I'm Going Away... FOREVER! Oh, Great! Could You Get Me a Sandwich?? - updated 6/23!

[baseballmickey]

2. Because of said allergies, I had to purchase some medication from the gift shop/general store in CR. While we were in there, we were browsing the souvenirs and there was a young girl who was looking at the same rack as me. She shouted over to her mother to come look at something. It was a magnet that had characters on it and the number 12. "Why 12?" the girl asks her mother. "Obviously it is for a 12 year old. I'm not sure why they don't have any other ages. They seem to have a lot of things for 12 year olds, but no other ages. That's stupid."


Yep. That's stupid alright.


I literally laughed out loud on this one.....

I couldn't believe she said that. I would have tried to correct her, but the way she said it, you could tell there was going to be no convincing her she was wrong.

I'll have to go check out the new blog!

Looks like y'all were off to a great start that day! I love the picture of Jackson pulling back from Stitch!

That one is great! He definitely had an interesting reaction to all the characters that came over.

 

[afwdwfan]

Congratulations on starting the blog. I haven't looked at it yet, but I'm only almost a week behind on reading this update at this point.

The story about the girl and the "12" souvenirs is great.

So, were you able to keep from laughing out loud when she said that???

Looks like a great breakfast at Ohana. I really need to do that one sometime. It would probably be higher on the list if they would replace Lilo and Stitch. We just don't have much interest in meeting them and I just have a hard time pulling the trigger on a character meal where we don't care about half the characters.

 

[Chicago Mo]

i'm such a stalker! I am all over your blog and facebook!

Always fun to read, i'm going to exhaust all the adjectives in how much i enjoy your posts!!!

You family is so beautiful! Just love Jackson and those CHUBBY CHEEKS!

 

[baseballmickey]

Congratulations on starting the blog. I haven't looked at it yet, but I'm only almost a week behind on reading this update at this point.

The story about the girl and the "12" souvenirs is great.

So, were you able to keep from laughing out loud when she said that???

Looks like a great breakfast at Ohana. I really need to do that one sometime. It would probably be higher on the list if they would replace Lilo and Stitch. We just don't have much interest in meeting them and I just have a hard time pulling the trigger on a character meal where we don't care about half the characters.

No worries on getting over to the blog. It's still a work in progress, although I am doing a better job so far on that than I am with this trip report.

I just stood there looking at that lady with my mouth open. I wanted to pull the girl aside and explain it, but there was no opportunity. Once they left, I was laughing as I told Lisa what happened.

As good as breakfast at 'Ohana is, I can understand how you feel. Characters Meals are about Friends, not Food! So if those aren't the characters you want to see, then I'd agree that it's not worth it.

i'm such a stalker! I am all over your blog and facebook!

Always fun to read, i'm going to exhaust all the adjectives in how much i enjoy your posts!!!

You family is so beautiful! Just love Jackson and those CHUBBY CHEEKS!

Thank you so much. I don't think we mind having a stalker or two... yet!

I can't imagine what you'll think of the video version of this TR if I can get that done!!

Making a mental note to stop off at the police station and get a restraining order form so I can have it all filled out and read to go... just in case.

just kidding. I'm not going to the police station. I am sure I can get the form online.

 

[baseballmickey]

We made our way out of Poly to head for the monorail and on to the Magic Kingdom!! Surprisingly, we were on schedule to get over there in time for the Welcome Show!! So I didn't bother to stop at the photopass desk on our way out. I made a mental note that we would need to stop back there on Wednesday morning after breakfast.

Part of the deal with Photopass+ is that your picture packages at the meals that offer them are prepaid, like this morning's breakfast at 'Ohana. You can also have them added to your photopass by taking the receipt to the photopass desk. During our planning, we made an additional ADR for breakfast at Kona Cafe on Wednesday, the day we would depart for the cruise. So I just had to remember to bring the receipt with us to breakfast that morning.

Leading up to this trip, we'd been listening to A LOT of disney music. I had discovered the Live365 app for my phone, and was always playing the park music in my car or at home. Bella's favorite song was the "Welcome Song". I had to play it for her constantly on YouTube. So making the Welcome Show had become a pretty. big. deal.

So once again, we were standing clear of the doors and on our way... and after a quick stop at the Grand Floridian, we stood clear of the doors one final time and got over to the MK entrance. We arrived and saw that everyone was still waiting out front. We hadn't missed it!! WE MADE IT!!!

Not only did we make it, but guess what family from Long Island was family of the day for the opening of the Magic Kingdom??????

If you said the family in that picture, that we don't know, but coincidentally happened to be from Long Island, you were right!!! I think they were the Burns or maybe the Burke family. I'll have to go and watch the video again.

It makes me wonder what are chances are to be picked as Family of the Day one of these trips... Alas, it will not be our upcoming trip. We have a pre-park opening ADR at CRT on our MK day. It's the only time we'll be there.

Following the show, we lingered to get a couple of pictures at the entrance. A Photopass photographer was setup there, so we wanted to get a picture. It ended up just being Lisa and Bella.

Then we walked under the train station, grabbed our maps and time guides, and stepped into the Magic Kingdom.

We grabbed FastPasses for Mickey and Minnie at the Town Square Theater, and then went to meet Daisy Duck. Jackson didn't seem into it, so Lisa just held him.

We also got our mandatory family picture on Main Street with the Castle behind us. It's Disney Law by the way. If you don't do it, well... you don't want to know what happens if you don't do it.

Then we made our way to the Town Square Theater. The Fastpass line was about a 15 or 20 minute wait. Soon, it was time for us to go in and meet Mickey! I was caught by surpise when the CM had us count and opened the door to reveal Mickey standing there!!

Had I known that was going to happen, I would have gotten a better picture.
We weren't the first family in our group, so we had to wait a bit longer. But not too long.

Now, you know those families that you get stuck behind in line for characters? The ones who take FOREVER? Just when you think, "We're Next!", it turns into another ten minutes as they take picture after picture in every character/family member combination imaginable... You know the ones I'm talking about, right?? The character hogs! Well...

That was us!

I didn't even see it coming. Jackson seemed uninterested in the characters at breakfast. He was shy with Daisy out in Town Square. But we put him down and let him go to see what he would do with Mickey.... and instead, he went to Minnie.

At first he was tentative, only standing next to Minnie as she put her arm around him. Then Minnie gestured for Bella to come say hello, and when Bella hugged Minnie, Jackson leaned in... and buried his face in her dress.

And Mickey moves in and we get the big picture of all of them... IF we can get Jackson to turn and look... but no amount of calling his name could get him to lift his head.

So I run in there and turn him around...

Well, he's not looking at the camera, but it's a lot better than we expected. Now we can go, right?

Nope. Mickey never got a hug from Jackson. Mickey opens his arms, and Jackson walks into them.

And then we get another group shot opportunity...

and then comes the, "oh, do mom and dad want to get in the picture?" Sure!

I can remember thinking, "oh wow, this is taking forever", and getting that anxious feeling like other people are staring daggers at our backs for being character hogs. But the CMs didn't seem to mind, and Mickey and Minnie were eating it up, and I heard an occasional "awwww" from people in line, so that helped put me somewhat at ease.

It was only at home, looking at the video, that I noticed the look on these faces of the kids who were next.

Eventually, the photopass photographer and the CM seemed to have decided that was enough. But Jackson went back to Minnie for more love. We were trying to make our way out, but he just wouldn't leave. Mickey and Minnie had to escort Jackson from the area.

What could you do? Our little Jackson was a character hog. At least, he was one when it came to Minnie Mouse. We'd have to wait and see how he would do with other characters in the park.

So we exited through the gift shop and out into the park. We had another appointment to keep.

 

[dhorner233]

Wow! You've been busy!

How old is Jackson on this trip? That was so unfortunate about the back light at the character breakfast But, still a great memory.

Yes, we are still there on Where in the World: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3048815&page=198

And would love to have you come back with some good crops!

 

[baseballmickey]

Wow! You've been busy!

How old is Jackson on this trip? That was so unfortunate about the back light at the character breakfast But, still a great memory.

Yes, we are still there on Where in the World: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3048815&page=198

And would love to have you come back with some good crops!

Jackson is just 15 months old on this trip. He's such a different kid now.

I miss WITW!! I love that game. I incorporated it into our blog for photo fridays. but nobody played along the first week. I went over and posted the same puzzle in the new thread!!

 

[eandesmom]

Character hog, that's a riot! I know you weren't thrilled with the breakfast pictures but I think the one of Stitch and Jackson is adorable. He's just looking up at him going WHAT and WHO is this giant wierd blue face next to me? It's priceless.

Fun updates and some really great pics. Nothing cuter than a kid burying their faces in mama's, I mean Minnnie's, dress.

 

[amandaw]

Lovely update! The pictures are great! That's fantastic that Jackson loved the characters so much.

 

[Chicago Mo]

Yes you can get the forms for Dis stalking on line... ahem.. Not that i would know... just kidding... and just an FYI. we will be there in Sept 2014... just in case you had any ideas.. The Blog is AWESOME. so is the facebook page... hey keep it up with public stuff and i am ON IT!

TOOO FUNNY! Jackson was ESCORTED OUT by the main mice! honestly you have a beautiful family! your kids are just so adorable.
the sunrise/sun set pictures are breathtaking!!! where's the video???

 

[baseballmickey]

Character hog, that's a riot! I know you weren't thrilled with the breakfast pictures but I think the one of Stitch and Jackson is adorable. He's just looking up at him going WHAT and WHO is this giant wierd blue face next to me? It's priceless.

Fun updates and some really great pics. Nothing cuter than a kid burying their faces in mama's, I mean Minnnie's, dress.

Thanks!

Lovely update! The pictures are great! That's fantastic that Jackson loved the characters so much.

Thanks! Our reactions were all over the place... fear and trepidation as we approached, then excitement and wonder as he threw himself into Minnie, followed by the "awww"s, which then turned into guilt and worry about the people behind us... and finally relief!!

Yes you can get the forms for Dis stalking on line... ahem.. Not that i would know... just kidding... and just an FYI. we will be there in Sept 2014... just in case you had any ideas.. The Blog is AWESOME. so is the facebook page... hey keep it up with public stuff and i am ON IT!

TOOO FUNNY! Jackson was ESCORTED OUT by the main mice! honestly you have a beautiful family! your kids are just so adorable.
the sunrise/sun set pictures are breathtaking!!! where's the video???

Good to know that the forms are readily available. That memory of Mickey and Minnie walking Jackson out is going to be one I NEVER forget.

Thanks for the kind words about our blog. I'm doing a better job of keeping up with that than I am with this TR. The video is being edited at about the same pace as this TR. Eventually I hope to have that up on youtube.

 

[baseballmickey]

A couple of quick updates on what's been going on with us.

First, some good news. We're booked for Marathon Weekend 2014!!!!

Bad news: I tore cartilage in my knee and will have surgery to repair/remove it next friday.

not so bad news: The surgery is not as invasive as it could have been and I should be back to training by this summer.

In the meantime, Lisa, Bella, and Jackson are all registered to run various races in January. We are disappointed that there will be no stroller division for the 5k, and we won't be able to run as a family in that one.


My knee gave out on me while I was running my first official 5k in CT. It was the Sandy Hook Run for the Families, and I'll post some pictures when I can. It happened with not much more than 1/4 mile left in the race, and we weren't even running hard.

Apparently some of the damage was already there from sports and that incident just made it worse.


So, upcoming we've got plans for our trip this summer, and for next January, and then our cruise next summer. Well, add another trip to that list. Just this morning I got a call from Hilton with a deal for a 4 day/3 night stay at the Hilton hotel on property at WDW. I normally just hang up on these people, but for some reason I found myself saying yes. We'll have to sit through their timeshare pitch, but I figured that's not too big a deal. When I told Lisa her first thought was that we should go without the kids. Now we're trying to decide when to go so we can book it.



I've tried a couple of times to update this TR, which is very picture heavy, but had nothing but problems uploading my pictures. I may need to switch to a new hosting site. (currently using picasa web albums)

Lastly, My sister gave us a bunch of Disney items, including a monorail set, Spaceship Earth, The Contemporary Resort, and the Walt Disney World Railroad. While I am thrilled to now own these, I have nowhere to put them. So this week I started cleaning out the garage so we could maybe, just possibly, convert the space into an additional room, and that would of course be Disney themed and be a place to keep all our Disney stuff which has no home. It will also allow us to keep the upright piano we inherited in there as well and actually be used as a piano instead of a place to pile junk on top of.


So that's about all I can think of for now. Let me see if I have enough pictures to do a quick TR update for you.

 

[baseballmickey]

Alright, I may not have all my pictures uploaded, so I am reserving the right to circle back around later to show you things we did. Keep your hands and arms inside the vehicle, because we're going to skip around a little.

We had a couple of other things to take care of on Main Street USA following our visit with Mickey and Minnie. Unfortunately, those pictures aren't online yet. So we'll skip ahead to leaving Main Street and heading toward Cinderella Castle!

As always, I usually spend this part of walking through MK snapping pictures. Here's one that gives you an idea of the beautiful weather and how the crowds were shaping up:

A somewhat artistic view, getting the Castle between the hedges and flowers in the foreground:

A different angle of "Partners":

Our destination was the Not-So-New Fantasyland... and the best way to get there was through the castle, of course! I can call it that because this was last summer, months before the grand opening, and all that was available to us was the twin Dumbos, the Great Goofini, and the Casey Jr. Splash area.

A Look back toward Main Street...

Space Mountain in the distance:

Once we got to Fantasyland, we grabbed our FastPasses for Dumbo, and thankfully we knew not to head toward Dumbo to find our FastPasses!

And while we waited for the FastPass window to come around, we hit some classic Fantasyland favorites.

We took a ride on It's a Small World...

and the Regal Carousel...

We love Mickey's Philharmagic!

We didn't have time to wait for Pooh, so we grabbed FastPasses for that.

By that time, it was time for our ride on the new Dumbo!

We got a view of Goofy's Barnstormer from the line, but we didn't ride. Bella rode that for the first time last year, (which you can watch here)

We didn't get to stop in the play area at all, the line moved us right by and we were soon boarding our flying pachyderms!

We rode boy-boy...

And girl-girl...

I was disappointed that we didn't get to try out the play area. I figured perhaps later in the day if we came back to the area, or later in the trip we'd get to do it. The ride itself hadn't changed much, aside from the scenery. We got a good look over the fence at the construction, but I found myself missing the old views of the castle and carousel.

On the plus side, walking right on to Dumbo was awesome! Never had that happen before.


After our Dumbo experience, we went to check out the only other "New Fantasyland" area that was open to us: The Casey Jr. splash area.

All I can say is WOW! This area is amazing!! The details are incredible, and Bella and Jackson had a blast. They were soaked in minutes! I took to calling it the "Casey Jr. SOAK area".

Here are some of the shots I got:

I think I'm out of room for pictures in this update.

Now, how closely were you paying attention??? Remember, we skipped some things from our morning on Main Street. Can you spot the clues and figure out what we did before we headed for Fantasyland???

Put on those detective Mouse Ears and let's see how good you are!!

 

[dhorner233]

Enjoyed your update! Jackson looks like he really enjoyed the Casey Jr. soaking area! Love the pictures of the new stuff! I can't wait to get there this fall!!!

Sorry to hear about your knee surgery! Hope it goes well for you and you are back running soon!

I don't know where you went before Fantasyland. Tomorrowland?

 

[rachel09985]

I am in! Sounds like a great trip so far! Love your room view.

 

[afwdwfan]

I took to calling it the "Casey Jr. SOAK area".

You've got that one right. It is ridiculous how much water it sprays. There's no "splash" about it at all!

Now, how closely were you paying attention??? Remember, we skipped some things from our morning on Main Street. Can you spot the clues and figure out what we did before we headed for Fantasyland???

Put on those detective Mouse Ears and let's see how good you are!!

This might be a bit of a reach, but the amount of hair on Jackson's head in the water picture looks just a little bit shorter than you'd expect from the pictures with Mickey and Minnie... maybe a stop by the barbershop for a trim?

 

[eandesmom]

Love the update! I was amazed when I saw that area, it's SO wet it's crazy!

I imagine they make a killing on selling the towels there, that's brilliant. It is an adorable area though, they did a great job with it.

 

[Chicago Mo]

YAY an update!!!
thanks for the warning about getting SOAKED! that will DEF be the last thing we do! walking around soaked is not very fun.

You had a great day for pictures! even the clouds cooperated!

My guess is the meet and greet Mickey/Princess! and coffee...

Sorry about the knee. I am on surgery #4. the surgery isn't bad it's the therapy afterwards that is a pain..

 

[baseballmickey]

Love the update! I was amazed when I saw that area, it's SO wet it's crazy!

I imagine they make a killing on selling the towels there, that's brilliant. It is an adorable area though, they did a great job with it.

It was a great area!! I can't wait to go back and see it again now that more of New Fantasyland is open.

YAY an update!!!
thanks for the warning about getting SOAKED! that will DEF be the last thing we do! walking around soaked is not very fun.

You had a great day for pictures! even the clouds cooperated!

My guess is the meet and greet Mickey/Princess! and coffee...

Sorry about the knee. I am on surgery #4. the surgery isn't bad it's the therapy afterwards that is a pain..

Depending on how hot it is, you could dry quickly. Large ziploc bags and a change of clothes are a good idea as well!

Well, we already met Mickey and Minnie, but it was not the princesses that kept us on Main Street.

My knee is good. Such a difference from a very similar procedure 19 years ago. Thanks for the sympathy, though you'll probably be upset to hear I'm already walking around (almost completely) normal again.

You've got that one right. It is ridiculous how much water it sprays. There's no "splash" about it at all!


This might be a bit of a reach, but the amount of hair on Jackson's head in the water picture looks just a little bit shorter than you'd expect from the pictures with Mickey and Minnie... maybe a stop by the barbershop for a trim?

DING DING DING!!

We have a winner!!

 

[baseballmickey]

Hi all. Getting back on for an update, and thought I'd let you all know that my knee surgery was last friday and it went well. I felt very good afterwards and even went to work that night!

That should let my bosses know that if I ever call out sick, it's for a damn good reason and they shouldn't question it!!

In other health-related news, both kids got sick and in Jackson's case, he gave us a scare and we thought we were going to have to take him to the ER much like we did with Bella at around the same age for pneumonia. After going through antibiotics and steroids meds to clear it up, he got it again just days later!! So it looks like they are both Allergy related.

So next up is pulmonologist appts for the two of them, and my follow-up with my DR. about my knee on monday. Hopefully his prognosis will be as positive as I am feeling and I'll be able to register for marathon weekend with confidence!!


We now return to the slowest TR ever...