WHAT A DIFFERENCE 6 MOS. MAKES (or how I learned to love MK) COMPLETE-WRAP-UP 12/29

[tinacaplan]

Let me start by wishing everyone a Merry Christmas! I hope that everyone had a magical couple of days. Our Christmas was wonderful! And, as part of my general plan of rest and relaxation this week, I'm going to wrap up this TR and hopefully start a very short PTR for February!

Thank you to all of you who are still reading! It had never been my intention to drag this thing out quite this long.

Onto replies....

Isn't it funny how 1 sweet little boy can change your mind about a ride? I know Reid did the same for me with Peter Pan. Now, it's one of my favorites! Can't wait to see which one of Max's favorites was next. Maybe Buzz?

Buzz??? Hmmm.... How was your Christmas? It was great to watch Max open up all of his gifts and really get the magic of the day.

Great new update, Tina!

Those Fantasyland rides get a totally new look once you see them with a kid. We were lucky enough to see some of the DREAM with Jeff's kids and it really changed the perspective.

I guess I need to get a move on with my updates as well. Christmas is over, so it's time to get back to updating!
Oh, and btw - under 9 weeks now! I guess you cannot wait either!

Thanks! Hope you had a wonderful Christmas. When are you back at school? I don't even want to mention the word, as I'm trying very hard to NOT think about school until after the 1st.

And...yup....the time keeps moving forward which only brings us closer and closer to Disney!

The new Winnie the Pooh queue does look just as fun as the ride itself! I'd imagine that it would be a very slow-moving queue when it gets busier because of everyone playing with the toys though!

We never waited very long, actually. The way its set up is cool because you can kind of take as long as you'd like.

I can't wait to read your update with pictures, but I did want to stop by and wish you a Merry Christmas.

You must be so excited that your Feb trip is just around the corner. After just visiting for the second time in December I have decided that as much as I love the Christmas festivities, the whole before Christmas thing is too disorienting when I get back to reality. My next winter trip is definitely going to be in Jan or Feb.

Be back later for pics!

Thanks, Mary Ellen. Hope that you had a very merry Christmas, as well. Christmas with a four year old is wonderful.

I'd imagine going down right before Christmas would be a little tough. I always think I'd love to go down for Christmas, and then I see pictures of the crowds and think, NO WAY. Especially because if we were to go and see Christmas at Disney, it would mean going over Christmas itself. That won't happen for a very long time, if ever.

Late February works out well for us. Granted, we're limited to school vacations, but even so. The weather tends to be pretty warm and while the crowds are high, they aren't Christmas week crazy high, either.

 

[tinacaplan]

At the end of the last installment, we had left Winnie the Pooh and headed for another of Max’s favorite MK attractions:

For anyone expecting Buzz...well...no.

Yep...,my four year old is in love with the Carousel of Progress. We rode this no fewer than four times on this past trip. Good thing there’s never a line.

There was virtually no one sitting in the same section of the carousel as we were. We took our usual seats: front row, dead center.

Once I took the first picture, I figured, why not try for some more? If I could get some to come out decently without a flash that would be cool, right?

I remember when I came here as a kid and I thought that the technology in this scene was super cool!

It was around that point in the show when a CM finally informed me that I had to put the camera away. What? Ooops. Sorry! So I did. Hope you enjoyed my photo essay of the Carousel of Progress...

We walked back out into Tomorrowland and Max ran into someone...er...something for the very first time

In hindsight, I’m somewhat horrified that rather than stop Max from basically putting his head inside a garbage can, I took a picture of it.

From there, we made our way up the ramp and onto the Peoplemover. I really do enjoy this ride in all of its laid back, people-watching, simplicity. Plus, its an excuse to take a picture like this one:

Oh...EPCOT as you were meant to be...if only I could have lived there...

After our tour of Tomorrowland, we were in need of some lunch, so we went over to check out Cosmic Ray’s. If you can believe it, I’d never been here before. Unfortunately, I did not take any pictures, but I know that we had burgers and fries and Max had chicken strips and apple slices. It was pretty good. I will always love the MK toppings bars and the cheese fries they allow me to consume. The cheese fries are definitely on the list of foods I don't eat anywhere BUT Disney. Yum! We enjoyed the show for a bit while we finished our meal and then we went back out, looking for some intergalactic space ranger action at Buzz.

Max plots his escape from the evil Emperor Zurg!

We were ready to leave the future behind and began to make out way to the front of the park. What would we find on Main Street?

 

[amandaw]

Merry (late) Christmas! Hope y'all had a wonderful holiday. Reid was very excited to unwrap all of his gifts, as I'm sure Max was, too. I think this was the 1st year Reid actually understood the whole Santa thing, so that made it a lot more fun.

On to your update:

I can't believe Carousel of Progress is one of Max's favorites! That's great! I haven't taken Reid on it yet but now I think I will bring him on it next year.

Cosmic Ray's is our favorite CS in MK. My favorites are the turkey wrap and also the roasted chicken.

And then it was on to Buzz.....see, I knew (at some point) he'd want to ride it again!

 

[KatMark]

Great updates, Tina. I have to admit that it cracks me up that Max loves COP (that is my napping attraction). Glad to see you got the required shot on the People Mover.

 

[dizneeat]

Thanks! Hope you had a wonderful Christmas. When are you back at school? I don't even want to mention the word, as I'm trying very hard to NOT think about school until after the 1st.

And...yup....the time keeps moving forward which only brings us closer and closer to Disney!

We are going back on January 9th. Then we will be inside the 6 week mark for our trip!
What about you? When are you going back?
Our Christmas was quiet and consisted of unwrap presents, sleep, eat and watch TV. Tom had to work on Dec 24 and we were both dead tired, so we used the weekend to catch up on sleep. Dec 26 is a holiday here, so at least Tom got 2 days of rest.

In hindsight, I’m somewhat horrified that rather than stop Max from basically putting his head inside a garbage can, I took a picture of it.

I have found a new favourite photo on this thread! This is the funniest and cutest photos ever!

I didn't know you were not allowed to take photos in the CoP. I always take some too.
Funny to hear that this is Max's favourite ride! I love it too, but I am with Kathy, it is always good for a nap.

 

[eandesmom]

I would definitely have taken a picture too, that's adorable!!!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

I love that picture of Max sticking his head inside of Push! How cute!

That's awesome that his favorite ride is the Carousel of Progress. I love it too, slight shabbiness and all!

 

[MEK]

That is an adorable picture of Max with his head in Push's mouth!

I got nailed for taking pictures in COP once as well. But not this time, I knew exactly when to take the camera out and put it away. No flash of course. I love that attraction, especially Rover. He's the best.

 

[annmarieda]

What a cute picture of Max in the garbage can.

I too like COP..not sure why... but I do. I appreciate your nice photos... sorry you got in "trouble" for taking them.

 

[tinacaplan]

Merry (late) Christmas! Hope y'all had a wonderful holiday. Reid was very excited to unwrap all of his gifts, as I'm sure Max was, too. I think this was the 1st year Reid actually understood the whole Santa thing, so that made it a lot more fun.

On to your update:

I can't believe Carousel of Progress is one of Max's favorites! That's great! I haven't taken Reid on it yet but now I think I will bring him on it next year.

Cosmic Ray's is our favorite CS in MK. My favorites are the turkey wrap and also the roasted chicken.

And then it was on to Buzz.....see, I knew (at some point) he'd want to ride it again!

Reid may not like it quite so much. I am at a loss for what appeals to Max. Well, he does love the song, so I suppose there's that.

Buzz is great and Max loves it. I just think its cool that it works out that you can walk into Tomorrowland, grab FPs for Buzz, and there are a few sort-of walk-on attractions that are a lot of fun while you wait!

Great updates, Tina. I have to admit that it cracks me up that Max loves COP (that is my napping attraction). Glad to see you got the required shot on the People Mover.

Yep...not sure why Max loves COP so much. And I will always get that shot on the People Mover.

We are going back on January 9th. Then we will be inside the 6 week mark for our trip!
What about you? When are you going back?
Our Christmas was quiet and consisted of unwrap presents, sleep, eat and watch TV. Tom had to work on Dec 24 and we were both dead tired, so we used the weekend to catch up on sleep. Dec 26 is a holiday here, so at least Tom got 2 days of rest.




I have found a new favourite photo on this thread! This is the funniest and cutest photos ever!

I didn't know you were not allowed to take photos in the CoP. I always take some too.
Funny to hear that this is Max's favourite ride! I love it too, but I am with Kathy, it is always good for a nap.

Glad to hear that you had a nice, quite Christmas. Ours was a bit noisier, as you can imagine, but still relaxing. Jealous that you have an extra week for Christmas break, though. We're back on January 3. I often wonder what I would do if I had the type of job where you only get a couple of weeks of vacation a year, which is the typical amount most Americans get in their jobs, at least at first.

And I know this trip is going to be here so soon! Needless to say...I can't wait.

And, yes, I thought they might confiscate my camera on COP. I figured it was like all the other rides; no flash = no problems. Obviously not.

I would definitely have taken a picture too, that's adorable!!!

Thanks, Cynthia.

I love that picture of Max sticking his head inside of Push! How cute!

That's awesome that his favorite ride is the Carousel of Progress. I love it too, slight shabbiness and all!

Thanks! Yes, the seats on COP could stand to be replaced, couldn't they? Its a bit disconcerting that when you have that level of animatronic wizardry going on that Disney doens't rehab the seats and the carpeting in the rest of the ride.

That is an adorable picture of Max with his head in Push's mouth!

I got nailed for taking pictures in COP once as well. But not this time, I knew exactly when to take the camera out and put it away. No flash of course. I love that attraction, especially Rover. He's the best.

Thanks, Mary Ellen! It was very cute. He was pretty confused. I think you might have hit upon what Max likes the best, apart from the song: Rover!

What a cute picture of Max in the garbage can.

I too like COP..not sure why... but I do. I appreciate your nice photos... sorry you got in "trouble" for taking them.

Welcome back Ann! Thanks. It was the first time we had seen Push. See, it pays to stay in the parks after 11 a.m. Please let me know as soon as you start your TR.

 

[tinacaplan]

So, this isn't the most fun update to be writing. Some of you may have noticed (and believe me, its ok if you've ever wondered from time to time) that Max has a lazy eye and is often cocking his head at weird angles in pictures. Part of it is that he doesn't seem to get that he needs to hold a pose for a few seconds longer, but part of it is how he cocks his head to compensate for the weakness in his left eye.

You can see this in the picture above.

Max was diagnosed with Marcus Gunn Jawwink's Syndrome shortly after he was born and we noticed that his left eye wasn't opening all the way. He's been treated by a truly wonderful pediatric eye doctor ever since. We knew we were eventually looking at some surgery to ensure that Max wouldn't lose vision in the eye. And the day is upon us. He'll be operated on this Thursday at the wonderful Children's Medical Center in Hartford. I think I'm OK with it. Its routine surgery and he should be just fine. Its in and out and the doctor assures me that he isn't going to be in a lot of pain following the surgery. But his eye will be completed red for up to three weeks after.

Mostly I just feel bad that he has to go through this and I'm powerless to fix it or really make it easier on him. And I also know how much more serious this could be.

I'll let everyone know here and on FB how he's doing. As always, so thankful to have friends on the Dis to share these kinds of things with.

 

[tinacaplan]

I am not entirely sure what time we were making our way out of the Magic Kingdom. I think it must have been around two, as we had arrived around ten, ridden several rides, and eaten lunch. Our morning had beentruly magical (AGAIN...how did I miss this before?) and I think we were beginning to feel the ease of the latter part of the trip and the lack of frenetic planning. We were sort of free to do whatever we wanted.

At this point, we were ready to head back to the Beach Club and find a nice spot at Storm Along or at least a nap in our beautiful room.

On our way out, we ran into the firetruck and stopped for some pictures:

Rather than take the bus back, I wanted to try the monorail. Max still thinks the monorail is super cool and I figured we had the time, so we might as well give it a whirl. I do enjoy the path you take to get back to EPCOT.

I think that Max might have taken a few of these...

A threatening sky as pull into EPCOT...

Lucky for us, though, we managed to miss rain entirely while we were there.

We made our way through bag check and into EPCOT. Thinking back, I’m curious why Max did not immediately suggest we ride Spaceship Earth. Huh? Don’t know...but we did stop here for a while:

I love the look of total concentration on Max’s face for this one:

And he was soaked:

It was clearly time to get back to our room and rest.

Coming up...evening at EPCOT and one of our worst Disney meals ever. But an evening full of pixie dust more than made up for it.

 

[annmarieda]

looks like a beautiful day... and Max getting soaked... too fun!

 

[amandaw]

First of all........

I'm so sorry to hear that your precious little Max has to undergo surgery. I know you stated that you know it could be much more serious, but, he's your baby & it's only normal to be concerned. I truly understand. Reid was born with a slight hearing loss in his right ear. We found out right away but he had to undergo testing to see how severe the loss was. Well, even though I know there are so many more serious problems than hearing loss in 1 ear, I was just so upset for my baby & worried how it would affect his life. Luckily it wasn't too severe. And now, his ear has overcompensated & he even passed his last hearing test. Go figure! But, I'll have him re-checked before he starts school. Anyway, I digress....I'm sorry. I just wanted to say that I understand having anything wrong with your baby. But, he will be fine & it sounds like the surgery will really help him. On these boards, we interact with people from so many backgrounds with so many different beliefs. I never want to offend anyone. If you believe in prayer, then I will be more than happy to send some extra prayers your way for Max's surgery. If not, that's okay, just know we're all thinking of him and you and your DH.

Now, on to the update:

I really need to take a cue from you & learn how to leave the park in the middle of the day & then go back! I've avoided doing that because Reid is all go-go-go! He doesn't nap at home & doesn't always nap at Disney. When he's exhausted, he'll just fall asleep in his stroller. But, maybe I should attempt to go back to the resort during the day.

I'm like you.....I can't believe Max didn't ask to ride Spaceship Earth again! I'm very interested to hear about the upcoming terrible meal & the pixie dust!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Hi Tina! I've been reading along, but haven't posted much. I love how you've captured so many cute moments with Max, but that Push shot takes the cake. It would be great to send to DVC or something!

I will keep Max in my prayers - I'm sure he will do great. How wonderful the doctor has a way to help him while he is still so young!

 

[natebenma]

Tina- loving your updates!

Good luck to Max (and you) tomorrow. Lots of thoughts will be with your family for a successful surgery and quick recovery.

I'm glad to hear your Christmas was great. Does Max have a favorite gift?

It sounds like you had a nice, laid-back, lets do what we want kind of morning. Peter Pan, Peoplemover and Buzz are some of our family's favorites, even though my boys are older.

That's funny that Max loves COP. I can't believe you got reprimanded for taking photos. Didn't you say you were the only ones in your bay? It's not like there is some secret technology being displayed in there. Sheesh!

I love returning to the Beach Club via the monorail to EPCOT. There is always something fun you can do along the way.

 

[tinacaplan]

Max was soaked after his run through the fountain at EPCOT, so we headed back home to the Beach Club. I must say that walking through the International Gateway never got old!
It was relatively late, I think, around three-ish, so we skipped the pool for the afternoon and just went back to rest a bit before another evening at EPCOT.

Well before five we were back out and walking back through the International Gateway. We had an ADR at 7:00 that evening at Nine Dragons, but more on that later...

On our walk, I had to stop and take a picture of this. Can you believe I had never noticed all the boats before? What amazing detail.

After that, I think I let Max take the camera for a bit, thus the odd perspective on the next few pictures.

We stopped off for a smoothie at one of the kiosks just past England and Max’s love of strawberry smoothies was born. I believe that Mark got an iced coffee, too.
Drinks in hand, we kept walking around the lagoon toward this:

We had yet to take the Fiesta Tour and I know I may be in the minority on this one, but I actually really like this ride. I love the whole Mexico pavillion in fact. I think the way they make it seem like its night inside is super cool.

At this point, Max was getting a bit cranky. Not sure why, but he was, and as we made our way toward to the back of the pavilliion and the boat ride, he was becoming even more so. And here’s our first bit of pixie dust for the night: a very lovely cast member came over to Max and brought us to the front of the line and gave him some Mickey stickers. Now, I would have felt a bit more guilty had the line been longer, but this is the Fiesta Tour and the line was short.

Max was beyond thrilled with this bit of special treatment and we were off on our tour.

While I would have loved to check out some of the goods in the pavillion, that’s nearly impossible with a four year old boy. Way too much breakable stuff in there. So we went back out into the brutal sun and kept walking around the lagoon.

We walked past China, which we would see in more detail a bit later, when we returned for our dinner.

We were on our way to the train in Germany. Max, like many boys his age, loves trains so I knew this would hold his interest for awhile. I was right!

Only one problem...the train is right in the sun! In fact, most of EPCOT is exposed to the unrelenting heat of the sun. I had never noticed this before, as it was nowhere near this hot in February.

From here, we circled back to Norway for a ride of Maelstrom. While this is hardly the most exciting ride on the world, it makes Mark and I laugh. A lot. Even when we’re not in Disneyworld. So we had to ride. And, for some inexplicable reason, the line was long. Not sure, ridiculous long, but long enough to make us pause for a second and ponder whether or not such a long line was worth it.

And that was when pixie dust incident number two occurred. A rather frazzled gentlement approached us with FPs for the ride, muttering something about being late for an ADR at Askerhaus. Score! We were boarding our boat in a matter of a few minutes.

Max did not love this ride. The drop at the beginning made him a little nervous and the ride is a bit dark and scary.

We stopped in the dump shop after watching a bit of the movie.

Mark Caplan, Viking warrior in a Hawaiian print shirt.

Even though we were at least an hour early, we were quickly running out of things to keep Max occupied, so we decided to see if we could get into dinner a little early. And, as luck would have it, this was no problem. Two things I will say about Nine Dragons up front: the restaurant is beautiful inside and the staff is very accomodating. I also appreciated the fact that Max could get something other than a hot dog, mac and cheese, or chicken nuggets.

We ordered a few appetizers, including an order of dumplings. Max loves potstickers.

Despite an earlier warning from Mickeynicki to avoid the shrimp toast, I went ahead and ordered it anyway. YUCK! It was, as Nicki had said, greasy and nearly tasteless. Not even the dipping sauce could save it.

I had Zha Jiang Noodles Sampler - a fun and interactive - mix and match your own noodles with fresh vegetables and two classic Zha Jiang Sauces - sweet and savory Minced Pork and spicy Diced Chicken.

This was OK. Looking at the picture now, I’m not sure why I walked away from this place hating it so much. Could the nastiness of the shrimp toast have colored my opinion that much?

Mark ordered the peppery shrimp with spinach noodles. This was yummy and his entree was the clear winner.

Max had the lo mein and meatballs, which I think he enjoyed. Have I mentioned that Max is a pretty picky eater and that he does not eat much at any given time? Well, he is. He was actually a much more adventurous eater when was one and two than he is now. That said, he loves meatballs and spaghetti, which this essentially was.

 

[tinacaplan]

We did not stick around for dessert and instead went back out to walk around World Showcase a bit before heading back to the Beach Club. It was before seven at this point and I knew there was no way Max would make to Illuminations.

The beautiful Italian pavillion:

On to Japan:

I believe that it was at this point that Mark and Max decided to head back to the BC and I stayed to browse in a few shops. I also really wanted to pick up a napoleon from the French bakery for later.

Despite having virtually no pictures of it, I know I stopped to shop in Japan. I love this place. I briefly considered buying a pearl ring, as the pick a pearl looks like so much fun. I’ve often thought that would be such a lovely souvenir. However, I do not wear pearls. Moving on.

Onto Morrocco:

You may not believe this, but I never knew there was a whole marketplace here. In fact, I had no idea about any of this until I had read a few trip reports. I was in for a treat and found several things I would have loved to take home with me.

Like this cute crossbody bag with fringe:

And then I checked out the price tag...YIKES! A hundred bucks. No thanks.

Baskets:

I know that I pondered some jewelery, but, again could not see myself paying what they were asking so I walked on to France.

Once I had my Napoleon in hand, I made my way into the shops for a look around.

I love these, but again...not for what they were charging!

I decided to head back to the Beach Club and see what my boys were up to. Once I was back in our room, we decided to head down to Storm Along Bay for a swim.

Max’s pirate ship:

The windmill, lit up at night:

Max playing in the sand bottom area:

The kiddie slide on the back of the pirate ship, where Max spent the majority of his swimming time throughout the trip:

I have to say that there is nothing like being at Storm Along Bay at night. It was warm and not nearly as crowded as during the day and just so relaxing. I think it was pretty late when we finally went up to bed.

I took one last picture that night, of the night view from our balcony:

And tomorrow...resort time!

 

[MEK]

Good luck to Max with his surgery tomorrow! I feel certain that everything will go just fine, but that sure doesn't make it any easier, does it?

I am not even going to try to read your updates without pictures. I just plain torture to read about Max but not be able to see him. Especially when he might have his head in another trash can or doing something equally funny and boyish!

 

[dizneeat]

Great updates, Tina!
I love all the pictures and Max is such a trooper for holding out all day! And it sounds like such a relaxed vacation, even in the blazing July sun.

I'll keep you in my prayers tomorrow and sending lots of pixie dust for Max's operation. Give him an extra hug from me!
for you and Mark too!