Who Invited My Mother In Law? A Moderately Deluxe TR All New X 3 & PTR Link 2/3 !!

[KTgE]

Caught up!

Sorry DTD was a slight bump in the road but I feel like there are just days like that when you have small kids...even at WDW. At our house we like to say we are "out of fun tickets" when we need a timeout or to regroup while things are crashing and burning. And yes, I run out of fun tickets too on occasion.

Glad you were able to get some more fun tickets and head to DHS. Can't wait to see where you ended up for lunch.

 

[shan23877]

Ill have an update tomorrow guys, I promise! I have 3 days off, so I'm hoping to get 2 updates done this week. Thanks for hanging in there!

Sorry your "relaxed" day got derailed, but everyone will likely be happier at DHS. What is it with guys getting all antsy while shopping, you should have sent your DH down to Raglan Road for a drink (that's what I frequently do with my DH), its 5 o'clock somewhere, right?

You're right, should do that! On DD's first trip, had planned our DTD day to coincide with his golf day, but he said he wanted to go to DTD! I think it could be to make sure I don't go crazy spending.

I fully support time outs in WDW, although I don't think they are nearly as much "punishment" as I'd like them to be. Last April I put Everett into time out outside of Casey's, and right at the moment the Move it, Shake it parade came rolling out. Yup, he was watching a parade in "time out", wait a minute, this isn't punishment!

Hmm, curious about your dining credit...

That's hilarious! I guess if he really hated parades... Maybe next time he gets time out at a princess M&G!

yay!! DHS! Can't wait to read more!

Tomorrow! I promise!

I know - isn't that weird that we haven't been there??? I think it is just that we are so focused on the parks and don't want to give up any time to something else. Maybe next time........


I hear you - I have days like that sometimes with no Disney excuse for it!

DTD really does have some stuff you don't see anywhere else. The Christmas store is my favorite.

I hope you guys get there someday

Oh, cliffhanger!!

I love DTD, I could spend forever there, along with a lot of money!

Me too! I think that's why Bryan hurries me.

I could spend hours in that Christmas store but Shanleigh behave like Maddie did so we usually have to leave I remember getting frustrated with her on our first trip because all she wanted to do was go in the pool....I get it now...she was 6 of course that's what she wanted to do. Like you, I had to do the WDw timeout .... stares and all, but we did it too!

She is such a cutie in all the pictures and I can see why her daddy caves to her...I think Iwould too!

I'm so glad that I'm not the only one! I wasn't really embarrassed because I felt strongly that she needed it. I was just confused why everyone was staring.

Thank you so much! I usually cave too...

Finally caught up! Can't believe I missed 3 updates, my DIS time has really been slacking.

I've always wondered about how one gets out of CRT during Wishes (since the whole area is roped off for safety and all). Cheers to you for getting to see the show from a rare perspective!

Thanks! It was such a weird experience! I think that maybe they were supposed to 'trap' us there for the duration. But it was cool!

REAL BACON IN DISNEY?! My jaw literally hit the floor. I agree, that alone is enough to make me want to try 1900. Glad breakfast went so well, gotta love a buffet.

Real Bacon. For Real. A good enough reason for me to go back!

Is it just me, or is getting a bus to/from DTD feel like a bigger accomplishment then getting a bus to/from anywhere else? I do like the shopping at DTD but it really is a nightmare to get to.

Totally! The bus service is horrible for DTD. You'd think they'd have buses running every 5 minutes-the only thing to do there is to spend money! They'd make so much more money!

Sorry about the un-magical moments. I feel like every trip has some at one point or another. I think you handled it well Can't wait to see Studios.

I'm not too crazy about EoS myself (every time I've had something from there it's made me a little queasy) but I think it's a better option than anything at Studios hahaha. Wonder where you ended up?

Not-so-magical moments happen. I'm glad that I've shared them because I've found out that I'm not the only one!

DH LOVE, LOVE, LOVES EoS. Passing it up was a real sacrifice for him. But, he did end up enjoying where we went.

I'm glad your family meeting worked out! However, I'm pretty curious about this 'worst credit use ever!'

Oh, it was bad Marissa!

All caught up Shanalamadingdong. I won't break down every chapter, cause
a. it'd be huge, and I'm pretty sure this is your TR and not mine.
b. nobody wants to read a 12 page breakdown
c. I don't want to do it either... I'm crazy, just not that crazy.

So just a couple of observations.

Maddie is a real cutie patootie! Reminded me of the first time I took the DDs to the World. The youngest DD was 4 at the time. I don't 'get' people who say, "Oh, they'll never remember it. You're just wasting your money." So I guess what you're saying is a child's happiness is unimportant until, what, they're in college?

Thanks! I couldn't agree more. At what age do they start to remember/enjoy having a great family vacation? So annoying.

Don't get me started. Grr...

Wouldn't dream of it.

Loved all the pics of her and her princesses. There were quite a few that had me grinning from ear to ear. Priceless.

Thanks Ponz! That's so sweet of you. I wasn't sure that this was your type of TR... That makes me happy.


MIL.... Just two comments.
1. Are you sure the right person got the timeout?


and excellent point!


2. You've already said you'd get together again for meals. If you get stuck with the tip again, here's a suggestion. Why not look at the money you've been given, then say, "Oh! Was there something wrong with your meal? Or the waiter? Should I ask if a manager could speak with you?"

I should do just that. Except, what I'll probably do is try to stick SiL and BiL with her share of the tip. SiL is a real treat too.

Just a thought.

Enjoying the TR. You're photos are quite good. Nice and crisp with good colour cast. Looking forward to more (writing and pictures).

Thanks Ponzi! The new camera is lots of fun to tinker with.

Just finished reading up to this point and wanted to say what a beautiful family you have! I've enjoyed reading and can't wait to hear more! We are leaving in 2 weeks and I just get so excited I try to live vicariously through every else's TRs prior to my trips!

Thank you! You're trip is so close, I'd be beside myself with excitement!

TRs totally help. They are really good for the Disney Blues afterward too...

Also thanks for the hair serum tip, I can't wait to try it out on all the dolls. my littlest one has a Pocahontas artist doll and it had beautiful hair until 2 days later, even my detangler couldn't do anything to it. I'll have to try the fabric softener.

Can't wait to read more!

I hope the Miracle Repair System works for you! It doubles as Febreeze as well! (Isn't that strange?)

More tomorrow!

I know what it is like to shop with someone that wants to pick and purchase! I hope to put a beer in his hand and enjoy some shopping in October! I missed out this past trip trying to please! To the WDW time out...my Maddie was about 4 and we were shopping at Walmart. Madison has always been pretty good shopping but this particular day she was having a bad day. My mom kept trying to get her to stop misbehaving and told her she would be punished if she didn't straighten up. Madison looked at my mom and said "There's no corners at Walmart!" (That was our form of time-out) Do you know how many corners are in Walmart!? Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do and others can get over it! I am more proud of parents that do discipline!

I can't wait to see where that wasted credit happened!

Poor kid! No corners for me here!

Thanks!

Wasted credit segment tomorrow, I promise!

Caught up!

Sorry DTD was a slight bump in the road but I feel like there are just days like that when you have small kids...even at WDW. At our house we like to say we are "out of fun tickets" when we need a timeout or to regroup while things are crashing and burning. And yes, I run out of fun tickets too on occasion.

Glad you were able to get some more fun tickets and head to DHS. Can't wait to see where you ended up for lunch.

That's a great way of putting it! We were totally out of fun tickets.

DHS update coming up tomorrow!

 

[pkondz]

Thanks Ponz! That's so sweet of you. I wasn't sure that this was your type of TR... That makes me happy.

Oh, sure. I like all kinds.

Uh... I gotta be careful there. Last time I posted something like that, the tag fairy noticed.

 

[shan23877]

So it was decided. We’d leave DTD and forgo our relaxing pool day for DHS. Before we left I did stop back into the photo store and get the Aladdin picture frame for Maddie’s BBB photo, and since we’d made up we got DD’s daily stuffed animal as well. Lotso it was ( “Smell him Mommy! Strawberries!” All. The. Time).

Bryan had made the decision to skip his much anticipated lunch at Earl of Sandwich knowing that it wouldn’t be Maddie’s favorite and with one snarky word from her we could be back to square one. She and I are so much alike and so stubborn—sometimes it can take us both a little while to really calm down.

I suspect that Bryan will play a lot of golf when Maddie hits her teenage years.

As we walked toward the bus stop, we weighed our options. Taking the bus to POFQ and then bussing to DHS was out because it sometimes takes as long as 30 minutes for a boat to arrive. We decided that we’d take the bus for either BW/BC or CBR whichever came first.

A bus bound for the Swan/Dolphin/Boardwalk/Beach Club/Yacht Club arrived within 5 minutes and we got on it. It always seems to take 4 years to actually leave the DTD area and this day was no exception. The bus was on it’s way to one of the water parks when Maddie uttered the words that no parent wants to hear when trapped on a bus that will be making a minimum of 6 stops—“Mommy, I have to go potty”.

We’d be getting off at the very first resort stop.

That resort ended up being the Swan or Dolphin (which one is next door to the BWI?). We’ve never been to the Swan or Dolphin, and my impression of the hotel was that it was very nice. The kind of place we’d be happy to stay at in almost any major city—just not at WDW. There was no magic, no smiling CMs, nothing that really said Disney.

I think it's the Dolphin. Right?

After a bit of effort we finally found the ladies room (the employee that we asked for directions simply pointed, didn’t actually speak to us). We left the resort through the back thinking that we’d simply walk to DHS since we were so close, but we got turned around again outside. Again we asked some people working how to get back to the walking path, but they pretended not to speak English until it was obvious that we weren’t walking away. Then they begrudgingly told us to “go that way”. So, not a great first impression of the Swan or Dolphin.

We saw this and knew we were heading in the right direction

​

Eventually we did find the walking path, and as it turns out the walk to DHS is much less relaxing than we remembered. Bryan and I stayed at the Boardwalk Inn on our honeymoon, and took that path often. 8 years later carrying a full backpack and pushing 50 pounds of princess in an umbrella stroller, the walk seemed to take years. Maddie had lots of fun waving to the boat captains as they passed though!

Taunting us in the distance. It seems so close!

Eventually we did make it to DHS. We noticed right away that there were still TSMM Fast Passes available –at 2pm! This is really the time of year to visit! However, the return time was 9 pm, and we’d be long gone by then.

Doesn't the palm tree look like a little pom-pom on top of the hat?

​

Our first order of business was finding some food. Bryan’s mind had been made up since way back at DTD when I uttered 2 simple words.

Pizza Planet.

He figured that Maddie would love it and the atmosphere combined with some much needed food would be just what the doctor ordered for restoring harmony to our little group. And, Bryan actually likes bad pizza. This is the guy who’d been willingly sampling pizza from the kid’s section of every buffet we encountered.

So, Pizza Planet. With a Deluxe Dining Credit.

Bryan and I both got cheese pizza with Caesar salad, and DD got cheese pizza with grapes. I’m pretty sure that we got 3 cookies for dessert.

The food wasn’t too bad! I’m not a pizza snob (though I’m not sure that I could ever wrap my mind around folding my pizza in half before eating it) but I thought that the pizza was pretty good. I am kind of a Caesar salad snob though, and the salad was not good. Neither was the cookie. But, it did the trick. We had food in our stomachs, and had taken a much needed 30 minutes to sit and relax.

While we were eating, I glanced at the receipt for our food and noticed that we were 6 dining credits short. Having read about DDP credit mix-ups on both Nebo and Kimberly’s TRs, I was ready to spring into action. I was looking up the phone number for CBR on my phone (terrible internet connections at WDW!) when DH saved the day. He realized that when he picked up the tickets for the Luau, the dining credits had likely been deducted right then and there. I knew he was probably right, but we agreed to keep an eye on the credits the next day to be sure.

Maddie and I decided to get into our map for a bit while we formulated our plan for the afternoon.

So there we were having a bonus park day with no plans whatsoever and at the worst time of day to try to gather FPs. What on earth would we do?

 

[shan23877]

Oh, sure. I like all kinds.

Uh... I gotta be careful there. Last time I posted something like that, the tag fairy noticed.

 

[amandaw]

How frustrating those CM's at the Swan or Dolphin must have been!

Glad y'all were able to make it to DHS though. I had a feeling Pizza Planet was going to be the choice for lunch. It may not have been the best use of a DXDP credit but at least y'all were full & happy!

Love that picture of you & Maddie! Can't wait to see what y'all did at the park.

 

[disney-inspired]

To me, when you can't remember the name of the hotel it is NOT Disney status. I mean, really, does anyone staying at the AKL ever forget and say "Uhm, the one with the animals, like it's a zoo but more like Africa"? NO. I doubt I'll ever stay in the Swan, Dolphin, BLT or Contemporary because they have no character.

I want to plan a "rest day" but I fear I'll end up in the same boat, in a park without a plan.

Waiting for more

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Glad to hear that the crowds were pretty manageable for you guys!!! The resort next to the Boardwalk is the Swan, but it looks like your picture is of the Dolphin. I've stayed at the Swan a bunch of times (it's my parents' favorite place to stay), and while it is nice, it does lack the whole "Disney" atmosphere we all love!

(HOWEVER - the Dolphin does have a kind of awesome retro-ish candy store in it, Sugar3 (sugar cubed - I can't figure out how to do the raised number here) that we love to stop in!)

 

[Caretames1]

John has his heart set on Pizza Planet, and in Sept Kadence wanted to eat there so bad, but we had an ADR at Sci Fi,. We'll most likely be eating there in Nov. As long as it's edible, I'll live.

How long of a walk is it from DHS to the Beach Club? Is walking to best way to get there? I have a 10:30am ADR there on a DHS day. Is the walking path before you go into the park?

Too many questions this morning!

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

I've gotta admit--I like bad pizza, too. I mean, it's a totally different taste experience to eat dollar frozen pizzas than it is to eat a nice gourmet pizza, which I also love. I guess I just love pizza, period. So American. My kids love it, too. In fact, 2/3 of them are STILL sick with the dang stomach virus (forget the "we're getting better" in my last update, because my kids enjoyed proving me wrong as soon as I posted) and STILL keep requesting pizza.

When I was little, my parents and I stayed at the Swan for one night, I think, and went to Universal for a day. Don't ask why we stayed all the way over there, but we did. I remember thinking that it was really fancy, but really boring, and I thought all the staff were grumpy and didn't like me because I was a kid and they hated kids. True story. And this was years and years and years ago! Guess that goes for the Dolphin, too, huh? That lady who pointed at the bathroom without speaking might have pushed me over the edge. I'm so super nice...until I'm not.

 

[megan511]

Oh Pizza Planet.

We haven't been back there since our first trip in 2010. We could NOT get Anthony out of there! We are at Disney World and all he wanted was to play those arcade games. Since then we have tried to avoid that area of the park

Those pics of you and Maddie are great. Love you two consulting the map!

ETA: I hate that the staff at the Swan/Dolphin were so rude. Seems like they needed to be slapped with some pixie dust!

 

[amandaw]

Oh Pizza Planet.

We haven't been back there since our first trip in 2010. We could NOT get Anthony out of there! We are at Disney World and all he wanted was to play those arcade games. Since then we have tried to avoid that area of the park

I am so afraid of this exact scenario. Reid really wants to eat there in Oct. once he heard me say that DHS had a Pizza Planet. I told him we could & he asked if there were arcade games. I told him yes but we could only play a few. I'm not worried about the spending money aspect of it - he's still little enough that he will "play" the games without me putting money in the machine. But, I'm so afraid we're going to get stuck in there longer than I would like or I'll have to drag him out of there kicking & screaming.

 

[mickeystoontown]

How unfortunate that the CMs at the Dolphin Resort weren't very nice. That's not a situation you want to be in when your little one has to go potty or trying to find your way to the park.

Pizza Planet! There really aren't that many good counter service restaurants at Hollywood Studios so 9 times out of 10, end up there too.

The last pic of you and Maddie is so cute! Love it!

 

[megan511]

I am so afraid of this exact scenario. Reid really wants to eat there in Oct. once he heard me say that DHS had a Pizza Planet. I told him we could & he asked if there were arcade games. I told him yes but we could only play a few. I'm not worried about the spending money aspect of it - he's still little enough that he will "play" the games without me putting money in the machine. But, I'm so afraid we're going to get stuck in there longer than I would like or I'll have to drag him out of there kicking & screaming.

We did the same thing. I think Anthony only actually "played" one game. After that it was just standing there pretending. We did have to tell him Pizza Planet was closing to get him out of there and he was a grump. Granted this was 2 1/2 years ago and Anthony didn't meet any of the height requirements at DHS for the bigger rides. Hopefully Reid will be excited about other things too and you will have an easier time!

 

[cheekypoppins]

AWE She's beautiful!!!!! Um I think your MIL and my mom must be related LOl.(wish me luck,I have 6 nights in WDW with her coming up) I love your report so far!!!

 

[afwdwfan]

The silent treatment at the swolphin really goes to show you how much better Disney does things. If you had been at one of their resorts, they wouldn't just point in a general direction!

I think I might be kind of like Bryan when it comes to bad pizza. I tend to sample it at the buffets too. I guess my opinion is that there are really 2 types of pizza. Good pizza (a place like Via Napoli) and pizza (chain places, etc.). Pizza Planet is clearly pizza. I can't knock it though, I eat there every once in a while.

 

[amandaw]

We did the same thing. I think Anthony only actually "played" one game. After that it was just standing there pretending. We did have to tell him Pizza Planet was closing to get him out of there and he was a grump. Granted this was 2 1/2 years ago and Anthony didn't meet any of the height requirements at DHS for the bigger rides. Hopefully Reid will be excited about other things too and you will have an easier time!

Here's to hoping I can bribe him to leave with an offer of riding Star Tours again!! LOL!

 

[shan23877]

Here's to hoping I can bribe him to leave with an offer of riding Star Tours again!! LOL!

I'm sure that I'm not going to take away from the next update by telling you that's exactly what we did with Maddie!

 

[marDgreen88]

I really don't understand the swolphin. Like, why is it even on property? What is the purpose? I agree that it looks nice, but it's just so un-Disney. I feel like since the CMs actually work on Disney property, they should at least be nice. Sigh.

Hahaha, Pizza Planet. I was expecting ABC Commissary or something! I've heard terrible things about that place. At least the food did the trick!

 

[megan511]

Here's to hoping I can bribe him to leave with an offer of riding Star Tours again!! LOL!

I hope that works!

I'm sure that I'm not going to take away from the next update by telling you that's exactly what we did with Maddie!

Pizza Planet is a time sucker! Never mind that they have the exact same games almost anywhere