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

She is the one who’s also the big Disney fan and will inevitably end up at WDW the same time as me one day in the future. The two of us got to visit a small town called Gruyeres, tour a cheese factory, a chocolate factory, and take a chocolate train!

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I told my mom about the Chocolate Train and she was like - when is the next plane leaving for Switzerland!

The Polynesian had the diapers but no wipes. I was willing to accept the risk and take our chances with the germs, but Alex was antsy and wanted to wander some more. He tossed Evie in the baby carrier and announced that he was going to walk to Shades of Green and check their shop for the items.

I thought he was crazy! That was a good ten minutes of walking one way, and doing it with a toddler strapped to his chest made the trek even harder. He might as well have been doing one of his ruck runs, only in cargo shorts and improper shoes.

However, he seemed pretty determined to do it.

Anything sounded better than sitting at the pool.

That’s my husband’s worst nightmare right there.

Wasting time off doing…nothing? What kind of crazy person considers that fun?

His wife, that’s who…:rolleyes:
:confused3

The slide was the best thing ever, and I spent the following hour watching Landon go on it over and over again. The only problem was that after he got off, he wanted to run back to the stairs and I had to yell “WALK!” continuously. I am sure the other parents around me were getting sick of hearing my voice, but Landon was having a terrible time remembering that rule. As soon as he heard my voice he’d slow, but his excitement always overloaded his brain once his feet hit concrete.

Bless the lifeguard’s heart, he tried to help me out. He made a circuit from one end of the pool to the other, and every time he was at the slide’s end when Landon got out, he’d ask him for a high five or a fist bump or a cheer to try and get him to keep a safe pace. He walked over to me at one point and said, “I’m trying!”
At least he tried to help! :thumbsup2
 
I like that you did IASW and Peter Pan first thing in the morning. Hey, if that's what works for your kid, that's what you do. Definitely worth it.

I see a future for Evie as an Instagrammer. I don't know if that's a good thing, though.

I love Landon's excitement about the slide. It's the simple things in life sometimes.
 
Glad that Landon had such fun at the pool- and that your mom had Wipes in the car! I'm like you and have to pre-clean as I got sick in 2016 as well!
 
Caught up on the last 2 updates that I'd missed while off the Boards for a bit. Lots of MK fun (your little fashionista cracks me up) and Landon's extreme love of Disney pools is always fun to read about. Thanks for sharing all the stories- I did giggle (not in a mean way!) about the lysol wipes being *right there*. Totally sounds like something that would happen to me.
 


That is SO CUTE! I've honestly never had great luck meeting Anna and Elsa, I don't know what it is.

Mobile ordering is really fantastic and I bet it's so helpful for families like yours with small children

Mobile ordering has made life a little easier with the kids. Although, we didn't know at the Canteen (the Pandora QS restaurant that I can't spell) you can't enter the seating area without food, first. So we should have placed our order earlier and picked it up immediately, because we had to wait around for a bit. But lesson learned and we know now.



Eis is ice cream, right? what is spaghetti ice cream?!

Yes! Spaghetti eis is this fun ice cream concoction that is popular here in Germany. At the bottom is whipped cream, then there's ice cream made to look like spaghetti noodles, and topped with a hot fudge. A lot of people get the vanilla ice cream with strawberry fudge on top, but I love the "nero" which is chocolate!
eis by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr



Oh, ew, there was so much tomato sauce when I last ate there. I had to scrape it off to make it palatable.

I forgot how much American-style pizzas use tomato sauce, especially Pizzafari. I could have done with half the amount they put on the pizza.



Adorable! She's going to need to start posing with the walls of Disney

I have a sneaky suspicion she'll ask for some pink ears the next time we go to Disney and then I'll inevitably end up taking her photo in front of the walls....



Great update! That spot in Switzerland looks beautiful and perfect for a scenic walk. We are going on a river cruise in Sept. and extending at the end with 4 nights in Lucerne. Can't wait to see it! Of all the vacations we took with our boys, I think their favorite was always the hotel pool :rotfl2:

A river cruise sounds so wonderful! They seem to really immerse people in Europe and provide great opportunities to try the local cuisine. I've heard nothing but positive reviews about river cruises, so I really hope you enjoy yours! Plus, September is such a great time to go, all the wine and fall festivals are happening in Europe! And Lucerne looks beautiful. You'll have to share a photo of Switzerland in early fall with me, because I'd love to see it.

I am starting to realize that pools are going to play a major factor into where we stay on vacations for the next chunk of our kids' lives...
 
Yes! Spaghetti eis is this fun ice cream concoction that is popular here in Germany. At the bottom is whipped cream, then there's ice cream made to look like spaghetti noodles, and topped with a hot fudge. A lot of people get the vanilla ice cream with strawberry fudge on top, but I love the "nero" which is chocolate!
eis by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr

That looks so fun! Wonder if I can get some in late September!
 
Wow! Your visit to Switzerland looked amazing. Chocolate and Cheese? YES, PLEASE!

You had a really nice resort break. I have never eaten at Captain Cooks, because Kona is our go-to (any meal) at the Poly.

I'm so glad to hear Landon enjoyed the pool and slide so much.

Kudos for Alex for taking Evie on the wipes expedition. Did she rest?

:goodvibes

When my friend saw there was a tour that covered both chocolate and cheese, she told me, "This is the trip we have to go on!" She knew there was no way I'd pass up on good chocolate!

Give it another 6 years, and I plan on studying your Beach and Yacht Club thread in depth, because I am sure Landon will really want to experience Stormalong Bay...

Evie did end up napping for about twenty minutes, which we were happy about.


Me too! We really enjoy heading to the monorail resorts to grab a bite and have a break from the park.


:rotfl:

It's a convenient option if you're looking for a break from the parks but don't want to travel all the way back to your resort.



Beautiful!! All of your European excursions look amazing, but Switzerland in particular is somewhere I'd like to see.

Switzerland was really beautiful. I'm going to see a bit of it in December, but I am happy that I got to see it in the summer. I hate the snow, so to me the Alps were so much better all covered in green and with blue skies in the background!


Good call there!! It's so lousy to be sick on vacation, especially at Disney. I always do the airplane surfaces around me, and I've recently started doing the rooms, too.

Ever since my whole family got sick in 2016, I have become a lot more adamant about cleaning surfaces and good hygiene. We're that family in the parks that make the kids wait to sit down at a table until I can wipe it down. And fortunately, Landon loves Disney bathrooms because they have the small sinks. He's always excited to wash his hands! :rotfl2:



Glad you had a nice time in Switzerland!

I am with you, I love lounging by the pool! Glad Landon had such a blast at the pool! So funny that Alex would do anything to stay active while you guys were hanging out!

Alex and I are so similar on a lot of fronts, but that is definitely not one of them! I'm so glad he discovered scuba diving and loves it, because now I can plan beach vacations! I'll hang back in the sand while he goes off on scuba excursions and everyone's happy. Which means.....Aulani someday!!:rotfl:
 


This is my husband and I too. I want to be in the parks all day (rope drop to close) and DH wants breaks by the pool to rest. I am slowly learning to slow down some.

Before kids, I tried to compromise and make sure we had days where we stayed super busy and then had one or two days where we hung back and relaxed. Plus, I have no problem telling Alex to go off and do his own thing while I relax.


Glad that Landon had such fun at the pool- and that your mom had Wipes in the car! I'm like you and have to pre-clean as I got sick in 2016 as well!

I think I remember that happening! Because you were so sweet and sympathized with me on facebook when you saw that we were all getting sick, and then a few months later it happened to you!! Ugh, let's hope as our kids get older and learn to not touch every surface possible we won't encounter another 2016!


Caught up on the last 2 updates that I'd missed while off the Boards for a bit. Lots of MK fun (your little fashionista cracks me up) and Landon's extreme love of Disney pools is always fun to read about. Thanks for sharing all the stories- I did giggle (not in a mean way!) about the lysol wipes being *right there*. Totally sounds like something that would happen to me.

Landon does love his pool time. Actually, Landon loves everything about a Disney vacation. The boy thinks he has to meet characters, has to ride Small World, has to swim in the pools...I'm glad he's getting to visit other countries and famous places, but I think Disney will always be his favorite place to vacation.



That looks so fun! Wonder if I can get some in late September!

Most of the ice cream shops don't shut down for the season until early October, so it's possible! They are the perfect treat after a long day when it's hot out. (No air conditioning over here, so it's a nice way to cool down.)
September is such a great time to be over here. It's festival season and the weather usually great!
 
Monday, April 30th, 2018 Part 3:

My family reentered the Magic Kingdom right at three o’clock and were presented with a dilemma. I had to make sure we got to a 3:45 reservation, I desperately needed some caffeine, and I really wanted to watch the Festival of Fantasy parade. My mind was abuzz with how to make all those wants met, and after a few minutes of standing in the center of Town Square I thought I came up with the perfect solution.

I walked over to a sidewalk and parked the new rental stroller that Alex had picked up right in between Harmony Barber Shop and the Emporium. I was worried that since we were at the end of the parade route that we wouldn’t have time to watch the entire parade, but at least if that ended up being the case we would be nearby.


Once I settled myself on the curb and made sure the kids were comfortable, I started asking Alex if he thought I’d have enough time to run over to Starbucks and grab a coffee. The walkways were rapidly filling up, and there were already Cast Members directing guests out of the streets. I didn’t think I stood a chance and was really regretting not grabbing a cup from Capt. Cook’s before we left the Polynesian, but Alex was confident he could do it.

“Text me what you want. I’m gonna make a run for it.”

“You’ll never make it!”

“I’ll be fine.”

Alex rushed off, leaving me panicking that he would be stuck on Main St. and would miss both the parade and our reservation. Meanwhile, playtime at the pool had caught up with Landon and he crashed hard:

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Landon’s a terrible sleeper – always has been – and can stay awake much longer than I’d think possible, but Disney always finds a way to beat his insomnia. Yet another reason Alex and I love Disney…we can actually get Landon to sleep an entire night through! (He’s still known to wake up in the middle of the night and come to our room, asking questions or retelling a story he made up with his stuffed friends or even reminding me about upcoming events.:rolleyes:)


It ended up just being a power nap, though, because his baby sister kept climbing in and out of the stroller and elbowing him in the ribs until he woke. Gotta love siblings…


It was about the time that Evie shot Landon a satisfied smirk when she saw she’d accomplished her mission that Alex returned, hands empty.

“Okay. I WOULD have been fine, but the line was crazy long and the workers were moving really slow.”

“Uh huh.”


Around 3:25, the Festival of Fantasy wound its way around Town Square and towards where we were.

f1 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr


I love the Festival of Fantasy parade but rarely get to see it. Three o’clock is prime nap time back at the resorts, not to mention you really have to be prepared to battle the heat during a lot of the months. It was pure luck that we needed to be in the parks at that time and that it wasn’t a million degrees. It was still hot, don’t get me wrong, but I was embracing the heat. The morning we flew back into Germany, it was in the 40’s. I was enjoying the sunshine and the sweat!!


Landon and Evie immediately became interested in the parade and started to get really excited when familiar characters started appearing.

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And the longer the parade went on, the happier they became. To our surprise, Evie was loving every second of the show. She would watch for the next float, see who was on it, then start yelling their name and pointing.

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Hands down, Festival of Fantasy was Evie’s favorite thing at Disney. I think she really liked the fact that she got to see recognizable characters but didn’t have to get up close and interact with them. They stayed a safe distance away from her while she got the satisfaction of seeing them.

It was a perfect setup for her.

Alex and I were able to see the Malificent dragon:
f2 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr

It wasn’t even a month later that the fire incident happened and she had to be taken out of the parade. When we saw her she was out of gasoline, so we didn’t get to see any flames but knowing what happened we were grateful to see her during her “glory days.”


The parade finished at 3:42pm.

Perfect! We had just enough time to get out of the crowds and walk to Harmony Barber Shop, where Evie had an appointment for her first haircut.

Back in 2015, we got Landon’s hair “cut” (it was more of a trim) at the barber shop:

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It was a wonderful little perk Disney does and the price point wasn’t bad, considering all the swag you get at the end. Twenty five dollars will get your kid a cut, a certificate, mouse ears, and a pouch to keep a lock of baby hair. For us, this was well worth it. Not every kid can say they had their first haircut inside the Magic Kingdom!


Alex and I worried that Evie would have to miss this milestone since we lived in Germany. She really needed a cut back around Christmas, but as soon as we found out the wedding dates we pushed the cut back to make sure we could do it in Disney.

This was our one must do of the trip!


Evie was very unsure about what was going on at the beginning. She gave everyone the classic Evie side eye:
f3 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr

:rotfl2:


She remained apprehensive throughout the cut, but at least she wasn’t screaming and crying. That was the poor boy getting his hair cut in the seat next to Evie. He was not having it that afternoon. Poor fellow was so upset they had to give up and stop!


05.JPG


The Cast Member who cut Evie’s hair was very polite and efficient; she tried to talk to Alex a couple of times but things kept getting misinterpreted and everyone silently agreed it was easiest not to speak. Sometimes, things get lost in translation and I think that’s what happened here.

No matter, though, she did a great job with Evie and tried to get her to give me a smile when she put her mouse ears on. Unfortunately, Evie is a reserved girl and rarely smiles in unfamiliar situations. So, we had to settle on this photo:

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And move on…


She asked Evie if she wanted some pixie dust, and before I could casually steer Evie away from it, she told her yes.

And thus, Alex and I got our first experience with the oh so lovely “pixie dust.”

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It didn’t look too bad from my spot on the other side of the room.

But then Evie came over and sat next to me and HOLY MOLY!

:scared1:

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That’s a lot of glitter.

A lot.

Like….more than I could have imagined no matter how trip reports I’ve read or how many BBB photos I’ve seen. Nothing can prepare you for the sheer amount of sparkle that ends up on your child’s head until you’re staring straight down at it.

And letting them lean next to you, spreading the stuff onto your arms and your shirt and your bag until it’s glitter chaos.

That’s what comes to mind when I think about that scene.

Glitter chaos…
:scared:



And because the fun couldn’t stop there, the nice Cast Member asked if anyone else wanted to be sprinkled with pixie dust.

Landon’s little radar ears picked up the Peter Pan terminology and honed in on it. He jumped out of his chair and ran over, hardly able to stand still long enough to let the woman preform said act.


Alex and I could do nothing but look at the madness and wonder if we’d ever see our children’s hair again.

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Funny enough, getting the glitter out of Evie’s hair wasn’t too bad. It took a lot of shampoo and combing, but the majority of it was out within a few days. Landon’s hair was the one that ended up being the nightmare. He has such thick hair that when he started to sweat, the glitter moved to his scalp and stuck there. No matter how much water he got on his head or how many times we combed him, we would move a lock and find a rogue glitter.

I’m pretty sure a piece or two found its way to Germany over a week later…


After the haircut, Alex and I set the kids back in the rental stroller (possibly hoping some of that dust would shake off and onto the plastic) and walked over to the Starbucks. It was well past 4 o’clock by this point and normally I’d never dream of having coffee that late in the day. However, we still had a long night ahead of us, and I knew I’d never make it without some caffeine.


The line seemed to be just as long as Alex swore it was earlier, but we waited it out and got a bunch of ice waters and my precious fuel:
f4 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr


Inside the store, both kids were starting to get grumpy so Alex and I decided to walk around and see if they would take another nap. Alex led us all over to the Emporium, where I picked out a teacher appreciation gift and a shirt for myself. Alex walked the kids around and around the store until he successfully lulled them to sleep.

No kids stands a chance against a dad and a stroller…:laughing:


Alex and I finished our shopping inside the Emporium, walked over to the bakery to look at the goodies, then meandered past the castle.

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It looked so beautiful in the late afternoon. The perfect depiction of my family’s happy place.:cloud9:


Alex pushed the kids to the pin store in Frontierland; he was definitely grateful the kids were taking another nap so that he could get some shopping done. My husband loves to browse Disney gift shops, something that’s taken a hit since we’ve had children. They make it hard to peruse shelves when they’re either trying to run off or begging us to buy everything in sight. It’s not the relaxing escape from the heat that makes it so fun for poor Alex.


Feeling accomplished for being able to let my husband cross off a vacation favorite, I got us out of the shop and over to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Landon began waking up at this point, and we told him we were going to use our Thunder FP from earlier.


Alex and I walked up to the entrance and noticed people walking out of the queue. Then one of the Cast Members at the front was on a phone and I could tell by her face what she was about to turn and say to us.

“Sorry, ladies and gentleman, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is temporary down.”

Noooooo!

Another strike out on Big Thunder. Only this time I knew we wouldn’t be back for a third chance. We had other obligations across the park and therefore had to wave a sad farewell to my favorite coaster.

Until next time, Big Thunder!



Up Next…It’s all Fun and Games Until the Ride Starts Moving
 
Child's first haircut at Disney - perfect thing to do for Disney park fans such as you and your DH. Great memory and nice keepsakes to boot. The glitter made me laugh. I had a co-worker who would put confetti in greeting cards and sprinkle it on desks for special occasions. I was finding it in various places drawers, files etc. for literally years. I love the F of F parade too - looks like it was a hit for your DD! Sorry you had to miss Big Thunder but hope the rest of your evening went well.
 
Glad you could enjoy the parade! The photos of the 4 of you watching are priceless, you can see the joy on everyone's face! And you got to see the dragon one last time!

I'm glad you could keep the tradition going with Evie getting her first haircut at Disney! Wow, that is a lot of glitter :scared1:

ugh such a bummer about BTMRR :( I'm sorry!
 
To our surprise, Evie was loving every second of the show. She would watch for the next float, see who was on it, then start yelling their name and pointing.
03-jpg.338046



Hands down, Festival of Fantasy was Evie’s favorite thing at Disney. I think she really liked the fact that she got to see recognizable characters but didn’t have to get up close and interact with them. They stayed a safe distance away from her while she got the satisfaction of seeing them.

It was a perfect setup for her.
Thats awesome she loved the parades so much! How does she do with stage shows?

Alex and I could do nothing but look at the madness and wonder if we’d ever see our children’s hair again.

09-jpg.338052



Funny enough, getting the glitter out of Evie’s hair wasn’t too bad. It took a lot of shampoo and combing, but the majority of it was out within a few days. Landon’s hair was the one that ended up being the nightmare. He has such thick hair that when he started to sweat, the glitter moved to his scalp and stuck there. No matter how much water he got on his head or how many times we combed him, we would move a lock and find a rogue glitter.
Oh boy! At least it gave more Disney magic!
 
Just got back here and completed reading your 2017 TR and discovered I have a 2018 tr to enjoy.
 
So happy Evie got to have her first haircut at MK! <3 That glitter is so pretty, yet such a pain!

Glad you finally got your coffee, but boo that BTMR was down again!
 
All caught up now.

Hi DIS friends!! I’ve missed you guys. I have been trying my hardest to stay up to date on your trip reports, but the itch to post on my own report has been tickling my brain these last few days.
Ha I was the opposite I was dieing to get on and catch up with everybody's TR but felt guilty not finishing my own.

“I’ll go through with Test Track again if I get to make a new car.”
Too cute




Love these pics


My rule of thumb is, a bag has to be big enough for me throw a diaper and a protein bar inside.
LOL

I feel it needs to be said again…mobile ordering is great.
::yes::

Bahama Breeze.
Miss this place use to love their Paia.


Now that's agreat family photo

(At least this time around I was smart and designated one bag for what we'd need during our 1 night at Disney.)
I do this and Mark gives me a hard time about taking the time to figure it out, but will be the first to complain when he feels he has too many bags to haul. Funny thing is he's the clothes hound and has the most luggage. :crazy:
 
Hi! :wave2: World's worst TR reader reporting back several months later. :rotfl: I had soooooo much to catch up on, but I'm here now and loved reading through everything. I won't pick out individual things to quote and comment on, but I'll just say that I can relate to so much and enjoyed reading about the good and bad and everything in between.

It was so great meeting up with your family at DLP! We had a great time and Izzy tells us almost daily that Landon shares her dream of learning to fly and that someday they are going to fly together. :goodvibes Also, thank you for the Happy Hippos - we loved them as well! :thumbsup2

And now I am really craving a WDW trip...we don't have any planned to WDW. Disneyland in a month, though, so I guess I can't complain, but I miss Epcot and all that unique WDW stuff! Oh, also, was going to mention - as you alluded to, we are forever spoiled by staying at the Disneyland Hotel at DLP and being able to enter the park so quickly - it was amazing! At one point, we had taken off our jackets from the chilly morning and I didn't want to carry them, so I just ran back to our room, dropped them off, used the restroom, and was back in the park 5 minutes after leaving. Magical. pixiedust:
 
The kids look so adorable enjoying the parade! FoF really is an outstanding daytime parade. I love the floats, costumes, and assortment of characters they got in there.

Holy cow, that glitter is insane!!! Mental note, let the CM know up front we don't want pixie dust next time we go in there. lol
 
I love the Festival of Fantasy parade but rarely get to see it. Three o’clock is prime nap time back at the resorts, not to mention you really have to be prepared to battle the heat during a lot of the months.

We kept missing it for the same reasons. Except we don't have kids...but I still need an afternoon nap at Disney! :laughing: In all the times we've been since FoF started, we've only seen it once.

Hands down, Festival of Fantasy was Evie’s favorite thing at Disney. I think she really liked the fact that she got to see recognizable characters but didn’t have to get up close and interact with them. They stayed a safe distance away from her while she got the satisfaction of seeing them.

Yay! So excited you found something that worked so well for Evie! You really never know what will end up being their favourite things... :confused3 So sweet how she reacted to the floats!

Alex and I worried that Evie would have to miss this milestone since we lived in Germany. She really needed a cut back around Christmas, but as soon as we found out the wedding dates we pushed the cut back to make sure we could do it in Disney.

This was our one must do of the trip!

Awesome that you managed to make it work! I'm glad Evie got to have the same experience her brother did.

She gave everyone the classic Evie side eye:

:rotfl:

Unfortunately, Evie is a reserved girl and rarely smiles in unfamiliar situations. So, we had to settle on this photo:
06-jpg.338049

Sweet! Nice photo to have.

That’s a lot of glitter.

A lot.

Like….more than I could have imagined no matter how trip reports I’ve read or how many BBB photos I’ve seen. Nothing can prepare you for the sheer amount of sparkle that ends up on your child’s head until you’re staring straight down at it.

Oh man... This is seriously the stuff of nightmares. I can only imagine it. :scared1:

Alex and I could do nothing but look at the madness and wonder if we’d ever see our children’s hair again.

:laughing:

“Sorry, ladies and gentleman, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is temporary down.”

Noooooo!

Oh no!! :sad1:
 
Landon’s a terrible sleeper – always has been – and can stay awake much longer than I’d think possible,

Hey me too! Kindred spirits :rotfl:

Three o’clock is prime nap time back at the resorts, not to mention you really have to be prepared to battle the heat during a lot of the months.

3 really is a hard time to catch a parade. That's generally when I'm feeling like a break!


Oh my goodness, look at those sweet happy faces! I love how candid it is


Even though she's not smiling this shot is still adorable!

08-jpg.338051


That’s a lot of glitter.

A lot.

I love it! I'm sure it was a mess, but it makes me so happy :laughing:

Wonder if they'd pixie dust me?!

My husband loves to browse Disney gift shops, something that’s taken a hit since we’ve had children.

Me too! Even if most of them have the same stuff
 

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