Should We Winnie the Pooh this Thing? - July/August 2018 Trip Report -Complete 8/18

However, Cora loves Space at both parks (though, of course, she cried horribly in line for each of them the first time), so she did not want to skip it.
I am sensing a theme here...

What was unique about this time is that DH sat it out too. The kids begged to go through the line by themselves, since they’d never been able to do that. We figured this was a safe one to try with, as the whole queue is outdoors and visible. They actually ended up just running right back around to the entrance to go again after getting off, with barely a wave for us. The line was practically non-existent, so it was fine.
It's funny the sense of independence they want in Disney. The girls did this actually this past summer at Colonial Williamsburg. It was the swing ride and we could see them in line the whole time. Good time to give it a try. I would always worry that they would just argue with each other in line.

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Aswome outfits and sounds like a great meet!

Are you guys going to Disney this summer? August by any chance?
 
I continue to be amazed at their costumes, Tiana and Naveen are beautiful!

You make me sad with your DL talk :( We were supposed to go in April but nobody else wants to go so we cancelled it :mad::mad: One day I'll get there!
 
Here are some pics from Disneyland, November 21-25, 2018

I love it! Cannot wait to get there myself!

Have you ever seen Old Fantasyland so crowded???

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How did you even deal with that?? :laughing:

After we’d finished talking to Tiana, she walked them over to Rapunzel and we had a few moments of interacting with both princesses.

Such a great interaction, I love both Tiana and Rapunzel :love:

The kids begged to go through the line by themselves, since they’d never been able to do that. We figured this was a safe one to try with, as the whole queue is outdoors and visible.

I let my kids do that for the first time on Primeval Whirl at AK because I hate that ride. I remember being nervous when I kind of lost track of them in line when they were at the far end, but all was well :-)
 


Cora and Alex decided that they loved each other on this day. Other days, not so much…
Hmmm...I have two like that :laughing:
Great costumes, as usual! They certainly make for a fun meet.

Next we rode the teacups (barf!), then headed into Tomorrowland where some talented cast member had drawn the characters with water on the concrete.
I never did see any of the water art. I heard it existed. Some of the CMs are quite talented.

Space Mountain for Cora and DH. I’m fine to ride Space, but Alex hates it. I don’t care about missing it at WDW after riding the one at Disneyland, which is just the absolute best. Space is my favorite ride in all of DLR, but sadly it’s ruined WDW’s version for me.
I can ride Space, but I do find it a bit rough.
I didn't realize there was such a difference between WDW and DL. I would love to get to DL one day.
 
I am sensing a theme here...

Yes...an incredibly irritating (but also sometimes funny) theme.


It's funny the sense of independence they want in Disney. The girls did this actually this past summer at Colonial Williamsburg. It was the swing ride and we could see them in line the whole time. Good time to give it a try. I would always worry that they would just argue with each other in line.

That was my biggest fear too! I think they were acting all loving to try to convince us that they could be trusted not to fight, but I'm not there with the trust level yet lol.

Also, I love Colonial Williamsburg! I used to live in Hampton Roads and I was the nerd with the season pass to Williamsburg rather than Busch Gardens (though I loved Busch Gardens too).

Are you guys going to Disney this summer? August by any chance?

We are going this summer, but in July. We go back to school in August around these parts, so it's a no go for us outside of the very first week. We'll be there 7/19-7/27.

I continue to be amazed at their costumes, Tiana and Naveen are beautiful!

I think they might have been my favorites yet.

You make me sad with your DL talk :( We were supposed to go in April but nobody else wants to go so we cancelled it :mad::mad: One day I'll get there!

Oh no! You've gotta make them go or just ditch them! It's so worth it! We will probably be doing trip #3 to DLR at Thanksgiving again, and while my excitement level will never match WDW because that's home, I cannot wait. It's amazing and you would love it.

I love it! Cannot wait to get there myself!

Do it!

How did you even deal with that?? :laughing:

I know, right?? It was all I could do to not throw elbows.

Such a great interaction, I love both Tiana and Rapunzel :love:

They are definitely my favorite princess meets!

I let my kids do that for the first time on Primeval Whirl at AK because I hate that ride. I remember being nervous when I kind of lost track of them in line when they were at the far end, but all was well :-)

Ugh, Primeval Whirl! And yes, it's so nerve-wracking. Such a simple thing and I feel like I had so much more freedom as a kid, but I still really struggle to let mine do things like that.

Oh no! I didn't know that! :hug:

You and I will have to go together someday!

This sounds like the beginning of a fabulous trip ;)

Hmmm...I have two like that :laughing:

The kids are like a box of chocolate lol

Great costumes, as usual! They certainly make for a fun meet.

They really do, and are likely a big part of why my kiddos are so character crazy.

I never did see any of the water art. I heard it existed. Some of the CMs are quite talented.

We've happened to catch it a few times and I'm always impressed.

I can ride Space, but I do find it a bit rough.
I didn't realize there was such a difference between WDW and DL. I would love to get to DL one day.

I didn't know there would be either the first time, but I was so pleasantly surprised! DL's version is much smoother, has a great soundtrack, and side-by-side seating rather than single file. Also I don't feel so much like I'm going to kill myself trying to get in and out of the vehicles.
 
We are going this summer, but in July. We go back to school in August around these parts, so it's a no go for us outside of the very first week. We'll be there 7/19-7/27
Ahhh yes! Us Northerners don't start till after Labor Day. We are going Aug. 16th - 25th. Bummer. One day.
 


You’re back!!!

I need to go back and read from where I last left off. I did skim through the pictures, which are great by the way.

Where are you staying this summer? We don’t have a trip planned until 2020, so I need to live vicariously through others.
 
Ahhh yes! Us Northerners don't start till after Labor Day. We are going Aug. 16th - 25th. Bummer. One day.

Yes, one day. I want to make the next girls’ trip for sure, though that would be without the kiddos.

You’re back!!!

Finally! Lol I’m full into planning mode now, so spending a lot more time on the Dis these days.

Where are you staying this summer? We don’t have a trip planned until 2020, so I need to live vicariously through others.

Where we are staying has been a saga! We love our split stays, so we knew we wanted 2 resorts. I rented DVC points again for the second half, which locked it in - returning to Bay Lake Tower for the first time in 3 years and super excited! As for the first half, we booked direct through Disney meaning I have been able to change it and that has been trouble because I’m soooo indecisive! We bounced around a lot and I thought we had settled on Wilderness Lodge, but I ended up changing it one more time before the free dining promo expired last weekend. We are now staying at Boardwalk Inn for the first leg. I was way more excited about WL as a resort, but BWI was about the same price and the location cannot be beat. I think I’ll be sticking with this one because we wanted to try free dining and that promotion has ended now so I couldn’t switch and keep it. We’ve never stayed there before, so I’m looking forward to trying it! However, Alex is terrified by the idea of the clown pool!

What time of year are you thinking about for 2020? Should be a great time to go with all the new stuff that will be open.
 
Yes, one day. I want to make the next girls’ trip for sure, though that would be without the kiddos.



Finally! Lol I’m full into planning mode now, so spending a lot more time on the Dis these days.



Where we are staying has been a saga! We love our split stays, so we knew we wanted 2 resorts. I rented DVC points again for the second half, which locked it in - returning to Bay Lake Tower for the first time in 3 years and super excited! As for the first half, we booked direct through Disney meaning I have been able to change it and that has been trouble because I’m soooo indecisive! We bounced around a lot and I thought we had settled on Wilderness Lodge, but I ended up changing it one more time before the free dining promo expired last weekend. We are now staying at Boardwalk Inn for the first leg. I was way more excited about WL as a resort, but BWI was about the same price and the location cannot be beat. I think I’ll be sticking with this one because we wanted to try free dining and that promotion has ended now so I couldn’t switch and keep it. We’ve never stayed there before, so I’m looking forward to trying it! However, Alex is terrified by the idea of the clown pool!

What time of year are you thinking about for 2020? Should be a great time to go with all the new stuff that will be open.

We have never stayed at the Boardwalk Inn, but we always talk about staying there. We truly love the Epcot resort area. Like Alex, we aren’t too sure about that clown slide. I can’t wait to hear about your stay - and the slide.

We aren’t 100% sure when we’ll be traveling in summer, 2020. I turn 40 on August 10th, and gosh darn it, I want to spend a birthday at Disney (my boys and DH have celebrated multiple birthdays there). The problem I’m running into is the start of school. We will probably start back on August 24th, but I’m a teacher and will need to report for inservice the week before. I also teach new teacher induction sessions, which are two weeks before the start of school (my birthday week). My boys will also be starting high school that year and are planning on being in the marching band and I know band camp is around that time, too. All that to say, I don’t think I’ll be celebrating my actual birthday at Disney. My DH wants to go our normal time (end of June), but that will fall over my boys’ birthday, and I don’t really want to go for their birthday again. I’m pushing for going over July 4th. We were there over the July 4th holiday a few years ago and we loved it. Regardless, we’ll be going to Disney and for our longest trip yet (12 or 13 nights).

Sorry for the long-winded response.
 
We have never stayed at the Boardwalk Inn, but we always talk about staying there. We truly love the Epcot resort area. Like Alex, we aren’t too sure about that clown slide. I can’t wait to hear about your stay - and the slide.

The Epcot resort area really is wonderful. BLT is still my happy place, but the Crescent Lake area are does rival it. I’m looking forward to trying something new, even if it does have a creepy clown!

We aren’t 100% sure when we’ll be traveling in summer, 2020. I turn 40 on August 10th, and gosh darn it, I want to spend a birthday at Disney (my boys and DH have celebrated multiple birthdays there). The problem I’m running into is the start of school. We will probably start back on August 24th, but I’m a teacher and will need to report for inservice the week before. I also teach new teacher induction sessions, which are two weeks before the start of school (my birthday week). My boys will also be starting high school that year and are planning on being in the marching band and I know band camp is around that time, too. All that to say, I don’t think I’ll be celebrating my actual birthday at Disney. My DH wants to go our normal time (end of June), but that will fall over my boys’ birthday, and I don’t really want to go for their birthday again. I’m pushing for going over July 4th. We were there over the July 4th holiday a few years ago and we loved it. Regardless, we’ll be going to Disney and for our longest trip yet (12 or 13 nights).

Sorry for the long-winded response.

I completely get wanting to go on your birthday! Spending my birthday in Disneyland 2 years ago was amazing and Cora’s WDW birthday is one of her favorite memories. We’re actually planning on 4th of July for next year as well, also with birthday motivations! Alex’s birthday is July 8th and he wants a shot at a WDW birthday. I’m so jealous of your 12-13 nights! I so loved our long trips, but I can’t get the vacation time now. We’re just doing 8 nights this summer. Hoping to finagle 10 next year with the 4th of July holiday giving me an extra day. Keep me posted on your plans, especially as it looks like we may end up overlapping!
 
The Epcot resort area really is wonderful. BLT is still my happy place, but the Crescent Lake area are does rival it. I’m looking forward to trying something new, even if it does have a creepy clown!



I completely get wanting to go on your birthday! Spending my birthday in Disneyland 2 years ago was amazing and Cora’s WDW birthday is one of her favorite memories. We’re actually planning on 4th of July for next year as well, also with birthday motivations! Alex’s birthday is July 8th and he wants a shot at a WDW birthday. I’m so jealous of your 12-13 nights! I so loved our long trips, but I can’t get the vacation time now. We’re just doing 8 nights this summer. Hoping to finagle 10 next year with the 4th of July holiday giving me an extra day. Keep me posted on your plans, especially as it looks like we may end up overlapping!

That would be so awesome if our trips overlapped! I will definitely keep you posted on our plans. You do the same.
 
Day 7: July 27, Part 2 – Why can’t I remember what we ate?

I lied. We did a couple more things before heading to that adventurous land – we took photos! It was an INCREDIBLE summer. Get it? Because the Incredibles came out? And it’s also an adjective?? No? Ok. Well anyway, they had some special photo areas set up, so of course my hams had to pose.

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Also, Edna Mode drove by.

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She didn’t stop for meets, which was a disappointment to us, but I heard she’s meeting in Hollywood Studios now, so you know that’s on the list for this year.

We also stopped for pictures on this bridge

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After doing all the posing, we finally made it into Adventureland and we decided it was time for a snack. The plan was to pick up Dole Whips and enjoy them while singing along inside the Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Room.

This is during the wait for the show

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So much for that.

I also snapped this one while waiting.

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This was the first time I stopped to notice some of the details in the queue. It really is gorgeous.

After singing like the birdies sing, we used our rebooked fastpass for Pirates.

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Does this ride need a photo? I don’t know. Should we maybe have gotten a locker to store the gigantic costumes that you can see DH loaded down with in this picture? Probably. Will I continue to be too lazy to walk down Main Street and actually do that again next time we’re in this situation? All signs point to yes.

I don’t even remember where we ate lunch this day. Is that bad? We used our final FP+ on one of my all-time favorites. This is a ride where WDW beats DL’s version hands down.

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The adults look so happy and the kids look so tortured…well, what you can see of them anyway. And all is as it should be. But seriously, this is one that Cora actually does not like because of the drop, but will still go on it after giving us a lot of grief. Alex actually loves it, but that never shows up in pictures (for additional evidence, see the Disneyland version in my previous post). DH decided he was Gene Simmons. And I’m just happy.

It was getting pretty hot by this time so we made a mutual decision to head back to the resort for some rest and air conditioning. But first, I insisted on just a couple more things.

1. We needed photos in front of the castle because of course we did!

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2. I made us wait around outside City Hall for a while. The kids could not figure out why I was torturing them so by delaying our return to BCV and I refused to tell them because sometimes I’m annoying like that (ok, a lot of the time). When the princess came out they perked right up and gave me the thanks I was due. They’ve got to learn to trust me when I say we’re waiting for a reason.

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We stopped for another picture before getting in the bus line because it was that kind of day.

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There's those massive summer crowds you've heard so much about! We had an afternoon of lounging at the resort before heading back out to a park once more for the evening. Where would we go? You can probably guess…

Up next: The children continue to pretend to be angels who never fight
 
But seriously, this is one that Cora actually does not like because of the drop, but will still go on it after giving us a lot of grief.
I’m on the same wavelength. Except I won’t go on Splash at all. I did it once many years ago and that was enough. Too much drop for me.
 
I agree, pics on Pirates are not necessary. I feel the same way about FEA.

We love Splash, too. When we rode it this summer, it was beautiful outside, not a cloud in sight. By the time we were ready to go down the hill, it was pouring, as in we all looked like we just came out of the shower with our clothing on. I could literally wring the water out of my hair. We had to leave so we could change our clothing. By the time we made it to the busses, the skies were sunny and blue again. You have to love Florida weather.
 
I’m on the same wavelength. Except I won’t go on Splash at all. I did it once many years ago and that was enough. Too much drop for me.

I actually don't like the drop either, but still consider the it one of my absolute favorite rides. I'm willing to put up with it to experience the other 10 minutes of awesomeness.

Love your DL pics. I want to do the HM with the nightmare before Christmas overlay so badly.

It was amazing! However, I also found myself missing the regular one, so I'm glad we get to see it both ways. The overlay is truly spectacular, though.

I agree, pics on Pirates are not necessary. I feel the same way about FEA.

I've seen a few funny ones of terrified looking children on FEA, but I agree, it's not really needed.

We love Splash, too. When we rode it this summer, it was beautiful outside, not a cloud in sight. By the time we were ready to go down the hill, it was pouring, as in we all looked like we just came out of the shower with our clothing on. I could literally wring the water out of my hair. We had to leave so we could change our clothing. By the time we made it to the busses, the skies were sunny and blue again. You have to love Florida weather.

Ha! I think we've managed to escape riding Splash in the rain, which is kind of amazing considering we go in the summer. However, we rode it in the cold in Disneyland and got absolutely soaked! I was freezing and not the happiest camper, but we ended up laughing a lot about it. I knew better than to do it, but who can turn down a 5 minute wait for Splash in the late afternoon??? Yeah, it was 5 minutes for a reason...
 
I'm finally back with an update! First a couple of life updates: Most importantly, I got a new job (otherwise known as the thing I need to keep funding my Disney habit)! I'm working as a postdoctoral fellow currently, which is just a temporary appointment. However, I was just recently offered a staff position to stay on with the hospital after my fellowship ends. This is good news, as my next Disney trip was booked on faith trust and pixie dust that I would continue to have an income after my fellowship ends in August. :rolleyes1

With regards to our upcoming trip in July I'm in the awful place between booking dining and booking Fastpasses so I'm basically just twiddling my thumbs. However, the day after tomorrow is April, so I'm 2 days away from being able to say "I book fastpasses next month." Woot!

Also we're now officially booked to return to Disneyland for Thanksgiving again and I'm almost as excited about that trip as I am about the WDW trip. Being there for the holidays was a special kind of magic. And this time we're booked at Paradise Pier, so I'm excited to try an onsite trip (I don't count the one night we spent at the Grand Californian as an onsite trip).

Finally, if you'll indulge me in a few pictures from our recent spring break mini-trip to some national and state parks. My dad and stepmom came with us and we had a blast.

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It snowed! In March! In Texas!
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And believe it or not, these are from the same day just a couple of hours away. Only in Texas.

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Ok, back to Disney!
 
Day 7: July 27, Part 3 – I can show you the world (showcase)

Did you guess Epcot? It’s pretty much the theme of this trip, so it’s probably not surprising that’s where we went for the evening. We spent a little time there almost every day while we were in the area – gotta put those hoppers to good use!

On our walk from Beach Club we ran across this guy slithering across the path.

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At first I thought it was a stick. Then the stick started moving. Not okay.

We somehow escaped with our lives and made it into the park. Whew! We planned to spend the evening focused on World Showcase, but first needed to hit the fastpass I had booked for us during our break – Test Track! I know it’s not everyone’s favorite, but we can’t get enough of this ride. And now I’m going to say something that is sacrilege within the Disney community: I prefer Test Track to Radiator Springs Racers. I know, I know, but I like what I like. RSR is a great ride and I love it, but I found myself missing Test Track each of the 6 or so times I’ve boarded it.

The children continued their love fest designed to prove to us that we can trust them to go through lines/ride alone together without fighting. This was them in line:

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Gag me with a spoon.

Whee!

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Ok, World Showcase time. We stopped for dinner in Mexico because the two things this Texan struggles with the most each Disney trip are missing tacos and Dr. Pepper. It’s bad. I noticed on this trip that there was Mr. Pibb in the vending machine at bus stop 2 at Coronado and made DH go back and buy several of them. It’s a poor substitute, but will do in a pinch. The tacos at the Mexico quick serve also qualify as a poor substitute, but I was jonesing and would take what I could get.

Here are the kids Lady and the Tramping a taco to continue their desperate campaign.

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This really just came from there only being one taco left and each of them being too greedy to let the other have it.

We all enjoy the Mexico pavilion and the kids wanted some more time with the Coco display, so we spent some time in there. Alex ended up picking out a Miguel plush that he had to have.

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Next up we visited the Royal Sommerhus in Norway for the first time.

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There was almost no line and we were in to see the sisters within about 5 minutes. During that 5 minutes Alex commanded that I take all the pictures of EVERYTHING which I won’t bore you with here. He loved the inside of this place.

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Next up, some time in the Stave Church

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Continuing to work our way around the Showcase we headed into China. We planned to explore within the pavilion, as we’ve never actually done so before, but got there just before the acrobat show was going to begin so we decided to watch that instead.

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We really enjoyed the show and I’m glad we finally saw it. I have no idea why we didn’t still go back and explore the pavilion, but my guess is because I felt the call of Karamell Kuche. This picture betrays the fact that we totally ended up in Germany. What can I say? I hear the call and I must answer.

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We finished the night by finally actually seeing Illuminations. We found a spot down by the railing, settled in with a snack and enjoyed the show.

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Strolling back to BCV after finishing Illuminations is just about the best way a night can end in my humble opinion.

Up next: There are those summer crowds again
 
Congrats on the new job! I haven't been to Carlsbad Caverns since I was a kid. The pictures of the terrain make me miss Big Bend though. I love going to Germany. I always feel sheepish about trying out my German there or my French in France. I bet they get sick of hearing poor impersonations of their languages all day. Love that walk from Epcot to the Boardwalk. Hoping to stay at one of them on our next trip, Summer 2020:(
 

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