The way We do a Disney Re-Do ~~ Beach club Aug 13-22 - FINISHED!!! 1/20 - Page 34 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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We planned to meet our family at MK around 11:00 that day. The park opened at 9am and there was an EMH pm until 3am (we love those EMH evenings!).
We slept in and were making our way to the buses about 10:30. We texted our family that we were on our way and the return message was that they were about to leave MK to go back to the resort to rest.
They had been there for rope drop and had already hit a few attractions. Their 3-year old was getting tired and would need a nap to last the evening. They stayed at an off property hotel the night before, and would be checking into the BC that day.
We were now uncertain when we would meet up. We had 6:00pm ADRs for just the 5 of us at 1900 Park Fare. Not sure if they would be back before we had to leave for dinner, but we had until 3am, so we would be in touch.
On the bus to MK that morning, I made small talk with a woman sporting a Mickey tattoo. (Obviously a die-hard WDW fan!). She referenced the touring plans rating and said she was hoping for a great day. Hmmm…
We made it through the gates of MK. Today we would use our GAD vouchers to obtain extra fast passes so we could use them with our family. We planned to avoid using the GAC today if possible.
It was about 11:30.
It was crowded
Crowds like we had not seen so far this trip.
It was hard to move down main street.
Our first stop was to the silhouette portrait place. My MIL gave us money and asked us to get them for her for a souvenir (ours were the only grandkids that did not have them done on the GG trip last year). It was hot now, but we figured it would only get worse as the day went on.
Our kids did not want to sit still for the portraits. They were hot. In looking at the photos below, they are all red and sweaty!
After DS was finished with his sillouette, he and I went to look in a few shops while the girls had theirs done. We first entered the glass-blowing shop. After a few minutes, Ben told me he was not feeling well. He said he needed fresh air. Instead of going back outside into the heat, we cut through shops heading to the bakery. By the time we made it to the bakery, it was clear my DS was having an asthma attack. I was getting panicked as the inhalers were back with DH and the stroller.
I tried calling DH but he was not answering. I left a message. I needed to get to the stroller but could not leave my DS there. A couple with one child at a table nearby saw what was going on and said they would watch my son while I went to get medicine. I ran through the shops out to where my DH and the girls had been.
They were gone.
I kept trying to call DH but he did not answer.
As I again entered the bakery from the back, I saw DH pushing the stroller through the front entrance. I ran to him and grabbed the bag and got the inhaler to my DS.
DH got some drinks and snacks for us. Ben said he felt too sick to eat, and frankly, I was feeling the same way. But after some water and air conditioning, Ben was feeling better in about 15 minutes.
I was still pretty stressed. At some point, I ranted that I hated Magic Kingdom. At the moment, I did. I was instantly back in the MK on the first day of our last trip--the day the DH declared as the “worst of his life.” I was thinking how we have had the most extreme swings of highs and lows at MK.
Our only plans for the day were to repeat favorites and collect fast passes to use with our family later.
It was so crowded it was hard to move anywhere or see over the crowd. This could not have been a crowd level 6!!! And it was hot. Steamy hot. Sauna hot. At one time, the heat index was 114. The crowds made the heat feel worse as there was no air movement.
We would head first to one of our family's top attractions--Mickey’s Philharmagic. We have always been able to rely on MP for manageable waittimes and a fantastic experience.
Not this time...
We got to MP and found the line too long for us to handle--maybe because the heat was too long for everyone to handle?
We went to the FP/GAC entrance and also found a long line there.
Ben was saying he was not feeling well again. Me and DS left DH and the girls in line and went to find lunch.
Not really sure what we did after. DS and I had our meltdowns earlier. DD(6) had a few meltdowns during the day, although I do not remember when or why at this point. All I remember is that I was overwhelmed, and we all needed a break from the heat and the crowds. DD (3) really needed a nap!
I suggested that we make our way to the Grand Floridian early for our ADR at 1900 Park Fare (really early as it was before 4:00). The monorail ride may give DD (3) a chance to catch a quick nap and all of us a chance to get out of the sun and the heat. I also hoped we could get in before our 6:00 ADR and have more time with our family later that evening.
DH did not want to leave before collecting another FP. We bickered a bit, but the kids took my side and said they wanted to leave as well. We were hoping the crowds would be better for the evening.
We stopped for a photo pass shot on the way to the monorail. The only rason we stopped is that there was suddenly a brief break in the terrible heat. A breeze started. Soon after there was a brief passing shower. It felt great. DH said, "see...we could've stayed longer...."
You may notice a lot of red faces in thei pictures below. Not a one of us had a sunburn--we were just THAT hot!!
As hoped, Delaney fell asleep in the stroller on the monorail to GF…..ahhhh…..
It was fun to look around the Grand Floridian resort, although I found myself a bit more aware of my kids behavior and making sure they were not acting like “kids.”
BONUS-- 1900 Park Fare was able to get us seated just before 5pm!
The food here was amazing! This was hands down our favorite buffet food, and ranked as one of our favorite overall restaurants. On top of that, the character interaction was amazing!
Cinderella and Prince Charming were the first to visit our table. DS was getting food at the time and was pleased to have missed their visit.
Next up were the step sisters and the step mom. Ben and Hannah would have nothing to do with meeting them. They tried to hide under the table.
We tried to cajole DS into getting his picture taken with the sisters. He announced that he would never again stand next to a princess. I then tried to explain to DS that these were not princesses…when I suddenly heard laughter erupt all around me…
I did not know what was going on and why everyone was laughing. DH filled me in….one of the sisters (Anastasia?) was a couple tables away. She had somehow heard my conversation with Ben and was now “telling” on me to her mom—And she was heading my way! I now heard her yelling, “I am too a princess!” “Maatthhhheeerrr… that [lady] said I was not a princess and I am!”
This was me cracking up when I realized what was going on! Ben was still hiding under the table.
Since the kids did not want to meet her, I had my picture taken with her. She continued to make snotty small talk with me about how rude I was and “what do I know about princesses, anyway?” It was the funniest moment of our entire trip. The other sister and mom kept the gag going when they took their turns at our table.
Delaney met them all…
We finally got Hannah to meet the “nice” sister—on her second time past our table---but Hannah would not play along…
Until Ben jopined us…
Was she blowing on his hair??
We LOVED this restaurant. This will be on our top list for future visits. I mentioned the food was wonderful…and it was. We would return here for the food even if it did not provide such fun character interaction. We had done the princess meals the last trip—this did not have the same feeling as the CRT and Akershus, but it was perfect. We did not feel rushed the way we had at the “real” princess meals, and the characters were fun for the adults as well as the kids.
A tip I learned here was to ask for “ballroom seating” to be close to all the action. I had asked for that when we checked in and was told it would not be a problem (since we were there almost 90 minutes early). When we were brought to our table….in the other room…I asked about the ballroom seating request. The CM apologized and went to check. At that time, it would be about a 30 minute wait for the ballroom…disappointed, we went with the table we were being offered. In the end, we were glad we were seated “away from the action.” And in processing it now, our family had the hardest time at restaurants when we were in the center of the action. The way I see it, we had the best of everything for our needs.
Next up: back to MK to meet up with SIL and her family. They would be saving us spots for the Spectromagic parade.
Back to MK to meet up with SIL and her family. They would be saving us spots for the Spectromagic parade.
Before I go on, I want to give an explanation for those who may have read my PTR and were waiting to hear how BBB went….This was the day we had planned for the girls to go to Bibbity Bobbity Boutique….We had brought along princess costumes specifically for that purpose. Early in the trip, Hannah said she no longer wanted to go to BBB…”just in case she yelled at one of the fairy godmothers who tried to brush her hair…” (Recall that she has ASD, sensory issues, and does not deal well with having her hair done at home…) Sometimes Hannah’s insightfulness regarding her own challenges amazes me. All it took for little sister to be on board was to explain to her how it would mean she could buy more souvenirs now and get to go on more rides. She is so easy…Still hoping it is something we will do at some point. Maybe next trip…
Back to the story…
We eventually found our family somewhere by Liberty Square. We got to them about 10 minutes before the parade was to start. It was incredibly crowded. I felt like we were doing something wrong crossing over the ropes. And although our family had made more than enough space for their family of 3, it was not quite enough to squeeze in another 5 people and a stroller. I felt like we were intruding on the space of others who had been waiting for a long time.
It was also very loud. It felt like an awkward way to greet our family. Ben did not want to stay and wait for a parade. I did not want to wait either. You may recall that we are not “parade” people. This is why I was surprised that Hannah wanted to stay and watch. Probably would have been a different story if we did not already have a place to be. Delaney just wanted to keep staring at her cousin. DH also wanted to stay with his sister now that we were finally together. So Ben and I went off to Space Mountain while the others stayed at the parade. We would meet up at BuzzLightyear after Spectro (Thanks to the Fastpasses collected earlier in the day!)
According to DH, the girls LOVED the parade, especially since they had good seats (thanks to our family). The girls were sitting on the curb so got a great view. It’s good they had a chance to experience it. Maybe next trip we will all be willing to scope out seats an hour before the parade….on second thought….I won’t count on that! LOL!
We met up with the others and did the people mover and Buzz Lightyear. This was a good chance to finally catch up a bit. DBIL, a FL native who grew up with WDW in his proverbial “backyard” talked about his perception of the crowds this day. The crowds were the reason they had left MK so early that day. He said he had only experienced MK this busy a couple of times in his life. He insisted that this day was busier than any day we had been there during our Thanksgiving GG the year before. DBIL said he would never come back in August again because of the crowds this day. It was reassuring to hear that perspective. DH had thought the rest of us were just whining when we complained about the crowds—this was “proof” that we were not crazy!
We then went to Splash Mountain as a group, with more fastpasses. Hannah refused to ride, so we asked for a child swap ticket. DH sat out the ride with her first. We had enough fastpasses to ride again, also using the child swap passes. The second time, I sat out with Hannah.
Here we also met up with our good family friends, who had just arrived in WDW the day before and were experiencing their first park day. (It was not a surprise encounter…we had been planning our trip together for months, and even planned to share the photopass CD….). We were not sure, however, that we would actually ever cross paths while in the world. It was fun to see them. They started the day at DHS, and because there was “no one” there, they did and saw everything early and then hopped over to MK for the evening and EMH. When they got to MK they suddenly knew where all the people were that were NOT at DHS!! (This day both Star Tours and TSMM were down for refurb….I assume these factors pushed many folks to MK).
It was getting late; just about the midnight closing time (although EMH went until 3am). Delaney and her 3-year old cousin were too tired to continue.
DH wanted to stay with the big kids and use up more of the fastpasses. Once again, I took Delaney home early (If you call midnight early for a three year old!).
To put the crowds into perspective….when we were leaving the Splash Mtn area, the standby wait time was 90 minutes; Peter Pan had a posted wait time of 75 minutes. That struck me as nuts! It was still hot. Steamy hot and humid. The air was so thick it felt unstable.
We walked out with SIL, but they needed to make a quick stop for food before leaving the park. We said goodbye at the entrance to the bakery. Delaney and I found a big crowd waiting for the bus. But luckily, we could squeeze 2 more on the bus (I left the stroller with DH). The next day, we found the SIL was not so lucky---they had to wait for the 3rd bus before they could get on. BIL has always talked of how it does not make sense to drive to a park if you stay on property since WDW transportation is so convenient. He was not pleased about the hour-long wait for a bus to the BC.
It was crowded. It was NOT a 6!!!
DH only stayed about an hour longer. They went first to Space Mountain. This would be Hannah’s first time going on Space Mountain. Another interesting reaction here…
After getting off the ride, she declared, "That ride STINKS!"
DH thought it would be added to her never again list...and then she said she needs to remember to plug her nose next time... huh?
Gotta love those Hannahisms!
We were sleeping by the time the others got home.
Tomorrow’s plans included hanging out at the resort and relaxing before we returned home. We would start with breakfast at Cape May Café. We planned to hang out with SIL at SAB (the reason they chose to stay at BC with us…), take in the movies on the beach, and watch Illuminations from the beach. It would be the perfect end to the perfect trip…if all went according to plan…
Glad to see you updating! Sounds like a great day at Epcot....
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Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
More great pictures!
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Originally Posted by islandgirl
Love the updates & pictures! What a magical moment at TT!
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Originally Posted by OCEANGRLLG
So glad you are back! Awesome updates and the pics of the kids are just too cute!
Thanks to all for jumping back in!
I am almost done. I stayed up late last night to work on it, and will try to do the same tonight. I hope I can keep on step ahead of by BFF! But to do that, I am skipping the little emoticons. Takes a while just to add in the pics. Whew!!
Sorry the heat was so bad; I can only imagine how HOT it was..... When we went in June it proved too much for us, we now stick with the cooler months.....
Shelly I was so happy to see your updates. What a great magical moment over at TT, how great that the little thrill demon is also adorable, a grat combination for getting a free walk through back onto the ride
Glad you all enjoyed Tokyo Dining, however I can see why it might not be the perfect choice on the dining plan, maybe with the deluxe I guess as that offers still the appitizer.
Sorry the heat and the crowds were so terrible for you at the MK, we have had those rare "where did these crowds come from" days when we were expecting low crowds. I am surprised that you all lasted as long as you did. I probablwould have just given up and headed to the pool. Your dinner at 1900 PF sounded amazing. We love it there, we agree the food is great, we had amazing service from the chef and the interaction just cannot be beat. It is one of our favorite.
Glad you were able to still get to enjoy at EMH (even though the crowds were still there). I have to say there is such a difference when reading this TR and your last one. While the last trip you had moments of enjoyment....when you read this TR, and look at the pictures you can tell what a difference this trip was for you. Your excitement and happiness is etched in everyone's smiles.
Sorry to hear that you ran into some crowds. And that heat sounds stifling. But, like Meg said, you can definitely tell the difference between this trip and your first one. The kids look so happy!
Great updates and pictures!! Sorry about the heat and your DS not feeling good. Dinner at 1900 PF looked like so much fun!!! Can't wait to read your next update!
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