Nala and pride "Here we go again!" Final thoughts and COMPLETE! Updated 7/30 About This Page:

[Nala]

After a bit of discovering a few little things we had never noticed in the MK, it was time to make our way to the castle and check in at CRT. Finally, the moment of all moments on this trip had arrived for Kiara. She was about to mingle with some of her most beloved princesses. We made our way to CRT, gave our name and waited to be called. And as we waited, I got a huge kick out of all the other little girls dressed in their princess attire.

We were called into the waiting area and invited to get in a short line for a moment with the princess of all princesses. Cinderella! When our turn came, I foolishly handed the CM taking pictures my Photopass card. He told me that was not necessary and someone would come to our table with our pictures during our lunch. I knew then that I was going to be another $30 lighter. Kiara’s turn came and while I took a few shots of her with Cindy, the professional’s shot came out better.

Kiara was thrilled with her few brief moments with Cinderella and was more than ready to meet more princesses. We were instructed to make our way up to the dining floor and Grumpy had the brilliant idea to take the tiny elevator up rather than the stairs. I second the idea fearing the spiral staircase would have been a disaster for Kiara in the sea of a dress she was sporting. We stepped out of the elevator, were greeted by a CM and within a few moments, escorted to our table.

And what a lovely table it was. A window seat with a perfect view overlooking Fantasyland. As we marveled at our view, our server arrived to take our drink order and discuss the menu. While the new prices for CRT had not gone into effect, the new menu changes had. Lunch would include a table appetizer, an entrée of our choice and desert. Grumpy ordered the medallions of port, I selected the Major Domo pie and Kiara went for the pasta. Our server disappeared and quickly returned with our drinks and appetizer. While the appetizer has a lovely presentation, it seemed a bit small and between the three of us it was gone in no time. While I don’t remember everything that was on the plate, I do remember we finished it all off and everything was very good. Our entrees appeared shortly thereafter and we all dug in. Or tried to.

Within moments of our food hitting our table, the princesses also arrived. While Grumpy and I had a bit of time to take a few bites of our food, Kiara spotted the parade and couldn’t touch hers. Her attention was fixed on the princesses making their way towards her. And soon, the first one graced our table with her presence. The Fairy Godmother!


And before I could put my camera down and take a bite of my lunch the next one came. None other than the lovely Aurora.


Following closely behind Aurora, was Belle. As soon as she saw Kiara, she commented on her dress and even made a comment about how her hair looked just like hers did when she wore that dress. Kudos to Grumpy for picking up on the hair detail earlier in the week!!!


Next was Mary Poppins and I realized she was the same Mary Kiara and I had met in Epcot. And what a perfect Mary Poppins she was.


And last but not least, was Snow White, And like Mary, she was perfect.


At last, the parade of princesses came to an end and we could concentrate on our lunch. My Major Domo pie was cold by now, but still quite good. Good enough to finish every bite. But as I looked at the smile that was plastered on my daughter’s face, it didn’t matter that my food was cold. She was beyond happy, and that was all that mattered.

Our lunch dishes were cleared away and dessert soon arrived. Grumpy and I were each served what appeared to be a lemon crumb muffin surrounded by fresh berries and Kiara was presented with a scoop of ice cream topped with sprinkles and a chocolate crown.

I’m not sure what she wanted to do more. Eat it or wear it on her head!


Before we finished dessert, a CM appeared at our table with the picture of our darling daughter with Cinderella. Much as I predicted, it was beautiful. And besides the 8 x 10 and four 4 x 6’s of the two of them together, it also included a beautiful picture of Cinderella’s castle all dressed up for the HCOE. It took a less than 1/100th of a second after seeing the pictures for both Grumpy and I to say yes to purchasing the package.

Our lunch came to a close and Grumpy and I were both happy we had done this meal. It wasn’t that the food was all that amazing. It was good, but we had had far better meals on property. But what made it so worth the price was the pure joy our daughter got out of it. This meal was worth every penny spent and then some.

This picture sums up what this meal was to the three of us. Priceless.

[mattnkatsmum]

Awwww. Those photos of Kiara are just adorable; you can see she's on cloud 9. What a wonderful experience for your little girl [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[luvnwdwgal]

The smiles on Kiara's face are just MAGICAL!!! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/fairy2.gif[/img]

[lauren-roxy]

What a wonderful lunch Nala!!! We are trying out CRT for lunch on MOnday and I can't wait!!!! Great update, can't wait to read more!! I'm just sad that your trip is coming to an end.

[Caldercup]

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Totally fantastic picture - love that one of the princesses gave her a good smooch on the forehead!!

Great update!
Eileen

[Grammy Grumpy]

Just getting caught up on your report and I have to admit I had tears in my eyes reading about the magic you encountered. I know we are close to the end, but keep it coming!

[LoveWL]

I just spent the better part of the day (between loads of laundry and running errands) reading your wonderful TR. We, too, love both the AKL and WL. Kiara is adorble -- I was moved to tears with the pictures of her with the princesses. Thanks for a most entertaining read!

[Colexis Mom]

Great update Nala [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/zwavin.gif[/img] Kiara looks so cute with all the princesses.....she was certainly in her glory [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] Such great pictures! What a magical time [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[Jillybean]

I tried to read this latest installment first thing this morning before work, but Maddie demanded to be let out of her playpen instead! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]

Kiara is just beautiful in these pictures! Oh my goodness! That is pure joy if I've ever seen it! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Jill

[Minnie Lor]

I just got caught up. Nala, your TR's are always wonderful, magical, and sprinkled with pixie dust. The pictures of Kiara are priceless. She is such a doll!

[ilovedisney0_0]

I just read your whole report from start to (almost) finish. It sounds like you had a wonderful time! I just couldn't help thinking the whole time I was reading what a wonderful family you have! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/zwavin.gif[/img] Amy

[Nala]

After our lunch was complete, we headed out of the castle and the entire time I attempted to get Kiara to pose for a few pictures on the pathway. But, it wasn’t going to happen. The first time I asked her to stop and pose, she didn’t even look at me, but uttered a quite “No” and kept walking. She looked so cute walking down the bridge, holding up her dress in true princess form, that I couldn’t help asking again. I did after all see a picture perfect moment in front of me. Again, she responded with a “No”, only this time a bit more forceful and a bit louder. I was not about to give up and our exchange continued all the way down the bridge. I had resorted to begging her, she had resorted to practically screaming “NOOOO” at me and Grumpy, who was laughing at our exchange, finally turned to me and told me to give it up. To relive this moment, I would have to rely on the picture engrained in my memory, as there was no chance that it was going to be captured on film. And while I can’t show it to anyone else, the picture is there in my mind and it is a wonderful memory.

When we found ourselves in the hub, we asked Kiara what she wanted to do. I expected her to want a ride on the Magic Carpets but she surprised me with her response. “This dress is itchy!” With the meet and greet of the princesses out of the way, Kiara was ready to ditch the dress. So ditch the dress we did. Unfortunately, transforming her from a princess to a regular little girl required a trip back to the resort. Fortunately, the WL was only a boat ride away.

We headed out of the MK and boarded the boat to the WL. Back in our room, Kiara made the transformation of princess to regular kid. Besides ditching the dress for a sweater and jeans, she also wanted to rid herself of the princess hairdo. We kicked around in the room for a bit, grabbed a few things for our evening at MK and headed back out.

We arrived back at the MK and noticed that a rather large crowd had formed in the park. I wanted a picture of Grumpy and Kiara with the Partners statue, but due to the crowd in the hub, this is a close as we decided to get.


We headed into Fantasyland where Grumpy attempted to take Kiara for another spin on the Tea Cups. After being in line for only a few minutes he came back out with a rather miffed Kiara in tow. It seems that just as they stepped into the queue, Grumpy witnessed a horrible display of guest behavior. A little girl, in a Cinderella dress, ahead of them in the line a bit, was sitting on the railing next to her family . A group of people started to push their way through the line to get to one other person holding a place for them, and in the process, someone in the group bumped the little girl in the Cinderella dress and knocked her over the rail into the bushes below. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img] That ordeal was enough to turn Grumpy into the original “Bad Mood Dude”.

Grumpy has a huge problem with two things in life, A) crowds and B) rude people. And what he witnessed put him over the edge. And while I won’t go into any of the details of what transpired between us over the next few hours, it is safe to say it was not pleasant. We spent our time searching for a short line. Even in January, it was a Saturday afternoon and we were finding that everything had a wait far longer than we were accustomed to. I did manage to get Kiara a few more rides on the carrousel, but we spent most of our time hiding out in a tucked away corner behind the Liberty Square. It was here that we had a conversation about going to another park.

By the time Grumpy made the suggestion of hopping to another park, it was already 5:30. He suggested MGM. “It closes at seven“ I stated. I also added that transportation time figured in, we would have an hour in the park. To add another reason for not going there I also asked him what Kiara would enjoy there. There would be no parade or no Power Rangers at that hour. What was the point?

His next suggestion was Epcot. Seems he really wanted to try Soarin. Again, we would have an hour, at best, before FW closed and Soarin with it. Then we would face the possibility of not being able to get into a sit down restaurant without an ADR. And again I pointed out that there was nothing at Epcot to really entertain Kiara. Truth be known, I was fighting with everything I had to stay at MK and keep our ADR at CP. Spending our last night at MK is a must do for me. Not only do I love the food and look so forward to it each trip, but I love the fact that my daughter gets such a huge kick out of meeting Winnie the Pooh and gang.

When Grumpy finally agreed to staying in the MK, he decided to pacify his boredom by striking up a conversation with everyone in the area. (but Heaven forbid he eat at Biergarten) Turns out, everyone in the area was from IL. (Hmmm, there is a Disney song fitting for this moment….I wonder what it could be?) Grumpy was in his element. Meanwhile, poor Kiara was bored to tears and started to beg for a ride on the Magic Carpets. We decided to head to Adventureland and give it one last shot. The line was a bit longer than what we had endured early in the week, but I was determined to brave it with Kiara. And I’m glad I did.

Kiara had a ball on the ride, as Grumpy waited for us it gave him time to readjust his attitude and the wind in my hair and the joy on my daughter’s face put my mood back in prospective. We were all in better moods. And it didn’t hurt that our ADR at CP was fast approaching. As we made our way towards the CP, something stopped us. Timon was just stepping out for a meet and greet and there was no line. Kiara was first to greet him and they had a wonderful exchange. Since no one else was waiting in line, he spent a few extra moments with Kiara and as we left I couldn’t help telling him to tell my favorite guy, Simba, I said hello. Timon loved this and gave me a big thumbs up and followed it up with a hug. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]


We left Timon, headed to the CP and proceeded to check in for dinner.

And for anyone who thinks they don’t need and ADR at a slow time, think again. As I stood in the line to check in, every person in front of me without an ADR was turned away. A CM was outside the window and addressed every guest in line. If you had an ADR, she checked for the name on a list and told you to proceed to the window. If you didn’t. she advised you there was no availability for the rest of the night. Most of the people in the line were turned away.

Now granted, it was a Saturday night. But it was January! The time of year quoted by every guide book known to man as one of the slowest times to visit. Watching people be turned away confirmed for me what I already knew. Never, never, never go to WDW without making those ADRs I really want. No matter what time of year.

My turn at the window came, my existence was validated by the fact that my name and said time was found on the list and I was given the flashy, buzzy thingy. I clutched this thing close to me like a coveted prize, and made my way back to where Grumpy and Kiara were sitting . And as I watched guest after guest be turned away and break the bad news to the family waiting nearby, I was grateful that I was able to talk Grumpy into not giving up this ADR. And I know, even though he wouldn’t admit it, Grumpy was grateful that not only had he listened to my reason, but that he had a wife who was a neurotic, over planning, Disney obsessed freak. Thanks to my obsession with planning…..err, attention to detail, we were in.

We sat on a bench outside the CP, which gave us a great view of Cinderella’s castle as it changed colors against the slowly darkening sky, and waited for our buzzy, flashy thingy to go off. As we waited, something magical occurred. Not big magical, but magical as in seeing another family really into the whole Disney thing.

A little boy, about five, with the help of his Mom, was doing his part to spread the Disney magic. Mom had a bag of Mickey metallic confetti and was giving him a handful and telling him to pass the “pixie dust” on to others. The little boy would take it and give it to a complete stranger, child and adult alike. When someone would accept it and thank him, he would grin from ear to ear. The kid’s face was positively beaming with joy. Watching his excitement was contagious and Grumpy and I both found ourselves smiling at him. And soon he made his way to Kiara and handed her some of his pixie dust.
The three of us thanked him and Kiara was thrilled with his little gift. Grumpy and I also got a huge kick out of his Mom, who was completely giddy with the Disney magic. We kept watching them as they moved on and continued to spread their little version of Disney magic. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/fairy2.gif[/img]

It was then that Grumpy decided Kiara should do her part to keep the magic going and encouraged her to pass some of her pixie dust on to someone else. Kiara was up for this and spotted a boy about nine with his parents in standing in front of us. She walked up to him, handed him some of the Mickey confetti while Grumpy and I explained she was giving him some pixie dust. The little boy didn’t know what to say and his Mom had the most dumbfounded look on her face. They both uttered a “Thank You” but looked at us like we were from another planet. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/rofl2.gif[/img] Grumpy and I found their reaction both humorous and sad at the same time. But, Kiara didn’t notice. She was just overjoyed that she could spread the magic and that was all that mattered to us. Thankfully, our flashy, buzzy thingy went off and we bolted to the front door of the CP.

Finally, it was time to eat and meet Pooh and the gang!

[kimkdmm]

Great update [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
Thats so sweet that the family was passing out pixie dust...I love it, and that Kiara got a chance to do it too!!
Looking forward to hearing about your dinner at CP[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[DrDolphin]

Fantastic update -- I can so understand "this dress is itchy" - the sacrifices we make to be princesses!!!

So glad you stayed at MK and got your ADR at CP w/Pooh and the gang!!!

[lauren-roxy]

Wonderful update Nala!! I'm so glad that you got to stay at MK and eat at CP. I too don't like rude people, especially at my happy place, but I'm glad that the magic was passed around, even to those who don't quite get it!!! Can't wait to hear about dinner!!!