IloveJack
12-16-2013, 11:21 AM
Me, Susan, 33, obsessive planner, 8th trip
DH, David, 28, along for the ride, 6th trip
ODD, Sammie, 5, has begged to return for 18 months, 4th trip
YDD, Lily, 2, thinks WDW is the castle, 2nd trip
DS, Joey, 6 mo, 1st trip
Wednesday, December 3, 2013
By this morning, it was painful to get out of the bed. I rarely wear any shoes other than flip-flops. Shoes that cause any restriction on my feet put my toes to sleep (neuropathy) so I live in my flops, or barefooted. However, it'd been quite a while since I'd put this kind of mileage on my feet, and my flip-flops were rather worn thin. My feet, especially the right one, had begun to swell and felt like the top bones were fractured. I winced as I got up to shut off the alarm at 6:45. However, Disney was waiting, so I pushed through.
The girls had pop-tarts again today, but I was getting hungry for some protein, so we stopped by the food court on the way to the bus stop. For $12.12, we got a bounty breakfast and two drinks. The girls at the Mickey waffle and biscuit, and DH and I split the eggs, meat, and potatoes. It was enough to tide us over till lunch, and made me feel much better than the previous days.
At the gate to the AK, there was a CM checking bands, and everyone was lining up for it. However, it was at the ticket selling "gate," not the turnstiles. I started to go around, and DH told me to get in line. I told him I didn't see the necessity in it, and on we went. Turns out she was just making sure bands were working, causing people to stand in an unnecessary line and wait twice.
We raced to Everest, as it was morning EMH, and each rode four times, using rider switch. I actually rode with the same guy twice, who said he and his sons used this strategy every time they went to the AK. It was nice to get in that many rides before the public arrived. The "5 minute" posted wait was literally just the walk through the line. In fact, many trains were running empty. As soon as 9am hit, they started counting riders and the line began to back up, so we moved on.
We had FPs at 9:05 to Dinosaur, so we headed to Dino land. I wasn't sure if ODD would ride this, but she did, and wasn't too scared to ride again. She just hid her face when the big dino came out. However, this was our first bad experience with the MDE app. Dinosaur was a 5 minute wait, and I didn't want to waste a FP on it. However, the MDE app kept getting stuck "finalizing" our choice, and it took a hard reboot of my phone to get the app working. This happened twice more during the week. I finally was able to change DH's FP to Everest for later in the afternoon.
Once DH and ODD got off the ride, we walked toward Hester and Chester's, stopping on the way to pin trade with a couple of sweeping CMs. ODD decided she wanted to trade, too, so she used another of my traders, bringing her total to two pins.
YDD was quite happy to finally be able to ride something, and enjoyed riding Triceratops Spin. I wish she were big enough to ride more, as she enjoys it, but she's tiny, and will probably be six or so before she's tall enough to ride anything more than Dumbo-ish rides. For now, we just try to keep variety in our rides.
On our way across the park, we stopped for a PP pic by the back of the Tree of Life, and I asked the photog if she could do the Stitch and Simba pic with both our girls. Last year, we'd gotten a Simba pic with DH wrapping his arms around ODD while she "held" Simba. This trip, ODD wrapped her arms around YDD, and she "held" Simba. Guess this might have to be a tradition, at least as long as they're young.
We walked the Maharajah trail, and the DDs really enjoyed it. Last year, we'd only done Pangani, so ODD didn't remember ever seeing the bats. She was astonished at how big they were. They also really enjoyed seeing the tigers and we spent quite a while in the bird house. ODD was quite proud of herself at one point. She really wanted to find the big, regal-looking, blue bird (the name escapes me), so I told her to ask the CM. She did, and the CM told her to look up. There sat the elusive bird, on the perch of the highest bird house, just over ODD's head.
As we exited, I saw a bench out of the way, next to a waterfall, so I sat down to feed DS. While I did, DH took the DDs and went to look over the railing. There sat a big male gorilla. DH had fun talking to him and watching him sull up. A group of PP photogs, who were earning their ears came by, and their teacher/trainer commented that the gorilla wasn't in a good mood. It was amazing how many people didn't know he was there, and walked on by. I guess we wouldn't have known either, if we hadn't stop to feed the baby.
The PP photogs hung around, taking pictures and practicing lining each other up. A lady asked the teacher if he'd take her picture with the waterfall using her camera. He said yes, then the whole group jumped in the picture. It was quite amusing, and reminded me of how (most) of the CMs keep WDW a magical, fun place. DH knew that if we ever move to Florida, I want to be a PP CM, so he asked one of them if you could apply for that specific job, etc. She was quite nice and talked to him for a while about the job. Maybe one day...
It was time for our FPs to the Safari, so we headed there next. The stand-by line was an hour long, but the line to get into the FP line was 5-10 minutes long. This happened a few times, (like with BTMRR), where people didn't understand how to use the bands, or how to place them exactly against the Mickey. Also, where there's no printout to read, people often come to the line at the wrong time, only to hold up the line for others. Some way of remembering times, other than pulling out a smart phone over and over, is something Disney needs to think about before going live with FP+.
This was definitely the best safari ever! Every single animal was out and close to the trail. They often "posed" for pictures; and even the lion pride was out visible on the rock. The CM driver was astonished herself. YDD started to fall asleep on the truck, but once she saw the animals, she was wide awake.
It was time for DH to ride Everest again, so we headed there. While we were waiting, I called my mom and she decided to buy us tickets to MVMCP the next night while we were there. We'd wanted to go, but just couldn't justify the extra expense for 5 hours. I told her I'd call her back later when she was at home and walk her through the purchase.
We were walking by the monkeys when we noticed the Wilderness Explorers stand. We let the DDs join up (this would have been much better to know about first thing, as we did most of the book, but they didn't get the badges due to not having the book till the afternoon), and I wandered into the DVC stand to trade pins. I didn't trade but, after a bit of talking, did decide to sign up for the open house the next morning. I knew we wouldn't join then, I just wanted some info as we might eventually.
ODD really wanted to see Dug and Russell, so they got in line, again being the last ones allowed in before closing for the afternoon parade. I spotted an empty bench nearby, so I sat down to save our seats for the parade. I'd wanted to make sure to see it, both for the Christmas effect, and since it was ending soon. While in line, a squirrel ran by, and Dug got up and chased it into the trees. The CM handler told DH that he does that 20+ times a day, often causing blurry pictures, but no one seems to mind, as the kids find it funny. DH just happened to be playing with his phone, and caught this on video. It's a cute preserved memory.
It was still another 30 minutes till parade time, but we were in a comfortable, front-of-the-line spot, so I stayed put while DH took ODD to find popcorn and a drink. An elderly couple asked to join me on the bench, and we people watched together. They enjoyed pointing out all the kids that were literally falling asleep in their strollers, or were already asleep. The parade was enjoyable, and for once, the bigger kids beside us didn't push our kids out of the way when it came by. That's one of my pet-peeves, and I was pleasantly surprised to find well-mannered kids this day.
While in the area, we decided to meet Pooh and Tigger. I traded pins with the CM who told me that I could see his surprise pins if I answered a trivia question. The question was, "What year did AK open?" I said, "1998, I was here, before Asia opened." We continued in a triva "war" for a few minutes, before we headed on in. I kissed Tigger, as my Mom had made me promise to do, and we sent a picture to her. Again, here, one of the PP photogs was having issues linking to the new system, and our Pooh pictures are limited to the end of the visit.
ODD wanted to ride Dinosaur again, so DH promised to take her there next, on our way to our FPs at Nemo. As we were walking by Chester and Hester, YDD cried to ride Triceratops Spin again, knowing her sister was going to ride. It was a walk-on, so I gave in fairly easily.
DH, David, 28, along for the ride, 6th trip
ODD, Sammie, 5, has begged to return for 18 months, 4th trip
YDD, Lily, 2, thinks WDW is the castle, 2nd trip
DS, Joey, 6 mo, 1st trip
Wednesday, December 3, 2013
By this morning, it was painful to get out of the bed. I rarely wear any shoes other than flip-flops. Shoes that cause any restriction on my feet put my toes to sleep (neuropathy) so I live in my flops, or barefooted. However, it'd been quite a while since I'd put this kind of mileage on my feet, and my flip-flops were rather worn thin. My feet, especially the right one, had begun to swell and felt like the top bones were fractured. I winced as I got up to shut off the alarm at 6:45. However, Disney was waiting, so I pushed through.
The girls had pop-tarts again today, but I was getting hungry for some protein, so we stopped by the food court on the way to the bus stop. For $12.12, we got a bounty breakfast and two drinks. The girls at the Mickey waffle and biscuit, and DH and I split the eggs, meat, and potatoes. It was enough to tide us over till lunch, and made me feel much better than the previous days.
At the gate to the AK, there was a CM checking bands, and everyone was lining up for it. However, it was at the ticket selling "gate," not the turnstiles. I started to go around, and DH told me to get in line. I told him I didn't see the necessity in it, and on we went. Turns out she was just making sure bands were working, causing people to stand in an unnecessary line and wait twice.
We raced to Everest, as it was morning EMH, and each rode four times, using rider switch. I actually rode with the same guy twice, who said he and his sons used this strategy every time they went to the AK. It was nice to get in that many rides before the public arrived. The "5 minute" posted wait was literally just the walk through the line. In fact, many trains were running empty. As soon as 9am hit, they started counting riders and the line began to back up, so we moved on.
We had FPs at 9:05 to Dinosaur, so we headed to Dino land. I wasn't sure if ODD would ride this, but she did, and wasn't too scared to ride again. She just hid her face when the big dino came out. However, this was our first bad experience with the MDE app. Dinosaur was a 5 minute wait, and I didn't want to waste a FP on it. However, the MDE app kept getting stuck "finalizing" our choice, and it took a hard reboot of my phone to get the app working. This happened twice more during the week. I finally was able to change DH's FP to Everest for later in the afternoon.
Once DH and ODD got off the ride, we walked toward Hester and Chester's, stopping on the way to pin trade with a couple of sweeping CMs. ODD decided she wanted to trade, too, so she used another of my traders, bringing her total to two pins.
YDD was quite happy to finally be able to ride something, and enjoyed riding Triceratops Spin. I wish she were big enough to ride more, as she enjoys it, but she's tiny, and will probably be six or so before she's tall enough to ride anything more than Dumbo-ish rides. For now, we just try to keep variety in our rides.
On our way across the park, we stopped for a PP pic by the back of the Tree of Life, and I asked the photog if she could do the Stitch and Simba pic with both our girls. Last year, we'd gotten a Simba pic with DH wrapping his arms around ODD while she "held" Simba. This trip, ODD wrapped her arms around YDD, and she "held" Simba. Guess this might have to be a tradition, at least as long as they're young.
We walked the Maharajah trail, and the DDs really enjoyed it. Last year, we'd only done Pangani, so ODD didn't remember ever seeing the bats. She was astonished at how big they were. They also really enjoyed seeing the tigers and we spent quite a while in the bird house. ODD was quite proud of herself at one point. She really wanted to find the big, regal-looking, blue bird (the name escapes me), so I told her to ask the CM. She did, and the CM told her to look up. There sat the elusive bird, on the perch of the highest bird house, just over ODD's head.
As we exited, I saw a bench out of the way, next to a waterfall, so I sat down to feed DS. While I did, DH took the DDs and went to look over the railing. There sat a big male gorilla. DH had fun talking to him and watching him sull up. A group of PP photogs, who were earning their ears came by, and their teacher/trainer commented that the gorilla wasn't in a good mood. It was amazing how many people didn't know he was there, and walked on by. I guess we wouldn't have known either, if we hadn't stop to feed the baby.
The PP photogs hung around, taking pictures and practicing lining each other up. A lady asked the teacher if he'd take her picture with the waterfall using her camera. He said yes, then the whole group jumped in the picture. It was quite amusing, and reminded me of how (most) of the CMs keep WDW a magical, fun place. DH knew that if we ever move to Florida, I want to be a PP CM, so he asked one of them if you could apply for that specific job, etc. She was quite nice and talked to him for a while about the job. Maybe one day...
It was time for our FPs to the Safari, so we headed there next. The stand-by line was an hour long, but the line to get into the FP line was 5-10 minutes long. This happened a few times, (like with BTMRR), where people didn't understand how to use the bands, or how to place them exactly against the Mickey. Also, where there's no printout to read, people often come to the line at the wrong time, only to hold up the line for others. Some way of remembering times, other than pulling out a smart phone over and over, is something Disney needs to think about before going live with FP+.
This was definitely the best safari ever! Every single animal was out and close to the trail. They often "posed" for pictures; and even the lion pride was out visible on the rock. The CM driver was astonished herself. YDD started to fall asleep on the truck, but once she saw the animals, she was wide awake.
It was time for DH to ride Everest again, so we headed there. While we were waiting, I called my mom and she decided to buy us tickets to MVMCP the next night while we were there. We'd wanted to go, but just couldn't justify the extra expense for 5 hours. I told her I'd call her back later when she was at home and walk her through the purchase.
We were walking by the monkeys when we noticed the Wilderness Explorers stand. We let the DDs join up (this would have been much better to know about first thing, as we did most of the book, but they didn't get the badges due to not having the book till the afternoon), and I wandered into the DVC stand to trade pins. I didn't trade but, after a bit of talking, did decide to sign up for the open house the next morning. I knew we wouldn't join then, I just wanted some info as we might eventually.
ODD really wanted to see Dug and Russell, so they got in line, again being the last ones allowed in before closing for the afternoon parade. I spotted an empty bench nearby, so I sat down to save our seats for the parade. I'd wanted to make sure to see it, both for the Christmas effect, and since it was ending soon. While in line, a squirrel ran by, and Dug got up and chased it into the trees. The CM handler told DH that he does that 20+ times a day, often causing blurry pictures, but no one seems to mind, as the kids find it funny. DH just happened to be playing with his phone, and caught this on video. It's a cute preserved memory.
It was still another 30 minutes till parade time, but we were in a comfortable, front-of-the-line spot, so I stayed put while DH took ODD to find popcorn and a drink. An elderly couple asked to join me on the bench, and we people watched together. They enjoyed pointing out all the kids that were literally falling asleep in their strollers, or were already asleep. The parade was enjoyable, and for once, the bigger kids beside us didn't push our kids out of the way when it came by. That's one of my pet-peeves, and I was pleasantly surprised to find well-mannered kids this day.
While in the area, we decided to meet Pooh and Tigger. I traded pins with the CM who told me that I could see his surprise pins if I answered a trivia question. The question was, "What year did AK open?" I said, "1998, I was here, before Asia opened." We continued in a triva "war" for a few minutes, before we headed on in. I kissed Tigger, as my Mom had made me promise to do, and we sent a picture to her. Again, here, one of the PP photogs was having issues linking to the new system, and our Pooh pictures are limited to the end of the visit.
ODD wanted to ride Dinosaur again, so DH promised to take her there next, on our way to our FPs at Nemo. As we were walking by Chester and Hester, YDD cried to ride Triceratops Spin again, knowing her sister was going to ride. It was a walk-on, so I gave in fairly easily.