- Joined
- Aug 18, 1999
August 19th, 2018 - Part 1
I always get up first and sneak in the shower while Rob and Kira rest. That heavy-ish door that separates the bathroom and the rest of the room is very handy in this situation.
While they got ready, I made them breakfast, a fruit salad for Rob and cereal for Kira.
I also got our backpack ready with water and snacks, sunscreen, etc. I brought a small insulated lunch bag so every morning I would put three waters in there with a double-bagged ziploc full of ice to keep it cold. This worked like a charm and we had cold water for half the day. When we were out of water, we would keep the last bottle and refill it at counter service places.
This was one of the many ways I was able to survive Orlando in August!
Thanks to my amazing hubby who carried that backpack around all day, everyday without ever once complaining about it.![Title :worship: :worship:](http://www.wdwinfo.com/images/smilies/love30.gif)
Ready for our first full day!
And off we went to Magic Kingdom!
I love how they FINALLY built an overpass for those who are going to the MK hotels, it makes it so much easier for both MK resort guests and those just heading to MK parking lot!
We had parked so close, we just walked to the TTC.
A new experience for us was going through security at the TTC, which I personally like much better than doing it right before the park entrance.
The thing about security here which may not be clear to everyone...not everyone has to go through the metal detectors. They will tell you if you need to go through, otherwise, just walk past! I didn't realize until the third day that Rob was just automatically going there. He's just so used to getting that secondary screening that he didn't even question it.![Stick Out Tongue :p :p](http://www.disboards.com/data/smilies/tongue.gif)
The monorail was having some issues that morning and wasn't running at that time so we headed for the Ferry.
Rob and Kira wearing their customized Magic Bands they bought the night before at D-Tech.
Speaking of that, I totally forgot to tell you about my stop at Guest Services at Disney Springs! I had to prioritize my tickets and I didn't want to wait to do it at the parks the next morning so I made sure to stop by that first night. This was my first experience with the new Guest Services and I wasn't sure if I liked it or hated it.![Roll Eyes (Sarcastic) :rolleyes: :rolleyes:](http://www.disboards.com/data/smilies/rolleyes.gif)
You enter the building from one particular side, you tell the CM what your issue is and then they ask for your name (and scan your band, I think?). Then you wait around until someone calls your name. It seemed quite crowded so I told Rob and Kira to just go check out the stores without me (hence the new MB's!
)
This ended up being a 45-minute wait for me, which felt like forever. I didn't know how far down in the queue I was, were there 5 people in front of me or 35? She told me it would be about a 20-minute wait so after 30 mins of standing there (they had chairs but they were all taken) I was getting a little anxious...did they skip me? Did they call my name and I didn't hear them? (Some of them were not loud at all!) Should I go check with that first CM I spoke to? I don't know![Er... what? o_O o_O](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
Eventually they did call my name and I got my tickets sorted but I don't know that I loved this new set up. If the wait was 10 minutes, it would be great because then I could grab a chair and sit instead of standing in an actual line but because there were so many people in there, constantly coming and going, it wasn't a great experience.
Okay, so back to MK!
We got there before rope drop and watched the show for a few minutes before heading over to the bridge to the Tea Cups so we could get herded into Tomorrowland then Fantasyland with the rest of the people heading to 7 Dwarfs Mine Train.
You know how much I love to be herded![crazy :crazy2: :crazy2:](http://www.wdwinfo.com/images/smilies/crazy.gif)
Just as we were about to get into the actual line just outside the ride, Kira told me she wasn't feeling good and that she needed a bathroom now. Thankfully I am queen of the bathrooms and I know where they all are!
Our poor pumpkin! I think her nerves just got to her and she got a little overwhelmed. This was going to be the first time she was trying the big rides. She is not a ride girl. She gets super nervous on the stuff she does try even though she ends up liking it, she goes through the whole nervous/anxiety/worried bit each and every time.![Title :sad1: :sad1:](http://www.wdwinfo.com/images/smilies/sad06.gif)
And that is exactly why we waited so long between trips! The last trip to WDW, all we did was meet the characters and rode only the baby rides. She did ride Haunted Mansion but the first time she backed out and was so nervous the second time!
Before we left, we watched all of the POV videos from all of the rides so she knew exactly what to expect. She's like me, she doesn't like surprises (anymore) and wants to know everything. She SAID she was going to try every ride but I told her there was no pressure to ride them if she changed her mind because I don't want to scar the kid! I only want her to have happy memories of Disney World so I was okay with whatever she chose.
The thing is though, I know my kid and I knew that if she could just get over her initial anxiety, she would love these rides! And she's also at that age where she feels like she SHOULD be riding them, you know?
So, to help her out a little, I spoke to her aunt & uncle and they decided to offer her an incentive to ride the big ones. They gave me $100 USD for her and for each of the "big" rides she tried, she would get $20 each. So $20 each for Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Rock 'N Roller, Tower of Terror & Expedition Everest. She had finally tried Big Thunder in Disneyland a few years ago and loved it and I told her 7DMT was a smoother Big Thunder, so she was okay with riding it.
She did say that she was going to try them all despite the money but I think the money actually helped![Title :rolleyes1 :rolleyes1](http://www.wdwinfo.com/images/smilies/rolleye11.gif)
However, saying you're going to do something is much easier than actually doing it so I think at the very moment it all became real to her, she got nervous. She felt bad because we missed the ride (it was now and 80-minute wait) but I told her it wasn't a big deal and that we had Fast Passes for it later.
After a brief break, she decided she was okay and she wanted to try Space Mountain.
![cool1 :cool1: :cool1:](http://www.wdwinfo.com/images/smilies/cool1.gif)
I can't tell you how happy this made me! I thought she was done for! I thought she was going to ask to do Dumbo or something![Roll Eyes (Sarcastic) :rolleyes: :rolleyes:](http://www.disboards.com/data/smilies/rolleyes.gif)
I asked her three times if she was sure and she said yes, so off we went!
And guess what??
Not only did she do it, she LOVED it!!!![Title :love: :love:](http://www.wdwinfo.com/images/smilies/love01.gif)
![Title :love: :love:](http://www.wdwinfo.com/images/smilies/love01.gif)
![Title :love: :love:](http://www.wdwinfo.com/images/smilies/love01.gif)
And yeah, I was too cheap to get Photopass so I just took photos/screenshots![Title :lmao: :lmao:](http://www.wdwinfo.com/images/smilies/lmao.gif)
And here she is, getting her first $20!![Title :woohoo: :woohoo:](http://www.wdwinfo.com/images/smilies/woohoo.gif)
So, now she's got a little adrenaline going as well as some pride and some confidence so she suggested we go try Splash Mountain!![laughing :laughing: :laughing:](http://www.wdwinfo.com/images/smilies/laughing.gif)
But first, she wanted to check out the drop...![Roll Eyes (Sarcastic) :rolleyes: :rolleyes:](http://www.disboards.com/data/smilies/rolleyes.gif)
She was like...totally!![laughing :laughing: :laughing:](http://www.wdwinfo.com/images/smilies/laughing.gif)
She LOVED it!!!!
And then she got her first pressed pennies of the trip! As a little gift to her during our breakfast at The Kitchen, I had given her a little purse filled with shiny pennies, quarters and some extra money for her penny pressing adventures.
And then her reward...
We went on to do Big Thunder...where I think we spotted some Canadian loonies...![Title :lmao: :lmao:](http://www.wdwinfo.com/images/smilies/lmao.gif)
Kira was so confused as to why people would throw good money all over here.![Title :rotfl2: :rotfl2:](http://www.wdwinfo.com/images/smilies/rotfl2.gif)
And then we also did Pirates...
To be continued...
I always get up first and sneak in the shower while Rob and Kira rest. That heavy-ish door that separates the bathroom and the rest of the room is very handy in this situation.
While they got ready, I made them breakfast, a fruit salad for Rob and cereal for Kira.
![60a.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cassworld.ca%2Ftrippies%2Fsummer2018%2F60a.jpg&hash=9ba56a8f3114135e80f35acab0764c74)
I also got our backpack ready with water and snacks, sunscreen, etc. I brought a small insulated lunch bag so every morning I would put three waters in there with a double-bagged ziploc full of ice to keep it cold. This worked like a charm and we had cold water for half the day. When we were out of water, we would keep the last bottle and refill it at counter service places.
This was one of the many ways I was able to survive Orlando in August!
Thanks to my amazing hubby who carried that backpack around all day, everyday without ever once complaining about it.
![Title :worship: :worship:](http://www.wdwinfo.com/images/smilies/love30.gif)
Ready for our first full day!
![60b.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cassworld.ca%2Ftrippies%2Fsummer2018%2F60b.jpg&hash=ae5ab1a6ea3f61a97936d48631806a74)
And off we went to Magic Kingdom!
I love how they FINALLY built an overpass for those who are going to the MK hotels, it makes it so much easier for both MK resort guests and those just heading to MK parking lot!
![60.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cassworld.ca%2Ftrippies%2Fsummer2018%2F60.jpg&hash=558b63c9b4165613a15007533fe2e3bf)
![61.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cassworld.ca%2Ftrippies%2Fsummer2018%2F61.jpg&hash=303a85349000948e412334c8c5b98db1)
We had parked so close, we just walked to the TTC.
![62.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cassworld.ca%2Ftrippies%2Fsummer2018%2F62.jpg&hash=e6515571ec57b975886c02dc1e591a55)
A new experience for us was going through security at the TTC, which I personally like much better than doing it right before the park entrance.
![63.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cassworld.ca%2Ftrippies%2Fsummer2018%2F63.jpg&hash=788bbb8edd428cb256fdc8c863fb0733)
The thing about security here which may not be clear to everyone...not everyone has to go through the metal detectors. They will tell you if you need to go through, otherwise, just walk past! I didn't realize until the third day that Rob was just automatically going there. He's just so used to getting that secondary screening that he didn't even question it.
![Stick Out Tongue :p :p](http://www.disboards.com/data/smilies/tongue.gif)
The monorail was having some issues that morning and wasn't running at that time so we headed for the Ferry.
Rob and Kira wearing their customized Magic Bands they bought the night before at D-Tech.
![64.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cassworld.ca%2Ftrippies%2Fsummer2018%2F64.jpg&hash=352f21cf17bc6a39a36f48ad29eb38bf)
Speaking of that, I totally forgot to tell you about my stop at Guest Services at Disney Springs! I had to prioritize my tickets and I didn't want to wait to do it at the parks the next morning so I made sure to stop by that first night. This was my first experience with the new Guest Services and I wasn't sure if I liked it or hated it.
![Roll Eyes (Sarcastic) :rolleyes: :rolleyes:](http://www.disboards.com/data/smilies/rolleyes.gif)
You enter the building from one particular side, you tell the CM what your issue is and then they ask for your name (and scan your band, I think?). Then you wait around until someone calls your name. It seemed quite crowded so I told Rob and Kira to just go check out the stores without me (hence the new MB's!
![Title :rolleyes2 :rolleyes2](http://www.wdwinfo.com/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif)
This ended up being a 45-minute wait for me, which felt like forever. I didn't know how far down in the queue I was, were there 5 people in front of me or 35? She told me it would be about a 20-minute wait so after 30 mins of standing there (they had chairs but they were all taken) I was getting a little anxious...did they skip me? Did they call my name and I didn't hear them? (Some of them were not loud at all!) Should I go check with that first CM I spoke to? I don't know
Eventually they did call my name and I got my tickets sorted but I don't know that I loved this new set up. If the wait was 10 minutes, it would be great because then I could grab a chair and sit instead of standing in an actual line but because there were so many people in there, constantly coming and going, it wasn't a great experience.
Okay, so back to MK!
![65.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cassworld.ca%2Ftrippies%2Fsummer2018%2F65.jpg&hash=22b0413be88b7789b0e608f9b66c20c1)
![67.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cassworld.ca%2Ftrippies%2Fsummer2018%2F67.jpg&hash=343b1c0320e6e6ee9eb4c97d0ced4b4f)
We got there before rope drop and watched the show for a few minutes before heading over to the bridge to the Tea Cups so we could get herded into Tomorrowland then Fantasyland with the rest of the people heading to 7 Dwarfs Mine Train.
![68.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cassworld.ca%2Ftrippies%2Fsummer2018%2F68.jpg&hash=ee14998911e6a19ddaf41d5ca2a05e97)
You know how much I love to be herded
![crazy :crazy2: :crazy2:](http://www.wdwinfo.com/images/smilies/crazy.gif)
![69.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cassworld.ca%2Ftrippies%2Fsummer2018%2F69.jpg&hash=c2010e2e03dc337dfa8e5088a27d22b2)
Just as we were about to get into the actual line just outside the ride, Kira told me she wasn't feeling good and that she needed a bathroom now. Thankfully I am queen of the bathrooms and I know where they all are!
Our poor pumpkin! I think her nerves just got to her and she got a little overwhelmed. This was going to be the first time she was trying the big rides. She is not a ride girl. She gets super nervous on the stuff she does try even though she ends up liking it, she goes through the whole nervous/anxiety/worried bit each and every time.
![Title :sad1: :sad1:](http://www.wdwinfo.com/images/smilies/sad06.gif)
And that is exactly why we waited so long between trips! The last trip to WDW, all we did was meet the characters and rode only the baby rides. She did ride Haunted Mansion but the first time she backed out and was so nervous the second time!
Before we left, we watched all of the POV videos from all of the rides so she knew exactly what to expect. She's like me, she doesn't like surprises (anymore) and wants to know everything. She SAID she was going to try every ride but I told her there was no pressure to ride them if she changed her mind because I don't want to scar the kid! I only want her to have happy memories of Disney World so I was okay with whatever she chose.
The thing is though, I know my kid and I knew that if she could just get over her initial anxiety, she would love these rides! And she's also at that age where she feels like she SHOULD be riding them, you know?
So, to help her out a little, I spoke to her aunt & uncle and they decided to offer her an incentive to ride the big ones. They gave me $100 USD for her and for each of the "big" rides she tried, she would get $20 each. So $20 each for Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Rock 'N Roller, Tower of Terror & Expedition Everest. She had finally tried Big Thunder in Disneyland a few years ago and loved it and I told her 7DMT was a smoother Big Thunder, so she was okay with riding it.
She did say that she was going to try them all despite the money but I think the money actually helped
![Title :rolleyes1 :rolleyes1](http://www.wdwinfo.com/images/smilies/rolleye11.gif)
However, saying you're going to do something is much easier than actually doing it so I think at the very moment it all became real to her, she got nervous. She felt bad because we missed the ride (it was now and 80-minute wait) but I told her it wasn't a big deal and that we had Fast Passes for it later.
After a brief break, she decided she was okay and she wanted to try Space Mountain.
![cool1 :cool1: :cool1:](http://www.wdwinfo.com/images/smilies/cool1.gif)
I can't tell you how happy this made me! I thought she was done for! I thought she was going to ask to do Dumbo or something
![Roll Eyes (Sarcastic) :rolleyes: :rolleyes:](http://www.disboards.com/data/smilies/rolleyes.gif)
I asked her three times if she was sure and she said yes, so off we went!
And guess what??
![70.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cassworld.ca%2Ftrippies%2Fsummer2018%2F70.jpg&hash=8795b2dd586c1d65dcf6c0cf9e472fac)
Not only did she do it, she LOVED it!!!
![Title :love: :love:](http://www.wdwinfo.com/images/smilies/love01.gif)
![Title :love: :love:](http://www.wdwinfo.com/images/smilies/love01.gif)
![Title :love: :love:](http://www.wdwinfo.com/images/smilies/love01.gif)
![71.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cassworld.ca%2Ftrippies%2Fsummer2018%2F71.jpg&hash=d24a2faa39dae89e5e5e0947e8d3bf3b)
And yeah, I was too cheap to get Photopass so I just took photos/screenshots
![Title :lmao: :lmao:](http://www.wdwinfo.com/images/smilies/lmao.gif)
And here she is, getting her first $20!
![Title :woohoo: :woohoo:](http://www.wdwinfo.com/images/smilies/woohoo.gif)
![72.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cassworld.ca%2Ftrippies%2Fsummer2018%2F72.jpg&hash=2d072111ee419e37cf8a324884f19676)
So, now she's got a little adrenaline going as well as some pride and some confidence so she suggested we go try Splash Mountain!
![laughing :laughing: :laughing:](http://www.wdwinfo.com/images/smilies/laughing.gif)
But first, she wanted to check out the drop...
![Roll Eyes (Sarcastic) :rolleyes: :rolleyes:](http://www.disboards.com/data/smilies/rolleyes.gif)
![73.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cassworld.ca%2Ftrippies%2Fsummer2018%2F73.jpg&hash=586ee630d0ee7477c5cba67fdd48bffa)
She was like...totally!
![laughing :laughing: :laughing:](http://www.wdwinfo.com/images/smilies/laughing.gif)
![74.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cassworld.ca%2Ftrippies%2Fsummer2018%2F74.jpg&hash=0de944816f3d72d264df3c556ded07da)
![74a.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cassworld.ca%2Ftrippies%2Fsummer2018%2F74a.jpg&hash=d200e595d4f6c6e3c887e075cd1feaf3)
She LOVED it!!!!
![75.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cassworld.ca%2Ftrippies%2Fsummer2018%2F75.jpg&hash=a95ed563359e9c752856ad8cec9e951b)
And then she got her first pressed pennies of the trip! As a little gift to her during our breakfast at The Kitchen, I had given her a little purse filled with shiny pennies, quarters and some extra money for her penny pressing adventures.
![77.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cassworld.ca%2Ftrippies%2Fsummer2018%2F77.jpg&hash=2c318ec8c7467fd7b340c9e97c36164c)
And then her reward...
![78.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cassworld.ca%2Ftrippies%2Fsummer2018%2F78.jpg&hash=fef96c346cb618cfa7b0ec37f6362003)
We went on to do Big Thunder...where I think we spotted some Canadian loonies...
![Title :lmao: :lmao:](http://www.wdwinfo.com/images/smilies/lmao.gif)
![76.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cassworld.ca%2Ftrippies%2Fsummer2018%2F76.jpg&hash=60088b047cbd53e65a9d17a05005c8f8)
Kira was so confused as to why people would throw good money all over here.
![Title :rotfl2: :rotfl2:](http://www.wdwinfo.com/images/smilies/rotfl2.gif)
![79.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cassworld.ca%2Ftrippies%2Fsummer2018%2F79.jpg&hash=dc56b13d2f91190ae4204df4584aa366)
And then we also did Pirates...
![79a.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cassworld.ca%2Ftrippies%2Fsummer2018%2F79a.jpg&hash=cfd9f390fcd14c2e933a2afc7d10e72b)
To be continued...
Last edited: