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

[mommaof3boys]

I would love some solo time in the parks. With 4 kids, I don't think that will ever happen DH and I did get to go to Epcot for an evening alone on our March trip. That was a nice little break. When we got back to the condo, my kids had just gone to bed. Grandparents just can't be tough at bedtime. Sorry HEA didn't wow you. We lucked into a pretty good spot on our trip for viewing, but it was so crowded. Hopefully at the dessert party you will have a way better view and enjoy it more.

 

[Lesley Wake]

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.

My favorite place has been against the back railing in that garden section. I've been able to find space there right before the fireworks, but if you get there earlier you'll have the pick of places. People always think the front railing is better so they crowd around that, leaving a nice gap in front of you. And if you end up picking up Landon then you don't have to worry about blocking anyone's view behind you because it's a walkway which the CMs keep clear. Anyone further back already wouldn't have a view since they are physically lower than the garden plaza. And then you are also on the side where Tinkerbelle flies (she lands on the roof of Tomorrowland Terrace)!

 

[MickeyReeds]

I agree with your thoughts about HEA. One of my best memories was our first trip with our kids and we watched Wishes on a bridge over in Frontierland. It was magical. I think the projections are neat, but cause a lot of frustrations.

 

[SarahDisney]

Glad you got some solo time in the park!

I love that there were so many different places to watch Wishes (I always liked watching from the bridge near Be Our Guest because you saw different fireworks depending on which direction you faced). I'm not thrilled to hear that Happily Ever After isn't like that. Projections are cool, but not as cool as having a lot of good fireworks viewing area. Ugh.

 

[amazingact21]

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

Epcot was so empty that day, it was crazy! I think nobody was willing to walk around the World Showcase in the July heat!
Evie was definitely trying to push Landon off the couch; any chance she can get to pick on her brother, she takes!

I think I had more fun watching the sunset on Main Street than watching HEA.

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!

Oh wow, thanks so much for your kind words; they made my morning!

It can be an adventure having two totally opposite children. One that's outgoing and wants to tackle everything in the parks and the other that's shy and becomes overwhelmed by all the stimulation at Disney.
It wasn't until Landon started preschool that he became a more adventurous eater; up until then we plied him with pizza and nuggets and fries every meal on vacation.

If you decide to start a PTR, please let me know so I can follow along! I'd love to read about Disney during the holidays and hear how you plan on tackling the parks with two kiddos.

I would love some solo time in the parks. With 4 kids, I don't think that will ever happen DH and I did get to go to Epcot for an evening alone on our March trip. That was a nice little break. When we got back to the condo, my kids had just gone to bed. Grandparents just can't be tough at bedtime. Sorry HEA didn't wow you. We lucked into a pretty good spot on our trip for viewing, but it was so crowded. Hopefully at the dessert party you will have a way better view and enjoy it more.

If I thought it was difficult to get away with two kids, I can only imagine how much harder it'd be with 4! I'm glad you were able to get some time at Epcot, though. I feel like that park can be quite romantic when it's just you and hubby.

My favorite place has been against the back railing in that garden section. I've been able to find space there right before the fireworks, but if you get there earlier you'll have the pick of places. People always think the front railing is better so they crowd around that, leaving a nice gap in front of you. And if you end up picking up Landon then you don't have to worry about blocking anyone's view behind you because it's a walkway which the CMs keep clear. Anyone further back already wouldn't have a view since they are physically lower than the garden plaza. And then you are also on the side where Tinkerbelle flies (she lands on the roof of Tomorrowland Terrace)!

I'll be honest, your review of the dessert party in your TR is what convinced me to book it for us. When you described walking into the garden area minutes before showtime and having all that space around you at the back, I was interested. My hope is that the guests follow that same pattern during our reservation and the kids can have some room to jump around if they aren't interested in the fireworks. (See: Evie)

I agree with your thoughts about HEA. One of my best memories was our first trip with our kids and we watched Wishes on a bridge over in Frontierland. It was magical. I think the projections are neat, but cause a lot of frustrations.

I always thought it was lovely that you could be anywhere in the parks and still enjoy Wishes. I always wanted to try to time it so I was riding Thunder Mountain when Wishes was going off, but I never did.

Glad you got some solo time in the park!

I love that there were so many different places to watch Wishes (I always liked watching from the bridge near Be Our Guest because you saw different fireworks depending on which direction you faced). I'm not thrilled to hear that Happily Ever After isn't like that. Projections are cool, but not as cool as having a lot of good fireworks viewing area. Ugh.

I watched Wishes from the Polynesian a handful of times and always enjoyed that perspective, but with HEA I don't think it's going to be the same. I will say, there are still a ton of fireworks with HEA, but I think if you can't see the projections that go along with the soundtrack then the whole show loses a little bit of its message. But if somebody solely wanted to see fireworks (not the show as a whole) then I guess HEA wouldn't be bad.

 

[amazingact21]

July 25th, 2017:

*Exhales loudly* Whew, okay guys, bear with me. This is probably going to be the hardest update I’ve ever had to write. Truth be told, I don’t WANT to write it, but I’d be doing a disservice to mine and my children’s memories if I skipped it. I’m writing the words unfiltered, so whatever mood the post takes on, I hope you’ll indulge me and just let me get through it. Thanks in advance…


As I mentioned a few weeks ago, my father in law passed away unexpectedly, but the kids and I had the pleasure of visiting the Magic Kingdom with him one time before he left us.

That special time was on our 5th day of this July trip.


Everyone in the room woke up and had their breakfasts around seven that morning, and my mom tagged along with me to the Ticket and Transportation Center. From there, though, she hopped aboard the Epcot monorail and went off to use a Soarin’ Fastpass and the remaining Rider Swaps from that attraction.

My mom loves her some Soarin’.


Meanwhile, the kids and I met up with my brother in-law (Eddie), sister in-law (Leslie) and my father in-law (PaPaw). Eddie works for Mears and get two comp tickets to each park once a year. So he used his MK ones on his dad and himself while Leslie got a heavily discounted ticket through a Cast Member friend.


Bag check took forever, the line was really long that morning. Probably because my family did not get onto Orlando property until 10 o’clock. Therefore, we missed that golden first hour of park opening and were headed in with the masses. Ugh.

Plus, my father in-law had to go to guest services, because he brought a selfie stick with him and had to turn it over. Oh, PaPaw… This was the same selfie stick he spent 10 Euro on (about 11.75 USD) in Rome from a street haggler. And we ended up using maybe three times the rest of the trip.

That was Ed. Overpaid for things on a whim and then brought them places he shouldn’t have.



At the tapstiles, I followed Leslie to a line while the men went to another and ended up stuck there for five minutes due to complications from the people ahead of us. I made a point to tell Leslie, “You pick terrible lines.”

We actually ended up passing the stroller rental voucher to the guys and they had time to go and grab one before we made it through.


Once inside the park, the first order of business was….to get the kids some lunch.


Exciting stuff, but it had taken us an hour to enter Magic Kingdom and it was time for food.

I steered us to Pecos Bill and sat the kids down at a table with the extended family while I went and purchased three kids’ meals to include Uncrustables, carrot sticks, grapes, and apple sauce. I also got three cups of ice water for the table.

The kids ate their sandwichs and about half their fruits and veggies, and the rest of the table polished off the remaining crumbs. I don’t know why, but Landon and Evie were eating so incredibly slow that day to where we didn’t walk back outside until 12:30.

My goodness, people.

We needed to get going on some rides!


Thankfully, I had a Fastpass for Big Thunder Mountain that was good to go. We all walked over, I grabbed a Rider Swap and handed it to Leslie, then Landon and I entered the line.

Landon wanted to pick which side we got to go on. He chose left:

f1 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr


Landon was very excited to go on Thunder again. Like my mother, like son:




My son waved goodbye to the Cast Member and we were off!




The attraction was a blast; I don’t think it’s ever going to get old for me and I felt happy as could be that I got a few minutes alone to enjoy Disney with Landon. It was a special time I appreciated.


When the two of us returned to the rest of the group, Eddie and PaPaw used the Rider Swap to take Landon on Thunder Mtn again. Leslie stayed back with me and helped entertain Evie. The first thing the men said when they completed their turn on the mountain was that the minute they got to the top of the hill, Landon threw his hands up and was ready for the first drop.

“He knows where every drop is on that ride and is ready for it!”

That’s my Disney-loving boy…


Because it was the middle of the day in July, we were all melting onto the sidewalk. We needed to move lest our shoes become one with the asphalt, so we headed in the direction of Frontierland.

We made it as far as the Country Bears Jamboree when my father in-law stopped me and asked, “Have the kids ever seen this?”

I had to confess that no, they hadn’t. I had actually never even been in before. Shameful, I know!

But my father in-law waved his arm and went, “Oh, you HAVE to do Country Bears. Let’s go!”


We waited about ten minutes for the next show to start then got to go inside the theater and have our pick of seats. If there were twenty other people with us, I’d have been shocked. Landon said he wanted to sit next to his aunt, and Evie (who was being her normal grumpy self) agreed to sit between me and PaPaw.




The show started:

f3 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr


And Evie freaked at first. Then, the more PaPaw pointed to the funny bears that were singing from the stage and swinging from the ceiling, the more she relaxed and enjoyed the show.







She got better and better to the point where by the time we reached the big finale, she loved it:



Anything that doesn’t leave Evie screaming or crying is a win in my book, and it seemed like she not only tolerated Country Bears but actually had a good time. Back then, I considered that a huge win in my “DISNEY WITH EVIE” book, but now that whole occasion has taken on more meaning.

I can’t tell you guys how happy it makes my heart to know the kids got to have their PaPaw at Disney with them, even if it was just for that day. They will only have a short times’ worth of memories to fall back on, but at least one of them was getting to share our family’s happy place with loved ones.

And not only that, but Landon, Evie, and I got to experience something new with him! As a Disney vet, that was a rare find and one I am so incredibly grateful to have gotten.

Country Bear Jamboree was Papaw’s place. When Evie is sixteen and we’re walking around the park, I’ll now get to point to the building and go, “Back on your first trip, when you hated EVERYTHING, your PaPaw took you in there and got some smiles and laughs outta you.”

And she’ll roll her eyes and let me have my walk down memory lane. She won’t understand the gravity of that short twenty minutes in July of 2017, but I will. And man oh man, is that a Disney moment that has shone brighter than some others in my mind this last month.

I feel like I’m on repeat, but all I can say when I think about that day was, “Thank goodness I got to do it.”

Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t this perfectly smooth picturesque day – everyone was hot, the kids were grumpy, and I kept messaging Alex going, “WE’RE LITERALLY FOLLOWING A LIST OF EVERYTHING YOU SHOULDN’T DO AT DISNEY!!” – but I was with family and it’s time I won’t get more of. I’ll never get another Disney day with my father in-law, so in my head this day had very few faults and infinite love.


***And to go off topic for a little, I feel like I should note that Alex had done Epcot with his dad a few times when he was a teenager, so he had gotten to do Disney with his dad. Also, both Alex and his father both got their scuba certifications last summer – it’s become Alex’s favorite hobby in the world – and his dad actually got to do DiveQuest at Epcot. We got to watch the video of him swimming in the tanks and he promised Alex once we moved back, he’d take him there. Unfortunately, that won’t happen, but Alex brought home the hat his dad bought from the excursion and he wears it all the time. Just another special Disney memory for us that involved Ed.***


By the time we finished with Country Bears, my mom had ridden Soarin’ twice and was finished with Epcot. She had caught the monorails over to the MK and met us outside It’s a Small World.

PaPaw said no visit to the park was complete without riding Small World, and you all know Landon agreed with that sentiment!


So, at 1 o’clock, we got in a 35 minute line for Small World.

Yes. You read that right. We waited over half an hour for Small World.

Small World.

I felt like a rookie!

But I suppose that’s neither here nor there when I ended up with pictures and candids that I treasure.

Like my smiling sister in-law:



My father in-law shooting a quick smirk from behind Eddie:
f2 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr


And my personal favorite, him placing a loving hand on Landon’s head:


Full disclosure: when I was going through my photos picking which ones to use for the update, this one made me start crying and I had to walk away from the computer for a few minutes. For me, it symbolized how much the man loved his grandkids and it was tough to be reminded of that.

But it’s okay. I’m good. I am ready to finish out this update with absolutely zero more pictures. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Big old goose egg.

You heard right. From one o’clock on I got nothing.



Then again, nothing else really happened. I was spent after getting off Small World. It was way too hot to be out in the parks. We headed out, stopping so my in-laws could get a Dole Whip (my father in-law’s first one) and return the rental stroller. I heard Festival of Fantasy as we were leaving and was reminded how much I love that parade.

I’m making Alex and the kids sit through in in two weeks.


My mom helped me get the kids back on a bus to Shades while my family retrieved the selfie stick from guest relations and drove over to the resort. We all spent the afternoon hanging out in the room and watching Landon and Evie play with toys Leslie had brought for them.

Around dinnertime, my father in-law left to go home, Eddie and Leslie went to Disney Springs for pizza, and my mom and I took the kids down to that blasted buffet to eat our third dinner there.

The evening was spent packing everything and visiting. The next day my mom and I would be parting ways, and I could tell she was really sad to have the trip come to a close. She would get one more day with us before we flew out, but for the most part this was the end of my time with her. Naturally, that was a bit of a bummer and we went to bed dreading the goodbyes that were to come.


The good news for you guys, though, is that my adventures weren’t quite over yet! I had one more place to see before I headed to my in-law’s house, and I’ll tell you all about it in my next and final update for this trip!!!

Stay tuned!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Oh Alicia I’m so so glad you got to spend a day with Papaw making memories. I got a little teary-eyed reading your update but boy I’m glad you will forever have those memories to hold on and to share again over the years with Landon and Evie

 

[MeghanEmily]

What a difficult update this must have been to write, but SO important. My grandfather died unexpected when I was a toddler, and I only have a couple of vague memories of him, but my family keeps him alive for us with pictures and stories to this day. I know Landon and Evie will always know and remember how much their PaPaw loved them, and they'll remember all these special stories because of the way you and Alex tell them. Thanks so much for letting us into such a special moment in your trip.

 

[lilmape]

I love this post so much. What a beautiful memory. Your post is also a beautiful reminder to enjoy the moment because you truly don’t know when it will be over. Thank you for sharing.


My dad is going with us on our December trip. He hasn’t been in 32 years... when I was 4. I’m so excited for my kids to make memories with their beloved papaw.

 

[missangelalexis]

This update made me teary eyed, so I can't imagine how difficult it was for you to write. But I am so glad you all were able to spend a Disney day with your FIL. And how nice to be able to do something brand new with him! This will always leave you with a fond memory of Country Bear Jamboree.

 

[mommaof3boys]

I should not have read this on my plan period. Oh my what special memories. I'm so glad you had that day, and now that you've written about it your kids will have this to treasure always. It was so special to get to do a new attraction with him.

 

[froggibabey]

It was so sweet reading this entry. My grandpa died almost 2 years ago, right after my daughter turned 3. It pains me sometimes that I don't think she'll remember him, or that she doesn't now, but every once in a while she comes out with something. Yesterday she was really quiet driving home from preschool, and when we parked she was in the backseat crying, just because she randomly missed him.

It's SO nice to be able to look back on pictures, and happy memories, and to be able to tell them about them, and how much they were loved. Absolutely, one hundred percent priceless.

 

[Stasieki]

I was crying reading your update. Such a wonderful memory. I love paw paw's hand on Landon's head.

 

[DLo]

Sorry about your loss but glad you have those precious memories . On our last trip with my dad , i now wonder if somehow deep down I knew i it would be the last as i was crying in the middle of cape may breakfast for no apparent reason - our last meal before heading home . He loved going with the grandkids .

 

[vamassey1]

I'm leaking. Such a beautiful update. It's special that y'all will always have Country Bears with PaPaw. I know what you mean about doing everything you shouldn't in the parks. We did that a lot in February, but when you're with little ones and extended family you have to change the way you do things and just enjoy the small things.

 

[pooh'smate]

What a great update. It had me a little teary. I think it is so special that you all got to have that day together.

 

[amazingact21]

Oh Alicia I’m so so glad you got to spend a day with Papaw making memories. I got a little teary-eyed reading your update but boy I’m glad you will forever have those memories to hold on and to share again over the years with Landon and Evie

Thank you. It was difficult since everything is still so fresh, but I'm glad I have it written down for the kids' sake.

What a difficult update this must have been to write, but SO important. My grandfather died unexpected when I was a toddler, and I only have a couple of vague memories of him, but my family keeps him alive for us with pictures and stories to this day. I know Landon and Evie will always know and remember how much their PaPaw loved them, and they'll remember all these special stories because of the way you and Alex tell them. Thanks so much for letting us into such a special moment in your trip.

That is my biggest hope, that I've written down enough stories about my loved ones that the kids will know them no matter when they've last seen them. I originally did the trip reports as a way to keep the Disney magic alive, then progressed to blogging when I started traveling Europe, and now all of that has taken on a bigger meaning.

I love this post so much. What a beautiful memory. Your post is also a beautiful reminder to enjoy the moment because you truly don’t know when it will be over. Thank you for sharing.

My dad is going with us on our December trip. He hasn’t been in 32 years... when I was 4. I’m so excited for my kids to make memories with their beloved papaw.

That was absolutely what I tried to take away from rehashing my day with Ed. It makes me appreciate all the other Disney trips I've taken with other family members now.
How exciting that you got your dad to agree to go to Disney! It's that second kid...my dad didn't give in and go to Disney until our daughter was born. I have no doubt your kids will have a blast touring the parks with their papaw.

This update made me teary eyed, so I can't imagine how difficult it was for you to write. But I am so glad you all were able to spend a Disney day with your FIL. And how nice to be able to do something brand new with him! This will always leave you with a fond memory of Country Bear Jamboree.

I'm so grateful that we tried a new attraction with my FIL, because I feel like it's now a special something I can share with the kids.

I should not have read this on my plan period. Oh my what special memories. I'm so glad you had that day, and now that you've written about it your kids will have this to treasure always. It was so special to get to do a new attraction with him.

Thanks, that was my hope. I really wanted to put that day into writing so the kids could read about their time at the Magic Kingdom with their grandpa. We have been really fortunate to be able to say that all 4 grandparents have gone to Disney with the kids. Memories that I'll hold dear forever.

It was so sweet reading this entry. My grandpa died almost 2 years ago, right after my daughter turned 3. It pains me sometimes that I don't think she'll remember him, or that she doesn't now, but every once in a while she comes out with something. Yesterday she was really quiet driving home from preschool, and when we parked she was in the backseat crying, just because she randomly missed him.

It's SO nice to be able to look back on pictures, and happy memories, and to be able to tell them about them, and how much they were loved. Absolutely, one hundred percent priceless.

Well, now I'm the one tearing up. How sweet of your daughter- it's so hard to see such little ones try to cope with the big concept of loss. It's hard to explain the emotions when you as a grown adult struggle to grasp them. But it sounds like we're both doing the best we can, through pictures and stories and reliving the happiness those loved ones brought us.

I was crying reading your update. Such a wonderful memory. I love paw paw's hand on Landon's head.

Thanks; it was a very bittersweet update to write but I'm grateful I'll now have those memories written down for the future.

Sorry about your loss but glad you have those precious memories . On our last trip with my dad , i now wonder if somehow deep down I knew i it would be the last as i was crying in the middle of cape may breakfast for no apparent reason - our last meal before heading home . He loved going with the grandkids .

Oh dear, I can't even imagine how bittersweet that Cape May meal must be for you. Thank goodness you have the memory to hold on to, something to share with his grandkids.

I'm leaking. Such a beautiful update. It's special that y'all will always have Country Bears with PaPaw. I know what you mean about doing everything you shouldn't in the parks. We did that a lot in February, but when you're with little ones and extended family you have to change the way you do things and just enjoy the small things.

Thank you; that day at Magic Kingdom and the week at his house afterwards was such a perfect time, and I take a lot of comfort knowing the kids' and me's last memories with him were wonderful ones.
Oh man, I was going nutty doing Disney wrong! It was hard, but sometimes you have to take the hit to make your life easier with your other party members.

What a great update. It had me a little teary. I think it is so special that you all got to have that day together.

Thank you. I'm looking forward to going back to Country Bears and remembering the first time I saw it with my FIL. It's comforting knowing there's something at Disney that'll remind me of him.

 

[mickeystoontown]

I swear I don't know what's up with the Dis. I'm not getting notifications when you update. Like others have said, I was teary eyed when I read the last update. I can't even imagine what it was like for you to write it. What sweet memories that you and your kids have to treasure. Country Bears is a classic and now you have a great memory of it for all the years to come.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Just wanted to say to those of you that have little ones who’ve recently lost grandparents that both my boys lost a much loved grandpa when they were very young. My father in law passed when my older son was 3 and my dad passed when my youngest son was 4. They are now 20yrs & 11yrs and still talk about them often. It was tough explaining the concept of death in the early days ( my youngest would get quite cross and state that it was time for Granda to come back to earth, NOW) they were used to seeing them daily but talking about good times helped and I put a photo of them and their Granda in a frame in each of their bedrooms and somehow that settled them both and seemed to give them the opening they needed to chat and reminisce about happy times. We still laugh now about some of the antics they got up to together. Thinking of you and your little guys and wishing you well

 

[abarriger]

Not going to lie, your picture of Landon and Papaw made me tear up a tiny bit after reading your lovely tribute to him. I am so sorry for you loss, may his memory be a blessing!