This Bridge is Old, Like You! - A July 2017 and April 2018 TR *Completed + New TR Link Posted

[cindianne320]

Bummer that Evie missed Anna and Elsa, but at least she got a good nap in! Glad Landon was able to enjoy the Meet and a spin on Living with the Land!

 

[vamassey1]

I'm once again trying to get caught up.

My apologies to everyone for my extended absence. Earlier this month, Alex’s father passed away so we had to fly back to the states. The kids and I only stayed a week before coming back to Germany (had to get Landon back to school) but Alex is still over there helping his mom. Not going to lie, it’s been a difficult few weeks. My father in-law wasn’t that old, and the death was very unexpected. (Complications that arose from a car accident.) And because of all this, the DIS was put on the back burner for me.

I'm very sorry for your family's loss. The unexpected losses are the hardest.

April will mark 3 international trips in 9 months!)

I'm very impressed! You're an expert now.

Believe it or not, this was my first time visiting the shopping district since it had transformed into the Springs, and I was a little taken back by how big it has become. Lots of stores and lots to take in.

We went for a short visit last May and again in February. I was so disoriented and we barely scratch the surface of what is there.

Oh, I almost forgot! We also stopped by the Ganachery and split a piece of fudge that tasted exactly like the Cast Member said it would. That happened on the way to the Lego Store; on the way back to our car we pit stopped at Vivoli Gelato and shared a medium cup of mint and chocolate ice cream. We had promised Landon a dessert for putting up with our shopping, and when asked he picked ice cream. The mint, in particular, turned out to be delicious and sharing it between two adults and two kids was the perfect amount.

So many more food choices.

I think since we’re dragging them on yet another long international flight 40 days after their last one, they deserve an awesome new toy from Disney. Don’t you think? It’s the least we can do.

I agree with your thought process.

where we went through a long bag check line. Then to the Epcot monorail, where we rode it to the park entrance and….what do you know? We did bag check again.

I hate the new bag checks especially at Epcot. So much time is spent in line for this. But I guess it does make us all safer, it's hard to remember that when your waiting.

Looks like Landon won the battle for the beloved stroller that morning. But it also appears that I plied Evie with food to get her to cooperate.

That’s kind of how my parenting style is summed up.

Avoid meltdowns through food.

Yep.

A+ mom skills.

We've all done it. You have to go with what works.

but I still think the new video fits into Epcot seamlessly.

I liked it too.

While on the ride, I was seated next to a mom, her kid, and her mother who were visiting from the UK. The mom was an absolute delight to sit with; she ooohed and aaahed at every scene, became so excited to name the locations, and even teared up at the end of the ride! As we were being lowered back to the theater floor, she wiped tears away from her cheeks and told her family, “That was the best ride I’ve ever gone on!”

I love when I get to sit with someone is doing a ride for the first time and truly loves it. Disney Magic!

Her enthusiasm was so sweet that I had made the decision mid-ride to make her day a little brighter. As we were walking down the exit hallway, I stopped her and handed her the Rider Swap pass I had received a few nights ago. Once I explained how it worked and convinced her that I wouldn’t miss it, her face lit up and her kid was jumping with joy. “Let’s go do it again, Mom! Let’s go!!!”

Without question, one of my favorite moments of the trip.

AWWW, this really is a great memory.

The kids stayed busy watching all the different fish:

We have lost hours in here, there is just so much to see.

We stopped for a diaper run at the new bathrooms, and I remember being very impressed that they had more than one changing station in the restroom.

I love the Norway bathrooms. I couldn't wait to show Michelle in February.

He completely missed the adorable queue area, including the sauna section. Personally, I loved that!

I loved the queue too but we rushed through in May so I want a do over.

Right as we were boarding our boat, Evie decided to ruin her nice new diaper and leave us and everyone else in the boat struggling for fresh air during the ride. Thanks, kid. What a way to ride Frozen Ever After for the first time.

Yeesh.

Classic!

The ride was good. It was entertaining, timed really well to the music, and reminded me of all the other dark boat rides I enjoy.

Me too.

That’s Evie for you, rebelling against my plans since 2015.

She is her own person. It means she won't be a follower when she's a teenager and that's a good thing.

 

[vamassey1]

It was really fun looking around at the architecture and designs and being so familiar with it. In a weird sort of way, it felt like being back in Germany. I was almost more comfortable standing around in that pavilion than I was anywhere else that trip.

I've always loved this pavilion. It sounds like Germany has really become your second home.

There’s a hiking trail that you can take, and at the very end you round a corner and there's Eltz...it’s breathtaking.

This sounds so perfect!

Looking at the photos, I guess I was the only one out of sorts by my daughter’s attitude. Probably the difference between a parent and a grandparent. Nana got to step back and let me deal with Hurricane Evie because she’d been there, done that. She’d passed that baton on to me when I decided to create Mini-Me’s.

Yep, that what we grands get to do. Payback is hard.

I ordered the kid’s spaghetti and meatballs for Evie, because she’s the one kid on the planet who hates pizza.

Yes, you heard me right.

She hates pizza!!!

I can't even imagine.

She doesn’t like hot dogs, either, and only tolerates chicken nuggets. She’s my future foodie; give it a few more years and she and I will be splitting meals off the adult menu in order to let her have her steak and roasted veggies…

She has more refined tastes.

One of my favorite photos from the trip….that pizza was bigger than his head!

But you better believe he ate it.

Great picture and I'm very impressed with his appetite.

This looks sooooo good.

Unlike my son.

Who was sitting next to his Nana, who just so happens to be the biggest sucker when it comes to her grandson.

I looked over and she had cut a third of her cake and given it to Landon, who was inhaling it!

“Mom!”

“What? I’m allowed to give my grandson some cake…we’re at Disney!”

“I get that, but this cake has espresso in it! You just gave him straight caffeine!”

My mom’s face turned to shock and she threw her hands over her mouth. “Oh my gosh, I didn’t even think of that!”

“He’s going to be bouncing off the ceiling soon!”

Classic grandparent moment.

Up Next…I Like Your Dress, It’s Really Pretty and Sparkly

This sounds like something Landon would say.

This was the second time I visited in July, and I have to say…the crowds were very manageable.

Nice to know but I just don't know if I could stand the heat.

Their Royal Sommerhus was lovely and provided plenty of little details to look at while we waited the short while for the meet and greet. I know most everyone has already been inside the house, but it was a new experience for me and one I’d gladly walk through again.

I haven't seen it so I'm enjoying what you're sharing.

These stood out to me because they reminded a lot of the Welsh Lovespoons that are sold at bazaars around here. Originally, lovespoons came from Scandanavia and were given to girls from hopeful suitors. The items carved in the spoons each represented something, such a lock for security, a bell for marriage, and balls for hopeful number of kids.

Nowadays, the lovespoons are given for anniversaries or wedding gifts, but a lot of people stationed over here buy them for everyday gifts because they are so beautiful. The intricacies in these spoons are unbelievable. (Alex if you ever manage to catch up on reading my reports before we move you now have a great gift idea. *hint hint, wink wink*)

And I learned something new. Very interesting.

Landon, as expected, was very difficult to tame while standing in line. He knew he couldn’t move around or be loud, so he stood and bounced in place, smiling and laughing at absolutely nothing.

Evie had gone the opposite route of her brother and wanted to work off her full belly with a long nap in the baby carrier. I was a little disappointed she couldn’t stay awake for the meet, because of all the princesses she was most familiar with Anna and Elsa. (Well, princess and queen.) But I guess had she been upset and fussy it would have been more stressful so better to have a sleeping baby than a crying one…

Sleeping is much better than crying. We had to make that choice on our February trip too.

This was actually the only photo we managed to get of all 4 of us together. My mom and I really should’ve invested in Memory Maker, because obviously we were slacking in the group photo department.

I love Memory Maker, without it I don't think I would be in more than a few photos per trip.

Then again, the first statement out of Landon’s mouth when he was with Elsa was:

“Ooooh, I like your dress. It’s so sparkly!”

I knew it was classic Landon.

I love Living with the Land. Always have and always will.

Me too!

My mom suggested we stop for a picture or two since we failed to get any that morning. It was too bad Landon was crashing from his sugar high and looked zoned out in the pics.

That's the downfall of the sugar high...the low that comes after it.

 

[amazingact21]

I'm glad you had yet another great meal at Via Napoli.

Wow! I'm impressed at Landon's appetite. Growth spurt?

Again, it is funny (and very familiar to me) to see the differences in your kid's eating habits. My boys couldn't be more different. Nate was very fussy and didn't eat much at all when he was younger and Ben polished off everything in sight and had a very adventurous palate.


Thanks for the info about Happy Hippos (at first I was picturing Hungry Hungry Hippos), the lesson about the spoons and the background about Germany's castle. I hope to do the backstage World Showcase tour sometime on a future trip because I am fascinated with the countries of EPCOT.

It's always amazing to see how different siblings can be. Landon and Evie are about as opposite from each other as possible.

A backstage tour of the World Showcase sounds amazing! I would love to do that one day, as well. Hopefully we will both be able to find the chance in the future.

Bummer that Evie missed Anna and Elsa, but at least she got a good nap in! Glad Landon was able to enjoy the Meet and a spin on Living with the Land!

A nap is always a good thing when it comes to Disney and toddlers! (Heck, even I benefit from naps while vacationing at Disney.)

I'm once again trying to get caught up.

I'm very sorry for your family's loss. The unexpected losses are the hardest.

I'm very impressed! You're an expert now.

Thank you.
To go from never flying before to having 5 trips under my belt is pretty impressive.

I hate the new bag checks especially at Epcot. So much time is spent in line for this. But I guess it does make us all safer, it's hard to remember that when your waiting.

I agree, safety is most important but man...that Epcot process can test the best person's patience.

I love the Norway bathrooms. I couldn't wait to show Michelle in February.

Did she like them, as well? I bet as a fellow mom she noticed the extra changing space.

I've always loved this pavilion. It sounds like Germany has really become your second home.

We love it here so much that we recently submitted a request to extend our stay another 13 months. Alex and I are really hoping we get another year to explore and go on more adventures with the friends we've made here.

Yep, that what we grands get to do. Payback is hard.

You guys have earned it.

Great picture and I'm very impressed with his appetite.

He can eat a lot of food when he wants. Thankfully, he'll eat healthy stuff as willingly as he'll eat junk food.

Nice to know but I just don't know if I could stand the heat.

If you can handle the mugginess of Louisiana in the summer, you could do Disney no problem!

And I learned something new. Very interesting.

I'll have to take a close up photo the next time I see them being sold, because they really are beautiful.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

All caught up again and loving the updates. Landon is king of one-liners with the princesses lol. What girl doesn’t like being complimented on a sparkly dress

My youngest is the fussiest eater on the planet- no pizza, pasta, rice or mash thank goodness for bread ( and vitamins). He had to go gluten and dairy free for a while which was tough but he can now eat small amounts of gluten and is totally fine with dairy. It has made him wary of food in general so we tend to not worry too much on holidays as long as he takes calories in some form but we look like the world’s worst parents as we feast and he has a bread roll and fruit!!
Glad Landon enjoyed his tiramisu and didn’t make you pay for the sugar rush too much

 

[Steppesister]

I love how Landon just dives right in with the characters. And it's so funny he's so wowed about their costumes. LOL!

I can see how much they loved LWtL with comments they were making. Love how Evie was pointing out the foods along the way.

That IS slow! 4 FP's?! Wow!

Parking fees at resorts. What a gigantic load of poop! And that's all I have to say about that.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Instead I’ll just share my picture of the wooden Anna in the doorway:

I love the Anna in the wood.

Poor Anna, getting overlooked by her older sis…

I have a feeling that happens alot.

“Ooooh, I like your dress. It’s so sparkly!”

Too funny! Landon is a funny little guy!

Landon just wanted to see the prettier dress, not necessarily the lady in it.

Ha!

but it’s only 7 dollars and it’s in a garage and the rooms cost a lot less than the deluxe resorts for the same square footage.

But we’ll see. I might change my tune after staying at the Polynesian for a night and remembering how amazing the resort is.

Can you park at Shades of Green and stay at the Poly? I am seriously considering a split stay or even a 3 split stay to get a day or two in at the Poly. And really enjoy the resort. We will see.

 

[amazingact21]

All caught up again and loving the updates. Landon is king of one-liners with the princesses lol. What girl doesn’t like being complimented on a sparkly dress

My youngest is the fussiest eater on the planet- no pizza, pasta, rice or mash thank goodness for bread ( and vitamins). He had to go gluten and dairy free for a while which was tough but he can now eat small amounts of gluten and is totally fine with dairy. It has made him wary of food in general so we tend to not worry too much on holidays as long as he takes calories in some form but we look like the world’s worst parents as we feast and he has a bread roll and fruit!!
Glad Landon enjoyed his tiramisu and didn’t make you pay for the sugar rush too much

Oh my, that had to be so difficult for you as a parent, trying to make meals that didn't have any gluten or dairy in them! Glad it's gotten moderately better now. And I think all parents, to a certain degree, push nutrition to the side while on vacation. Everyone would much rather deal with a full kid than a hungry one!

I love how Landon just dives right in with the characters. And it's so funny he's so wowed about their costumes. LOL!

I can see how much they loved LWtL with comments they were making. Love how Evie was pointing out the foods along the way.

That IS slow! 4 FP's?! Wow!

Parking fees at resorts. What a gigantic load of poop! And that's all I have to say about that.

I was never big on character meets until Landon came along and developed a knack for talking with the face characters. It's become a park tradition for us.

I love the Anna in the wood.

Can you park at Shades of Green and stay at the Poly? I am seriously considering a split stay or even a 3 split stay to get a day or two in at the Poly. And really enjoy the resort. We will see.

Unfortunately, you can't.
I really hope you get to do a split stay at the Poly! I know you talk about wanting to stay there in your trip reports, so I hope it happens.

 

[vamassey1]

To go from never flying before to having 5 trips under my belt is pretty impressive.

That's a lot of flying with kids.

I agree, safety is most important but man...that Epcot process can test the best person's patience.

Totally agree!

Did she like them, as well? I bet as a fellow mom she noticed the extra changing space.

I do believe she did like them. There's also sooo pretty.

We love it here so much that we recently submitted a request to extend our stay another 13 months. Alex and I are really hoping we get another year to explore and go on more adventures with the friends we've made here.

Oh my, let us know how that goes. More time to explore is great.

You guys have earned it.

Yes we have.

He can eat a lot of food when he wants. Thankfully, he'll eat healthy stuff as willingly as he'll eat junk food.

That't the important part, eating healthy too.

If you can handle the mugginess of Louisiana in the summer, you could do Disney no problem!

But I stay inside here (in my best whinny voice).

I'll have to take a close up photo the next time I see them being sold, because they really are beautiful.

I would love that.

 

[amazingact21]

But I stay inside here (in my best whinny voice).

True. I just know the summer I moved from Central FL to North Louisiana I thought I was going to die. The humidity in Louisiana is insane and so oppressive. I was never more happy to escape the summers there.

 

[vamassey1]

True. I just know the summer I moved from Central FL to North Louisiana I thought I was going to die. The humidity in Louisiana is insane and so oppressive. I was never more happy to escape the summers there.

And that was North Louisiana, we live in South Louisiana where it's even worse.

 

[amazingact21]

July 24th, 2017 Evening:

Since my mom had gotten the chance to see Happily Ever After the night before, she offered to babysit the kids so I could go see it on this evening. I knew my mom had her work cut out for her, but I was loathe to turn down a few free hours to myself. This was back when Alex was deployed and opportunities to be alone were few and far between. So I helped my mom feed them dinner at same buffet we ate at the night before and then grabbed a bus to the TTC. From there I boarded the resort monorail and exited at the Magic Kingdom.



It was a gorgeous evening. Hot, of course, but beautiful nonetheless.


I was pretty excited walking onto Main Street. This was my second time being solo in the parks, and I was ready to see if it was as relaxing as my first experience. (Which also happened to be during a trip to the world while Alex was deployed. Only, I just had Landon and it was first thing in the morning at Hollywood Studios.)

I had about an hour and a half until Happily Ever After time. Has anyone created a name for this yet? It used to be Wishes o’clock but I don’t know a new term for this show…


Main Street was already ready for the show:


Found out where all the people who WEREN’T at Epcot were hanging that day.


Being alone at the Magic Kingdom wasn’t enough of a milestone for me; I felt like I had to commemorate the occasion with something more iconic.

But what?

I had an idea in mind.

I walked a little farther down Main St. and entered the completely packed Casey’s Corner restaurant. Apparently, everyone and their brother had the same though as me and were grabbing dinner from this classic location.

It took me over ten minutes of waiting, but I finally crept my way up to a register and placed my order. All the Cast Members working that night had that look about them that said, “I want my shift to be over.” They were ragged and short with all the guests; I hoped every shift wasn’t as miserable as they all seemed to be that particular night. Poor guys and gals…


To celebrate my independence, I bought some corn dog nuggets, something I had never tried before at Disney. Shameful, right? I had never eaten anything from Casey’s Corner before my trip to Disneyland Paris. Hot dogs aren’t really my thing, but I wanted a small snack and was feeling the need to accomplish an unwritten Must Do inside the park.

I had to walk all the way down to the Starbucks to find an empty patch of sidewalk curb to sit and eat my food:


The nuggets were okay. I doubt I’ll get them again, maybe if the kids were hungry and we were passing by, but they were too greasy for me. I was proud to say I tried them, though.

Once finished with my food, I continued to sit and kill time by people watching and taking photos of the castle:






I was doing something I couldn’t do with the kids.

Sitting around doing nothing.

It was nice. Perhaps not the best thing to do by myself, since it’s more fun to talk to someone while you wait, but my main goal was to see Happily Ever After and if I left my spot to go ride anything, I would have had a heck of a time getting back.

During the last half hour before the show, a large family came and stood in the street (the rest of the street was filled up by that point) and I ended up talking with one of the party members for a few minutes. It was one of the moms with young kids, because she was surprised when I told her I had two of my own. She looked at me and went, “You’re in a park…WITHOUT YOUR KIDS?!!”

I had to explain to her that Evie hates fireworks so I was tag teaming with the other adult in order to see the show.

Even with my answer, she still looked at me like I’d lost my mind. She very clearly didn’t understand why I’d want to see the show if I didn’t have any kids with me. She was very nice and polite about the situation, and aside from that we had a very pleasant conversation. She had her two kids and her husband with her, along with a set of parents, a sister and her husband and family, and a younger brother.

The younger brother was actually making me a little misty-eyed because the little kids (his nieces and nephews) were hanging all over him and making him blow their bubble wands and it reminded me so much of my little brother with Landon and Evie. I think all kids who get to have a young uncle get a special gift, because they're gifted an instant friend the day they're born. My brother’s grown a lot since Landon’s been born (he was 18 when I had Landon) but in my kids’ eyes, Isaac will always be “the fun uncle.”


Talking with the fellow mom helped pass the time and soon Happily Ever After began.



A part of me wanted to move closer after I’d finished my corn dog nuggets, but another part of me wanted to put HEA to the ultimate test. With Wishes, it didn’t matter where I was standing because every place provided the same viewing experience. Heck, my favorite Wishes location was by the Tangled bathrooms! Not even with the castle view…


So I stayed back to see how this new show measured up.

Big mistake.



A couple minutes into the show, I heard kids all around start whining and crying.

“I can’t see!”

“What’s going on?!”

“Pick me up, Mom!”

Pretty quickly my view was:


I didn’t get mad at the parents, their kids were bawling and upset because they were missing everything; I was perturbed with Disney. Why replace a show that was accessible to everybody, everywhere (even from the nearby resorts) with something that can only be seen from a small section of the park? I get they have this new projection technology and they want to put it to use but come on…a little bit of consideration would have been appreciated. Because if I couldn’t see the castle then Landon definitely wouldn’t have been able to, either, and I would have had the same problem those poor parents were having. Angry, heartbroken kids NOT getting the magical experience they were expecting.

They should’ve just stuck with fireworks.

That’s my opinion, and I get it’s not the overall one of Disney fans.



I don’t hate the soundtrack or the fireworks used. I think they are inferior to Wishes, but I don’t think they are bad. And in Happily Ever After’s defense, I am going to give it a second chance with a Dessert Party at the end of the month.

(Although that slightly irritates me, too. In order to get a good vantage point I have to pay extra. Grrr.)

But either way, I want Alex’s first experience with the show (he hasn’t heard the music yet) to be the best possible to see what his opinion of it is. Because maybe it was my poor location that skewed my liking. Perhaps he will walk away from it more impressed than I was.

We shall see…


When the show ended, I crept my way forward to snap a better picture of the castle with its final projections:


Notice the person with the open umbrella. If I thought looking around a kid was hard, imagine what the people behind them must have thought?!


I had about 40 minutes before park closing, and I headed towards the tea cups and towards Small World. I had a FP booked but was hoping I could hop on something else really fast. Unfortunately, nothing was really calling out to me that night. I think I was still frustrated with the fireworks issue and didn’t have enough patience to wait in lines.

In the end, I scanned my band and used my pass for Haunted Mansion. I hadn’t been on this attraction since Landon was born because I knew both kids would be scared, so it was a treat to get to go on it that night. And being back in the stretching room, quoting the ghost host’s lines, made me remember how awesome the attraction is.

I’ve got to try harder to go on it in the future, because it’s too good to keep skipping.

Ending my time in the Magic Kingdom on a positive note, I headed out of the park and back to Ticket and Transportation Center. I stopped in a few shops on my way out in the hopes of spotting a Dooney or Pandora charm I liked, but I didn’t like the print placements on the bags and there was a pushy woman taking over the display cases at the jewelry counter. I thought it easiest to leave.

At the bus stop for Shades, there was a woman with her husband and daughter among all the other families, and I swear I almost bit my tongue off trying not to snap at her. When the bus arrived, I politely stood back near the railing to let everyone else line up and get on. I had arrived after most people, and since it was just me I didn’t mind standing.

When it was nearing the end of the line, I made to move forward and this lady comes running up, yelling at her husband, “HURRY UP! WE NEED A SEAT. WE HAVE A KID. PEOPLE ARE GOING TO CUT IN FRONT OF US!!!” And she straight up glared at me.

Whoa, lady.

I was actually so surprised by her rancor that I just smiled at her politely and stopped my progress to the bus door.

I get that it can be maddening when you’re waiting at the stop for fifteen minutes and up walks a dude at the last second and jumps on before you. That’s the downside to not having a roped off line like some of the resort stops implement. And I know they had probably been at the parks all day long, were exhausted, and had a sleeping kid to boot.

But taking it out on the person who was CLEARLY letting everyone else get on? And assuming they were someone who wouldn’t give up a seat for a sleeping child?

Just rubbed me the wrong way. Also made me realize that there are way too many of “those” types of guests at Disney versus the generous and friendly kind. I decided right then and there to make it my mission to be as nice as possible to other people I encounter in the parks. Not that I haven’t always been nice, but I feel like it’s especially necessary now.

Kill them with kindness.


When I made it back to my room, my mom was on her way to bed and told me the kids hadn’t fallen asleep until half an hour prior.

*Sigh*

The night wasn’t quite what I was expecting. It could have gone a lot smoother. But my mom survived, I got some time away from the children, and that all I was choosing to focus on.



Up Next: A Bittersweet Update

 

[natebenma]

I am so glad that you got some solo time at MK. Even if things weren't perfect, I hope the experience was a recharging one for you.

Corn dog nuggets- I'm not a huge hotdog fan either, and I didn't think they were all that and a bag of chips when I tried them. The French fries at Casey's, however...

That is hilarious that the mom couldn't understand you being there without the kids.

Your explanation about the problem with Happily Ever After is spot on. Viewing location is everything, and as you point out, there are limited excellent spots. That is totally the problem my group had the night we watched. It was a rainy night and you hit on one of the major issues with that.

I wonder if with all the emphasis on projections, there is less of a reliance on fireworks and perhaps some $$$ is saved.


Ahhhh... Haunted Mansion solo. Of course, you aren't exactly alone with 999 haunts hanging about.

I love your attitude of sharing kindness in the parks. It can be difficult to do, especially when surrounded by selfish people, but a little goodness can go a long way, I think.

I'm a little apprehensive about your bittersweet update.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Sorry to hear that your evening solo wasn't exactly what you wanted it to be. I have a love hate relationship with the projections. I love them, but it is really hard to get good views. I do think that next trip, we might do the dessert party to see if properly. And then probably skip it for awhile.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Ach I’m sorry you didn’t have the best time at MK solo but kudos to your lovely mum for babysitting and giving you a wee break. Love your attitude to the grumpy-guts of the world. You show them how they should behave- you never know maybe you’ll even convert their nasty manners to nice ones

 

[MeghanEmily]

Despite my lacklustre commenting, I'm still reading along and enjoying your updates! And I have to agree that while HEA is beginning to grow on me more, I totally agree with you that it's inaccessible to children from most of the park (and to short folks like me!) and it just doesn't match Wishes. I find it very frustrating to get stuck behind a sea of kids on shoulders, but I totally understand why parents do it because the projections are so hard to see for little ones. I laughed about that mother's reaction to you being without kids watching the fireworks though! How, as a Disney fan, could you possibly be interested in seeing a brand new state-of-the-art nighttime spectacular without small children to watch it with you!?

 

[vamassey1]

Since my mom had gotten the chance to see Happily Ever After the night before, she offered to babysit the kids so I could go see it on this evening.

This is a good trad off.

Found out where all the people who WEREN’T at Epcot were hanging that day.

It does look a little crowded.

To celebrate my independence, I bought some corn dog nuggets, something I had never tried before at Disney.

It's good try everything at least once.

The nuggets were okay.

I felt the same way too.

Sitting around doing nothing.

As a Mom this is a rarity. Enjoy it while you can.

It was one of the moms with young kids, because she was surprised when I told her I had two of my own. She looked at me and went, “You’re in a park…WITHOUT YOUR KIDS?!!”

I can understand this. As great as it is to share Disney with your kids it's also nice to enjoy a little just because you enjoy it.

The younger brother was actually making me a little misty-eyed because the little kids (his nieces and nephews) were hanging all over him and making him blow their bubble wands and it reminded me so much of my little brother with Landon and Evie. I think all kids who get to have a young uncle get a special gift, because they're gifted an instant friend the day they're born. My brother’s grown a lot since Landon’s been born (he was 18 when I had Landon) but in my kids’ eyes, Isaac will always be “the fun uncle.”

Danielle is like this, she's the fun aunt.

I don’t hate the soundtrack or the fireworks used. I think they are inferior to Wishes, but I don’t think they are bad. And in Happily Ever After’s defense, I am going to give it a second chance with a Dessert Party at the end of the month.

You're so right. The first time I saw HEA we were too far back so we couldn't see the projections. We did the Dessert party in February and really got to see the show. It was a really good experience all around. I think being out of the crowds will be good for Evie.

In the end, I scanned my band and used my pass for Haunted Mansion. I hadn’t been on this attraction since Landon was born because I knew both kids would be scared, so it was a treat to get to go on it that night. And being back in the stretching room, quoting the ghost host’s lines, made me remember how awesome the attraction is.

This was a good choice. Someday Landon will be ready to ride it but for now you gotta take what you can get.

I get that it can be maddening when you’re waiting at the stop for fifteen minutes and up walks a dude at the last second and jumps on before you. That’s the downside to not having a roped off line like some of the resort stops implement. And I know they had probably been at the parks all day long, were exhausted, and had a sleeping kid to boot.

How frustrating!

Kill them with kindness.

This is my motto too.

 

[amazingact21]

Corn dog nuggets- I'm not a huge hotdog fan either, and I didn't think they were all that and a bag of chips when I tried them. The French fries at Casey's, however...

Oooh, I didn't try the fries. Maybe that's what I'll get if the kids want the nuggets.

That is hilarious that the mom couldn't understand you being there without the kids.

Your explanation about the problem with Happily Ever After is spot on. Viewing location is everything, and as you point out, there are limited excellent spots. That is totally the problem my group had the night we watched. It was a rainy night and you hit on one of the major issues with that.

I wonder if with all the emphasis on projections, there is less of a reliance on fireworks and perhaps some $$$ is saved.

I'm sure that has something to do with it....

Ahhhh... Haunted Mansion solo. Of course, you aren't exactly alone with 999 haunts hanging about.

True.

I'm a little apprehensive about your bittersweet update.

I'll always be grateful for what happened in the next update, but writing it will probably make me sad.

Sorry to hear that your evening solo wasn't exactly what you wanted it to be. I have a love hate relationship with the projections. I love them, but it is really hard to get good views. I do think that next trip, we might do the dessert party to see if properly. And then probably skip it for awhile.

Unfortunately, I think in order to get a good view of the fireworks you have to splurge for the dessert party. That's disappointing to me, because I used to love strolling back to the Tangled bathrooms ten minutes before showtime and grabbing a seat on the low walls and getting everything but the castle view.

Ach I’m sorry you didn’t have the best time at MK solo but kudos to your lovely mum for babysitting and giving you a wee break. Love your attitude to the grumpy-guts of the world. You show them how they should behave- you never know maybe you’ll even convert their nasty manners to nice ones

That's always my hope. One smile can make the world of difference to someone having a bad day...
I will always be appreciative of how much my mom helps me out with the kids. Alex and I really got spoiled having her live close by the first three years of Landon's life.

Despite my lacklustre commenting, I'm still reading along and enjoying your updates! And I have to agree that while HEA is beginning to grow on me more, I totally agree with you that it's inaccessible to children from most of the park (and to short folks like me!) and it just doesn't match Wishes. I find it very frustrating to get stuck behind a sea of kids on shoulders, but I totally understand why parents do it because the projections are so hard to see for little ones. I laughed about that mother's reaction to you being without kids watching the fireworks though! How, as a Disney fan, could you possibly be interested in seeing a brand new state-of-the-art nighttime spectacular without small children to watch it with you!?

We have never put our kids on our shoulders to watch a show before; we've held them at eye level so they matched our height but we're firm believers in not obstructing someone else's view. And while it was extremely annoying watching HEA and only seeing heads and backs, I understood the parent's point of view.
That's why we bit the bullet and reserved the dessert party. I did not want to hear Landon's heartbreak should we get a bad view and this way we don't have to break our "No Shoulders" rule...

I felt the same way too.

As a Mom this is a rarity. Enjoy it while you can.

I guess maybe the nuggets are more appealing to kids.

I forgot how nice it was not to have to move constantly or look after someone!

Danielle is like this, she's the fun aunt.

I bet. I think it's really special when the kids have someone like that in the family.

You're so right. The first time I saw HEA we were too far back so we couldn't see the projections. We did the Dessert party in February and really got to see the show. It was a really good experience all around. I think being out of the crowds will be good for Evie.

The good view and Evie were the biggest factors on why we booked the party. We're hoping this helps with the overall fireworks experience AND prevents us from having to stake out a spot super early. Since we only have the one full park day, we want to utilize our time wisely.

 

[missangelalexis]

Cute pics with Anna & Elsa! I'm sorry Evie missed out on it!

Wow, nice job snagging a 4th FP for Soarin! That's great that your mom could ride it while you and the kids did LWTL!

LOL I love how it looks like Evie is pushing Landon right off that couch!

Yay, good for you getting some solo time at MK! The sunset looks absolutely beautiful.

I'm sorry your experience with HEA wasn't the best. It does stink that if you don't have a good view of the projections then your missing half the show.

At least you ended the night with a ride on Haunted Mansion!

It's always disappointing when you come across rude people

 

[lilmape]

I want to begin with expressing my deepest sympathies for your family.

So... I’ve been MIA from the boards since our last trip in 2015. I get serious Disney withdraw and we just haven’t been able to go too often. Anyway, at that point I was reading your report about taking Landon on his first trip. I think I devoured that report looking for pointers and lessons learned. I think I have read nearly all of your reports because I love your style and your honesty.

I was surprised and delighted to see your newest addition! Congratulations to your beautiful family. Your kiddos personalities are so similar to my own and you are a total mom rockstar! I wish my kids would eat like yours. Its a battle! We are prepping for our first trip with 2 children in December (15-20). I’m hoping to start a PTR if I can keep up with it. I look forward to reading more about your adventures!