"I brushed my teeth, and I don't have cooties." An August DFTW and Disneymoon TR

[pkondz]

Yep. That's me.

I could have sworn that I remembered shortly after TOT opened, but since it was the summer that I turned one, I guess I don't.

Although Disney does have a tendency to leave an impression.

As a small child, I watched one of the tv morning show hosts go for a ride on it and scare themselves silly, and I vowed I'd never get on it. Still have yet to break that vow.

You should... If you can. The drop isn't actually that bad, but the sights leading up to it are really good.

Right!? I'm definitely noticing a trend here! Big milestones = free food.

I HIGHLY recommend it!! Fun times, and free stuff. And our wedding was such a fun day that Nathan has told me multiple times that we should make a habit of getting married. As the one who did most of the planning and the stressing out, I've told him that maybe we'll do a vow renewal a decade from now when I've fully recovered from the first wedding. But yeah...there are definite pros to getting married!!

Gotcha. Get married again and leave the planning to her.

I'm thinking it must have just been an oversight. It was strange.

Strange is right.

 

[MeghanEmily]

You should... If you can. The drop isn't actually that bad, but the sights leading up to it are really good.

I'm considering it. I keep thinking about it and chickening out. I'd like to, but I'm worried it'll trigger some neuro symptoms. It wouldn't hurt me long-term or anything, but it could make for a yucky day or two, which is wasted Disney time. So I still haven't decided. But it seems like something every Disney fan should do at least once.

Gotcha. Get married again and leave the planning to her.

Hah! It's a strategy that seemed to work well for Nathan!

 

[pkondz]

I'm considering it. I keep thinking about it and chickening out. I'd like to, but I'm worried it'll trigger some neuro symptoms.

That's why I wrote "You should... If you can".
I totally understand if you're not able to.

It wouldn't hurt me long-term or anything, but it could make for a yucky day or two, which is wasted Disney time.

Yep. Who wants to feel sick
just for the sake of one ride?


Teacups? Mission Space Orange?
Pass.

So I still haven't decided. But it seems like something every Disney fan should do at least once.

Have you been inside?
You can always go in, look around
and then take the chicken exit.
That's what Kay did when she was little.

Hah! It's a strategy that seemed to work well for Nathan!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Love the update, so sweet of the waitress to comp. your breakfast!

We are going to try the skillet at WC this August!

I remember some serious storms while we were there in August!

So glad your curse at HBD is broken I want to try the Cobb salad one of these trips.

We have been lucky here, 70-80 degrees without much humidity. N needs to come to Duluth MN. For a show!

 

[DizzyDis]

Just popping in this morning to say, "Hello!" We're in Montreal (Quebec...Canada) this weekend for Montreal Comic Con, and much of Quebec and Ontario have been experiencing one of the worst heat waves of the last decade. It feels like Florida without the fun!! A few days ago in Ottawa, the humidex reached 47 C, which is equivalent to 116.6 F. This morning it finally seems to be breaking, but last night here at 7:23pm, it was still:

Yep. 91 F, feels like 108 F. I only tolerate these kinds of temperatures for Mickey Mouse!! ​

Welcome to the neighborhood! I have some friends in Montreal for the Con too, hope you have a good productive weekend! And I hear you on the weather, most Canada Day stuff in Ottawa was downgraded, misters added, and just generally people didn't show up because of the crazy heat! Totally agree that I will accept stupid, sweaty meltiness for Dis, but not in my own chilly Canada! On the plus side, lots of ice cream and slushy drinks

And as always, loving the report, trying to take notes of where I want to try child-free dining. And if you need to borrow a kid for free meals, I will loan mine out (no charge!) but you may get some raised eyebrows if you show up a year later with a 6 and 4 year old....

 

[pepperandchips]

Are you taking requests for dis meets for your August trip?! It just occurred to me based on your ticker that we might overlap. I’m just there the 16th-19th. Will you be at WDW or Universal then? Totally understood if you’re too busy with your romantic...

...

...

Photography of giraffes

I’ll just be over here with my jealousy that you’re staying at the Grand. We’ll be at Coronado!

 

[MeghanEmily]

Teacups? Mission Space Orange?
Pass.

I'm with you there!!

Have you been inside?
You can always go in, look around
and then take the chicken exit.
That's what Kay did when she was little.

Now that's a good idea...at the very least I'll have to go in and see the theming of the queue.

Love the update, so sweet of the waitress to comp. your breakfast!

We are going to try the skillet at WC this August!

I remember some serious storms while we were there in August!

So glad your curse at HBD is broken I want to try the Cobb salad one of these trips.

We have been lucky here, 70-80 degrees without much humidity. N needs to come to Duluth MN. For a show!

We've had mixed luck with the WC skillet, but the first time we tried it it was awesome!!

I love the Cobb salad! Highly recommend! And I'm not even a big salad fan.

I'll tell him to start looking for events in MN!

Welcome to the neighborhood! I have some friends in Montreal for the Con too, hope you have a good productive weekend! And I hear you on the weather, most Canada Day stuff in Ottawa was downgraded, misters added, and just generally people didn't show up because of the crazy heat! Totally agree that I will accept stupid, sweaty meltiness for Dis, but not in my own chilly Canada! On the plus side, lots of ice cream and slushy drinks

Thanks so much! We had a great weekend in Montreal! We didn't have time to do much sightseeing, but we did get to walk around for a bit on Monday before leaving to drive home.

And as always, loving the report, trying to take notes of where I want to try child-free dining. And if you need to borrow a kid for free meals, I will loan mine out (no charge!) but you may get some raised eyebrows if you show up a year later with a 6 and 4 year old....

I guess people might wonder where the kids came from so quickly and how they managed to grow up so fast! But thanks for the offer!

Are you taking requests for dis meets for your August trip?! It just occurred to me based on your ticker that we might overlap. I’m just there the 16th-19th. Will you be at WDW or Universal then? Totally understood if you’re too busy with your romantic...

...

...

Photography of giraffes

I’ll just be over here with my jealousy that you’re staying at the Grand. We’ll be at Coronado!

Ooh, yes, we will overlap! We will be off-property those days, but other than a stint at Discovery Cove on the 18th, we'll be at Disney. We should definitely try to coordinate something!

 

[Lesley Wake]

Just popping in this morning to say, "Hello!" We're in Montreal (Quebec...Canada) this weekend for Montreal Comic Con, and much of Quebec and Ontario have been experiencing one of the worst heat waves of the last decade. It feels like Florida without the fun!! A few days ago in Ottawa, the humidex reached 47 C, which is equivalent to 116.6 F. This morning it finally seems to be breaking, but last night here at 7:23pm, it was still:

I hope you stayed safe! Absolutely insane to hear about that level of heat! We had similar temperatures down here last weekend, but the difference is that our homes are set up for that heat with central A/C and everything. But it just felt like an oven walking outside.

 

[MeghanEmily]

I hope you stayed safe! Absolutely insane to hear about that level of heat! We had similar temperatures down here last weekend, but the difference is that our homes are set up for that heat with central A/C and everything. But it just felt like an oven walking outside.

It was really wild! That's exactly what it was, like stepping outside into an oven. We're not used to temps like that around here at all. We're all well-equipped to deal with -40 in the winter, but not extreme heat in the summers. We have A/C via a heat pump in our apartment, but there are lots of people around home who don't, and it can become a serious health issue for some. I'm very glad that things have settled down to more reasonable temperatures this week!

 

[pepperandchips]

Ooh, yes, we will overlap! We will be off-property those days, but other than a stint at Discovery Cove on the 18th, we'll be at Disney. We should definitely try to coordinate something

That would be amazing! Even if it's just a quick selfie I would love to say hello. I will message you closer to travel time!

 

[MeghanEmily]

That would be amazing! Even if it's just a quick selfie I would love to say hello. I will message you closer to travel time!

Please do!! We should definitely have some flexibility to meet up and chat those days, even if it's just a quick meet.

 

[amazingact21]

3 restaurants in one day...that's impressive! But you were on your Disneymoon, after all, and when is a better time to stop and enjoy good food than when you're trying to spend one on one time with your new spouse.

What a sweet story about your Boma breakfast getting comped. I feel like a lot of the stories coming out of WDW now are people saying the CMs are rude or there's no more "pixie dust" in the parks, but I feel like your entire TR discounts that. You guys were able to interact with so many nice Cast Members on this trip!

Ooh, I gotta add Fantasmic to my running playlist. I can see how upbeat it is and how it'd make for a good workout song.

I can only imagine how it must have felt to know your wedding/disneymoon trip was almost at its end. You guys did a lot of incredible things, and I'm sure leaving the parks after seeing your favorite show made you reflect on it all. I think a lot of us would have been in that same situation!

 

[MeghanEmily]

3 restaurants in one day...that's impressive! But you were on your Disneymoon, after all, and when is a better time to stop and enjoy good food than when you're trying to spend one on one time with your new spouse.

It was crazy!! But yes, I totally agree. If there's a time to savour new things and enjoy new experiences, it's on your honeymoon with the person you love most.

That said, we have FAR too many ADRs booked for our upcoming anniversary trip, too! I have a problem! Almost every day I have plans for both breakfast and dinner, and heaven knows there will probably be lots of days where we sneak in a dole whip for lunch for good measure. We're really not big eaters at home for the most part, especially since Nathan went on a health/diet/exercise kick and encouraged me to come along with him. But when we go to Disney we have so many wonderful places we want to try, and for a couple of weeks we go a little nuts.

What a sweet story about your Boma breakfast getting comped. I feel like a lot of the stories coming out of WDW now are people saying the CMs are rude or there's no more "pixie dust" in the parks, but I feel like your entire TR discounts that. You guys were able to interact with so many nice Cast Members on this trip!

I've noticed a bit of that going around, too. But I think that if you're looking for the good in people at Disney, you always find it. I'm just as guilty as the next guy of noticing bad guest behaviour. But I've really had very few negative interactions with CMs, and for the most part it's always seemed that most CMs have been trying to go out of their way to make magic for guests, even still now.

I can only imagine how it must have felt to know your wedding/disneymoon trip was almost at its end. You guys did a lot of incredible things, and I'm sure leaving the parks after seeing your favorite show made you reflect on it all. I think a lot of us would have been in that same situation!

It's exactly that. We had such an amazing trip, with so much planning and energy that went into every facet of it, and it was hard to believe that it had finally come and almost gone. Now we have a trip coming up next month that would have the potential to even rival this one, if it weren't for the simple fact that this one was our honeymoon. I feel like we're going into our upcoming anniversary trip as if it's kind of one "last hurrah" before we have to start limiting our trips and conserving our budget for a while. (Shockingly, being a master's student is surprisingly unprofitable! ) But we've really put a lot of thought into it and made quite a few splurges we might not have otherwise. I'm almost as excited as I was about the wedding trip to share this one with everyone, too!

 

[MeghanEmily]

I Don't Want to Go
Disney Day 13 - Part 1

Finally, the moment of truth arrives...I know you've been anxiously awaiting it for almost ten months now...this is the post where I finally reveal the context for the title quotation of this trip report. Strap yourselves in, folks, because here comes our last Disney day of the trip of a lifetime...(...but really...was it though? *ahem! moving on!*)

We were about to check out of the Wilderness Lodge this morning, and it was hard to say goodbye. Fortunately, however, I'd booked an 8:15am breakfast reservation at Whispering Canyon Cafe first to help soften the blow. We'd already eaten lunch here, as you'll remember, but this was our first breakfast there. I was anxious to try yet another gluten free take on yet another skillet. I had also read the night before about someone with allergies being given dairy free milkshakes there, so I wanted to try my luck and see if it was still an option.

We were sat quickly, and our server arrived. His name was Chad. I'm not sure what his silly WCC server name was. But to N and me, he will now forever be known as Flash, short for Flash, Flash, Hundred Yard Dash. His resemblance to the DMV sloth was uncanny.

Everything about Flash was good-intentioned, but slow, from his over-exaggerated southern drawl, to the speed at which he brought things to our table. He also gave us the absolute WEIRDEST vibe. I'm sure he was just trying to get into the fun antics of the restaurant...but he was NOT doing it right. He took our orders, told me that he didn't think they could do dairy free milkshakes but that he'd ask the chef anyway, and then looked at us piercingly and said, with no context, in a low drone, "I'll be keeping an eye on you..."

*shudder*

The chef came out to check in with me, and he said that they didn't have dairy free milkshakes. But then he thought about it for a second, and then said, "but I don't see why not...we have dairy free milk and ice cream...okay, yeah, sure!" I got chocolate.

N, who has a stomach of steel, got a dairy-filled caramel milkshake, and an extra glass of orange juice. We also each ordered the breakfast skillet, N's being the original version, and mine being gluten and dairy free.

Side note: knowing I'm only just over a month away from more Mickey waffles is currently filling my heart with joy!!

I didn't take any more pictures at the restaurant for fear of having my phone confiscated at the table and being put in "jail." It's been so long now, and I wish I'd pre-written this post sooner while it was all still fresh, because I have some crazy notes from this morning that I can only barely decipher now that eleven months have passed. I do remember, however, that while our server was slow and wasn't particularly amusing, the other servers at tables around us were having A TIME!! One was a young blonde woman with a brash sense of humour, and another, a man, was wearing some kind of hat and costume to be dressed up as a giant ketchup bottle. We called him Mr. Ketchup. Mr. Ketchup visited the table next to us, the blonde server...I don't remember her name, so I'll just call her Blondie...she started making all kinds of jokes at his expense. The she started chasing him around the restaurant and yelling to him, "I'll give you a squeeze!" while he responded, "No....Remember the incident!!"



We worked away on our meals, which were very good. (This wasn't quite the case when we returned again this past winter, but we did have a MUCH more entertaining server then to make up for it! She and the chef even conspired to bring me out a dairy free spinach milkshake after learning I was allergic to spinach! It was a hoot! And it was very green.) Anyway, while we were eating, Blondie returned to her table and was discussing with the guests about how they chose this over a "character meal" because the servers were entertainment enough to be better than characters. Blondie then told them that this was character dining, and that their "ticket price just doubled!" Another server passing by laughed and told her that if this were character dining she'd be making a lot more money.

After some time, our server returned with several others, and they made a big announcement to the whole restaurant on our behalf, saying, "they got hitched!!" They asked if it was our first marriage, and then one of the servers told us that second and third marriages were the best, and another asked sheepishly, "What about four or five times?" Etc. N blushes easily when put on the spot, so I was having a good laugh at his expense.

Before we left, there was another celebration in the restaurant. One of the women at Blondie's table, Kim, was celebrating a birthday. If you've ever seen a birthday celebration at WCC, you know that the servers like to have a little fun at the guest's expense. As all the servers sang Happy Birthday to Kim, Blondie was bringing out her birthday cupcake to the table, and just as they wished her a Happy Birthday and told her that they had a cupcake for her, Blondie leaned down and took a massive bite right out of her cupcake! She played it up as if she was embarrassed, and then went to set it down on the table, turning it around and saying, "Here, Kim, I didn't bite this side." ...So then another server picked it up and took a big bite out of that side!!

Of course, they always bring out a new cupcake for the guest, so Blondie came out a minute later with Kim's actual cupcake...only to take ANOTHER bite out of that one as she was setting it down!! Their whole table was hooting and hollering, protesting, and laughing their heads off. A different server went to the kitchen to finally retrieve a third cupcake for Kim...and Blondie persisted to swoop in at the last moment and take yet another bite. She casually tossed it back at Kim as if that cupcake had been her last chance, and as she was walking away she yelled over her shoulder, "Here, Kim! Don't worry. I brushed my teeth, and I don't have cooties!"



So there you have it. A trip report title was born.

I'm still not certain whether Kim ever actually got her cupcake.

After our breakfast, we went back to our room and packed...and packed, and packed, and packed. We had to get all of our stuff in reasonably good shape to travel with, because that night we would be heading to Daytona Beach for two nights, and then we'd be driving home. Eventually, we checked out and took a bus to the Magic Kingdom.

Before we started melting too much in the sun—JK, that happens instantly in August—we hit the purple wall so I could get a couple more cute selfies for my adoring social media followers. (These remain some of my favourite casual photos of us!)

I actually also took some without my mouse ears, one of which I submitted for my school student ID, so now whenever I look at my ID card I giggle at my secret unassuming Disney ID photo.

We made our way around to Fantasyland, and started by riding the Little Mermaid ride.

Ariel, put some clothes on!!

While we were there, we went next door to meet Ariel in her grotto. I still didn't have her signature on our photo mat, so she was a priority!

While we had been waiting in line to see her, we could kind of tell that she was starting to get that glassy-eyed-it's-been-a-long-morning affect with the couple of families ahead of us. I can only imagine what may have caused her to get to that point, and I don't judge. I'm sure it's hard being everyone's favourite mermaid. So I didn't hold it against her when I asked her if we could do a fishy-faced selfie together, and I got this:

Somebody in this photo isn't looking very fishy, and here's a hint, it's NOT the human!

But all this led up to what was one of the funniest little moments of our trip. Now, I will state first of all that I'm very committed to character integrity. Nothing makes me angrier than a guest who tries to ruin the magic by asking Mickey why he was taller yesterday, or whether "it's hot in there," etc. I don't even like to refer to the characters as performers, or as anything other than who they are to me: just themselves. For all intents and purposes, the woman in the photos above IS Ariel. That said...this was the only time I've ever seen a face character even slightly break character in any way, and it was hilarious.

Ariel seemed tired this morning and you could tell she was working hard to keep bringing the magic. We told her about how we were getting all our Disney friends to sign our photo mat, and that we'd be putting our wedding photo in it. We told her about how we'd just gotten married at Epcot, and she started getting really into the conversation. We explained how we'd invited Mickey and Minnie to the wedding, and she became quite offended that we hadn't invited HER. I apologized and told her that I hadn't even thought to invite her because I knew she had a tail and I thought it would be difficult to get there on land, and she responded that she also has legs and would have loved to go. I continued to apologize to her, and the conversation was escalating quickly, so I tried to diffuse the situation by telling her that next time we'd invite her! "Yes, for sure, the next time we get married!" She seemed to accept this answer, just going through the motions...and then stopped and thought about it for a second...and then you could see the understanding in her face...and she LAUGHED...and laughed and laughed. And we could tell in the moment that this wasn't just a character laugh, but a true genuine moment where we were no longer pretending to live in a world of fantasy, but where we were just sitting there as three friends, blowing off steam on a long morning.

Now N is more of a skeptic than I am, and he likes to refer to this as the moment that I "broke" Ariel. Me, I'm still a little more of a believer than he is. So I just remember it as the moment that I made a genuine connection with a new mermaid friend. Say what you will, but I will never feel like I'm too old for character meets.

Next we decided to get some fun photopass pictures taken, since there's not always a photographer in this spot:

He got a little creative, which we appreciated:

As we were scanning our bands for our pictures, I heard a familiar voice again... and it was @suse66! We'd managed to run into her unexpectedly for the second time in a matter of just a few days! It was wonderful to get a chance to chat a bit more without the rain driving us apart and under cover. Susan told us about some of the hidden Mickeys she'd been finding on rides that morning, and this was when N learned that there are books dedicated to hidden-Mickey-finding, which has only fuelled his competitive urge to find them even more.

It was already warm that day, and it looked like rain, so we decided to walk over to Splash to set up a DAS pass so I could ride it one more time before our trip was over, just in case the lines got too long and I got too hot later in the day. While we were walking over, We saw some friends out and about getting ready for their show...

I was so excited to see Big Al that I weaselled my way in for a quick selfie, all the while thinking of @xlsm and her deep-seated love for the country bears.

We put in for my DAS pass, and then walked over to Adventureland to ride Pirates.

Heh...we still hadn't quite figured out the ride photo on this one yet, and N was in the process of pointing out something to me at the time of the flash...

Whoops!

Up next, we'd do something entirely new for N...something I couldn't believe he'd never experienced before...​

 

[MeghanEmily]

I Don't Want to Go (continued)
Disney Day 13 - Part 2

When I realized that N had still never seen the Country Bears show, I was equal parts surprised, and disappointed in myself for allowing this to happen. We remedied it right away.

Afterwards, I asked him what he thought. I still don't think he's fully processed what he saw that day. He was quite surprised by some of the content in the show, having gone in totally blind. But he understood how it was a Disney classic, and he came out with mostly appreciation for it, so I count it a win.

It was after lunch time now, and somehow our massive breakfast skillets had become nothing but a memory. We popped into Columbia Harbour House and ordered two orders of allergy-friendly chicken and fries. (N likes these just as well as regular chicken fingers, so sometimes in that case it's easiest to avoid cross-contamination and just stick to safe foods between us both.)

We rode Buzz, and I was SO close to being a Galactic Hero again, but I just missed it.

Then another first for N: Carousel of Progress. I told him that he needed to get in as many of the classics as possible before we left...and it didn't hurt in the hottest part of the day that they all had short wait times and were air conditioned!

Unlike with Country Bears where he had mixed feelings, this N loved! It quickly became one of his favourite attractions. When we'd later do the Marceline to the Magic Kingdom tour in December, he'd be thrilled to learn more about its conception for the World's Fair, and to have some hidden Mickeys pointed out to him while riding it.

It had been too long since our last dole whips, and we were very aware of the fact that it was our last Disney day, so we each got one more. Shortly after, however, it began to rain! I had been planning to stick it out this afternoon to finally see the Festival of Fantasy parade—which I still wouldn't end up seeing until December—but alas, it was not meant to be. We got to see something even better, though, due to the fact that it happens less frequently, and that I'd never managed to see it before: The Rainy Day Cavalcade!

Standing out to see the cavalcade, however, left us looking and feeling like drowned rats.

We were both as ready as we'd ever be to leave the parks for the last time and call it a day...or at least, we were almost ready. I had one more priority, and that was my Splash DAS pass. It's my favourite ride of all time, so I wanted to do it once more before we left our best trip ever. What a shame, however, that after nearly two weeks in the parks, we were just too totally exhausted to be able to enjoy it...

ZZzzzzzzzzz

Finally, we purchased several popcorn bucket refills to have for road trip snacking in the days ahead, and then we made our way out of the park. Even though we'd already checked out, we headed back to the Wilderness Lodge to say goodbye, pick up our vehicle, and grab a bite to eat before hitting the road.

N went to the Geyser Point window to get a burger.

I stayed behind at Roaring Fork to get a sandwich and a popsicle.

Once we piled back into the car, the post-Disney depression was hitting hard, for me, especially...

That was my facial expression for most of the 1.5 hour drive to Daytona.

But it was time to say goodbye, so we made our way to the next part of our honeymoon adventure: Daytona Beach!

I hadn't been to Daytona since I was a kid, and N loves the ocean, so it was a good consolation for leaving Disney. Fortunately, we had a lovely hotel room to welcome us when we arrived. We stayed at the Hampton Inn because I didn't really care how fancy the hotel there was as long as it was on the water. It did the job, and was very clean and inviting.

The hotel even broke our terrible streak, by having the most lovely (and properly-functioning) elevator we'd seen the whole trip!

But the best part, of course, was that our room offered this view:

We settled in, made a quick run to Publix for some grocery items, and called it a night. We may have been done with Disney for now, but there was still more fun to be had before returning to real life...​

 

[Elevationist]

I'm dipping in here for the end of the trip, it seems! I relate to you so strongly on those Disney blues setting in as soon as I get in the car to drive home. Ten said it best: "I don't want to go!"

 

[MeghanEmily]

I'm dipping in here for the end of the trip, it seems! I relate to you so strongly on those Disney blues setting in as soon as I get in the car to drive home. Ten said it best: "I don't want to go!"

Welcome!! You made it just in time!! The Disney blues...such a sad place to be. The best cure seems to be planning another trip

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

She told us to make sure we come back and see her after the birth of our first baby. ...we'll see on that one...

No pressure, right?

N and I were both given an allergy-friendly skillet to share, and then N was also given a plate with a few of his own regular offerings that weren't safe for allergies.

I like they N's was on the side and the allergy safe was the main one...

We were eating at the Brown Derby, and I wasn't getting sick!! With that thunderous clap from the heavens, my curse had been broken!! Hallelujah!

Amazing! Glad you broke the streak!

Ariel, put some clothes on!!

I am TOTALLY with you on that one!

ZZzzzzzzzzz

It was quiet the trip, for sure!

 

[pepperandchips]

Now we have a trip coming up next month that would have the potential to even rival this one, if it weren't for the simple fact that this one was our honeymoon. I feel like we're going into our upcoming anniversary trip as if it's kind of one "last hurrah" before we have to start limiting our trips and conserving our budget for a while. (Shockingly, being a master's student is surprisingly unprofitable! ) But we've really put a lot of thought into it and made quite a few splurges we might not have otherwise. I'm almost as excited as I was about the wedding trip to share this one with everyone, too!

Okay talk about hyping the next adventure!!! I can't wait to hear all about it. Did you make a PTR post that I missed? Are you going to? (Please!)

the trip of a lifetime...(...but really...was it though? *ahem! moving on!

Seriously give us the deets lady!!!

I was anxious to try yet another gluten free take on yet another skillet.

Yummy!

Flash, short for Flash, Flash, Hundred Yard Dash. His resemblance to the DMV sloth was uncanny

This is R's character avatar in MDE. We love him obviously!!!

looked at us piercingly and said, with no context, in a low drone, "I'll be keeping an eye on you..."

*shudder*

Creepy!!! Not good, sir!

. But then he thought about it for a second, and then said, "but I don't see why not...we have dairy free milk and ice cream...okay, yeah, sure!" I got chocolate

I mean... I'm glad he put two and two together but it's weird that it required such effort to do so! Was it good?

The she started chasing him around the restaurant and yelling to him, "I'll give you a squeeze!" while he responded, "No....Remember the incident!!"

This made me LOL and I wasn't even there to see it. "The Incident"

Here, Kim! Don't worry. I brushed my teeth, and I don't have cooties!"

Oh my gosh. That's amazing. I don't know how I would have reacted but they sound like they did it in a way that was so hilarious you almost couldn't be embarrassed!

(These remain some of my favourite casual photos of us

For good reason! So cute, and the purple wall is so flattering!

Ariel, put some clothes on!!

Mermaid lesson about human life number one should be about underpants. Come on Ariel we can almost see your whose-its and whats-its galore!!!

That said...this was the only time I've ever seen a face character even slightly break character in any way, and it was hilarious

We had an awesome interaction like this with Pocahontas in April. She didn't exactly break character but it was definitely toeing the line! So funny.

Say what you will, but I will never feel like I'm too old for character meets.

Yes, we got quite some looks as a group of adult women waiting to meet Pocahontas but it was so worth it! I love it when the CMs really connect with you like that.

I was so excited to see Big Al that I weaselled my way in for a quick selfie, all the while thinking of @xlsm and her deep-seated love for the country bears.

First of all, I love the Country Bears and love when they're out meeting! But I'm unable to focus on Big Al based on the young lady in front of you

Making a mental note that you are *ALWAYS* in someone else's vacation photos...

Afterwards, I asked him what he thought. I still don't think he's fully processed what he saw that day. He was quite surprised by some of the content in the show, having gone in totally blind. But he understood how it was a Disney classic, and he came out with mostly appreciation for it, so I count it a win.

Hahaha! I still don't think R "gets it" either... I mean he gets the jokes, I just don't think he understands why I love it so much. I blame the sing along Disneyland Fun tape for my deep-rooted love of the Country Bears. After all, there's nothing like the great outdoors to ease your soul!

Standing out to see the cavalcade, however, left us looking and feeling like drowned rats.

Oh no! Well hopefully the new experience was worth it!

N went to the Geyser Point window to get a burger

YUMMY, I love this burger!!!!

We stayed at the Hampton Inn because I didn't really care how fancy the hotel there was as long as it was on the water. It did the job, and was very clean and inviting

It looks very nice! It's so funny how disney kind of affects my opinion on other hotel rooms. That looks like a disney moderate+

 

[SweetSerenity]

How sweet and thoughtful of Theresa to buy your breakfast! I think Boma is wonderful, but it's always great to be reminded of the amazing customer service at AKL!