Say Please in French - A June and Sept. 2018 DLP TR *Updated 4/22

amazingact21 · Jan 15, 2019

missangelalexis said:
Sounds like a great time! That's awesome that Alex could finally take Landon on ToT, even if he didn't LOVE it.

Love that last selfie of you and Evie, so happy!

Yeah, it feels like just yesterday we were taking him to Disney as a baby. So it's been a fun transition. Evie is currently sitting at 37 inches, and we're hoping so much that she grows that final inch before June. If so, then we can all ride Mine Train and Slinky Dog Dash together!

TheStarscream759 said:
What?! People actually think Parachute Drop is a waste of time? Ridiculous is what I say! It's a fun ride, I actually rode this on my solo trip, I won't give much away considering I want to say in full detail about it in my trip report which I will eventually write on this site but let's just say it's a ride I want to go back on.

I agree, it had more of a thrill to it than I expected! For someone who doesn't care for drop rides, it definitely gave that sinking feeling. Plus, the views from the top were pretty great.
Let me know if you start a TR and I'll hop over and join along.

Lesley Wake said:
It must have been so awesome to finally get to that point when he can go on those types of rides!

Over winter break, Landon hit a crazy growth spurt, and he's actually over 44 inches. Which means, he's opened himself up to even more rides when we go back to WDW this June. I'm really excited! And Evie's at 37 inches, so if she can grow one more inch we can all try SDD together for the first time, which I really hope will be the case.

Lesley Wake said:
Wait until one day he gets to Disneyland! They have the Guardians version and Baby Groot is in it!

My kids would LOVE the Guardians version! I don't think they know about it, otherwise I'm sure I would have had to play ride videos of it over and over...and over again.

Grumpy's Wife · Jan 15, 2019

Yay Landon. That's a big step to take. Next summer a whole new world of rides will open up for him to try. Mom he's getting big.

TheStarscream759 · Jan 15, 2019

amazingact21 said:
I agree, it had more of a thrill to it than I expected! For someone who doesn't care for drop rides, it definitely gave that sinking feeling. Plus, the views from the top were pretty great.
Let me know if you start a TR and I'll hop over and join along.

Well right now I'm currently catching up on things. I've written down most of what I did on my first day but like you I'll probably split them into parts. Because my god I did a lot on my first day when I was on my solo trip. But yeah I'll let you know and when I start up be sure to get a couple of others to join in if you can.

Cloe Colton · Jan 16, 2019

Thats awesome that Landon was brave and made it onto TOT! The lead up is definitely scarier than the ride!

amazingact21 · Jan 17, 2019

Grumpy's Wife said:
Yay Landon. That's a big step to take. Next summer a whole new world of rides will open up for him to try. Mom he's getting big.

It does make me stop and pause and think about how I joined the DIS before I was even married, and now I'm planning a trip where my oldest can ride Space Mountain. The time is flying by!

TheStarscream759 said:
I've written down most of what I did on my first day but like you I'll probably split them into parts. Because my god I did a lot on my first day when I was on my solo trip.

I imagine you can get a lot accomplished when you're in the parks solo. There's no need to waste time trying to agree on what ride to do next or slow down to let slower member's keep up. A solo trip is definitely something I wish I could do sometimes.

Cloe Colton said:
Thats awesome that Landon was brave and made it onto TOT! The lead up is definitely scarier than the ride!

I couldn't believe he was finally able to ride TOT! I'm planning our summer trip and just can't believe my kids are old enough for bigger rides now. Feels like just yesterday I joined the boards and wasn't even married!

khertz · Jan 18, 2019

I'm glad Landon was brave enough to ride TOT, even if it did scare him a little! That's a big milestone for a kid. I don't know even know if I could get DS to go beyond the queue onto the actual ride. lol

Lifelong_Dreamer · Jan 18, 2019

Way to go Landon! My fully grown brother is still too afraid to ride Tower of Terror. :laughing:

amazingact21 · Jan 20, 2019

khertz said:
I'm glad Landon was brave enough to ride TOT, even if it did scare him a little! That's a big milestone for a kid. I don't know even know if I could get DS to go beyond the queue onto the actual ride. lol

I think Dugette told me that the DLP version of TOT wasn't as scary as the DHS one. Maybe because it wasn't as long or maybe because it was in French. :confused3

Landon's a bit of a scaredy cat, so if it only scared him "a little" then it must not have been too bad. :rotfl:

Lifelong_Dreamer said:
Way to go Landon! My fully grown brother is still too afraid to ride Tower of Terror.

I went on it once when I was 14, and I hated every minute of it. :rotfl:

No drop rides for me, so I'm glad Alex is willing to take Landon on those kind of coasters.

dolewhipdreams · Jan 21, 2019

What an exciting milestone for Landon! That's got to be such a neat moment to take your kids on your favorite rides as they get big/brave enough.

amazingact21 · Jan 23, 2019

dolewhipdreams said:
What an exciting milestone for Landon! That's got to be such a neat moment to take your kids on your favorite rides as they get big/brave enough.

It has been really fun watching the kids grow up throughout their visits to Disney. My husband and I love that we're about to enter a whole new touring stage where the kids can tag along on the coasters and our vacation days don't center around Rider Swaps anymore.

amazingact21 · Jan 23, 2019

Saturday, June 16th, 2018 Part 5:

Leaving the Studios Parc, Landon wanted to ride in the stroller so I threw Evie on my back and pushed the oldest through the arcades of the Disneyland park.

I call this my half marathon cross train workout:

Dinner tonight was at one of our favorite restaurants, The Lucky Nugget. Similar to Be Our Guest pre-ADR lunch, you order your food at the entrance, then a server takes you to an open table and the food is brought to you. This place is especially nice because there’s free refills on sodas, except Alex had to hunt our server down to get a second glass of Coke this night. :confused3

During the daytime there’s a show that happens on the stage:

We didn’t realize it stopped running around three o’clock, though, so we missed it this trip. A bit of a bummer, because it would have kept the kids entertained throughout the meal, but that’s what happens when you don’t plan ahead. Hopefully next fall we’ll be able to catch the entertainment during the day.

I tried to get a family photo while we were all seated and immobile:

But Landon was continuing his theme of making strange or angry faces in all the photos. Is this the beginning of the end for me? Is this when the surly boy faces start? Man, I hope not. Gimme a couple more years of sweet smiles before the exasperated preteen takes up residence!

For food, the kid menu items were limited and Alex and I had to kind of trick our kids into eating their chicken burgers. For some reason, neither of them like burgers or sandwiches (outside of PB & J) or anything on a bun. They much prefer their food deconstructed or they avoid that selection altogether. Well, this night we had no choice but to get them both chicken burgers.

This did not go over well at first.

They fought back and whined and cried, swore they wouldn’t eat a single bite…the usual dramatics. Alex and I had to sell them hard on the burgers. The only thing that got them to try it was telling them their food were chicken nuggets masquerading as hot dogs.

*Sigh*

Sadly, I’m not exaggerating. They both have eaten their share of hot dogs and will tolerate the bun if they must. So, Alex and I used that to our advantage.

“The inside is just like chicken nuggets, guys. But you know how hot dogs like their buns? Well so do these nuggets.”

“Why?”

“Because they think it’d be cool to have bread to go along with them.”

“Oh.”

“Why don’t you give it a shot?”

I guess the kids couldn’t fault their food for wanting to pretend to be something else; they had enough costumes at home to know how that goes. So, they took tentative bites of their chicken burgers and realized they weren’t half bad.

:worship:

Proof our kids were eating a sandwich:

Alex and I were feeling successful after our meal and decided to walk over to Indiana Jones and take turns riding the coaster.

The chicken must’ve turned the world a little topsy turvy because Landon and Evie willingly held hands on the walk over:

My little kiddos….I could have sworn they were still waddling around in diapers. Definitely not old enough to be traipsing through Disneyland Paris together. I best not blink, otherwise they’ll be riding Space Mountain and rushing down water slides together. (If it wasn’t apparent, I am in the beginning stages of planning our summer trip and can’t get over how our trip is going to be different with them so much older. :sad:

)

Alex insisted I go on Indiana Jones first, so I passed the parental duties torch to him and sped through the empty queue.

A couple photos I snapped along the way:

I thought the theming along the queue was well done, but that’s as far as it reached. Once on the ride, it was nothing more than an off the shelf coaster put in the park to attract more thrill seekers. Ultimately, that’s not a terrible thing, but it does seem unusual in a Disney park.

When I reached the front of the line, I glanced at the ride vehicles and noticed they had shoulder restraints.

Mannnnn.

Now I understood why Alex had sent me first. Those restraints meant one thing, and that boy didn’t want to disclose the fact to me lest I chicken out.

Indiana Jones went upside down.

:crazy2:

Too late to back out now, I sat down and let myself be whipped and flipped for a few minutes. While it wasn’t as rough as I was afraid it would be, it was a one and done for me. I rejoined Alex near the exit, gave him my best side eye, and sent him off for his turn. He later confessed that Dug and Dugette told him about the flip the night before when he watched Izzy, and he knew I never would have gone on it had I known.

You believe the gall of this guy? He’s sweet and doting 90% of the time, but don’t let him fool you; he’s got a mischievous streak...

Once Alex came back to us, I broke the kids away from the animal prints on the ground:

And stumbled onto the second greatest plushes at Disneyland Paris:

Lion King!

“KIDS!!!! It’s ALL the Lion King characters!”

I became really, really excited. Sure, our Peter Pan collection was still pending on our credit card, but this was Lion King.

Simba!

Timon on Pumbaa’s back!

Rafiki!

And the best?

SCAR!

Come on, kids. It’s a Scar plush.

Since Landon had gotten Nana and Peter Pan, we had promised Evie she could get two plushes. She had chosen Wendy earlier in the afternoon from the Disneyland Hotel gift shop, but she was still owed one.

I was pushing hard for one of these. To me, they were the coolest ones we had seen.

But my crazy kids could have cared less.

My enthusiasm was met with complete indifference.

Hmmph. :sad2:

“I don’t know how ya’ll came from me….not liking Lion King.”

Or how they slept under the light of a Lion King lamp.

Or inside a Lion King Pack N Play.

Or snuggled under a Lion King blanket.

Seriously, how much harder could I have pushed for that film to be in their lives?!

Disappointed, I walked away from the awesome toys and followed my family as we went to meet up with Dugette and her family for the evening.

Continued in Next Post:

amazingact21 · Jan 23, 2019

Continued From Previous Post:

I thought for sure Dugette joined us on our next ride, but her nor her family are present in our photo so I guess I misremembered. So apparently Alex got distracted on the way to our meet up and had us go for another turn on Pirates.

That’s me with my hands raised in the last row. I always feel guilty waving my arms around on ride drops when I’m sitting in front of someone and I know there’s a camera taking photos. I don’t want my pasty digits covering anyone’s face and ruining their picture.

So when I’m in the back I take full advantage of the space and embrace the arm shenanigans.

I don’t remember what Alex did to convince Evie to go on Pirates again. Probably promise her a treat. Or a new dress. Or maybe both. Who knows what kind of coercion he implements, probably best I stay in the dark.

My family walked over to Discoveryland and found Dugette. (I really could have sworn this happened sooner. Teach me to slack on taking photos and writing up this report so late.)

All the kids wanted to ride Buzz Lightyear again, so we used some more of our hotel Fastpasses and walked through the queue. Around the time we reached the merge point, something happened and the attraction went down, forcing us to wait at a standstill for several minutes.

At one point another family walked up behind us and asked if we knew how long the delay would be. They only spoke Spanish, didn’t know any French, German, or English, so I had to dust off my rusty Spanish skills and help them out.

Whew. It was daunting.

Whenever someone asks us if we know any Spanish, Alex throws it right to me, because he knows when I was much younger, I was somewhat proficient in it. But that was a longgg time ago, and I always get nervous because Alex makes it seem like I’m a pro.

He’s got way too much faith in my ability.

Fortunately, I was able to let the family know it would be at least ten minutes longer, and they promptly bailed. I didn’t see it as being an outrageous amount of time, but I guess they had somewhere else to be. And as it turned out, the ride was up and running again less than five minutes later.

We were able to hear Buzz in French:

And then were situated in our ride vehicles:

You can see it in the above photo, Landon wanted to ride with Dug again, because the last two times he helped him get extra points and taught him the best shooting technique.

Also, he did a spot on Alien impression that left all the kids in stitches...

I am one of the rare Disney fans who doesn’t care much for Buzz, so I told Alex I would take Evie so he could concentrate on becoming a Galactic Hero.

It wasn’t in the cards for him this time around, but he still got a decent score. I think it was in the 400,000 range.

After Buzz, I asked Dugette if her and Dug wanted to ride HyperSpace Mountain. They did, so I walked over to where I thought the exit was going to be and found an empty area for the kids to run around while they went and rode it.

It was a beautiful evening, and I was gifted with a spectacular view of the park from my perch:

The kids had picked up their ongoing game of tag and were chasing one another around the concrete:

If Landon were at Disneyland Paris without a friend and we had asked him to wait around with his sister, he would have been a bear. But with Izzy to keep him company he was completely fine skipping out on rides. Landon loves Disney, but he loves hanging with friends even more. It was great to be able to give him that experience and realize that sometimes Disney is more than just coasters and fireworks; it’s also about spending quality time with people you get along with and enjoying the break from the day to day routine.

When Dugette and Dug returned, they told us to go ahead and ride while they watched Landon and Evie. I really wanted to see the Hyperspace overlay, but with Indiana Jones jostling me around earlier in the evening I was afraid going on another coaster would give me a headache. I didn’t want to risk it, so regretfully I told Alex to go on without me.

I felt guilty not riding anything with him alone, but he understood my hesitation. Staying in good health was more important than ten minutes of kid-free time.

While Alex was gone the kids kept on with their antics, with Evie deciding she wanted to jump between two benches. She saw the two older kids doing it and wanted to be like them, so she forced me and Dugette to stand guard on each side of the benches and hold her hand as she made the leap over and over again.

It was unnerving for me, but it gave the two of us a chance to talk some more and compare crazy kid stunts. She gave me a good warning about what having a fearless daughter entailed, and we also talked a lot about preschools and kindergarten. It was fun for me to see how Izzy’s schools were the same and/or different from Landon’s and to marvel at the big transition the kids were about to embark on.

Talking to Dugette was easy, and in no time Alex had finished his turn on Hyperspace Mountain and was back with the group. There was about five minutes left of park time, and Alex and I decided to call it a night and leave. We needed to pack our bags and prepare for our departure the following day, but Dugette’s family wanted to get a final spin on Star Tours, so we said our goodbyes and headed back to the resort.

Up Next… But Evie Would Be Lonely Without Me

dolewhipdreams · Jan 23, 2019

amazingact21 said:
I call this my half marathon cross train workout

amazingact21 said:
This place is especially nice because there’s free refills on sodas

In France?? That's amazing!

amazingact21 said:
I guess the kids couldn’t fault their food for wanting to pretend to be something else; they had enough costumes at home to know how that goes. So, they took tentative bites of their chicken burgers and realized they weren’t half bad

It's so funny to find out what does and doesn't make sense in a child's mind!

amazingact21 said:
You believe the gall of this guy? He’s sweet and doting 90% of the time, but don’t let him fool you; he’s got a mischievous streak

Wow what nerve! But you have to admit that it worked

amazingact21 said:
Who knows what kind of coercion he implements, probably best I stay in the dark

Just let dad work his magic hahaha

amazingact21 said:
It was great to be able to give him that experience and realize that sometimes Disney is more than just coasters and fireworks; it’s also about spending quality time with people you get along with and enjoying the break from the day to day routine

PREACH! This is so, so true! Glad your kiddos got some good friend time in

missangelalexis · Jan 23, 2019

I can't believe Alex tricked you onto Indiana Jones!

Those Lion King stuffed animals are awesome! I'm sorry you couldn't convince the kids to take any home!

Lesley Wake · Jan 23, 2019

amazingact21 said:
They fought back and whined and cried, swore they wouldn’t eat a single bite…the usual dramatics. Alex and I had to sell them hard on the burgers. The only thing that got them to try it was telling them their food were chicken nuggets masquerading as hot dogs.

*Sigh*

Sadly, I’m not exaggerating. They both have eaten their share of hot dogs and will tolerate the bun if they must. So, Alex and I used that to our advantage.

“The inside is just like chicken nuggets, guys. But you know how hot dogs like their buns? Well so do these nuggets.”

“Why?”

“Because they think it’d be cool to have bread to go along with them.”

“Oh.”

“Why don’t you give it a shot?”

I guess the kids couldn’t fault their food for wanting to pretend to be something else; they had enough costumes at home to know how that goes. So, they took tentative bites of their chicken burgers and realized they weren’t half bad.

I'm sorry, but this just makes me laugh! Definitely a new one, and my mom used to order a plain hamburger, hold the meat (yes, just a bun) for my brother from drive thrus!

amazingact21 said:
Now I understood why Alex had sent me first. Those restraints meant one thing, and that boy didn’t want to disclose the fact to me lest I chicken out.

Indiana Jones went upside down.

Too late to back out now, I sat down and let myself be whipped and flipped for a few minutes. While it wasn’t as rough as I was afraid it would be, it was a one and done for me. I rejoined Alex near the exit, gave him my best side eye, and sent him off for his turn. He later confessed that Dug and Dugette told him about the flip the night before when he watched Izzy, and he knew I never would have gone on it had I known.

Sneaky sneaky!

amazingact21 said:
And stumbled onto the second greatest plushes at Disneyland Paris:

I loved that cart of plushes! So cute!

amazingact21 said:
But my crazy kids could have cared less.

My enthusiasm was met with complete indifference.

Hmmph.

“I don’t know how ya’ll came from me….not liking Lion King.”

Or how they slept under the light of a Lion King lamp.

Or inside a Lion King Pack N Play.

Or snuggled under a Lion King blanket.

Seriously, how much harder could I have pushed for that film to be in their lives?!

amazingact21 said:
You can see it in the above photo, Landon wanted to ride with Dug again, because the last two times he helped him get extra points and taught him the best shooting technique.

Haha, cute!

luvpoohandcompany · Jan 24, 2019

Brilliant updates. Sorry I haven't time to comment more (rushing to grocery store before school pick up). Laughed at Landon's silly faces (welcome to my world) and don't even get me started on fussy eaters (used to lie to my kids and tell them fish fingers were chicken fingers from chickens that had swam alot) :rotfl:

Your view while you watched the kids is beautiful and Evie's wee face while in the backpack made me lol :rotfl2:

TheStarscream759 · Jan 24, 2019

Great updates there, man the fussy eaters those kids and I had to laugh at the chicken nugget bit, and you squeeing over the Lion King plushies was nice. I'm kind of jealous that you got in a few night shots of the evening and I kind of wish that I did more of that on my solo trip. Speaking of which I'm planning on starting my trip report later this evening so I'll link the trip report for you and everyone else who wants to look at it I really have got a lot to say about my solo trip in general.

Lifelong_Dreamer · Jan 24, 2019

amazingact21 said:

So sweet! I bet those moments melt your heart.

amazingact21 said:
Too late to back out now, I sat down and let myself be whipped and flipped for a few minutes. While it wasn’t as rough as I was afraid it would be, it was a one and done for me. I rejoined Alex near the exit, gave him my best side eye, and sent him off for his turn. He later confessed that Dug and Dugette told him about the flip the night before when he watched Izzy, and he knew I never would have gone on it had I known.

My father once did something similar to me. We were in the Rockies and he wanted to take us on a hike (Balu Pass) that required a minimum group size of four at all times as it was Grizzly territory. From time to time the trail gets closed due to bear activity. Well, my dad checked at the Parks Canada office before we went on the hike and they advised him that although the trail wasn't closed they recommended that we not hike it as the day before a Grizzly had been on the trail and separated a group of hikers. Everybody was okay and the bear apparently took no real notice of them but Parks Canada was warning hikers. My dad decided NOT to share this information with me until we were at the top of the Pass as he knew I would have refused to go on that trail. Needless to say the hike was beautiful and we all made it out safely with no bear sightings but I was royally steamed.

amazingact21 said:
SCAR!

Come on, kids. It’s a Scar plush.

I am 100% with you, awesome stuffies!

Cloe Colton · Jan 25, 2019

It so awesome that you were able to enjoy DLP with another family, and it seems to have really worked out for getting on those adult rides together rather than riding one at a time. What a perk!

I'm with you, those Lion King plushies were super cute!

Steppesister · Jan 26, 2019

Yay!! Landon is ready for TOT and even better he rode it!! Huzzah! Of course I'm pretty biased as it's one of my favorites!

I love that you had so much fun with another Disney-loving family and hit it off so well. Disney with friends is perfect!

Wonderful updates that have far too much in my too-far-behind state to multi-quote, but I am reading and loving every word and photo. :goodvibes

Say Please in French - A June and Sept. 2018 DLP TR *Updated 4/22

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