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

[redhotariel]

I am thoroughly enjoying reading this TR. Nicely done thus far, can't wait for more! By the way, the "little guppy" has another groupie!

 

[amazingact21]

As much as I loved the photo ops in the queue for Woody and Buzz, I wish there was more room. Everything is so packed in that even trying to get a picture requires the occasional stepping on toes as you try to back up and fit the kids in the frame of the camera. And yes, I also noticed more of other children's behavior in such a tight space. Usually those CMs at the meet and greet spot are experts at intercepting stray children running into another family's meet and greet but I guess this one failed. Great meet and greet!

I could see where taking photos in that queue would be an issue. Everyone sort of just piles in there, and you end up having zero room to back up enough to get the props in the frame.
Disney needs to make a larger one!

Super cute pics!

Thank you!

Awesome update! I am so happy to hear that you had such a great meeting with Buzz and Woody. That little kid sounded obnoxious and I would be so annoyed with those parents. I have a 4-year old and he is expected to wait his turn and respect others people's space. I hate when parents just ignore or excuse their kids behavior.

Looking forward to see who you met next!

I get that kids will be kids. You can't expect them to be perfect and calm all the time. Sometimes, they need to let off a little steam. But I do expect to see the parents keep them in control and not let them constantly go crazy. Makes for a long wait with them, that's for sure.

Hey! That's today! Happy Birthday Landon!!!

Thanks!

WOW!

That was the worst starting wait time I'd ever seen for TSMM.

I totally understand the frustration of trying to keep an energetic 3 year old occupied, but how about at least giving it the slightest bit of effort????

Exactly. I get that kids are going to be kids, but the least the parents could have done was apologize or try and stop their kid.

I'm glad that you realize that now and have realistic expectations!

Oh, definitely. This is going to be a whole new adventure.
The worst part will be walking about 2 feet a minute, because Landon is going to insist on walking around some.
I can see it now, "It took us 3 and a half hours to get from Peter Pan to Haunted Mansion..."

I'm glad that your meet with Buzz and Woody went so well and hopefully made your mom's day! You've always got to appreciate characters who understand the kid they're dealing with and encourage them or give them space as needed!

Thank goodness Woody didn't try and come closer. Landon would have FREAKED.

Happy birthday, Landon! Wow that time passed quickly!

Whoa!! I don't blame you for not going in!

Your Buzz and Woody meet is so cute, they sound like they were great with the whole group, and especially Landon! His fascination with Buzz's buttons is so cute!

Thank you!

It was pretty amusing to watch as Landon stared down Buzz's buttons.

Oooh the Osborne Lights! My favorite too! I'm going to go into a deep depression this December when I realize I don't have a Disney trip lined up...although...I'm already thinking about maybe possibly doing a long weekend, just to see the Christmas stuff...we'll see...(don't tell anyone...especially Brandon! )

Aww, Landon is the cutest, all smiley and happy at the lights!

Ugh, I could not believe the mornings at DHS! It's like you actually have to be the first person in the park to ride standby on TSM now. I was so annoyed when we were there in December, how long the line was and how there was just no way to get a decent FP time.

Haha, I don't blame Landon for being freaked out by Woody! His head is gigantic! And Buzz is awesome, I love that they took so much time with you guys!

Hmmm, that sounds promising. A weekend at Disney is better than nothing. Hope you get to go!

Standby for all the rides has become a little ridiculous now. I can't believe there's actually a 30-40 minute wait for Pirates now.
Kind of nuts!

I love hearing Disney plans too! I think that is why I try to read a lot of PTR and TR. I don't always have time to reply, but I am out there reading along.

Anyway, we are staying at the CBR. We do have a few ADR, Tusker house breakfast, H&V Star Wars Dinner, Beirgarten Lunch, BOG Lunch FP+, Sci Fi Star Wars Breakfast, and we are also taking our DS on the Fireworks Pirate cruise the night of his Birthday . The cruise I think is going to be a blast. I really am looking forward to that.

I can't wait to hear a little about your plans, and I do hope out paths will cross sometime during our stay.

Oh wow! I am very jealous of all your Star Wars breakfast plans! I thought that was so cool when they added that; it almost made me regret not staying an extra day or two!

I bet your son is going to love the Fireworks Cruise!

So many fun things in store for you all next month!

 

[amazingact21]

I am thoroughly enjoying reading this TR. Nicely done thus far, can't wait for more! By the way, the "little guppy" has another groupie!

Thank you for reading! I appreciate it.

Haha, well we're both happy to add to the groupie list.

 

[amazingact21]

Hi everyone! I hope you guys have had a good week or so. Like I mentioned earlier, I haven't had much time to DIS, but I should be mostly caught up with everyone's TRs and PTRs. I know there are a few out there I haven't read yet, but I'm getting there, I promise!


This is going to be an Off-Topic update for me, so if you don't want to read it, I understand. I've just had a bunch of Disney related stuff pop up lately and felt the need to share it.



First off, though. This past Monday was Landon's 1st birthday. It was crazy to think he's already a year old.


Time sure does fly by.


Alex's parents came into town, and due to them being here on a weekday and another friend's party being held earlier that weekend, Alex and I made the command decision to keep it strictly family. Which, in the end, turned out well because it monsooned that day! I mean, it was like a tropical storm showed up out of nowhere.

Gotta love Florida.


Either way, Landon and all of us seemed to have a good time. His decorations were Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (which he is obsessed with) and we ordered his birthday cake through Publix. Because we did that, they gave us a free smash cake for him, decorated just like the cake.

Even though his cake wasn't Clubhouse themed (they didn't have that design) it was still Disney so no complaints from us.

Actually, it reminded me of the Polynesian. And seeing as that is my ultimate dream resort (am I staying there next month? Hmmmm) I was happy to be brought back to that good 'ol monorail resort.


Landon was not a fan of "smashing" the cake. Once he realized he couldn't get the frosting off his fingers, he pretty much freaked out.


And like any nice mother, I made him stick his hands in some more so I could get pictures.




He also hated the taste of the actual cake. He's had it twice now and has been disgusted both times.
Clearly he was switched at birth and we never knew.



His distaste for sweets should make Disney interesting.
Who am I to share my Dole Whips and Alex's cinnamon buns with?

Not Landon, apparently.



And then, yesterday, while Alex's parents were still in town, we took them to one of our local beaches so Landon could play in the sand.
He sported his Mickey hat that we bought him at Pop Century.



I have to say, I love Orlando and Cape Canaveral and that whole theme park/cruise location, but I also really love living on the Gulf Coast. It's one of the best places I've ever lived (and I have moved around a lot). If any of you ever want to steer off course and take a beach trip rather than a Disney trip, come talk to me.

Living in a tourist destination has its pitfalls, but you tend to overlook them when this is how you can spend your free time.



Okay, enough random jabbering. On to some Disney talk!

The other day at lunch, Alex's dad was discussing how long Alex would be gone and whether or not he'd be back by 2015. Alex is pretty confident that he should get home sometime in early January, so his dad told us that he wanted to do a 3 night cruise on the Disney Dream that month.





His parents are huge cruisers. (They are working on Platinum membership on Royal Caribbean, and he works for a cruise shuttle.) They've never been on a Disney ship before; it's one of the few lines they haven't done, and they know how much we love Disney. Mr. E (that's what I'll call him) has seen the Dream in port half a million times, and he thinks it looks really nice, so that's the ship he wants to try.

Plus, they said it would be a nice getaway to celebrate Alex being back, and it'd give us some time together.



Last year, I swore I'd never cruise while I still had a kid in diapers.
But, you know, when they offered that, I got really excited.

Another Disney cruise?


Sure!


3 nights would be plenty of time to deal with Landon; he'd be a little older so he could eat actual meals and play in the splash areas and maybe enjoy Animator's Palate. Plus, the in-laws could watch him whenever we wanted, and the cost of the cruise would be low that time of the year.

And I have to agree with Mr. E. The Dream is the ship I really want to go on. Even though the Magic's been re-imagined, I'd like to see what the newer boats have to offer. Not to mention, Disney's private island is the closest you're going to get to a paradise.


So, if all things go right and all the job stressers work out in our favor, Alex and I will be going on a Disney cruise in January!!!


Yay!






Now, finally, my last order of business.
Laying out my general plans for May!


I can't believe I'll be back in Disney next month. It's kind of crazy to think about. We waited so long for our last trip, and it seems like this one has crept up on us without us realizing it.


For this trip, I tried really hard to not plan a whole lot. We're going to be going with the flow. Mostly because we want to be able to enjoy ourselves and not worry about getting a long To-Do list marked off. We know it'll be hot, we know Landon will want to burn off a lot of energy by walking around, and we know a deluxe resort doesn't come around often for us, so we need to take advantage of the place while we can.

So here's our general outline of plans:



Monday, May 12th: I'm not sure when we'll leave my in-law's house this morning. It all depends on whether or not the family has to work or not. If they do, we'll most likely leave bright and early. If not, we'll head out around 10 am.


We're going to drive straight to Animal Kingdom. Should get there around 10:45/11:00 am.

If we're hungry, we'll grab lunch at Yak and Yeti Quick Service then use Fastpasses for Kilimanjaro Safaris. If not, we'll flip the plans and go on the attraction first, then get some grub.

At 12:20-1:20 pm, we have another Fastpass for meeting some favorite Disney pals. I figure we should see early on if Landon still loves the characters or if he's developed a fear of them. That way, if he has, I can go ahead and change a lot of our future FP+s.


I made our last Fastpass reservations for Expedition Everest. Depending on the weather and how everyone's mood is, Alex and I might or might not ride this. Worst case, if we're near Asia earlier on and want to ride, we'll both just do single rider.

I'm not dead set on any of those reservations. I know with the time of our safari, most of the animals will most likely be sleeping and trying to keep cool, so if we wanted to just do the Pangini Forest Trail, I'd be fine with that.

Around 2 or 3, Alex will drive us over to our resort, and we'll check in. We'll spend most of the afternoon resting, unpacking our stuff, and checking out the resort. Then, around dinnertime, we might head over to Epcot to grab a bite to eat.

I would like to go back to Sunshine Seasons, but the Outdoor Kitchens have so many tempting choices. Either way, we'll either stick to Future World or the World Showcase. If we're in WS and Landon falls asleep easily, Alex and I will probably catch some of IllumiNations.

But, again, those are loose plans and nothing's set in stone.



Tuesday, May 13th: We have a 9:30 am reservation at Crystal Palace for breakfast. I've been trying desperately to get a pre-park opening time, but alas, none have popped up. The disadvantage to booking so late in the game.

Alex has never seen the opening show before, so we're going to try and get to the park early enough to see it. Then, perhaps a quick spin on the carousel before eating.

I have Fastpasses for Peter Pan's Flight, Buzz Lightyear, and Dumbo spread out throughout the day. Whether we head back to our room for an afternoon break or stay in the parks until dinner, then make it an early evening is yet to be determined.




Wednesday, May 14th: Disney's Hollywood Studios has extra magic hours that morning from 8 to 9. So, my goal is to have us there right at opening so we can have a chance of riding TSMM in standby. If not, it's not the end of the world, but that's what I'm hoping for.

Our Fastpass for the day is TSMM at 9:10am. (If all goes according to plan, Alex will hold Landon once, then I will. If not, maybe we'll take turns going on the ride.)

I also have a Fastpass for Alex for Tower of Terror at 10:10 am. He said he might use it. If so, the baby and I will walk around, find things to occupy our time.

And, to be honest, by 10:30/11:00, we'll probably be done with DHS. The only reason we're going is to ride TSMM. And we might get to the point where we decide we'd rather skip the park completely.

I figured if we're still up for it, the three of us would hop over to Epcot for an hour or so. Maybe grab a bite to eat at the World Showcase. If not, we'll go back to the resort early and spend the afternoon swimming and napping.

No matter where we end up, at about 4pm, my group is going to head over to the Polynesian for our 5 o'clock dinner at O'hana's.

YAY!


After years of trying, I FINALLY managed to luck out and score an early O'hana's dinner. Alex has been dying to eat there for so long, that this night will surely be a highlight of our short trip.

It's going to be an early night for us once dinner's over. We'll head back to the room and give Landon his normal bedtime routine.




Thursday, May 15th: Another early morning for us on this day. I'm hoping to hit up morning Extra Magic Hours at the Magic Kingdom, beginning at 8 am. This is when I'm hoping to hit a lot of the headliners. Peter Pan, Mine Train (maybe? Just maybe?) Little Mermaid, etc etc.

Alex scored us BOG Fastpasses for an 11:30 lunch on this day. While the wait wasn't bad at all in December, not standing outside in the May heat is preferable.

I'd be surprised if we didn't take a break in the early afternoon. Then, it'll be off to Epcot for the night.

We'll concentrate mostly in Future World during the late afternoon, using a Character Meet and Greet Fastpass and possibly letting Alex ride TT single rider.

For dinner, we're eating at my favorite Disney restaurant.

Via Napoli!

Hello white pizza and tiramisu! I can practically taste you already.

That's also another early dinner, giving us plenty of time to peruse through the World Showcase pavilions and enjoy Epcot at its best.




Friday, May 16th: I'm hoping with all that down time at the resorts throughout the week, I will have kept all our stuff fairly organized and packed up. If so, it should make check out easy.
Alex will load up the car, and we'll drive to the MK one last time to just spend an hour or so in the park before heading home.

Alex, once again, scored us Anna and Else meet and greet Fastpasses for 11:20 on this day.
That'll be cutting it pretty close to our departure time, but how could we pass up the opportunity?




Whew, there are our whirlwind plans for next month's trip. Alex's parents did tell us they'd do a day trip with us while we visited, so sometime around the 8th or 9th, we'll probably spend the day in the Magic Kingdom. If so, I'm hoping to catch the new parade and possibly ride Thunder and Splash. We shall see, though.


I hope I didn't fry your brain too terribly much with Disney plans. I just couldn't not talk about it any longer. The trip's our next big event that's going to come up, and I'm starting to get really antsy for it.


I forgot to even mention how many of you guys are going to be there at the same time as us! There's so many DISers visiting; I'm hoping to run into as many of you as I can! It should be a fun time to be in the Disney parks...





Another trip related update should be up relatively soon!

 

[dtr_angel]

Great update! It really all related to Disney so it was on topic! Happy Birthday Landon! My son also does not like sweets and I always tell him he can't be related to me haha. Poor Landon does not look like he liked the cake, but the pictures are adorable! The cake is super cute, I love the Polynesian theme! Yay for a Disney cruise! I was secretly hoping you were going to say it was in December and you were making a quick appearance at Disney World before or after but maybe next time. That sounds like a great way to celebrate Alex's return home. Your plans for May look great! We started out saying we were not doing any ADRs, then it was just one on our arrival night and now I think we are up to 6 We also booked really close (less than 3 months out) and availability is horrible. We couldn't score any pre-park ADRs for breakfast so we're doing lunches/dinner. I've been stalking for Chef Mickeys for lunch or dinner for anytime during our trip and nothing I was about to squeeze in a Kona breakfast on our last day but I have to keep reminding myself we are going back in December Cannot wait to hear how toddler Landon loves Disney!

 

[afwdwfan]

Landon was not a fan of “smashing” the cake. Once he realized he couldn’t get the frosting off his fingers, he pretty much freaked out.

My nephew just turned one and we had his party. He was the same way. All excited about it until he got it all over his fingers.

His distaste for sweets should make Disney interesting.
Who am I to share my Dole Whips and Alex’s cinnamon buns with?


Not Landon, apparently.

You say this like it is a bad thing???

So, if all things go right and all the job stressers work out in our favor, Alex and I will be going on a Disney cruise in January!!!

Looks like a fun trip! It will be great to bookend his time away with a trip to Disney World and then a Disney cruise!

And, to be honest, by 10:30/11:00, we’ll probably be done with DHS. The only reason we’re going is to ride TSMM. And we might get to the point where we decide we’d rather skip the park completely.

There is a major flaw in your plans for this day...

I don't see Rock n rollercoaster anywhere.

For dinner, we’re eating at my favorite Disney restaurant.


Via Napoli!

Looks like some great plans. I think you're definitely taking the smart approach by just taking it easy and not trying to over plan. There's no point being too detailed in your planning when Landon will likely decide what you're going to do for you at that moment in time anyway.

 

[wiigirl]

Great update!

 

[Mommy Poppins]

Another guppy follower! Great report so far. Love reading your details and seeing pictures of Landon! Such a cutie!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LANDON! You gotta love a Disney related cake!

Oh Lord we had some serious rain last weekend too Alicia. CRAZY!!!

Oh YAY DISNEY CRUISE. Not a bad way to welcome Alex back I must say. Just make sure he doesn't go AWOL, lol

Great upcoming plans. And I do think the Mine Train will be open, so Jealous = ME!

 

[Wanna be Ariel]

Great update on your plans To bad that you guys are not going to be there a little longer cause I have a CP at 8:05 on 5/20 to cancel. It would have worked out so well for you. But I do stalk the ADR site ( looking for CP 5/19) and if I see anything will let you know

Can't wait for more updates soon. Happy Belayed Birthday Landon. Your Disney trips will never be the same( in a very good way) since he is walking.

 

[MEK]

I will definitely be in Epcot Monday afternoon and evening and MK in the morning on Tuesday. The rest of my plans I need to check, but I really hope we can say "hi".

Happy Birthday to Landon! Wow - time really does fly. I can't believe he's a year old already. Too funny he is not a fan of birthday cake. I predict that will change. At least I hope it does.

Glad you had a nice visit with Alex's parents and your beach day looks wonderful. It is actually warm here today so I am no longer extremely jealous of you. Only a little jealous now.

Yayayayayay to a Disney cruise in January. That is going to be So Much Fun!

 

[Marsheliz]

Happy Birthday Landon!!

Love the cake! We had a publix cake for Lawson's first birthday as well, complete with the free smash cake!

Wow, a Disney cruise? Get OUT! How exciting. I can't imagine how you feel with Alex going to be gone but I am happy for you that you will have something to look forward to like this. My DH worked out of town 2 hours away from our home when my mom got sick and when I first had my Landen and had a 3 year old- he was gone during the week and only home on weekends. Obviously, I know this isn't the same thing but I can relate to being without DH. HUGS!

Your plans sound great! I still have been calling/looking everyday to move resorts for mine. No luck so far!

 

[olafgypsy]

A Disney Cruise? AWESOME. Never cruised before but if I ever do it will be Disney. It just looks like the best, especially for the very littlest kids.

Yay for another Disney trip. Of course I am assuming this means another trip report, which is great news for all of your groupies But also so wonderful that you can spend quality time together as a family before your hubby deploys.

Loved the pics of Landon's birthday! I had never heard of the smash cake concept before. What a great idea! My mom actually ended up making a very hungry caterpillar cake for DS's first birthday and then insisted we put the WHOLE THING on his high chair tray. That thing was ginormous. You could tell ds was just completely mystified, like "what are you people DOING?" Landon appears to be having the exact same thought

THE GULF COAST COMPLETELY ROCKS. Hubby and I honeymooned in Ft Myers Beach and actually loved it so much that the next summer we spent an entire month there. So beautiful, great seafood, love the locals. Can't wait to go back some day!

 

[teekathepony]

Happy birthday Landon! Not a fan of cake? It's ok, I'll eat yours.
I love where I live usually... But seeing you guys at beach in shorts... And I look out my window at the foot of snow That STILL covers everything... I think I want to move to Florida! (Not the first time I've thought that...) Yay for a cruise in January! So exciting! And I love the plans for May, they sound great!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Happy Birthday to Landon!!

Hope you have a great time on your May trip! Don't forget to leave room for dessert at O'hana! The best part of the meal if you ask me is their bread pudding. Soooo good.

 

[amazingact21]

Great update! It really all related to Disney so it was on topic! Happy Birthday Landon! My son also does not like sweets and I always tell him he can't be related to me haha. Poor Landon does not look like he liked the cake, but the pictures are adorable! The cake is super cute, I love the Polynesian theme! Yay for a Disney cruise! I was secretly hoping you were going to say it was in December and you were making a quick appearance at Disney World before or after but maybe next time. That sounds like a great way to celebrate Alex's return home. Your plans for May look great! We started out saying we were not doing any ADRs, then it was just one on our arrival night and now I think we are up to 6 We also booked really close (less than 3 months out) and availability is horrible. We couldn't score any pre-park ADRs for breakfast so we're doing lunches/dinner. I've been stalking for Chef Mickeys for lunch or dinner for anytime during our trip and nothing I was about to squeeze in a Kona breakfast on our last day but I have to keep reminding myself we are going back in December Cannot wait to hear how toddler Landon loves Disney!

Haha, I know what you mean about booking ADRs. I told Alex we could only do one or two. We both wanted to go to Crystal Palace again, so that was a given. Then, I declared I couldn't go to Disney any NOT eat at my favorite restaurant. And then, before we knew it, we were able to land Alex's dinner.
Oops.

Sadly, there's no chance for us to return in December. We'll just miss each other again. Maybe one day our trips will coincide!

May should prove interesting for us and touring the parks with a toddler. I forsee a lot more work than when they were 7-8 months.

My nephew just turned one and we had his party. He was the same way. All excited about it until he got it all over his fingers.

You say this like it is a bad thing???


Looks like a fun trip! It will be great to bookend his time away with a trip to Disney World and then a Disney cruise!


There is a major flaw in your plans for this day...

I don't see Rock n rollercoaster anywhere.





Looks like some great plans. I think you're definitely taking the smart approach by just taking it easy and not trying to over plan. There's no point being too detailed in your planning when Landon will likely decide what you're going to do for you at that moment in time anyway.

That is true, I did forget about Rock N Roller Coaster. Every time I've gone on it through single rider, though, it's been a short wait. And aside from guests looking at me like I just sat down at their personal dinner table when I get in the limo with them, that's an easy and quick route to go. I'm sure when we're over in that area for Alex's ToT trip we'll both ride RNRC really fast.

Great update!

Thanks!

Another guppy follower! Great report so far. Love reading your details and seeing pictures of Landon! Such a cutie!

Aw, why thank you! Landon and I are always happy to have new readers! I appreciate you following along.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LANDON! You gotta love a Disney related cake!

Oh Lord we had some serious rain last weekend too Alicia. CRAZY!!!

Oh YAY DISNEY CRUISE. Not a bad way to welcome Alex back I must say. Just make sure he doesn't go AWOL, lol

Great upcoming plans. And I do think the Mine Train will be open, so Jealous = ME!

I'm kind of anticipating the Mine Train to be open by then. There's a media event at the end of April, almost 3 weeks beforehand. So, at the very least it'll be in soft opening.
Right? Right? If I keep that mindset hopefully my positivity will pay off.


Hahaha, you have a good point there, Rob. I'll have to drag Alex off the cruise by the time it's all set and done.

 

[amazingact21]

Great update on your plans To bad that you guys are not going to be there a little longer cause I have a CP at 8:05 on 5/20 to cancel. It would have worked out so well for you. But I do stalk the ADR site ( looking for CP 5/19) and if I see anything will let you know

Can't wait for more updates soon. Happy Belayed Birthday Landon. Your Disney trips will never be the same( in a very good way) since he is walking.

I told Alex I could get us a pre-park opening breakfast at CP...and that all we had to do was stay until the 20th.
Obviously, that was a no-go, but it was worth a shot.

Hopefully, both us will be able to get the times we want. I've discovered a lot of those reservations is about persistance and timing.


Oh, there's a part of me that dreads touring the parks with a walking toddler. Landon's such an active kid that he's going to want to be walking and exploring everything. I forsee a lot of attractions with interactive queues and playgrounds in our future.

I will definitely be in Epcot Monday afternoon and evening and MK in the morning on Tuesday. The rest of my plans I need to check, but I really hope we can say "hi".

Happy Birthday to Landon! Wow - time really does fly. I can't believe he's a year old already. Too funny he is not a fan of birthday cake. I predict that will change. At least I hope it does.

Glad you had a nice visit with Alex's parents and your beach day looks wonderful. It is actually warm here today so I am no longer extremely jealous of you. Only a little jealous now.

Yayayayayay to a Disney cruise in January. That is going to be So Much Fun!

Yay! I hope we can run into each other, as well. As I said, our plans are very loose, so I'm sure we'll be able to walk over to a particular area if you're nearby. I've discovered that when traveling with a baby, it's more about walking around and checking the scenery in the parks than the rides and shows.

If it helps, the water was way too cold to get in. In fact, when we were under the umbrella, the wind had a bit of a bite to it.
So, there was that.

Happy Birthday Landon!!

Love the cake! We had a publix cake for Lawson's first birthday as well, complete with the free smash cake!

Wow, a Disney cruise? Get OUT! How exciting. I can't imagine how you feel with Alex going to be gone but I am happy for you that you will have something to look forward to like this. My DH worked out of town 2 hours away from our home when my mom got sick and when I first had my Landen and had a 3 year old- he was gone during the week and only home on weekends. Obviously, I know this isn't the same thing but I can relate to being without DH. HUGS!

Your plans sound great! I still have been calling/looking everyday to move resorts for mine. No luck so far!

Those free smash cakes are pretty cool. We've never been disappointed with the Publix bakery.

Having the "dad" away can be really difficult. It's a relief to have help when it comes to changing diapers, putting a kid to sleep, adult conversation...
I'm really fortunate, though, in the fact that I do have my parents and brother about 45 minutes away, so I can always spend a few days with them when Landon gets to be a handful.
Plus, I'm planning on keeping myself super busy during that time. I'm hoping between everything, I won't think too much about how long 6 months is.
And now I have a cruise to plan!

A Disney Cruise? AWESOME. Never cruised before but if I ever do it will be Disney. It just looks like the best, especially for the very littlest kids.

Yay for another Disney trip. Of course I am assuming this means another trip report, which is great news for all of your groupies But also so wonderful that you can spend quality time together as a family before your hubby deploys.

Loved the pics of Landon's birthday! I had never heard of the smash cake concept before. What a great idea! My mom actually ended up making a very hungry caterpillar cake for DS's first birthday and then insisted we put the WHOLE THING on his high chair tray. That thing was ginormous. You could tell ds was just completely mystified, like "what are you people DOING?" Landon appears to be having the exact same thought

THE GULF COAST COMPLETELY ROCKS. Hubby and I honeymooned in Ft Myers Beach and actually loved it so much that the next summer we spent an entire month there. So beautiful, great seafood, love the locals. Can't wait to go back some day!

Alex and I went on the Disney Magic for our honeymoon, and while he loved it, I'll admit, I wasn't completely sold on cruising. However, I think a lot of it was because I didn't know what to expect and things were very different than I imagined. Now that I know, I'm looking forward to a few days at sea with my family. It really is the perfect thing to do once Alex returns. Gets you away from electronics, other distractions, and really focuses you on family time.


A whole cake! Oh my goodness!
Is it bad that I also thought, "But what did the adults eat?"


The Gulf Coast has some of the prettiest beaches. Every year about this time I just step back and appreciate how fortunate I am to live here.

Happy birthday Landon! Not a fan of cake? It's ok, I'll eat yours.
I love where I live usually... But seeing you guys at beach in shorts... And I look out my window at the foot of snow That STILL covers everything... I think I want to move to Florida! (Not the first time I've thought that...) Yay for a cruise in January! So exciting! And I love the plans for May, they sound great!

I've already said it, but I still can't comprehend snow in April. That just baffles me. And in that same breath, some of your pictures you post of the woods covered in the snow make me really want to visit Canada. It looks gorgeous, and it's so unlike anything I've seen before.
That being said, I wouldn't have the slightest clue how to handle cold weather. The last time I lived in a cold region, I was 8. Too many years ago to remember anything. I'd probably walk 3 steps and sink into a foot of snow or something.

Happy Birthday to Landon!!

Hope you have a great time on your May trip! Don't forget to leave room for dessert at O'hana! The best part of the meal if you ask me is their bread pudding. Soooo good.

That dessert must be legendary; I've heard nothing but rave reviews about it. I don't know if you read Nermel9's trip reports, but she loved it so much she got to sneak away with some, once!
I am definitely looking forward to trying it.

 

[USAFdad]

I caught back up and I will fall behind before long. I still say we do a back to back cruise... 2 trips to Castaway key and 7 days with no electronics. No work calling just our little family. Sounds like a win to me.

 

[amazingact21]

I caught back up and I will fall behind before long. I still say we do a back to back cruise... 2 trips to Castaway key and 7 days with no electronics. No work calling just our little family. Sounds like a win to me.

I don't know what that would be like. No calls from work? Is that even possible? I feel like someone would get ahold of the skipper and track you down.

 

[amazingact21]

Wednesday, December 4th, 2013:


Having just finished up a rather extended meeting with Woody and Buzz, my family and I were ready to move on to more Hollywood Studios adventures.

And by adventures, I mean more meet and greet lines.


That morning, Alex had put on his newest Disney shirt (at the time, he's bought two or three since. He might or might not have a shirt addiction.) and was ready to meet the stars of his wardrobe's movie logo.


Naturally, my attempts at displaying our next meet and greet worked out well.



Just like our last character meet, these next two guys are former enemies turned best friends. One's got the looks down pat while the other has the heart of gold.


And they were greeting their fans next the Backlot Tour, in a space designated to their campus:


It was college Mike and Sulley!


We got to the queue about 5 minutes before the guys were set to come out, so we had to stand in line for a bit, but it wasn't a bad wait. There were plenty of props to look at, and the weather was actually nice under the shade.


Landon was getting sick of me taking pictures of him.

"Get used to it, kiddo, we're only halfway through this crazy Disney week."


Like I said, the decorations on the walls were very cool and fit in perfectly with the Monsters U theme.




Don't forget, more arms means more hugs, not more fists.






Remember the upcoming Goo Drive.



Our turn came up, and Alex swooped over to Sulley, completely bypassing Mike along the way.



Way to throw Landon into the character deep end, Alex.


That's all right. Mike seemed taken with my mother, anyways. He shook her hand and readied her for the picture by practicing his poses.

I think my mom was just being nice by entertaining him. After all, she hadn't even seen Monsters University at that point.

Poor Mike, getting sympathy attention.



Here's one of our "formal" photopass pictures:


Let me give you a breakdown of what all of us were thinking right at that moment.

Alex: "YAY! We're meeting SULLEY!"

Landon: "What the-?!?!"

My Mom: "I wonder what time our lunch is. I could really go for some food right now. My daughter keeps making me skip breakfast, and I'm not okay with that."

Me: "He's about to freak out. Any minute now. Look at that face, Landon is going to lose it, oh my gosh what kind of mother am I? Sully is way bigger in person."


Lucky for me, there were no meltdowns and after the pictures were taken we were finished with two more characters.

I will say, though. It's good we met them when we did. About a month ago, my mom and I were in a store, and I picked up a large Sully plush to give to Landon and he freaked out! Needless to say that's one character we won't be visiting in May.

Can't say I blame him, either. Sully really is an overwhelming character to see up close.



Moving on, Alex glanced at the Times Guide he picked up back at the entrance to see what else was near us. He kind of took the reins this morning and decided what we should or shouldn't do.

He casually mentioned that the Cars characters were out at that time, and my mom jumped on that.

It would be another bullet in her Master Plan.


My mother and I sorta have this devious scheme we build on during every trip that I have dubbed The Master Plan.

This Master Plan is a compilation of rides, shows, tours, characters, resorts, etc etc that we can use to convince my father to take a trip back to Disney one day.

Each time my mother comes home from a trip, she uses some little thing to make my father jealous, in the hopes that he'll get sick of hearing about all these greats events and actually want to experience them for himself.

So far, The Master Plan consists of:


Living with the Land and the Behind the Seeds Tour (my dad's a huge gardener)

Soarin'

Us NOT going on Mission:Space ("What? How could you NOT go on that? It's the best ride ever! Oh, that's just a shame. Just a shame!")

And now, we were about to have pictures to put under his nose of his grandson meeting his favorite Disney characters.

I never said my mother and I were nice people. Effective, perhaps. But not nice.



Mater and Lightning McQueen also had a really short wait, and we passed the few minutes of waiting by snapping some pictures of the creative chalk writing on the ground. They had a starting line and a pit stop as part of the queue. Pretty cute.




When we met yet another two Disney best buds, Landon hammed it up for the camera.








A fun, yet quick meet and greet done, my group walked down the Streets of America to get back to the main part of the park. This street looks sort of dismal in the daytime. Not near as fantastic as it is at night. Although, my mom did find a nativity scene to pose in front of.






While Alex ran off for a second to grab a photo of these two:


No meet and greet, but it was fun to see them wearing their Christmas scarves.




I had to stop so Landon could get some milk, so I parked us in a corner of the Backlot Express by the Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground.

11 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr


While I was sitting there, a squirrel came up to the fence. There was a scrap of food in the gap between the cement and the metal wiring, and the little animal was going straight for it. My foot happened to be right next to the food, and I was a horrible person; right as the squirrel grabbed the item, I moved my shoe across the ground.

That poor squirrel jumped three feet in the air and did a little roll mid-air. My mom and I began busting out laughing.

It wasn't funny, but it was.

Kind of like all those cat videos you see on Youtube.

You probably had to be there, but either way. It was one of those ridiculous moments you remember, no matter how unimportant it was.



At that point in time, it was still only about 10 am; we had almost 2 hours to kill before our lunch reservation came due, so we needed to figure out what else we wanted to do.

Decisions decisions.


Alex consulted his Times Guide again, and looked up at me with a gleam in his eyes. He said something along the lines of, "What's better than meeting one of your favorite characters? Meeting TWO of your favorite characters!"

Okay, he didn't really say that.

But his facial expression indicated it.



Alex showed us that Wreck-It Ralph was currently meeting fans over at the Animation Building.

More characters...

Why not? That morning was becoming a bit of a character hunt, but it was no big deal to us. We created our own characterpalooza in Hollywood Studios.




When we got over to the Animation Courtyard (by the way, does anyone else love the soundtrack to that area? It's my favorite song to play from Hollywood Studios; I think the Bug's Life part really makes it as great as it is.) and us three adults were a bit overwhelmed by the Stroller Sea.

If we thought the Land's parking area was brutal...

These bad boys took up what looked like an entire block. Easily 30 or 40 rows of wheels and canopies and mesh storage compartments. It was easily the biggest parking area in all of Walt Disney.


12 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr




Not a single one of us had set foot inside the Animation Building before, which as it turns out, was a shame. It turned out to be a really nice area. While all the spots were busy, it wasn't overwhelmingly so. The music was soft, the lighting wasn't overly bright, and all the hot spots were spread out with small point of interest in between.

It was a really calm place to be. And such a great spot for a kid. Cool, enclosed, and lots of activities to keep them occupied.



My mom had zero interest in meeting Ralph. He just wasn't her cup of tea. So, she sat down on a bench facing the character area, and began patiently waiting for us.


Alex was just a little excited for this meet.

The wait was close to 20 minutes, and during that time Landon fell asleep.
A kid can only take so many introductions at one time.


We had to wait for the characters to take a water break, and when they returned there was no Photopass Photographer with them. Apparently, the Animation area did not have enough photographers that day, so the ones working were bouncing between Sorcerer Mickey and Wreck-It Ralph.

It was a little disappointing not to get some professional shots with the characters, since we had prepaid for the package, but thankfully we had my mom available.


Yet another thing grandmas are good for.

13 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr

Vanellope von Schweetz was loving the fact that Landon was asleep. She kept making tired motions with her hands and telling her handler to keep quiet. It was a cute interaction.



I was enjoying meeting yet another character, but all I could think of at that moment was, "Oh my gosh, if Landon wakes up right this second could you imagine? The first thing he'd see would be Ralph's massive head!"

I'm pretty sure that would have traumatized him for life.

Guess we dodged another bullet with that meet and greet.



We all sat on my mother's claimed bench for a few minutes afterwards and watched other guests' interactions with Ralph and Vanellope. The biggest thing my mom and I noticed was how amazing Vanellope was. She was going above and beyond with kids. Making them laugh, sitting down on the floor with them, goofing around; you can tell a great character when you see one, and she was. I think I enjoyed watching her at work more than my actual meet.



On a character roll, Alex tricked us into getting into the waiting line for the Incredibles.

By that point, I was sort of character-ed out. I'd never met so many in one day before, and I wasn't overly thrilled with "just one more," but Landon seemed to be having a ball, and at least we weren't exhausting ourselves.

It was a very relaxing morning, actually.



Landon passed the wait by holding onto a nearby railing and hanging out with a kid ahead of him in line.
I love how many kids were willing to smile and wave at Landon in lines. They made our lives a heck of a lot easier, and Landon enjoyed the interactions more than whatever we were waiting for.

A win-win for everybody.


Our turn was up once more, and there wasn't a Photopass Photographer here, either.


Bummer.

14 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr


My mom had stayed back with the camera, and while Alex and I were talking to Forzone, I heard, "Oh, no."

I looked over and there was Mr. Incredible sauntering over to my mother, hands on hips, then extended for a handshake.

He wanted to know why my mom wasn't in on the fun, and was giving her a hard time about it.

Afterwards, my mother was telling me, "I knew he was going to come over. I couldn't escape him."


Like the squirrel, it was a pretty funny moment that you had to be there to understand.


The rest of the meet and greet was uneventful. A couple pictures, wham, bam, and we were done.


15 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr




Exiting the Animation Building, I checked my phone and saw that it was only about 11:30. 5 character meet and greets in a little over 2 hours. Not bad at all.

But in that time, we'd all worked up quite the appetite, so it was time to head over to our lunch destination. Little did we know we were in for more than we bargained for at that meal.





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