[fi46re129]

Beautiful pictures!! Glad my son isn't the only one who had a visit with inappropriate hand placement! His trip when he was 3 1/2 is full of those!

Better late than never for Dumbo! Lol! I'm so excited to see the new fantasyland in a few hours!

 

[hstrickland]

It's hard to beat a castle picture on a sunny day! Absolutely beautiful, Amanda. Sorry you weren't feeling well. I've never been sick at Disney (knock on wood) but I can't imagine that it's much fun.

Loved your pics of the characters! Jesse is sitting here with me looking at all your photos, too. He wanted to know why Goofy was dressed like that...kinda like Reid We didn't see any of them on our last trip, and now wish we had found them. They are too cute in their costumes.

You might have already answered this. Why did yall drive to the parks instead of ride the buses? Were they too slow? Just curious.

Great pictures as usual! Nice to start my cold winter day (33 degrees here) with some beautiful MK pics

Heather

 

[annmarieda]

I am sorry you were not feeling well. Not fun to be ill while trying to be in the parks!

As you were describing the storm, I realized...we were there! That was a crazy crazy storm!!! We ended up huddling in Morocco with other "weary travelers"...all waiting out the storm.

Love all the pics in the circus area!!

I hope that all of Reids tests come back better than expected.

 

[jaman12]

OMG! I am dying here! Reid is grabbing Goofy's package. hahahaha!

And I can tell you don't feel good in that first picture.

As always, I love all the pictures.

 

[KatMark]

Amanda, haven't see you around lately, and just wanted to check in with you.

 

[amandaw]

Hi, everybody!

I want to start by apologizing to you all for my absence. When I started this TR, I had every intention of doing at least 1 update every week and completing it by mid-March. Obviously, that has not happened.

What can I say? Life has just been crazy. In addition to doing karate, Reid started TBall in February and Ed is the coach of the team so it has really added a lot to our schedule. Luckily, we have a couple of weeks off for the Easter holiday. Then, Reid’s birthday was in the middle of March so we had a party to tend to as well. Oh, and speaking of parties, I had to plan Reid’s class Easter party which took way too much time and effort for a class party. And then there was the fundraiser at school for St. Jude’s that I was involved in. I also had to get Reid registered for Kindergarten last week which was a bit overwhelming. Not because of what was required just emotionally. I’m just not ready for my sweet boy to go off to big boy school. And I’m still questioning as to whether or not I’ve made the right decision about his schooling. Guess we’ll see...........

And there’s one more thing, kind of a biggie, and the one thing that is consuming me the most these days: Reid is finally having his imaging tests next week. I had hoped that we would only have to do 1 but that’s not the case. He has to have a CT Scan, an MRI and some bloodwork done. They are going to sedate him for the imaging tests and do them back to back. The only good thing about that is that they’ll be able to draw his blood while he’s sedated for the imaging tests. I don’t like that he has to be sedated for the tests and it worries me though I know he could never lay completely still for them. And I’m just praying that the tests will give us the answer as to why he has hearing loss in his right ear. Whatever the cause of the loss, I just pray that it will not cause his hearing to get progressively worse and/or cause other problems for my baby. The tests are next Wednesday morning (April 3rd). I normally don’t ask for prayers, but if you are a person of faith, please say some prayers for my little guy. And if you don’t do prayers, pixie dust sent his way is also appreciated.

I promise to try my best to catch up on everyone’s TRs & PTRs even if it takes a few days. And I'll get to replies after I post this update. Ok, now back to the reason I’m here....the TR. I’m going to finish up our MK day now. I hope some of y’all are still around to finish this out with me.




When I last left off, we had just finished our lunch at Cosmic Ray’s. From there, we decided to head into Fantasyland.



Our first stop was to get FP’s for Peter Pan.





Then, the guys went to ride the Carousel.





And then it was time for Mickey’s Philharmagic!





After a quick break, we headed over to the Teacups. Since, I was still not feeling well I decided to sit out and let the guys rides....2x!





I enjoyed just sitting in the shade watching people and watching the construction being done on the Dwarves Mine Coaster. I am so excited about this ride!



After the Teacups, I asked Reid if he wanted to ride the Haunted Mansion but he said no. Instead we headed to BTMRR & grabbed some FPs. Since the standby line was a little long, we headed to POTC. That might not have been the best decision.

We got in line and it took us right under 10 minutes to get in the 2nd row of a boat. We were on our way until we got stuck right before the drop. So, for the next 15 to 20 minutes, we listened to “Dead men tell no tales” over and over and over and over........

We could see people at the bottom of the drop with flashlights, walking around. Finally though, the ride got going! Until it stopped again. This time we were stopped right before the burning city, right next to where Jack is in the barrel. We sat there for about 15 minutes before they shut down the ride. No music and all the lights on. It was definitely weird. After another 15 minutes, a guy wearing waders finally came out of a secret door, jumped in the water and started pushing us backwards.

He pushed us back to the auction scene. This is where we had to be evacuated from the boats. We were lead out a door to the backside of the ride and had to walk quite a ways to get back into the park. There was a CM at the gate leading back into the park that gave everyone a FP that could be used on any ride at any time that day.

Since we had struck out with POTC, we decided to go use up our FPs at BTMRR. We had barely got into the line when a CM announced that the ride was being shut down due to lightning in the area.

At this point, I was just kind of done with Magic Kingdom for the day. But, I felt bad for Reid and didn’t want his day there to end on a low note. We could tell bad weather was approaching quickly so we loaded him up in the stroller with the rain cover and threw on our ponchos. We took just a few steps before the heavens opened up.

Remember the horrible rain I had told y’all about in EPCOT the night before? Well, this was about 10x worse. But, I was not letting rain get in the way of one more ride for my child. With those special FPs in hand, I told Ed for us to book it to Buzz Lightyear. Want to know how bad the rain was? Even people wearing ponchos were taking cover because it was blowing every which way. But not us! We got to Buzz Lightyear!



When we were done with Buzz, it wasn’t long before the rain finally stopped. We decided just to load and start making our way out of the park. We had to stop at the Chamber of Commerce to pick up a purchase I had made earlier in the day. And we were out of the park for 4:45 pm.

We took the ferry to the TTC & then drove to OKW, arriving at about 5:30 pm. This was our building at OKW:



We sat around & relaxed until about 6:30 pm and then we left to drive to our next destination:



Tonight was finally the night we were going to experience dinner at ‘Ohana!

We checked in & were seated right away. Now, I will warn you: I enjoyed my meal here so much that I only took a few pictures. But, here is my review:

First up was the bread:



It was so warm & yummy! Our only complaint was that they didn’t bring us any butter.

Then, it was time for salad. What can I say? It was good but it was salad. You don’t load up on that kind of food at ‘Ohana.

Up next, we had wings and potstickers:



The wings were good though not great. I didn’t care for the potstickers. The ones we had at F&W the day before had just been a million times better.

Then they brought out noodles. Mmmmmm.....those noodles. I could go for a bucket of those right now. Yeah, they’re delicious.

Next it was time for the meat parade! The chicken was very good - really tender. The pork was ok, I thought it was a little dry. The steak (according to Ed because I didn’t try it) was fantastic - very juicy! And the shrimp. Oh, the shrimp.

Let me tell y’all something about me - I am true southern Louisiana girl - I LOVE seafood. I could seriously eat it every single day. When the guy came with shrimp he put a couple on my plate which made Ed laugh and tell the guy, “She can eat her weight in shrimp”. Thanks, honey. But, the guy did empty his skewer of shrimp onto my plate after that comment. And yes, I ate every single shrimp. They are extremely messy since you have to peel them yourself but they are worth it! Thankfully, they bring you warm wet towels to clean up.

And then it was time for dessert!



This bread pudding is just heavenly! Put it this way - Ed is not a big fan of bread pudding but he had a hard time putting down his spoon. It is just sooooo good!

Now, I was a bit worried about this meal since I knew it would be long and I didn’t know how Reid would behave. Well, I finally discovered a life saver at Disney:



That light up Buzz Lightyear was the best $7 we have ever spent! It literally kept him happy the entire time we ate, which was quite some time.



We left the Poly at 8:45 pm and got back to OKW at 9 pm. Reid was in bed for 9:30 pm and Ed & I were in bed for 10 pm. And our alarm was set for our last park day!

 

[catherines_mama]

Glad to hear you're still alive. Definitely sending prayers for Reid's imaging next week. So glad you'll finally have answers, that's a blessing already. Even if they aren't the best, you'll know what you're dealing with. ((HUGS))

Love the update! That's horrible about POTC but kind of cool that you got to exit out the back. Way to roll with the tides, almost literally as the storms almost washed you away .

Did you ever find out what had you down and out all week?

 

[amandaw]

Oh my gosh Amanda. I was already laughing out loud at Reid whispering 'underpants' to Goofy, but then I saw where he was 'hugging' him too. What a milestone! Thanks for the smiles this afternoon.

I just had to include that pic of him & Goofy, especially since it won't make it into the scrapbook. LOL!

Great PP pics. Sorry you didn't care for the photog.

Thanks!

I'm with Ed. Dumbo is kind of unexciting. It's a classic though-has to be done.

It is kind of boring but at least it's quick!

Oh no, a Disney time out. You know I've been there.

Oh yes....I thought about your time out for Maddie when I was writing that!

I hope that you weren't feeling badly all day. That stinks.

Being sick on vacay is the worst.

oh rats. I was hoping there wasn't going to be a Reid attitude session, he was clearly having a blast all morning. Oh that age, I don't miss it! Then again, there is something at every age I swear.

You are so right.....there is something at every age! His attitude has been really good (overall) the last few months. I'm really hoping it'll stay that way.

I am sorry you were still feeling horrible, you got some gorgeous photos out of it though! Busy morning, the boys in particular got a lot done and hopefully the rest was helping a little despite the heat.

Thanks! I was happy that Reid was at least having lots of fun that day.

LOL at inappropriate hand placement. Oh Reid. It is a milestone

I'll have to remember to show that pic to his future girlfriend(s). Haha!

Sounds like a good day so far and I'm so sorry you weren't feeling well. I hope Reid's timeout and some food in his belly helped.

Things smoothed out a lot after lunch.

Oh dear, a Disney timeout? That is not good. I'm sorry Reid was giving you problems.

Yeah, I really don't like doing those things on vacation but I couldn't overlook his attitude at that moment.

It looks as if you got a lot done that morning, and you took some great pictures while waiting for the guys. Dumbo is boring but, as Shannon said, a classic and a must-do (and my husband would divorce me if we didn't!).

Overall, it was a good day!

Oh no. So sorry you didn't feel better!

Thanks. The weather just wasn't helping me on that matter.

HAHAHA. I think you're right... hitting the right height for inappropriate hand placement IS a milestone!

I felt so bad for Goofy. I wonder if he felt violated. Maybe he needed therapy that afternoon. "There was this kid who whispered underpants to me and then, and then, smiled and touched me...." Oh poor Goofy.

The new meet and greet looks completely adorable! All the pictures are precious!

That area is so fantastic! I was really impressed.

I am trying to get all caught up! Thankfully it appears you have been like me and I wasn't too far behind!! Sorry you were still feeling ill! I adore the character meet and greet! That is adorable and I amy need to check that out! I love the new Storybook Land area! Christmas at WDW is so nice but I think March is my favorite time to visit so the change shouldn't be too bad! I hope all goes well with the testing!

That new meet & greet area is so cute! I love it! Thanks....testing is finally scheduled for next week. Anxious to see what the results yield.

Really sorry that you weren't feeling well. That always puts a damper on things. It looks like you were able to at least make the most of the morning and let Reid have a little fun though.

Yeah, I was glad that I was holding the guys back from having fun.

I have to say I really like the character meeting tent, but I don't like the fact that you have to wait in line twice. Why can't they just make it one line and you meet all 4 of them???

I have to agree with you about the 2 lines. It is a bit frustrating. Thankfully, the lines weren't bad when we were there.

I can kind of see why Ed is so thrilled with Dumbo. It's a classic, so you kind of have to ride it, but it isn't exactly thrilling like Space Mountain.

I know....it's not the most exciting ride there. But, he could have fake smiled. LOL!

Great TR....sorry you werent feeling well.

Thank you!!

Sorry you weren't feeling any better Amanda sick on vacation You are such a trooper though!!!

Thanks! I really just wanted to make sure Reid had fun that day.

Uh-oh a Disney Timeout...we have been there....usually my DH gets one

LOL! I'm gonna have to try that with Ed one day.

DS4 had his hearing rechecked by the ENT and it was consistent with the nurse's. But he has fluid and pressure so we have to have that rechecked too. Sounds like worst case scenario may be tubes which I can live with....I do feel bad because he has always said "What?" a lot, and we assumed it was "selective hearing"

Hope things are going well with your DS hearing. Did they ever determine if he needs tubes?

And the inappropriate hand placement made me giggle

I can't wait to blackmail him with that pic when he's older.

right height for inappropriate hand placement... I think that might be destined to be a classic

I had always seen other pics like that here on the DIS, now my child finally has his own. Haha!

I'm a big fan of the theming of the Circus Land and I think those character's in Pete's Sideshow are pretty great... I love their costuming... nice fresh take on the characters...

It really is great there! I like that they really did something fun with them.

Dumbo is well... Dumbo... it's really cute to look at, it's a Disney Classic... but well... that's about it... Ahhh... too sorry about Reid's attitude but he's a little kid and a pretty spirited one at that... the most important part is that you're letting him know that you aren't ok with it and that there are repercussions...

Yeah, I try to be a little lax on vacation but I can't let him get away with everything.

Hope you start feeling better...

Thanks

 

[amandaw]

Beautiful pictures!! Glad my son isn't the only one who had a visit with inappropriate hand placement! His trip when he was 3 1/2 is full of those!

Thank you! LOL! See....it is a Disney milestone in their childhoods!

Better late than never for Dumbo! Lol! I'm so excited to see the new fantasyland in a few hours!

Hope you enjoyed New Fantasyland! I can't wait to see the rest of it!

It's hard to beat a castle picture on a sunny day! Absolutely beautiful, Amanda. Sorry you weren't feeling well. I've never been sick at Disney (knock on wood) but I can't imagine that it's much fun.

Thanks! It's never fun to be sick on any vacation but it's really hard when it's at Disney. Disney really requires you to be functioning at 100%.

Loved your pics of the characters! Jesse is sitting here with me looking at all your photos, too. He wanted to know why Goofy was dressed like that...kinda like Reid We didn't see any of them on our last trip, and now wish we had found them. They are too cute in their costumes.

Thanks! I love their new costumes! The area is so well done and it's really fun!

You might have already answered this. Why did yall drive to the parks instead of ride the buses? Were they too slow? Just curious.

We found driving to be much quicker than the buses. And of course, it was easier to be in our car with the stroller. But, I was surprised by how quickly we got around Disney. I would definitely do it that way again!

Great pictures as usual! Nice to start my cold winter day (33 degrees here) with some beautiful MK pics

Heather

Thank you!!

I am sorry you were not feeling well. Not fun to be ill while trying to be in the parks!

Thanks. It definitely wasn't much fun but I tried to keep going!

As you were describing the storm, I realized...we were there! That was a crazy crazy storm!!! We ended up huddling in Morocco with other "weary travelers"...all waiting out the storm.

Such a crazy storm, right? I was so happy to get out of EPCOT that night.

Love all the pics in the circus area!!

Thank you!!

I hope that all of Reids tests come back better than expected.

Thank you!

OMG! I am dying here! Reid is grabbing Goofy's package. hahahaha!

Hopefully, he won't do that in front of your children next year. He may traumatize them. LOL!

And I can tell you don't feel good in that first picture.

You know me well! I was struggling that morning.

As always, I love all the pictures.

Thank you!

Amanda, haven't see you around lately, and just wanted to check in with you.

That's really sweet of you to check in on me. I'm finally back, hopefully I won't have anymore long absences. Thank you!!

Glad to hear you're still alive. Definitely sending prayers for Reid's imaging next week. So glad you'll finally have answers, that's a blessing already. Even if they aren't the best, you'll know what you're dealing with. ((HUGS))

Thank you so much. That really means a lot to me.

Love the update! That's horrible about POTC but kind of cool that you got to exit out the back. Way to roll with the tides, almost literally as the storms almost washed you away .

Thanks! I thought it was cool getting evacuated off of POTC. Reid was not as impressed.

Did you ever find out what had you down and out all week?

I think it was a mixture of things: going into the vacation being dehydrated from the stomach bug, then running definitely made me feel worse and I think the weather made it all 100X worse. Felt like a really bad summer cold. I think the dehydration had my defenses down.

 

[shan23877]

Wow. It sounds like you guys really had no luck at all on this trip! I think I'd have been wanting a do-over.

It was funny to hear you describe getting stuck on POtC because I recently read book by a CM about his time working attractions at MK-POtC in particular. He spoke of those waders and where he'd have to evacuate guests when it broke down. Kind of fascinating to hear you describe the exact same thing.

I'm so glad that you loved 'Ohana! I can't wait to get back there for the noodles, steak, and bread pudding. I'm like Ed-don't usually seek out bread pudding-but I couldn't stop eating it!

You know that I'll be praying for you guys on Wednesday. If you need anything....

 

[fi46re129]

I will be keeping Reid in my prayers. Nick has surgery last week and the thought of him being out under scared me so much. He did great and Reid will too. I totally understand how stressful that can be. No Momma likes feeling helpless and not in control with that kind of stuff.

Great update. Glad you didn't let a little rain get ya'll down. The Ohana dinner looks great! We just booked it for our Sept trip.

 

[amandaw]

Wow. It sounds like you guys really had no luck at all on this trip! I think I'd have been wanting a do-over.

Yeah, I'm not gonna lie, I feel like we need a do-over trip. Not that this trip was bad, it was just different. We had good times but it just wasn't our usual Disney trip.

It was funny to hear you describe getting stuck on POtC because I recently read book by a CM about his time working attractions at MK-POtC in particular. He spoke of those waders and where he'd have to evacuate guests when it broke down. Kind of fascinating to hear you describe the exact same thing.

That's too funny that you just read about it! It was amazing that this guy pushed a row of boats backwards like he did.

I'm so glad that you loved 'Ohana! I can't wait to get back there for the noodles, steak, and bread pudding. I'm like Ed-don't usually seek out bread pudding-but I couldn't stop eating it!

I am really hoping that I will be able to get us another 'Ohana dinner booked for our trip next year. It's the one meal Ed is requesting and my friend that we're going with, her DH also wants to eat there since they haven't yet.

You know that I'll be praying for you guys on Wednesday. If you need anything....

Thank you! It really means a lot to me. And thanks for being such a good friend, Shannon. I mean it - we need a mommy trip to WDW for you, me & Roni one of these days.

I will be keeping Reid in my prayers. Nick has surgery last week and the thought of him being out under scared me so much. He did great and Reid will too. I totally understand how stressful that can be. No Momma likes feeling helpless and not in control with that kind of stuff.

Thank you so much! I'm glad to hear Nick did well with his surgery. It is so scary. I know they sedate children all the time for these imaging exams but it's not usually my baby. Wednesday is going to be a very long day. And then it will be a long time waiting for the results, even if it's just a matter of days.

Great update. Glad you didn't let a little rain get ya'll down. The Ohana dinner looks great! We just booked it for our Sept trip.

Thanks! Dinner was so yummy! Hope y'all enjoy it, too!

 

[afwdwfan]

I normally don’t ask for prayers, but if you are a person of faith, please say some prayers for my little guy.

Absolutely. I'm hoping for the best for him. Hopefully you'll at least get some answers.

I promise to try my best to catch up on everyone’s TRs & PTRs even if it takes a few days.

I don't know... I looked at my subscribed threads list this morning and I saw your name as the last post on a lot of TRs. You must not have slept well last night or something.

I enjoyed just sitting in the shade watching people and watching the construction being done on the Dwarves Mine Coaster. I am so excited about this ride!

This is one of the factors that came into play for planning when to take our next trip.

He pushed us back to the auction scene. This is where we had to be evacuated from the boats. We were lead out a door to the backside of the ride and had to walk quite a ways to get back into the park.

Ok, I have to admit that the Disney nerd in me is somewhat fascinated by that. The delays and getting stuck on the ride wouldn't be any fun, but I'd love to see some rides with the lights on and be able to walk through part of them to see it from a different perspective.

Since we had struck out with POTC, we decided to go use up our FPs at BTMRR. We had barely got into the line when a CM announced that the ride was being shut down due to lightning in the area.

Not your lucky day at all...

When the guy came with shrimp he put a couple on my plate which made Ed laugh and tell the guy, “She can eat her weight in shrimp”. Thanks, honey. But, the guy did empty his skewer of shrimp onto my plate after that comment. And yes, I ate every single shrimp. They are extremely messy since you have to peel them yourself but they are worth it! Thankfully, they bring you warm wet towels to clean up.

Have you seen any of the piles of shrimp remains on any of the Disdads' TRs? FreezinRafiki started the trend and there was actually a contest between a few to see who could eat the most at the convention in January. Not that you'd want to hang out with the Disdads, but you'd apparently fit in well.

 

[Chabby]

I've been enjoying your TR, but I don't normally reply to any TR. I will this time to wish Reid the best of luck in his tests. I'll be praying for him.

 

[eandesmom]

Sending prayers and pixie dust for answers, guidance and a smooth experience for all during the testing.

I think we ALL question our choices with schooling, no matter what, no matter the age, or at least I do on a fairly regular basis. Kindergarten though, that is exciting. And scary, and sad and....

What an unfortunate series of ride events but how great that you made it up with Buzz and I love that poncho picture of you guys! Such focus!

Wonderful dinner, so glad you had that after the deluge and YAY for $7 light up toys.

Sometimes it really is the little things.

 

[KatMark]

First and foremost, I am sending prayers AND pixie dust for Reid's tests next week.

Second, I'm glad you are okay and you were just busy. I remember signing both of my kids up to kindergarten and it was awful. So I know how you feel and I send you a

Fun update. We have NEVER been stuck on a ride that long that we had to be escorted out...I hope that never happens. Ugh...what a pain.

Sorry about the rain...but you and Reid look so cute on Buzz in your ponchos.

 

[pas130]

Hope things are going well with your DS hearing. Did they ever determine if he needs tubes?

Glad Reid is getting his testing done!!! You are all troopers in those storms!!! I love the O'hana's dessert, and I usually get it all to myself (the kids get a scoop of ice cream, DH too )

So DS4 gets another re-eval April 28th. It looks like tubes are necessary, and Adenoids as well (tonsils are fine ) We are keeping him out of Kindergarten next year. Since he is Oct. 1st bday, it'll make him the youngest..which DD8 and DS21 were as well. But my little guy is academically bright, but socially young. The preschool teachers said he's still sweet and it would benefit him to have another preschool year. Which I agree, just getting him to do homework is Let me say...I'm super happy to have him another year..shhh don't tell DH So now I wonder about our August trip with the tubes...will our ENT operate in September instead.....no infections just fluid...I suppose I shall find out soon enough

 

[MEK]

I am praying AND sending pixie dust that everything goes well with Reid's tests next week.

Enjoyed your update. It looks like such a remarkably fabulous day in the MK and Reid looks adorable, as usual, in all his pictures. Boo for lightening.

There are several parts of the Ohana meal that I love - the bread (of course), the salad (cause I just like salad), the wings, the noodles!!!!!!, and the shrimp. My only complaint is I am also 90% full by the time the shrimp comes. I want my shrimp with my salad and noodles and it just doesn't work that way.

Oh well - glad to see an update and good luck to little cutie pie next week!

 

[ShannonMarie]

I am enjoying reading your report especially since we were there at the same time. The weather we had was just awful. The hot and then the rain. this was the one an only Disney vacation that I was kind of regretting. I told my husband we need a do-over soon! Unfortunately our wallets won't let us go in the next year so planning for Marathon weekend 2015. Ugh...that sounds like so long. I really want to go back again for marathon weekend and can't swing it this year so I'll have to wait. Oh well...

 

[marDgreen88]

YAY! I'm so glad to see you back here! Praying for Reid! Hopefully everything will work out perfectly.

Ugh, getting stuck on Pirates would honestly terrify me... all those 'George the ghost' stories, I can't deal with it!

OH MAN, 'OHANA. Best meal ever!!! The potstickers were honestly my favorite part (besides the bread and chicken haha) so to hear that there were BETTER ones somewhere else blows my mind! MUST TRY!!!

Wooo, great update! Glad you're back!