Way Out Here, Eh? - A June 2019 TR *PTR Link Posted

[afwdwfan]

Alex and I discovered that while Evie might not like going to Disney, she sure does enjoy dressing up in Disney attire. We finally got photographic proof that she does smile!

They look great!

I keep telling my family I am going to diversify and have us stay at new deluxe resorts, yet I always circle back to the Polynesian and Animal Kingdom Lodge. It’s hard not to, though, when I left my third stay at the resort as excited and in love with the place as I was the moment I first saw the floor to ceiling glass window.

It's hard to stay away from the ones you know you love. And AKL seems to always have some discounts to make it a little more appealing than some of the others.

This was my very first airplane ride without kids!

Wow! It's going to be the easiest flight you've ever had!

I had three hours to entertain myself; the concept was almost foreign to me.


To celebrate, I got in a massive line at Starbucks and waited to order a fancy coffee. Then I strolled down to my gate at a leisurely pace, pausing to look in the some of the shops. Doing everything I couldn’t do with kids.

What? You went to the airport at an ungodly hour. You'll be sitting on a plane for a few hours with no kids. And you got caffeine at the airport????

I shouldn’t complain too much though, because what did I do during my free time? The time I allotted for downloaded Netflix shows? The time I had charged my phone for? The time I reserved for my noise cancelling headphones?

I slept.

Ok... that's about right. This is exactly what I'd do. Lean up against that windowless wall and pass out.

But the coolest perk of going to visit Alex’s sister and her family was the ability to schedule a DIS meetup one of the evenings! @Dugette and @cindianne320 were gracious enough to meet up with Alex and I for dinner one night, which was a big feat for them. Their kids were still in school, it was a worknight, and we all had to travel 30-40 minutes to reach a middle location.

It wasn’t convenient and for that I appreciated the effort even more.

That's fantastic! I'm glad that you had a chance to visit with them!

And I enjoyed my actual window this time around:

As we were landing, Alex got stuck talking to the woman seated next to him. She was from North Dakota, traveling to Orlando for a conference and asked Alex if he knew where her hotel was located. She also asked if he knew where the taxi station was, and if you could walk to any restaurants from her hotel.

Well, I can see that. Reasonable questions to ask of someone familiar with an area you've never been to... but some of the conversation beyond that...

Landon and Evie ran up and gave us giant hugs and judging by the looks on their faces, they were happy to see us. I think they loved spending time at the grandparents’ house but they were relieved to be back with us. Landon was certainly more willing to hang with me than he had been in awhile, which was nice to have.

That's great! Sometimes you need that time away from each other, but it makes you appreciate it.

The changes they made are beautiful; modern and clean and way more in line with a Disney deluxe hotel. Outlets everywhere, large televisions, new colors on the wall. Before this trip I was hesitant to stay at Shades again, but now I was more than happy with our choice.

That's great to hear.

(Fun fact: the kids and I held a massive wedding ceremony for these stuffed dogs. Our entire living room served as the chapel. A stuffed French bulldog named Gaston officiated. The reception had round tables seating six. A monkey and Dumbo argued over who was going to sit with the Mickey Mouse gang. It was A THING.)

Man! You guys really go all out!

Nope, my kids were deadset on a drugstore toy.

That’s Landon and Evie for you…

 

[vamassey1]

It won't be bad. Kids just want to be entertained. It's no worse than keeping them occupied at home; I have just always wanted to be one those people that could relax and do something mindless and entertaining on a plane.

JP is extremely busy so I'm worried about this. Fingers crossed it goes well. Luckily our flight is just a little over an hour and a half.

Before kids, I never napped. Now, my day is made when the kids are out and I can doze on the couch!

Oh, that will be funny to hear. Talk about two vastly different accents.

I can't wait to hear about the differences.

I love my goodreads. It helps me keep track of what I've read (so I don't pick something out of the library, start reading it, and go, "Wait, this sounds familiar." Been there, done that...) and let's me have a running list of what I want to read. Occasionally, I'll pull up my library account and my To-Read shelf and start requesting books I've been meaning to read for a while. It also has articles that let me know what books are being released soon so I can see if a favorite author has something new.

Another vote of confidence to try this.

 

[MeghanEmily]

she sure does enjoy dressing up in Disney attire. We finally got photographic proof that she does smile!

Oh my goodness, this is awesome!! I love their matching Disney costumes. Looks like they had fun! We had a little Disney princess in our house for Halloween this year, too. (But much littler than Evie.) My niece was Cinderella.

I keep telling my family I am going to diversify and have us stay at new deluxe resorts, yet I always circle back to the Polynesian and Animal Kingdom Lodge. It’s hard not to, though, when I left my third stay at the resort as excited and in love with the place as I was the moment I first saw the floor to ceiling glass window.

It's so hard to stray from a resort that's so perfect! We've made some fun for ourselves by trying to check out different resorts every time we go, but you really can't mess with a good thing like AKL.

I’ve been through some long security checkpoints over the years, but I think MCO takes the cake as one of the worst. It just seems to wind around forever!

I think you're right on this! I haven't been through all that many airports in my life, but I've never seen a security line quite like MCO.

Because we booked this flight kind of late, I didn’t check the seat map and had no idea some window seats don’t actually have a window!



Smooth moves, Alicia.

Oh no!

Give a mom a kid-free flight and an empty wall and she’ll use it to nap!

Hah that's hilarious! But totally justified. Get your sleep where you can, Mama!

As well as visited Minnehaha Park:

This looks beautiful!

Their kids were still in school, it was a worknight, and we all had to travel 30-40 minutes to reach a middle location.

It wasn’t convenient and for that I appreciated the effort even more.

Sounds like an awesome Dismeet! It's really special when you can make those meets happen, so I'm sure that they appreciated you being able to make the time for it just as much as you did!

Dugette’s husband was kind enough to take a photo of us at the end of the meal to memorialize the occasion:

Awesome! Great picture of a great-looking crew! Oh my goodness, I can't believe how grown up Izzy looks! I've followed along with some of Dugette's TRs and she was so little in them!!

And I enjoyed my actual window this time around:

Much better

She was from North Dakota, traveling to Orlando for a conference and asked Alex if he knew where her hotel was located. She also asked if he knew where the taxi station was, and if you could walk to any restaurants from her hotel.

It was like the sweet woman from Satu’li Canteen all over again; poor Alex was probably having déjà vu!

Alex must just have one of those faces!

The most memorable part of their conversation, though, happened right as we were taxiing. She turned to both of us and went, “Have you seen this Mary, Queen of Scots movie?”

“No.”

“Oh, well I expected it to be light. But it was actually quite sad!”


Several minutes later, as Alex and I were walking to baggage claim, Alex turned to me and asked, “Didn’t Mary Queen of Scots die?!”

“She didn’t just die, sweetie. She was beheaded.”

“That’s what I thought.”

Oh. My. Goodness.

Yeah, beheadings are a bit of a buzzkill I guess. lol

Shortly after we got on the road, my mom called me. (This was at about 11:45.) Her and the kids were already at Shades! Apparently, she had left at five in the morning, changing and feeding the kids quickly and loading them in their seats so they could sleep for a few more hours.

Wow! Your mom is superwoman. It must be so great to have someone who you can trust to be great with your kids when you're away. My grandmother was like that for my mom when I was young.

Nice spot! I can see why you were pleased with the updates they did at Shades.

Landon insisted on telling me ad nasuem that Nana made him pancakes most mornings. (“You never make pancakes, and you NEVER give me as much syrup as Nana does.”)

Hard to measure up to Nana and her pancake habits. Grandparents always get to be the fun ones!

A stuffed French bulldog named Gaston officiated.

At some point in the trip, Alex was going to have to take Landon and Evie to CVX to pick out a pup.

Good grief. Let’s not think about the fact that we were in Gift Shop Central, where almost anything else in the world was readily available.

Nope, my kids were deadset on a drugstore toy.

Oh no! That's too funny!

 

[cindianne320]

I didn't realize @cindianne320 was from Minnesota! I had the pleasure of meeting @Dugette during our trip in 2015 and it was wonderful to meet someone whose reports I'd read and loved for years. What a great dinner to meet up with both of them! I'm also glad you managed to get an authentic Juicy Lucy while you were in the Cities. They are delicious!

Caribou's food is pretty on-par with Starbucks and other coffee shops, but they have a Campfire Mocha that's absolutely delicious!

I am from northern MN, but have lived in Buffalo for 14 years! Guessing that's pretty close to where you grew up! Dugette and I get together often because Izzy and Acacia are they same age. We are due for another meet up!
I don't know if I should admit this- but I've never been to Matt's Bar...
But Campfire Mocha is my favorite- we finally have a Caribou (with a drive-thru) in this town- Starbucks is in Target with no drive-thru!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Sorry, Alicia, to temporarily hijack your report!

I am from northern MN, but have lived in Buffalo for 14 years! Guessing that's pretty close to where you grew up! Dugette and I get together often because Izzy and Acacia are they same age. We are due for another meet up!
I don't know if I should admit this- but I've never been to Matt's Bar...
But Campfire Mocha is my favorite- we finally have a Caribou (with a drive-thru) in this town- Starbucks is in Target with no drive-thru!

Buffalo?! No kidding? I grew up in Cokato, so yes, very close! Years ago my grandfather was the county attorney for Wright County and then lived there later in life, so I've certainly been to Buffalo! We also have some good family friends that currently live there. What a small world!

How fun that you get to see Dugette often! She was so very nice when we met her a few years ago. I used to get my hair cut in Minnesota (years after I left for Iowa) and she'd mentioned possibly meeting up when I was in the area. I now get my hair cut locally so I get to Minnesota far less frequently. Someday it would be great fun to see her again!

I've actually never been to Matt's Bar either, but I have been to the "other" restaurant that also thinks it originated the Juicy Lucy (The 5-8 Club). It was delicious!

Mmmm, Campfire Mocha. It's so darn good!

 

[amazingact21]

Sounds like a great time in MN and so awesome that you could squeeze a DISmeet in there!

It was fun visiting a new place! And I'm starting to enjoy having so many DISmeets in places other than at WDW.

LOL this whole thing just sounds hilarious!

It's never a dull moment in my house...Here lately Landon has been creating his own scientific journal where he has been discovering a new brand of species (his tiny TYs ).They have gotten so in-depth - "they prefer when their humans wear the color blue" - at first I had no idea what to make of it. But then I thought, "Maybe he'll be a next generation of Imagineer. Those people had to start out doing these sorts of things before creating Soarin' from a toy and designing a time traveling dinosaur ride."

Okay the TY wedding is ADORABLE!! Something they'll definitely remember forever! Can't wait to hear about your family's experience in Disney

I love how creative the kids are. I never know what kind of adventure they'll make up for themselves when they're home.

I‘m glad you enjoyed Minnesota and met up with some Dis friends! Summer is the time to visit not now, lol!

I tell my sister in-law all the time that I'm willing to visit her again...so long as it's between June and September.
The area was beautiful, though, and I would love to bring the kids back!

After 4 days away I was ready to be back with my girls, so I get it.

There's a fine line between appreciating their absence and missing them dearly! I think 3 days will be my max next time, at least until they get a little older.

Brilliant update! Love the halloween costumes and the Ty wedding made me laugh and wonder who ended up with Mickey and the gang Priceless childhood memories made right there
Those rooms look beautiful and I've a sneaking suspicion that your mum couldn't wait to see you just as much as you couldn't wait to see Landon and Evie

It's fun listening and watching Landon and Evie play sometimes. The sorts of games and worlds they come up with are pretty interesting. I believe we implemented the "if neither of you can agree then nobody gets it" rule and nobody sat at the table with Mickey gang.

 

[amazingact21]

Okay so how does the whole internet stranger danger conversation work these days when some internet strangers actually turn out to be amazing??

Oh jeez, I hadn't thought about that yet!
Fortunately, the kids don't use phones or computers yet and have no idea about that. But I'm going to be in huge trouble when I start talking to them about that, because I can just see them both going, "But you talk to strangers on the internet and make us meet them sometimes!"
Oh dear....

I feel bad for Eowyn's when they have to introduce themselves or someone else tries to do roll call or something. Unless you know the source material it's not an easy name to pronounce

I'll admit, it took a little while for the name to roll off my tongue. Only because it wasn't something I was used to saying on a frequent basis.

AKL seems to always have some discounts to make it a little more appealing than some of the others.

We get really great military discounts, and when there's one available for AKL, the price is actually cheaper for us than a regular room at Art of Animation. Hard to pass that deal up...

JP is extremely busy so I'm worried about this. Fingers crossed it goes well. Luckily our flight is just a little over an hour and a half.

Hopefully, you'll be so excited to be going to Disney and starting your vacation that his energy won't be hard to keep up with. And if all else fails...snacks are always a winner.

 

[amazingact21]

We had a little Disney princess in our house for Halloween this year, too. (But much littler than Evie.) My niece was Cinderella.

Aww, I bet she was the most adorable Cinderella around! I didn't see many other princesses roaming around on Halloween, so it's good to hear someone else was sporting the look.

Oh my goodness, I can't believe how grown up Izzy looks! I've followed along with some of Dugette's TRs and she was so little in them!!

Sometimes, it blows my mind to think that I started writing reports when Alex and I were still dating! Before I know it, Landon's going to be driving the car down to Orlando for our trips.

Wow! Your mom is superwoman. It must be so great to have someone who you can trust to be great with your kids when you're away. My grandmother was like that for my mom when I was young.

It warms my heart that she's willing to give Alex and I the time to go off on our own adventures, and that my kids are so excited to spend time with her. They ask all the time when they're going to get another week at Nana's house, which makes me so happy. When you're in the military and live so far away, you never know how strong the kids' relationships to their extended family will be.

Hard to measure up to Nana and her pancake habits. Grandparents always get to be the fun ones!

Nana could send him to time out and give him a lecture about not cleaning up his toys, but so long as she made him pancakes he would think she hung the moon. Almost every morning we were at her house, I would walk out of my room and Landon would be sitting at the kitchen table with my mom, talking to her and eating pancakes. He would skip waking me up and go straight to my mom's room, asking her for some food.

 

[amazingact21]

I don't know if I should admit this- but I've never been to Matt's Bar...
But Campfire Mocha is my favorite

I'm sure there are a lot of those burgers around; I was really glad I tried one because it was delicious!

I'll know next time that I need to try the campfire mocha!

Sorry, Alicia, to temporarily hijack your report!

No problem at all; it was fun to read! I find it fascinating how connected we all are once we start talking. I am starting to think Minnesota is one of the top Disney fan states. A lot of DISers are from there!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Grandparents always get to be the fun ones!

As a fairly new Granny (my grandson is 19 months) can I just say that while I love being a mum, being a Granny is a whole other world of absolute joy and delight and yes we get to be the fun ones and it's awesome!!!!

It warms my heart that she's willing to give Alex and I the time to go off on our own adventures, and that my kids are so excited to spend time with her. They ask all the time when they're going to get another week at Nana's house, which makes me so happy. When you're in the military and live so far away, you never know how strong the kids' relationships to their extended family will be.

Aw this is just lovely! So glad your kids get to spend time at Nana's house and it's a great testament to you all that they have such wonderful relationships with family far and wide

Nana could send him to time out and give him a lecture about not cleaning up his toys, but so long as she made him pancakes he would think she hung the moon. Almost every morning we were at her house, I would walk out of my room and Landon would be sitting at the kitchen table with my mom, talking to her and eating pancakes. He would skip waking me up and go straight to my mom's room, asking her for some food.

Landon is a sweetheart He'll be driving Nana and Evie to WDW in no time never mind you and Alex if Nana keeps up the good work on the pancakes!

 

[amazingact21]

June 7, 2019 Part 1:

This wasn’t just our first day at Disney (with the kids)…this was also my mom’s birthday! When planning this trip to Florida, I realized we would be visiting around my mom’s special day and decided almost immediately to plan a day around her Disney favorites.


It wouldn’t be much of a birthday celebration if we didn’t go to Nana’s favorite park, so we were up bright and early and on a bus by 7:45 a.m.



We were dropped at the TTC, where we went through bag check and then headed to our next mode of transportation.

Evie was in rare form and actually threw me a smile!



A short wait and then the five of us were on the Epcot monorail. This was where Alex and I first experienced a change in park touring. Whether it was because they had just spent the week with her or because we no longer lived close or because they were asserting their next level on independence, the kids begged to sit next to my mom on the monorail:



Alex and I weren’t aware of it, but this was the beginning of a new trend. Nana was much cooler to hang out with than Mom and Dad.



After an entertaining circle around Epcot – a view that’s worthy of its own ride during Flower and Garden – we were dropped off and through the second bag check. Oh, Epcot monorail, how I love your two security checkpoints….





The park was half an hour from opening but luckily the Cast Members let us through the tapstiles (after my mom activated her ticket) and put us in a holding pattern near the bathrooms by Spaceship Earth. Thank goodness for that! I would’ve been in trouble had they not with my overabundance of morning coffee.

Landon appreciated having a bench to sit on while we waited:



Amid the chaos of standing guests, I caught sight of someone wearing a Lion King Loungefly backpack and fell in love. I warned Alex that if that was still an item in stores then it would be coming home with me.

Alas, it was not. Probably for the best. I didn’t really need the bag.



At nine o’clock on the dot the ropes holding us back dropped and everyone began rushing towards their preferred coaster. Since we weren’t in a rush, we allowed the masses to pass while we casually lathered on sunscreen and took sips of water. The mad dash at rope drop can be necessary on some park days, but it’s sweet relief on the days it’s not required.


I had procured Alex and Landon Fastpasses for Test Track beginning at 9:30 and didn’t think we would do anything until then. I wasn’t positive how long my mom’s ticket activation would take or how quickly we would gather our belongings on the first day, so being there so early was an added bonus. When we finally decided to merge with the traffic, I steered us in the direction of the Character Meet and saw the wait was about 15 minutes.

“Want to get a picture with Minnie Mouse on your birthday?” I asked my mom.

“Sure.”

It was decided. Alex parked the stroller and we hopped in the standby line.





Near the front was an amiable Cast Member saying hello to guests, and we got near we noticed he was giving the salutation in several languages.

Of course, my husband couldn’t resist going, “Guten morgen!” The gentleman became very animated and started a lively conversation with Alex about languages and how many ways they could say hello. It turned out the Cast Member was from Scotland; which we realized when he made the crack: “Don’t worry about not understanding much German. Nobody ever knows what the heck I’m saying!” Causing us to lean over and read his nametag…


He was a really nice guy and he put the meet and greets on the right foot. We were smiling and laughing and enjoying ourselves before Mickey Mouse ever came into sight.

I know there’s controversy over the whole “The Cast Members are our entertainment” line and I am firmly in the camp of those mad they got rid of the street performers, but this Cast Member definitely fit that bill.

It was a classic Disney CM interaction and more than anything, it gave my mom hope that the park experiences of old were beginning to resurface. That kind of happiness was a perfect starting note to begin the birthday festivities.



Naturally, Mickey Mouse carried that on with his warm smile and solid high fives:





Goofy’s height intimidated Evie a little and she chose to let Landon and Nana get all his friendly hugs, agreeing to stand cautiously in front for the photo:





Minnie produced no hesitation, though, and both kids showered her with love. Then she got a little too familiar with Alex:


Whatcha doing there, Minnie?



Better keep my eye on her…




Continued in Next Post:

 

[amazingact21]

Continued from Previous Post:


The character meets had gone a lot faster than we expected, so deciding to try our luck we headed next door to meet Baymax.

And lo and behold, who did we run into in line but our new Scottish friend! He saw us and shouted, “Hey, Germany!!!” and then picked the conversation up right we left off. I wish we had wrote down his name so we could have given a Cast compliment, because he certainly deserved one. Hopefully, we’ll see him again on a future Epcot visit.


When it was our turn to meet Baymax the poor kids had no idea what to do with him. They were afraid to get too close, worried they might pop him or knock him over.



Eventually, we all kind of gathered in front of him and grabbed a group shot:


Then waved our goodbyes and headed towards the exit. Joy and Sadness only had a ten minute wait, and we’ve never met them before but Evie became scared of them and we had to turn around before we had reached the end of the line.


By the time we made it back outside and to our stroller, Alex and Landon’s fastpass window had opened. I asked my mom if she had any interest in riding Test Track, because if she did we could walk over and grab a Rider Swap. She did not, though, so instead we bid the boys farewell and us three girls set off for an adventure of our own.


Alex was a dutiful husband and took plenty of pictures of their Test Track experience for me.

He gets a selfie with Landon in front of the ride entrance every time:




Landon was in the mood for big wheels this day:




And their ride photo:


Fun fact: I have never ridden Test Track with Landon. In fact, the last time I have ridden TT was probably in 2013. It’s one of those rides that’s always low on my priority list and gets the boot during a trip. Maybe when Evie’s tall enough to ride I’ll make my way back on to it…



While the boys were off building cars, my mom, Evie and I were using our set of FPs to visit our underwater pals in the aquarium. Evie enjoyed scooting along in her clamshells and got a kick out of searching for Nemo throughout the experience, but once off the ride and in front of the tanks she became antsy and bored.

I thought for sure she would enjoy looking at the aquatic animals and she did – for a few seconds.





I had planned on us staying inside the building until Alex and Landon were done and could meet us in there, but Evie was putting a pin in that. I could only let other guests suffer through, “Ughhhh, when can we goooo?” for so long before I had to step away.

My mom was a good sport about having to leave so soon. She got to see her favorite animal, the dolphin, for a brief moment or two, and that was all that mattered.




Upon leaving, I tried to get Evie to take a picture in Bruce’s mouth. The area was completely empty and there was a PP photographer hanging about, just waiting for someone to walk up.

But alas, Evie’s grouchiness wasn’t having any of that:




My mom and I left with Evie in tow, forgetting to inform Alex that our meetup plans had changed.
This, unfortunately, resulted in another grumpy kid, upon discovering his mother wasn’t where she said she would be:



Nothing like a Dad grabbing a PP picture when the kid is in a bad mood! That’s one for the photo album!




Up Next…I Didn’t Know Disney Made a Ride I Didn’t Like

 

[MeghanEmily]

When planning this trip to Florida, I realized we would be visiting around my mom’s special day and decided almost immediately to plan a day around her Disney favorites.

Love that!

Evie was in rare form and actually threw me a smile!

Awesome! This is a sweet picture.

Oh, Epcot monorail, how I love your two security checkpoints….

I think I heard somewhere that this is changing with the EPCOT construction?

It turned out the Cast Member was from Scotland; which we realized when he made the crack: “Don’t worry about not understanding much German. Nobody ever knows what the heck I’m saying!” Causing us to lean over and read his nametag…

Whatcha doing there, Minnie?

I wish we had wrote down his name so we could have given a Cast compliment, because he certainly deserved one. Hopefully, we’ll see him again on a future Epcot visit.

Great interactions! I wonder if he might have been the CM who did our Future World tour. Or maybe he was Irish. ...I feel like he was Scottish. Not sure. But seems like he made a great impression!

They were afraid to get too close, worried they might pop him or knock him over.

Legit concerns.

He gets a selfie with Landon in front of the ride entrance every time:

I love this! Great picture of them both.

Nothing like a Dad grabbing a PP picture when the kid is in a bad mood! That’s one for the photo album!

 

[cindianne320]

How fun that your Mom got to spend her birthday at EPCOT! You made good time meeting all those characters before your FPs. Poor Landon- hopefully you were able to meet up soon!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Awesome CM interaction and character meets, love the pictures. The kids look like they are enjoying the characters for the most part except for the picture in the aquarium

How nice the kids want to hang with grandma and especially on her Birthday.

 

[vamassey1]

It wouldn’t be much of a birthday celebration if we didn’t go to Nana’s favorite park, so we were up bright and early and on a bus by 7:45 a.m.

Great way to celebrate Nana's birthday.

Evie was in rare form and actually threw me a smile!

That's the way to start a Disney Day.

Alex and I weren’t aware of it, but this was the beginning of a new trend. Nana was much cooler to hang out with than Mom and Dad.

I love it! Nana is cooler.

The gentleman became very animated and started a lively conversation with Alex about languages and how many ways they could say hello. It turned out the Cast Member was from Scotland; which we realized when he made the crack: “Don’t worry about not understanding much German. Nobody ever knows what the heck I’m saying!” Causing us to lean over and read his nametag…

Love CM interaction like this.

Goofy’s height intimidated Evie a little and she chose to let Landon and Nana get all his friendly hugs, agreeing to stand cautiously in front for the photo:

She's still smiling.

He gets a selfie with Landon in front of the ride entrance every time:

Great photo!

Fun fact: I have never ridden Test Track with Landon. In fact, the last time I have ridden TT was probably in 2013. It’s one of those rides that’s always low on my priority list and gets the boot during a trip. Maybe when Evie’s tall enough to ride I’ll make my way back on to it…

I hope you get to ride next trip.

I had planned on us staying inside the building until Alex and Landon were done and could meet us in there, but Evie was putting a pin in that. I could only let other guests suffer through, “Ughhhh, when can we goooo?” for so long before I had to step away.

Oh no. We usually end up spending too much time in her.

But alas, Evie’s grouchiness wasn’t having any of that:

I don't think she was buying Bruce's "Fish are Friends, not food" line.
She way way too many teeth.

Nothing like a Dad grabbing a PP picture when the kid is in a bad mood! That’s one for the photo album!

He's giving Evie a run for her money.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

I hear you on the security frustrations with the Epcot monorail. I read that is being addressed soon (or perhaps it already has been?). I'm excited if that's true as I'll be using the Epcot monorail in just a few months!

How fun that you got to celebrate your mom's birthday while on your trip! A Disney birthday is the best!

You had great character interactions first thing in the morning along with a great CM - that's the way to start your Disney park experience on the right foot! I've never been good at leaving kudos for the CMs - I need to be better about that. A great CM can really enhance a good day or turn around a bad day.

It's too bad Evie was less than enthusiastic about the tanks at the Seas, but I'm glad everyone enjoyed their first ride of the day. I like Test Track less since they updated the ride, but I still hope you get back on it sometime soon!

 

[missangelalexis]

Meeting characters is a fun way to start the day and a fun thing for your mom to do on her birthday!

But Minnie better watch what she's doing!

Glad the boys had fun on TT while the girls enjoyed the seas!

LOL that last pic of a grumpy Landon is priceless!!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

What a great way for your mum to celebrate her birthday! You got some great photos too
Have to say I had to laugh at the one of “grumpy “ Landon . So not him poor wee man and yeah gotta keep your eye on that Minnie one !

 

[dolewhipdreams]

Alex and I weren’t aware of it, but this was the beginning of a new trend. Nana was much cooler to hang out with than Mom and Dad.

Haven't you heard?? Grandparents >>> regular parents

I didn’t really need the bag.

Clearly you don't understand the point of Loungefly. It's never about need

I know there’s controversy over the whole “The Cast Members are our entertainment” line and I am firmly in the camp of those mad they got rid of the street performers, but this Cast Member definitely fit that bill.

He sounds like the perfect person to greet at a character meet! And man I love Scottish accents. Anywhere I can go to hear more of them, I'll be there.

Whatcha doing there, Minnie?

That is a...strangely intimate photo???

He gets a selfie with Landon in front of the ride entrance every time:

Precious!

Nothing like a Dad grabbing a PP picture when the kid is in a bad mood! That’s one for the photo album!

Favorite photo by far