Nine Nights: Filling 2019 with Disney Adventures around the World *New TR Link 7/31

June 11th, Day 6 Plans:

The halfway point in our trip! Well, sort of. Technically, it’s a day after the halfway marker but that’s close enough to count, right?

Sadly, this is departure day for my mom. She is an early bird like me and will want to get on the road early. We’ll say our goodbyes to her, help her load her luggage into her car, then Alex and the kids will go back to the room to sleep and/or watch tv. (Bet you can’t guess who will be watching the television and who will be snoozing:laughing:) I have to knock out another training run this morning, but at least this time around I won’t be rushing.

That's because this day is our official down day. Because our trips are usually four and five days long, Alex never wants to schedule a day off but with a trip of this magnitude I insisted we schedule one.

The morning will be comprised of laundry runs, pool time, and coffee on the balcony. The four of us will rest our weary feet and enjoy the offerings at Shades of Green. Perhaps Alex will take Landon to the arcade and introduce him to a new world of games…



When we are ready, Alex and I have agreed to spend the day with his older brother and sister in Orlando. They are Season Passholders to Universal and have asked if we would go to lunch at Toothsome with them. I went there last vacation with them and it was an enjoyable experience.


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The restaurant theming is quirky and fun, and it will be yet another new experience for Alex. He loves milkshakes and will get a kick out of choosing one of these behemoths:

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I’ll probably hold off on the ice cream and save my sweet tooth for VooDoo Doughnuts. I am such a sucker for doughnuts…it’s my ultimate indulgence. When I want to treat myself after a long week or an accomplishment, I go to my local bakery and grab a coffee and a doughnut.

Of course, the sugar always makes me feel terrible afterwards and I regret the carb overload decision the minute I finish the food, but I can’t resist.:rotfl2:
Some people like ice cream, some French fries, some margaritas…mine is bread. In stick, pizza, or cake doughnut form I’ll take them all. (Obviously, I war with myself every time I go into a supermarket here where there a bread machines! Fresh croissants for cents…and bread trucks that deliver in the village. Goodness, it’d be an easier life if I liked cauliflower instead.)


The kids are still young enough – I hope – to be content with visiting City Walk but not the Universal parks. As much as Alex and I love frozen butterbeer and Escape from Gingotts, we want to wait until both kids are tall enough to hit all the minimum height requirements before bringing them back into the parks.


And let’s be honest….this will still be what entertains them the most:
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Moving walkways are a million times more fun when they’re not in an airport and accompanied by heavy carry on backpacks and exhausted parents.



If the siblings don’t have anything else specific they want to do, we will all just head back to Shades to spend even more time at the pool:

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(Shhh: if you listen closely you might be able to hear Alex groan in dismay over that last sentence. He is NOT thrilled with the amount of pool time I have allocated. Sitting besides an over-chlorinated pool is his definition of boredom.)


For kicks and giggles, I scheduled us Fastpasses for after dinnertime in the Magic Kingdom. But they are not a high priority. Should we get caught up in an outing with family or prefer to stay away from a park, nobody is going to lose sleep over missing these passes.


If we do venture inside the MK, I might try and grab our traditional shot of Alex and Landon at the sword:

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Circa 2015



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Circa 2018


**I need to go through my photos and find someplace Alex has taken a picture with Evie in order to give them something traditional. I guess I could use the carousel. Goodness knows, he has taken her on that attraction enough times.:rolleyes:**



The first Fastpass we have is for 7DMT. This ride made me ill the last time I rode it, and we have to see if Evie hits the 38” mark so this is not something we care one way or the other about. Landon liked it, but Landon likes ALL attractions; we will probably have to let him skip it this trip.


Our next pass is for Enchanted Tales with Belle. Yet another attraction none of us have ever done before. I think the kids are finally old enough to understand the show and handle the disappointment if they are not picked for a role. Whether we do this with our passes or another day, Enchanted Tales is high on my wish list of things I want us all to do this vacation.


Our final pass is for Dumbo. There’s something beautiful and calming about riding Dumbo at night, and it's an attraction Landon will miss when he goes on Space Mountain with Alex and me.


Alex might be dreading this “down day” (and hanging out with his no-plan, fly by the seat of their pants siblings) but I am really looking forward to it. Open plans tend to lead to some surprising and wonderful moments, and I think it will be a good way to allow the kids to transition from having Nana around to being us four again. Pushing a new dynamic on them too quickly can lead to meltdowns and heightened emotions, so by doing it this way we are allowing them decompression time.


Day 6 Goals:

- Rest in the morning
- City Walk time





Up Next: Day 7 Plans
 
Looks like a good relaxing day!

I love pool time, but not with kids haha! It’s just so exhausting!

I agree I am dying to go to Universal but I just think the kids are to young....
 
Ah I'm sure it will be tough to say bye to your mom :(

A morning of down time will be nice. Though it sounds like you will be busy with your run and laundry!

Going to Toothsomes is a nice non-Disney activity! Maybe you can convince your inlaws to run into the parks and grab you a butter beer? ;)

I'm with you on bread...it's my carb of choice for sure!

Smart idea making some just in case FPs for MK if you decide to go at night!
 
Snow?! :scared1: Oh gosh, I will take my chilly 40's to the snow any day of the week. But maybe that means you'll have a mild summer and won't have to contend with brutal heat...:confused3

Yep, snow followed by a couple of rainy days. More rain and cold next week. Feels like we may get a mild summer which would be fine with me. Last summer was way too hot, especially living in a house that's over 100 years old with no ac. Also, my car's ac kicked the bucket recently as well. :laughing:
 
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Oh no...I made a cardinal DISboards mistake and commented a long time ago without remembering to watch the thread!!! :faint:

I'm properly subscribed now, and just caught up with all of your updates. I think your plans look wonderful so far! I'm pretty jealous of all the Disney time you will be getting! But not so much of all that moving, packing, and living out of suitcases you will be doing. :rotfl: It will be so stressful, but I'm sure will be totally worth it in the end! Your kids will have some amazing stories to tell when they grow up of all the amazing places around the world they were able to live!
 
If we do venture inside the MK, I might try and grab our traditional shot of Alex and Landon at the sword:
I love the idea of having a traditional photo!

**I need to go through my photos and find someplace Alex has taken a picture with Evie in order to give them something traditional. I guess I could use the carousel. Goodness knows, he has taken her on that attraction enough times.:rolleyes:**
Maybe a mother/daughter shot since you have a father/son one?

The first Fastpass we have is for 7DMT. This ride made me ill the last time I rode it, and we have to see if Evie hits the 38” mark so this is not something we care one way or the other about. Landon liked it, but Landon likes ALL attractions; we will probably have to let him skip it this trip.


Our next pass is for Enchanted Tales with Belle. Yet another attraction none of us have ever done before. I think the kids are finally old enough to understand the show and handle the disappointment if they are not picked for a role. Whether we do this with our passes or another day, Enchanted Tales is high on my wish list of things I want us all to do this vacation.


Our final pass is for Dumbo. There’s something beautiful and calming about riding Dumbo at night, and it's an attraction Landon will miss when he goes on Space Mountain with Alex and me.
The fast pass plans look great! One of my favourite things about having an AP is the ability to just pop into a park for a few hours to do a few classics, then head out. Dumbo is a great way to end the night. :)

Alex might be dreading this “down day” (and hanging out with his no-plan, fly by the seat of their pants siblings) but I am really looking forward to it. Open plans tend to lead to some surprising and wonderful moments, and I think it will be a good way to allow the kids to transition from having Nana around to being us four again. Pushing a new dynamic on them too quickly can lead to meltdowns and heightened emotions, so by doing it this way we are allowing them decompression time.
I think it's a great choice and it shows how much you respect the needs of your children. Time to process is so important, especially for littles.
 
I hope your packing went well this weekend! Such hard transitions, leading up to so much fun!

I'm really looking forward to meeting you and Alex! Too bad our Disney times don't match up- but we'll make MN fun! <3
 


Your plans are really taking shape and looking great Alicia :)
So funny that Alex is struggling with the idea of a quiet/free day. I’m with you on this one though as I think the kids will appreciate time to digest your mom leaving and it just being you 4. Plus as you say, sometimes the most wonderful memories are made when we don’t have plans!
Love Landon and Alex’s sword in the stone photos and I agree with the suggestion of you and Evie having a go-to photo spot each trip :)

Hope all is going well on the moving front!! :)
 
I think your down day sounds great!! Hopefully DH will see the value once you are there and most likely tired from all youve done up until that point! haha

I really feel you on that love of bread. I could eat any and all types of bread (and cheese) forever and always and never get sick of it!

I feel like even though its a down day you have enough planned to do that it wont feel boring. Definitely a great mix!
 
I interrupt this insane day of packing out our house to announce that Disney sent Alex and I emails saying there are issues with all our Fastpasses from the 9th to 14th. (We arrive at Shades on the 6th.)
They said if we don’t call by tomorrow all the passes will be cancelled.

Nothing like having a house full of German packers boxing and crating up all our belongings, a toddler freaking out from all the changes, and a dog that injured himself on a walk earlier to make an international phone call with a 1 day window interesting....

Disney is legitimately the furthest thing from my mind right now; this is exasperating. *sigh*. I have to go dig out my laptop from the no-pack room and look at my plans and figure out what the heck is going on.
 
I interrupt this insane day of packing out our house to announce that Disney sent Alex and I emails saying there are issues with all our Fastpasses from the 9th to 14th. (We arrive at Shades on the 6th.)
They said if we don’t call by tomorrow all the passes will be cancelled.

Nothing like having a house full of German packers boxing and crating up all our belongings, a toddler freaking out from all the changes, and a dog that injured himself on a walk earlier to make an international phone call with a 1 day window interesting....

Disney is legitimately the furthest thing from my mind right now; this is exasperating. *sigh*. I have to go dig out my laptop from the no-pack room and look at my plans and figure out what the heck is going on.
:eek::eek::eek:

I hope you can get it all straightened out quickly!!!!
 
Ugh how frustrating!! Those were the days you thought you wouldn't be able to make fastpasses for right? Honestly for your sanity I would probably just let them get canceled and get what you can once you get there!
 
:sad::scared1::scared1: Oh no!!
Hope you get sorted!
Just remember, no matter what, you’re at WDW with those you love and that’s what’s important :hug:
 
oh no! *** Disney - don't they know this is a stressful time for you?
 
Oh my gosh I'm sorry! I can't imagine how stressed you are right now. Just remember it will all work out no matter what!
 
To update everyone: ours and my mother's Shades of Green reservation got kicked off MDE. When we called and spoke with someone, they said this "was a known and common issue."
She took our reservation information and said she would send it to her IT people to hopefully get it sorted out. She also said she would leave a note in our file for anyone else dealing with us.
When we asked about our Fastpasses her response was: "Well, I'm not going to lie. They will probably disappear. But hopefully we can work something out if you call back in a few days."

Uhmmm, that's not very reassuring. Also, we get 60 minutes a month of free international calling through our Office subscription and we used close to 20 on this call. So if the next one takes more than 40 minutes, Alex and I will have to wait until we are back stateside at the end of the month.

Sheesh.


But on the positive side! Day 1 of packing out has concluded. Two crates of our belongings are sealed up and ready to be shipped. It was mostly the kids' belongings, which was hard for Landon to see when he came home from school. But great for me, because they left the kitchen alone. I was able to cook with all my dishes for one more night. Whoo-hoo! The kids' favorite....spaghetti, meatballs, and salad was a nice calm way to end a crazy day.

And our dog ate his dinner fine and was playing fetch with the kids like normal after dinner, so whatever mouth injury he inflicted on himself during our afternoon walk must not have been as bad as I feared. Thank goodness!

Now if Disney can wrap up this day with our Shades reservation back on our MDE accounts that would be wonderful!



***Another note to add: I know I'm behind on a lot of you all's reports. I promise I will play catch-up as soon as some of the craziness dies down here. It's on my list!***
 
To update everyone: ours and my mother's Shades of Green reservation got kicked off MDE. When we called and spoke with someone, they said this "was a known and common issue."
She took our reservation information and said she would send it to her IT people to hopefully get it sorted out. She also said she would leave a note in our file for anyone else dealing with us.
When we asked about our Fastpasses her response was: "Well, I'm not going to lie. They will probably disappear. But hopefully we can work something out if you call back in a few days."

Uhmmm, that's not very reassuring. Also, we get 60 minutes a month of free international calling through our Office subscription and we used close to 20 on this call. So if the next one takes more than 40 minutes, Alex and I will have to wait until we are back stateside at the end of the month.

Sheesh.


But on the positive side! Day 1 of packing out has concluded. Two crates of our belongings are sealed up and ready to be shipped. It was mostly the kids' belongings, which was hard for Landon to see when he came home from school. But great for me, because they left the kitchen alone. I was able to cook with all my dishes for one more night. Whoo-hoo! The kids' favorite....spaghetti, meatballs, and salad was a nice calm way to end a crazy day.

And our dog ate his dinner fine and was playing fetch with the kids like normal after dinner, so whatever mouth injury he inflicted on himself during our afternoon walk must not have been as bad as I feared. Thank goodness!

Now if Disney can wrap up this day with our Shades reservation back on our MDE accounts that would be wonderful!



***Another note to add: I know I'm behind on a lot of you all's reports. I promise I will play catch-up as soon as some of the craziness dies down here. It's on my list!***

Oh dear! I hope that gets resolved quickly. I know disney is trying to crack down on guests making and canceling reservations just to get fp benefits, but legitimate reservations shouldn't be messed up in the process.
 
Oh no! I think Disney will work some Disney magic and get things straightened out for you. Not what you wanted to deal with at such a stressful time. Good news on the packing!
 
I interrupt this insane day of packing out our house to announce that Disney sent Alex and I emails saying there are issues with all our Fastpasses from the 9th to 14th. (We arrive at Shades on the 6th.)
They said if we don’t call by tomorrow all the passes will be cancelled.
Oh no! Hoping everything is resolved!

But on the positive side! Day 1 of packing out has concluded. Two crates of our belongings are sealed up and ready to be shipped. It was mostly the kids' belongings, which was hard for Landon to see when he came home from school. But great for me, because they left the kitchen alone. I was able to cook with all my dishes for one more night. Whoo-hoo! The kids' favorite....spaghetti, meatballs, and salad was a nice calm way to end a crazy day.
At least there's some positive! Best wishes and pixie dust to you as you navigate through the next little while!
 
Ugh that's so frustrating! Disney is supposed to be the escape from the stress- not add to it!
 

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