'OHANA means CHUNKY! An Aug 2017 Family TR THE END 4/26 - The Last Day and Trip Epilogue!

Photopass day looks busy but a lot of fun! Tell Steve good luck with the hydroponics, I do think that would be interesting to learn how to do!
 
It looks good. Too bad it wasn't.

Yeah it had so much potential but fell so flat.

It's kind of funny, you could totally just cut Brian and Chunkysis out and the picture would be great.
Maybe he knew it was time for Disney to be over. :(

Maybe! I would be crying too, hahaha.

You did an amazing job! I would be in planning heaven but I am not sure I am brave enough to do a trip with that many people!

Thank you!! The hard part was just planning which park to go to on what day and the ADRs. Once that was done, the FPs were pretty easy, just figuring out the times of everything was also a challenge.

Can't wait to hear about photo pass day! You managed to hit some good days, on your trips!

We did :)

You got some great shots with the Princesses that night! Too bad dinner sounded better than it looks, but that's kind of the thing with most character meals you're there to meet the characters not fine dining.

Yeah, anything for the characters, right? Think we will skip this one in the future.

Good job for you pulling off such a smooth trip!

Thank you! It had it's own hiccups but overall it went much better than I expected!

What an awesome trip! Can't believe we've made it to the (near) end! While I'm sure it would be amazing, I don't think I will ever tackle a full family trip for our family. LOL I am just not sure I could handle it all....or all of them is probably more accurate!!

Thank you!
Haha it's not so bad - I guess it depends on just how long you want to spend with your family, LOL.

Love the dinner at the end of Princess Day! We have never braved Akershus for dinner because we aren't brave food eaters. At breakfast, they have the usual stuff, but it is accompanied by the most delicious potatoey cheesey casserole thing ever--and it's all you can eat. mmmmmmmm!

Breakfast is definitely better than dinner, and I do remember liking that casserole! You can't go wrong with potatoes and cheese...mmm

Photopass day looks busy but a lot of fun! Tell Steve good luck with the hydroponics, I do think that would be interesting to learn how to do!

It was a really busy packed day, it was fun but there were a lot of crowds.
Thanks! I will share a picture if his strawberries come out ok!
 
Hi Sue-Lynn! It was hard enough planning 4 days in St Pete and 3 days in Disney for our upcoming girl's trip in June (6 of us)!!!!! I can't even imagine the amount of time it took you to plan your family vaca. You did such an awesome job!!!!!
 
Photopass day looks fun! We weren't very good about asking for magic shots. We did get a few but not near as many as I wanted. You guys always get the best photo pass pics!
 


So the real fun can now begin, right? :rotfl:
Yay for some alone time!!! So much easier to tour with just 2!

I did miss them though...just a little. :laughing:
I mean, ok, a little!

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This one is awesome!! I did enjoy the one with the yoga poses though LOL Love your shirt changes throughout, too!

Our next FP+ was for the Nemo show (which I have still yet to see LOL!)
It took us maybe 4 trips before we FINALLY used a Nemo FP!!!! I really did love it once we finally saw it on our trip in December 2016. But we were back to our old ways on our trip in January....I made a FP for Nemo. It was not used. Ugh.

I thought about how fast and efficient we were when we didn't have to stop for bathroom breaks, diaper changes, parking the stroller, finding out where we parked the stroller, or try to make FPs on the fly with screaming kid trying to climb you (or beg for another fidget spinner). It was nice. :)
LOL

FYI: He's starting the hydroponics again. This time he's growing strawberries in the basement. Let's hope it works out!
Ooooooh, intriguing! Can't wait to hear how this pans out!
 
It only occured because @Tracy161 was arriving a day early so we were planning to meet up that night. :thumbsup2 So because of this Dismeet Steve and I were here for Photopass Day! #DisMeetMagic
YAY!!! I'm so happy this worked out for us both. Who doesn't want an excuse to extend a Disney trip, right?! And for such a great cause :hug:;)

Sienna: Wait, we're leaving? I was just getting started!
That's what I say at the end of all my trips, too!

They had some little leaves flying around as a "magic" shot
This is awesome!

#BringBackExpressBusTransport
Agreed! :snooty:

Glad I brought my Snow White shirt today!
What a fun magic shot. It's funny because when I saw your first tank and you commented that you had others, I was thinking "okay, that makes sense because I don't remember that one from our meet" :laughing: I still think your first tank was super cute, too though!

I thought about how fast and efficient we were when we didn't have to stop for bathroom breaks, diaper changes, parking the stroller, finding out where we parked the stroller, or try to make FPs on the fly with screaming kid trying to climb you (or beg for another fidget spinner). It was nice. :) I don't know how you all do it, but I really admire you parents especially with young kids!
OMG I know!!! It was such a different experience traveling with my family in January... unlike anything I've everexperienced every in solo-land :rotfl:

FYI: He's starting the hydroponics again.
Yay! You'll have to keep us posted about how this goes! ::yes:: And do let us know when you open up your own version of LWTL ;)

Hmm... I wonder what's in store for the rest of your evening? ;)
 


You got some awesome photopass pictures!! I'd hoped we'd fit some PP pictures in that day, but it was just too busy and it didn't really happen. I love some of the special ones you found!
 
I've always wanted to try four parks in one day. Photopass Day appears to be the perfect day for visiting all four parks.

I like your first tank top. All of your clothes are so cute!

Good luck with the hydroponics. Does Steve also grow vegetables in the yard?
 
I hadn't heard of Photopass Day. When you said it was coming up next in your report, I thought it was just what you named the day. Very cool! It must have been huge culture shock going from the chaotic fun of a large group to it just being you two seasoned pros. I'm still bummed they got rid of the Express Bus. I never got to try it but sounds like it made park hopping such a breeze. They seem to be all about the upcharge these days so maybe they will try it again.
 
Man, you guys were really getting around! I love the idea of doing all 4 parks in one day. I def want to try it when the girls are a little older.

I can only imagine how easy it must have felt to have just the two of you to move around the park. Traveling anywhere in that big of a pack takes so much longer, no matter where you are.
 
Hi Sue-Lynn! It was hard enough planning 4 days in St Pete and 3 days in Disney for our upcoming girl's trip in June (6 of us)!!!!! I can't even imagine the amount of time it took you to plan your family vaca. You did such an awesome job!!!!!

Aww thank you! It wasn't too bad because they left the planning up to me - but it was hard to figure out what people wanted to do at certain times of day. I definitely have a much better idea now!
Hope you have a fabulous time in St. Pete!

Photopass day looks fun! We weren't very good about asking for magic shots. We did get a few but not near as many as I wanted. You guys always get the best photo pass pics!

It was an ok day, I think if you already have memory maker it's not that big a deal, it's really for the people who didn't purchase memory maker or the photopass package as I believe all photos were free to download that day. The magic shots were fun but some of them you can already find in the parks with the exception of a few. Also, the rare characters were out, like Snow White meeting with Dopey and Mulan with Mushu, but they had really long lines and it wasn't worth it for us. Still, it was a fun excuse to do 4 Parks in 1 Day! :)

This one is awesome!! I did enjoy the one with the yoga poses though LOL Love your shirt changes throughout, too!

Thanks! Those were probably my favorite of the day just because I've never seen that magic shot before. :)

It took us maybe 4 trips before we FINALLY used a Nemo FP!!!! I really did love it once we finally saw it on our trip in December 2016. But we were back to our old ways on our trip in January....I made a FP for Nemo. It was not used. Ugh.

I'm glad you got to finally see Nemo! I am gonna book one for Sept too. Let's hope we actually make it LOL.

Ooooooh, intriguing! Can't wait to hear how this pans out!

I hope it works! Steve's been giving it a lot of TLC!

Looks like a fun filled day already. Can't wait to see what MK has in store!

It was a packed but fun day, but isn't every day at Disney? :)

YAY!!! I'm so happy this worked out for us both. Who doesn't want an excuse to extend a Disney trip, right?! And for such a great cause :hug:;)

You're right, it's a great cause! :hug: #SaveTheDismeet
We should meet up more often, you know, for the cause and stuff. :teeth:

That's what I say at the end of all my trips, too!

I think all Disboarders do this. Or they cry. :sad:

This is awesome!

That was a pretty cool magic shot!


Disney if you're reading, please bring back Express Bus!!!

What a fun magic shot. It's funny because when I saw your first tank and you commented that you had others, I was thinking "okay, that makes sense because I don't remember that one from our meet" :laughing: I still think your first tank was super cute, too though!

Thanks! I figure it would be cool to change things up that day!

OMG I know!!! It was such a different experience traveling with my family in January... unlike anything I've everexperienced every in solo-land :rotfl:

Right? It's fun but when you go back to being by yourself, you're like...wow FREEDOM!!

Yay! You'll have to keep us posted about how this goes! ::yes:: And do let us know when you open up your own version of LWTL ;)

I will! ::yes::

Hmm... I wonder what's in store for the rest of your evening? ;)

:rolleyes1:rolleyes1:rolleyes1

You got some awesome photopass pictures!! I'd hoped we'd fit some PP pictures in that day, but it was just too busy and it didn't really happen. I love some of the special ones you found!

It was a very busy day, and with your family around I'm sure you had better things to do! Don't worry, you really didn't miss much. :)

Wow that Express bus looks like a dream, wish we could have experienced it. Love all your cute shirts and magic shots!

Thank you! I wish everyone could have experienced Express Bus. It made things so easy. We'd start in one park, hop to another to have lunch (and actually make it in time), then go back to the first park. I'm so sad this isn't around anymore.

I've always wanted to try four parks in one day. Photopass Day appears to be the perfect day for visiting all four parks.

It was! You had to have a game plan though. The Express Bus made it a no-brainer, I think if I had to do this with regular transportation we'd definitely not have as many shots as we did!

I like your first tank top. All of your clothes are so cute!

Thank you!!

Good luck with the hydroponics. Does Steve also grow vegetables in the yard?

Thanks!
Yup he does but he's been in a battle with groundhogs and racoons who basically eat EVERYTHING. We tried deterrants, we even put up a wire fence around the garden box but they jumped ON the fence, it bent over and then they went to town. :sad2: The force is strong with these rodents. The only thing they don't touch is stuff like mint and chili peppers, but they are smart enough to avoid those plants. That's why we started the hydroponics!

Holy busy photo pass day!!! But you guys got some really cool and unique photos for sure :yay:

It was super busy! I'm not sure it's worth going to really, if you're not already there. It's worth it if you don't have memory maker as you can get free Photopass downloads that day.

I hadn't heard of Photopass Day. When you said it was coming up next in your report, I thought it was just what you named the day. Very cool! It must have been huge culture shock going from the chaotic fun of a large group to it just being you two seasoned pros. I'm still bummed they got rid of the Express Bus. I never got to try it but sounds like it made park hopping such a breeze. They seem to be all about the upcharge these days so maybe they will try it again.

Haha, yeah we only heard about it like a month before our trip and turns out we'd be there anyways. It's not like a must-do event though but it did allow you to download pics for free so it's worth it if you don't have memory maker or a package.
Yeah it being just us was so refreshing, but I missed my nieces and nephews and seeing how much fun they were having. Hope my sisters decide to come again soon!
For sure they need to bring back express bus. IMO they could have charged more and I'd still pay for it. It's a huge time saver! 40 bucks for the week was nothing. I'd pay up to 70 which comes out to 10 bucks a day. Well worth it and cheaper than the one-day price of 19.99. But alas my analysis is probably a moot point. No signs of revitalizing the express bus anytime soon!
 
Man, you guys were really getting around! I love the idea of doing all 4 parks in one day. I def want to try it when the girls are a little older.

We only did this because of Express Bus! I doubt we'd have attempted this with regular transport on such a busy day.

I can only imagine how easy it must have felt to have just the two of you to move around the park. Traveling anywhere in that big of a pack takes so much longer, no matter where you are.

It was like, wow, we can go anywhere we want to? We didn't have to coordinate? I didn't have to send out mass texts to ask where everyone was? It was liberating, LOL.
 
Aww thank you! It wasn't too bad because they left the planning up to me - but it was hard to figure out what people wanted to do at certain times of day. I definitely have a much better idea now!
Hope you have a fabulous time in St. Pete!

I am so excited! My husband and I got married at the Don Cesar (where we are staying), and it holds special memories. So, no matter how many times I've stayed there, I never get tired of it. Then, it's off to Disney. YAY!
 
Such an awesome trip report as usual. 15 people in mid-August I can't imagine but you pulled it off. Looking forward to your next report.
 
You definitely deserved to sleep in after everyone left. Did you find yourself needing to adjust to what I can only imagine was deafening silence :-)

I had no idea photopass day was even a thing. Looks like a ton of fun. I especially love the jungle book one. That is awesome! We're gonna be there around the same time this year. Hope they do something similar.

We never got to take advantage of express transportation, but so wanted to. Maybe we could start a petition :-)
 
I think you and Steve definitely deserved some alone time.
I love your Mulan tank and Snow White shirt
God I miss the Express Bus :sad:
I still remember my favorite park day last May when we had a PPO breakfast at BOG followed by walking on 7DMT 3 times. We hopped on the bus to AK made the first show of Lion King, then Safari and EE. Next we went to EP and had a relaxing time at WS.
For me and my bad knee the amount of walking it saved was priceless.
All your PP shots are so cool I think the one in Asia with the panther is my favorite
 

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