Why, My Little Guppy Has Groupies! - A Dec. 2013 TR *Completed

[IheartDDuck]

Girl let me tell you. Sometimes, all we need is a nap. And more than 15 minutes.

Ewww, rocks at the playground. That's no good.

Whatever happened to tanbark? I mean, for real. The worst thing that happened with tanbark is that you got one in your hand or knee. Better than the alternative.

Wow, that's cool that the CM let you change your FP return time. There is definite flexibility in the program. I'm a fan. I mean, there are drawbacks, but I'm definitely a fan of it.

Bahahaha, oh man, Landon's face. Get your hair OUT OF MY FACE!

Oh no! Spending that much to just park it on Main Street? Oh man, I don't know....

 

[olafgypsy]

Aw, I feel kind of bad for Rapunzel...trying too hard! I bet some kid in the past went nuts over her hair and now she thinks that's the key to all babies' hearts.

My son totally does the "push it away from my mouth, get it outta my sight, I don't even wanna have to SEE it," mainly when we're trying to get him to eat anything other than a hot dog, and if we force the issue then WATCH OUT: hysterical meltdown. So I can relate to you wanting to make a hasty exit at that ominous sign from Landon. Very wise, mama!

I am NOT liking the sound of these MVMCP crowds. I can not imagine being stuck in the same spot on Main Street with a baby for three hours. So I am really hoping this is a fake-out and you go on to have a great party. On the edge of my seat here.

Also: I thought the first week of December was a slow period at Disney?

 

[teekathepony]

Glad you got your nap and were all refreshed for the evening!
How sweet that the cm let you in the Fastpass line even after your FP expired, that really sweet.
I love Repunzel too! And for all the same reasons. She brought princesses back!
However... That Repunzel... That's kind of strange to keep shoving the hair in poor Landon's face. Try it once, sure, but it's not hard to tell when a baby isn't thrilled.
Snow White sounds like she was lovely though! And she's so adorable, love that pic of you all with her, so sweet.
Ohhhh no, I hate when that happens and you basically get stuck in one spot if you want to see the fireworks or shows. I don't much like the sound of the next chapter title! Hope the evening goes well!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[amazingact21]

There is something just WRONG with this picture! I don't blame Landon for not wanting to be around all that hair and there goes Rapunzel forcing it on him! It looks like some kind of animal. Yuck! I'm surprised he didn't start crying right then and there. I sure would have.

Ahhh - the sold out Christmas party. I attended one of those. It was rough, I agree. I sometimes wonder if that's why I have always preferred the Halloween party over the Christmas party. I do hope things improve.

Yay for a 1 hour nap!

It does seem strange to see the pool totally empty!

Rapunzel was being a little too in your face for us. Other kids might have liked that, but Landon definitely did not.


While I've only attended each party once, I do have to say the Halloween one did seem much emptier than the Christmas party. Maybe less people visit Disney during the fall?

Alex does look bored... but that is one heck of a hat!!

Wow the pool. Granted I'm never back at POP in the middle of the day but that can't be normal. And I honestly don't remember a day below 80.

See Landon and I would get along great. He is just clearly an Ariel guy.

YES MOVE IT SHAKE IT and yes YOU CANNOT NOT STOP!!!! Or at least I cannot not stop. And that's exactly what it does. It just makes you happy.

Hmmm, This was December 5th right? At first I was thinking this was the party I was at, but I was at the the one on the 6th. So for a bit there I was surprised because I had no crowd issues at all despite a sold out party. Now I see it was a different party... and the next update sounds pretty ominous.

Alex was certainly rocking that baby hat. You know he must have been pretty bored if he was wearing Landon's stuff.


Yeah, the 5th was definitely not the night to attend to the Christmas Party. It was sort of nuts there. However, if I remember correctly, the 3rd, 5th, and 6th were all sold out. It was a busy week at Disney!

That's really great that the CM was able to override and let you back in. I did find that while I miss the old FP system, FP+ did have its advantages too.

I'm sure you know how much I love Rapunzel myself, but well...it's all about the performer, and it sounds like you didn't get a good one! Disappointing, but that's good that your Snow experience was better and she got Landon to crack a smile. She definitely looks the part!

YIKES! Those crowds on Main Street are frightening! What a bummer that you were basically forced to spend the party sitting on the curb to hold your spot. Definitely NOT what you want to have spent all that money for.

Before we'd left for the party, we all kind of mapped out what we wanted to see/do at the party. On the top of the list for everyone was the parade, followed by the fireworks. So, we all realized if we wanted to see our top priorities, we'd have to wait it out. Not going to lie, it kind of stunk to have to do that, but that was the way it ended up being.

Love that Alex is wearing Landon's hat in the pic. Nice of him to spend that father/son time so you could power nap (and he did chores too! )

That is really strange the pool was empty. Almost makes me wonder if they evacuated and closed it? Really odd.

Aw, too bad Rapunzel was overly hair-aggressive, but I'm glad that Snow White made up for it! Also nice that you were able to get your FP time changed.

That party and the curb-waiting scares me.

I couldn't help but laugh when I saw Alex sporting Landon's hat down by the pool. We'd actually had to buy that thing the day before in the Pop gift shop, because we weren't anticipating the sun to be so brutal in December. We bought it really big, though, and he actually still uses it as his beach hat, so I guess it was well worth the money.


We were not expecting the mayhem that ensues due to the party, that's for sure!

 

[amazingact21]

Girl let me tell you. Sometimes, all we need is a nap. And more than 15 minutes.

Ewww, rocks at the playground. That's no good.

Whatever happened to tanbark? I mean, for real. The worst thing that happened with tanbark is that you got one in your hand or knee. Better than the alternative.

Wow, that's cool that the CM let you change your FP return time. There is definite flexibility in the program. I'm a fan. I mean, there are drawbacks, but I'm definitely a fan of it.

Bahahaha, oh man, Landon's face. Get your hair OUT OF MY FACE!

Oh no! Spending that much to just park it on Main Street? Oh man, I don't know....

Rapunzel was a little much that night. She just kept patting her hair, I guess thinking the more she did it, the more Landon would want to touch it.

The party didn't exactly start as we planned, but sometimes you can't predict how Disney events are going to be.

Aw, I feel kind of bad for Rapunzel...trying too hard! I bet some kid in the past went nuts over her hair and now she thinks that's the key to all babies' hearts.

My son totally does the "push it away from my mouth, get it outta my sight, I don't even wanna have to SEE it," mainly when we're trying to get him to eat anything other than a hot dog, and if we force the issue then WATCH OUT: hysterical meltdown. So I can relate to you wanting to make a hasty exit at that ominous sign from Landon. Very wise, mama!

I am NOT liking the sound of these MVMCP crowds. I can not imagine being stuck in the same spot on Main Street with a baby for three hours. So I am really hoping this is a fake-out and you go on to have a great party. On the edge of my seat here.

Also: I thought the first week of December was a slow period at Disney?

I'm sure you're right about Rapunzel and her hair. I imagine older kids go crazy over it, since it's her signature look and all, and if you're not experienced with kids, you might not realize what one little one loves another might hate.


I was under the impression that the first week in December was slow, too. But a lot of factors played into that particular week. There wasn't a normal week gap between Thanksgiving and December, like there normally is. So a lot of holiday visitors stuck around.
There was Pp Warner week, a cheerleading competition, the parade taping, and free dining was extended through those dates.
After I got back, some Disney blog discussed how the estimated 5 and 6 level crowds turned out to be 7s and 8s. Completely unpredicatable.

Glad you got your nap and were all refreshed for the evening!
How sweet that the cm let you in the Fastpass line even after your FP expired, that really sweet.
I love Repunzel too! And for all the same reasons. She brought princesses back!
However... That Repunzel... That's kind of strange to keep shoving the hair in poor Landon's face. Try it once, sure, but it's not hard to tell when a baby isn't thrilled.
Snow White sounds like she was lovely though! And she's so adorable, love that pic of you all with her, so sweet.
Ohhhh no, I hate when that happens and you basically get stuck in one spot if you want to see the fireworks or shows. I don't much like the sound of the next chapter title! Hope the evening goes well!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

I don't know what was going on with Rapunzel that night.

You should have seen our faces when the Celebrate It parade ended. We scanned the crowds, thinking people were going to start leaving in huge groups, like they normally do. When they didn't, we all became a little panicky. In fact, I think the guests as a whole were sort of shocked nobody was leaving. It was like all hundred of us got the memo to grab an early seat for the shows. None of us expected so many people to plan ahead.

 

[USAFdad]

Landon didn't want his hat because he could not see the bowling balls he was trying to play with. What kind of father would I be if I had told him no matter how hard he tried he couldn't get them off the shelf. That and it would have been very uncool for me to just throw his hat on the floor since he wasn't using it. I think I had tried a few other objects in the area but he really took to the bowling balls.

Alex hates staying back at the resort, and my mom prefers the pool to the crowds, so it's hard for me to find that balance.

By the way, our tickers are off by, like, 3 days. Don't cruises usually leave on Mondays? At least the 3 day ones? Oh, wait, perhaps it's Thursdays. Drat. That would do it.

I don't hate it I just know there are better things we could be doing with our time.

The ticker is very broad so it cant be wrong..... not to mention I am hoping it can happen before they expire.

Alex swears he never wants to not be a passholder again, either. Unfortunately, it's looking like 2015 might have to be a break year for us. We will get to do a Disney cruise though, so no complaints.

I am ok not being a passholder if it means we are just waiting to renew next time we go. The perks make it so worth it like getting a little Mickey Mail always awesome!

 

[afwdwfan]

The two of us needed more sleep. Bad time. So, I basically thrust Landon on Alex and told him to strengthen his father/son bond within Pop Century's laundry room.

Yep... when we think about fun times at Disney World, this is certainly the top of the list...

I mean, I understand that there's really no good ground type for a playground.
Sand gets everywhere, that soft spongey type of foam warms up to a thousand degrees, and regular cement just invites kids to crack their skulls on its surface.

What's wrong with simple sod. I mean you've got the occasional grass stain, but it isn't as hard as concrete and none of those "softer" materials are truly 100% fall safe anyway. I mean, back in my day, when I was climbing around on playsets, that's what we had.

“You guys are half an hour late. Your passes were for 2:55-3:55pm.”

From afar, Rapunzel seemed pretty cool, another pretty lady to smile at and win over. But then she shoved her hair in his face and WHOA!

What the heck was she thinking??? Yeah, I'd be a little bit creeped out by that. I mean, really???

When Landon finally relented and cracked his first smile at her, she made a big deal over it and exclaimed, “Oh, I’m going to have to tell Bashful he has a twin!”

But thankfully, Snow White saved the day. It looks like that's just what Landon needed!

I guess it’s official now.
I have now waited too long to write my updates.
This is the first time I’ve forgotten something about my trip; guess I need to start writing more frequently!

The idea really bummed us all out. None of us wanted to see our 60 dollar tickets being spent on a sidewalk for three straight hours, but unfortunately that was what our fellow guests at the party had decided on.

Yuck... that's about the point I'd make the decision to show up later and watch from farther back or find a spot in Frontierland later on. But I admittedly have no patience.

I don't hate it I just know there are better things we could be doing with our time.

Exactly! I'd enjoy a nice resort day if I wasn't thinking of how little time I had on property and how many things there are that I want to do!

 

[Marsheliz]

Oh no, Not a fan of Rapunzel at all, huh?
That's funny about your mom dropping the hint.. #awkward

That is strange that the pool was totally deserted.

The next chapter has peaked my curiosity!

Do you use photobucket for your pics? Mine has been acting up & I'm looking for a new site.

 

[amazingact21]

Landon didn't want his hat because he could not see the bowling balls he was trying to play with. What kind of father would I be if I had told him no matter how hard he tried he couldn't get them off the shelf. That and it would have been very uncool for me to just throw his hat on the floor since he wasn't using it. I think I had tried a few other objects in the area but he really took to the bowling balls.


I don't hate it I just know there are better things we could be doing with our time.

The ticker is very broad so it cant be wrong..... not to mention I am hoping it can happen before they expire.


I am ok not being a passholder if it means we are just waiting to renew next time we go. The perks make it so worth it like getting a little Mickey Mail always awesome!

You mean the Mickey Monitors that you hoard in your backpack?? How many were in there? 3?


I agree, not being a passholder will be fine so long as we are saving up for an epic Disney trip. I'm still saying the fall of 2015. Obviously, other things have to fall in place. But we'll see.

What's wrong with simple sod. I mean you've got the occasional grass stain, but it isn't as hard as concrete and none of those "softer" materials are truly 100% fall safe anyway. I mean, back in my day, when I was climbing around on playsets, that's what we had.

I agree. Anything would be better than rocks, though. We couldn't get over why anyone would want kids to walk/fall on/sit on rocks...

What the heck was she thinking??? Yeah, I'd be a little bit creeped out by that. I mean, really???


But thankfully, Snow White saved the day. It looks like that's just what Landon needed!

She was the strangest princess I'd ever met.

Exactly! I'd enjoy a nice resort day if I wasn't thinking of how little time I had on property and how many things there are that I want to do!

Alex promises me we can have down days at the resort if we stay longer than a week. Anything shorter than that and we're wasting precious vacation time.
In his defense, we do live near the beach, and in his mind, I can have a relaxing day near the water when I'm at home. So I get it...kind of.

Oh no, Not a fan of Rapunzel at all, huh?
That's funny about your mom dropping the hint.. #awkward

That is strange that the pool was totally deserted.

The next chapter has peaked my curiosity!

Do you use photobucket for your pics? Mine has been acting up & I'm looking for a new site.

I do use Photobucket. I know some people use Flickr, so maybe you can try that website. Photobucket likes to give me a hard time every once in awhile. I usually just close out and wait until another time to update. But, I also just don't have the patience to deal with cranky websites.

 

[amazingact21]

This will be a really quick update for your Friday afternoon (or whenever you are reading this). We're getting down to the wire here at my house in regards to Alex leaving, so things have been a bit crazy. I've been trying to catch up on updates a few times a week during Landon's naptime, but you guys are just too darn good and post very consistently. So, I apologize if it's taken me longer than normal to read your posts, I get through them, slowly but surely!



Thursday, December 5th, 2013:

Being forced to sit in place for what was sure to be a very long amount of time naturally made Landon want nothing more than move around. He would need a diaper change and some food soon, anyways, so I figured there wouldn't be any harm in me getting up and taking him somewhere less crowded.

Before I moved, though, I told Alex, "Two people need to stay on this curb at all times. I have a feeling this place is going to be a madhouse, and I don't think one person can hold off some of the pushier guests."

Alex came back with, "I can handle it. If your mom wants to go with you, I'll wait here with the stuff."

My mom chirped in, "No, I'm good. I don't want to fight the crowds. I'd rather just hang out here and know my spot's secure."

"Okie dokie. Alex..." I stared at him pointedly. "Two people need to be here. DO NOT LEAVE until I get back."





Feeling secure that I gave Alex my best "mean wife, I'm not kidding around" voice, I carried Landon off for a bit of fun.

For the first time the entire trip, it was just me and the baby, and I gotta say, it was kind of awesome.

We jaunted through a bit of Tomorrowland, dancing to some of the music that was spilling out of one of the dance parties. We strolled past the teacups then into Storybook Circus.

I glanced up at the standby time for Dumbo, and because it was just past 7 o'clock, the wait was down to 10 minutes.

Hmmm.

I looked at Landon, then looked at Dumbo, then looked back to Landon.

"Let's do it, Bud!"


It wasn't even ten minutes before we hopped on a flying elephant and got an ariel view of the Magic Kingdom in the early nighttime hours. I tried to take some pictures of our experience, but holding an infant and trying to balance a camera turned out to be one skill I did not have in my toolbox.

Since Dumbo took such a short amount of time, and Landon seemed to be in a great mood, I figured what the heck, let's keep the party going with a ride on the carousel. And just like the two previous times, the baby got a kick out it.


Walking behind the castle, back towards the teacups and the Merida meet and greet area, I was completely overwhelmed with the Disney magic. It was just me and my kid, enjoying the Magic Kingdom.
As a parent, you dream of those moments. The ones where nothing on earth could make you happier, where you just wish time would stand still and you could hold on to that feeling for a second or two longer.

Being in Disney World with a son of my own, knowing I was now that type of guest, the one who would do anything to see their little one break into a smile, it just changed my perception of the parks and vacations, and I couldn't help but tear up a bit as I made my way to a diaper changing station. It was simply knowing that I was getting the opportunity to teach a whole new generation the magic and wonder of the world. That, as a parent, I could tell Landon one day that his (hopeful) love of all things Disney started when he was 7 months old.




And, I wasn't going to lie, getting a few minutes alone with Landon was something special. It felt like a little treat. Some one on one time where I wasn't hogging the baby's attention.

I even stopped on the way back to get a few pictures to memorialize the time:




The guy who took my pictures at the PP location kind of irked me, though. When it was my turn in line, I handed the man my photopass card and went and stood in the designated spot. He turned around behind him, then said, "Just you?"

I wanted to be like, "Yes, it's just me. Am I expected to have a partner with me? What if it's just me? What if I am a single parent? Or divorced? Or attending the party without my family?"

Just the way the guy asked the question, almost in a derogatory manner, made me want to give him a piece of my mind. If I were actually on the trip by myself, I would have felt embarrassed and guilty, like I should've thought more about finding a trip partner.

And nobody should have to feel like that at Disney. I get that 99% of folks who go to Disney with an infant tend to have backup, but that doesn't mean they are required to travel that way. Honestly, if the opportunity had ever arisen where Alex and I could have taken a quick trip with the baby solo, we wouldn't have hesitated to go.

I'll get off that soap box now, but I just felt the need to include it, because it still grates on my nerves 7 months later.



Before the pictures, I had stopped to get Landon situated and while doing that, I noticed I had a voicemail from my mother. I listened to it, and it went something along the lines of, "Okay, either you or Alex need to come back IMMEDIATELY. I don't think I can hold your spots much longer."

She sounded panicked and stressed and definitely not Disney-like.

I hoofed it back to Main Street to see my mom and Alex sitting in our seats, looking very agitated.

"What's up?"

My mom switched spots with Alex and began whispering her adventure to me.

"Shortly after you left, Alex asked if he could run to one of the pin shops and check out the party merchandise. Well, while he was gone the family that's sitting behind you now, began moving our bags and strollers to try and take your seats. I kept telling them they were reserved but they still tried grabbing the bags. They probably would have succeeded if that nice guy sitting next to us didn't jump up to help. He sort of pushed them back and very firmly told them those were people's things and that they couldn't just touch them."

WHAT?!


By the end of the story, my poor mom was almost in tears. She was talking about how she'd have felt awful if she'd lost our spots, because she knew we'd be disappointed and how it stressed her out to have complete strangers virtually manhandling our junk. At one point she joked, "I thought it was going to come to blows!"



And even though the family didn't succeed in getting our curb seats, they had managed to push us as far forward as possible and moved our stroller to the side of me, so that it was wedged in between myself and a trash can, when it was originally behind us so that we could put a sleeping baby inside of it. They were shoving their knees and feet into our backs and kicking us constantly.

To say I was livid was an understatement.

Talk about the worst Disney etiquette ever.


I was pretty disappointed in humanity in general right then and there, but more than anything, I was in a rage at Alex. I told my mom and him to switch places, then proceeded to lay into him pretty hard and pretty colorfully.

By no means my best Disney behavior (or my best behavior, period) but all I kept picturing was my poor mother crying and helpless as she held onto our bags for dear life and looked around for someone, anyone to help her out.

I basically kept saying to Alex, "I told you to stay in this spot for that very reason! Why would you leave after I told you not to?!"


That was, by far, the worst moment of the Disney trip. A complete low point for all of us, and something that I hated even writing about, simply because I didn't want to think about it again. To have to remind myself that my mom had to deal with such rude people all by herself does not shine a high light on our memories, and so with that, I'm gladly moving on.



Landon made short work of his dad's lap and did what he does best: sleep.






We had an hour and a half to kill, and the time passed by slowly. I kept taking pictures of the street, just to have something to do.






And the castle:






Landon moved to a more comfortable position:





About 30 minutes before the parade, a couple walked up to our spot and stood in front of the trash can. This poor Cast Member walked past them about four times before she finally walked over and explained that, due to fire safety reasons, they could not stand there during the parade.

The man and woman put up what I guess you could call an argument about that rule. (It was more un-Disney friendly words and opinions.) Then, the woman looked down at me and the stroller, shot me this drop dead look, waited a few seconds, rolled her eyes, then walked away.

What in the?!


My mom and I looked at each other because she'd witnessed the death glare, too.

Apparently, it was our fault they had to move locations.


The people that were in Disney that night...I'm telling you guys, they were in rare form.

We apparently had a big sign above us the said "Confront us, please! We love unnecessary drama at Disney!"

It was crazy, ya'll.


Shortly before the parade was due to reach us, we coaxed the baby to wake up so that he could watch. He'd gotten a good 2 hours of sleep, so we didn't feel guilty waking up a sleeping baby.



Continued in Next Post:

 

[amazingact21]

Continued From Previous Post:

Sitting on Main Street, my family and I heard a commotion to our right.

The parade had reached us!

First up, were our friends from the 100 Acre Woods. The best thing about seeing these guys was hearing the beginning of the Once Upon a Christmastime soundtrack. The holiday tunes immediately made me forget all the trouble those guests behind us had caused, and I became immersed in the spirit of the season.

Does any other parade have such a happy soundtrack? I'm not so sure.



Our spots on the parade route turned out to be excellent. We were constantly having characters stop right in front of us and wave hello.

The Mad Hatter and Peter Pan apparently had a disagreement, because in the picture below it looks like Mad Hatter's about to knock Peter out.



Perhaps Peter tried to move his backpack...




Next up came the main man, himself, accompanied by his number one leading lady:





And right behind them was Mickey's Number 2.





It was after about that third float that Landon picked up on the system. He realized that these massive moving light shows would pass before him then keep going, and that if he looked to the right, more would come. It was the best thing ever! An endless stream of entertainment!




My parade viewing then became a pattern of looking at the floats coming my way, then whipping my head (and camera) around to watch Landon take in the parade. His fascination over the music and the characters was incredible. He was so caught up in the celebration that I don't think anything could have broken his concentration.


We all watched Chip and Dale conduct an intense snow ball fight. And made sure our toes were out of the path of the dwarfs:





Before long, Landon's favorite ladies began making their appearances. (Both Snow and Cinderella waved hello to their biggest admirer. Of course, Landon was too distracted by the horses to notice Cinderella. Sorry, Cindy, your horses were much too fascinating.)

Then, several of the princesses walked up on foot with their princes. This was probably only the second time I'd ever seen the princes in the park, so I was super excited to see some characters I didn't get to interact with on a normal trip.


My camera was drawn to Aladdin and his impressive headdress, apparently, because those are the only photos I have from that point in the parade.




If you'll notice in that last picture, though, Ariel and Eric were in the back of the pack, saying hello to folks.

This was the point in the show that I wish I'd had my video camera out or at least had my camera poised and ready, because the best moment of the day, almost the whole trip, happened.

Eric was walking up the middle of the street, casually moving along. I'm pretty sure he needed to be getting to his next mark, because the next float was rounding the bend. Eric waved and waved, hello, hello, then he turned our way and started to do a casual head nod.

At the last second he saw Landon (we quickly discovered with this parade that a baby with glasses sort of sticks out in a crowd. He didn't want for attention.). Eric rushed over to Ariel, who was looking on the opposite side of the street, dragged her over to us, and began waving and pointing like a madman. Ariel wasn't paying attention so he began tapping her on the shoulder and pointing with even more conviction.

He had the biggest smile on his face and was even staring back at us as he walked on by. Then, we saw him whisper to Ariel in a really fast whisper. She turned around at the last second and looked around, not spotting whatever she was looking for.

As soon as the two were out of sight, I turned to Alex and said, "Please tell me you saw that!"

He hadn't!

But my mom leaned over and went, "I did! That guy was so excited to see a baby with glasses."

Later, the two of us discussed how overenthusiastic Eric was at seeing Landon. You could tell he was astounded at the sight and probably got backstage and said to Ariel, "You should have seen that kid with glasses! He was just a baby!"


You hear about that special treatment guests get at Disney all the time, but that was the first time my family can say we felt singled out in a show or parade. There were dozens of other people screaming Eric's name, and out of everybody he was carrying out a scene with us.

He was so over the top about his amazement that other guests were looking over at us. In a way it was embarrassing, and I did feel guilty that other people were missing that one on one interaction, but on the other hand...it was so cool!


I looked over at Landon and told him, "Well, it's official, Landon. I think Ariel and Eric are going to adopt you."



My little guppy had found his Disney film realm, and I wasn't complaining about the choice. I guess if I was going to lose my kid to any Disney royalty, at least it would be to my favorite Disney couple. Small favors...



The rest of the parade continued on with my mom and I in this giddy Disney high. The toy soldiers were next, and none of us were expecting the grandeur of them at all.




They are towering things, especially from our sitting position on the curb. They overshadow you with their supersized bodies, and the sound of their clomping overwhelms you.

We had no idea just how loud their feet sounded on the street.

It was deep and resonant and can be felt vibrating your rib cage.
It'll stop you in your tracks.


All three of us agreed that those toy soldiers were our favorite part of the parade.
Each of the Disney parades has that one thing that stands out to us; in the Boo to You one it's the shovels on the street, in Once Upon a Christmastime it was now that.



Shortly after that the big guy in red rode by in his sleigh:






Bringing presents Landon could only dream of receiving:






And with that, the Once Upon a Christmastime Parade was finished.


I was glad to have finally seen it in person, and I could certainly see why men and women returned year after year to attend the Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. The entire show was an homage to the holidays and everything that makes that time of year sweet and special. It reminded me of wintertime and celebrations and encompassed the merriment of Christmas with the magic of Disney characters.


In my mind, having just watched it, I couldn't think of a better combination of two joyous concepts.

Disney and Christmas.

Well done, Disney. Well done.




Up Next: 'Tis the Season to Be Cheery

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Uh oh... I think I see where this is going and I'm thinking Alex may need to duck.

FYI, I would also tear up heading to the diaper changing station... but I suspect for a different reason.

Seriously though, I completely agree and understand the shear joy of watching your son light up and experience this wonderful place. I've only experienced a teeny tiny bit of what that is like so to take it to that whole other level must be a beautiful thing.

Oh my, given what I know, I'm sadly not at all surprised at the actions of the family in behind. Selfishness knows no bounds. And it looks as though it just continued on and on. I'm starting to think this may have been the night my CM friend got her spit in the face. It certainly seemed like that kind of night.

But YAY for the parade and bringing back the merriment.

And I have a theory on the Eric interaction. Having seen the sheer joy Landon displayed upon meeting her (like who can blame him) and her reaction to him, I sincerely believe that what Eric whispered to Ariel was something along the lines of "Is that the guy? Is that the one you were fawning over?" and based, in fact, on jealousy. And Ariel no sold it so as to avoid a confrontation. Of course this is just a theory...

 

[Marsheliz]

I love, love your description of your time alone with Landon, as I've been the same way with mine before... I need to ride Dumbo at night- its so colorful and looks so cool at night, maybe next time!

I felt that independent feeling on our trip 2 weeks ago too- I actually got some alone time to catch a bus and a monorail.. Sounds like no big deal but at the time, I was loving it..

I also had to come to blows with my DH on our September 2012 trip and it wasnt pretty.. He hurt her feelings and I was beyond livid.. No way to feel at the MK- for sure.

 

[amazingact21]

Uh oh... I think I see where this is going and I'm thinking Alex may need to duck.

FYI, I would also tear up heading to the diaper changing station... but I suspect for a different reason.

So what? No offers to babysit at any point in time?

Seriously though, I completely agree and understand the shear joy of watching your son light up and experience this wonderful place. I've only experienced a teeny tiny bit of what that is like so to take it to that whole other level must be a beautiful thing.

Having Landon on this trip certainly changed my entire experience with Disney. I don't think I'll quite look at certain things the same way again.

Oh my, given what I know, I'm sadly not at all surprised at the actions of the family in behind. Selfishness knows no bounds. And it looks as though it just continued on and on. I'm starting to think this may have been the night my CM friend got her spit in the face. It certainly seemed like that kind of night.

You know, anything was possible that night. I wouldn't be surprised if not your CM friend, then some other poor CM, got spit on. I really did feel like it people were showing the worst side of humanity and it was saddening.

And I have a theory on the Eric interaction. Having seen the sheer joy Landon displayed upon meeting her (like who can blame him) and her reaction to him, I sincerely believe that what Eric whispered to Ariel was something along the lines of "Is that the guy? Is that the one you were fawning over?" and based, in fact, on jealousy. And Ariel no sold it so as to avoid a confrontation. Of course this is just a theory...

That is a very valid theory. Eric was worried there for a second; he thought for sure he'd met his competition and was afraid at the cuteness he saw!

I love, love your description of your time alone with Landon, as I've been the same way with mine before... I need to ride Dumbo at night- its so colorful and looks so cool at night, maybe next time!

As a mom, I'm sure you understand exactly what I mean when I say how nice it was to get some one on one time with your boys. There's nothing like mother/son time!

I felt that independent feeling on our trip 2 weeks ago too- I actually got some alone time to catch a bus and a monorail.. Sounds like no big deal but at the time, I was loving it..

I also had to come to blows with my DH on our September 2012 trip and it wasnt pretty.. He hurt her feelings and I was beyond livid.. No way to feel at the MK- for sure.

Oh, that free time is so ice! You cherish it because you don't know when it'll come again.
I know husbands aren't perfect and make mistakes, but that doesn't mean we can't get mad at them! That's just the joy that comes with being married. There's gonna be those times, that's for sure!

 

[Dugette]

Grrrr....typed up a whole response and the DIS ate it!

Let's try again...

This update was really full of highs and lows!

So glad you got to spend that special one-on-one time with Landon! Magical moments there for sure!

That Photopass photographer needs to watch what he's saying. I had a whole story written up about how I relate and had a similar thing happen when I was in college and stopped at a waterpark alone while driving back to school - but I don't feel like re-typing it. So, suffice it to say, I understand those feelings and still remember them to this day.

Can't believe those rude people waiting for the parade! I'm a very non-confrontational person and I want to yell at them for you! I probably would have passive-aggressively stood up to watch the parade, just to spite them. The crowds that night in general just seem crazy - everyone sitting there so early for the parade - no wonder people were grumpy!

So glad that the parade was a success and Landon loved it so much! Super cute!

I'm thinking that Eric saw Landon's glasses and wanted to show Ariel the "thing-a-ma-bob". He probably thought the baby glasses would be a great addition to her collection of treasures!

Hope the rest of the night goes more smoothly and people are in better spirits!

 

[MEK]

Way to go from a high to a low to a high again!

I love that you got to sneak in a few mommy - son rides with Landon. I'm not sure what was up with the PP photographer. Maybe he figured someone else was going to suddenly appear for the picture with you and you were delaying him. IDK.

Then the parade fiasco. UGH. I never line up for parades. I just sort of look for a spot where I'm not in anyones way and I just look through the crowd of people in front of me. It just sounds so frustrating.

Love your pictures of the parade.

 

[USAFdad]

Ok so I'm trying to keep up better than normal.

I told you I wanted to try to go check and see if they had any of the party pins. Here is how it went for me.... sitting there looking at the time..... thinking wow it is taking her a long time to change that diaper. She knows I want to try to get one of the party pins. I asked your mom if she thought she could handle it too.

Exactly! I'd enjoy a nice resort day if I wasn't thinking of how little time I had on property and how many things there are that I want to do!

See I knew I wasn't alone in this.

You mean the Mickey Monitors that you hoard in your backpack?? How many were in there? 3?

I agree, not being a passholder will be fine so long as we are saving up for an epic Disney trip. I'm still saying the fall of 2015. Obviously, other things have to fall in place. But we'll see.

We have to make sure that we plan this early enough to get an O'hana reservation sooooo good!

 

[IheartDDuck]

Oh man. I'm reading the start of your update and I feel like I know where this is going.

I'm so glad you had time to do things with just Landon and yourself. I can see exactly why you would feel emotional about it.

Wait, what if it really was only you and Landon? What an odd thing for the PP photographer to say! Like you couldn't enjoy a trip with just him.

It's totally okay that you had an un-Disney moment. They happen. I've had plenty of them. Unfortunately, there are so many rude people out there, it just doesn't surprise me anymore.

Awww, Landon! I love that he enjoyed the parade so much.

That Eric interaction sounds so awesome. But I mean, come on. I've met him, Landon is totally the cutest ever. And is the cutest ever without glasses.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed the parade and that Landon became the center of attention with Prince Eric despite the rough lead-in events. We haven't see the Christmas parade but it looks like a lot of fun!

Sadly, I always observe those types of guest behavior before a parade at Disney. It's gotten to the point where now when I scope out a spot along the parade route that I look for some structural help that can help fortify our positions as the crowd behind us builds. Sometimes we sit next to a trash can, once I picked a spot to sit down on the curve right in front of a lamp post so that no one would come behind us, and once I picked out a spot in front of a planter. It makes it worth avoiding the aggravation.

 

[afwdwfan]

For the first time the entire trip, it was just me and the baby, and I gotta say, it was kind of awesome.

Totally understand. The couple of hours I had with DS one afternoon at MK alone last trip is probably one of the best memories I have from that trip.

I even stopped on the way back to get a few pictures to memorialize the time

Great picture. Even if you were smiling to hide your bewilderment and frustration with the photographer.

By the end of the story, my poor mom was almost in tears. She was talking about how she’d have felt awful if she’d lost our spots, because she knew we’d be disappointed and how it stressed her out to have complete strangers virtually manhandling our junk. At one point she joked, “I thought it was going to come to blows!”

Such a shame... I always hate it when something like this happens that puts a damper on a night or a trip. This is why I avoid waiting for parades at all costs. Even if it means standing the back with a kid on my shoulders.

I've got to say that your mom definitely went above and beyond. I think if I was in her situation trying to hold spots when everyone else was off somewhere else, I'd have reached the point where I'd just say "screw it, if nobody else wants to wait, I'm out of here." But that's just me. I've got to give her credit for sticking it out, and the other guy who stepped up to her defense. At least you can take that away from it. Despite the less pleasant experiences with humanity there are at least a few good ones out there still.

They were shoving their knees and feet into our backs and kicking us constantly.

Yep... stay classy with your passive aggressive behavior.

We had an hour and a half to kill, and the time passed by slowly.

All that and there's still an hour and a half.

Perhaps Peter tried to move his backpack….

It was after about that third float that Landon picked up on the system. He realized that these massive moving light shows would pass before him then keep going, and that if he looked to the right, more would come. It was the best thing ever! An endless stream of entertainment!

A stream of entertainment just for him.

I looked over at Landon and told him, “Well, it’s official, Landon. I think Ariel and Eric are going to adopt you.”

That really is cool! I'm glad he got some of that special attention... from Ariel and Eric even if it was in 2 separate instances. Too bad Ariel didn't quite pick up on what Eric was trying to show her.

In my mind, having just watched it, I couldn’t think of a better combination of two joyous concepts.


Disney and Christmas.


Well done, Disney. Well done.

And it totally outweighs the less than stellar moments from the evening, doesn't it?