What's My Age Again? A whirlwind WDW birthday TR! COMPLETE 1/11

Sounds like a great start to MNSSHP!

I'll admit I didn't quite get the Disneybound at first but once you explained it, it all clicked! For some reason I was thinking Madeleine which makes all of zero sense haha
 
Your costume is adorable! I'm glad the rain didn't last very long. Lots of cute PP pics!!

Thank you! (and thank Amazon 2 day shipping haha)

Sounds like a great start to MNSSHP!

I'll admit I didn't quite get the Disneybound at first but once you explained it, it all clicked! For some reason I was thinking Madeleine which makes all of zero sense haha

Hey there's a beret involved so I can see the connection! I knew it was a stretch but I've been wanting to do something Redd-related anyway and I figured a Halloween party was the place to try it.
 
Hi, Ann! :) I ended up here after stumbling on and loving the heck out of your "Where are your kids?" TR (so enjoyable!!)

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Love that Raggedy Ann and Andy on your boat!!!

I know exactly what you mean about enjoying the wandering with no plan in place!! We ended up being able to squeeze in 2 Disney days this June when we were passing through Orlando with zero plans to be at WDW. It was really such a blessing to just BE there. It was so slow-paced and wonderful just to soak in whatever magic we could squeeze into our 2 days with no actual plans.
 
Hi, Ann! :) I ended up here after stumbling on and loving the heck out of your "Where are your kids?" TR (so enjoyable!!)
I'm glad you enjoyed that one! It was fun and (obviously) got me hooked on TRs :D

Love that Raggedy Ann and Andy on your boat!!!
Oh my goodness they were so adorable!!

I know exactly what you mean about enjoying the wandering with no plan in place!! We ended up being able to squeeze in 2 Disney days this June when we were passing through Orlando with zero plans to be at WDW. It was really such a blessing to just BE there. It was so slow-paced and wonderful just to soak in whatever magic we could squeeze into our 2 days with no actual plans.
This trip seriously changed my outlook on how I spend time in the parks. It is so nice to just soak it in. I'm glad to know there are other wanderers out there!
 


I love your costume!

Seriously the only time they stopped talking was to scream because they weren’t aware there was a drop.

Too funny. Until I zoomed in on your pic I thought maybe you were holding a finger to your mouth, telling them to be quiet

I love that you were able to enjoy some time just wandering and people watching.
 
IS ICE CREAM A CARB?

After my lovely wander it was almost party time!!

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I had a rough plan for the party but left lots of room for flexibility (not the usual MO of a type-A mega planner but hey it was my birthday). The first step in that plan was to meet Captain Jack! He always has such great interactions and I thought it would be fun to get a photo in my pirate-inspired costume.

Every year there’s a great itinerary thread for MNSSHP and I looked to see how early I should be in line for Jack and it suggested by 6:15pm. Well the clock struck 6:15 and I stepped into his greeting area and the line was… nonexistent. There weren’t even CMs!

jack running.gif
[What I anticipated the line to be like. Usually next is a gif of what the line was actually like but I couldn't find a good one and I'm too lazy to keep looking so just imagine that it looked the opposite of that ^]

So I did a little more wandering and people watching and came back to find two character handlers, but still no line. I asked them when the line usually starts forming and they said not until about 6:50pm. What to do with all my spare time?? Wander, of course! My wandering this time was pretty short lived because I decided to just grab a seat and people watch instead.

Pretty soon a small group of people start to form a line so I jumped on in. While in line I met a lovely lady named Michelle who had a great Winifred Sanderson costume. We decided that after meeting Jack we would both go ride POTC together since we were both solo.

Jack walked (okay stumbled) out right on time and since I was second in line it wasn’t long at all until my turn. We had a jolly time. We talked about rum and he asked if I had ever been to Tortuga. Then he asked about my wedding ring and I was like “Why do you think I went to Tortuga?”

Anyway, the photos didn’t turn out too great. I think a lot of it was the angle since Jack’s up on stage and the photographer is on ground level. So what I was picturing to be profile pic-worthy ended up being very meh. But I’m still glad I met him.


[If there's one thing that 20 something cycles of America's Next Top Model taught me it's that ANGLES MATTER]
As promised, Michelle and I went right across to ride POTC so we could see the special party additions (which were just some live actors). There was a prisoner in the prison (naturally), then a woman with a wanted poster for Gunpowder Pete. Finally there was Pete himself on the bridge right before the burning town. Overall I enjoyed the live actors and I hope they return.

After the ride Michelle and I parted ways. If you’re here on the boards Michelle it was lovely to meet you!

Next on my list was a ride on Haunted Mansion and on my way I stopped to get a chilled apple cider because it sounded delicious. Well JOKE’S ON ME because I’m pretty sure it was just apple juice with ice cubes.

eye roll.gif

When I got to HM it was down but the lines for all the magic shots were fairly short and it had been an absurdly long time since someone had taken my picture so I got all 4!








[Finally some lighting that doesn't make me look like a vampire]
When I finished with the magic shots I heard something calling my name. It wasn’t happy haunts but rather that still small voice that calls to me constantly: “Ann, you need ice cream.”

Who am I to say no to the ice cream-shaped angel on my shoulder?? So off I wandered for a snack and Insta opportunity:


[I had wings once. They were strong. But they were eaten off me]

I walked around with my ice cream for a while and finally decided to go ahead and grab a spot for the next Hocus Pocus show (which had been completely cancelled last year). I arrived during the final number so I stood on the side and watched it, then hustled on up to the front of the castle stage when it was over to stake out my spot for the next show.

It was 30 minutes until the next show so I finished my ice cream and took some time going through photos from the night so far.


[SO SPOOPY]

Then the show started and it was amazing! I thought the Sanderson actresses were really talented and I loved seeing all the villains get a little bit of a spot light (especially Oogie Boogie. Not because I’m a huge Nightmare Before Christmas Fan but because I just really love his song).




The show ended with just enough time for me to turn around and get a spot for the Boo to You parade. How great was it? You’ll never know because all of the photos I took are absolutely terrible. Seriously though you need one heck of a camera to get a good shot of this parade.

And from that moment on I had Boo to You stuck in my head for the next 17 days.

Funny story time: While waiting for the parade the PhotoPass photographers were going up and down Main St taking photos of people with the signs and I thought ‘Hey, why not?’ What I didn’t realize is that having this photo taken would actually save my life. Just kidding it didn’t save my life, but it did save me a few hours of embarrassment because when I saw the pictures on MDE I realized that I had lipstick ALL over my chin.


[I just now noticed the small child staring creepily at the photographer]

Seriously though I was kind of bummed that NO ONE thought to tell me that the lower half of my face was the color of Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Aria (#productplacement). So on behalf of all my homegirls out there, this is my official request that if you ever see someone with lipstick on their face, something in their teeth/hair, etc., please just tell them. We appreciate it more than you might know.

And now back to our regularly scheduled MNSSHP programming.

Right after the parade were the HalloWishes fireworks so of course I watched those! While I was waiting I saw some truly amazing costumes (I’m talking to you, hip group of young adults dressed as Tron characters).


Once the fireworks were over there was nothing left on my schedule so I decided to go on a character hunt to see if any lines were decent. I saw Tarzan & Jane meeting with a relatively short line so I decided to wait for them, but the CM told us that they would be going on break soon (or going into the jungle or whatever cute excuse they made up).

Waiting for them to come back wasn’t worth it to me so I decided to go meet Genie & Jasmine instead. The line was probably 20ish minutes long and when I was about halfway through they said that Genie and Jasmine were going back to Agrabah soon and Aladdin and Abu were coming out. Believe it or not this created a lot of tension in the line because a lot of people specifically wanted to meet Jasmine. And by a lot of people I mean a lot of moms who had painstakingly dressed their daughters as Jasmine. Did their daughters care one way or another? Who knows?

Luckily (?) for me, I was there in time to meet Jasmine and Genie and we had a great time together. I can’t remember what we talked about but it appears that it was probably something deeply thought provoking and/or highly political.




By the time I got done with those two Tarzan and Jane were back so I got back in line. But then I noticed that they didn’t have a PhotoPass photographer so I left because I don’t trust strangers to take decent photos in the dark with someone else’s camera so why waste the time?

Even though I had already ridden Space Mountain earlier, I decided to give it another try to see what it was like in the complete darkness and it was so much fun! Something about having no lights made it seem much faster and slightly eerie.

I left deep space and decided to go for a turn around the circus to see if any characters were still out. Goofy the pirate was meeting and only have a few people in line so I hopped in. Turns out I was the last one in line! Goofy and I had a great time looking for his sword (because what kind of pirate doesn’t have a sword?) and after we took some photos he let me walk him backstage! This was honestly so much fun. I’ve never been able to end a character’s set and walk them off. Although holy sweat Batman, that Goof was SOAKED and it was a little gross.




With only a few minutes left in the party I decided to do a couple trick or treating spots to load up on snacks for the rest of the trip. All the lines at this point were just a walkthrough.

On my way out I stopped in the Emporium to buy a backpack because I had forgotten to pack one and my purse was really uncomfortable to carry around.

Then I got a few more shots and made my way to the ferry to get back to my car.





[Me checking my credit card statement after a Disney trip]

And thus ended day 1 of my super mega awesome birthday weekend!

 


Sounds like an amazing party night! You got to see all the entertainment and meet some cool characters :) Love the PP pics!
 
When I got to HM it was down but the lines for all the magic shots were fairly short and it had been an absurdly long time since someone had taken my picture so I got all 4!

Was this 4 different lines? I love these and now I'm sad I didn't get any of them when I went to MNSSHP last year!

So on behalf of all my homegirls out there, this is my official request that if you ever see someone with lipstick on their face, something in their teeth/hair, etc., please just tell them.

I was going to post the same thing when I saw your pic! I'm a firm believer in letting people know if they have makeup on their face, something in their teeth, food in their hair (yes, that's happened to me with toddlers)… because I always hate it when I'm 2 hours into work before I go to the bathroom and notice something myself!

Believe it or not this created a lot of tension in the line because a lot of people specifically wanted to meet Jasmine. And by a lot of people I mean a lot of moms who had painstakingly dressed their daughters as Jasmine.

As a mom who does silly things like that, I can understand :rolleyes1 But I still think it would be cute to have them dressed as Jasmine and meeting Aladdin!

Me checking my credit card statement after a Disney trip

Hahaha, too funny but too true!
 
Sounds like an amazing party night! You got to see all the entertainment and meet some cool characters :) Love the PP pics!
It was truly a magical party!!

Was this 4 different lines? I love these and now I'm sad I didn't get any of them when I went to MNSSHP last year!
Yep, each one had its own line! I think at least a couple of these were new to the 2018 party but I'll need someone who's been to more to confirm that.

I was going to post the same thing when I saw your pic! I'm a firm believer in letting people know if they have makeup on their face, something in their teeth, food in their hair (yes, that's happened to me with toddlers)… because I always hate it when I'm 2 hours into work before I go to the bathroom and notice something myself!
So much yes!!! Glad to know at least one person has my back here :P

As a mom who does silly things like that, I can understand :rolleyes1 But I still think it would be cute to have them dressed as Jasmine and meeting Aladdin!
That was my thought but I can also totally understand being disappointed after going through all that work to get the most adorable picture of your little Jasmine with big Jasmine and it doesn't work out! But in the grand scheme of things it's just one photo, right? It's just one of those little things at Disney that can seem so escalated and I though it was a little funny :D

Hahaha, too funny but too true!
My husband's face is even worse!
 
I love all of your Photopass pics!!!! Wow, you hit up SO many of them! The pictures with Capt. Jack may not have turned out the greatest (darn angles!) but your hugging the sweaty Pirate Goof was adorable!
 
I love all of your Photopass pics!!!! Wow, you hit up SO many of them! The pictures with Capt. Jack may not have turned out the greatest (darn angles!) but your hugging the sweaty Pirate Goof was adorable!
I was really lucky in stumbling upon a lot of short lines and I can't understate enough how much I love having my picture taken :P
 
But in the grand scheme of things it's just one photo, right? It's just one of those little things at Disney that can seem so escalated and I though it was a little funny

Yes!! On both of our last 2 trips I didn’t get my girls into all the outfits I had planned for pictures. It’s a little sad when things don’t go as planned but I totally understand what you mean! It’s a small thing as far as what could go “wrong”...

Can’t wait to read more!
 
Joining in! Your outfit was adorable and I love all the photo pass pics you got! We were at the party on 10/18 and the character lines were too long to wait it so we didn't bother. Sounds like a fun trip!
 
Joining in! Your outfit was adorable and I love all the photo pass pics you got! We were at the party on 10/18 and the character lines were too long to wait it so we didn't bother. Sounds like a fun trip!
Hello and welcome!!

It's amazing how long some of the lines get! I love meeting characters but with such a limited amount of time at the party you definitely have to draw the line.
 
Sounds like you had a pretty decent time at the Halloween party! I am so torn over whether or not to do one next September! I've done one before but DH hasnt so I feel like he should and then we could dress up. Such a modern day dilemma! haha
 
That hotel room looks so nice-- I'm definitely looking forward to hearing how the Wyndham treated you this trip! I'd ideally like to do a small weekend getaway with my cousin this May, and we're considering WLBV.

Love love love your Redd bound!!! You looked great!!

ALL of those HM pics turned out AMAZING. I love the one with you and the lantern!

You're making amazing time with the party so far, you've done/seen/eaten/photographed a lot.

I think I've read somewhere that Tarzan isn't allowed to have PP CMs with him? I know Mary Poppins isn't. I'm pretty sure it has to do with them not being able to sell MM photos of those characters for some reason.

It looks like you had a seriously SPOOPY and awesome MNSSHP, I'm so glad you got to experience that! I can't wait to read more!!
 
Sounds like you had a pretty decent time at the Halloween party! I am so torn over whether or not to do one next September! I've done one before but DH hasnt so I feel like he should and then we could dress up. Such a modern day dilemma! haha
When in doubt- go to MNSSHP :D especially if your husband hasn't done one yet! I can't wait to take mine for his first!

That hotel room looks so nice-- I'm definitely looking forward to hearing how the Wyndham treated you this trip! I'd ideally like to do a small weekend getaway with my cousin this May, and we're considering WLBV.
It was really nice. The rooms are really big and the service is great. I was definitely doing commando touring so I didn't spend much time in there. The only downside was the lighting sucks for putting on makeup but that's true in about 60% of hotels haha. Otherwise it was perfect and so reasonably priced!

Love love love your Redd bound!!! You looked great!!
Thank you!!! I'm so proud of how good it looks considering how last minute it was.

I think I've read somewhere that Tarzan isn't allowed to have PP CMs with him? I know Mary Poppins isn't. I'm pretty sure it has to do with them not being able to sell MM photos of those characters for some reason.
That makes total sense! I thought it was weird that Mary Poppins didn't have a photographer but I guess if there's some contract around who they can take pictures of...
 
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Hi Ann,

I’m trying to get back into the boards and yours is there first TR I’ve started reading in a long time. Thanks for sharing your bday trip, it sounds amazing so far! Your outfit is super genius cute but I’d expect nothing less from you. Love the PP pics and aren’t the pub tots so yummy? Looking forward to more.

Su-Lynn
 
Hi Ann,

I’m trying to get back into the boards and yours is there first TR I’ve started reading in a long time. Thanks for sharing your bday trip, it sounds amazing so far! Your outfit is super genius cute but I’d expect nothing less from you. Love the PP pics and aren’t the pub tots so yummy? Looking forward to more.

Su-Lynn
Su-Lynn you are so sweet! I'm glad to find another pub tot fan out there. Solidarity!!
 

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