"I'm NOT a Princess, I'm Izzy!" - May '15 Land/Sea ~ Updated 6/4: Link to Disneyland TR!!!

[Dugette]

Thanks for the info. From what I've seen it appears that the seating under the dining package is kind of the prime section.

Seemed like it to me, but I don't really have anything to compare it to.

I love the reaction to it too.

The first time we went, DD was under 3 and they went out of their way to take care of her. We didn't expect a plate and they offered one.

Then again, as I mentioned in my latest review, I wasn't thrilled with the service that time. Maybe service there has slipped in the past few years?

I wonder? Part of me wants to try it again, but so expensive for a place that's unpredictable!

It must be hard to be a princess, knowing that someone is going to get an unflattering photo of you and put it on the internet.

I don't know... it's probably closer than you think.

It's not bad, I guess.

Probably a combination of both.

She still does that zoning out thing fairly often.

Uh oh...

Of course! That's why they're there!

True.

Yep... been there done that. Teacups always fit the need.

Perfect for rider swap times.

I always think of the Barnstormer as a small kiddie coaster, but Dug actually can fit on that no problem!

I'm really sorry he couldn't ride it. It was nice that the CM tried to do something nice for him, but it was all around a bad situation.

Thanks - definitely a bad memory.

I can imagine... it's so low capacity that it just moves so slow.

True. And that hot sun didn't help.

That stinks... too bad that you waited and got so close before they shut it down.

I was really surprised they just left like that and we all kinda looked around and then scattered.

Clearly she's smart enough to go straight for the good stuff.

She is for sure!

Oh, I feel your pain. Definitely reminds me of our scene with DD at DHS when she refused to pee all day until the floodgates broke.

Yeah, that was a bad one! It's rough at that age.

Really? This is unacceptable. I realize that it is probably not his job to clean up pee, but this isn't the kind of customer service Disney was built on. He should have called for custodial staff while you were allowed to go care for Izzy.

I agree. So strange that he was so disinterested. But I couldn't figure out how to ask him to take care of things without sounding obnoxious.

Famous last words.

So nice to have a place for your stuff when you walk inside.

What? Really? They resist helping to start with and then send you to EPCOT? Weird.

Yup. The whole thing was rather obnoxious, but at least we got the card, I guess.

Busy evening...

For a non cooperative Izzy, you got some great ones!

I was really impressed at what the photographer managed to get, all things considered.

You just can't catch a break.

Definitely not this night.

Well, I guess it is a place with limited seating so that's probably a justifiable thing, but it definitely stings when you just saw another family pretty much impose their will on a CM while making you stand there waiting to check in. I probably would have been pretty ticked off like Dug was.

Yeah, it's a small space, so I get it. But it was the straw that broke the camel's back by that point in our night.

I get it... I can relate to Dug. I'd have felt that way. I'm glad you were able to neutralize things.

I was really concerned the night was about to get even worse. Glad things were diffused quickly.

WHAT?????

Believe it or not, mac & cheese is no longer her favorite - buttered noodles are now - because BUTTER!

That's fantastic! She's really growing up!

Sure is!

So she is either too distracted to eat or too focused on eating to be distracted. Not much in between, huh?

Sounds about right.

I still am baffled at that one. He looked and looked and assured me there was no charge and no credit card. Ha.

That would have made life difficult.

That would be so awful.

It really was... that was a bumpy stay at BCV.

Sure was.

Of course... that's the one you're on time for.

For once we weren't scrambling to catch our ME! (Probably because we didn't have to leave a park to get there).

Totally understand!

We wanted our own bed, but no responsibilities.

That's great. Always makes the flight easier when they can nap.

Those are the best flights!

So she figured it out by the time the trip was over?

I guess so!

Makes the return to reality when you have someone to help you settle back in.

It was so nice and unexpected of her to bring us dinner!

Sounds exciting! I haven't made it to your Aulani TR yet. Honestly, I probably won't. I'm so far behind, Aulani isn't on our radar so I'll probably just wait until the DL TR and try to jump in at the beginning.

No worries. I'll post again here when I start Disneyland. I'm trying to scoot the Aulani one along and get it done first, but we'll see if I can wait to start on Disneyland.

Both look amazing! I hope you can make it work. That will be an awesome spring/summer!

I know, would be amazing! We shall see...

 

[Dugette]

Glad that departure day went more smoothly for you! I haven't been to DL yet, but your potential trip report title speaks to me on a personal level I think that's why I keep putting the trip off--so I don't have to keep going back, lol. Excited to see how the Hawaii trip turns out and read about your experiences in CA

Haha, you are probably smart with that Disneyland avoidance logic. I mean, we love WDW for sure, but Disneyland was very fun and I so want to go back again! Looking forward to covering both of those trips! Thanks for following!

Really enjoyed your TR, and looking forward to hearing all about the other trips you've been on since then! I found just thinking about TR at a time to be a lot of work, so kudos to you for working on multiple!

Thanks, it's definitely tough to crank out a bunch of these! But I really love having the memories of these trips recorded, so I prioritize it as much as I can. Still hard to get them all done, though.

I have not commented until now, but I have read your whole report. I will be hopping over to your Hawaii one at some point. I pretty much read on my lunch breaks these days which is not enough time to Dis if you ask me! SO it has taken me a couple months to catch up on this so you ended it in perfect timing for me lol. I really enjoyed your trip report for this trip. Funny how kids change so quickly with what they do and don't like. Bummer about missing out on storm-a-long bay, but my favorite Disney saying is "Disney isn't going anywhere, I will get back there at some point." I can't believe how many issues you had though, thankfully you had rented points previously so knew that it isn't always that screwy!

Thanks for commenting! I understand the reading during lunch break thing. I do that sometimes (often, I take a walk over lunch, though). I read on the bus (commute) sometimes too, but commenting on my phone is a pain, so I don't. Glad you enjoyed the TR! Yes, kids change their likes/dislikes so quickly for sure. In fact, just today, Izzy changed from her stance of never going on Tower of Terror again in her life (after being scared of the pre-show movie in December) to saying that she WILL go on it next trip and just close her eyes for the movie. Missing Stormalong was such a bummer, but you are right. Someday, we will probably be back there. And rent points again, for that matter. That one night was just really off.

Hummmm that beach club experience does seem very "off". I'm sorry you had to deal with that.
I can't believe you guys had so much trouble in Beaches and Cream. Although isn't that life when things start to go wrong, they go really wrong!

Looks like Izzy was in a good mood for the way home. That's always helpful!


Your future travel plans sound amazing!!!! It's always been my dream to do the Alskian cruise for my 40th, but after comparing prices I think Aulani might work better for us, so that's our 5 year out travel plan, lol. I'll be here to follow along on your next adventures!

That last full day was really so rough - everything just kept going wrong. Thankfully, the travel day wasn't bad at all.
I'd say you can't go wrong either way. Aulani is paradise and I WISH we could make it like an annual trip (maybe someday...) But Alaska is definitely a bucket list and it's so tempting to do it with the onboard booking discount, since that's worth quite a bit on this cruise. I hope you enjoy whichever trip you end up taking!

It sounds like things went much smoother for the trip home. The picture of your cat made me laugh because our cat is the same way after a trip.

That's awesome that you got a six night stay at AoA for October. We were just there in January for four days with two of our daughters and their families. One daughter got sprinkled with pixie dust and was given a free upgrade to a family suite. The rest of us stayed in the Little Mermaid section. The room was fine, the theming was great, and the food court has a nice selection. The only issue was how far our room was to the main building, food court, bus stop, etc. I've stayed in values before, but never as far as this. I guess I've been spoiled on how close we've always been. I'm the person who is the first one up and ready in the morning and collects the coffee mugs and makes the hike to the food court. I only did that the first morning there as it took far too long to get there and back. I'm sure Izzy will love it and that's what matters most.

Yep, travel day was fairly easy this time. And Kitty is always angry with us for leaving her, but happy to get us back.

So, you hit on two things I've thought about with AoA:
1.) I'm definitely trying my luck for a room upgrade to a suite. I know, we're already staying free, but I know they commonly upgrade because the LM rooms are high demand and they can sell them easier than a more expensive suite. Can't hurt to ask (like just ask how much it would be and see what they say, I mean).
2.) I think we are going to have a rental car for this trip, so hoping that will make the distant LM rooms more reasonable. At least to/from the parking lot.

OMG! What an end of your trip!

It def sounds like your reservation was totally messed up some how! Thank Goodness you were only there the one day!

True, if we'd stayed longer than the one night I wonder how much else would have gone wrong?

OH! And I can't believe how big Izzy is! It's like I time travelled! Can't wait to see her grow with the next TR's! It's kind of a strange thing to say.

Ha, totally get it. It's fun for me to look back at these and see how she's changed. She's such a big kid now compared to this TR.

Hi! Been absent for a while and have wayyyy too much to multi quote.
So I'll just hit a few key points.

Totally sucks that Dug couldn't ride 7DMT. I feel for him. Glad you got the anywhere FP though. What did you use it on? Did I miss that?
Your server at Cindy's sure sucked. I hope the tip reflected the service.
That family at Beaches! Yikes! Good for you in defusing the situation. Some people, though...
And the whole thing on your last day with the room. Not good.

Thanks for a fun TR!

He used the anywhere FP on Pirates and took Izzy (while I did 7DMT again). Bummer he couldn't ride 7DMT, though. I felt guilty using the RS.

Well, we used Tables in Wonderland that adds an automatic 18% gratuity. So, yeah, she got tipped at least acceptably.

That whole near-altercation was so bizarre. I think they were just so upset that Dug blaming them for our delay set them over the edge. Ugh.

And, yes, such a mess of a stay at Beach Club.

You're welcome and thanks for following along!

Thanks for sharing another wonderful and fun TR! Looking forward to the next

Thank you - can't wait to share more!

Wow I can't believe your TR is done!! I feel like I can always come back to this TR and it'll be ongoing...but am looking forward to your new ones. What an epic trip. Doesn't Star Wars Weekends feel like such a long time ago?
That's amazing you got a free 6 night stay at a value resort!!! I'm so impressed. We'll be arriving at WDW on Oct 30th. Not sure if that overlaps your dates somehow.

Will have to catch up on your latest Hawaii TR so I'll be off to read that soon...

Hahahahahaha, so true about this going on forever!! I finished in under 2 years, though, so there's that. And, yes, all of this feels pretty long ago now. i was thinking about SWW a lot when we did the SW dessert party in Feb - so different now.

I cannot believe we got that free stay. Still so unreal. I mean, we would have been happy with some plastic cups, a roll of toilet paper, and an apology. But I'll take my free stay! We're planning 8-14th, so long as we can get decent flights, so I guess we'll be missing each other. But have fun!

See you on the Hawaii one!

WOW-- what a last day. I bet even years later that still stings. BUT-- some good moments! BOG is a favorite lunch of ours, as well. I always get the pork, too-- it's sooooo good.

At the potty....oh, Izzy. When G was 2, he called himself "you" and me "I". We were at the grocery one day, checking out, when he starts yelling "YOU WANT I TO TAKE YOU POTTY RIGHT NOW." You can guess how that ended. We've all been there....

Your BC experience was just.... No. How terrible. Those hallways are sooooooo long, and snafu after snafu. Ugh. I'm really impressed Izzy was hanging in at 9 pm though. And we had that same waitress at B&C in January-- ages so sweet! Ever since I heard the No Way Jose is melted Jif pb, I've been dying to try it at home- it's my FAVORITE. YUM. That grilled cheese is also good!

Booooooo on no pool time! That's such an awesome pool, it's a total bummer you didn't all get to use it! Reason to go back?!

Glad you had such a fun last breakfast, even if they screwed up your charges, and yay for successful flights home! I can't wait to read the rest of your reports as you get to them!

Yes, it was quite the last day! Some great stuff and some rough memories. BoG is a great lunch - Izzy and I did it again in February.

Hahahaha on the potty story!

Yeah, BC was just a mess. And I had no idea the hallways were that long until this trip. Izzy hung in pretty well, considering. And that waitress was a sweetheart! Some day I need to remember to buy Jif.

We definitely need to go back sometime. At least Dug and I used the pool back in 2010 when we stayed there, but poor Izzy never has and she'd love it.

Thanks for following along!

Hi Dugette!

So I had taken another LONG break from the DIS, but I am back. I finished your TR and I really loved it! I loved hearing about all the adventured you take with your family! I am heading over to your other TRs now to catch up. Also, France & DLP sounds amazing! That's on my bucket list too!

-Alison

Thanks for coming back and I'll see you on the other reports!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

What a fantastic trip report! I enjoyed reading about your adventures both at the parks and on the Dream - I can't wait to hear how your more recent visits have changed now that Izzy is older!

I didn't want to create a crazy list of comments, but I have just a few:

Izzy and my Uncle Wade must be related - Wade also uses bread/rolls/Cinnamon rolls as vehicles for more butter!

The food on your cruise looks AMAZING - especially your Palo dinner! I'd LOVE to go on another Disney cruise someday (my family went back in the 80's before it was an official "Disney ship), but it may have to wait a few years. My new physician husband and our (hopeful) children plans means the Zika concerns may keep us away for a few years. Nonetheless, I'm looking forward to one someday!

I can't tell you what a joy it was to meet you and your family! It's a shame our visit was so short (likely due to your long morning in the park and our excitement about getting to Universal), but it was THRILLING to meet someone whose trip reports I've loving reading for years! It's pretty exciting to be included in one of them! You and your family was SO nice and Anika thought Izzy was just adorable. Hopefully our paths will cross again in the future!

Your Star Wars dinner sounds rather awful - as does your confrontation with the crazy family at Beaches and Cream! I'm glad you were able to diffuse the situation before it came to blows!

Thanks so much for another great report! I always appreciate your honesty about travel woes as well as your photos and videos of your adorable kiddo. I also appreciate that you took your time to finish it - it make me feel better about working on my long overdue report!

I look forward to diving into your current Hawaii report!

 

[Princess Leia]

Thank you so much for sharing your adventures. I have enjoyed following along. I love your honest reporting. We have all had those less than magical moments. I remember well having a vomiting child on a plane. Not fun! It is so sad that you didn't get any help when dealing with Izzy's potty accident. I would have stopped to give you a hand. I love the Jedi Mickey's Secret Mission set that Dug bought Izzy. Has she played with it yet?
Congratulations on finishing this trip report! I am only 2 days into my current Trip Report and feel I have bitten off more than I can chew. I am sure Izzy will enjoy reading the trip reports in the future. Your future travels sound great. We don't have any current Disney plans - to be honest I don't need any more material to report on.

 

[Tracy161]

I will completely catch up on this soon. And I will never leave the Dis again!

 

[Dugette]

Gosh, I'm sorry, I totally forgot to ever respond to these!

What a fantastic trip report! I enjoyed reading about your adventures both at the parks and on the Dream - I can't wait to hear how your more recent visits have changed now that Izzy is older!

I didn't want to create a crazy list of comments, but I have just a few:

Izzy and my Uncle Wade must be related - Wade also uses bread/rolls/Cinnamon rolls as vehicles for more butter!

The food on your cruise looks AMAZING - especially your Palo dinner! I'd LOVE to go on another Disney cruise someday (my family went back in the 80's before it was an official "Disney ship), but it may have to wait a few years. My new physician husband and our (hopeful) children plans means the Zika concerns may keep us away for a few years. Nonetheless, I'm looking forward to one someday!

I can't tell you what a joy it was to meet you and your family! It's a shame our visit was so short (likely due to your long morning in the park and our excitement about getting to Universal), but it was THRILLING to meet someone whose trip reports I've loving reading for years! It's pretty exciting to be included in one of them! You and your family was SO nice and Anika thought Izzy was just adorable. Hopefully our paths will cross again in the future!

Your Star Wars dinner sounds rather awful - as does your confrontation with the crazy family at Beaches and Cream! I'm glad you were able to diffuse the situation before it came to blows!

Thanks so much for another great report! I always appreciate your honesty about travel woes as well as your photos and videos of your adorable kiddo. I also appreciate that you took your time to finish it - it make me feel better about working on my long overdue report!

I look forward to diving into your current Hawaii report!

So glad you made it back on the boards and read through! Maybe you should take an Alaskan cruise (with us!) So glad we got to meet up and hope we will again. Ha, and I am the master at writing really outdated TRs (I guess it makes sense, the first one I ever posted was from my childhood...)

Thank you so much for sharing your adventures. I have enjoyed following along. I love your honest reporting. We have all had those less than magical moments. I remember well having a vomiting child on a plane. Not fun! It is so sad that you didn't get any help when dealing with Izzy's potty accident. I would have stopped to give you a hand. I love the Jedi Mickey's Secret Mission set that Dug bought Izzy. Has she played with it yet?
Congratulations on finishing this trip report! I am only 2 days into my current Trip Report and feel I have bitten off more than I can chew. I am sure Izzy will enjoy reading the trip reports in the future. Your future travels sound great. We don't have any current Disney plans - to be honest I don't need any more material to report on.

I'm glad you enjoy hearing the ups and the downs. I do try to post the full account, since things don't always go right and I like the reports that share the full picture. Thanks for being willing to help. Yes, she loves that set and has played with them often. TRs are a huge commitment, I agree. I'm always falling behind because I keep taking these darn trips, haha!

I will completely catch up on this soon. And I will never leave the Dis again!

I'm so glad you're back and hope you don't vanish again! I really had fun meeting you and spending that time at MK, by the way.

Just a general reminder for anyone who's been reading - you can find me plugging away on the Jan 2016 Hawaii TR (see signature for link). I only have 1.5 days of that left and then I will start up the Disneyland Feb 2016 TR. I'll post a note here when that begins too. Thanks for following along.

 

[Tracy161]

I'm so glad you're back and hope you don't vanish again! I really had fun meeting you and spending that time at MK, by the way.

Thank you so much! Meeting you and your family was one of the highlights of my trip!!!

 

[Dugette]

Thank you so much! Meeting you and your family was one of the highlights of my trip!!!

Thanks so much! It was a blast hanging out with you!

 

[Dugette]

Guys, I finally did it! Finished the Hawaii TR and started the Disneyland Report!

Please come join me over on the Disneyland TR board:

"I Think I Might Be a Disneyland Person!" - Feb. 2016

Can't wait to see you there!

 

[MeliMel702]

I'm almost finished with your Hawaii TR, already finished with this one, now I'm moving on to Disneyland. Thanks for sharing your adventures with us!

 

[kahrani]

Hi, I enjoyed your TR - I started reading it because we also have an Izzy that would say the same thing! Our Isobel is 2.5yrs and has been to DLR twice but not WDW yet - we are planning a big trip for her 5thh birthday in 2019, with a cruise as well, so it was great to see how yours went. We will have a two yr old with us as well (currently still cooking him lol). I'm off to read your Aulani TR next since I'm thinking about visiting there one day, especially as I keep seeing cheap flights to Hawaii - we live in New Zealand so it's actually a lot closer to get a Disney fix there rather than trekking to WDW! Maybe for our 10yr anniversary!

Oh and I'll be very excited to read a TR if you go on the Alaska cruise as I'd love to do that too!

 

[Dugette]

I'm almost finished with your Hawaii TR, already finished with this one, now I'm moving on to Disneyland. Thanks for sharing your adventures with us!

Thanks for joining in on the adventures!

Hi, I enjoyed your TR - I started reading it because we also have an Izzy that would say the same thing! Our Isobel is 2.5yrs and has been to DLR twice but not WDW yet - we are planning a big trip for her 5thh birthday in 2019, with a cruise as well, so it was great to see how yours went. We will have a two yr old with us as well (currently still cooking him lol). I'm off to read your Aulani TR next since I'm thinking about visiting there one day, especially as I keep seeing cheap flights to Hawaii - we live in New Zealand so it's actually a lot closer to get a Disney fix there rather than trekking to WDW! Maybe for our 10yr anniversary!

Oh and I'll be very excited to read a TR if you go on the Alaska cruise as I'd love to do that too!

Thanks for reading! How cool that you have an Izzy too! That sounds like an amazing 5th birthday trip you have planned for her. Aulani is amazing and if you can get cheap flights, even better! I've had Alaska in the back of my mind for a long time, but it really kicked up a notch when I was looking for info on the Wonder (we sailed on it in Feb in the Bahamas) and found that it did Alaskan cruises - so I ended up reading some TRs of those and REALLY wanted to go on one after that!

 

[cindianne320]

We loved our Alaskan Cruise on the Wonder. I can't believe it's been a year! Heading over to your DL report!