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

Dugette and Izzy were in an elephant a few back from me, so I tried to get a snazzy photo of them when they were going past the castle:

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Nice shot! I'm sure Dugette treasures this picture!



Meanwhile, Alex was enduring not one, not two, but three rides on the carousel.

:cheer2:

Yay, Alex!

I love the pictures of you and Landon on Dumbo and Alex and Evie on the carousel.

::yes::
 
Loved these updates so much!

No. Just no.

Once when I was commuting, we stopped at a Boston Chicken to bring home a prepared dinner.

And guess what- "We don't have any chicken right now"

The chain has since changed their name to Boston Market.

:rotfl:

Buckle up! It definitely does not get better.

:goodvibes


I remember you mentioning on several occasions how difficult it was to get your teenagers to smile on vacation. And knowing Evie and how grumpy she can get, I'm sure that'll be the story of my life.




Nice shot! I'm sure Dugette treasures this picture!

:cheer2:

Yay, Alex!

I love the pictures of you and Landon on Dumbo and Alex and Evie on the carousel.

::yes::

I felt bad for Alex, having to ride the carousel over and over again, but at least we found something at Disney that made Evie happy. I did have to laugh that she had to change her horse every time. Gotta shake things up...
 


Friday, June 15th, 2018 Part 3:


Leaving Fantasyland, our group of 7 strolled towards Discoveryland, the kids running ahead of us while Dug and I commented on how beautiful the Paris parks were compared to the Florida ones. I was really enjoying being able to talk with other Disney fans and compare/contrast our likes and dislikes. I also prodded them with about a hundred questions on Aulani…they were the first DISers I had met who had been to the Hawaiian resort, and I needed confirmation that it was as beautiful as the pictures and stories made it out to be.

I’m counting down the years until Alex and I can take our epic Disneyland/Hawaii vacation for our 10th Anniversary. It has to be in years, because we both pretty much assume that he’ll be deployed again for the actual anniversary. (Although if they’re following a pattern, then it’ll be our 9th that he’ll be gone for….that would fit in well with our missing 3rd, and 6th year photos.) We’re just shooting for Aulani without the kids somewhere in that ten year range.

Speaking of trips without the kids…

Alex and I *might* be able to get a Disney trip without the kids next year. Everything is still up in the air since we have absolutely no idea where/what country/state we’ll be living in next summer, but if the stars align then it could be a very good Disney year for us in 2019. Here’s to hoping!



Whoa boy, I got WAY off topic there. Lemme steer this update back on track.


When all of us walked into Discoveryland, we headed straight to Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin with the intention of riding it before EMH officially ended. Unfortunately, some Cast Members stopped us and said the ride was down for a little while. They weren’t very specific about the reasoning and almost made it seem like it was simply not operating during that time. I want to say Alex and Dug got the impression that if we came back in twenty minutes it would be open.


Turning away from Buzz, Dug suggested everyone ride Star Tours since we could see guests walking into the queue (meaning it wasn’t another “closed” attraction that was supposed to be open) so we all headed over in that direction.

Landon loves X wings, it’s probably his favorite thing from Star Wars, so the giant model on top of the building warranted a few seconds of OOHing and AHHing from him:
DisneylandParisJune2018(01) by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr


Landon had never been on Star Tours before, but he hit the height requirement and was eager to go.

Although, let’s be real, the eagerness stemmed from the fact that Izzy was going on the ride and Landon didn’t want to part from his new friend.


Evie was still too short, though, so Alex took Landon and I stayed back with her. I walked her over to the adorable Wall-E statues and wasted time taking photos.

DisneylandParisJune2018(02) by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr


DisneylandParisJune2018(03) by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr


DisneylandParisJune2018(04) by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr

Grrr, I swear, I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure Evie’s bangs have grown out by our next Disney trip. She absolutely hates clips, bows, and bobby pins and refused to let us do anything with her rogue hairs, so all our photos of her have her face covered. It was making me crazy throughout the entire trip!



Alex and Landon were taking a long time on the attraction, which left me with a lot of time to do nothing but grab random shots:
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To the left of the Star Tours entrance is the Café Hyperion, one of the bigger quick service restaurants the park had to offer.



Eventually, my missing group members returned to me and we were reunited once more.

For approximately ten minutes.


The park had been open about fifteen minutes, and we all wanted to see if Buzz was up and running now. Unfortunately, when we walked over there nobody was being let in, and the new Cast Members out front were giving a warning about it being closed for the foreseeable future.

Bummer.

With that new piece of news, all of us had to step back and figure out what to do next. It was here that mine and Dugette’s family agreed to part ways for a little and hopefully meet back up later in the day. They headed off for breakfast, I’m pretty sure, while I picked our next attraction.


I had read several of @StarWarsMomofGirls! trip reports that involved her girls going on and loving the Tomorrowland Speedway and each time she wrote about it I thought about how Landon had only tried it out once and Evie had never gone on it. Her daughters’ enthusiasm won me over, and I dragged Alex and the kids into the line for Autopia.


It was another new Disneyland Paris ride for us! I was excited!


The only downside was that apparently most other park goers had a similar idea, and we were stuck in line for close to twenty minutes.

Ouch.

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The kids handled the wait really well, though, and spent most of the time talking or testing out their photography skills with our camera.

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At a certain point the line split in two, where one led to the right side of the track and the other over a bridge and to the left side:
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I didn’t do any research beforehand to know if one track was better than the other so I randomly picked the left line and sent us over the bridge.


That enabled me to get a good view of Space Mountain in the gorgeous midmorning light:
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I could take a hundred photos of Disneyland Paris’s Space Mountain and not be satisfied. It’s such an awesome structure and really stands out in the park.



As per usual, Evie wanted to ride with Alex and Landon with me. I thought there was a rule that kids under a certain height couldn’t control the steering wheel, but when I loaded us in the Cast Member actually encouraged me to switch places with Landon so he could have the wheel.



Oiy. Okay. Here we go…


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Not staring at the road.

Off to a good start.
:rotfl2:


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Some quiet woods to cruise there. With us tailgating Dad and Evie. Cool. Good thing our cars weren’t equipped to follow the speed limit signs.

180 kilometers with Landon driving?

Stuff of nightmares right there!
:rotfl:


(That’s about 111 miles per hour for my American friends.)



We drove around some wide curves and Landon started to get the hang of things:
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Unlike Evie, whose car I could see swerving from left to right on the track. Poor Alex was getting bounced around like a pinball, and I was able to watch the whole thing. Pays to get the older kid, occasionally.


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The last and only time I rode the Tomorrowland Speedway was when I was seven, so I have no idea if the DLP version was longer or shorter, better or worse, but I felt like it was a good length. Near the end I was starting to become a little bored and was ready to get off, but I think it was enough to give the kids the satisfaction of driving.



When we pulled back up into the loading zone there was a long backup of cars. Enough to let Alex try and get a family selfie:
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And for me to witness an almost all-out brawl in the cars on the adjacent track.

This father and son were stopped in line when a mom and kid flew up behind him and didn’t brake. I don’t know if they were expecting the car to stop itself or if they forgot about the brake or what, but they came up on that finish line at full speed and rammed into the father and son.

It looked violent.

The man turned around and started yelling and cursing at the woman, who responded by throwing up her arms and apologizing.


And then, not thirty seconds later, a car pulled up behind the woman and hit her! Which in turn caused her to bump into the father and son again.

And that’s when I really thought the guy was going to come out of his seat and start throwing punches. He was FURIOUS. My goodness, I can still remember his anger.

:eek:

Meanwhile, Landon’s sitting next to me going, “Whoa!”

It certainly made our first time on Autopia a memorable one. Does that kind of thing happen a lot on the Speedway? I feel like it might, which I’d be afraid causes just as many angry outbursts.



Once we were out of the warzone and back in neutral territory, Alex and I realized it was after eleven and we could grab some lunch if we wanted.

And we definitely wanted to.

That croissant sandwich I had split with Evie had long since worn off, and I was ready for something filling.

Café Hyperion had been under renovations the last time we were at Disneyland Paris, and it was only a few feet away, so to save us the trouble of finding something else, we just went with their offerings.

Alex and I tried a new system of ordering our food, which we hoped would save us a few dollars. Food at DLP is crazy expensive, even for Disney standards, and we were trying to find ways to cut back a little. So instead of ordering four meals, we ordered one Jedi burger meal, one Jedi burger by itself, and an 8 count of chicken nuggets off the a la carte menu.

We had brought the kids' water bottles (with their new Mickey straws) in with us and we proceeded to give each kid 4 nuggets and divided the fries from the burger meal four ways. This ended up saving us almost 8 Euro and was more than enough food for everyone. We had brought lots of snacks and crackers with us, so if anybody got hungry later we had those to tide us over until dinner.


The restaurant had two levels of seating and a massive projection screen playing various Star Wars clips. The kids chose to sit on the second level and spent more time watching the screen then they did eating their food. Even more of a reason not to spend the extra money on food here.


By the time Alex and I wrangled the kids into finishing their food, Evie was getting sleepy and needed a nap. We put her in the stroller and headed back to our room for some rest, sending a quick message to Dug with our plans.



Up Next…I Don’t Like Those Pirates, Don’t Make Me See Them Again

 
Great update - your TR really makes me want to visit DLP! Some day..... Great you could spend some time with another Dis family.
 


I’m counting down the years until Alex and I can take our epic Disneyland/Hawaii vacation for our 10th Anniversary. It has to be in years, because we both pretty much assume that he’ll be deployed again for the actual anniversary. (Although if they’re following a pattern, then it’ll be our 9th that he’ll be gone for….that would fit in well with our missing 3rd, and 6th year photos.) We’re just shooting for Aulani without the kids somewhere in that ten year range.

Ooh that sounds like a wonderful idea!! We're shooting for my 30th B-day, (which will also coincide pretty closely with our 6th anniversary) so we've got about 5 years to save and plan. I've never done Disneyland, and definitely never been to Hawaii, so I think it would be pretty awesome. I remember seeing that Dugette had been and reported on it!

Although, let’s be real, the eagerness stemmed from the fact that Izzy was going on the ride and Landon didn’t want to part from his new friend.

I wish I'd had an Izzy when I was a kid, because I was a scaredy cat and she would have motivated me. I love that Landon and Izzy were such fast friends. :)

I could take a hundred photos of Disneyland Paris’s Space Mountain and not be satisfied. It’s such an awesome structure and really stands out in the park.

This is so amazing. I'd love to see it someday :) I can see why you'd take lots of photos.

This father and son were stopped in line when a mom and kid flew up behind him and didn’t brake. I don’t know if they were expecting the car to stop itself or if they forgot about the brake or what, but they came up on that finish line at full speed and rammed into the father and son.

It looked violent.

The man turned around and started yelling and cursing at the woman, who responded by throwing up her arms and apologizing.


And then, not thirty seconds later, a car pulled up behind the woman and hit her! Which in turn caused her to bump into the father and son again.

And that’s when I really thought the guy was going to come out of his seat and start throwing punches. He was FURIOUS. My goodness, I can still remember his anger.

:eek:

Meanwhile, Landon’s sitting next to me going, “Whoa!”

Holy smokes! That's wild! It's amazing how many people are running on a super short fuse on vacation/at Disney. And more often than not, it seems to be adults I see having temper tantrums more than kids! :eek:

Up Next…I Don’t Like Those Pirates, Don’t Make Me See Them Again

Uh oh! That doesn't sound so good!
 
Alex and I *might* be able to get a Disney trip without the kids next year.

WOOT!! I really hope this pans out for you!

The only downside was that apparently most other park goers had a similar idea, and we were stuck in line for close to twenty minutes.

Ouch.

yeah... ummm... ouch!

I could take a hundred photos of Disneyland Paris’s Space Mountain and not be satisfied. It’s such an awesome structure and really stands out in the park.

I can see that! Very different and very cool!

06-jpg.361873



Not staring at the road.

Off to a good start.
:rotfl2:

:lmao::lmao::lmao:

And that’s when I really thought the guy was going to come out of his seat and start throwing punches. He was FURIOUS. My goodness, I can still remember his anger.

:eek:

:scared1:

Just wow. Take a downer, Dude. It's just a ride.
 
Love the Wall-E and Eve statutes! They are so cute.

This is my first time seeing Disneyland Paris' Space Mountain and it is so cool. I love it.
 
Great update - your TR really makes me want to visit DLP! Some day..... Great you could spend some time with another Dis family.

I'm really grateful to have gotten the opportunity to visit the Disneyland Paris parks and now I would love to see Shanghai and Tokyo. It's fun to see what attractions are the popular ones in Europe versus in the states and how they're operated differently.



Those Wall-E & Eve statues are so cute!

Sounds like quite the adventure on Autopia- even after the ride was over!

I loved the Wall-E and Eve statues! Thought it was a cute little find while waiting for the rest of my party.
 
Ooh that sounds like a wonderful idea!! We're shooting for my 30th B-day, (which will also coincide pretty closely with our 6th anniversary) so we've got about 5 years to save and plan. I've never done Disneyland, and definitely never been to Hawaii, so I think it would be pretty awesome. I remember seeing that Dugette had been and reported on it!

I wish I'd had an Izzy when I was a kid, because I was a scaredy cat and she would have motivated me. I love that Landon and Izzy were such fast friends. :)


This is so amazing. I'd love to see it someday :) I can see why you'd take lots of photos.

That sounds like a wonderful 30th birthday plan! The whole idea of seeing the original DL park as well as relaxing at Aulani makes me happy just thinking about it.

Haha, it was fun to see Izzy show no hesitation about riding Star Tours while Landon was like, "Well, guess I gotta put on a brave face and pretend to be excited, too." Although, I will admit that he tried more thrill rides then I expected after that. So I guess Izzy's bravery paid off more than once!



WOOT!! I really hope this pans out for you!

yeah... ummm... ouch!

I can see that! Very different and very cool!

:lmao::lmao:



:scared1:

Just wow. Take a downer, Dude. It's just a ride.


Typically, the people at the Paris parks are really easy going. You don't see much of the arguments and territory disputes you witness around show times at WDW. The parks are sort of designed to be more laid back and relaxing, and Europeans in general don't get testy over small things. (At least, that's been my experience. With everything, I know there are exceptions to the rule.) So to see this guy blow up was a shock.
He must've not been able to get any coffee at Starbucks...:lmao:




Love the Wall-E and Eve statutes! They are so cute.

This is my first time seeing Disneyland Paris' Space Mountain and it is so cool. I love it.

I thought the Wall-E statues were a cool find. Gave me and Evie something to look at while we waited for the others.

The Space Mountain design is awesome! I love the steampunk/Jules Verne route the imagineers decided to take with DLP's Discoverland.
 
I struggle with DD's hair too!! Her hair has a VERY severe part to one side, so pulling it back for a ponytail is basically impossible. I'm hoping soon her bangs will grow out a little longer to where they don't immediately fall out of the ponytail and get all in her face too.

Kids just LOVE Autopia, doesn't matter which park I don't think. Any chance to drive is like the best thing ever, even though it does a number on an adult's back & neck. lol The kids look like they had a blast! But I'd have been a bit nervous with that guy blowing up at other families like that. EEK! :scared:
 
I struggle with DD's hair too!! Her hair has a VERY severe part to one side, so pulling it back for a ponytail is basically impossible. I'm hoping soon her bangs will grow out a little longer to where they don't immediately fall out of the ponytail and get all in her face too.

Kids just LOVE Autopia, doesn't matter which park I don't think. Any chance to drive is like the best thing ever, even though it does a number on an adult's back & neck. lol The kids look like they had a blast! But I'd have been a bit nervous with that guy blowing up at other families like that. EEK! :scared:

Evie's hair has gotten a little better since this past summer, but now she's asking for all these complicated braids and styles and I have to resort to youtube tutorials to help me learn. :rotfl2:


The kids really liked Autopia! I don't understand the fascination but whatever makes them happy...:confused3
 
You got some great pictures of Evie while everyone was on Star Tours. What is Landon's familiarity with the Star Wars Universe? What has he seen for movies? Or is it mostly exposure through Disney or pop culture?

It has been years since my family has been on the Tomorrowland Speedway/Autotopia. Not surprising with my boys. I'm not sure if I have discussed the nightmare it was for Nate to get his license (he got it two years ago, when he was 18, and has not driven since). Ben is on track to do about the same. :sad2:

My husband always laughs when he sees adults alone in the cars and can't understand how it is fun to drive a fake car.



Anyway, love your picture of Space Mountain. That is the first time I have seen a picture of the one in Paris. Cool!



This is an adorable picture!

Wow! You were an eyewitness to a Toy Car Road Rage incident! Good thing it did not come to blows.

Very smart lunch plan!

:goodvibes
 
You got some great pictures of Evie while everyone was on Star Tours. What is Landon's familiarity with the Star Wars Universe? What has he seen for movies? Or is it mostly exposure through Disney or pop culture?

He has watched the Force Awakens several times, and he has a set of Golden Storybooks based on all the films that he reads a lot. But I would say the majority of his knowledge comes from pop culture.


It has been years since my family has been on the Tomorrowland Speedway/Autotopia. Not surprising with my boys. I'm not sure if I have discussed the nightmare it was for Nate to get his license (he got it two years ago, when he was 18, and has not driven since). Ben is on track to do about the same. :sad2:

My husband always laughs when he sees adults alone in the cars and can't understand how it is fun to drive a fake car.

Uh oh. I don't think I know that story.
On the positive side, them not driving is one less worry you have to have as a parent. The thought of my kids behind the wheel makes me panic a little...
 
Full disclosure, guys. I didn’t look ahead at my photos before diving in to my Friday updates, and it wasn’t until I went to pick the next set that I realized I stopped at a terrible point in my last post. So, this is going to be a short real life recap followed by very brief DLP talk.


Sorry, ya’ll. I really should outline these things in advance, so I don’t goof like this again. Maybe next trip…


Part of the reason I spaced is because the kids have kept us busy! Landon finished out his soccer season last weekend, and while he didn’t love the sport he showed great progress in his first year playing:

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Evie is obsessed with all things gymnastics and counts down the days until her next class. Whereas Landon enjoys his classes, but he’s intimidated by the equipment and would rather cheer Evie on in the living room while she practices her rolls and cartwheels.

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This past weekend was a doozy with trunk or treating on Friday night followed by Evie’s birthday weekend celebration. She turned that magic age of 3, where I officially have to pay for her to go to Disney now.:sad: Ugh! That’s gonna be a rough transition…it feels like I’ve always had a kid that’s been free. (Landon was 2.5 when Evie was born so there was that one glorious trip where BOTH were free…ahhh, those were the days.:rotfl:)


Alex and I took the kids to the Cologne Zoo with friends as part of her birthday gift. I thought it was a good idea, since Evie loved the safari at AK so much. And my guess proved right. All the kids had a blast. The Cologne Zoo was really impressive, with large enclosures and very active animals. We had a leopard pace back and forth behind the glass barrier, saw a rhino prancing around, witnessed elephant calves cuddling with their moms, and watched a hippo swim right past our faces. And the adjacent aquarium warmed us up after walking around in the 40 degree weather.

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It's been a go-go-go month, and we’ve stayed plenty busy, but for some reason I’ve been jonesing for a Walt Disney World trip. It’s past time my family take an official trip back to the world, and there’s been more than one occasion where I’ve jotted down ideas while I wait for a kid to finish practice. This just means I need you guys to keep writing/updating reports of your own so I can live vicariously through you and continue to gather tips and suggestions for the day we all do get to go back!

Okay, on to my sad excuse for an update.




Friday, June 15th, 2018:

After a nap and break in our room, Alex and I brought the kids back into the Disneyland Park, ready to ride some more classic attractions.

The first was a must for every Disney trip:

Small World.


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Evie was still sporting the grape juice she had drank back in the room. Who has time to clean faces when the happiest cruise that ever set sail awaits?!?:rotfl2:



Following Small World was Alex’s favorite attraction at Disneyland Paris:
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He was so, so excited to get to ride the Paris version again:

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And Evie would seem to feel the same.

Right?

Like, you look at that endearing face and think, “Aww, she’s so happy.”

But no.

Don’t let that radiant smile fool you.


We stepped into the interior portion of the queue and all craziness broke loose. Evie began screaming and crying and telling us pirates were scary. She wanted Alex to hold her and refused to listen to Landon as he kept saying, “It’s okay, Evie, these pirates are fun.”

She continued on with the meltdown all the way to the part of the line where you go through the turnstiles and split into two lines. People were beginning to shoot us dirty looks and neither Alex nor myself were able to enjoy the amazing details of the surrounding rooms.

It was stressful!

As we neared the front of the line, I told Alex that I might need to leave with her, but somehow Evie calmed enough to allow us to get her on the boat.

The ride ended up being a study of opposites with the kids. While we didn’t have any more hysterics from Evie, she hated the entire attraction and glared at me every time I looked her way. Whereas Landon was pointing out pirates and throwing his hands in the air during both drops.

04.JPG

Oh kids.

***For kicks and giggles, I just turned to Evie and asked if she wanted to go back on Pirates. She furrowed her brows and went, “NO! No Pirates, they are scary.”***




Back outside, I stopped to take a couple pictures of Pirate Island and its Skull Rock.

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06.JPG


As if Alex hadn’t had enough of a workout holding on to Evie through the Pirates queue, once we were off Landon begged his dad to carry him in the Tula for a short time. Man, I don’t know what we would do without that toddler baby carrier. It can fit either kid and continues to be a lifesaver when we’re traveling. We use it to carry one kid while another walks, and then switch them out. That Tula has been the most reliable accessory I have brought to the Disney parks in all the years I’ve visited as a parent.


As I was admiring the beauty of Adventureland, Alex had received a text from Dug telling us that they had finished the meal they were eating and were waiting for the parade on Main Street.

We didn’t have time to stand and catch the show, but we figured we could afford to stop on our way back out of the parks and chat for a few minutes. We had no issue finding them, and before we could even say Hello, Landon and Izzy were creating a game that involved balancing on the base of structures.

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Alex and I shared another pleasant conversation with Dug and Dugette, but unfortunately had to say goodbye again. We had a dinner reservation to get to and needed to start heading that way.

One of the best thing about the Disneyland Paris park is that they had extra space after they built the shops to add in an arcade area. This is an indoor walkway housing a couple small carts that gives guests another way in and out of the park that doesn’t involve Main Street.

Meaning…

We could reach the exit without struggling against the crowds lined up on the sidewalks for the parade.

Best invention EVER!

The flow of traffic is a million times easier with that secondary path. Alex and I marveled at how stress-free it was to be able to leave at a show time and not be trapped.

Thank you, Disneyland Paris, for that little gem of a path.:cloud9:



Up Next…Don’t Talk to Me Hook, I Don’t Like Pirates
 
Wow! Sounds like things have been busy! I love Evie's little gymnastics picture, though! What a cutie!

She wanted Alex to hold her and refused to listen to Landon as he kept saying, “It’s okay, Evie, these pirates are fun.”

Oh my goodness, what a precious big brother Landon is!! I love that his instinct is to try to help his sister and to educate her with his big brother knowledge.

***For kicks and giggles, I just turned to Evie and asked if she wanted to go back on Pirates. She furrowed her brows and went, “NO! No Pirates, they are scary.”***

:rotfl: You win some, you lose some! Maybe she'll feel differently in a few years.
 
The ride ended up being a study of opposites with the kids. While we didn’t have any more hysterics from Evie, she hated the entire attraction and glared at me every time I looked her way. Whereas Landon was pointing out pirates and throwing his hands in the air during both drops.
Oh, I feel bad for her, but can't help but laugh too!

We could reach the exit without struggling against the crowds lined up on the sidewalks for the parade.

Best invention EVER!

The flow of traffic is a million times easier with that secondary path. Alex and I marveled at how stress-free it was to be able to leave at a show time and not be trapped.
I loved those arcades!
 

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